People-Watching Audrey Pettit

My mom loves people-watching. Every time we step inside a downtown café she insists on sitting by the windows.

I initially deemed the hobby strange and senseless, but people-watching has taught me to look outside myself—to witness the pigtailed toddler stomping in her polka-dot raincoat, the adults speed-walking in black suits, or the twenty-something lovebirds gesticulating excitedly. Watching passersby, I peer into the lives of strangers.

The more I watch, the more they look like dancers on a stage or protagonists in their own narrative. I fell in love with English and dance for the same reason I people-watch: connecting with others. Columbia College would allow me to explore this passion by utilizing its high-ranking English and Dance programs. Both mediums force me to re-engage in a world I often take for granted.

I was originally drawn to tutus and pointe shoes, but my love for dance has transcended the superficial. The universal language of dance allows me to communicate ideas through movement. The thoughts I can’t articulate find their home in the shapes I make and the way I move. In parallel, reading about Jane Eyre’s isolation and writing about my father’s death allows me to gain a better understanding of myself and...