My Experience with KHC Co-curriculars

By Jan Bhatt (CAS’23)

As an ambassador and peer mentor, the most common question I’ve received is about what KHC co-curriculars are, and what my co-curricular experiences have been like. So I’m going to talk about my favorite co-curriculars today! My freshman year, we were required to attend 3 co-curriculars per semester, which has since been reduced to 2 per semester. My favorite experience was the book reading and lecture with Angie Cruz. She is one of my favorite authors. We read her novel Dominicana in my KHC studio freshman year, and ever since she has become an author that I highly admire and relate to as an immigrant myself. She read excerpts from her novel and talked abundantly about her experiences as an immigrant and as an author, and it was incredible to have the opportunity to ask questions to and directly hear from someone I look up to. She is an inspiration to me and this KHC’s co-curricular event was a dream come true. 

The most memorable, impactful and knowledgeable conversation that I have ever had was also during a KHC co-curricular. The co-curricular was about Dawnland, a documentary celebrating the Native American community and highlighting the atrocities committed against them in the past that we also had the opportunity to watch during Studio freshman year. KHC hosted the makers of the documentary and held a Q&A about the film. It was incredibly illuminating, as the talk allowed me to better comprehend the range of perspectives of people from the Native American community, and internalize the fact that I and every non-Native American person in America is on stolen land. I still have a poster that they gave out by the end of the co-curricular hanging on my wall, I have been bringing it with me from home to my dorm room, back and forth ever since the event. It reads “You are on indigenous land.” It challenged my perception of the world by highlighting how successfully the Native American identity has been erased from this country, and helped me to reflect on and reduce my own ignorance and lack of understanding regarding the issue. 

Overall, every KHC co-curricular has taught me and exposed me to new interdisciplinary perspectives, and I am so grateful for the learning opportunities that they have presented to me.

Breaking Out of the “BU Bubble” with Kilachand

By Rebecca Sarkisian (Questrom’23)

One of the first terms you’ll hear during your time at BU is something called the “BU Bubble.” The Bubble looks different for everyone, but essentially it involves being stuck in the same routines and going to the same places on campus all the time. While BU is integrated into the city of Boston, it can be really easy to just always stay on campus and forget that there is an entire city of new experiences just a few steps from Comm Ave.

Kilachand co-curriculars are one of the best parts of being in the Honors College. You often get to hear from top experts in a wide variety of fields. But my favorite co-curriculars are those that help you break out of the BU Bubble by going out into the city with other Kilachand students.

This Fall, the first co-curricular of the semester was a visit to the Arnold Arboretum, a large park in Jamaica Plain maintained by Harvard University. Kilachand faculty and staff led small groups of students on excursions to the Arboretum throughout the beginning of the semester to participate in the Arboretum Experience. The Arboretum Experience is a mix of meditations, audio plays, and other guides that help shape your visit to the Arboretum.

I went to the Arboretum on a Saturday morning with a Kilachand advisor and four other Kilachand students. Not only did I get to meet new people from other class years, but I was able to take a break from city life for a bit. The trip also gave me an opportunity to visit a place that I may not have otherwise visited.

Arnold Arboretum offers a quiet escape from the city
Arnold Arboretum offers a quiet escape from the city. Credit: Rebecca S.

It’s not just co-curriculars that take Kilachand students out of the BU Bubble. My first semester in Kilachand, I visited the Institute of Contemporary Art in the Seaport as part of my writing studio. One of the exhibits in the museum connected to the themes of the class, so we were encouraged to visit and write about the art. (Side note: the ICA is free for BU students!)

Kilachand student leaders also take small groups on city excursions during Kilachand Community Initiative outings. The outings are a great way to meet fellow Kilachand students, visit new places, take a break from studying, and just get to know Boston better.

No matter whether it’s a co-curricular, class trip, or Community Initiative outing, there are plenty of ways to break out of the BU Bubble with Kilachand.