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can't wait to be in bed

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Billie Eilish - BIRDS OF A FEATHER (Official Music Video)

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a. My biggest circle of influence is family because I have the most authority over my siblings, considering I’m the oldest child and only girl, which means I have a say within bigger decisions being made by my parents, along with taking care of my siblings and managing my time for both my family members and myself as well. I think I have the least authority in my college life because I am 2nd generation in my family (my parents both attended university and my aunts and uncles as well), so they’ve helped me and guided me throughout applying to colleges and what to expect in college as well.

b. Over the years, there has been a change in how much influence i have on certain people. For example, as I started to gain more work experience over the years, I ended up becoming a bigger person within the working field with higher positions and receiving more compensation as well.

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These images represent anxiety because it shows how someone can allow for their overthinking and emotions to get to their head and it makes them feel like they’re falling or failing themselves and it makes them feel suffocated, almost claustrophobic, shortness of breath etc.

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These images represent nostalgia because it gives a view back to things that were used in older generations and it shows how things were collected and kept back then, compared to now.

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Prospective interviewee: board member from bengali student association (most likely a freshmen representative like myself)

Questions:

1. What has surprised you most about yourself since starting college?

2. When things start to feel overwhelming, what helps you feel grounded or at peace on campus (or certain people or surrounding areas that make you feel comfortable)?

3. Can you tell me about a moment here that made you feel like you truly belong/or maybe, one that made you question where you fit in?

4. How have your goals or dreams changed since you began your college journey?

5. What’s something about your college experience that you think people outside of campus wouldn’t understand?

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Walking Research: A walk from my home to Target

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Walking Research: A walk from my home to Target

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Inspired by Springgay and Truman’s ideas about walking as a form of research and embodied inquiry, I decided to walk from my house to the local Target, a route that’s about a mile and a half long. Their writing encouraged me to think about how movement through space helps uncover the social and emotional layers of everyday environments. Rather than just “getting somewhere,” the walk became a way to observe how this familiar route reflects community routines, accessibility, and consumer culture.

At first, I noticed how my neighborhood transitioned from quiet residential streets into busier intersections. The sounds shifted—from birds and passing conversations to car horns and shopping carts. This made me think about how different spaces shape our behaviors and expectations. In my neighborhood, people nodded and greeted each other; by the time I reached Target, interactions became more transactional. Springgay and Truman describe walking as a “relational act,” and I could sense that relationship changing with the environment—how space invites or discourages certain types of social contact.

Economically and socially, Target felt like a symbol of accessibility and consumption. While anyone can enter, not everyone may feel equally comfortable or represented within it. The implicit rule is that this space encourages buying and browsing, not lingering or connecting. This relates to the AIF article’s point about observing who has entry into public and semi-public spaces—people who appear to “belong” to the area might shop freely, while others could feel surveilled or out of place. The cameras and organized displays reminded me that even public-facing commercial areas maintain invisible systems of control. I also noticed subtle forms of social control and structure in the space—signs, cameras, and even the placement of carts and aisles seemed to direct how people moved and behaved. These design choices reminded me how architecture and organization can quietly shape our freedom of movement.

Growing up in both the Bronx and Queens, I’ve always been surrounded by people who get around by walking or taking public transportation. Because of that, walking feels normal and even empowering to me—it’s part of how I understand and connect to my environment. This background shaped my perception of the walk because I wasn’t just seeing it as exercise or travel, but as a form of everyday living and observing. In a way, walking to Target reminded me of how movement itself is part of the city’s identity and rhythm. I went into this walk assuming suburban spaces would feel freer and more open than the city, but I realized that freedom can also feel like emptiness—that comfort sometimes comes from being surrounded by others, even in crowded spaces.

Springgay and Truman’s concept of “walking as knowing” really resonated with me during this process. Through this walk, I realized that knowledge doesn’t always come from reading or researching—it can also come from noticing, moving, and experiencing space through our bodies. Walking this route made me more aware of how spaces we take for granted—like sidewalks, crosswalks, and stores—carry social and emotional meanings. “Walking research” helped me slow down and recognize how urban design reflects both community values and inequalities. I realized that the spaces I move through every day quietly shape my sense of belonging, safety, and identity. This simple walk to Target became a study in how we inhabit, interpret, and internalize the world around us.

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Zahra Monsur - Humans on Campus Interview

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Zahra Monsur - Humans on Campus Interview

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“I never realized how different people were and how cruel and bitter people are, and how rare it is to find kind people in this world,” she reflected, her tone calm but filled with quiet honesty. As a first-year pharmacy major at SJU, she’s beginning to learn that college isn’t just about academics — it’s about discovering who she is outside the comfort of what she’s always known. Between long study nights, the uncertainty of a new environment, and meeting new people, she’s found herself growing in ways she didn’t expect. It hasn’t been easy with the pressure of school, being away from home as a commuter, and figuring out who she wants to be throughout this process. But through it all, she’s learning to take things one day at a time. “Instead of viewing long-term goals for the future, I’ve been focusing on the short-term goals that I know are realistic for myself.” It’s a mindset that guides her and helps her find balance in a world that often feels overwhelming. She’s learning to slow down, appreciate progress in small steps, and remind herself that self-discovery doesn’t happen all at once — it unfolds moment by moment. She’s finding comfort in small wins and realizing that growth doesn’t always have to look perfect. Each experience, whether good or bad, is teaching her something about herself — and helping her build the kind of strength and kindness she hopes to see more of in the world.

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These images represent calm/calmness because 2 of them are in a very serene state of mind (yoga is associated with being calm and certain backgrounds as well).

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Peer’s Walking Research Project (question answered)

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Peer’s Walking Research Project (question answered)

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Some similarities that I noticed in my peer’s presentations for the walking research projects is that everyone relatively walked around similar places throughout (parks, suburban areas, city areas) and kind of had the same input for each location that they walked around. Some differences that I’ve noticed is that the ethnical backgrounds that everyone was surrounded around was slightly different, along with certain social norms that people would take part in were very different (i.e. different activities being done, walked at different times throughout the day).

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1. Claim: Students should get free bus passes.

The claim that I agree with best is that students pay tuition and having to pay for transportation separately aside from paying tuition as well is a huge financial toll on someone who isn’t being financially supported independently or may be borrowing money from elsewhere. According to a hidden cost of inadequate transportation, many low income students don’t finish college because approximately 17% of their entire college spendings on transportation and getting from one place to another.

2. Claim: Classes should start later in the morning

The claim that I agree with best is that students would be more focused in a classroom compared to starting exactly at 8 am sharp because when students start classes very early, it doesn’t give them that time to fully wake up and be able to comprehend information being thrown to them by teachers and professors. For example, a large meta-analysis of 28 studies with over 1,774,000 participants found that later school start times are associated with longer sleep duration, better mood, and overall better developmental outcomes.

3. Claim: Everyone should learn how to cook

The claim that I agree with best is that cooking saves money, compared to purchasing fast food and take-out. A recent article from Investopedia shows that by doing meal prep and eating at home rather than eating out, people can reduce their “food away from home” expenses significantly — e.g. weekly food-away-from-home costs might drop from ≈ $95 to ≈ $20. That adds up to savings of about $3,900 per year for someone who shifts more meals to home cooking.

4. Claim: Reading fiction improves critical thinking

The claim that is best for this is that fiction strengthens empathy among other people. For example, researchers (Castano and Kidd) had participants read either literary fiction, popular/genre fiction, non-fiction, or nothing. Those who read literary fiction scored significantly higher on tests measuring their ability to understand other people’s thoughts and emotions (Theory of Mind tests).

5. Claim: voting should be mandatory

The claim that I agree with best is that some people truly don’t care about politics and don’t really understand the justice system that well enough to be able to vote or know what are the right options to vote for, many people tend to follow along with what other people say about someone running for office. According to an article by science direct, a multilevel analysis found that compulsory voting is associated with an increase in efforts to obtain political information. That supports the idea that people may care more or try to understand more if part of their civic duty is to vote. But it also found that there was a negligible effect on most forms of cognitive political engagement beyond that, meaning people may seek info, but whether they deeply understand or critically evaluate is less clear.

6. Claim: Homework should be reduced

The claim that I agree with best is that students get stressed and overwhelmed from being assigned too much homework at once. According to the Stanford Study – “Pitfalls of Homework”, in a survey of 4,317 high school students in high-achieving schools in California, 56% of students said homework is a primary source of stress. Many reported health issues (like headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss, stomach problems) resulting from excessive homework. Students also said heavy homework loads meant less time for family, friends, extracurriculars and hobbies.

7. Claim: Social media does more harm than good

The claim that I agree with best is that social media spreads misinformation and it doesn’t give people the right facts and information that should be told and there is a lot of propaganda on social media that makes people think twice before they say something on a specific topic going on in the world. For example, a Pew Research Center survey in 11 emerging economies found that many social media users say they frequently encounter false or incorrect information when using social media or messaging apps. Also, a big majority said they’re concerned about being exposed to misinformation via mobile devices. Another source (SQ Magazine, 2025) reports that about 45% of U.S. adults say it’s difficult to determine whether social media content is true or false. Also, one-third of young users admitted sharing misinformation unknowingly.

8. Claim: Video games should be considered a sport

The claim that I agree with best is that they don’t necessarily involve physical activity, aside from someone using their fingers to play on a controller, but it shouldn’t be considered a sport. Many definitions of “sport” (for example, in dictionaries and by sports governance bodies) include physical exertion or use of large muscle groups as a criterion. For instance, in a debate in Talon Marks, one writer quotes the Oxford Dictionary: a sport is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill …” and argues that video gaming fails the “physical exertion” part since it mostly involves fingers/hands.

9. Claim: College students should take at least one art class

The claim that best supports this given claim is that art classes reduce stress and it gives students a breather in between classes that require more attention and makes a student feel a lot more stressful. A study with 155 undergraduates showed that after participating in artistic activities, students’ stress levels dropped by about 11.61% on a standardized stress scale. Qualitative feedback from students said that the art activity helped them relax, feel better emotionally, and enjoy a break from their other, more demanding schoolwork.

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Zahra Monsur Research Artifact Research Report 

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This final poster is more effective than the first poster because it combines ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos in a stronger way. By including quotes from a music educator and the National Association of Music Educators, it builds ethos through credibility and authority. The use of vibrant colors, joyful images of students performing, and the references to reduced stress and increased creativity appeal to pathos, inspiring excitement and emotional connection to music. The urgency of “New classes start this month” creates a clear sense of kairos, pushing the audience to act now rather than later. Compared to the initial draft, which was more simpler and reflective, the final versions is more persuasive, dynamic, and motivating because it speaks to both the heart and the mind, while also stressing the timelines of joining.

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This map represents my semester journey as a writer, composer, and rhetorician using a Ludo board, a game that is culturally significant to me and reflects how progress is made through movement, teamwork, and setbacks. Each color on the board represents a different part of my experience. The blue and green pieces are partners, symbolizing my positive moments, growth, and the skills I developed throughout the semester. These pieces work together, just as my experiences and personal growth supported one another.

The red and yellow pieces are also partners and represent the challenges I faced, such as time management and balancing responsibilities. Similar to how partner pieces in Ludo can protect one another, these challenges sometimes slowed my progress or put my other pieces at risk. The path around the board shows where I began, how I moved through the semester, and where I am now. The “You’re Here” marker shows my current position, reflecting growth, balance, and continued movement forward.