Hometown: Jersey City, NJ
Residential College: Forbes College
Intended Major: African American Studies with certificates in Creative Writing (Poetry), Gender & Sexuality Studies, and American Studies.
Princeton Co-Curricular Engagement: Staff Writer for The Prospect (Arts & Culture) Section and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging (DEIB) Committee Member of The Daily Princetonian. Publicity (Social Media) Chair for Acapellago, Princeton's premier, no-audition acapella group.
A Memorable Moment from my Orientation Small-Group Experience: I participated in the CA Education theme (subtheme: Leading Through Mentorship) last year at Princeton Blairstown Center (PBC). A memorable moment was when we did a Brave Space called "Hot Seat," where our group members had two minutes to ask us any questions about our lives and we had to respond on the fly. Although I was intimidated by the format (especially since I'm the type of person who prefers planning everything out beforehand), the Brave Space reminded me that it's okay with being vulnerable. Because ultimately, the more vulnerable my peers and I are about our life experiences, the more we'll be able to help each other out in times of triumph and strife. That's truly beautiful, and something I try keeping in mind in strengthening my current friendships and branching out to meet other Princeton students.
My Favorite Place On-Campus: Hmmm, that's a tough one because in just these past two semesters, I've called several spaces on-campus "second homes," if you will. But no matter what, all roads lead back to the Third Floor of the New Wing at Forbes College. My Zee Group has our own common room space in the back of our floor, and it's where I've developed many of my friendships -- whether that's eating Wawa, or watching late 90s/early 2000s movies, or having deep conversations at 3:00am when we should have been sleeping. Our common room is also one of the only spaces I can go on campus and not think about work; I can just relax.
A Fun Fact: My all-time favorite song is entitled "The Rainbow Connection" by Kermit the Frog; he sings it at the start of The Muppet Movie (1979) to express his dreams of being an actor. Likewise, I heavily resonate with this song because it has helped me overcome my toughest mental health struggles and keep achieving my dreams of one day being a full-time author and creative entrepreneur. If you haven't listened to it, please, please do a YouTube search. You won't be disappointed!
I also have my own writing brand, Avery Danae Writes, where I write poems and personal essays relating to college life, Blackness, mental health, social justice, and racial justice. To read some of my work, you can follow me on Instagram @averydanaewrites or visit my website: bit.ly/averydanaewrites.