On the Green: Brown's favorite photos

Jaanu Ramesh

Welcome to the third episode of The Herald’s new podcast series, “On The Green,” where we talk to Brown students — yes, on the Main Green — and across campus, and ask them to tell us about an aspect of their Brown experience and memories from their time at college.

In this episode, we spoke to students about their most cherished photographs on Brown’s campus and the importance behind them. Students’ responses ranged from a special beach trip, Spring Weekend memories, a wild night out and a weekly dinner tradition. 

These photos all had one thing in common – more than the picture itself, it was the memory behind the flic that made it a keeper.

I’m Jaanu Ramesh, a podcast producer and contributing writer. 

Tevah Gevelber

And I’m Tevah Gevelber, also a podcast producer and staff writer.

Jaanu Ramesh

This is “On The Green.”

Tevah Gevelber

As a first-year, the subject of our first interview has had very few nights on College Hill. Still, one photo instantly came to mind. Cece Bartin ‘27 chose a picture from, what was — overall — a great night. (You’ll get the joke in a second). 

Cece Bartin

The beginning of the month, me and my friends went to like one of the DTau parties. And, it was actually felt like a college party. Because it was like, in a sketchy basement. It was fun. I was gonna change into party clothes, and then my friend was like “Wait, I have matching overalls.” So we wore matching overalls to the party, and we were really totally off-theme because it was a jersey-themed party which we didn’t know. We just wandered around campus after that, and met a whole group of people which was cool.

Tevah Gevelber

Cece and her friend took a photo together in their overalls, which already represents a cherished memory.

Jaanu Ramesh

For Carlos Delgado ’25, it was also a memory of one particular night in the heart of campus that stood out to him.

Carlos Delgado

I have a picture of my first year, it’s kind of unconventional because it was towards the end of my fall semester, during a really dark time where I was considering dropping out. And there was this night where I couldn’t sleep at all and I walked around campus. And this was during a time where buildings were open. 

So I went into Sayles Hall, and in Sayles Hall it was set up for a performance and I remember it was empty, and I went to the far end and I took a picture of the entire building. And I decided to stay when I saw everything, not just because of how grand everything looked, but because I realized my place at Brown mattered in the sense that I lasted this long, and I might as well finish something I started. Things have looked much better, much worse since then, but that picture is really special to me because in the middle of the night I woke up to where I was and why I was here.

Jaanu Ramesh

For senior Michelle Gibble ’24, a photo sums up her found family at Brown. 

Michelle Gibble

I have a photo that’s hanging on my fridge right now, and it’s really special to me because it was a photo of my four best friends at Brown University. And it was taken during Spring Weekend when I was a sophomore. But it’s really important to me because the four of us, I feel like never get pictures together. It’s really hard to get all of the people that are important to you in one photo. But mostly, it’s important to me because for my birthday, one of my really good friends printed it into a magnet, and it’s hung up on my fridge and it’s still on the fridge of the home that I share with my three best friends and roommates. And, so it’s a reminder of the fact that not only did I come to Brown to find great career opportunities and a great education, but to find people that I love and to have a found family. 

So, that’s why it’s really important to me, and it’s all of us smiling and super happy because we’re at Spring Weekend and we’re in a space of so many people that all love each other. And so many people that have supported me through my whole time and Brown, so I think it’s just a kind of a little magical magical photo because it’s me and my family surrounded by our even bigger family that is Brown.

Jaanu Ramesh

Michelle’s magnetic memento isn’t the only alternative to cherished digital photos. Vikas Rana ’24, another senior at Brown, shared a photo that he captured on film.

Vikas Rana

The photo I’m thinking of is a film picture of a sunset at Barrington Beach. Barrington Beach was a place my friends and I went to a lot freshman year in the summer semester that freshmen in the class of 2024 had, but we would go to the beach all the time and it was a lot of fun. And we go there less now because everyone’s more busy, but the sunsets at Barrington are some of the best, right over the water and the sky glows up.

Jaanu Ramesh

For freshman Abby Orozco ’27, it was another nature photo that caught her eye. She describes a tradition that she’s just beginning to form with her friends. But this wasn’t exactly a sunset pic…

Abigail Orozco

Me and my friends, we went to Boston last weekend, to cool off from midterms, and we saw this huge mushroom, I think that mushroom was at least two feet big in size. And one of my friends, he looked at it, and we both had the same idea to kick it, but I didn’t want to kick it. And he was like, “I’m gonna kick it,” and I’m like, “Don’t kick it,” but it was really nice because it just reminded me of the free time I get with my friends, and I don’t usually get to do this back in Colorado  — and Boston was just so nice, especially after midterms. That one mushroom picture just reminds me of how I get to have free time with my friends after midterms.

Tevah Gevelber

Isabelle Sharon ’24 shared a picture from a weekly Friday dinner she does with her friends, one that has lasted for years.

Isabelle Sharon 

I chose a photo of “Fancy Friday” which is this thing my friend group does every Friday. People dress up to varying degrees. Some people dress up really fancy. We’ve been slacking, so some people dress up not very fancy. I think we’ve been doing it since sophomore year after we got back from the pandemic as a way to wear fancy clothes, you know, we have nothing to go to in fancy clothes, so you have to make an occasion. And I think we picked Jo’s because some of our friends actually like Jo’s and the rest of us thought it was ironic that we’re wearing fancy clothes at Jo’s.

Tevah Gevelber

The Fancy Friday tradition actually revolves around a ritual of taking pictures. 

Isabelle Sharon 

Every week we take a selfie, so the photo is all of us around the table, and this past week, one of my friend’s parents also came and his brother who is visiting, so we put a couple tables together at Jo’s and there were like 15, 20 people all in a line.

It’s important to me because it’s a tradition that brings a lot of our different friends together. I think on campus, people live really busy and separate lives, which in some ways is really great to be independent. But it’s nice to have things that bring people together, even if they’re really small and stupid like this is. That doesn’t matter, it’s just the fact of having a routine and having something that you’re like “Ok, it’s Friday at 6 p.m., we’re going to Jo’s,” and it’s been a really great way for me to meet friends of friends and build community at Brown. 

Tevah Gevelber

And Isabelle says you, too, can join this tradition. 

Isabelle Sharon

Anybody is welcome, so if you show up Fridays, every Friday, 6 p.m. — it might be a little harder to spot us now that some of us don’t all wear fancy clothes, but we’re normally at a pretty big table. If you go up and ask, “Is this Fancy Friday,” we will say yes, and you can hang out with us, and we’re all really great.

Tevah Gevelber 

That’s it for this week’s episode of “On The Green.” Tune in next week for another round of stories and thoughts from fellow Brown students. And be sure to check out our other weekly news podcast “The Bruno Brief.”

This episode was reported by me, Tevah Gevelber, Jaanu Ramesh, and produced by Finn Kirkpatrick and Jacob Smollen, scripted by me and Jaanu Ramesh and edited by Tom Li, Jacob Smollen and Talia Sherman. If you like what you hear, subscribe to Brown Daily Herald podcasts wherever you like to listen and leave a review. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next week.

Music Credits:

Hakodate Line: https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/209076

A Pleasant Strike: https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/210993 

Dust Digger: https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/210994 

Palms Down: https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/212466