Students express themselves on a new student-run media platform.
On the colorful Instagram feed of 13 Degrees, @its13degreesoutside, there are Spotify playlists named after Colgate buildings, a student show-and-tell podcast, outfit ideas, and more. Anki Suri ’25 founded the student-run media platform in October 2022, and it’s garnered a following of more than 1,200 users.
Her mission with the arts- themed platform is to create a public space for students to express their identities. “Our ultimate goal is to unite the community over the shared experience of expression,” says Suri, a double major in peace and conflict studies as well as film and media studies.
Outside of 13 Degrees, she is involved with the Thought Into Action Incubator, where she co- founded MUSE, a platform for student artists to connect with buyers in the greater Colgate community.
To trace 13 Degrees’ development and see where the organization is headed, Colgate Magazine spoke with Suri.
What is the creative vision?
“13 Degrees is an expression and culture magazine that provides a platform for students to showcase their creative sides and their identities through music, articles, art, photoshoots, and discourse on important topics. The team right now is around 24 people. I have always envisioned it as 13 Degrees Magazine: an umbrella platform that includes different facets.”
Can you describe one of the platform’s digital facets?
“We just launched the first episode of our podcast, 13 Objects, hosted by Kameron Rhodes ’23. On the show, students pick 13 objects of expression, whether it’s something on their wall, the rings they wear, or their shoes, and they talk about how they reflect their identity and help them express themselves.”
What inspired you to create the platform?
“Coming to Colgate, I was anxious about how I was going to fit into a new community. But connecting with people around campus has helped me realize that it’s OK for me to exist in my most real form. That was a moment when I realized that there is a need for something like this on campus — so many of the beautiful stories around me were going unseen.”
To whom does 13 Degrees extend?
“Everyone. We all have a story to share, and even if you don’t consider yourself an artist or creative, there’s still a certain way that you engage with those energies. I hope that, in the future, 13 Degrees can encourage everyone to get more in touch with their creative side and find confidence and power in the stories they carry. I look forward to seeing how this project grows to ultimately uplift the Colgate community.”