Undergraduate President’s Report -Mina Para ’17

Life after Princeton certainly seems an intimidating place—one where my bills are no longer sent to my parents’ house and refrigerators do not magically remain stocked with Greek yogurt (big thanks to, firstly, my mother and, more recently, Chef Jean). The more daunting aspect of post-graduate life, however, is the coming absence of the community that we, as the 2017 section, have been able to find in Ivy. Whether in the dining hall, filled with discussion of current events or less serious debates about the effect of hand size on free-throw percentage, or over a game of pool or a beer in the tap room, we sometimes do not realize our fortune to constantly be surrounded by a community of thoughtful, engaging, and talented people. In these spaces at Ivy, you will come across accomplished athletes, future academics, aspiring entrepreneurs, and artists. 

Regardless of what lies ahead for the 2017 section, our collective experience at Ivy, as members of this community, has undeniably enriched every one of us. Much to my GPA’s chagrin, I found my time here as influential in my development and learning at Princeton as that which took place in the classroom. This formative experience and the interpersonal bonds we are able to establish here transcend the temporal constraints of our undergraduate experience, and it is something I will cherish even after I pass through the gates in front of Nassau Hall. 

It has been a true pleasure serving Ivy over the last year as the Undergraduate President, a responsibility I was incredibly fortunate to share with fellow officers Gonzalo Mocorrea, Tiggy Valen, Lauren Berger, Natalia Perina, and Ray Menin. On behalf of all undergraduates, I would like to extend our gratitude to the alumni who enable Ivy to shape the lives of its current undergraduate members and the many more to come.