Frances Aquino

As commencement approaches and we seniors prepare to walk down College Street through the Van Wickle Gates, we’re all starting to reflect on our time at Brown. Blog wants to spotlight a series of Seniors in the next month; we’ll have two chains of senior interviews where members of the class of 2016 nominate each other to be featured on the site. (We ask that our interviewees pick someone they might not know too well, but want to hear from about their time at Brown!) This week, Frances Aquino '16 gets us started.You might know me as…That girl in that SHAG video, that CVS granola bar girl, or that Zipcar girl that tries to give everyone promo codes.When I’m at Brown, you can find me at...Faunce. Eating, studying, people-watching, waiting for safe-ride, getting signatures---you can do it all there!!My Brown experience in six words.Learning how to become woke afFavorite class/ professor at BrownImmigrant Social Movements with Prof. Escudero. He’s one of the few professors that understands that learning also takes place outside the classroom and implements it. One time we spent our class time going down to the RI Statehouse to rally for drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. He's also the sweetest.Things I wish I knew when I came to BrownThat college would be hard, not only work-load wise, but also "learning-how-fucked-up-the-world-is" hard. But I'm glad I was able to reach out to certain faculty and peers to guide me through.My favorite Brown memory is… My second Spring Weekend when Chance the Rapper and Diplo came. I felt so connected to everyone around me and the performances were amazing. I also asked a person if I could have the gum that was in their mouth, and we became friends after that (shout out to Aanchal Saraf)!My most embarrassing Brown memory is… Oh god. When I was at my professor's house for office hours, my phone alarm went off to Lana Del Rey's "Cola" during our deep convo. And I couldn't stop my alarm after Lana sang "My pussy tastes like..." I played it off like "oops hehe that's my alarm!" But it definitely got awkward after that.Why did I choose that song as my alarm? No clue. But I changed it afterwards.What I will miss most here next year is… All the workshops, lectures, and art spaces that people at Brown put on every week. I'm definitely gonna miss how I can easily walk to a free MPC Workshop or watch a play as a study break. I also learn a ton in these spaces.My go-to order in the Blue Room is..The focaccia sandwich. I work at the Blue Room too, so I pack in all that good good between those warm focaccia buns myself.In my time at Brown, I am most proud of… The student activists who worked to make our campus an inclusive environment. They’re some of the most accomplished people I know AND they spend so much of their physical and emotional energy to make our campus better for those historically ignored by Brown.Brown’s best kept secret? Idk, ask the Brown Corporation.My post-graduation plans are to...Work with an anti-corruption social venture, Bantay.PH, with my Kaya Co. fellowship in the Philippines (my homeland!). My plans after that are still TBD, but I hope for a job where I can engage with marginalized communities for social justice.(Potential employers: still looking for a job after that. Pls hire me)Next up: AJ WilliamsFrances' question for AJ: What is the most important thing you learned while at Brown?