Letter From the Editor

Dear Reader,

This was not the year any of us expected to have. Like you, I spent Spring and Summer in a state of suspended animation. Time became fickle, passing like molasses when you noticed it, but slipping through your fingers like water when you didn’t. After a summer in my childhood bedroom immersing myself in comforting media from my early teen years (i.e. lots of Taylor Swift music and every Cassandra Clare book ever), I am excited to be back at Wellesley. And I am so grateful that the Counterpoint community is alive and well. 

This year is going to be hard in innumerable ways. But one of the things I am mourning most is the loss of our shared on-campus experience. We will not all be here to see the leaves turn, to scream together when the email about a snow day goes out, or to point out the baby geese on the path to Sci. I am mourning the spontaneity and serendipity of everyday interactions. Passing a friend in the hall, catching a professor before class, strolling by a new store, snatching the latest Counterpoint off a table in your dorm building. Our worlds have shrunk as much as they have grown. But we are united in how returning students remember these things and first years look forward to them. Even though we are not all in the same place, we are still the Wellesley community. Wellesley is resilient. Counterpoint is resilient. We may not be able to deliver a print magazine, but we are still a community. Now more than ever, we need to share our stories. 

Our country is at a crossroads once again. The pandemic, the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement, the upcoming election, the sudden death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the court decision regarding Breonna Taylor’s killers. There are more injustices happening now than we can process and there are many days when it simply feels overwhelming. It sometimes seems as though being a person and being a student are contradictory goals. Perhaps this is a pivotal moment in world history, but I have found that I do not particularly like living through history. It often feels all-consuming. But in some way, our continued existence, our support of each other, and our commitment to loving our friends, our families, and our communities is an act of protest in itself. 

My hope is that Counterpoint will provide a way for us to connect and keep the Wellesley community whole. Any Wellesley student—on campus, remote, on leave, studying abroad—can write for the magazine. If that is the act of resistance you want to engage in, please do. Counterpoint wants to hear about your little joys, your struggles, your treasured memories, and your new favorite music. Tell us how you feel about politics or the administration’s response to student demands to defund campus po. Tell us your hopes, your dreams, your fears, your future plans, how it feels to be home, in an apartment, or back at Wellesley. I hope Counterpoint will continue to provoke discussion, offer escape, spur connection, or simply provide you with a moment to smile.

Because ultimately, it is you, dear reader, who I am most grateful for. Thank you for finding our beloved campus life publication in its newfound digital form. I am truly honored to be working on this magazine. Counterpoint will be here when you need us. Always subversive and always your space. 

Much love,

Sage Wentzell-Brehme

Editor-in-Chief