USAP Perspective: Check In – Summer 2018

I auditioned for an acapella group on campus last week (I know, you can gasp out loud). If you’ve lived with me for an extended period of time, you might know that I like to sing, but I would have never dreamt of doing it in front of a group of amazing people sitting behind … Continue reading USAP Perspective: Check In – Summer 2018

USAP Perspectives: Check In – Spring 2018

I haven’t written in a while. Here’s why. February Black History Month. The Wellesley African Student’s Association (WASA) held Africa Week during February.  For the first time since I had set foot in the United States, I was excited to be involved with the activities they planned. I found my niche with WASA. I got … Continue reading USAP Perspectives: Check In – Spring 2018

USAP Perspectives: The Trivial First Step That Shapes The Future

A significant transition surely takes long to be fully executed,but the decision to stay captive to the desire for positive change is made in the flicker of a single heartbeat. It only takes that trivial first step from one mind state to another to ignite the whole person to move towards positive change. My coming … Continue reading USAP Perspectives: The Trivial First Step That Shapes The Future

USAP Perspective: Check In – Jan 2018

It’s the weekend before our first day of the spring semester. How do I feel? Well, mixed feelings mostly. On one hand, I cannot wait to see my friends and roommates again, to experience that buzz that college has when its students are on campus. On the other hand, and I know it’s selfish of … Continue reading USAP Perspective: Check In – Jan 2018

USAP Perspective: Check In – December 2017

My host’s living room. It is three days after my first white Christmas. The snow just won’t melt because of the below freezing conditions we have been experiencing for a few days after the snow fell. The sun trickles in through the windows which makes me smile. It is so sunny yet so cold. I … Continue reading USAP Perspective: Check In – December 2017

USAP Perspective: Surround Yourself With People Who Are Good For You

My first semester at Penn has been enriched with wonderful experiences that I have been blessed to enjoy. I am grateful for having gone through this first semester and made it out alive! There are tonnes of things that I have learned but the lesson that comes close to my heart is:  Surround yourself with people … Continue reading USAP Perspective: Surround Yourself With People Who Are Good For You

USAP Perspectives: Take a Risk – Dance!

Imagine this scenario. I am a thick-boned, black girl standing in a break dancing formation amongst Asian boys. All eyes are on us in anticipation of a frenzy of back flips and life defying stunts. However, I have never danced in my life except for that one time at my aunt’s wedding in 2012. I … Continue reading USAP Perspectives: Take a Risk – Dance!

USAP Perspectives: The Simple Things

When someone tells you that you need to appreciate the simple things in life because there is a chance you could lose it all, you might probably think the following: “Lamest cliché ever…” “That will never happen to me…” “Seriously?  Do I look that gullible to you?” “Someone grab a pizza to spread all this … Continue reading USAP Perspectives: The Simple Things

USAP Perspectives: To Make Them Count

Had I been told that I would be enriching my mind in one of Philadelphia’s quiet suburbs, I would have deemed that prophecy a faux pax. Had I been told that I would lead a life of Independence 10,000 miles away from home, I would have scoffed at the thought. Nonetheless, the desire to learn … Continue reading USAP Perspectives: To Make Them Count