Admission

Admission Interns

Sacha Baniel-Stark '11
I was born and raised in Northern California, with parents on two of the three sides of the San Francisco Bay (having parents on all three sides would have been a feat of nature). The spawn of a highly-analytical math professor and a natural healer, I spent a lot of my life confused about what the future had in store. Choosing a college wasn't easy (I actually considered not going right to college and becoming an apprentice with a dance company instead – don't tell my parents), and I didn't 'officially' decide to come to Reed until I was confined to a hospital bed for a week (don't tell my college counselor).

In some sense, though, I always knew I'd end up at Reed. From the first time I accidentally picked up the viewbook, something just felt right; now that I'm here, I couldn't be happier. I finally became a philosophy major (I was avoiding it because my dad was a philosophy major – don't tell him that, either), mostly because it was something I could major in without really having to limit the types of things I could spend time thinking about – language, science, ethics, etc. – but my main focus is in Philosophy of Language, which feeds wonderfully into my side-obsession, linguistics. I'm also involved with the dance community at Reed, I volunteer with a local middle school, and I run our lit mag (the vestiges of my time on high school journalism).

Besides studying and dancing, I love to cook in my awesome off-campus kitchen, drink coffee, giggle at puppies I pass on the street and at Reed, do photography, come up with cool titles for books I'll never write, train for the FBI fitness test, and answer emails from people like you!

If you have any questions about the performing arts at Reed, questions about working for publications at Reed despite our lack of an official journalism program, philosophical inquiries, what it's like to vacillate between pretty much every major ever (or if you're just worried about how you'll ever possibly decide what to study), news of good shows in the Portland area, want cookie recipes, or just want to make contact with a real live Reed student, drop me a line! I check my email approximately 3.7x10^894 times an hour, so I'm pretty easy to get in contact with.

Austin Campbell '11
Live, laugh, learn, and love, the great categorical ideas that guide my life—-actually, these tenets are more like pairs of each other and not sequential. How this all relates to who I am as a person; I live to laugh and learn to love. Basically, I am a person that performs every task with passion. If you ask me where I am from, I will excitedly tell you: Inglewood, California. What's my favorite food: French fries of course! What's my favorite car: 1989 Honda Civic... it was my first. Who are you—-well some call me Austin, but you have to read more to "know me."

When people ask me how I heard about Reed, all of the memories about the college process come rushing back from the recesses of my mind and flood me with feelings of happiness, anxiety, frustration, excitement, acceptance. After this initial reaction, I promptly tell them that I didn't know about Reed until I happened to be working in the college counseling office sorting promotional material and Reed's handbook slid out from the pile. It was like a sign from Zeus himself. I knew I was meant to be Reedie.

Looking back on that time to now, I realize how fortunate I am to go to Reed. Reed has created unbelievable opportunities to be a part of a community and to know that my voice is truly heard. At Reed, I am involved with the Student Body Senate as Head Treasurer. I work with a team of 2 other students who help me manage the student body account, which is completely autonomous from administrative input. I go to one of the only schools in America where administrators don't have direct oversight over student body funds. How awesome is that! I am also a House Advisor, where I am seen as a team and staff member. I live amongst students and help create a wonderful community built around honor and respect for each other, which reflects Reed as a larger entity. Seriously, there is no place like Reed; there is no place like Reed; there is no place like Reed. I wouldn't change it for the world. If you want to ask me any more questions like then feel free to contact me. Hopefully, when you are a Reedie, I can bake you some chocolate chip cookies.

Jack Diboise '10
Howdy! My name is Jack. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area before heading back east to go to boarding school in New Hampshire. After I graduated, I went to Purdue University to study Mechanical Engineering but I quickly felt lost in classes of 400. I dropped out, moved back in with my parents, and got a job working for Apple while I began my college search again. This time, I looked for schools that would give me what I needed to be successful, namely small class sizes, rigorous academics and caring professors.

As an English Major at Reed, I spend my time reading and talking about really awesome books. I tend to focus my scholarship on the literature of the Southeast Asian Diaspora of the last hundred years. I have taken numerous creative writing classes and have found them very rewarding. Physics has always been a passion of mine and I've taken two years of Reed Physics.

Student Organizations are probably my favorite part of Reed student life. Every semester, the student body votes and we fund the top 40 organizations for the following semester. I run two organizations, Sound Kolektiv, which provides sound for student groups (think people bringing bands to campus) and KRRC, the Reed Radio Station. But it is the Honor Principle that makes Reed work. Reed is truly the only community I have experienced where every member genuinely cares about
the liberté, égalité & fraternité of his or her fellow students

Dahlia Grossman-Heinze '10
I was born in southern California, but moved to Kansas as a kid. I grew up there, learned to say "pop" instead of "soda", and moved back to California in high school, where I got made fun of for saying "pop" instead of "soda". While I call both states home, I'm a Midwestern girl at heart. Because I moved around so much I think I developed some sort of place-related complex in which I just didn't know where I belonged. I took a path a bit longer than most to wind up at Reed, transferring here as a sophomore, but once I got here, I knew I was finally in the right place.

Reed is my favorite place in the whole world, and as I say this I am placing my hands over my heart, a gesture my friends have become very familiar with that indicates that I am telling the truth, and also that I really love something. I'm a senior English major. I'm into creative writing and modern and contemporary literature and drama. Aside from spending all my time reading, I enjoy chocolate milk, clothes, David Lynch, art history, jazz, R.L. Stine, rap that is not in English, shoes, lit theory, art nouveau, hot air balloons, horror films, Henry VIII, pasta, and Britney Spears. If I could write my thesis on Britney Spears, I would, but I'm writing it on 'representations of apocalypse, justice, and law in Angels in America by Tony Kushner' although I don't totally know what that means yet. As a child I wanted to a detective when I grew up, but now I want to be a screenwriter.

If you have questions about being an English major, creative writing, transferring to Reed, hot air balloons, Britney Spears, or anything else, please contact me, because I like to talk about all of those things. A lot.

Melody Harvey '10
Hello! I'm Melody Harvey, and I'm a senior economics major from California (the Southern part). I am particularly -- and highly -- interested in socio-economics, economic history, housing issues, poetry, social justice, and environmental studies. During my years here at Reed -- aside from studying :) -- I have served as a Peer Mentor, a submissions editor for the 2008 Reed College Creative Review, and as president of Reed's Black and African Student Union.

Hmmm... so, how did I end up at Reed of all places? Well, I'd certainly never visited either Reed or Portland prior to my coming here. At home, every time I mentioned "Portland", the first thing a person told me was, "it rains a lot out there!" I decided to take my chances when I attended an info session near my hometown, and ran into one of Admission's assistant deans, Sirius Bonner. I began, "Hi, I'm Mel--" She immediately exclaimed, "Melody Harvey! I read your application! It's nice to see you!" I thought, "Oh, wow... oh wow!" At the end, I knew that at Reed, I wouldn't be just a number in the school records; I'd mean much more. (This was later verified in my calculus class; that is another story in itself.) I knew that at Reed, indeed it must be small and cozy as their brochures claim. I know that Reed, I am definitely getting my education's and experiences' worth.

Should you have any questions about Reed, some of the extracurriculars here, economics, Portland, or the whole college process and experience in general, please do not hesitate to contact me. I'd be more than happy to address questions you may have to the best of my ability. :D

Jeryl Hewey '10
I love food. I walk slowly. I grew up too fast. I dance like a dervish. I wonder why people don't vote. I am younger than I look. I think most things are a song reference. I have roots in both New England and Puerto Rico. I have been known to play board games to my detriment. I'm a psychology major and have no bad feelings toward my thesis. I am still getting used to not having cows on my school campus. And that's a little about me.

But let's face it, you need to know what information I can give you. I love Reed, and if you think you might love it too, the best thing I can do is help you figure that out so you can get here even sooner! So here's some stuff that makes me curious, about what Reed has to offer and life in general, and will hopefully make you curious too. Just write me and we can discuss why it is that we all seem to sound better singing in the shower, 40 delicious restaurants that don't get face time on our website, classic rock, the joys of walking barefoot in grass, why polling is often inaccurate but you should vote anyway, how to make a turducken, why Settlers of Catan and writing a thesis is generally against my better judgment, merengue dancing as the preferred mode of hip motion, saying yes to things that are adventuresome and curious and will occasionally cause some trouble, not saying yes too often, Portland on a budget, sweet sweet Star Wars, the joys of being frighteningly good at Jenga, how weight lifting and academia were meant to be together, doing taxes and finding housing without mom and dad, and comics you don't know you love (yet). You know, the gentler things in life.

Catherine Hinchliff '10
I first came to Reed as a three year old. At the time, however, I attended class sporadically and found playing in parks and going on play dates more interesting. Today, I am a senior history major, and I attend Reed with my dad, who is a philosophy professor (hence my 18 years at Reed). In addition, my cousin is a recent Reed graduate.

Though I have some pretty awkward moments with students and professors alike due to my family connections to the school, for the most part I have no problems. I have met some wonderful people, I have taken a lot of challenging courses, and I have become very involved in the Reed community. This year I am writing my senior thesis on early modern England, specifically free speech in the early Stuart period. I am also taking my third year of Humanities, a Russian literature class, and senior symposium, aka senior book club. Outside of class, I am running the New York Times On Campus Program (something I began out of selfishness), participating in Model UN (last year our team went to New York and Montreal for conferences), and DJing with a friend at the campus radio station. Finally, I am currently in the process of decorating my thesis desk, so if you have any ideas, please email me.

As a history major, I can answer all your questions about history classes, professors, and requirements. If you're interested, I can also share some Reed lore or tell you about some of my awkward meetings with professors and students (if anyone asks, I am the more famous Hinchliff). Other than pestering my thesis-desk mate, answering emails is my chief form of procrastination in the library. So send me an email anytime; I'd love to hear from you.

Lai Jiang '11
Walking on the Blue Bridge at half past seven, I'm greeted by smiling sunshine reflecting off the calm of Reed Lake. As the Sun begins his quiet ascend, footsteps shatter the silence of the sacred realm. Squirrels, mouths full, sneak peeks at these intruders, who seem to speak a secret language of "what do you think" and "what can we do."

Hi! Welcome to Reed College – a place filled with magic and adventure. My name is Lai, and I'm culturally… Well, that's an interesting question. I was born in Sichuan, China – the hometown of pandas, teahouses and hotpot. When I was six, my parents brought me to Singapore – the lovely Garden City where I spent the next thirteen years of my life. Essentially, this meant that I grew up speaking Sichuan dialect at home, read Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl in my spare time, ate roti prata for breakfast and celebrated Hari Raya, Deepavali, Christmas and Chinese New Year with my friends.

How did I find out about Reed? Uh, my Indonesian friend in high school had a huge crush on a Vietnamese guy who was a year above us. We decided to "trace his whereabouts" and discovered that he was attending Reed. And BAM! That was it! Love at first sight… With Reed, that is.

And it continues to surprise and excite me. Right now, I can't stop thinking about Jean Paul Gaultier's Autumn/Winter 2009 collection thanks to my French professor. Email me and I'll tell you more! À bientôt!

Salim Moore '11
The time has come the griffin said, to talk of many things; Of Reed, and books, and Thesis Tower – Of the Doyle Owl and swings, And why this place has such charm, of which we all should sing.

Privet. Hola. Salut. I am an Art History major from Altadena, California. I left my moss garden and some giant pumpkin seedlings to attend Reed. I suppose that's okay though because moss grows on everything here, even the cars, seriously. I am a big fan of accordions and violins and opera. I like to read märchen, myths, and legends before bed. Once, a group of friends and I got together and created the science fiction and fantasy theme dorm, Tír na nÓg. 

If you're passionate about all things Joss Whedon, George R. R Martin, or just science fiction and fantasy in general, you should come talk to me. If you're passionate about oral tradition, short films, creative writing, and/or food, you should consider talking to me. If you're passionate about art, architecture, activism and sustainability, you should most likely get in touch with me. If you're passionate about all of the above, stop reading and find me. I'll be waiting, ears wide open and fingers poised, for any and all of your questions. : D

JinYoung Park '11
Hi! My name is JinYoung. I am a junior linguistics major and I am passionate about linguistics, languages, music, and food! I am originally from JeonJu, South Korea, but I lived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for six years (Aug '01 – Aug '07), during which time I learned English and made lots of friends from all over the world. I am especially excited to be back at Reed this semester, after having spent the last semester studying abroad in Paris. I missed our gorgeous campus—even though it does rain a lot—and the faculty and staff that actually know and care about me. I also think that Reed has fabulous language departments that are usually underrated. I have taken French and I am currently taking Russian. Feel free to talk to me about taking language classes at Reed.

Some of my favorite things at Reed are Gray Fund, singing in chorus and collegium musicum, sunny days, playing volleyball without feeling intimidated even though I'm not very good at it, and being allowed to be a nerd. I also love Portland for its public transportation system, no sales tax, and numerous food carts. If you want to know more about any of these things, or anything else really, or if you are a prospective international student and/or a TCK, talk to me. I would love to meet all of you!

Mic Parker '10
These are the things I love: rainy days, old books, cool sheets, T.S. Eliot, my family and my friends and Reed. Maybe that sounds glib. There are other things I love, too, but I don't know how to write them out.

I'll start here: I grew up in Arkansas and thought I hated it. So I moved far away and threw myself into Portland and the labor of love (intense love and a very real desire to know always more) that is my Reed education. There are things here that much of Arkansas does not desire but are wonderful (the gay community) and I don't want to imagine my life without this place. But I have to admit, too, that the South is in my bones and teeth and hair and I miss the summer nights and the certain sounds that used to wake me in the mornings (frogs, grass being cut, my sister's bad music).

I'm majoring in Classics and Theatre. I can't help feeling like that's the best decision I've ever made. There's a play I've written that I'll try to direct and a paper that I'll try to write about Cassandra and what it was like to be a prophetess in the classical world.

You want to talk about the Aeneid, theatre, being one of the poor folk, the transition from the South to the Northwest, what it's like to neither drive nor bike in Portland or Arkansas, trash TV (a driving force in my life), Beckett, how much I suck at Latin or anything else in the world? I would love to hear from you.

Emma Riese '10
I come from Minneapolis MN, where the streetlamps reflecting off snow makes the sky stay light orange all winter. Aside from the total darkness of Portland winter nights, I now love Oregon and call it home. I live just north of campus in a Big Pink House made of rotting vegetables, storebought yogurt, homemade kimchi, neighborhood children and fashionable androgynes. Two days a week, I spend time with an 8-month-old who works harder at learning than anyone else I know. I love my rickety bicycle, Sunday brunch, and a good dance party. When on-campus, I'm holed up in the library writing about social justice and philanthropy for my senior thesis. I also tutor students in introductory anthropology, work on forming networks of feminists, and spill lots of coffee on myself. I like to talk to lots of different people, so email me if you have questions or just want to get a feel for Reed students.

Swati Shrestha '10
Hello there! My name is Swati and I'm from Nepal, born in Virginia, raised in Singapore and currently living in Oregon! I'm a senior (!) English major with a great interest in post-colonial South Asian literature. I'm loud and outgoing, and I highly enjoy talking to people about the various things that I love - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, comics, various television shows, traveling (by car, by train, by plane, and possibly by public bus to Seattle this fall break), Young Adult literature, Panic! at the Disco, Ikea, malls, and of course, Reed.

I came to Reed and to Portland without having visited beforehand, and having never been back to the US since I was three. I was pretty surprised when the immigration officer greeted me with "Welcome home!" I wasn't sure about that then, but I have come to consider Portland one of my many homes around the world. This is a small community of people who are fun to interact with both in and out of the classroom. I would love to talk to people who are considering becoming a part of it, especially if you are an international student! So please: write to me. :)

Michael Stapleton '10
I'm Michael. I was born and raised in San Jose, CA--the state of sunshine, and the quail (our state bird). Interestingly enough, California has the snowiest region in the entire country (I read that on a Trivial Pursuit Card). I also don't recall having seen a quail in recent memory in California, but I could just be looking in the wrong places. But enough about California--let's talk about me.

I'm a senior majoring in English, focusing on Contemporary American Lit. Authors such as Michael Chabon, John Updike, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sylvia Plath hold spots on my bookshelf. I'm also a transfer student, having spent one year at a very large, football-centered, frat-oriented research university, and one year at a community college. Now I'm at Reed, which completes my higher education tour. I also like polo shirts, dark wood furniture, crossword puzzles, and the feel of a good pair of slacks. And I'm the kind of person that once had a shirt with "Department of Redundancy Department" written on it.

If you've taken the time to read this it means that you're probably pretty interested in Reed--which is a good thing. Reed is an interesting place, full of interesting people. Nowhere in the country will you find a school where students address faculty members by their first names, grades are so taboo, seniors have their own desks in the library, alumni gather on campus to juggle once a year, there's an unofficial school song about epistemology, and interns get to pick the music played in the Admission Office.

If you want to know more about the quail, Contemporary American Literature, dark wood furniture, or Reed, you should email me. Seriously--email me.