Coisas Positivas

mantra: “concentre bu mentes, na coisas positivo” or “focus your mind on positive things” is a piece of advice Amadi Mitchell (Wellesley ’23) carries with her everyday. Her father taught her this phrase to push her to change her mindset. Instead of focusing on the things that are stressing you out, be a free spirit and keep moving forward. Amadi also shared with us “nothing matters, we’re just kinda here” and explained by mentioning as a society, we didn’t need to create credit cards but we did. So as you move about the world, think about the types of things that really matter to you rather than focusing on what you think the world is expecting of you.

DEFINING OURSELVES

Who are you?

These are things you should know about Amadi: she loves the color blue (specifically the color of the Caribbean sea), she likes to dance and sing, and she watches anime. Amadi is someone who takes pride in her culture. She loves being Cape Verdean and Jamaican and she loves everything that comes along with that.

What do you do?

On campus, you’d find Amadi involved in A LOT of different organizations. As a Chemical Physics major with a Portuguese minor, she’s in the Society of Physics Students, a McNair Scholar, and is working on reactivating Wellesley’s NSBE chapter. She is currently the co-president of WiCkeD (Wellesley for Caribbean Development) and Co-Social Chair of Ethos (Wellesley’s organization for students of African descent).

How has COVID-19 impacted your work?

Being sent home was unexpected for everyone and in Amadi’s case she lost all of her motivation which made it really hard to get things done. Being stuck inside put her in a really gloomy mood and that made the start of COVID really difficult for her. As Wellesley brought students back on campus it’s created opportunities for many students to rethink how they spend their time. Amadi shared with us that “COVID Wellesley” is really fun because they have to be creative. Instead of going into the city to find a party she’s been going on picnics, taking late night drives, and exploring campus. She was very honest with us saying she probably wouldn’t spend as much time by the lake or taking in everything their physical campus has to offer if it weren’t for COVID regulations.

BOSTON

What brought you to Boston?

Amadi didn’t know about Wellesley until her mom told her to consider the school. At first, this made her not want to apply because she wanted to do it herself. But thankfully she had because after being rejected by her top choice she needed another option. Ultimately, she had the opportunity to decide between here and two other schools but Wellesley’s financial aid package gave it an upper hand. When she finally came to visit she saw that Wellesley was nothing like what she was looking for. Amadi wanted a super social campus in the city, and Wellesley…well it’s in the woods in the middle of nowhere. Coming to visit helped her make her decision and she saw that maybe Wellesley was exactly where she needed to be. It wasn’t far from Boston which meant she could go into the city for parties and with all the other schools Wellesley partners with there were a lot of options for cross-registration.

What has your experience been like?

Overall, Amadi tells us she’s had a pretty positive experience. But her encounters with men in Boston have been either underwhelming or just off. To her, she was confused because somehow it feels like they all act the same even though they’re traveling from different states to go to school here. Also…Harvard parties are whack. We try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt but time and time again, students that don’t attend Harvard have either had dangerous encounters with Campus Police or if they do make it inside, the atmosphere hasn’t felt safe or enjoyable. This isn’t necessarily something against the student groups on their campus, but it’s a pattern that has damaged many “Boston” experiences and something we should take more seriously. Everyone deserves to be able to party and network safely, Harvard isn’t the only institution guilty of creating “fun” spaces that are actually dangerous for Black students. We all need to do better because we all deserve better.

HOLLA!

How do you stay motivated?

Especially during COVID, it’s been difficult to find or keep your motivation. Amadi found herself going a while without doing any work and realized she needed to do something to fix that. When she found herself again she started delving more into spirituality and astrology. This has been super helpful in keeping her going and it’s become part of her daily routine. As she goes with the flow of things she’s shifted her mindset so that instead of stressing and worrying, she assures herself that everything will get done and it will all be okay.

How would you define Black joy?

To Amadi, Black joy is a combination of all those moments where you can be unapologetically Black. You aren’t being judged for how you choose to exist in the world and your Blackness isn’t being questioned. She can be out with her friends being loud, having fun, speaking in AAVE, and people aren’t looking at them like they’re crazy. “We’re having fun, respect that and mind your own business”

What do you love most about Black women?

“Black women are so educated. We are. Black women just are. We’re everything. They are so versatile and talented in so many ways and in every field. We’re out here carrying the world in makeup, slang, everything honestly. Black women carry the world on our shoulder.”

Our conversation with Amadi was so genuine. Her positive attitude is infectious and we loved being able to talk about anything and everything with them. We’re so thankful for them and the work they do in our community — now and in the future. Follow them on IG (@amadislay) to keep up with what they’re doing!

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