Alexandra, or Lexi, Malouta is a rock-loving, belly-dancing, art enthusiast, Greek-Lebanese Texan who dabbles in hair cutting. In between being a Studio Art and Earth and Environmental Science double major and making time for her many friends, Lexi sat down with The Argus to share her great smile and why she would not want to be a banana.
The Argus: Why do you think you should be a WesCeleb?
Lexi Malouta: Why do I think I should be a WesCeleb? I thought you decided whether I should be a WesCeleb [laughs]. I guess because I know a lot of people on campus. My friends make fun of me when I go somewhere on campus and I take a lot of time because I’m saying hi to so many people. And I have a weird double major. And that’s pretty much it.
A: What’s your weird double major?
LM: I’m a Studio Art major with a concentration in Painting, and I am an Earth and Environmental Science major with a concentration in Geology.
A: Cool! How did that happen?
LM: When I came here I actually thought I would major in something like English or French. I’ve always had a lot of interests, but I took this class on national parks with a visiting professor and he was amazing and very passionate. My dad’s actually a geologist, so I was set on not liking it. I was like, “I’m just doing this for my science requirement and I won’t like it.” But then I loved it. In terms of art, I took drawing my first semester of my freshman year with Professor Tula Telfair, who changed my life.
A: Tell me about your thesis.
LM: I’m doing abstract paintings that are inspired by natural forms and processes. So it’s complicated. It’s a lot of work.
A: Will there be a showing?
LM: Yes. April 17th to the 22nd.
A: What’s it like to be a Texan at Wesleyan?
LM: There are surprisingly many Texans on campus. When I was a senior in high school, I was really set on getting out of Texas. And by the end of my first semester on campus I was really missing Texas. It’s not that I don’t love it here, but I really appreciated Texas once I got away. I think I appreciated Houston in particular, because it’s a big city with a lot of diversity, which I think you get sometimes at Wesleyan. But in Houston there’s more of a dialogue between right and left, as opposed to at Wesleyan, which can be very left-centric. That was the thing I was looking forward to the most, but now it’s one of the things I think about the most—in terms of why it happens.
A: Your dad is Greek and your mom is Lebanese. What’s “Greek life” like at Wesleyan?
LM: I got involved in WesGreeks, which is not as active anymore. Eliana Theodorou ’12 was one of the first people who did that. We were in that national parks class together, and she said, “Your last name sounds kind of Greek.” And I said, “So does yours!” We immediately bonded over that. It’s one of those things—no matter where you go you will immediately bond with people, most likely over food.
A: You’ve also been known to play with fire. Can you describe your work in Prometheus?
LM: I haven’t been doing it enough this year, as my thesis is really getting in the way, but I did poi and fire fans. I took up the fans because I thought it would give me more freedom to do some belly dancing stuff.
A: When did you begin to belly dance?
LM: In high school, actually. I was the president of the belly-dancing club. I started because it was more of a cultural thing and I was really intrigued by it. I talked to my mom, who is Lebanese, and she was saying, “Well you know we used to go and watch belly dancers.” So in my mind it’s been a way to connect that part of me—Lebanese culture—which I don’t always think about that much. Originally, it was also sort of a feminist thing. Belly dancing originated when women would all get together and entertain each other in this way. It was a way to exercise and to communicate, but it was only for women. And then I think eventually the stereotype became, “oh, you’re performing for men so it must be a sexual thing.”
A: What’s one of your favorite Wesleyan moments?
LM: There are so many! I think the one that comes to mind was one day when it was about to rain, and it had been about to rain for a very long time. Jisan [Zaman ’12] and I had just had ramen noodles for dinner in my WestCo dorm room and we were frustrated that it hadn’t rained yet. So we went outside and screamed as loud as we could. And then eventually it started to rain. It was a great dance party. It was very good.
A: As a senior, do you have any advice for freshmen on campus?
LM: Now that I’m all wise and shit [laughs] that’s really hard. I think that what I’ve been thinking about the most is just making time for friends and how important that is. Just because … there was the night when Obama got elected and everyone was freaking out and I had French homework to do. And my roommate said, “What are going to remember: that you did your French homework, or that you went to the party at Usdan?” And so I went to the party at Usdan. In other words, choose to do those things. I don’t mean that you should shirk your studies, but, you know, take advantage of those things that are uniquely Wesleyan, or anything that is unique. Enjoy what you are doing. Choose a major that makes you happy, so happy that you know you wouldn’t be happy doing anything else. Work hard, but enjoy yourself.