Name: Sruthi Rao
Year: Junior
Hometown: Naperville, Illinois
Major/Minor: International Studies/Econ double major + Islamic Culture and Civilizations Concentration
Relationship Status: Very much taken.
HCK: What are you involved in on campus?
Alpha Sigma Tau, South Asian Society, and I work at the Writing Center!
HCK: Favorite thing to eat on campus?
Amy’s homemade 7 layer bars at the Market! Oats, butterscotch, chocolate, coconut, heaven in a square.
HCK: What are four things you do to keep off the Winter Blues?
- Get up early! Even if it’s freezing, seeing the sunlight dappling through the trees over the KAC is enough beauty to make me happy to be alive.
- Consistently have dessert. I don’t think I need to explain this one.
- Plan to have downtime. Even if it’s just half an hour for one episode of Friends, I always commit.
- Hug often and hug fully. I’m a really affectionate person, so this is easy for me. I like to make others feel loved and (obviously) feel love myself.
HCK: In ten years where do you see yourself?
Hopefully making a constructive contribution to the world around me, however that may be.
HCK: Which three music artists must you see live before you die?
Beirut, John Legend, and BEYONCE!
HCK: Dog or cat person?
Oh my god, cats.
HCK: How many and what are their names?
Three! Gizmo, Raja, and Ophelia. Clearly I’ve thought about this.
HCK: Pretend you’re a freshman again: what’s a piece of advice you’d give your freshman self, knowing/having experienced Kenyon so far?
Allow yourself to be upset. Don’t punish yourself for feeling the way you do. Letting those negative emotions be can often be cathartic; they run their course and you’ll emerge stronger.
HCK: What do you look for in a significant other?
Intelligence, compassion, and a real desire to affect change and challenge the status quo.
HCK: What’s one Olivia Pope quote you live by?
“I’m not choosing. I’m not choosing Jake. I’m not choosing Fitz. I’m choosing me. I’m choosing Olivia. And right now, Olivia is dancing. Now, you can dance with me or you can get off my dance floor. I’m fine dancing alone.”
HCK: Give me a character in a book you’d get with.
Zooey from Franny and Zooey. A “beautiful and emotionally toughened genius.” I mean is there even an argument.
HCK: What’s on your Kenyon bucket list?
Chime the chapel bells on a Friday, swim in the Kokosing. Considering I’m a junior, it’s a little pathetic I haven’t done these yet, but so be it.