By K.C. Skeldon '17

If Paula Johnson were your roommate, she wouldn’t mind that your alarm always wakes her up before you can turn it off, even though she doesn’t have class until 11:10. “You’re just a heavy sleeper,” she’d say. “Don’t worry about it.” 

Content warning: racism, transphobia

Thanks to so many of our submitters, being a Wellesley Crushes moderator can be an incredibly uplifting experience. Seeing a recipient comment on their post, saying how much better the submission made their day, never fails to make us smile. There are certain things, however, that can make you want to quit.

By Nikita Saladi '16

I have Wellesley goggles. 

Not the type you’re thinking of —those infamous pieces of invisible eyewear that cloud a Wellesley woman’s gaze as she walks through Harvard Square and to class at MIT, magically turning all average looking men into Ryan Gosling. While I might be guilty of wearing those occasionally, Wellesley has also equipped me with an entirely different pair of goggles. 

By Clellie Merchant '18

I feel like a mess. I feel unattractive. But not for long. Soon I remember that I am beautiful to someone. And I always relax. Why am I so sure? I don’t have a significant other. But I do have a crush.

By Katelyn Campbell '17

College Government Cabinet positions are entirely unpaid despite the fact that they require tens of hours of work per week. Particularly in the case of the College Government President, this work, I am told, often adds up to nearly 30 hours per week of emailing, working in Senate and on committees, and attending meetings. Like many work-study students, that kind of sacrifice is unimaginable...

By Melissa Jo

When I was in high school, I had a beard. And no, I’m not talking about the beard on someone’s face, but a beard that concealed identity. My beard was so thick, it even fooled me. I should also mention this was not an “I dated a cis-man, so no one would know I’m gay” beard.

By Saraphin Dhanani '16 and Carine Ilunga Wete '16

“How many of you would prioritize having a career over a child?”

By Counterpoint Staff

“Cultural appropriation ... refers to a particular power dynamic in which members of a dominant culture take elements from a culture of people who have been systematically oppressed by that dominant group. That’s why cultural appropriation is not the same as cultural exchange, when people share mutually with each other—because cultural exchange lacks that systemic power dynamic.” —Everyday Feminism

By Laura Mayron '16

Content warning: this article contains descriptions of digestive illness, chronic pain, injections, weight loss, and body image problems.

Last October I sat on the doctor’s examination table in Newton-Wellesley Hospital, swinging my legs against the paper covering to help distract me from my nerves, as my doctor told me what I had been fearing: I most likely had Crohn’s disease. 

By Rachele Byrd '18

To an “Open-Minded” Wellesley Student,

When I decided to come to Wellesley, it was because of a desire for an environment where women empowered other women, where we could thrive in our womanhood, and where I wouldn’t have to be self-conscious about myself and my passions. Like many other students, I wasn’t aware of how vast the sphere of womanhood could be, and until Wellesley, wasn’t aware of how little I knew of so many women’s issues. 

By Megan Locatis '16

This year, Kim Bottomly’s speech at Convocation was met with lukewarm applause. The tension between the face of the college’s administration and the student body saturated the air, cutting through what had been a moment of nostalgic joy and emotion for seniors such as myself. The chosen topic? Civility. But when you address a group of highly intelligent, capable students on the importance of controlled debate and the willingness to entertain and consider all ideas, regardless of how ill-conceived or outright offensive they may be at face value, your words come off as a rebuke more than anything. And I believe that it is only human nature that, feeling rebuked, we close our ears and tell ourselves that these words are poorly-chosen and irrelevant, that we are being dismissed as temperamental children who have yet to learn to control ourselves and engage in adult conversations.