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, Kunal Pal ’25 discussed his Pokémon shirt collection, Roblox, and the “24 Hour Sitting in Paresky Challenge.” This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Palvasha Khan (PK): You performed in the Asian Dance Troupe (ADT) Spring Showcase this Sunday. How did it go? 

Kunal Pal (KP): Honestly, it was a lot of fun. I’ve done this for two and a half years now, and this semester contained some of our most difficult choreography. I danced to “No Doubt” by ENHYPEN, which is the hardest song I’ve done. It paid off, though, because I don’t think we’ve had Goodrich filled in that way in a while. And, obviously, the last show was very sentimental. I gave speeches for my friends, who are also seniors, to show how much I appreciate them being in the group. 

PK: When I see you around campus, you are often wearing a Pokémon T-shirt. Can you tell me the lore behind those? 

KP: I used to have a “Pokémon T-shirt of the month” subscription on Amazon. It cost $15 a month. I have around 40 of those shirts, and what else am I supposed to do other than wear them?

PK: Do you have a favorite shirt? 

KP: I have a T-shirt of a Pokémon called Lechonk — it was actually a birthday gift from Hannah Yoon [’25]. I just like the color and that it’s a pig.

PK: Is Lechonk your favorite Pokémon? 

KP: No, not even close. My favorite Pokémon would be Oshawott, which is a water otter. It was the starter Pokémon that I picked the first time that I ever played. 

PK: You’re also a co-chair of the South Asian Student Association (SASA), and you recently organized a “shaadi” (wedding). For the first time in SASA’s history, it featured a horse. Why did you bring a horse, and what was the process of getting it? 

KP: A big aspect of some South Asian weddings is that the groom will ride in on a horse. We reached out to Bonnie Lea Farm through a connection (shoutout Himal Pandey [’25]). Then, Karthik Tambar [’27], who is also on the SASA board, and I went to visit the farm, and they were very nice. OCL [the Office of Campus Life] helped us close off part of campus, and the horse walked around Currier Quad for a while before the shaadi. It was very fun to see it outside Goodrich, and people — mainly the groom — rode it too.

PK: From being an EphVenture leader to a Junior Advisor (JA) and a pre-orientation leader, you’ve mentored many students. What do you enjoy about being a mentor? 

KP: I have a younger brother, and I think that’s what I try to be for him — a mentor figure. I think that comes through when I’m here. I also enjoy the social aspect of it — connecting with so many people. The JA program helped me meet a lot of people within my year as well as the Class of 2027. 

PK: Do you have a favorite memory from your time in any of these roles?

KP: I was a JA to MD3, and one time for snacks, we hosted an entry Olympics. The part that I enjoyed the most was a “Guess The Song” event, where almost the entire entry — and a bunch of people outside of it — showed up. I have so many videos of people screaming when they couldn’t get the song. We also had a big ping-pong tournament, which was pretty cool.

PK: Recently I’ve seen you play a lot of Roblox with our friend, Rachel Chai [’25]. How did you get into Roblox? 

KP: When I was a kid, I always played Roblox with my little brother, but then I stopped for a while. Near the end of this past summer, Rachel texted me that we should play. We played this game called “Cheese Escape,” where you’re in a maze that’s made of cheese and a big rat chases you, and your goal is to avoid getting eaten by the rat. We had a lot of fun playing that, and it kind of just continued from there. 

PK: What’s your favorite Roblox game? 

KP: It’s one called “Rivals,” where we (virtually) shoot at each other.

PK: I did some LinkedIn stalking, and yours says you completed “24 Hour Sitting in Paresky Challenge.” Can you tell me a little bit about that?

KP: It was Dead Week during junior year, and we were bored. Andrew Oh [’25] and I were like, “Okay, let’s sit in Resky for 24 hours and do whatever.” We just sat there at the same table for 24 hours. We could only get up to go get food or use the bathroom, and we just talked for a while and did work. Our friends came to support us, and it’s an accomplishment I’m very proud of, so I put it on my LinkedIn as an award. 

PK: On a similar note, I noticed that both your LinkedIn and Gmail profile pictures feature butter chicken. What’s that about? 

KP: My AP Biology teacher did not know what butter chicken was, and he really wanted to see a picture. I found this one picture that — I don’t know why — I just really liked. So, I changed that to my profile picture for my high school Gmail, and then I stuck with it here too. There’s not much else to it.

PK: Not to get all emotional, but you’re about to graduate soon. What’s one thing you’re going to miss about the College?

KP: I will miss all of my friends. 

PK: Do you have any fun plans for the week before Senior Week? 

KP: I’m going to Miami, where you’ll also be going. 

PK: Can you even swim? 

KP: No, but you can’t swim either. So, what are you going to do in Miami? 

PK: Bruh.