By Yosef Rosenfield on behalf Features Staff
Each month, the YU Observer aims to highlight some of the YU undergraduate students who have written articles for us. For the February edition, the YU Observer is highlighting Eli Saperstein.
Name: Eli Saperstein
College: Sy Syms School of Business
Major: Undeclared (as of now accounting and finance)
Year: Sophomore, second semester on campus
Where are you for the COVID-19 pandemic? With Whom?: I am currently on campus in the Rubin dorms.
Currently reading: Brandon Sanderson’s “Warbreaker” and Rav Amnon Bazak’s “To This Very Day”
Currently watching: “Soul” and “The West Wing”
Currently listening to: “The NPR Politics Podcast” and “The Ben Shapiro Show”, as well as the “Hamilton” soundtrack (on repeat).
Favorite way to social distance with friends: skiing, video calls
Any cool things you’ve done/hobbies you’ve picked up over the COVID-19 pandemic?: I have been listening to media from both sides of the political divide, in addition to experimenting with cooking and baking recipes that I never had the time to use before.
What do you miss most about your pre-COVID-19 life?: Being able to make plans weeks in advance without having to worry about whether or not I or my friends will be in quarantine.
What is your favorite thing about YU?: The number of opportunities there are to get involved in campus life, especially those that would not be afforded to me at a secular university.
What’s a quote/thought/piece of advice you have for your fellow students?:
“It is what it is … ” — it’s a famous quote, but in my family we have a slightly different saying: “It is what it is, but is it what it could be?” This attitude has helped me accomplish things I never thought were possible. When there is a problem, see what you can do to actually change the situation before learning to simply deal with it.
Read Eli’s past articles here:
https://yuobserver.org/2020/10/interview-with-associate-dean-michael-strauss/
https://yuobserver.org/2020/11/unlearning-institutionalized-racism-with-sarah-adams-cornell/
https://yuobserver.org/2020/11/new-yorks-new-look/
https://yuobserver.org/2020/10/the-breakdown-of-civil-debate/