Speak Up, Tune Out

Favorite speakers varied widely across the student body, though a handful of names popped up more than once. Among the most praised were two alumnae, zoologist Misha Body ’98, now a deputy zoo director at the Los Angeles Zoo, and U.S. Army veteran Erika Trapp ’18. Aurora Aden ’29 pointed to Body as her standout. “She showed that you don't have to always stay on one path,” Aden said. “She mentioned how she was originally an English major.” Arjun Phatak ’28 singled out Trapp, who tied her experiences in combat to the quick mental calculations she learned in Hopkins math classes. “I like war stories, so that was cool,” Phatak said. “It was also through the perspective of a woman, which is a very different perspective that not all of us understand.”

Students also gave high marks to Hip-Hop artists Chuck D and Masta Ace, who appeared as part of the school’s arts series. Timothy Edwards ’28 highlighted Masta Ace, who discussed his music career and recent shift into screenwriting. “I really liked how he kept things on topic as to why he was there,” Edwards said. “I found his and his cohorts' talks and responses on his screenplay The Falling Season to be very interesting.” 

But glowing reviews for individual speakers coexist with a broader frustration: assemblies run too long and students zone out. Kia Bourne ‘29 remarked: “A lot of the time, I think lack of structure or too much structure can take away from their message,” she said.  “After a while, I notice kids zoning out, even when the speakers themselves are saying good things.” Edwards added, “Give it a week or so, and a good amount of people have already forgotten what it was.” On a similar note, “They can occasionally provide valuable lessons,” remarked Mick Lebowitz ’28, “but I largely view their talks as a waste of time.” 

The concern is aggravated when students look ahead to next year. Under a new schedule, assemblies are set to run seventy-five minutes every Friday, longer than current sixty-minute sessions. Katherine Cella ’28 said it worries her. “My one fear is that looking forward we will have to sit through 75-minute assemblies every Friday.”

On the question of how to fix things, opinions varied dramatically. Several said they wanted a formal channel for influencing who gets invited to speak. Cella took the initiative by reaching out directly to the Head of School Dr. Matt Glendining and his office with a suggestion, but said she never received a response. “Hopkins never got back to me or followed up, even after I asked multiple times,” she said. Bourne pushed for something more systematic. “I also wish that student feedback was more of a systematically integrated thing,” she said. “ I think the option to share your thoughts would do a lot for us.” 

Edwards, though, pushed back on the idea that the problem can or should be solved. “I don't really think that there's any way to improve this per se, as everyone resonates with different nuances,” he said. “It would be pretty impractical to search for a speaker that could make a huge impact on the majority of students' interests.” He also noted the logistical tangle of polling an entire student body. “Hopkins already does an amazing job getting engaging speakers,” he said. “You can’t please everyone completely.” 

From Body’s versatility and Trapp’s bravery to Chuck D’s and Masta Ace’s finesse in the music industry, there was great praise for the speakers. And although there isn’t a definite answer as to how assemblies can be perfected, many students appreciate the ability to hear about and be educated on the many different perspectives and facets of the real world. For now, the assemblies continue, one speaker at a time. Some leave a mark. Others fade by the following Friday. And the conversation about what makes them worth sitting through is still very much alive in the bleachers.