Contributing opinion writer

Mireya Sánchez-Maes

Mireya Sánchez-Maes ’24 is a joint concentrator in English and Theater, Dance, and Media in Currier House. Her column “Insect Insights” appears on alternate Wednesdays.

Latest Content


Don’t Be a Bro, Yo

Just know that there’s a million ways someone can be a bro. But they’re all pretty bad, so like, don’t do it, yo.


A(verse) to Legacy Admissions

So yeah, I hope by now I’ve been real clear ‘bout my position. Harvard, it’s high time we ditched the legacy admission.


Have Some Fun, Hon

So what’s this first piece all about? What’s column number one? People at this school, it seems, Feel guilty having fun.


Oh my Gawd I Got a Bee

If you worked as hard as you possibly can and earned a Bee, then congrats! You should feel proud of your personal growth and hard work. Conversely, if you got a 4.0 GPA, but didn’t learn anything or cheated your way into it, then the accomplishment is empty. True learning is about personal growth, and grades can be misleading.


If Harvard Students Were Honest…

As a Harvard student, I’m tremendously grateful for the opportunity to expand my intellectual horizons by spending copious amounts of time in your mandatory writing class. As a human teenager, though, I hate it with the passion of a thousand suns.


Mother Nature was an English Major

So the next time someone tells you they’re majoring in the humanities, don’t laugh and offer to pay for their unemployment. I mean, if you REALLY wanna donate money, I guess that’s fine. I could use some new socks. But other than that, a simple, “Woah, cool! Please invite me to your film screening,” will suffice.


Help! I Think I’m Privileged!

DEAR ABEE: I am writing today with a startling and troublesome revelation – I think that “privilege” may exist. Mostly, because everyone keeps telling me I have it.


The Giant Millipede & the Subtle Art of Not Complaining

Too often, our minds tend to fixate on the negative. We obsess over things we don’t have. We constantly compare ourselves to others. We critique before we compliment. To be fair, as a satirist – and more importantly, as a low-income Latina – it’s abundantly clear that an elite institution like Harvard has a lot to critique. But that work gets tiring, fast. And if we forget to take stock of the amazing gifts we have, we risk losing our ability to see them in the first place.


An Intimate Portrait of an Insect in Love

You are a young and talented short-horned grasshopper. Your real name is “Syrbula admirabilis” but everyone calls you Chad. You’re hungry. And although Harvard University Dining Services more than accommodates your aggressively vegan diet of grasses and seeds, this hunger is different. It’s deeper, more intimate, and makes you think of that one slow song from the movie with the animated lions. You, Chad, are hungry for love.