The Hofstra Chronicle

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The Humans of Hofstra: October 11, 2016

Allison Eichler - FEATURES EDITOR

Photos by Gabbie Downs Gabriella Johns: “I play on the Hofstra women’s rugby team. It’s really cool because not a lot of people play. It’s just starting to come to America, so it’s really interesting. People think it’s really dangerous but it’s actually really fun. It’s like an adrenaline rush. I’m getting tackled by girls that are like 200 pounds and I’m only 140 pounds, but it’s really, really fun. It’s a great community. Especially when I did it as a freshman, meeting so many different people from different backgrounds and coming together for this one sport that nobody’s ever played before. The team is really cool, sometimes we travel upstate and we stay at hotels. It’s really good team bonding, especially if you’re athletic and you don’t know where you really fit in, it’s a really good place to get to know people. I do it because I’m a runner. I ran track in high school, I was third in the state. Basically my job in rugby is like a wide receiver. I literally catch the ball and run; I have no other job. It’s rare that I tackle people. I do tackle people, but not often. I do [rugby] because I love to run, it’s a way for me to keep in shape and I hate going to the gym so I always try to make myself do sports.” 

Eliezer Vargas: “I just love to make music. Right now what I’m doing is I’m actually working on my lyricism. I focus on specific artists and I listen to them back to back to adapt to their ways, such as J. Cole. J. Cole is an artist whose lyricism is more important than his flow, so he makes a difference in the world. I listen to him over and over again in order to understand where he’s coming from and try to adapt to his style of flow and lyricism. For me, even though I’m a singer and not really a rapper, I still try to use my lyrics in order to make a difference in the world. Because of the way music is going now, it’s kind of just a flow that is more music-like, instrument-wise and beat-wise, instead of making a difference. So what I’m trying to do is change that. Even if my music doesn’t become big from being all hype and all commercialized, I’d rather have more lyrics that make a difference and may touch people. I just want to make music, that’s it. That’s what I love to do.”

 

Tia Harewood-Millington: “Being an orientation leader was probably one of the greatest experiences that I’ve ever had. I have never felt so close to a group of people than my staff, and I’ve never had a better summer than I did this past summer. I don’t know if it’s because I really like making freshmen – or just new people – feel welcome, or if it’s just because we had so much fun, but it was honestly one of the best experiences of my life. I will never be able to replace staying out with my staff until ridiculous hours of the night or singing and dancing in front of people, which I would never have done a year ago because I have horrible stage fright. I loved how it pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I love how I can see the growth in myself after pushing myself out of that comfort zone. I have to thank the orientation staff and Hofstra in general for giving me that opportunity. It’s something that I’m never going to forget.”