My Spot is Here

“The atrium in Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center is my favorite spot on campus. It has become my “go-to” location to study, pick up food at the Eco Café, and meet friends. The Rockwell Center opened during my sophomore year, and I have enjoyed using the space ever since. When the campus shut down last spring due to COVID, I missed hanging out with my friends at Rockwell. It’s nice to be back!” —Maddie Carroll ’22

“My favorite spot on Lafayette’s campus is the Quad. It is the central hub on campus where academic, athletic, and social interconnectivity occurs among students. As a student-athlete and a member of the field hockey team, I appreciate the opportunity to play spike ball or join a pickup soccer game on the Quad. I have a very vivid memory from last spring when members of the volleyball team were playing on the Quad. I joined in, even though I’m 5 feet tall! I have a passion for connecting with people, and the Quad is where it all happens.” —Alix Talkow ’22

“I have so many favorite spots on Lafayette’s campus but my recent favorite is Anderson Courtyard. It’s tough juggling my classes as well as my role as student government president. I am not able to join intramurals due to my schedule, but I can connect with fellow students by playing soccer on Anderson Courtyard and serving as a goalie. I started last semester and continue to regularly play. I actually bought cleats to keep me accountable. I knew that the semester was going to be very hard and wanted to practice self-care. Playing soccer helps me to accomplish that!” —Flor De Maria Caceres Godoy ’22

“Grossman Library is my favorite spot on Lafayette’s campus as that is where I have been writing creatively beginning my freshman year. It is a safe space for many intellectuals in the House, and for years it has been my hidden gem. I wrote my play, Kintsugi, there. Its debut in Theatre Row in NYC was scheduled for March 21, 2020, but COVID has put a hold on our lives, and my play was no exception. This year, my history with Grossman has come full circle as I took on the role of a Grossman House adviser and get to work with its 25 residents. I am no longer a visitor but a full-time Grossman citizen!” —Milena Berestko ’22

“I chose Bourger Varsity Football House as my favorite spot because it is where I spend most of my days. Bourger has been vital to my Lafayette experience because it is home to the football team. It offers space for me to study, prepare for games, and hang out with my teammates. I know I will be forever grateful for the Bourger Varsity House because it is my second home and is the location of some of my most cherished memories. There is nothing like celebrating victories with your lifelong friends.” —Major Jordan ’22

“My favorite spot on Lafayette’s campus is the Portlock Black Cultural Center because it has been my home away from home. Within the ABC Black Manifesto of 1969, Black students at Lafayette demanded a house to serve as a cultural center and reprieve from the harsh realities of anti-Blackness on campus, locally, and globally. Originally opened in 1970 as the Malcolm X Liberation Center, this space has stood the test of time and multiple location changes to arrive at its current residence at 101 McCartney Street. This iteration of Portlock holds much importance to me. So much of my college experience has occurred here—general body meetings, summer research, late-night study sessions, movie nights, sleepovers, parties—the list could really go on and on. During my freshman year, Portlock was the only place that I felt safe at Lafayette. I intentionally chose not to pose for this picture because it is important that the Portlock Black Cultural Center at 101 McCartney is documented by Lafayette—beyond just its front exterior, student work, word of mouth, or alumni memory. While Portlock will be seeing yet another move in January of 2022, it is this building and the memories that I have made in this building that I will cherish the most from my time at Lafayette. This place existed here. My spot at Lafayette is here.” —Xavier Grayce Walker ’22

“The Civil War monument is my favorite spot on campus due to the beautiful view of downtown Easton as well as what the monument stands for. It represents the kind of people who come to Lafayette and are willing to fight for what is right. As a former member of the men’s soccer team, I would come to this place on campus to de-stress before games. It became a ritual for me to visit the monument. Maybe it was a coincidence, but we DID make it to the Patriot League Championship my freshman year!” —Jimmy Barrios ’22

“The 232 Lab in Acopian Engineering Center is my favorite spot on campus because it’s where all the action happens in my life. I spend Saturday afternoons here running trials for my CO2-responsive hydrogels project. It is a guaranteed stop in between classes and a brainstorming base for the research team, all while being right next door to my favorite professors. Whether I’m showing prospective students around during tours, going to office hours, or even doing math homework, you can catch me in AEC 232. There’s nowhere I’d rather be!” —Youmin Park ’24

“My favorite spot on campus is Van Wickle Hall as it houses some of my favorite professors and people. They are incredibly passionate about geology and instill that same passion in their students. Dr. Sunderlin is one of my favorite professors, as well as John Wilson and Dr. Carley. My aunt was a geology major at Lafayette and encouraged me to try a class. After taking From Fire to Ice with Dr. Carley, I was hooked! Once you take a geology class, you cannot get enough of them. I am majoring in environmental policy and minoring in geology so I spend a lot of my time in this building. It is no surprise that geology majors are some of the happiest students on campus.” —Tessa Landon ’22

“My favorite spot on campus is the Office of Sustainability located in Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center, where I’ve worked since my freshman year. I care a lot about making Lafayette a greener and more sustainable campus, and the office does a great job of making that happen. We just completed this year’s Green Move-In program, which is a yearly initiative where we collect cardboard, styrofoam, and other recyclables during the start of the fall semester. We collect almost a ton of items that would have otherwise gone to a landfill. Another one of my favorite events has been the campus-wide thrift store. Two years ago, during my sophomore year, we planned it on Earth Day. It was a huge success.” —Kaela Marcus-Kurn ’22

“Farinon College Center is one of my favorite spots on campus. It is one of the hubs of campus where I will always run into friends. One of the things that I am trying to do this year is to make an effort to form special connections with people. We lost a year of connecting in person due to the pandemic. Farinon is one of the places where that happens. Not to mention, the food in Upper and Lower Farinon is terrific, and the workers are wonderful, especially Larry in Lower Farinon. Make sure you try the bacon cheeseburger quesadilla or the crispy chicken sandwich!” —Kwasi Obeng-Dankwa ’23

Photographs were taken in accordance with COVID-19 campus protocols at the time the images were taken.