Name: Tiffany Babb
Age: 20
Year: Junior (Graduating a year early)
Minor/Major: English with a concentration in Writing & Literature, Minor in Political Science
Relationship Status: EXTREMELY Complicated
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Horoscope Sign: Cancer
Campus Involvement: “Senior Board Member of Women’s Empowerment Network, President and Public Relations for Caribbean Student Association (CSA), Vice President of Dining Advisor Board, former VP of Be the Change, former peer leader and orientation leader. Current student assistant for Summer Scholars Institute Program at Pace University.“
What is your favorite part of being involved in Caribbean Student Association? Besides the fact that you’re the president!: “I think my favorite part of being involved with CSA is the members and cool events! I absolutely love my members because they aren’t just members to me, they are family. They remind me of the many reasons why I love my culture and they are a very supportive, fun, and unique group of people that I really enjoy being around. The members of CSA are my motivation, they are the people who are looking to me as an example of leadership and they keep me on my toes. Aside from them I love our events. Our events always showcase young talented people and the events are opportunities for talented young people to network. It’s an amazing thing to witness the growth of someone artistic career begin to develop because they performed at CSA’s Annual Fashion Show or talent show.“
Since you’re extremely involved on campus and outside of campus (being a dancer and a singer), how do you manage to balance that with schoolwork?: “Honestly, I don’t even know how I balance all the things I do. Besides sing and dancing, I actually train other singers and dancers, and now I am currently working on two albums, so I am definitely knee deep in work, but what keeps me sane in balance is my huge support system. My support system includes my amazing mom, my older brother, my friends, my faith and weirdly enough my students. My mom, brothers and friends are always encouraging me and advising me when they see that I am doing too much. They always remind me to take it easy. My faith keeps me 1001% sane! It gives me hope and motivation to push through all obstacles. My students also keep me balance because I am constantly trying to be an example to them and show them that they can balance the things they love to do with school and work. I want them to be “bosses” and “go-getters” so I have to be one myself and make sure I am always balanced on top of things.“
How has your experience been being a commuter student who is also very involved in clubs on campus? “Being a commuter can be a bit frustrating. It often feels like you are missing out on things or that a lot more things can be accomplished if it weren’t for that huge travel time in the mornings and evenings. There are times when I consider the fact that if I lived on campus, I’d probably get more sleep and maybe even have more friends. However, then I see the blessing in being a commuter student. My freshman year at first I felt excluded and disconnected from my campus and friends and I didn’t want that so it caused me to get involved and do as much as I could to be a part of the Pace community. Had I not let being a commuter student become my motivation, I would never be as involved as I am now.“
What advice would you give to commuter students who would like to be more involved on campus?: “I could probably go on and on about the struggles and positives of being a commuter, but I’ll do my best to condense my thoughts. My advice to commuter students is to take the fact that you are a native New Yorker as an asset. You have a demeanor, mind and spirit that everyone else doesn’t have. You have the heart of a New Yorker which means you are already dope! Everyone loves New York so why wouldn’t they love the New Yorker! Get involved and use the fact that we are the type of people who always keep it fresh, interesting and fun. Those are great qualities that a lot of organizations want and need. Don’t let being a commuter keep you from making a difference in your school; you have a gift and your campus needs it.“
What’s your all-time favorite song to sing? “My all-time favorite song… this is so hard and I literally cannot pick just one. I don’t know any singer that actually only has one favorite song but these songs I absolutely adore: ‘Someone Like You’ by Adele, ‘In Love with Another Man’ by Jazmine Sullivan, ‘Stop the Clock’ by Elle Varner, ‘The Letter’ by Kehlani and ‘Hold Me’ by Janine and the Mixtape and ‘Promises’ by Jhene Aiko. They are all just phenomenal song writers and singers that I literally melt for and I encompass each of their sounds and song writing skills, so it’s always a joy to sit back after a stressful and long day and unwind to their soothing voices.“
What’s your favorite style of dance? “Again, I legit cannot pick just one, but I do know that I absolutely LOVE modern dance and definitely liturgical, which are both what I currently teach.“
What’s your secret to taking flawless Instagram selfies?: “LOL! Are they really flawless?! My secret is that every time I take a selfie I think to myself, ‘Smile big! Be confident! Slay! And be fierce!’“
Lastly, if you had to invent a new lipstick shade, what would the color be and what would be the name?: “If I could invent a lipstick shade it would probably be called ‘Guess,’ just because I’d like it to be a lipstick that changes color when you place it next to your outfit. So, like if I had on all black it would turn a dark plum purple; super corny and probably not possible, but a girl can dream!”