Name: Melissa Birnhak
Year: 2017
Hometown: Franklin Lakes, NJ
Major: Economics
Minors: Business and Legal Studies
Her Campus: So, why Brandeis?
Melissa Birnhak: Coming from a big family of Brandeis alums, Brandeis just felt right. I have memories of walking around campus and being mesmerized by the black and white checkerboard floor in upper Usdan when my brother attended Brandeis, and simply staring at the big green building (which turns out to be the SCC, not as exciting as “the big green building”) with my sister on her graduation day. Something about the campus pulled me in, and as cheesy as it sounds, I felt at home here. I never actually toured the campus for myself, I already knew my way around and I knew I wanted to spend my four years here.
HC: What’s your favorite part of being a writer for HC?
MB: HerCampus allows me to bring out a sense of creativity that is mostly never expressed on a daily basis. I really love being able to write about things that interest me and other things that bring out my imagination. In a way, being a writer for HerCampus lets me escape my stressful academic life.
HC: What have you learned as a part of HC?
MB: Being creative is good! There’s nothing better than writing as a form of stress-relief.
HC: What’s the best part about Brandeis? The worst?
MB: This is a tricky one. I would say that the best part about Brandeis is the happy and welcoming environment. I would venture to say that nine (maybe seven or eight) times out of ten, the stranger that you pass on your way to class will smile at you. As for the worst part about Brandeis…Brandeis is one big hill. As a business student, walking from IBS to the top of Rabb within 10 minutes (especially in the winter time) is probably the bane of my existence. I have anxiety thinking about it right now. At least my calves are thankful?
HC: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
MB: In 10 years, I would hope that I have completed my MBA and happily working for…who knows. There’s a chance I’ll start my own business, but after interning at an accounting firm, maybe that’s my calling in life. I also would like to be settled down with my husband. That’d be pretty nice.
Favorites:
Movie: I’m not really a movie person, but I really felt something with the movie Boyhood. It’s a must-watch.
Class: The Economics of Race and Gender with Professor Brainerd.
Town: The town I have called home for all 20 years of my life: Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.
Food: Talk to any of my friends and family, I’m one of the pickiest eaters you’ll meet. With that said, nothing beats some white rice and black beans. I don’t even need the beans. I have a thing for white rice.
Joke: “What did one farmer say to the other farmer when he couldn’t find his tractor?” “Where’s my tractor?”