Finals on Finals on Finals.

May 11, 2013 in Inesha's Blog by ineshapremaratne | 3 comments

Hi there! Sorry it’s taken me a while to post. These last few weeks have been a little hectic what with final projects and final papers and meal dates with my favorite seniors who I can’t stand to see leave us. Last weeks in college are really quite different from the ones you have in high school. In high school there are exams and then there is (at least this was the case in my high school) this awkward 2 week period when you get to louse around, do nothing, and get really sick of school. So, naturally, when summer comes around, you’re ready for it. In college in general it’s just not like that. You have all your finals in a flurry and you hastily pack and… you leave. Just like that a really great semester comes to an end and you bask in how much you’ve grown and how fast it all went.

So these past two or three weeks have seen me scurrying around trying to fit in those last minute conversations with dear friends. Before the school year comes to an end though, I wanted to share with you some of the special moments from this semester that I haven’t yet had time to blog about. Enjoy!

A forum with Soledad O’Brien.

Soledad O’ Brien will grill you, as I unceremoniously found out during an impromptu Q&A after the forum. She had come to the Institute of Politics to talk to a group of about 40 undergraduates about politics and public service in a more casual setting. There was pizza, there were stickers, there was 90′s music.

She came in, stood at the podium, and instead of launching into the banal stump speech glittered with inspirational stories and encouraging mantras, fired a question at us: Why do you want to go into this field (politics)? It seems to me that there are a lot more effective ways to affect change, she challenged us. She stood defiant. No one answered her at first. “Well this is going to be a pretty short meeting,” she chuckled.

She wasn’t there to inspire us, she was there to make us think.

Seeing her at the last JFK Junior Forum was more than just a treat. Part of what is so unique about the Harvard experience is the opportunity to not just hear from and sit in the room with amazing people who do incredible work, but too to talk to them, to ask them questions, to learn from them. These experiences give Harvard students a most special outlook on the world and, at least my case and in the case of this forum, the opportunity to figure out what it is that they want.

I chair this program called Women’s Initiative in Leadership (WIL) at the Institute of Politics. We were lucky to get a picture with Soledad before the forum!!

Art’s First & Yellow Flowers

There are moments when I am really proud of my school. Like the weekend after the bombings at the Boston Marathon. One of the really cool things going on at Harvard this semester was the construction of a new Science Center Plaza. The Plaza– which is this awesome new common space (check out my pictures!)– was to be unveiled on Friday, the day that we were on lockdown as the police tried to find the suspect. And so, unfortunately, the big unveiling ceremony Harvard had scheduled was postponed and Visitas was cancelled. But the Harvard community turned right back around and the very next Friday, yellow flowers lined the plaza. They were free for all community members and students. More than that, boards with well wishes for the victims of the attack lined our plaza. It was so heartening to see such warmth in those yellow flowers after such a tumultuous and chaotic few days. It was a strong reminder of the common spaces that are slowly bridging together our community and keeping us forever more #BostonStrong.

Special Places

Reading Period is a blessing in disguise. For five or so days before finals, Harvard gives us a reading period so that we can drill down, write our papers, and prepare for finals. It’s a blessing because not many college students get one. It’s not so much a blessing because, let’s face it, preparing for finals is not always so fun. BUT reading periods are actually one of my favorite weeks because it always affords me the chance to do a little more exploring– nothing motivates me to go outside my usual “Harvard spaces” than the need to study and find a new place to keep me motivated. So here’s just a round up in picture of the favorite places I’ve uncovered this week. They are sure to go down in my list of favorites!

Weather like this makes me want to stay outside all the live long day. For days like this, Winthrop Courtyard– or really any courtyard– is just perfect!