Dear Orange
Dear Orange
Dear Orange,
What is this column about? This is the first time I’m seeing “Dear Orange” in this paper or hearing about it at all for that matter. Please tell me more.
Sincerely,
Curious
Well, hello curious! I am new to the Tech, in fact this is my very first feature in the paper, and I’ve got to say I am so happy to be here. My name is Orange and the simplest way to explain this column is to say that I’m here for you. A Caltech spin-off of _Dear Sugar _by Cheryl Strayed (also associated with Tiny Beautiful Things if you’ve read or watched the show on Hulu), Dear Orange is a platform to ask a question that may be dwelling on your mind or heart, think through a pickle you may be in, open up about something that’s troubling you, or anything in between.
“Orange.. You seriously expect me to air my dirty laundry out in front of the entire school paper? You trippin.” Nay, I say young reader, for every submission will be completely anonymous to the public. Only I will have your name when you submit your story on the Dear Orange Google Form. You can rest assured that the private pieces of information submitted will remain between you and I, and that’s my word. The ONLY time I would ever share your submission to someone outside of my own brain would be if there was a concerning notion of harm to yourself or anyone around you. Beyond that, it’s just you and me, my friend.
And to add another layer to this privacy, I will be an anonymous person too. You may be wondering, well what makes you all high and mighty and equipped with all the answers to our woes? I’ll be the first to tell you that I do not have all the answers and there is a whole lot I do not know, both in this life and relative to many folks on this campus. But I will say that I am an unbiased entity that has walked in similar high academic shoes and will always do my best to give you transparent feedback on whatever is on your mind. Just a couple of strangers talking about the highs and lows and curveballs of life here, because more often than not the person next to you is going through something similar.
This is a genuine advice column telling the stories of Caltech students. It is not guaranteed that your submission will be picked, responded to, or in the paper since we can only do one, perhaps two, every paper but I’ll try my best to at least get everyone a personal response. I’d rather under-promise and over-deliver, but we can all just do our best. The true idea here is one to normalize the tough times of life on campus, but also, and perhaps more so, to LET. THAT. ISH. OUT. So often we bottle up these hard experiences and it can quickly spiral us into an isolated hole that is much harder to navigate as opposed to getting it out of ourselves and addressing it head on.
So, ask your questions and share your stories. I am here and ready to chat. ‘Til next time, Beavers.
With love,
Orange