For the Love of Brown

Coincidentally, shortly after I got the email from Sonia and Ari about the '06 blog, I came across this picture while sitting in a cafe in Seoul hanging out with my family over coffee. It was one of hundreds of photos by Elliott Erwitt in his book Snaps. I stared at it for a while, in disbelief that it was in this book of famous photographs of the likes of Andy Warhol and Marilyn Monroe. And I was flooded by a lot of different emotions--delight, nostalgia, pride, longing.

But most of all, I thought of how I have always been blessed with having Brown around me. What I mean by that is wherever I go, I find Brownies around me. To me, this is so fortuitous because there is no school I love more than Brown and rarely a person, I admire more than a Brown graduate. I used to secretly think that the reason why I got along so well with and was endlessly impressed by Brown graduates was because our alma mater required all applicants to submit the application essay in your own handwriting. Did Brown then hire some handwriting oracle to decipher each of our scribbles? Regardless of what magic happens to pick each and every one of us to grace the halls of Sayles or Salomon, it still holds true that wherever I go, I love my Brownies.

For the last 2 and a half years, I've been living in Philadelphia attending grad school. It's been a really tough time not only because of the economy but I am without 6,000 amazing Brownies to share the happiest of times and get through the hardest of times. Since graduation, I've been back to Brown a couple of times and the place has kept its amazingly inviting and warm aura--I truly miss it every day. Perhaps part of it has to do with the fact that I have been away from New England since graduating, but I know that everyone says it in earnest when Brownies gush that "Brown was simply amazing!" whenever we're asked, "So how did you like it there?"

Last night, a Brown '07 grad who is in the same graduating law class with me asked if I noticed that the undergrads we seem to see around our grad school are so different from Brown students and that she still has a lot of Brown friends exploring things all over the world, trying to figure out what they're really passionate about and what they want to devote their lives doing. For some time, I think I forgot about that--how much Brown always inspired me to be a better version of myself, to always strive to do more good in the world, and to stay true to yourself. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find such an inspiring place or group of professors and students. I truly can't wait to see you all in May and stay warm and healthy 'til then!


lots of love,
grace