Amber Rambharose

More by Amber Rambharose

To The Left, To The Left...

10/2/2012


How to curtsy, courtesy of Emma Hanes.

Just Do You - Five Minutes with Michelle Buteau

9/27/2012

This Friday, comedienne Michelle Buteau will be performing stand-up at Hollins University. Come by the RAT at 8:00 on Friday, September 28th for a night of unabashedly honest, incredibly witty humor. Can't wait until then? Check out our five minute interview with Michelle for a taste of her 'just do you' attitude. Want even more? Download her free podcast on ITunes.

AR: Not everyone makes it in your field. What gives you your edge?
MB: I just do, not worry. I'm just myself, honestly, and I live out loud...even though that sounds like an Oxygen Channel promo...

AR: No! At Hollins, we have a "just do you" mentality.
MB: Exactly. A lot of people are obsessed with with an ideal or a standard they have to live up to or achieve and I'm not about that.

AR: How do you deal with being a successful, talented woman in a male dominated field?
MB: I don't think too much about it. I do the best job I can do and worrying about gender roles would take up my energy. Being a man will give you a leg up but I go into everything with the mindset that I am only in competition with myself.

Got Senior Thesis?

9/27/2012

Things that are awesome:
Senior Year at Hollins.

Things that are not awesome: 
Getting up early to work on a thesis during your Senior Year at Hollins.

Hollins Ladies' Karaoke Night Sponsored by HAB

9/21/2012

Safe Sun - Hollins Women Weigh In

5/12/2012

If you've been avoiding finals by trolling the blogosphere, you'll have noticed the mahogany visaged mother who is facing child endangerment charges after allegedly allowing her young daughter to tan in a salon. Tanning children in salons is illegal (some states allow teens with parental consent waivers to tan) across the country due to the cancer causing rays that tanning beds emit. Despite this danger, many of us still lie out in the sun or slip into those bright blue beds to catch a little color. Luckily, there are ways to tan without damaging your skin and even luckier, there are Hollins women who are willing to vouch for them.

Spray Tanning

"I like spray tanning because you can get a really natural look, without wrecking your skin. To stay away from looking orange, I use a very low medium color. Also, make sure to use the lotion they offer you so that you won't streak. Once you're in the booth, the machine will tell you how to move your arms -there are a few different poses to stand in- make sure you do them so you look even, and don't shower afterwards for about eight hours."
- Emma Bretschneider '12

"It's much better than lying in the sun, but I was a little wierded out by the way the spaces between my fingers were still pale, so make sure to get your hands sprayed too."
- Anonymous '12

Tanning Lotion

"I use tanning lotion year round to keep myself from getting really pale. It's a safe sun alternative that doesn't get Jersey Shore extreme but still looks good."
- Anonymous '13

"I use the generic kind from Target. You use it after you shower (make sure to wash your hands or they'll turn orange.) It gives you a nice subtle glow but nothing dramatic."
- Claire McCown '13

Stoked on Senior Week? We've Got All the Details!

5/10/2012

If you're staying for senior week as a non-graduating student, you'll probably feel a little out of the loop on the fun, traditions and crazy good times that await you after Monday. Thankfully, senior class President Yafen Liang has given us the schedule for the Class of 2012's last hurrah. Check out the schedule below and prepare yourself for a week you'll never forget.

Decision Heights: An Honors Thesis by Meredith Levy

5/10/2012

The National Champion: Catherine Hensly

5/5/2012

This week our Campus Celebrity is a national champion. Catherine Hensly '14 won the Walk Trot Canter Equitation (Individual) competition at the 2012 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championships. I sat down with Catherine before she left for the competition to talk about what making the Hollins Riding Team so special.
Amber Rambharose (AR): Tell me a little bit about your experience as a Hollins Rider.
Catherine Hensly (CH): It's been great. It was one of the reasons I came to Hollins, because it has such a fabulous program and the lesson program with the coaches and the horses, it does a lot to teach you to become a better rider and to focus on yourself, rather than correcting your horse. 
AR: How long have you been riding here?
CH: I've been fortunate enough to ride every semester since I got here, so two years now, and I've been riding for the team since my freshman year.
AR: Can you talk about the sense of community on the team and how you guys work together because you guys are national champions often.
CH: Yes! I don't know the statistics, but yes. It works really well. The coaches watch the lessons really closely and they pick who they want to show and then your level is determined by what you've done previously. The nature of the sport is inherently individualistic, obviously you're going into the ring on your own, you're not a team on field. But at the same time there's a lot of support, and we help each other out a lot. If someone needs anything, either in the ring or academically, we all help each other out. 
AR: How long have you been riding outside of school?
CH: I've been riding for about ten years. 

The Spring Library Festival

4/24/2012

Looking for something to do during the day before Cotillion? How about cutting lose, playing mini-golf, and making noise in the library? This Friday from 1:30-3:30, the Wyndham Robertson Library is holding a Spring Festival. I sat down with librarian Maryke Barber to discuss the planning, prizes, and good times on the way. 
Amber Rambharose (AR): Can you tell me about the Spring Library Festival?
Maryke Barker (MB): Yes I can. It's going to take place this Friday afternoon from 1:30-3:30. It came out of our students asking us if we could do something fun. This was an idea from a group of students on the Student Advisory Board for the library so they meet with us regularly and give us advice on everything from furniture to fun. So they said, 'can we do a scavenger hunt, can we do book cart races, can we have some food, can we have some music?' and we said 'sure, within reason.' As you can see right now, we have a campaign about trying to be quiet in the library so we always have to try and juggle being quiet with having fun.
AR: Finding a balance.
MB: Exactly, but we figured that two hours on a Friday afternoon right before Cotillion, we should be fairly safe, and not bothering too many people. And most of it will happen outside if the weather is decent.
AR: I did want to ask where the library book cart races will be taking place.
MB: That's going to be outside and we're going to have a course that kind of takes you between the Library and Pleasants and back and around the oval, and it will be two teams, whoever wins gets a cupcake.
AR: Oh, that's exciting. It's like exercising and then getting a treat. 

Interdisciplinary Humanitarian: Elizabeth Jose

4/23/2012

Elizabeth Jose '12 has always been an individual and her time at Hollins has only strengthened her sense of self. She has spent the last four years pursuing two degrees in very different fields and plans to utilize them after graduation in a field that is unique as she is. 
Amber Rambharose (AR): What degrees will you be graduating with this May?
Elizabeth Jose (EJ): In May, I'll be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Studio Art Minor. 
AR: What do you plan to do with your degrees in the short term?
EJ: I have already begun some work for a business in Chicago that is rebuilding itself with new goals and I was recently made a member of their Board of Directors. I'll continue working with them for the next few years to provide specialized therapy programs in Chicago and the Chicago area. Depending on the success of these programs, we are hoping to expand them in other areas.
AR: In the long term?
EJ: In the long term I see myself continuing my work with the business in Chicago and also making progress on a project in India. I would like to start working on a sustainable farm-based community in India. I'll be working on preparing the location for the first few years and then, once the crop production is lucrative enough, I hope to start a school on the property that is geared towards providing an education for children that by that desire to learn but lack the means to pursue it. Throughout my life, I always intend to continue making art because that has always been important to me, and it really feeds my soul. At some point, I hope to spend some time in Italy, enjoying the country and focusing on my art.