Emily Dickinson

Perhaps Emily Dickinson was right when she wrote that “Hope is the thing with feathers.” That’s a conclusion one might reach, in any case, from reading Sigrid Nunez’s probing, delightful and masterful new novel, “The Vulnerables,” whose most endearing character is an erudite green parrot named Eureka.

Now, as a senior, my bittersweet reflection on the past four years has reminded me, yet again, how lucky I am that my life has led here, in part by years of dedication and hard work, in part by sheer dumb luck.

I know from school and dictionaries that language has defined meanings, but I learned from my experience of speaking Spanish how words also have tastes, smells, sounds and sights.

We always talk about women walking miles in their respective fields in the present day — changing the world by standing up for female everywhere. But, what about the women who started it all? Today, let's celebrate the historical figures who basically started it all, the ones who are the role models we need every day.

With immigrant stories seemingly more important than ever, in what ways can we continue to learn from each other in academic spaces?