Skip to main content

The Duality of A Mixed-Race Harvard Student: Sharing Culture through Film

 Well, first things first, let's talk about my ancestry.


I'm a mixture of Icelandic and Mongolian heritage, which has given me a deep, intrinsic connection to both cultures. I learned about their customs, traditions, and languages from a young age, so I've always felt at ease in a globalizing world.




As for film, it's my passion. Growing up, I loved the magic of cinema and I'm now studying at Harvard's prestigious film curriculum. It's the perfect forum to showcase my creativity and share the cultural nuances that make the world beautiful.


Now, I'm not just a student, I'm a cultural emissary. My life is dedicated to promoting the diversity of the world, and encouraging respect and understanding through my artistic pursuits. My aim is to bring a new perspective to global media, one that showcases alternative cultures and celebrates their complexity.




I've spent years studying, honing my skills, building connections, and making my name known. While you might think I'm just some spoiled rich kid who's been handed everything on a silver platter, the truth is I've sacrificed everything to get where I am today.


 I'm my own person and I'm carving out my own path without looking back.




Life at Harvard is challenging, but also extremely rewarding. It's a constant balancing act of studying, participating in extracurricular activities, and making time for rest and relaxation.


As a Harvard student, I'm expected to dedicate my time and energy to both academics and extracurriculars. It's not always an easy balance to strike, but I'm constantly working to find the right balance.


Harvard also offers a wide range of resources and support services to help students manage their workload and prioritize self-care. Overall, I'd say I'm pretty happy with my overall life balance at Harvard.


Arabella Sveinsdottir  ðŸŽ“ FAVS 2028



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ramadan 2024 Series: Ramadan Reflection

  As a first-year one of the many things I thought about was what Ramadan would be like on campus and how I would manage my workload.  After observing Ramadan on campus for three years on Harvard’s campus, here is my reflection on how to make the most out of Ramadan while doing school work: Sleep early, wake up, stay up As a student, it is typical to stay up late at night to submit assignments on time and catch up on work, but during Ramadan, this can be difficult because we are typically not getting as much sleep due to taraweeh and tahajjud prayers, or other reasons. I have found that I am the most productive when I go to sleep and wake up for suhoor and then stay up. I usually have a suhoor buddy where we ensure both of us are awake to eat before we start fasting at dawn. Remember to take naps in between! Don’t miss Suhoor/Sehri It can be difficult to wake up at 3 or 4 am to eat suhoor, so set up those 10-15 alarms and have a friend who will call or text to ensure you are a...

How I Organized a Hackathon at Harvard

  This past semester, I found myself organizing a hackathon. Me, a premed student with little to no coding experience? -- yes!  To those who may not be familiar with the concept of a hackathon: A hackathon is an opportunity for people to dedicate 24-48 hours to solving a problem about, quite literally, anything. It's a space where people can immerse themselves in a project they're passionate about for a weekend, with some even forgoing sleep for the duration of the hackathon! At the end of the 24-48 hours, people pitch their solutions/projects to a panel of judges, and awards are given to the top teams or individuals. Sometimes hackathons can be themed, or have different categories like fintech, AI, VR, robotics, social good, etc.  There are also health/bio themed hackathons that rely on computational biology tools and bioinformatics to tackle diseases. Tech is becoming increasingly important for the advancement of medicine, especially with the rise of AI. There is softwa...

Harvard Housing Day

  Harvard Housing Day is more than just an event; it's a rite of passage, a moment that transcends the ordinary and marks the beginning of a unique chapter in every freshman's life. As a first year to the vibrant Harvard community, your housing day experience will be nothing short of magical, filled with anticipation, excitement, and the thrill of discovering your new home. (Disclaimer, my housing day was on Zoom due to the COVID pandemic so yours is 100% going to be much better than what I went through). In the days leading up to Housing Day, there's an electrifying buzz on campus. Rumors swirl, speculations abound, and there's an air of mystery as students eagerly await the revelation of their assigned house. It's a time of camaraderie and unity as everyone shares the anticipation of discovering where they'll spend the next three years of their college journey.  Of course though, some students will be filled with existential dread as they pray to their gods to...