Meet Me at Kaldi’s is a recurring column in The Emory Wheel. Every other week, Music & Live Art Desk Mia Hamon selects a random Emory University student and invites them to Kaldi's Coffee at The Depot for a casual conversation.
Less than 72 hours after crossing the finish line at the New York City Marathon, Tess Gilmartin (26C) ordered a cappuccino at Kaldi’s.
After about six months of training, Gilmartin completed the Nov. 2 race alongside Coco Sandoval (27C) and Maren Rasmussen, and helped raise money for the Alzheimer's Association. The three women met in high school, and after experiencing the toll of Alzheimer’s disease firsthand, they decided to raise money for the organization together.
“They’re my adventure people,” Gilmartin said. “They've taught me that there's a lot of value in doing hard things, because it reminds you of what's important, and there's a very special feeling you get out of pushing yourself and leaning on the support of family and friends.”
On the porch, Gilmartin reflected on the incredible energy of the city during the marathon. Strangers and family members alike screamed their names and cheered throughout the whole marathon. The setting was especially heartening for Gilmartin, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native who describes herself as a “New Yorker at heart.” But while Gilmartin loves Brooklyn’s “chaos,” she often seeks quieter and more natural spaces that she cannot always find among bustling city streets.
But at Emory University, Gilmartin relishes in natural beauty, noting how the changing seasons reflect her changing life. In particular, Gilmartin expressed the growing nostalgia she feels as her senior year progresses. For Gilmartin, strolling outside while listening to music and admiring the changing fall leaves stirs up powerful emotions.
“This has been our home for the past couple of years,” Gilmartin said. “It's crazy to think that we're going to be moving on from it.”
Gilmartin describes herself as a “sentimental person.” As such, the simpler day-to-day aspects of life at Emory are the “special” ones. Whether sitting in the Robert W. Woodruff Library or relaxing on a chair under a tree on the hill near Asbury Circle, as time rolls on, Gilmartin celebrates the fleeting moments of college.
But this is not the first time Gilmartin has had to force herself to slow down. The summer before her senior year of high school, Gilmartin attended an experiential learning program at The Island School in the Bahamas. Under the sweltering sun, her mindset shifted from struggling to imagine her future to living in the moment. Gilmartin credits the school’s routine for changing her mentality. Every morning during the program, students woke up at 6 a.m., went for a run and swam in the ocean.
“They put you on a beach for 40 hours alone with a tarp and a bagel and a journal, and you just have to sit there and reflect,” Gilmartin said.
Gilmartin views her mother and two aunts as the pillars of her family and credits them for shaping who she is and who she wants to be. She described the maternal side of her family as “complete bada****,” comparing her family dynamic to a matriarchy.
“The women in my family are really core to who I am,” Gilmartin said.
Despite her admiration toward some of her relatives, Gilmartin described her family as “dysfunctional,” yet “loving.”
At Emory, Gilmartin serves as an undergraduate research assistant in the Translational Lab at Emory. The lab utilizes reinforcement learning methods to investigate how decision-making impacts psychological disorders. Bursting with passion while discussing her lab work, Gilmartin spoke about patient’s anxious habits, like hair pulling or nail biting, and how using reward-based learning strategies can help address these habits.
“I found my niche, and it's random, and it’s definitely not what my high school or even freshman year self would have thought that I would be doing,” Gilmartin said. “But I'm very happy and excited about it.”
After graduation, Gilmartin ultimately wants to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. But Gilmartin is in no rush. After her graduation, Gilmartin hopes to take a gap year for travel and research, perhaps returning to Amsterdam where she studied abroad last spring.
“I feel really open within the next year or two to just throwing a bunch of things out there and seeing what sticks and then just going for it,” Gilmartin said.
