Name: Amber Abernathy
Year: 2018
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Majors: International and Global Studies and African and Afro-American Studies
Minor: French and Francophone Studies (which may turn into a triple major depending on how Study Abroad goes)
Her Campus: What attracted you to Brandeis?
Amber Abernathy: Honestly, I think originally it was the mission of social justice and what Truth Onto Its Innermost Parts means. I just really wanted to be a part of that, and now I’m slowly uncovering what that means for me and the people around me.
HC: What activities are you involved in on campus?
AA: I’m the Treasurer for Players (Undergraduate Theatre Collective) and for Black Lives Matter Brandeis. I’m also a Community Advisor, which is probably one of the most fun things on campus.
HC: What is your proudest moment at Brandeis so far?
AA: I think my proudest moment is taking place currently—being a part of occupying the President’s office and what that means for black students and students of color. I think it’s a proud moment for me because I can see the community coming together and I see so much love. I see what it means for people to be fighting for what’s true and for what justice means for them. I think that’s where the Truth Unto Its Innermost Parts comes in as well. It just makes me really proud that people are here standing up for what they want and what they believe.
HC: What’s your advice for incoming first-years?
AA: Take your time to get to know yourself and to get to be involved on campus. I think sometimes there’s a pressure to be involved and to “get” everything and to know what to do right off the bat, but I think it’s important to be patient with yourself as you go through different experiences here that really introduce you to what you’re passionate about and what you love. And it’s okay if you don’t know right off the bat because I surely didn’t know and I still don’t know sometimes.
HC: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
AA: I want to be a people-person. I want to have grown, to have had experiences, and to have been well-travelled. I will have been in the Peace Corp hopefully. And maybe I’ll be getting ready to start my family, whatever that looks like.
Quick Facts:
Favorite TV Show: Orange is the New Black
Favorite Spot on Campus: Second floor of Mandel
Favorite Song of the Moment: “Here” by Alessia Cara
Favorite Boston Attraction: Downton Crossing. I went to Primarck for the first time last week and it changed my life.
Role Model: My grandma. She’s a fighter and she preserves in everything she does, and those are some of the values I look up to. She just represents who I want to be.
Prized Possession: My rings I wear every day. One is my friendship ring: my core group of friends each have the same one. Another is the one my grandpa got for me for my birthday a few years back.
Favorite Quote: “It doesn’t interest me
How old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for you dream
for the adventure of being alive”
—The Invitation, by Oriah.