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, Julia Dun Rappaport ’29 discussed organizing an annual event that celebrates Queer culture, working at Goodrich, and shedding her fear of “looking stupid” when trying new things. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Aiden Clarke (AC): How has your first year been so far?
Julia Dun Rappaport (JD): So good. I came into college with the goal of looking as dumb as possible as often as possible, and it’s been going awesome so far. In high school, I was always scared to do things because I was scared of looking dumb. In college, I have been like, “I’ll just make it my goal to look dumb.” So I did. I’ve been doing dance stuff, like the Student Choreographers’ Coalition (StuCo). I applied for things I didn’t think I’d get, and I got them — Goodrich is a good example of that. I’m in frisbee. I’m up to some random stuff, but it’s really fun, and I’ve been having such a good time. Williams is lit.
AC: That’s amazing! How is StuCo? Did you dance before coming to Williams?
JD: Oh, no, never, never, never. I was too scared of looking stupid.
AC: You’ve really embraced not being afraid to look stupid when trying new things. How has that been going?
JD: It’s going so well. I think that the people I’ve met here have a stronger and more authentic sense of who I am. In high school, I was so concerned about how I presented myself that I stopped being genuine at a certain point. Last semester, I went line dancing, and it was so weird — I loved it. I’ve also been going to the gym a lot, which I was really intimidated by in high school because I didn’t know how to start. Now, I go like four times a week, and I feel myself getting stronger. I can see the gains. I’m so glad I wasn’t scared to look stupid, and I let myself go even though I knew I was gonna be surrounded by people who knew what they were doing.
AC: I know you said you were scared to try new things before coming to Williams, but you were up to some pretty cool stuff in high school. You founded and organized an event in your hometown that now happens annually. Can you tell me more about that?
JD: In my sophomore year [of high school], I founded this event called the Celebration of Queer Culture (CQC). While I was on this thing called The Newton Youth Commission, someone came into one of our meetings and spoke about how there wasn’t enough queer youth representation in the city’s pride celebration. My friend and I started talking about it, and we had the idea to start something that was more representative of young queer people specifically. We started CQC as an event centered on queer history, intersectionality, art, and music. It made me feel like I was doing something that mattered. One kid that I used to babysit came to the event, and when they came in, they were feeling a little confused about their identity. I don’t know exactly what they were going through, but I remember feeling confused as a kid, and having lots of questions and not knowing what questions to ask or where I could ask them. I followed them as they found people who could answer any questions they had, and it was really special to see that happen.
AC: I also know you were part of a domestic violence prevention club in high school. Could you talk a little about that?
JD: There’s an anti-domestic violence nonprofit near my high school. They’re basically a temporary shelter, but they also help survivors with legal stuff, along with social and emotional healing. My freshman year [of high school], I joined the affiliated club at my school, which was just two seniors and me. When they both graduated, the club fell into my hands. I started tabling and getting lots of people to sign up and come to the club. We did lots of educational events, like panels with experts from the organization and advocates in the field, sexual health events, and relationship training. The biggest thing we did was this thing called “Turn the School Purple Day,” since purple is the color for domestic violence awareness. We spread the word and advocated for everyone to wear purple, and then we had a day of panels and information sessions. So many people wore purple, and it felt awesome to see the number of people wanting to know more about this issue.
AC: It sounds like you put a lot of time into planning and helping people — I think that’s an honorable quality. Do you feel you’re able to do the same in college?
JD: I want to be a therapist when I grow up, so I’m pursuing a major in psychology. Coming to college has made me think more about my career. Having a career centered on helping people sounds pretty awesome to me. In college, I’ve been developing that in more interpersonal ways. I’m really trying to be the best friend and person I can be. A lot of the bigger initiatives that I took on in high school were awesome, but they were also a lot. I feel like I was able to do them because I had a strong knowledge of the community I was in and the people around me. Coming here, everything is so new and fresh that I feel I don’t have the expertise to do something big in the same way. For me, thinking, “How can I make someone’s day better today than it was yesterday?” is my way of doing that here. It sounds very simple, but it kind of is that simple.
AC: As a loyal Goodrich customer, I think those qualities show up even while you’re working. Speaking of, how are you liking being a barista?
JD: Oh my gosh, I freaking love Goodrich. I was a barista for a little over a year before college, at this really fancy bakery and cafe. It was lit and fun but also super intense. It’s such a vibe shift coming to Goodrich and working at a student-run coffee shop. It’s a really social space, and I love talking to so many people. I get paid to yap — are you serious? It’s so awesome. Being on the register is so fun. It’s such a unique environment to have all the people you’re helping be in the same community of 2,000 people with you.
AC: What’s your favorite thing about working at Goodrich?
JD: Being able to talk to so many people from different parts of campus. I think you can get bogged down in the specific groups that you’re in, but Goodrich really brings in a variety of people, and you talk to everyone.
AC: What’s your favorite memory from your time at the College?
JD: I really liked Winter Carnival, especially when everyone was watching the fireworks — that was beautiful. I love seeing everyone get together and just watch something awesome. I’ve also had lots of late-night yaps that hit different here. People are really willing to talk, which I really appreciate. I love how the average conversation with a Williams student is talking about [Karl] Marx and then Resky — the range is crazy.
AC: What is one thing you’re looking forward to this semester?
JD: I’m in an art class, and I’m really looking forward to making more art, because that’s a really big part of my life. When it gets warmer, I’m looking forward to just being outside. I think something really awesome and unique about Williams is how accessible nature is. I’m trying to swim in a creek or something, you can’t really do that in Boston.
