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, Shirel Quintanilla Raymond ’27 discussed her newfound love for climbing, her upbringing in Mexico and Texas, and her vegetarianism. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Elise Dzialo (ED): You go by Shirel instead of your first name, Zarah. Why is that?
Shirel Quintanilla Raymond (SQR): I go by Shirel because I think it’s prettier than Zarah, and I’ve never met someone who also goes by Shirel.
ED: If you were to pick any building on campus that fits your persona, which would it be?
SQR: I think the Zilkha Center. The Zilkha Center is squeaky and very homey and made out of wood. I don’t know — there’s just something nice about it. I feel like I am a very quiet person, and the Zilkha Center is quiet but also has moments of squeakiness. I have moments where I make noise.
ED: Do you like to make noise in your free time?
SQR: Yes, as a matter of fact, I’m in ¡Vive!, the Latin American music group. I’m on the board this year, and I pick the music that we play, coordinate our rehearsals, and sing and play guitar. I really enjoy the music because, to me, it feels like home. I get to connect with music from Mexico and Latin America here on campus. It’s like having and sharing a bit of myself through the music that I make.
ED: You said playing with ¡Vive! reminds you of home. Where’s home?
SQR: Home is Mexico, but at the same time, it isn’t. I grew up on the border of Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. I grew up going back and forth, crossing the border between both countries a lot. Don’t get me wrong — El Paso is a very culturally Mexican place, and I grew up doing ofrendas and hosting celebrations for Día de los Muertos — so it’s nice to see a little bit of that here at Williams too.
ED: Have you helped recreate an ofrenda here?
SQR: Yeah, I did an ofrenda with Williams Catholic, another group I am a part of. I helped put up the first ofrenda Williams Catholic has done. It was in the basement of Thompson Memorial Chapel.
ED: You’re also on the Williams climbing team. Did you do that back home or pick it up here?
SQR: No, that’s something I started doing here at Williams. One day I was walking to my dorm, and I heard two people speaking Spanish, and I approached them.
ED: Oh my God, was that me?
SQR: Yeah, that was you. I approached them, and we spoke in Spanish, and then one of them invited me to go climbing. I’ve been climbing since last winter, and now all of my close friends climb. In fact, I just came back from outdoor climbing in Vermont today, and I really liked it. It’s obviously a sport, but it is also a lot about problem solving and thinking. It’s like a puzzle, almost like a video game.
ED: You are a prospective computer science and English double major. Do you ever find an intersection between the two, or do they exist in completely different realms?
SQR: They are very far from one another. But that’s part of why I like doing them. One usually feels like a break from the other. That’s what I like about Williams — being able to do two things I really like at once. Having that problem to solve, but also being able to study fiction, just scratches the right parts of my brain.
ED: If you had to eat only one meal here at Williams for the rest of your life, what would it be?
SQR: The fried rice and bao buns — the mushroom kind, because I’m a vegetarian.
ED: Is your vegetarianism for ethical, environmental, or personal health reasons?
SQR: Just for ethical reasons. I like animals, and I don’t want to hurt them.
ED: Let’s engage in some more Williams’ pleasantries. What’s your star sign, and when’s your WCFM show?
SQR: I’m a Pisces. I share a birthday, March 5, with two of my friends here. I also share a radio show, “The Little Friend,” with my friend Lauren [Hall ’27]. We broadcast it every Saturday at 2 p.m.
ED: I’ll be sure to tune in this Saturday.
