Name: Suri (Xue) Xia
Major: Politics
Class year: 2016
Hometown: Guangzhou, China/ Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
How was the transition from Sweet Briar to Mount Holyoke?
I adjusted pretty quickly because I attended Sweet Briar for three years, and Mount Holyoke is just a bigger version of Sweet Briar. I love how many academic resources Mount Holyoke has to offer. I also applied senior year of high school to Mount Holyoke but I did not get in, so in a way Mount Holyoke has always been my dream school, but Sweet Briar’s unexpected almost closure helped me make the decision to re-apply. I am so happy to be here and I have met so many great people these past two semesters.
Does your Chinese name have a meaning?
Yes, actually! My first name is Xue, which in Chinese means snow and my last name or surname, Xia, means summer, so together it is Snow Summer. In Chinese you say your last name then first name so it is Summer Snow. I think my parents were trying to be funny by having like a yin yang relationship.
What are some things on your bucket list?
I would really like to go scuba diving or skydiving at least once in my life. Preferably I would be able to do both of those activities once in my life, but I think I would probably start with scuba diving because I am less afraid of the ocean that I am of heights. But going deep into the ocean still would probably trigger my fear of heights (or depths). I would also like to travel to each continent. And if I accomplish that, perhaps then attempt to visit every country.
If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring three things, what would they be?
- Encyclopedia- for learning about the environment and my surroundings, but also for fire.
- An everlasting first-aid kit: it’s like an everlasting gobstopper of first aid-kits.
- A tornado/bomb shelter- no one will attack me because I will be protected in the shelter
If you were a dessert, what would you be?
I would want to be a lavender crème brulee. Crème brulee is my favorite type of dessert because it has the crunchy top layer of the carmalized sugar and beneath that is the rich creamy custard. Lavender is supposedly a calming fragrance and I am a relatively calm and even tempered person.
If you could have a pet on campus, what would it be?
I would have a Golden Retriever or a Bernese Mountain Dog because they are friendly, kind, and huggable. I prefer big dogs. At home I have five dogs, three horses, one cat, and one bird.
What is your favorite book?
The book thief because I think it is so well written and I always cry at the end. I also saw the movie version but it did not live up to my expectations. The Harry Potter series are also part of my top ten, and I think the movie adaptations were quite well done.
What are your current favorite songs?
Thunder Clatter by Wild Cub
Take Me Out by Golden State
You Make Me Happy by Lindsey Ray
Flaws by Vancouver Sleep Clinic
What are your favorite movies?
I love romantic Comedies from the early 2000’s because they are just so cute and have the “feel good” quality to them that makes them a great slumber party movie. I also like Ocean’s Eleven and Twelve though. I don’t exclusively enjoy romantic Comedies.
Music and Lyrics
13 Going on 30
Morning Glory
What are your current favorite tv shows?
Fresh Off the Boat on ABC
Black-ish
Sherlock