Sophia Botrán ’22

How would you describe your majors in one sentence?
Dance: A dynamic and welcoming place to explore dance, performance, and embodied experiences.

Psychology: An exciting opportunity to learn more about your own behavior, brain, and mental processes!

What’s your “Big Dream” for your future? Looking back a decade (or two) from now, what's something you'd like to have achieved?
My dream is to become a licensed mental health counselor in the future and incorporate movement-based techniques into my practice.

What’s one piece of advice you’d like to share about your time at Smith?
Find time to do something for yourself once a day, whether it’s napping, going on a walk with friends, a mini dance party in your room, or listening to your favorite podcast. It’s easy to get swept up in the hustle and bustle, but you are more than your Google calendar. Carve out time to celebrate life and have fun.

It’s easy to get swept up in the hustle and bustle, but you are more than your Google calendar. Carve out time to celebrate life and have fun.

Describe one class moment that particularly sticks with you.
One day in my Decolonizing US Women's History class, we met underneath the big ginkgo tree by the Botanic Garden. The branches swayed in the soft breeze, and the leaves sparkled in the midday sunlight. We had an engaging discussion on Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass. I highly recommend the class!

What part of campus was your favorite to explore or that you'll miss the most?
This is a tricky one because there are so many lovely spaces and places around campus, like the crew house or the concrete steps of Mendenhall, but I think I’ll have to say the Paradise Pond and Mill River path! It’s fun to explore all year long.

What’s your all-time (big or small) favorite Smith memory?
I have so many special memories, but one that sticks out is the first real snow in my first year. After synchronized swimming practice, my friends and I walked out of the gym at 9 pm and found ourselves welcomed with a good amount of snow! It was a magical walk back to Albright House. My friend and I were wearing socks and sandals, and by the time we got back to our house, the snow had crystallized on our feet.

What has been your favorite campus dinner?
Gillett Dining Hall’s peanut noodles and tofu and their chocolate mousse!

If you could tell an incoming first-year anything about Smith, what would it be?
Give yourself the room, patience and compassion to grow, adjust and mess up throughout your time at Smith—academically and personally.