Zhan Okuda-Lim is only a college sophomore, but already he’s spearheaded an education reform campaign in his home state of Nevada and won a position in Princeton University’s student government.
But while his classmates may consider him a charismatic student leader, few knew that last spring he contemplated taking his own life — at least until now.
Okuda-Lim is one of 86 Princeton University students participating in the “What I Be” project, in which individuals are photographed with their insecurities literally written onto their skin. Photographer Steve Rosenfield, who has taken his project around the country, was invited to come to Princeton to kick off the university’s Mental Health Week.
“We all want to tell our story, we’re just afraid to do it, and other people do it for us.
That’s where bullying comes in and gossiping comes in,” Rosenfield said during a talk at the university last week. “The ‘What I Be’ project allows other people to tell their story and paint the picture they want to have associated with them.”
Read the full story atThe Times of Trenton.
(Disclaimer: As much as I wish I was working for NPR, the audio piece is actually for an audio journalism class and is in no way affiliated with NPR.)
The orange and blue tent itself is not that unusual. Made of all-weather canvas and measuring 20 feet in diameter, its geodesic design makes it one of the strongest tents on the market. Scattered around the door flap are sandals and sneakers, assorted metal cooking utensils, tree branches and flannel shirts.
Consider a device the size of a grain of salt that can process information a billion times faster than the human brain. Inspired by animal nervous systems, the “photonic neuron” uses light instead of electrochemical impulses to process information at lightning-quick speeds.
It’s getting to be that time of the year when classes are finally in full swing, first papers are due, and hours spent in bed are slowly trickling away. If the readjustment to the grind is taking its toll and you’re getting grilled for yawning during that 50-minute lecture, Andrew Gallup, a researcher in Princeton’s EEB department, has a new explanation you can try on your professor.
“Wait, we have our own student-run radio station?” Lindsey-Paige McCloy ’12 gets that question a lot.
The second most important lineup this spring (after Lawnparties!) is finally out. Brooke Shields will be the Class of 2011′s Class Day speaker, as announced today. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg will speak at Baccalaureate on May 29.
Princeton University sophomore Ben Levenson still has two years before he gets his degree. But he knows what is waiting after graduation: $50,000 of debt.