Name: Michelle Ngo
Year: 2018
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Campus Involvement: Bonner Scholar, Student Activist
Relationship Status: Single (but my heart belongs to Ellen DeGeneres, so??)
HCR: What was your immediate reaction to being named this week’s Campus Cutie?
*Adds “Campus Cutie” to my resume*
HCR: What has been the highlight of your time at Rhodes so far?
I gave a REDx Talk last semester on “Finding Empowerment in Queerness,” and it was one of the most fulfilling experiences that I’ve had. I got to share my story with an auditorium filled with friends and professors, and I left feeling so loved by this campus and, more so, proud of the progress that I’ve made as an individual within the past year.
HCR: What professor at Rhodes would you go to in order to tell your deepest darkest secrets?
Professor Joy Fairfield – AH, she is so cool! I respect how active she is in this city even though she is fairly new to Memphis. She’s also unapologetically queer, which, thank god, we need that on this campus. So yes, I would absolutely come by and spill.
HCR: If you could be the star of a movie, what would the movie be about?
The movie would be #gay. It would be a film about queer women, where NO QUEER CHARACTERS DIE, and happy endings are made VISIBLY possible for queer-woman couples. I’m sick of the “queer” movies that depict our relationships as being deadly or impossible – I demand better media representation for my community.
HCR: Where is your favorite place to relax on campus?
My go-to spot when I’m having a rough day/week/semester is the Bonner Office. It’s very home-y, and it’s kind of my safe space on campus. I also like to keep a blanket in my backpack for whenever I’m feeling a spontaneous picnic on the Palmer/FJ lawn or in Oak Alley.
HCR: What is your greatest aspiration in life?
I aspire to be someone that people can trust and turn to for support. I hope to be empathetic, compassionate, and giving while also remembering to give to myself because self-care is so important! “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”
HCR: It is Thanksgiving Day: do you go for the turkey or the ham (or neither)?
Turkey and ham and probably everything else.
HCR: And last but not least, I’m sure are readers are dying to know, are you currently crushing on anyone?
Kyamran Mohammad is a beautiful man. He’s also a talented musician, a vocal feminist, a great friend, and has given so much to this campus just by being the person that he is. (Next campus cutie, maybe?)