吃瓜网

College is an exciting and sometimes challenging transition, marking the start of a chapter that will shape each student鈥檚 identity and future. It鈥檚 a period of life defined by anticipation and also transformation.  

For the Class of 2029, their 吃瓜网 journey began with their summer reading book, 鈥淪tay True,鈥� a Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir about friendship, belonging, and self-discovery. The book challenged students to reflect on who they are and who they will become.  

And just a few weeks after students arrived at 吃瓜网, the book鈥檚 author came to campus to meet with those whose introduction to college life had been shaped by his story.  

JoJo Fofana 鈥�29, who has a passion for storytelling, was excited about the chance to learn from and engage with the renowned author. 

It was surreal. The fact that this person I idolize and respect, and someone practicing the artform I want to pursue, can come here is really inspiring.鈥� 

Jojo Fofana 鈥�29

The summer reading is a central part of 吃瓜网鈥檚 First-Year Experience (FYE) program and is intended to spark intellectual engagement, prompt conversations, and form connections. (Last year鈥檚 reading was 鈥淏etween Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted,鈥� by Suleika Jaouad, who also visited campus to discuss her book.)  

鈥淚t is one way we start learning together as a community even before students step foot on campus,鈥� explained FYE Director and Professor of Mathematics Rachel Roe-Dale.  

鈥淪tay True,鈥� explores themes of friendship, grief, identity, belonging and memory. It recounts Hsu鈥檚 first year at the University of California, Berkeley, in the mid-1990s and the unexpected death of a friend. With its emphasis on the college experience, 鈥淪tay True鈥� helped the Class of 2029 prepare, reflect, and draw parallels between their lives and Hsu鈥檚 narrative. 

During his visit, Hsu urged students to pay attention to the 鈥済radual, imperceptible little ways we change鈥� in this transformational time in their lives. He reminded them that the intensity of college life is not only about the trials and triumphs, but also setting aside time to notice the subtle shifts in who they are becoming.  

Hsu read sections from his memoir, answered questions in a Q&A, and signed copies of his book. He also led a hands-on writing workshop that invited students to wrestle with the same questions of voice and identity in their own work.

鈥湷怨贤� is a place where no matter your major you are still encouraged to be a reader and writer,鈥� said Hsu. 鈥淲riting is a way to figure out what you actually think and where you are in all of this.鈥� 

Introducing first-year students to college life and the liberal arts at Skidmore are what FYE 鈥� with its summer reading, multidisciplinary Scribner Seminars, and network of peer support 鈥� are all about.  

鈥淭he book really connects with the First-Year Experience and what it鈥檚 like to come to college,鈥� said Maggie Bateman 鈥�27, who serves as a peer mentor for students in The Nature/Nurture Myth FYE seminar. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to have Hsu on campus because it gives students an opportunity to ask lingering questions that they might have had during the book.鈥� 

 鈥溾�楽tay True鈥� resonates with a lot of first-year students because the author talks about identity formation and the process of discovering who you are when entering a new environment,鈥� added Jana Coppola 鈥�26, a peer mentor for the Human Dilemmas seminar.

While Hsu鈥檚 book takes place in the 90s, its themes cross generations. For Hsu, music, record stores, and zines were tools for exploring identity and connection. In his  creative workshop with current students, Hsu brought these ideas to life, guiding students one-on-one as they created their own zines and experimented with voice, perspective, and expression. 

As they constructed their zines, they grappled with the question, 鈥淲hat is the value of writing?鈥� Hsu urged them to slow down and to explore writing as a way to think, question, and discover 鈥� inspiring them to notice details, learn from peers, embrace uncertainty, and even write a note to their future selves. 

Faculty and staff were equally engaged, reading the text and contributing reflective essays on themes of death, identity, consumption, music, and the Asian American experience.  

Hsu鈥檚 visit illuminated themes of his memoir while modeling the kind of reflective, intentional, and innovative learning that 吃瓜网 strives to foster 鈥� reinforcing the very principle that unites the 吃瓜网 community: that Creative Thought Matters.

The event was made possible through funding from 吃瓜网鈥檚 Office of Special Programs and the McCormack Artist-Scholar Residency Fund.