Icebreakers with the SU President

The Classic
What colors, and why, would you assign your folders, for your core subjects, English, math, science, social studies, and world languages?

Jenna Abdelhamid
So I have been a hardcore debater on this. I am the number one defender of Math is red. English is green. Science is purple. History is blue. And then, if you have extra stuff sometimes I'll throw in, Latin is orange, and then Spanish is white or black, it can be interchanged.

Sometimes I'll mix it up, sometimes I'll do science is yellow if I don't have purple. Look for me, if you have any other color choice, it just doesn't make sense. It just doesn't make sense.

And why do you choose those colors, for those subjects? 

Yeah, I got you. So, red is math, because math gets frustrating. I think it was my relationship with math, when I was in first grade, second grade—math was always frustrating. Math is always frustrating to me, so I kind of associated Math with that. 

The Classic Like anger? 

Jenna Abdelhamid No, but it's like the same red, but I don't know, it always gives me that vibe. I think history is blue, because if you view a globe, the majority of it is ocean, so it's good, it's like nice and calm.

I think English is green, because I attribute literature, and art to nature, and being grounded, and green I feel is a grounded color. These are crazy explanations, but I feel like these make sense. And then science is purple, I honestly feel it's just giving purple, just gives a science color.

The Classic
In a school, you're supposed to learn multiple lessons a day. What's the biggest lesson you've learned outside of class, from a friend, teacher, faculty member, or any other person in town, to community? 

Jenna Abdelhamid
I think the biggest thing I've taken out of class, is to really take the time to think before pursuing things, or making big changes. Especially living in New York City, or just being a high school student, it feels you have to be making decisions now. You have to be choosing things now. You have to do this, I used to be that, in that mindset. 

It's okay to be halfway through, and say, “I don't think I'm fit for this.” It's okay to take a breath, before you think about something. You don't have to accept every leadership position that you get. You don't have to join every single club.

I was in robotics for two years, and then I quit. And a lot of people were like, why would you quit, after spending two years of your life? You wasted so much time, but for me, it wasn't a waste. I was able to learn what I liked, and learn what I didn't like.

I was still able to take lessons from that. I learned from dropping classes, like that’s okay. If you want to leave, it's fine. You have that control. That's the biggest thing that you have as a person. The control over what you get to do with your time, and power, and energy. You don't have to always grasp at everything. This is your life, you know. 

The Classic
What is your go-to song for the subway? 

Jenna Abdelhamid
I don't have a go-to song. I just put my playlist on. But a song that I always hear on the subway, is, "Take, Take On Me" by A-Ha.

I don't know why, but it always plays when I'm about to enter the subway. So I feel it's just kind of became my subway song. I love that song. It's like I’m running in a meadow, and it's like letting go of my fears and anxieties. I think music is definitely an escape for that.

The Classic
Have you watched the hit Netflix movie, K-Pop Demon Hunters? And if so, what is your favorite Huntrix member? 

Jenna Abdelhamid
I have never admitted this to anyone, but I caved in. I was so bored. Netflix was doing that thing where you can only have one household on an account, and I was taking it for my sister's household, and it blocked me from using my sister's account. So I only had access to the kids part of Netflix. So I was like, okay, I'll watch K-Pop Demon Hunters, and it was really good. I won't lie. I feel like everybody's like, oh, it's kind of cringe, or the songs are annoying. I liked the plot, but I also love watching films. It was a really good movie for what it was.

I don't have a favorite. I don't even remember their names. My favorite Huntr/x member, I think, I like Zoe, because she would rap. I've never told anyone that I watched it, so this is going to be breaking news.

The Classic
What is the single best thing you can eat in NYC? 

Jenna Abdelhamid
The single best thing that you can eat in NYC is Egyptian food, in a restaurant called Mumbar on Steinway Street. What you do is you sit there, and you wait three hours for your food. Three hours. That's the experience. It's one guy cooking. But it's home cooked Egyptian food. And it's a different menu, every day. Definitely an outing that everyone should try. 

The Classic
How did you find the restaurant?

Jenna Abdelhamid
When I moved from Flushing to Astoria, my family was just exploring the neighborhood. The area is coined Little Egypt. So there's a bunch of places, and the storefront itself is art, and it looks really cool. It looks like some crazy thing, so it kind of draws you in. It definitely has become a treasure in the neighborhood. 

The Classic
What is something about school that you secretly love, but something that students tend to dislike, or roll their eyes at, in popular culture? 

Jenna Abdelhamid
I love icebreakers. I think I've said before that I hate icebreakers because it's a collective notion. I'd rather do icebreakers, than sit and do a test or something. I think having icebreakers in the first week of school is fun. I think I would like more creative icebreakers though. Two truths, one lie, we have drawn it out, like enough of that. I think honestly icebreakers get a bad rep, but I think they're fun. I think I’m also speaking from a person that forces others to do icebreakers with me sometimes. So, I guess that's probably why.

The Classic
Writing utensil of choice, pencil, mechanical, pen? 

Jenna Abdelhamid
Pen, 100%. You're just gliding, especially when you're doing math, you could just scribble, you can keep going. With pencils, you have to erase, and generally harder to let your thoughts flow. 

The Classic Do you always keep a pen on you?

Jenna Abdelhamid I had a pencil case at the beginning of the year, and then it just disappeared. So I'm always asking people for pens, so I equip myself with any pen you got, and I'm good with it. Because I'm definitely not the person to keep a pencil case, you'd think I'm organized in every other aspect, but sometimes I'll forget my phone everywhere. People will be running through the halls, and say “you lost your phone again,” and I'm like, yeah, I did. This new phone thing is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me.