Ben Costa

Hi! I’m a Junior math major at Vassar, also getting a teaching certification for middle and high school. I’ve lived all around the Boston area, but for the last decade or so I’ve lived in Cambridge. My hobbies include embroidery, student theater and dance, and reading. I’m also starting to work a little on contortionism with Vassar’s circus arts group, especially backbends. I work at Vassar’s math and science tutoring center, and I’ve also worked at several weekend and summer teaching programs. I have two cats, Buster and Elliot, who love everyone in my family except for me. I also edit the crossword for the student newspaper, so if you have any good ideas for themes, be sure to tell me!

Meet Mia!

Hi! My name is Mia Geiduschek and I am a sophomore at Vassar College. I grew up in Menlo Park, California which is about an hour south of San Francisco in the middle of the Silicon Valley tech boom. Aside from this giving me the ability to name WAY too many tech companies off the top of my head, this also gives me the unique ability to be consistently cold here in New York. At home I live with my parents and our two cats: Ricky and Fred. I also have an older sister who lives in San Francisco. At Vassar, I am studying Psychology and Education and I am interested in the intersection between these two topics. When I am not in class or studying, I am usually asleep. However, I do make time for my other campus activities: circus, tour guiding, being a peer listener with The Listening Center, and participating in Jewish Life. I also love spending time hiking, swimming, and cooking.

Who is Linda Liu?

A junior at Vassar College who ventured into the Education department, not quite knowing what the future may hold for her. Perhaps music teaching, or educational psychology research. Maybe classical singing, or how about the research of music education’s benefit regarding the psychological state of a student body?  It’s a bit unclear at the moment. She hails from Wilmington, Delaware (about half an hour off of Philadelphia), previously enamored with choral music conducting at the high school level, but now she wanders deeper into the Psychological Sciences department as well as the singing groups around campus. Regardless, her heart forever lies with bettering the high school experiences of adolescents across the US. The collaborative digital storytelling that EDUC-373 delights upon is an experience beyond exciting, bound to be an unforgettable opportunity! Perhaps you’ll find that her endeavors for the future are more clear after this course.

Nora K :)

Hi hi! My name is Nora, and I’m a senior (!!) at Vassar College. I’m a Science, Technology, and Society major, and totally unsure of what to do post-college. I’m currently writing my senior thesis on the Paleo Diet and its relationship with neoliberalism.

I’m originally from Norway, but I was born and raised in Singapore. Despite growing up in the tropics, I love the cold weather and the snow. When I first moved to America for college I was disappointed that the summer months here are just as warm as they are back home… But luckily the winters get really cold and I can go sledding and wear jackets and jumpers 🙂

Growing up I did a bunch of different sports like touch rugby, gymnastics, and track. When I came to college I decided to not do any of those and instead start diving, so now I spend 2 hours a day practicing with my team. It’s been absolutely wonderful being a part of such a close-knit team of strong, intelligent, weird, and rad women.

So if you know anyone hiring any of these skills, pls pls pls let me know.

Lesley C

So, I’m Lesley. I was born on September 26, 2000, and am the youngest of five siblings.  I grew up in a traditional Mexican family in a city called Poughkeepsie. Even though my family and I were living here in the United States, my parents always made sure to keep our cultural traditions present. Two of my favorite traditions that my family has is celebrating “Dia de Los Reyes” and “Dia de Los Muertos.”

Growing up I was always surrounded to sports because of my siblings. I began playing basketball at the age of seven, and had my brother and sisters teach the basics. In middle school, I became interested in volleyball and joined the school team. Later on in high school, I decided to try rowing and so I joined the school rowing team.

Education wise, I currently attend Poughkeepsie High School and am interested in science – nothing specific just everything about the subject. I hope to graduate from college and become a paramedic.

Okay. So, yeah. That’s me.

Sarah Park ’20

Hi, my name is Sarah Park and I am a sophomore at Vassar College. I have lived in Connecticut for most of my life, but I was born in Pennsylvania, I’ve lived in Florida, and I also spent a gap year in South Korea when I was 14. At Vassar, I am a math major on the certification track for secondary math education. I have always known that I want to become an educator, and I enjoy tutoring and other activities related to teaching and learning. I also like to spend my free time dancing! I am part of a new cultural dance org on campus that focuses on k-pop. I have a hard time picking favorites, but some of my other things I like are spaghetti, sweatshirts, pink, sleeping, and corgis. 🙂

Tania Hernandez

In a few words, I would say that I am someone who can relate very much to a turtle. Before, I was talking to a vassar student and they asked me what animal it is that I related to and at the time I wasn’t sure but it got me thinking and now I believe that I can relate very much to a turtle. If I encounter someone new I will most likely hide in my shell and not come out for a while. this is how I may be at first but with a little bit of time, I might be willing to come out of that shell and socialize. Believe me when I tell you that the me who hides in her shell is only temporary because once I’m out you’ll wish I would go back in.

*Disclaimer: no, I don’t own turtles.

Christian Quiles

Hello Vassar blog! This is Christian Quiles here, and I just wanted to say how excited I am to be part of this program here at Vassar. I was born January 2nd, 2001. I was born here at vassar brothers and I grew up in Poughkeepsie. I am a junior at Arlington High School, and I am currently looking into colleges and very excited to leave high school and meet tons of new people and make great relationships. I am such an outgoing kid and I really do enjoy playing basketball, listening to music, and hanging out with my friends. I plan on majoring in computer technology and sciences such as chemistry, biology, and earth science. From time to time I even write some of my own lyrics to instrumentals I like. I have a big role in my house, I suppose I am my little brother’s role model, I feel this because our dad isn’t here for us and I feel like its my job to do for my mom because i wanna help her out for doing so much and for us. My first goal to do when I get my paycheck is to give my momma a large portion.