With the recent commencement, the Class of 2017 has the opportunity to reflect upon their experiences at Brandeis. What is your fondest memory from your undergraduate career, and what role did this campus play in it?

Iona Feldman ’17

One familiar winter day, in February of 2015, we gathered at the top of the Rabb Steps. Undergraduate and graduate students, alumni and professors. Our black, white and orange banners read “Divest Brandeis” and “No More: Fracking, Drilling, Climate Crisis, In Our Name!” We marched down campus toward Provost Lynch’s office in Bernstein-Marcus to deliver a new faculty petition and an earnest reminder of Brandeis’s institutional complicity in global climate change. This was not the first such action that I was involved in, nor would it be the last one. Unfortunately, in my time as a student here, the Board of Trustees has consistently delayed responding to our campaign, opting to perpetuate Brandeis’s active investment in the fossil fuel industry. For as long as this continues, Brandeis’s superficial commitments to campus sustainability will remain but a cheap public relations façade. Some of us graduate now, but the struggle carries on.

Iona Feldman ’17 was a member of Brandeis Climate Justice and Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine.

Lori Shapiro ’17

My fondest memory at Brandeis is a recurring one from senior year. Every Thursday for the past semester, I would get lunch with six friends that I made on my freshman hall during the first few weeks of school. We would share our highs and lows from the week, reminisce about memories or just chat, often for over two hours at a time. These six friends have been a constant for me throughout my four years at Brandeis; we have watched each other change and grow but still managed to remain extremely close. Brandeis fosters a community of people unlike anywhere else, and every week, this lunch would remind me how important these friendships and relationships are. While I will miss these weekly lunches immensely, I am beyond thankful to Brandeis for bringing us together.

Lori Shapiro ’17 was a Business Undergraduate Departmental Representative.

Alex Mitchell ’17

While Brandeis has given me many wonderful memories, I think the finest come from discussing papers late at night with my friends. In upper-level paper classes, we would print out a few copies of the papers, grab some snacks and hang out in the Science Center and argue about the paper. People would point out methodological flaws, critique the authors’ logic and crack jokes about the experiments. Meeting up with your peers to talk about the material in any subject will get you more engaged with what you’re learning and probably teach you more than you could have learned on your own. When you get down to it, the point of college academics is to learn from smart people — not just professors but also your fellow students. Brandeis gives you the opportunity to meet these people and to learn from their perspectives.

Alex Mitchell ’17 was a member of the Catholic Student Organization and the interfaith group. He also wrote for the Brandeis Hoot.

Jeremy Koob ’17

It’s hard to pick a single memory from Brandeis, but here are several with a theme. My sophomore year, a friend and I used our excess meal points to take professors to lunch at the faculty club. We asked professors we had taken courses with and professors that we were interested in meeting. Brandeis professors are incredibly open to interactions with students, and these connections shaped my undergraduate career in ways words can’t describe. Other memories that stand out include playing chamber music in the Slosberg recital hall, running the first Brandeis Sustainability Challenge (deiSic) and presenting my Master’s thesis in Biochemistry. These memories have one thing in common: They all reflect interactions between Brandeisians on the Brandeis campus. Truly, the undergraduate experience is about the connections you form and the places they take you — the ephemeral and invisible lines between individuals are the strongest and fondest memories that a person can carry.

Jeremy Koob ’17 was a Chemistry Undergraduate Departmental Representative.

Allie Hecht ’17

It is difficult for me to choose one specific moment from my undergraduate career, because there were so many special moments. However, if I had to choose one, it would be the day I found out I was accepted to the BA/MAT program for teaching. I have always wanted to become an elementary teacher, and being able to get my Masters in 10 semesters seemed like a true gift. When I received the email, I remember being surrounded by my friends, and I screamed, “I’m going to grad school!” My crew stopped what they were doing, and we just froze … and then we screamed … a lot. This moment was special for me for many reasons, but mainly because it meant I was continuing my education at my favorite place, Brandeis University. Although I am not done with my Master’s program until July, I am really going to miss this campus and the memories I have made.

Allie Hecht ’17 was an Education Undergraduate Departmental Representative.

Samina Aktar ’17

Although I have had many, one my fondest memories at Brandeis University as an undergrad has been a time during finals week when a couple of undergrads sat at the science center and burst out into laughter because of how stressed they were. This caused everyone else around them to start laughing as well. During my time at Brandeis, many students learn to laugh and be more comedic in times of stress and frustration. This is an excellent representation of Brandeis' spirit and their willingness to see the light of reason when it seems like we've hit a dead end. With that being said, congratulations to the graduating class of 2017! Hope we meet again!

Samina Aktar ’17 was the president of March of Dimes and the health education chair for Global Brigades.

Jacqueline Baikovitz ’17

I have so many fond memories which I feel are quintessential to the Brandeis experience. Whether you lived in Massell, North or Village during your first year, you know that your dorm was clearly the best. On the Brandeis campus, we enjoyed a cappella concerts, Culture X, K-Night, MELA, Adagio, Liquid Latex, Spring festival and many more shows. I will always remember gardening on the rooftop farm, living in the Castle and finally getting a Midnight Buffet t-shirt. We gained a deeper understanding of social justice through ’DEIS Impact and gave back to the community through Waltham Group. We cheered on the Brandeis Judges and enjoyed championship wins from the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots. Most importantly, we will cherish our friends that we have made, who we can call our Brandeis family.

Jacqueline Baikovitz ’17 was the vice president of the Pre-Health Society and the director of events for United Against Inequities in Disease. She also majored in Biology and minored in Health: Science, Society, and Policy.

Savannah Bishop ’17

At this moment in time my favorite memory has to be my thesis defense — an odd choice, I know. But I choose it because it is the summit of the mountain that is my undergraduate career. It is the accumulation of every day I walked up the Rabb steps, every giant paper I've ever written, all of the scientific methods I learned in class, and all of the research knowledge I have accrued. Every struggle and joy I felt here at Brandeis was well worth the moment my professors could turn to me and tell me that, not only were they proud of my work, but they could award me highest honors. And of course the moments before, during and after with my friends and family there to support me.

Savannah Bishop ’17 was an Undergraduate Departmental Representative for both Classical Studies and Anthropology. She was also a Classical Artifact Research Collection intern.