Student Squared: Ella Watkins ’26

Q: How’s senior year going?

A: So great! I love being a senior, honestly. I just feel like I’m way more in control than I have been in past years. 

Q: What does your schedule look like? 

A: I have class every day, which is okay. On Fridays, I have my neuro[science] seminar called Appetite. It’s probably my favorite class this semester — it’s so interesting. I’m also taking [a] physics [course, which] meets every day except for Thursdays. I’m taking a music class, which is something I never thought I would do, but I wanted to try different departments and different classes that I hadn’t tried before … I’m learning how to read music, scales, and stuff like that. And then I’m taking a religion class — Intro[duction] to Religion. 

Q: From your schedule, it sounds like you have quite a range of interests. What are you majoring in? 

A: I’m majoring in psych[ology]. I’m almost done with the major, so this semester I was like, “Let me see what other classes I can [take].”

Q: What has been your favorite class that you’ve taken in the past three years? 

A: It’s called “Rap, Reagan & the [19]80s.” [Charles Hamilton Houston ’15 Professor of Black Studies and History Stefan] Bradley is my favorite professor on campus. Shout out to him for real. I love his classes. They’re so fun — they’re so engaging. We learned about the ’80s, Ronald Reagan, and the political climate of the U.S., but we learned it through rap and through song. So we’d have to create our own raps to discuss the readings and things that we’d learned in class. 

Q: That sounds like such a good class. I’ll have to keep that in mind for the future! Now, for some more about you: Where are you from? Where’s home for you? 

A: I’m from [Los Angeles]. So the coast, very far away, but I love it. 

Q: Amherst is quite a ways away. Was it a big adjustment when you first came here? 

A: My first time seeing snow was [in the] wintertime here. I wanted to experience seasons, because in LA it’s just hot, or, like, mildly hot. You don’t really get the differences. I really wanted that. I also just wanted to be far away from home for the independence.

Q: Do you have a favorite spot on campus to study or hang out? Or a favorite place in town? 

A: In town, it used to be Arigato [before it closed down]. I used to love going to Arigato, like I’d go on a solo date there. Great sushi. My friends and I love going to Miss Saigon. I think that’s a really nice spot. On campus, I love sitting near Memorial Hill and watching the sunset.

Q: I still haven’t gotten used to how pretty the view is. Do you have any favorite communities or clubs that you’ve found or joined at Amherst?

A: I love [the Council of Amherst College Student Athletes of Color] (CACSAC). It’s for student athletes and students of color. It’s for all students of color across all sports, and it’s really fun. Great community. We eat cookies and play Pictionary.

Q: I see that you’re wearing a brace and know that you recently tore your ACL. Do you play a sport, and when did you start?

A: Soccer. I started playing soccer when I was four, [so basically] I’ve been playing for my whole life.

Q: Have you liked soccer at Amherst? 

A: I do. I really do. Yeah, I think it’s like having 20 other sisters. It’s so fun. We go on trips all the time. We get to sing acapella; we love singing “Pitch Perfect” on the bus. It’s just so much fun. I live with all of them now in Jenkins [Hall].

Q: Sounds like you have a pretty awesome team! Switching gears: If you could learn anything new, what would you want to learn?

A: Anything at all? I think music was the one thing I really wanted to tap into, learning how to read music, learning how to play. [In my class], you kind of learn how to play the keyboard a little bit, and that interests me. I could still take a language class, [so] maybe that.

Q: I’d love to hear more about your interest in music. Do you play another instrument? Also, do you have a favorite artist? 

A: I’ve never played anything except the violin in, like, the fourth grade. I don’t remember much, but it’s fun. I’m always listening to Beyonce — she’ll always be my favorite artist. I’m listening to a lot of Lauryn Hill right now. And then there’s this like British pop, jazz — acid jazz called Jamiroquai. Love them. They’re really cool.

Q: I’ll have to check them out! Do you have any hopes for after Amherst? Any thoughts on what you want to do or where you want to go? 

A: I studied abroad last semester, in London, so I’m thinking maybe I go back to London for a little bit. I really do want to live internationally and see what life is like in a different country. In fact, I’m pre-med and hope to go into pediatrics; I went the psych route mostly so I could study abroad. I originally planned to major in neuroscience, but with the courses I needed to take and the semesters professors were offering them, it didn’t end up working out.

Q: How was your study abroad experience? 

A: So fun. I miss it every day. I went to 14 countries. I was in school on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so it was a five-day weekend every week. I was literally just traveling. It’s one of the things I love to do most. 

Q: Where’s your favorite place you’ve ever traveled? 

A: I think I have two from abroad. I loved Morocco because we went sandboarding in the Sahara Desert, which was insane. And I also loved Croatia — it was just an unexpected beauty. Like, wow, I never knew this about Dubrovnik. It was incredible.

Q: Are there any final pieces of advice that you’d give to freshmen or other Amherst students?

A: Definitely study abroad. That’s my number one piece of advice. I would say take advantage of the community here, because we’re a really small school. There’s so many ways to meet people, and I think that’s something I wish I spent more time doing my freshman year, joining random clubs, or going to [Mr.] Gads [House of Improv], even just talking to people on the First-Year Quad or Val-sitting. And just like becoming more integrated into the community.