Certified big name on campus Kavi Talwalkar ’24 sat down with The Argus as the first WesCeleb of the year. He told us about what his involvement in the Wesleyan community means to him, how it feels to be a senior, and how daring to dance can give you a different perspective on campus life. 

The Argus: What are you involved in on campus? I know it’s a lot, so let’s just go through one by one. 

Kavi Talwalkar: On campus, I’m involved in a lot of different activities. One of the main ones [is] admissions. I started off as a tour guide my sophomore year, [but] this year I’m one of the tour guide coordinators, so I’m helping run the tour guide program. [In addition], I’m [one of 11] interns in the office who hold information sessions for prospective students. I also hold WesChats and RealTalk events with [prospective students] as well [as help them learn a little bit more about Wesleyan]. I work with the [deans of admission] throughout the year to plan events and help out during the application and admission process. I [have also] worked for ResLife as a [residential advisor during my] sophomore and junior years. This year, I’m a community advisor [for] senior wood-frame houses. I live on Brainerd Avenue overseeing a couple of senior neighborhoods. [I’m] making sure that everyone is living well together, things are going smoothly within the houses, also just that we’re having a good senior year. 

I also am involved in the club tennis and club soccer teams here, which [are] super fun because the team environment and community are really nice and welcoming. I’ve been on both [teams] since my freshman year here and now I’m the social chair of the club tennis team and the strength and fitness coach of the club soccer team. I play a bunch of intramural sports as well, [including softball. We’re] the three-time reigning softball champions, so we’re going for the clean sweep of four years. 

I have worked at the Office of Student Involvement overseeing club budgets, financial requests, and processing events. 

A: When I think of someone very involved in Wesleyan, I think of you. What does it mean to be involved in this community for you and what drove you to do all of these things? 

KT: One of the main things that inspired me to get so involved was our first year here being entirely [during] COVID and everything being shut down. It made me really eager to get involved in clubs because being on a college campus with nothing going on and very limited access to events and clubs, every opportunity that I had to do something I would jump on it. [A lot of] my friends who were in college the year before had a normal experience for a bit [and] all they talked about was how much fun it was to join their clubs, organizations, and events. And then, our sophomore year when stuff was [returning to] normal, I really started to see how great being involved in student groups [was] because it gives you a different community of people, and you meet individuals that you might not hang out with in your classes or [in your] living environments. 

A: Do you have a favorite moment at Wes?

KT: I think one of my favorite moments that I’ve had at Wes was last spring. I’m also involved in the South Asian Club and student coalition on campus: Shakti. We had a dance last year called Samsara, which was super fun because I’ve never danced in my life. And each class year does a dance together, so as juniors [at the time] we did a junior dance, and there were like, 11 or 10 of us involved in this dance. It was put together super last minute, [and] we had a week to practice for a whole performance.

My mom actually came to watch me dance and it was something that I’ve never done before. I wasn’t comfortable dancing in front of a lot of people, but I did it! I’m definitely looking forward to it this year, just because it was something that I really enjoyed last semester. I think those kinds of events on campus are cool when you get to support your friends. That’s what it’s all about. 

A: What advice would you give underclassmen just starting out here? 

KT:  I think the advice I would give to underclassmen who are just starting out here is don’t be afraid to get involved. I know a lot of people are like, “Oh, you shouldn’t take on too much during your first year here,” which, in theory, you shouldn’t. You shouldn’t join every group that’s interesting to you and every class that you want to take. But also, don’t hesitate to experiment a little bit at first. I think that starting off really broad and playing around with different clubs, student groups, and classes gives you a [better] sense of what Wesleyan has to offer. 

[As a tour guide] people are like, “Why did you choose Wes?” and I’m like, “Because everyone here is really excited about what they’re doing, and excited to share it and you’ll meet people in the same classes as you and in the same major [but] you’re doing completely different things at school.” Just don’t be afraid to get involved in things you’re interested in and invest your time in what you’re passionate about because there are resources and opportunities for almost every student group on campus that you can imagine and it’s a really great environment for student activities. 

A: You talked about working at ResLife. What has that been like? I know it’s a big commitment so what do you think that you’ve gotten out of that experience so far? 

KT: It is a big commitment. At first, as a sophomore, I didn’t really know what to expect. All of freshman year was really different from a normal college experience, everything being shut down and RAs getting a reputation of being the people who don’t want people to have fun. Being an RA my second year, a lot of my friends were like, “Oh, so you’re not gonna let us have fun. You’re not gonna let us do stuff.” And I was like, “Well, no.” I more so like being an RA because I like interacting with people and I want to be a resource for first-year students. Plus, I wanted to live in a single and get that paycheck. But I think my experience as an RA and in ResLife has been really positive. It’s a great group of people that I’ve worked with. Also, being with them before the union and then through the union was a cool transition to see. A lot of the student workers are very passionate and motivated to unionize and bring together a group, like the whole ResLife staff to advocate for what we want and for our rights. That was really cool to be a part of, and to see the activism that exists at Wesleyan, which is another really amazing thing. It does seem like a lot of work, but most of the work is connecting with people, talking with people, and holding events, which personally I like to do. A lot of my work was talking with the residents on my floor who were the same age as me or a year younger than me [and] who became my friends. It didn’t seem like work and more so hanging out and living on a floor with people and getting paid while you’re doing so. 

A: What is your major? 

KT: I’m majoring in Psychology and Hispanic Studies. I did start off at Wesleyan on the pre-med track, [but] thank goodness for the open curriculum, because without [it], I would have been stuck with the pre-med track. I was really interested in the sciences, but then realized, I don’t know if I want to invest my whole time here taking science classes and being a pre-med student. I really liked psychology and also wanted to go abroad. I switched up a little bit to major in Psychology and take Spanish classes to go abroad. I went abroad to Madrid in the fall of 2022. That was an amazing experience, and I got a lot of credits for the Spanish major while I was there. I got back, I decided, you know what, let me finish this out. I liked the department. I liked the professors. It’s Hispanic Literatures and Cultures, so we’re studying a lot of works of Spanish-speaking authors in Latin America and Europe, pretty much all around the world. It’s a really cool opportunity to study different pieces of art and work that I haven’t been exposed to in my life. Psychology is one of our most popular majors, [and has] cool classes. I really liked my social psych class I took last year.

I think it’s a cool intersection of what I enjoy doing, because I really like interacting and working with people, and psychology allows me to understand why people do what they do, and social interactions and dynamics. Being able to study Spanish and speak Spanish connects me with a different culture and population of people as well. It’s a good way to work those two together. I’ve liked the classes I’ve taken, and what I’ve done in the major.

A: Do you have an idea of what you want to do with your major post-Wesleyan? 

KT: My plan for right now is I just applied for a Fulbright ETA grant. Ideally, if that works out, I’d be teaching a year in Colombia, I’d be teaching English. That’s the hope for next year, but I don’t find out until later in the spring. If not that, we’ll see what happens. I have to start applying for jobs and thinking about real world stuff. Maybe I’ll go back to my summer camp for the summer and live my fantasy out for one more year. But who knows. I’ve been working with this education lab for under-resourced high schools the past couple of years, so maybe I’ll go back with them and do that. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully the Fulbright works out and I don’t have to worry about anything else. 

A: As you are our first WesCeleb and senior year is just beginning, what are you looking forward to and what do you hope to get out of your final year at Wesleyan? 

KT: Crazy it’s our final year. I think what I’m looking forward to the most is being surrounded by all my friends. I know that sounds super cliche, but I feel like the area we live in right now and the energy to start off senior year has been super positive. Everyone is very excited that there are no more people abroad; everyone’s back on campus. It’s kind of our first full normal year. Some people did take a gap year and now are in our class, but [most of us] got screwed, didn’t have a high school graduation, and didn’t have any of the end-of-year joy in high school, so I think the energy and potential for our class now to experience that for the first time is really high.

I’m really looking forward to being in the house as well. Freshman dorms for three years was great, but showering with no more shower shoes in my own bathroom has been a really nice, homey experience. I’ve enjoyed that. Meeting new people as well. I knew a bunch of seniors in the past, and what they’ve told me is, even in senior year, they’ve met new people and new friends and have made some really close connections. I’m excited for pretty much everything. My classes are going to be good. My clubs are going to be fun this year.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Lia Franklin can be reached at lfranklin@wesleyan.edu.

Lily Ahluwalia can be reached at lahluwalia@wesleyan.edu.