Senior Interviewers

Liscare Castro

Major: Political Science
Minor: Africana Studies
Hometown: White Plains, New York
High School: White Plains Public High School

Activities: Multi-Cultural Greek Life (Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc.), Barnard Chair of Columbia’s Latino Heritage Month, Employee at the Barnard Store, Admissions Multi-Cultural Advisory Board, Venom Step Team, Campus Climate Board, MUJERES

Study Abroad: CIEE Program: Sénégal

Internships: Higher Education Opportunity Program, Def Jam Recording Label Promotions Department, Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand Outreach Department

“What I will miss most about Barnard is the fact that my friends and I live relatively close to one another, and close to campus. Whether it is going to an event being hosted by the school, such as Glass House Rocks, or exploring New York City, we have the opportunity to come together often. Meeting up with some of my closest friends is only a matter of walking across campus, down to 110^th street, or taking a short subway ride. These are the memories that create a bond between my Barnard sisters and me.”

Rebecca Gray

Majors: Music and English (Creative Writing concentration)
Hometown: Malibu, California
High School: Malibu High School

Activities: Resident Assistant, Member and Former Musical Director of Barnard Bacchantae, Columbia University Orchestra, Founder of Barnard Flag Football, Member and Former Vice President of Q, Columbia University Hiking Club

Study Abroad: FUBiS: Berlin, Germany

Internship: Ugly Duckling Presse

“New York City is an extremely stimulating city to live in. What I did not know upon matriculation, however, was that it can also be a quiet and peaceful place. There are millions of reasons why going to school in NYC is the best thing ever (music, theater, poetry, art, food, free events abounding that complement and excite your scholastics), but one of my favorite things about going to school in the city is that it contains pockets of calm and nature. We have the opportunity to settle in to any of the city’s many parks (like my favorite, Prospect Park) with a book or a sandwich or to simply sit alone and contemplate. New York lets you go go go and then rest rest rest. Having a bike in the city has been incredible--there is nothing better to do to relax and rejuvenate after class than peddle through Riverside Park right at the Hudson River’s edge and feel on top of the world.”

Linden Hill

Majors: Art History and Dance
Minor: French
Hometown: Highland Park, Illinois
High School: Highland Park High School

Activities: The Barnard Project at New York Live Arts, Barnard Dances at Miller

Study Abroad: Columbia-Penn Reid Hall: Paris, France

Internships: The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Richard Avedon Foundation, Time Out New York, Fotofolio, River North Dance Chicago

“One of my most vivid memories of Barnard is my first visit. When I sat in on First-Year English and ballet classes, the students and professors asked me questions and made me feel so welcomed. This was just a preview of what was to come; three years later, I can easily say that my favorite thing about Barnard is the community. From my advisors, who go above and beyond to help me reach my goals, both short-term and for the future, to the professors who share their vast knowledge and experience with students, I feel supported in every way possible. Perhaps most importantly, I have made a wonderful group of best friends. I am constantly learning from them because each of us comes from a different background and has varying interests. I am positive we will be friends long after graduation. It is so inspiring to be constantly surrounded by poised, driven Barnard women. It challenges me to always do my best and to follow my passions.”

Rebecca Kelliher

Major: English
Minor: Art History
Hometown: San Francisco, California
High School: Convent of the Sacred Heart High School

Activities: Head Writing Fellow with Barnard's Writing and Speaking Program, Managing Editor of NOW!HERE (Columbia University's travel-writing blog), Volunteer Team Leader with Read Out Loud! Harlem Literary Festival, Barnard Student Representative at Women's Education Worldwide Student Leadership Conference, America Reads Tutor at Public School 175, Volunteer at San Francisco Women Against Rape, Writing Tutor at 826 Valencia

Study Abroad: Sarah Lawrence College: Florence, Italy

Internships: Proposals Department Intern at Christie's Auction House, Bibliographic Assistant at Metropolitan Museum of Art's Thomas J. Watson Library

“I have been fortunate enough to learn alongside phenomenal faculty, administration, alumnae, and peers. The capable, smart, passionate people at Barnard—each of whom has directly or indirectly inspired me—are my favorite aspect of the College. They create the life of this campus, its stirrings and its vision. And it is they who have pushed me to do the unexpected, surprising myself more than anyone else. It is an honor to count myself among them.”

Alisha Mehta

Major: Environmental Science
Hometown: Austin, Texas
High School: Cedar Park High School

Activities: Vice President of Athena Pre-Law Society, Technology Chairman and Archivist/Historian for Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, Member of Sustainable Initiatives Consulting Board, Barnard Honor Board, Order of Omega Greek Honor Society, Barnard Student Admissions Representative, Calculus Tutor

Internships: Samsung Programming Intern, IBM Software Testing Intern, Environment Texas Research Intern

“The best thing about going to school in NYC is the ‘realistic factor’ it adds to my education. It’s one thing to read about a piece of art or to look at a painting online; it is completely different to go to the Museum of Modern Art on a field trip and analyze the painting yourself and come to your own conclusions. This application of my studies does not exist simply in the Art History world. In my Environmental Biology class, while learning about evolution, I was able to go behind the scenes at the American Museum of Natural History to examine the largest collection of fossils in the world. These hands on experiences have been incredible for my education and have expanded my passion for learning.”

Elissa Mendez-Renk

Major: Music; cross-registered with Manhattan School of Music in Classical Piano
Minor: French
Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico
High School: Albuquerque Academy

Activities: Musical Mentors, Columbia Classical Players, Columbia Japan Society, Peer Career Advisor in Barnard Career Development

Study Abroad: Syracuse University Abroad: Strasbourg, France

Internships: The Smithsonian Associates, WKCR Program Intern, Levine School of Music, Université Paris 8 Centre d’études féminines et d’études de genre (Women's Studies department), Bilingual International School of Strasbourg

“In sophomore year, I took an anthropology class for 9 Ways of Knowing called Text, Magic, and Performance. I was intrigued by the title but the course itself blew my mind. It was taught by a professor who had spent 19 years in Indonesia, and whose seminars centered on prophetic writing, cosmology, ritual sacrifice, music, and shadow theatre. The course was taught as though such topics were habitual modes of thought and was approached via texts written in the early 1920s that observed tribal communes. I was fascinated. For nearly a year afterward I wondered if I should get a concentration in ethnomusicology.”

Katie Mukai

Majors: Psychology and Dance
Hometown: Winchester, Massachusetts
High School: Winchester High School

Activities: Director and Former Counselor for Nightline, Chair of Orchesis, Resident Assistant, Barnard Babysitting, Peace by PEACE classroom volunteer, CoLab

Study Abroad: USF/Barnard Dance: Paris, France

Internships: Bellevue Hospital Child Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, Transitions Day Treatment Program

“I really love that Barnard gives its students so much freedom and so many choices.  There are too many things happening on campus and in this incredible city to do it all, but many Barnard students make it seem possible!  Personally, I love that you can major in multiple things, related or unrelated, or make your own major, or have a major alongside another program like Human Rights or Education…the academic options seem endless, and that is just the academic part of one’s life here.  Having so many clubs, teams, and organizations on campus, many of them student-run, makes it easy to pack your day from morning to midnight, and gives Barnard students the chance to pursue passions they’ve had since before Barnard, as well as try new activities and become part of new communities.   I chose Barnard so that I could dance at a pre-professional level without sacrificing academics, and I’ve grown to love Barnard even more for letting me do just that while exploring other areas of interest and curiosity I never predicted I would.”

Abigail Rapoport

Major: Art History
Minor: Psychology
Hometown: Teaneck, New Jersey
High School: The Frisch School

Activities: Co-coordinator of Wednesday Night Learning Program for Columbia/Barnard Hillel, Barnard Student Admissions Representative

Internships: The Israel Museum, Jewish Theological Seminary Library, Museum of Jewish Heritage, The Jewish Museum

“If I had to choose one (and without exaggeration, I find it very difficult to choose one!), my favorite aspect about Barnard is the perfect equilibrium between academic depth and active engagement with the world around us.  One element is never compromised for the other. We are encouraged to challenge ourselves on a daily basis, yet this is never within an intellectual cocoon or solely within the classroom. This optimal blend is a key factor in creating the exciting, dynamic, and warm atmosphere here. I genuinely enjoy waking up every morning knowing that I will walk out of my dorm to face endless opportunities and experiences at Barnard.”

Symone Williams 

Major: Urban Studies (Political Science concentration)
Minor: Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
High School: Commonwealth School

Activities: Peer Health Exchange, Jumpstart, Youth Educator for Sub/Urban Justice Cambridge, Barnard Bartender

Study Abroad: International Honors Program: New Orleans, India, Argentina, and South Africa

Internships: Teach for America, Children’s Law Center, Action Boston Community Development Health Services

“I chose to attend Barnard because I wanted to be surrounded by driven, intelligent, and creative students and experience college in a big city. I found both of these things at Barnard, and so much more. Students at Barnard go above and beyond what is expected of them. There’s a genuine focus on learning and doing one’s best.”