Siena Simmons

COL ’16
Age: 19
Hometown: Oahu, Hawaii
Major: Neurobiology

What do you do on campus?
One of my biggest things is an NSO coordinator — that’s kind of been my baby for a while. We’re three sophomores and three juniors. I also just got into GERMS, so right now I’m considered a “probey,” or probationary member. Eventually, I want to be a driver. I am terrified of vomit, so I was like, “Nope, not doing GERMS, because people are going to throw up on me!” But I think doing GERMS is also helping me, considering I’m pre-med and I’m going to be placed into that environment very soon. I am also in running club. I love running club with all my heart; that’s where I found my best friends and future roommates. But it’s something that you can put as much time and effort as you want to into it. Last semester, I was pretty involved, but it’s something that I can step back from when I need to.

Can you comment on the party culture at Georgetown?
Having a lot of friends that go to state schools, I find it’s not as intense at Georgetown as it could be. I do see some flaws with some exclusivity, attitudes like, “You can only come to this party if you’re in this society or club.” Other than that, I don’t see the party culture as the defining thing about Georgetown. You’re never forced to drink; I’ve never been forced to drink, and it’s totally acceptable to go to a party to dance and have a good time without consuming alcohol.

What do you like most about Georgetown?
I like the community aspect. I’ve been able to find a lot of different friend groups and I have things in common with each of them. I find that people will embrace different things that I like.

What are your plans after Georgetown?
I know what I want to do now. Coming in, I thought I would do Georgetown for four years and then go straight to med school. But after going on ASB, I want to take off two years to teach — I’m an education minor, so it plays into that. I want to take off some time because school does burn you out, and then I’ll be ready to go on to med school and go from there. I want to study either pediatric neurology or pediatric oncology.

Do you feel you fit in at Georgetown?
At first, I really didn’t as a freshman. I am African American, but it wasn’t something that I had ever embraced. Unless you’re a military family, you don’t really encounter many others in Hawaii, and coming here, I was really scared, because there’s all of these people very passionate about their culture, and I had no idea where I would fit in and if I should try. As the year went on, I decided that doing that maybe wasn’t for me, that maybe I didn’t have to force it. I fit in in my own sense. I’m comfortable where I am, and the people I hang out are comfortable with who I am, so I fit in in that sense.

How did you pick Georgetown?
I applied the day before the application was due. I was not looking at Georgetown at all until my adviser and my dad told me to try. I didn’t think I was going to get in, but because I was applying to Princeton and other top-notch schools, I figured I may as well. It appealed to me because it was far from Hawaii and I wanted to get away, and it was decently sized. In terms of choosing to actually go to Georgetown, I got waitlisted everywhere except here and the University of Oregon. That really did simplify things.

Where are you from? Compare and contrast it to Georgetown. Where are you more comfortable?
I’m from Hawaii, so the biggest change for me was the weather. I had come to the mainland a lot during Christmas break, so I had seen snow before, but just being in the cold for so long was something I was not used to. It definitely affected my mood at times; I was so tired that by the time February came around in freshman year. I also find the mentality of the people different here — everyone is fast paced and fast moving, whereas in Hawaii, it’s really chill, “let’s go to the beach.” But I think I fit more into this culture than I did back home.

What would you change about yourself?
I think I would change the fact that I am always pushing. I guess if you think about it in terms of running, even if I’m injured I will keep pushing, and that’s not good for me. In terms of life, even if I know I’m not getting enough sleep and not taking enough care of myself, I keep pushing until it’s done.

If you could lead a protest on one thing, what would it be?
The use of the word “retarded.” My brother is autistic. It’s very disrespectful and it affects people who are disabled, even if you are slightly mentally disabled. My brother can’t communicate it to me all the time, but I know he knows he’s different, and he’s somewhat hurt by people’s shameless use of that word.

What’s your favorite word?
Facetious. I just like to say it. In eighth grade, when I first learned that word, all the middle school boys were like “fa-she-shous” — it’s a funny memory.

Interview by Braden McDonald