Jess Wolinsky ’17 is a Texan, a theater major, a Broad City lover, and now The Argus’s latest WesCeleb. As she enters her senior fall and prepares for life after graduation, Jess is still as busy as ever with her capstone project and the female comedy collective The Hysterics, which she co-founded. Amid this hectic schedule, she sat down with The Argus to reflect on the ups and downs of her Wesleyan experience.
The Argus: Why do you think you were nominated as a WesCeleb?
Jess Wolinsky: I’m definitely everywhere. People have said that to me in the past. Freshman year, I went up to everyone and said “Hi, I’m Jessica! Who are you?” I also do a lot of theater. I was on stage twice in the fall of my freshman year, and so I think that people started to recognize me from that. I was also naked on stage in my favorite play I’ve ever done called “Welcome to the Troll Cave.” I think people were like, “Hmm, that girl, I saw her boobs.” I think that’s part of it. I kind of run around a lot of different friend groups, and I just talk a lot. I’m very vocal, and I take up a lot of space.
A: What do you think was the biggest mistake you made as a freshman?
JW: Probably letting myself fall too hard for certain boys and then, like, following them around and thinking it’s the end of the world if we don’t date. Just having major crushes that at such a small school ended up being borderline creepy. You know, we’ve all got that. We’ve all got those obsessions with whoever we’re into.
I also never did work. Oh my god, I would tell everyone all the time, “You’re so weird for doing your reading! I never do it,” and I got really bad grades. I was one of those people who tried so hard in high school that I just got here and started doing really poorly. That’s probably a big mistake. Now I do my reading.
A: What extracurriculars are you involved in now?
JW: I am an Office of Community Service (OCS) van driver. I run the Bread Salvage program for the OCS. I do a lot of Second Stage shows. I’ve done [Terp] a couple times, and I’m doing Terp again this year. I’m also in a comedy group called The Hysterics. We run it as a collective….It’s a really nice collective where we don’t have to be around cis male comedians. I do stand-up with them.
A: Do you have any idea what you want to do after graduation?
JW: I want to work in some aspect of TV….I think it’s very much my medium because I have a very short attention span, so I didn’t succeed in the film program that well because I’d fall asleep in the movies….In TV it’s really nice to tell a story over time. Acting in a TV show would be a dream, or directing it.
Also, I love theater. I think theater is my heart and home. Just being able to do both comedic theater and serious theater for the rest of my life would be a dream. Maybe I’ll move to New York or L.A. if I can find something there.
A: Is there anything that’s still left on your Wesleyan bucket list?
JW: I still want to streak….Freshman year in the Butthole, my friend Lily and I would walk around with our shirts over our heads but our bras were still on, and me and my friend Olivia like to free the nipple, but I haven’t fully streaked at one point just all around the campus.
A: Now for a quick lightning round. Taylor Swift or Kanye West?
JW: I would probably say Kanye, because I think he has more self-respect….Taylor really relies on men, and I don’t need that in my life.
A: Give up cheese or give up chocolate?
JW: Oh my god! You can’t do this to me….Cheese. There’s nothing like chocolate.
A: The Argus or Wesleying?
JW: I think freshman year I was really into Wesleying. I’m so sorry, I know this is an Argus thing….Freshman year I actually got a lot of information from it, and I really like their ThesisCrazy series because everyone is so annoying when they talk about their theses and I like reading about it.
A: Can we get a music, TV, and movie recommendation from you?
JW: I’m not an artsy film minor. I’m a mainstream fucker, so I’m gonna go with “Juno.” “Juno” is my favorite thing….I also loved “Sausage Party.” I really shouldn’t like it, but I loved it. It was amazing.
I just finished all of “Lost.” You need to watch “Lost.” It’s just classic, and it’s beautifully shot. I love “The Office,” but “Broad City” is my heart and home, but only Seasons 1-2. I’m definitely an Ilana, but I have Abbi qualities around men.
The whole “The Color Purple” soundtrack is beautiful and just moving and just incredible. If you can see “The Color Purple” [on Broadway], go see it. If you can’t, watch the movie and listen to the soundtrack. The soundtrack is just pretty gorgeous: the harmonies, the stories. And Cynthia Erivo is an amazing actress.