MINERVA VOICES

Rachael's Letter from San Francisco

Learn all about the Class of 2027's last semester in San Francisco through Rachael's eyes.

June 5, 2024

Hello from San Francisco,

Sitting in ‘WeWork’, one of Minervans’ favorite study spots, at the end of my evening class, I am met with the nighttime scene of San Francisco. Taking in the beautiful view of Coit Tower, I look back on the past few months of our freshman year. From boarding buses in the wrong direction to knowing the MUNI system inside and out, from full reliance on maps to memorizing streets and corners, the once foreign city is now a home we soon have to leave behind. 

The weekly 10:01s, community get-togethers where we immerse in one another’s countries and cultures, took me around the globe without crossing the city borders. From the marvelous display of culture to the delicious national dishes, this Minerva tradition never failed to bring the cohort together. The most recent one, done by the Egyptians in our class, was a marvelous cross-century display of culture, learning about the history, art, and cuisine of their country.

Eight months in a new city can change a lot, and it did. San Francisco is a city I will never forget, with each neighborhood’s distinct personality. A city full of big dreams and deep cultures. Whether it's walking through Chinatown or Little Italy with my friends for spontaneous chow mein or pizza, or the love felt on International Women’s Day through the flower display, San Francisco will always have a special place in the heart of Minervans. 

I recently went hiking through the Lands End trail, and inhaling the fresh air, listening to the springs forming and birds chirping, felt like a hug from the city. A week later, I went with a friend to a ‘Women in Tech’ networking event, where we got the chance to see and hear women leaders discuss the ins and outs of starting a business. That’s the amazing thing about SF, you get both the bustling city and the calming suburbs. A quality I never knew I needed in a place I call home. It’s bittersweet to think about leaving, but I think this was the perfect start to our four-year journey. I can’t wait to experience everything the next rotation cities have to offer!

Warmly,

Rachael

Class of 2027

Quick Facts

Name
Country
Class
Major

Computational Sciences

Computational Sciences

Social Sciences & Business

Business

Natural Sciences

Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Social Sciences & Business

Business & Computational Sciences

Business and Social Sciences

Social Sciences and Business

Computational Sciences & Social Sciences

Computer Science & Arts and Humanities

Business and Computational Sciences

Business and Social Sciences

Natural Sciences

Arts and Humanities

Business, Social Sciences

Business & Arts and Humanities

Computational Sciences

Natural Sciences, Computer Science

Computational Sciences

Arts & Humanities

Computational Sciences, Social Sciences

Computational Sciences

Computational Sciences

Natural Sciences, Social Sciences

Social Sciences, Natural Sciences

Data Science, Statistics

Computational Sciences

Business

Computational Sciences, Data Science

Social Sciences

Natural Sciences

Business, Natural Sciences

Business, Social Sciences

Computational Sciences

Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Computational Sciences, Natural Sciences

Natural Sciences

Computational Sciences, Social Sciences

Business, Social Sciences

Computational Sciences

Natural Sciences, Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences

Arts & Humanities, Social Science

Social Sciences, Business

Arts & Humanities

Computational Sciences, Social Science

Natural Sciences, Computer Science

Computational Science, Statistic Natural Sciences

Business & Social Sciences

Computational Science, Social Sciences

Social Sciences and Business

Business

Arts and Humanities

Computational Sciences

Social Sciences

Social Sciences and Computational Sciences

Social Sciences & Computational Sciences

Social Sciences & Arts and Humanities

Computational Science

Minor

Natural Sciences

Sustainability

Computational Sciences

Computational Sciences

Computational Science & Business

Economics

Social Sciences

Concentration

Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

Economics and Society & Strategic Finance

Enterprise Management

Economics and Society

Cells and Organisms & Brain, Cognition, and Behavior

Cognitive Science and Economics & Political Science

Applied Problem Solving & Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence & Cognition, Brain, and Behavior

Designing Societies & New Ventures

Strategic Finance & Data Science and Statistics

Brand Management and Designing Societies

Data Science & Economics

Machine Learning

Cells, Organisms, Data Science, Statistics

Arts & Literature and Historical Forces

Artificial Intelligence & Computer Science

Cells and Organisms, Mind and Emotion

Economics, Physics

Managing Operational Complexity and Strategic Finance

Global Development Studies and Brain, Cognition, and Behavior

Scalable Growth, Designing Societies

Business

Drug Discovery Research, Designing and Implementing Policies

Historical Forces, Cognition, Brain, and Behavior

Artificial Intelligence, Psychology

Designing Solutions, Data Science and Statistics

Data Science and Statistic, Theoretical Foundations of Natural Science

Strategic Finance, Politics, Government, and Society

Data Analysis, Cognition

Brand Management

Data Science and Statistics & Economics

Cognitive Science & Economics

Data Science and Statistics and Contemporary Knowledge Discovery

Internship
Higia Technologies
Project Development and Marketing Analyst Intern at VIVITA, a Mistletoe company
Business Development Intern, DoSomething.org
Business Analyst, Clean Energy Associates (CEA)

Conversation

Hello from San Francisco,

Sitting in ‘WeWork’, one of Minervans’ favorite study spots, at the end of my evening class, I am met with the nighttime scene of San Francisco. Taking in the beautiful view of Coit Tower, I look back on the past few months of our freshman year. From boarding buses in the wrong direction to knowing the MUNI system inside and out, from full reliance on maps to memorizing streets and corners, the once foreign city is now a home we soon have to leave behind. 

The weekly 10:01s, community get-togethers where we immerse in one another’s countries and cultures, took me around the globe without crossing the city borders. From the marvelous display of culture to the delicious national dishes, this Minerva tradition never failed to bring the cohort together. The most recent one, done by the Egyptians in our class, was a marvelous cross-century display of culture, learning about the history, art, and cuisine of their country.

Eight months in a new city can change a lot, and it did. San Francisco is a city I will never forget, with each neighborhood’s distinct personality. A city full of big dreams and deep cultures. Whether it's walking through Chinatown or Little Italy with my friends for spontaneous chow mein or pizza, or the love felt on International Women’s Day through the flower display, San Francisco will always have a special place in the heart of Minervans. 

I recently went hiking through the Lands End trail, and inhaling the fresh air, listening to the springs forming and birds chirping, felt like a hug from the city. A week later, I went with a friend to a ‘Women in Tech’ networking event, where we got the chance to see and hear women leaders discuss the ins and outs of starting a business. That’s the amazing thing about SF, you get both the bustling city and the calming suburbs. A quality I never knew I needed in a place I call home. It’s bittersweet to think about leaving, but I think this was the perfect start to our four-year journey. I can’t wait to experience everything the next rotation cities have to offer!

Warmly,

Rachael

Class of 2027