Barnard College introduces the first undergraduate American Sign Language class at Columbia. By Willow Bradford Illustration by Ines Alto Class began the moment my professor’s hands raised. She greeted us with a touch of her palm to her chin and then a pat of her hand to the air, her other hand folded beneath—good afternoon in American Sign Language. Ten pairs of hands rose unevenly to mimic her, palms finding chins at slightly the wrong angle. She picked up the pad of paper

A freshman’s first solo flight, a 48 hour journey back to NYC after spring break By Willow Bradford Illustration by Jiaying Geng As what feels like the only Type A person in my family, embarking on my first solo trip was a stroke of luck after years of waking up at 4 a.m. for flights from Newark Airport and bickering through hooded eyes and coffee-less hands. My spring break trip from New York to Montreal should have been relaxing and stress-free. Arriving at the airport thre

The Amazing Dr. Scott By Willow Bradford Illustration by Audrey Wang The first time the fantastical was bestowed upon me, I began by imagining the title of my favorite movie, per Kaufman’s instruction. Kaufman then proceeded to ask me a series of questions like “what is the first letter of the title” and “is the title of the movie one word or two words?” From there the weird turned weirder as he shifted from me to my friend. He asked her to take a wallet out of her pocket and

Four steps on how to be Chinese. By Willow Bradford Illustration by Lilah Chen The elevator is broken and my room is four flights up. Among many white canvases, a flimsy red and gold piece of paper is hastily taped across the elevator buttons on the ground floor of Sulzberger. An outstretched index finger reaches, through papers upon papers, to press up and down buttons, regardless of the cuts and scratches in between. Despite being covered by a poster for a Columbia business