Her walls are decked up with an insane amount of pictures. There are artsy pictures of her mother and father, her friends, and Ruhi herself. A lot of the pictures on her walls are old; there’s a strange feeling of nostalgia attached to them. There are also film posters, and some figurines. These figurines range from religious to cute. Her desk is neatly set, just like her dresser that is clad with accessories. Notes and postcards decorate the wall above her desk. Framed pictures of Ruhi, little notes and her ID lie in a shabby chic manner on the desk, next to her computer and phone (which is eternally plugged in). Ruhi is sitting comfortably on her bed in matching PJs—I might have talked to her in the middle of the night. And that’s the most important thing you need to know about her. She’s always wearing cuddly matching PJs (I’ve seen her come to the DH during a blizzard in PJs). Maybe it’s how adorable she looks in them, or perhaps it’s her insight, but Ruhi has everyone on the 10th floor Colonial Penthouse asking their RA for advice.
Born in Goa, India, Ruhi moved to Singapore when she was only four. After four years in Singapore, she moved to the Bahamas, where she lived for two years exactly. After that, her dad’s job in the hotel business took her to America when she was ten. But that wasn’t the end of her travels. Two years later, she moved to D.C. for 5th and 6th grade. She spent most of middle school in Austin, Texas. 10th and 11th grade were in Roseville, California, but she graduated high school in Basalt, Colorado. Though she moved around a lot as kid, Ruhi never forgot her roots. She can still speak fluent Hindi and knows Bollywood like the back of her hand. She speaks of Singapore fondly, almost as if it was only yesterday that she was here. She remembers every detail of her life; she’s treasured it all, stacking these memories up in her collection of pictures.
The BA Film Production major wants to have fun with her life. She loves to read, watch movies, dance and shop. (No really, talk to her to find the best discounts in Boston.) Every time I run into Ruhi, she has a new coat or a new set of PJs to talk about. Everything she buys is absolutely adorable and under $15 dollars. As she learnt from the last year, she was setting very concrete goals for herself, which made it harder for her to accomplish them. She put a lot of pressure on herself, which led to her being unhappy and constantly stressed. This affected the way she acted with people and how she saw herself. She didn’t know where she was going and had to find her way back to herself and her passion. For now, she says, her goal is to be happy and approach every film, script and project with enthusiasm so that she can sustain the passion that led her to film and Emerson in the first place.
Ruhi can be secretive. Ask her what she wants people to know about her and her response is: “I love cabbage.” She says this while laughing. “And my favorite word is “doily.” I had to look up doily, but when I excitedly told her I knew what a doily was, she burst my bubble. She said, “I don’t care about the thing, I just like the word.”
I got to know Colonial’s cutest RA a little better through a rapid fire Q&A.
Her Campus Emerson: What’s your favorite book?
Ruhi Radke: (She finally sits up to answer this question and smiles widely as she answers.) The Messenger by Markus Zusack. This book gives me life. Ask me what my favorite book series is.
HCE: Okay, Ruhi, what is your favorite book series?
RR: Harry Potter.
HCE: What’s your favorite food?
RR: How can you pick just one?
HCE: What was a recent movie you watched that you really liked?
RR: I really liked Spotlight.
HCE: What is one place that you really want to visit?
RR: Istanbul!
HCE: What is your favorite store?
RR: I really started liking Zara. I went in the other day and I got a very cute dress for just $15! H&M also had this great sale and I got a coat for $15.
HCE: Yeah, you told me about that.
RR: It looked very good right?
HCE: Who’s your favorite music artist?
RR: Stromae.
HCE: What about your favorite TV show?
RR: Mozart in the Jungle. I love that show.
HCE: Type of guy?
RR: A good human being.
HCE: Just a good human being? That’s vague.
RR: I just want a good guy.
HCE: What’s your favorite form of social media?
RR: My life revolves around Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat. I cannot live without my phone.
HCE: No Instagram?
RR: I’m too lazy to figure out how to use Insta.
HCE: It’s not that hard, really.
RR: I’m an old woman at heart.