Each week, the Record (using a script in R) randomly selects a student at the College for our One in Two Thousand feature, excluding current Record board members. This week,This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Haley Zimmerman (HZ): Hey, Monica. First off, how was your summer? What were you up to?
Monica Wheeler (MW): It was good. I was on campus for a while, working with the Center for Learning in Action (CLiA). I did a social justice history project, which was fun.
HZ: What was your social justice project about?
MW: Chinese history in North Adams. A bunch of Chinese immigrants came over to work in a factory back when [North Adams] was industrial. They were brought in as strikebreakers, because the owner had very low wages … and then it started a trend of hiring Chinese workers from California over to the Northeast to work here. That actually directly led to the Chinese Exclusion Act because everyone was like, ‘Oh, they’re stealing our jobs.’ I made some educational material that hopefully you’ll see around campus.
HZ: That’s really cool. OK, question number two — what’s your dream pet?
MW: I have a wiener dog at home named Joey. I love him very much. However, I was in Currier one day, and I saw this sign on the bulletin board, and it said, ‘No pets allowed, except fish.’ And then I talked to [my roommate] Carina [Sun ’26], and I was like, ‘Let’s get a pet fish.’ She pulled up the Petco website, and then we were looking at all these other options. There was an eel. There was a crab. And then, I got really into the crab because it was a green crab. I was like, ‘Wow, I want that.’ People could come to our room and visit it, and we would be so popular. And you expect a crab to be red, but no, ours will be green. We’re thinking of names. We really like Michelle.
We’re also thinking, if we wanted a low-maintenance option, of a clam. It could just be chilling there. If you have any name ideas, please contact me.
HZ: Tell me about living with Carina, since you’re living with your first-year roommate for a second year. How’s that going?
MW: It’s going well. We were random roommates last year, and our room was really small, so we had bunk beds and everything. I actually kind of miss our room from last year because I had a beautiful view of the mountains from Sage. But we have a nice Faye room this year with an emergency exit.
HZ: You guys live in Fayerweather, where I’m the House Coordinator for. Tell me your unfiltered opinions on Faye.
MW: I think it’s better than Currier because it’s not maze-like, and it has wide hallways. I like it. We’ve got a water bottle filler in the hallway.
HZ: Hell yeah we do. Next question: What are the best things to do in your hometown?
MW: I’m from Connecticut. I’m from West Hartford, which is where Noah Webster, who wrote the first dictionary, is from. We have the Noah Webster house in our town, and we have a statue of him. When some of my friends visited last Dead Week, they were taking pictures with him because he’s a celebrity. We’re also the Constitution state, in case you didn’t know. The Mark Twain house is 30 minutes away.
HZ: Now that you’re back at school, what are you looking forward to this year?
MW: Well, I’m looking forward to maybe having a pet in our room. I’m exploring my major, so more geosciences — that sort of thing. I’m working with CLiA more, continuing what I did this summer.
HZ: What else are you involved in on campus, besides CLiA?
MW: I’m excited for the Japanese language table. It’s fun because I’m not in any Japanese classes right now, but it’s a good way for me to practice my language. And it feels very comforting. Sometimes, I feel like I’m just talking to my mom and sisters at home [at the Japanese table].
HZ: OK, a totally different question: What’s your favorite movie?
MW: This is really hard because I have a very wide variety of tastes. I used to be a film snob, lowkey, and in high school, I would analyze that shit. But now I’ve very much regressed, and I started watching kids’ movies. I was watching Diary of a Wimpy Kid and 2000s teen movies. She’s the Man is one of my favorites. High School Musical. Glee. I’m a big Gleek.
HZ: What’s your favorite class you’ve taken so far at Williams?
MW: I took this Africana studies course freshman fall called “Colonialism, Capitalism, and Climate Crisis.” It was cross-listed as ENVI. I’d never taken a class like that in high school, and it was very eye-opening, and I really appreciated that. The people [in it] were so cool.
HZ: OK, this is my last one: If you were going to become famous, what would it be for?
MW: Sometimes, I have this dream of, ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna become a famous climate change solver.’ That sounds so stupid. But I want to work on climate change and sustainability — that sort of thing. So it’d be cool. I would want to be famous for that and help preserve biodiversity.
