YOU

Michael Force ’21

Berwick, PA
Major: Economics

#IAmWesleyan

Pauline Jaffe ’21

Lebanon, NJ
Major: Government, Economics
Minor: Data Analysis
Lacrosse, Wesleyan Student Assembly, tour guide program coordinator, peer tutor, clinic escorts volunteer, Wesleyan Business Review founder

“In college, you will go through things and you will find things out about yourself. You want to do that at a school where you feel the most at home, where you feel the most comfortable to be yourself. Where you can go through all of those ups and downs and still have no regrets. And that was very true for me at Wesleyan. It’s where I became the best that I can be and now I’m going to go out into the world and do something with that. It’s not just a place to spend four years. It’s a place to actually thrive and grow.” 

I think what makes Wesleyan different is that the people here are invested. You could go to a school, do nothing to change it, and come out the other side with a degree and go on your merry way. That’s an option. And Wesleyan isn’t perfect, but that’s not why you choose a school. Every place has its imperfections. It’s what you do about them. Wesleyan students are very invested in making things better for those who come after them. I’ve been in meetings with the WSA, with Board of Trustees members, and with students, and able to see a lot of that happen around me. It never ceases to amaze me what Wesleyan students come up with and the solutions that they find. A lot is driven by the students, and administrators are willing to listen. It’s something you don’t get at a lot of places. The people who find a home at Wesleyan are invested in changing it for the better.

#IAmWesleyan

Felicia Soderberg ’21

Warren, MI
Major: Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Government
Minor: College of East Asian Studies
WSA President, Resident Advisor

#IAmWesleyan

Sherwin Yu ’21

Edison, NJ
Major: Film Studies
Wesleyan Film Board, Intercut Magazine editor, Film Department projectionist, University Communications Social Media Intern, Wesleyan Film Series, Cardinal Pictures

"I can safely say that I made the right call in choosing Wes. Over the course of my academic career, I have taken courses as specialized as Contemporary East Asian Cinema, Television Storytelling, and The Hollywood Musical. I have gotten to shoot and edit with Bolex cameras and 16mm film stock. I have been an active participant in intimate writer’s workshops, project-based group tutorials, and quantitative data analysis labs. I have had the opportunity to TA and CA for various courses. I even learned about game theory in a student forum about Texas Hold ’em. At Wes, curiosity and flexibility go hand-in-hand—I’ve been lucky enough to do it all and then some.

With a small campus size, Wesleyan enables students to form a close tight-knit community, and you become accustomed to befriending a lot of different people with a lot of different passions and interests. You will find some of the brightest, hardest working, most talented, most positive, and most compassionate minds in the world to surround yourself with, and they will challenge you to reach your full potential and grow alongside you every step of the way. And the best part is: it could be anybody. My first year, I found myself spending time with my freshmen hallmates, classmates from my film classes, and various people I met through clubs that I was a part of or through mutual connections. Today, I am still friends with many of these people and have been lucky enough to grow our friendships throughout our time at Wes.

I remember the night before working on my first senior production thesis as a sophomore, I felt nervous as I had little on-set experience and did not know many people. However, as soon I stepped on-set, that feeling of anxiety dissipated. The seniors in charge of the set were happy to teach me about what to do, what to say, and how to navigate the different positions that I (and even other people) had. Throughout the shooting weekend, upperclassmen working on the project were offering helpful advice to me and supporting me through my learning curve. That first on-set experience opened up Wes to me in a completely different way; seeing the love for creative collaboration and level of understanding among every person working on the thesis demonstrated to me that something as daunting as filmmaking could actually be such a rewarding and inspiring process."

#IAmWesleyan