Miranda Haymon '16 isn't just the girl who wore a tutu during new student orientation. This week's WesCeleb, she sat down with The Argus to talk about Berlin, clown college, and her disregard for her lactose intolerance.

When you’re a new student and you hear the name Miranda Haymon ’16, one thing comes to mind: the tutu. Haymon might be first and foremost known to the Class of 2019 and transfers for wearing her tutu during orientation, but I soon found out that her claim to celebrity is much broader: She’s involved in theater, serves as a senior leader, and works two highly public jobs. Haymon sat down with The Argus to talk about Berlin, shows, clown college, and her disregard for her lactose intolerance.

 

The Argus: What do you think makes you a WesCeleb?

Miranda Haymon: I feel like I occupy a lot of different spaces on campus. I’m an orientation leader, a senior leader, I work at WesWings, I work at Weshop, and I do a lot of theater. The things I do on campus makes me very visible. I’m sort of notorious for—wait, not notorious; is notorious the bad one?—okay, infamous? That’s also the bad one. Okay, neither of those. I’m also known for being loud, happy, fun, doing what I want and doing my own path.

A: I looked you up on Facebook. You studied in Berlin?

MH: Technically, my major was theater studies, but I did not take any theater studies classes because I was much more interested in the cultural experience in Berlin. I took an advanced language class where I was lectured for four hours in German every day, which was really tough, but my German got a lot better. I took a Berlin literature and culture class where I would read a book or play and then see a production of it. That was a really good experience, since I was able to understand Berlin culturally. I also took a pronunciation class, which was really fun and chill. I also took a class, “New York and American History.” I wanted to see the perspective of American history from a foreign country. I call Berlin my soul city. It definitely is my soulmate and I love Berlin so much. I had the time of my life there.

A: What do you plan on doing with your theater?

MH: I want to be a director. Ideally, I would [open] a multipurpose theater space, sort of a co-op modeled after Art House, where I lived my junior year. I want a place where artists feel they can live, work, and co-create together. I want to include theater, music, art, and dance. It would be in New York or Berlin. I want to create art with the friends I’ve met here and continue to do a lot of the things I’m doing here, but in a bigger place.

A: Do you have any hidden talents?

MH: I can juggle pins and rings. Anyone who graduated from my middle school knows how to juggle, because that was a section in P.E. I want to go to clown school for a gap year because I was really into comedy and theater in high school. I thought that going to clown school or a clown college for a year would be really great, but my mom thought I would never go back to school and didn’t let me go. I had dreams of clowning.

A: What are some of your favorite shows?

MH: I am perpetually stuck in the late ’90s and early 2000s. I’m really into rewatching “The Proud Family,” “The Wild Thornberrys,” “The Rugrats,” “Legends of the Hidden Temple,” and “Double Dare.” For more current shows, I get too emotionally invested in characters, so I either have to watch one show and watch the entire thing—like every single episode—or I can only watch shows where I have no knowledge about whatsoever going in. The characters I became really obsessed with are from “30 Rock,” “The Office,” and shows where you get to really know them. There are other shows that I watch that are like, shit. I watch “[Keeping Up with] The Kardashians” and “[The Real] Housewives” a lot.

A: What is your favorite food or snack?

MH: Oh my god. This is really hard. I spend the majority of my time pretending I’m not lactose intolerant, and I totally am. I love grilled cheese, but I’m not supposed to eat grilled cheese. Grilled is if I want to destroy my body. My favorite snacks are the dried snap peas at Weshop. I also like Cheez-its and Pirate’s Booty. I still am clearly eating cheddar-based foods. Also frozen grapes!

A: Are you going to miss Wesleyan?

MH: I came into Wesleyan thinking I would not make as close bonds or friends that I have. I went to boarding school for high school, and that’s where I felt like I really grew up. Honestly, I’m going to miss Wesleyan. I’m going to miss the contained, dense student population. I’m going to miss Wesleyan for a lot of things but I feel like Wesleyan is like summer camp. Summer camp is great and awesome while you’re in summer camp but ultimately it has to end, and you have to go out. I think Wesleyan is the real world, but it’s summer camp. It’s a different aspect of the world you only get for four years. I’m happy about the four years here, but there are a lot of things I would change and wouldn’t change.

A: What would you change?

MH: I wish I had experimented more with different kinds of classes. I’m doing my experience backwards and now I am taking all the weird, different classes that I wish I had taken freshman year. Freshman year I was so focused on completing these three majors that I forgot I was at a liberal arts institution.

A: Are there things you know now as a senior that you wish you knew as an underclassman?

MH: Always allow for things to surprise you. Don’t put yourself in a position where you are closed off. Make sure to stay open and stay real with yourself and others. Do not close yourself to other opportunities because of your preconceived notions about said opportunity.