Jaimie Mayor ’22

Other clubs, sports, activities:
Duct Tape Productions (DTP).

Describe your major in five words or less.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

What’s your “Big Dream” for your future? 
I'd say my plans for my career and further education are pretty fluid, but if I had to choose a capital “B” “Big Dream,” it would probably be feeling happy and content in life while leaving a positive impact on those around me.

What was one thing that surprised you most about your major?
The most surprising thing I’ve learned in linguistics is the way that the language(s) we speak can influence how we think and make decisions and, in general, live our lives. We use language in nearly everything we do, and there is a lot of research suggesting that language influences us on a subconscious level in ways that I'd never imagined.

We use language in nearly everything we do, and there is a lot of research suggesting that language influences us on a subconscious level in ways that I’d never imagined.

Did you ever have trouble deciding on a major? What, ultimately, helped you decide? 
I definitely didn’t imagine majoring in linguistics when I entered Smith. However, my first semester, I took a couple of language classes for fun, and someone suggested that I go to the "meet the major"-type event for linguistics. I became very interested in the subject, and the next semester, I took Intro to Linguistics with Professor Jill de Villiers. I knew from that course that I wanted to study linguistics.

Describe one moment with a professor that particularly sticks out to you.
I still remember a lot of the stories that Professor Weinart told us during first-year Arabic about living in the Middle East and learning Arabic as a foreigner. They often stand out to me now as I'm living in Jordan and acquiring my own stories about the silly mistakes I've made and various goofs across the language barrier.

What spot on campus will you miss the most?  Where was your favorite place for dinner?
One of the places at Smith that I miss the most is Sage. Whether I was there for lessons, DTP music rehearsals, trumpet practice or just to sing some songs, it was always a fun place to take a break from the stress of my classes! My favorite place for dinner would be Hopkins, sharing a home-cooked meal with my amazing housemates.

What do you wish other people knew about the class of 2022?
The past couple of years have presented many new challenges to everyone. Class of ’22ers are extremely resilient and hardworking individuals. We’ve all had our own obstacles and hardships to overcome, and I can’t describe how proud I am of all of my fellow (current and former) members of the class of 2022 for getting to where they are now.

What’s your all-time favorite Smith memory?
I don't think I have an all-time favorite memory, but one of my favorite ones is an event my house would hold, where everyone would prepare to host a short activity, and we would go around to each person's room. I loved having an opportunity to spend time with everyone and get to know them and their interests better, whether we were talking about the Corpse Bride or learning about different breeds of horses.

I loved having an opportunity to spend time with everyone and get to know them and their interests better, whether we were talking about the Corpse Bride or learning about different breeds of horses.

If you could tell an incoming first-year anything about Smith, what would it be? 
As much as college can be a very stressful time, there are many ways to prioritize your well-being at Smith. Take a class just because it’s something you enjoy, prioritize spending some time with your friends, join a new club, try a new sport, attend a support group, or go to one of the many activities happening each week. Pay attention to the many kinds of resources and funding that can help support you during your time at Smith.

What do you think has been the most “Smithie” thing you’ve done in life so far?
I don’t really have a good answer for this one, besides the “Smithie” urge to adopt every street cat I meet.