I met Ann on my first day at Bryn Mawr; we were both participating in the Tri-College Identity, Equity, and Social Justice program the week before Customs Week. Since the beginning, she’s been actively involved in the community, and this will be her third year as our 2018 class co-president with Connie Lam. As she’s co-president of the senior class, I thought that she’d have some helpful words of wisdom to share them with you. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her yet, this is her introduction!
Photo courtesy of Ann Tran
Pronouns: She/Her
Major: Computer science
Minor: Mathematics
Class: 2018
How did you and Connie, your co-President, meet?
We are both Posse STEM Scholars at Bryn Mawr College and we hail from the same city – Boston!
Why did you choose Bryn Mawr, and why did you choose to stay?
I was inspired by another Bryn Mawr and Posse alumna, who I got the chance to sit down and have a meal with when I was just beginning to consider applying to Posse. She was a strong-willed, articulate, beautiful, professional female person of color. I saw her as my #goals, and I saw Bryn Mawr as a place where I could strive to be my best self. She convinced me of going to a women’s college, and for that, I am forever indebted!
What’s your favorite memory from your time at Bryn Mawr?
My favorite memory has to be May Day! How expected, right?! For those who don’t have the pleasure of celebrating it, here’s a little description pulled from the college website:
“All-day celebration that occurs the Sunday after the last week of classes. The entire college community comes together for a day of medieval festivity and a general good time. May Day begins with the seniors rising to go wake the President of the College; followed by class breakfasts. Following breakfast, May Day gets kicked off with a parade that begins at Rockefeller Arch and ends on Merion Green. After the parade, there is Maypole Dancing… There are many events throughout the day, including Scottish dancing, Morris dancing, the traditional King Arthur Play, the sophomore class play, the Robin Hood Play, a cappella concerts, various cultural dancing and music displays and there is always a large concert in the afternoon on the Merion Green. May Day is concluded with the traditional showing of “The Philadelphia Story,” starring fellow Mawrter Katharine Hepburn. The last step sing of the year is held on this night.”
Basically, it is an all-day festival where everyone at Bryn Mawr is dancing around, fueled by full bellies and feeling like their best selves. It’s a great time to connect to students to connect to the people that they love, especially on the cusp of finals week. Plus, there’s an amazing live musician – shout out to Khalid for last year and Traditions Mistresses for orchestrating everything.
What’s your favorite method of self-care?
Recently, I’ve been working on meditating or doing yoga every day for 20 minutes. It’s proven to improve concentration, increase happiness and more. I have also been moving away from using social media, especially Facebook. This time away from swirling thoughts have given me space to think, draw and mellow out.
What are you most excited about for senior year?
Seeing my friends! Coming back to this second home always brings a bit of anxiety, as well as excitement. Yay for friends, “!!!!” for school. It’s all part of the learning process. I’m excited to value this time with friends especially, since I’m not sure when we’ll meet in the future post senior year.
What changes do you hope to make as Class Presidents? How can our class get involved?
That’s an amazing question, that I don’t quite have an idea about, lol! We’re already working with current/past students on it… but more later. I guess I would ask that everyone remain open-minded and trust the process. We’re gonna do our best, and we’ll need group effort and group support to achieve that!
What advice do you have for our class this last year?
Don’t take yourself too seriously. Take it easy, deep breaths, life goes on. I spent a lot of my freshman and sophomore year overthinking school, friendships and beyond. Studying abroad helped me ground my values, especially when it came to holding close the people that I love the most. Don’t forget that, friends! Don’t take yourself too seriously!
What are your favorite spots in Bryn Mawr or Philly?
Favorite spot at Bryn Mawr would have to be the dining hall. It sounds weird, but I associate Erdman and Haffner as designated time to hang out with people, to have a mellow time studying or watching Netflix, to basically choose your own adventure in terms of amount of socializing or productivity. It’s where I’ve had some of the most meaningful conversations and where I’ve built friendships that will last.
As for Philly, I love the Ben Franklin Science Museum! It’s fun for kids and adults alike. One of my earliest Bryn Mawr memories was frolicking there and eating at Shake Shack with my posse.
Anything else you’d like the Bryn Mawr community to know about you?
Don’t hesitate to reach out! I’m always open to talking, whether that be about school work or life. :)
Thank you for your time Ann!