When Rosemary Kyne ’18 came to �ֲ���ý from Nashville, Tenn., she didn’t know much about rowing, or about herself. That changed.

“I feel like a big part of me has been able to grow in the rowing world and in the greater �ֲ���ý world,” she says. “Rowing is a place that I have been able to find myself and become always a better version of myself.”

Now a senior and an All-American, Kyne will be aboard �ֲ���ý’ first varsity boat as the Bobcats compete of the NCAA Championships in Sarasota, Fla., on Saturday, May 27.

Two races comprise the Division III grand finals, . The second varsity eight’s grand final starts at 11:12 a.m. EDT. The first varsity eight’s grand final follows shortly after at 11:36 a.m ED.

When philosophy major Emilio Valadez ’18 of San Antonio, Texas, eats lunch at Commons, he likes to start out on a window ledge and “consider the constellation of humans” spread out before him.

“And what I really enjoy about being here,” he says, “is that anyone you sit with, you’re going to learn something from eating with them.”

Whether the conversation touches on happiness, anxiety, the profound, or the mundane, “you learn so much about yourself and who you want to be. And I love it.”

Brooke Drabkin ’18 of Roslyn, N.Y., describes her surprise at the importance that off-campus relationships played in her �ֲ���ý experience.

“Spending time with the Jewish community in Lewiston-Auburn has really opened my eyes to the differences that can exist in one tradition,” says Drabkin, a history major who has been co-president of �ֲ���ý Hillel.

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With a minor in education, Drabkin has been active in local literacy efforts. She joined six other �ֲ���ý students to research the effectiveness of literature circles in English-language learning in Lewiston schools.

“We come to �ֲ���ý and live in Lewiston for four years, and I think it’s really important to emphasize that piece,” she says. “We are Lewiston residents.”

Rakiya Mohamed ’18 of Auburn, Maine, recounts how she found purpose in her journey at �ֲ���ý by discovering how she was going to view herself.

“Who am I? I am a scientist, but I am also a scholar in African American studies,” says Mohamed, an immigrant from Ethiopia who has been a prominent �ֲ���ý voice for racial justice.

“What is the point of getting this education if you’re not going to go out there and do something with it — do something that’s bigger than you?”

As part of his honors thesis, Nate Stephenson ’18 of Ellsworth, Maine, plays Everyman, a character from Nikolai Gogol’s 1835 short story “Diary of a Madman.” Senior Lecturer in Theater Katalin Vecsey adapted the play () so that it’s set in the present day.

Everyman could be any one of us, Stephenson says. “But he’s still one person. So you have to find how to play one person who can be anyone.”

For Alisa Amador ’18 of Cambridge, Mass., being a musician and performer is about “bringing people together and catalyzing community — reminding everyone of our shared humanity.”