Showing 141 - 150 of 436 Items
Interview with Justin Weathers (Class of 2018) by Aisha Rickford
Date: 2019-11-09
Creator: Justin Weathers
Access: Open access
- Justin Weathers ’18 grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. His track coach and AP Gov teacher, a graduate of Bowdoin, encouraged him to apply to Bowdoin. Weathers talks about transitioning from the mostly black population of Baltimore to the very white, very small town of Brunswick, ME. He reflects on how, while AfAm was a safe space at Bowdoin, the class, ethnic, and regional differences among black students at Bowdoin affected the black community at Bowdoin. He also reflects on several bias incidents happening at Bowdoin during his first year, which was also the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Weathers remembers how it was to experience the Baltimore riots of the mid 2010s while attending Bowdoin. Additionally, Weathers reflects on his lasting impact at Bowdoin, from making “More than Meets the Eye” a mandatory part of Bowdoin First-Year Orientation, to advocating for black students affected by Bowdoin’s zero tolerance violence policy, which neglects to account for racial and verbal violence, plus the difficulty of having conversations across difference at Bowdoin that feel productive. Overall, Weathers reflects on how Bowdoin shaped him into who he is today, and one of his favorite memories of Bowdoin: riding into Ivies on the Brunswick Quad with Bowdoin security on a golf cart.
Interview with Adriennie Hatten (Class of 1990) and Shelby Cogdell Knox (Class of 1991) by Marina Henke
Date: 2019-11-10
Creator: Adriennie Hatten, Shelby Cogdell Knox
Access: Open access
- Adriennie Hatten ('90) and Shelby Cogdell Knox ('91) both share their path to Bowdoin from East Cleveland. They describe the racism that they experienced on campus, especially in their first years at Bowdoin, and how they struggled to develop a sense of place in what was a campus with so few black students. Both Hatten and Knox were highly involved with the African American Society (AfAm) during their time at the College, and the two women share how central Russwurm was to their Bowdoin experience. They reminisce on various speakers that they brought to campus, including Toni Morrison. Finally, Hatten and Knox reflect on AF/AM/50, and share concerns about both the current state of Russwurm and the recent name change from the African-American Society to the Black Student Union. Finally both women criticize the ways that black alumni are treated by the College, and how they see that embodied in the offerings and verbage of their recent weekend on campus.
Interview with Marnita Eaddie (Class of 1990) by Marina Henke
Date: 2019-11-09
Creator: Marnita Eaddie
Access: Open access
- Marnita Eaddie ('90) reminisces about her time at Bowdoin, particularly the transition of moving from her predominantly black hometown of East Cleveland to Brunswick, Maine. She shares how variations in wealth between students showed during her time at Bowdoin, but also how students from a variety of backgrounds managed to come together. She recounts confronting racism on the predominantly white campus, and how she navigated being one of less than fifteen black students in her incoming class. She additionally describes her own commitment to academics during her four years at the College, and how she managed to balance a superb academic record along with holding various part-time jobs during all of her semesters. Eaddie brings up the impact of various tragedies on campus, including the death of student Pamela Herbert (‘90) in the Pan Am Flight 103 terrorist attack. Finally, she explores how her later work in the military contrasted and aligned with her Bowdoin experience.
Molly Kennedy '19 Interviews Jenna Scott '19
Date: 2015-01-01
Creator: Jenna Scott
Access: Open access
Interview with Mariya Ilyas (Class of 2013) by Ben Bousquet
Date: 2018-06-02
Creator: Mariya Ilyas
Access: Open access
- In this oral history, Mariya Ilyas (Class of 2013) discusses transitioning to Bowdoin and the effect her identity as a Pakistani Muslim woman had on her transition. She talks about her on-campus job, favorite professors, and most memorable classes. Ilyas also describes how her pre-orientation trip sparked a lasting interest in public service that manifested itself in a White House internship, Fulbright Scholarship, and career in diplomacy. She also speaks of her role in beginning the Muslim Student Association, and the support that the College provided. In addition, she recounts how her racial and cultural identities sometimes created instances of discomfort on campus.
Interview with Whitney Sanford (Class of 1983) by Ben Bousquet
Date: 2018-06-02
Creator: Whitney Sanford
Access: Open access
- In this oral history, Whitney Sanford (Class of 1983) describes her decision to enroll at Bowdoin and her experience with the different aspects of the College’s social scene. She discusses the impact of the liberal arts on her eventual career as a professor at University of Florida and mentions her involvement in Bowdoin’s first women’s rugby team. Sanford also recounts her affiliation with the Theta Delta Chi fraternity, as well as her activity on the women’s field hockey team. She also discusses the impact of the opening of a campus pub on the College’s social structure.
Interview with Mara Gandal-Powers (Class of 2004) by Emma Kellogg
Date: 2019-06-01
Creator: Mara Gandal-Powers
Access: Open access
- Mara Gandal-Powers (Class of 2004) discusses adjusting to life far from her home in Maryland and learning how to structure her time at College. She mentions trying out for the tennis team and how that impacted her first year. She reminisces about spending time with friends at nearby beaches, in Brunswick and Portland, and navigating the new Social House system as part of the first class without fraternities. Talking about her major in Women’s Studies, Gandal-Powers mentions her thesis, organizing Bowdoin’s involvement in the March for Women’s Lives, and her major’s impact on her career. Additionally, she reflects on campus’s atmosphere of activism at the time, specifically in reference to the 2000 Presidential Election and the September 11 Terrorist Attacks.
Interview with Bruce Blaisdell (Class of 1969) by Emma Kellogg
Date: 2019-06-01
Creator: Bruce Blaisdell
Access: Open access
- Bruce Blaisdell (Class of 1969) talks about finding Bowdoin through the advice of a neighbor who was the daughter of Donovan Lancaster, head of the College’s Dining Services. He discusses living away from home for the first time and acclimating to the boisterousness of fraternity life in Phi Delta Psi. He talks about finding a passion for biology and learning to balance his social life with academics. He touches on his on-campus jobs, including being a steward in the fraternity, and extracurricular activities, like the swim team and the Outing Club. He reminisces about the Senior Center Program. Reflecting on the world outside of Bowdoin, Blaisdell mentions the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement and their impact on campus.
Interview with Sally Spencer-Thomas (Class of 1989) by Emma Kellogg
Date: 2019-06-01
Creator: Sally Spencer-Thomas
Access: Open access
- Sally Spencer-Thomas (Class of 1989) describes deciding to apply to Bowdoin after feeling valued during her campus visit. Considering fraternities, she recalls both the benefits of making friends through Delta Kappa Epsilon, but also the challenges of the heavy drinking culture and problematic attitudes about sex and relationships. Spencer-Thomas comments on her study-away experience at the University of Stockholm. She reminisces on studying Art and Psychology and mentions her painting sessions in the old morgue at Adams Hall. She reflects on the support of the Bowdoin community since the death of her brother, also an alumnus. Finally, she comments on her multi-generational view of Bowdoin by sharing her impressions of the College through the eyes of her father and son.
Interview with Madelena Rizzo (Class of 2014) by Meagan Doyle
Date: 2019-06-01
Creator: Madelena Rizzo
Access: Open access
- Madelena Rizzo (Class of 2014) talks about moving from Pennsylvania to Maine and the central and important role that Bowdoin’s community, including peers, faculty, and staff, played in her college experience. She describes her decision to join the Cross Country and Track teams, as well as other extracurricular activities like working with Amnesty International and babysitting for faculty and staff. Rizzo speaks about her French immersion study-away experience in Poitiers, France, and the following summer she spent back in Maine interning at Long Creek Youth Development Center. In addition, she reflects on the stress of Bowdoin academics and adjusting to life away from home.