A Narrative of the Forum: Q & A
The Berkeley Forum is a non-partisan, student-run organization at UC Berkeley. Established in 2012, the Forum hosts debates, panels, and talks by leading experts from a variety of fields.
Here we have upward of 40 streams of consciousness strung together to make up the pulse of the Forum — what matters to us, what we stand for, what we care about, and what we do. You’ll find that a few words from all of us have been spoken clearly, but what is best of all are the words left to be explored.
What do you do?
In the Forum, I find myself
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Always, we never stop.
Everything, honestly!
Photography and finance,
Tech and programming,
Marketing and internal affairs,
Moderating and communications.
Innovative projects that will give access to invaluable content
The events as they happen
Before they happen
Videos, after they happen
For them, you know, everyone
So those who can’t come still can
I manage and teach
I am managed and I learn
I do research
I craft questions, and then I ask
Hear the speaker answer it, know that I helped shape
A discussion, between us, and for everyone
I watch these events come together
We make them come together
The mission, we chase it
We communicate
Sproul when we should
Spread the word so the word catches wind
Brings people in
Lets them sit
And listen.
What are you like?
I grew up in five different cities
I’m from a really small town in the middle of nowhere
I’m an engineer
I speak Spanish and French
And I only speak English
I grew up in India
And I in Russia
But also the East Coast
I’m an English major
The redwoods feel like home
I love being emerged in nature, I’d hate to imagine a world without ice
I sometimes paint galaxies
The New York Times is everything to me
I intern full time
I just reread all the Harry Potter books
I’m probably going into CS
I grew up in D.C, New York, New Delhi, and New Hampshire
Lately in Dubai, Hong Kong, and Palo Alto
What is it like?
Somehow, the Forum feels like all of those experiences in one
Topical, interesting, intimate
Profound, spectacular, accessible
Dynamic. Challenging. Inspiring.
All of the events, and the big ones are great
And usually the small ones make the biggest dents.
Bollywood music, Russian swears, Arabic nicknames, British candy, Moroccan punctuality
True intellectual debate about the things that really matter
How it stimulates this discourse
With ideas and innovation, like what I see from the steps of the Campanile
Talking of the refugee crisis and presidential candidates
MythBusters and the struggle of diversity in the media
Landmark educators and research beyond words
The promotion of free expression and constant questions
Hilarious anecdotes and contagious energy
This discourse is essential, the commitment to it is real.
The talks are not just from public figures to Berkeley students
There is a fireside-chat quality, a conversation between groups who want to make change
Everyone wants to see progress in play
And those nights at Late Night
Meetings in Wheeler
If you’re interested, have a business card
I see myself growing
This community is informed
It opened my worldview
This is a curious place, with curious people
No question feels impossible with all these perspectives I couldn’t find together anywhere else.
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