You may know her for unbridled energy on stage, her ever-present smile, or perhaps her many successfully planned functions on campus. Crystal Peña ’24 is perhaps the epitome of a campus celebrity, involved in activities ranging from the Latin and Ballroom Dance Club to the Writing Workshop. Intrigued by her many interests and unrelenting involvement on campus, The Argus sat down with Peña to talk about dancing, academic confidence, stepping out of her comfort zone, and, most importantly, figuring out how she manages to balance the 25 extracurricular activities in her schedule.

The Argus: Okay, let’s start off simple. Why do you think you were nominated to be a WesCeleb?

Crystal Peña: First of all, I was talking to one of my friends about how being a WesCeleb is low-key one of my bucket list items a couple days ago, so maybe he, or the universe, heard my prayers. But anyway, I feel like I’m very involved on campus. I am a part of a lot of different extracurriculars and a lot of really visible ones. When you are performing, people see who you are more easily. I also think the social worlds of my extracurriculars are very different, so I guess you could say that makes me more “popular” or at least have a wider circle of friends.

A: You mentioned that you are involved in a bunch of extracurricular activities. Can we get a quick rundown?

CP: I’m the director of the Latin and Ballroom Dance Club, and I dance for Fusion. I’m also a part of WesQuisqueya, which is the Dominican student organization on campus, and I do social media for them. I have been a Writing Workshop tutor since sophomore year, too. I’m also a TA for West African Dance. I think that’s all.

A: Meager resume you got there. Do you go to school?

CP: Sometimes. I’m an MB&B [Molecular Biology and Biochemistry] and Education Studies double major with a minor in dance. 

A: Clearly the rule of seven does not apply to you. What drew you to those areas of study, especially considering how different they are from each other?

CP: I think MB&B was sort of inspired by some pressures to be pre-med, because it’s such a good major if you’re going down that route since all of the requirements are pretty much embedded in the major. But also, I don’t feel like I got the best science education in high school and so I was just really curious about learning about science at an institution that actually has high quality science education. Even though I’m not pre-med anymore, I’m still very happy about the decision; I’ve learned so much from being an MB&B major that I would have just never known.

Once I decided I didn’t want to be pre-med, I was looking into other options and I just so happened to have fulfilled a lot of the requirements for Ed Studies already because it’s so interdisciplinary, and so I decided to explore that path and I ended up really, really liking it. And then finally dance is such a great one for me because I went to a performing arts high school, so I’ve always loved dance, but I’ve always been more like [into] the musical theater aspect of it. So it’s been really, really cool to just focus on dance in college, without the other aspects of theater embedded in it. I’d never really taken solid dance classes before coming to college because I just didn’t really have the funds to be taking classes repeatedly, so it’s been really cool to have stable dance courses on campus. And then I was like, ‘Okay, let’s do the minor. Why not?’

A: Incredible. In your many academic adventures here, have there been any classes or professors in particular that really shaped your Wesleyan experience?

CP: I always talk about this, but intro bio [“Principles of Biology I,” BIOL181] with Dr. Murolo. It was such a huge turning point for me. I came into college super confident, having been valedictorian of my high school. I didn’t realize I was so not ready for the rigor of college at all. It was a big shock, and I think I had a little too much confidence given how my science education in high school wasn’t even good. I remember my first bio exam—I got a C on it. At the time, I hadn’t ever seen a C in my life. I was distraught. I was like, “Okay, I’m failing, I’m dropping out.” I had a meeting with my professor after and she gave me a lot of strategies for how to do better. She also had a strong belief that I could come back from the C and that was really powerful for me. I feel like it’s because of her that I’ve been able to combat the imposter syndrome that sometimes comes with college.

A: What about your extracurriculars? How have you grown in and shaped those spaces?

CP: For sure. It was amazing when I joined Fusion; auditioning was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I gained a whole new set of friends, which is really, really great. It also just feels really nice to have a stable environment to train and rehearse as a dancer and continue to work on hip hop, which is a style that I had left behind a long time ago. It’s a very safe space where everyone has a completely different dance backgrounds, and everyone has very different movement qualities. It is amazing to see all of those different styles being celebrated. It has also really helped me discover myself as a choreographer.

A: Amazing. What about Latin and Ballroom?

CP: It’s my baby. The club has gone through so much change since I’ve been at school. It totally died out during COVID, and I was one of the people to help bring it back. We totally changed the structure of classes and empowered students to teach, which has been a great way to get involved with other dancers on campus and has been really popular with people. From a nonexistent team my freshman year, now our classes are totally filled to capacity every week. We got out of the common room of La Casa and are in a real studio now. We also have a performance team now. I am just so proud of how far we have been able to take the club.

A: You have mentioned all of these classes and organizations that you have put so much time and love into. How do you want to be remembered on campus now that you are going to graduate in the spring?

CP: Wow, that’s deep. I want to be remembered as someone who’s just a really friendly face on campus. I’ve done a lot for a lot of organizations, but more than physical achievements, I want my energy and positivity and enthusiasm to live on.

A: Okay, don’t make me cry.

CP: Awwwww, you’re gonna miss me!

A: I guess. 

CP: Oh, I also want to be remembered for throwing great parties. There have been some really silly ones. Real ones remember Champagne Giz. Real ones also remember the Fauver catastrophe.

A: Amen. Now that you are all old and wise and a senior, do you have any advice for underclassmen on campus?

CP: Just take advantage of things around you, while also recognizing that not everything is going to be for you. There are a million things to do on campus, so try them out. And let yourself decide to leave some of them in the past too. Just because you went to a few meetings for a club does not mean you need to keep going to that club. Cast a wide net, but don’t force yourself to do 500 things if you don’t love all of them. Basically, try out a lot of things to find the ones that are really meaningful to you, because at a school with so many different things to get involved with, there will be at least one that you will love.

A: Wow, the prophet of our times. 

CP: I try.

A: What is your favorite meal around campus?

CP: I have three. First, the green beans from Usdan. They have been with me from the start. Second, the Cluck You from Swings. It’s so good. And finally my classic Red and Black order: bacon, egg, and cheese on everything with avocado and a peanut butter and banana smoothie.

A: The New Yorker is coming out. Finally, what song encapsulates your life right now?

CP: Roman Holiday by Nicki Minaj.

A: Oh, that’s the one.

CP: Yup.

 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Akhil Joondeph can be reached at ajoondeph@wesleyan.edu.