Eila Arkin of Deerfield, Illinois, texts her community and academic associate Ben Shapiro in a group chat named “ben^2,” asking when he plans to come back up to their floor.
The text thread contains two other cherubs, Beatrice Sopko of San Francisco and Natalia Abuladze of Tbilisi, Georgia. Together, their initials spelled out B-E-N — forming both the CAA’s name and the group’s tradition of staying up late in the lounge, chatting about everything from their upcoming assignments and college life to cherub gossip.
With Shapiro sitting on a single seat and everyone else crammed onto long couches and bean bags, Arkin said these conversations created some of the memories she will cherish the most.
“He’s probably tired, but he — and all the CAAs — are very dedicated,” Arkin said. “They’ve worked really hard to try to make this the best summer of our lives, just like they had.”
As cherubs became close to all four CAAs — Shapiro, along with Ashley Dong, Desiree Luo and Audrey Pachuta — their own inside jokes and traditions began to take shape. What started off as a GroupMe text from Dong, wishing everyone sweet dreams, turned into a nightly routine.
Arkin said these small traditions were just another way the cherubs fostered “real friendships” with their CAAs and mentors.
“Obviously they’re in charge of us, but they are also our point people in the dorms,” Jake Lubin of Portland, Oregon, said. “It captures the fun balance between an actual instructor and a 19-year-old college student.”
Arkin said the CAAs “go above and beyond” their job descriptions, not only helping cherubs excel academically, but also acting as a listening ear on stressful days.
When a group of four cherubs put on a sock puppet show imitating the CAAs at the annual Cherubs Got Talent, Shapiro said he was touched — proud of the fact that students felt close enough to dedicate a whole show to them.
“Sitting there and watching that performance really made me think ‘Wow, I did my job well this summer,’” Shapiro said.
Shapiro encouraged cherubs to keep in touch with him after the program, whether it be asking him to grab a coffee or texting him with good news every once in a while. He said he values these relationships beyond a mentor-mentee dynamic.
“Knowing cherubs is so beneficial in your life,” Shapiro said. “There’s a good chance that one day, one of these cherubs might even be my editor or that we’ll be working in the same newsroom, helping each other get jobs.”
As Pachuta quoted Dr. Mary Lou Song: “Everything good leads back to cherubs.”
