Divya Ramesh
Recent articles
Divya Ramesh | Hello, my name is ‘Stranger’
As our world widens in our college years, the idea of “stranger danger” needs to modify its meaning as well. If we carry the idea unchanged into adulthood, we’ll miss out on getting to know interesting people.
Divya Ramesh | Finished with not finishing
The great thing about an all-you-can-eat franchise is that seconds are an option if you want them. But not many people seem to see it that way. Every day, I see entire plates of food tossed into the green compost bags at the residential dining halls.
Divya Ramesh | A shaky foundation
While the United States might not have the same structural issues as other countries, like collapsing apartment buildings made of weak wood, our problem rests on where we choose to build.
Divya Ramesh | Not worth the wait
Last week, as I stood alongside a man with “Penn Maintenance” embroidered on his jacket, I received a very didactic response as I rambled on about the motivational power of a Friday evening.
Divya Ramesh | Empty apologies
Sorry has become the panacea, but the word is caving under the weight of our demands.
Divya Ramesh |The hyphenated American
The desire to embrace the hyphenated, non-white American — the Nigerian-American or Asian-American, for example — is not something all children have.
Divya Ramesh | Playing with fire
Stepping away from our compulsive need for action to adopt a version of the NRK’s digitized natural world might be a healthy choice. After all, with Norway recently ranked first on Forbes’ list of the happiest world nations, the country might have something to show beyond its magnificent fjords.
Divya Ramesh | Dropping names
We all find it awkward when we mix up names, but it seems I’m the only person upset over rechristening Sam as Wesley and mistaking Mary Kate for Caroline.
Divya Ramesh | Experimenting with Experimetrix
I enjoyed participating in Experimetrix speech labs and word rating exercises that introduced to me to fields like psycholinguistics and visual studies. A friend of mine learned a fake language for a linguistics study and came back saying that it was “awesome.”
Divya Ramesh | Whether we "like" it or not
Sometimes, I wonder how I have 193 friends on Facebook. To you, that figure probably seems astonishingly low. To me, it’s surprisingly high.
Divya Ramesh | Access denied
While rolling from Trenton to 30th Street Station, I met a sophomore from another university who scarred me for life. She told me with arrogant confidence that she was going to Philly to spend time with a boyfriend that her parents didn’t know existed.
Divya Ramesh | Such things (don't) happen
The sad truth seems to be that we need a tragedy to occur in order to mobilize change.
Divya Ramesh | Pens are mightier than pixels
Send one letter every month — to your grandmother or your best friend from high school who used to wish you Merry Christmas with a handmade card. Collect your letters, your responses, the envelopes and stamps. This project will bolster the postal system while brightening someone’s day.
Divya Ramesh | Waffles for dinner
Penn needs to do more to improve its vegetarian options.
Divya Ramesh | When reality bites
Colleges like Penn should actively encourage children in foster care to apply.
Divya Ramesh | The power of postponement
Procrastination is a good thing — as long as it’s the right kind.
Divya Ramesh | Why I wait with bated breath
If we corral the polluted air in one place, if we quarantine the smoke, there’s a big chance that it’ll be easier to breathe everywhere else.
Divya Ramesh | An illness with no prescription
Now that I have moved in and Convocation is around the corner, I realize that the vaccines on my chart have failed to prevent one thing: homesickness.
