My first introduction to Mercedes MacAlpine came as my Community Engagement Orientation trip leader during first-year orientation. She was everything I expected an Amherst student to be, and everything I hoped to embody. Within an hour of meeting MacAlpine, her infectious effervescence and leadership had already inspired a group of 30 timid first-years.
Born in the United Kingdom to Nigerian parents but raised in the United States, Tomi Williams was forced to learn how to make himself at home in any environment. At Amherst, this adaptability led to a successful political career for the two-term Association of Amherst Students president.
Nico Pascual-Leone has become somewhat of a campus celebrity over the past few years. Most people know him as one of the captains of Amherst’s national champion soccer team. In addition to this, Pascual-Leone is an unflappably kind resident counselor and a chemistry major who has long had his heart set on medical school. He has pursued his twin passions for medicine and soccer with a remarkable degree of focus, never losing his warm smile along the way.
I had never met Amira Lundy-Harris before, but upon walking into our meeting at Frost Café I immediately recognized why they were selected for a profile. Their dominating air of confidence, paired with an effortless demeanor, brought my eyes to focus on Lundy-Harris, despite the buzzing afternoon noises of the cafe. Through their leadership in the Black Students Union and Pride Alliance and their commitment to queer and black studies, Lundy-Harris has dedicated a fruitful college career to a thorough understanding of intersectionality.
Kim Phuc Phan Thi, the subject of the famous “napalm girl” photograph from the Vietnam War, spoke to students, staff, faculty and members of the community in the Cole Assembly Room on April 28. The event, titled “Life Lessons,” was free and open to the public.
Phuc is known for being the subject of the iconic photograph taken as she was fleeing a napalm bomb during the Vietnam War. The photo, titled “The Terror of War,” was taken by Nick Ut and won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Photography. It remains one of the most iconic images of the war.
Faculty, staff and students met for a discussion and a question-and-answer session hosted by the Presidential Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion on April 29 in Converse Hall. The event was the first time the group had addressed students in an open forum since it was created earlier this semester in response to Amherst Uprising.
