I was born in India, and I moved to Queens when I was six.
We're in the middle of the "holiday season." What is your favorite holiday, and why?
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, because it's been a family tradition since I was little. My cousins and some family friends play Pictionary and just talk, and there's a lot of good food. There's some good spicy food, and there's also traditional Thanksgiving food, and it's just fun.
What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?
Probably mashed potatoes and gravy. I love mashed potatoes. Oh, and stuffing.
What is your favorite food in general?
That's hard. I guess my mom's chicken curry. She puts in lots of different spices, like salt, cumin and garlic. It's just really good.
What is the weirdest food you have ever tried?
Probably calamari, because I ate it without knowing what it was. Then someone told me that it was squid. I was surprised that I'd eaten squid.
Who is your favorite Amherst alum and why?
Jeffrey Wright. He's an amazing actor, and he's right at the top of my head because I just found out about him. Also, Burgess Meredith was in a couple of episodes of "The Twilight Zone," and he was really good.
When you were a kid, what career did you want to choose? Why?
I wanted to be an archaeologist, so I could travel around the world going on archaeological digs and looking at mummies and going into pyramids and whatnot. It was probably because of the myths we read in elementary school about ancient civilizations.
You're in Amherst Dance this semester. What is your favorite type of dance to perform, and what is your favorite type of dance to watch?
I've been learning two different types of classical Indian dance since I was little, so those are the only types that I've performed. I don't know what my favorite type of dance to watch is. I don't know… I can't say. I like watching lots of different stuff. Probably swing dancing, because it looks fun, and I just want to join in.
I read on your Facebook profile that you like the now-cancelled TV show Arrested Development. Who was your favorite character?
Either Buster or Gob, because they're two opposite personalities but both still really funny. I like the different relationship that Michael has with each of them.
What is your favorite type of ice cream?
I love ice cream. This is a tough decision to make. Probably chocolate, chocolate chip.
Name the most badass American president you can think of, and explain why that president was/is so badass.
Wasn't Calvin Coolidge the supposedly really silent one? He went to Amherst too, right? I remember my U.S. history teacher telling us a story about how he was known as the quiet president, and at dinnertime once this lady was going on and on about something, and she was aggravating him. Finally he spoke up and basically smacked her down with just a single word. I don't remember; it may be the wrong president.
Editor's Note: The notoriously reticent Coolidge was popularly known as "Silent Cal." A famous anecdote tells of American author Dorothy Parker who, seated next to Coolidge at a dinner, said to him, "Mr. Coolidge, I've made a bet against a fellow who said it was impossible to get more than two words out of you." His famous reply: "You lose."
-Audrey Kim