Bansal, Intro Post

My name is Simran Bansal and I am from Old Westbury, New York (~40 minutes outside of New York City). I have two younger sisters and one younger brother. One of my sisters is actually joining me at Duke next year, and I could not be happier! Currently, I am on the pre-med track, but I really love to write, so I am considering becoming an English major. In my free time, I love to play piano, play tennis with my sisters, and practice my calligraphy. In addition, I also have my own blog called Numbers Don’t Define Us where I aim to spread the message that we are so much more than just numbers—whether that is our weight, our GPA, or the number of followers we have on social media.

I am super excited to be taking this course because I have always had a soft spot for Disney movies. Since I can remember, I have been dressing up as Disney characters for Halloween, and my family and I have been to Disney World on numerous occasions. Since beginning this course, I have realized just how important it is to critically analyze and perhaps challenge the messages endorsed by the Disney franchise, for Disney lends us with far more than mere entertainment. Instead, its influence is far more pervasive than it may seem, and it has tremendous power in that it facilitates the molding of our values. Thus, through this course, I hope to “dig a little deeper” (Princess and the Frog reference) and truly consider the deeper meanings of the messages underlying our childhood favs.


Below are some pictures from the times my family visited Disney World and went on the Disney Cruise!