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-Susan Zhu | Monday, August 28, 2017
In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was signed into law, and it was not repealed until 1943. A little over 50 years later, in the winter of 1998, my parents and I came to the United States from Tianjin, China, with no family and a limited proficiency in English. I was 2 years old. The thing
Susan Zhu | Wednesday, November 30, 2016
I have been thinking a lot about sweet potatoes. They are always fresh out of the oven when I arrive home, and the first thing on grocery lists during fall and winter. My mother knows many things about me and that includes my infallible love for sweet potatoes. There is nothing quite like the feeling
Susan Zhu | Friday, September 9, 2016
Recently, I got to take an engagement-type photoshoot with the love of my life: a McDonald’s XL sweet tea. It was fun, it was easy, and I didn’t really think about what the pictures would be used for. I laughed, joked and the results were priceless. I didn’t always go about photos this way. A year
Susan Zhu | Tuesday, August 30, 2016
A month ago, my friend Megh emailed me with an important question. Megh, who was working in a South African school this past summer, had started a project called Words for the World. She asked the people she interacted with on a daily basis (many of them homeless), “If you could say one thing to
Susan Zhu | Friday, April 15, 2016
I woke up to snow on April 9. Actually, no — I woke up to a blizzard. I looked over at the t-shirt and shorts ensemble I had laid out for that morning and felt my stomach drop. For four months I had looked forward to (and dreaded) this day. Despite the weather, I threw
Susan Zhu | Monday, February 8, 2016
This Wednesday, Notre Dame will have its election for next year’s student body president and vice president. Preserving students’ mental health is an important issue on campus that I hope takes a front seat in this year’s election. However, I struggle with the general platform goal of “ending the stigma.” It’s difficult for me to understand
Susan Zhu | Monday, October 12, 2015
My heart is never as heavy as it is during Irish State of Mind week. On one hand, I am happy to see real effort being made to bring awareness of mental illness to campus. On the other, I am disheartened to see the lack of interest from the student body. This is no one’s
Susan Zhu | Monday, September 7, 2015
One time I ate 1,360 calories in one sitting. When it’s absurdly late at night and my brain is too tired to realize the stupidity of eating 1,360 calories in one sitting, it can happen. I also rarely step down against a bet that involves food — because come on, food’s one of the best
Susan Zhu | Tuesday, April 21, 2015
I want to take a moment and reflect on a phenomenon that makes me really, truly sad. When I applied to Notre Dame, and when I visited after I was accepted, I was constantly reminded of the community that is so special to this University. My first year is drawing to a close, and as
Susan Zhu | Tuesday, February 10, 2015
When Madison Holleran took her life in January 2014, the University of Pennsylvania reeled at its fourth suicide within a year, which sparked the question: “Why would these kids — top of their class, the elite, bound for success — choose to kill themselves?” The closest I ever came was a letter. I kept that letter