With Thanksgiving fast approaching, it is the time to take a look at the ones around us and give thanks. Being thankful at any point in the year can help us see the better sides of life and not always be pessimistic, especially with exams on the radar for most of us. Her Campus is one of those things that I am thankful for, and I’m not the only one, as our chapter has teamed up with the Her Campus chapters at The University of Puerto Rico and Holy Cross to get to know each other and take advantage of the opportunity Thanksgiving brings. I got to know a student from the University of Puerto Rico, Ana Emmanuelli, finding that there are quite a few similarities between us, but also differences that make us unique.
Ana is a sophomore at the University of Puerto Rico, majoring in Biology and looking to go down the health studies track. Ambitious as she is, outside of being a writer for Her Campus she also participates in the groups Medlife and AMSA, pre-med organizations. It seems that mental health is an important aspect of her life, as one of her favorite articles she has written is titled, “Steps to Healing,” which enabled her to do research and learn how to have a happier life for herself and share her findings with others. Ana enjoys writing articles like this, as she wants to write about what she is currently going through and learn along the way. Using Her Campus as an outlet to use to express her emotions. When asked about what advice she would give her past self, she responded, “I’d probably tell myself to not worry so much about what other people think of me and that I shouldn’t be too hard on myself.” Ana also mentioned her need to slow down a bit in life, knowing now that not everything needs to be figured out just yet—advice that I think many of us struggle to follow.
We shared some of our favorites in getting to know each other. Ana’s favorite holiday was a definitive choice for Christmas, with the grand festivities that Puerto Rico has during that time. They have traditions of eating a large family meal and doing Christmas carols called “Parranda,” and eating a traditional “asopao” dish at midnight. Food-wise, Ana’s favorite would be “arroz con gandules” which involves rice and pigeon peas, though she has a love for a wide assortment of foods. Ana’s dreams include traveling to Europe to experience the different cultures throughout the different countries and see the beautiful landscapes. And although she is not an avid Netflix watcher, “You” was a show that truly piqued her interest that she would recommend adding to your watch next list if you haven’t already.
Fun fact that Ana shared with us: the origin of shaking hands was designed to make a show that a person was not armed when interactions would occur, but now is exclusively for a professional setting, an interesting development.