Rutgers Student Pursues Interests in Culture

by Jordan Farbowitz

20-year-old Asia Dockery considers herself to be a creative person, and she hopes to channel that creativity into a career writing about different forms of art and culture.

A junior at Rutgers University, Dockery likes all things culture, especially dance, music, travel, and food. She enjoys digital design, does her own hair, and loves to cook.

“I love learning about new things and trying things that are different from the way I grew up,” she said.

Originally interested in communication, she liked the writing more than learning about theories, and is currently majoring in both journalism and dance, with a minor in Spanish.

Dockery loves to write, and says that it’s a unique way to express herself.

“I like the ability to take my ideas and put them into words,” she said. “It makes it easy for other people to connect to what you’re saying.”

In addition to writing, Dockery loves to dance. She has been dancing since age 3, has taught classes at her local community center, and will be performing in Mason Gross School of the Arts’ DancePlus show this spring.

“I love the physicality of it, and how aware you are, and learning how capable you are of moving if you challenge yourself,” she said. “When you’re dancing, you don’t think about anything else other than what you’re doing in the moment.”

And when it comes to her favorite style of dance, she prefers modern.

“It’s because of the strength and beauty in the technique,” she said. “Taking modern classes always makes me feel strong and empowered.”

Dockery also loves music, and will listen to almost anything.

“My taste in music definitely changes with my mood,” she said. “I listen to all types with the exception of country. The music I listen to the most often though is late 90s/early 2000s pop, hip-hop and RnB.

Dockery is also very involved with her sorority, Omega Phi Chi. She is the PR chair, plans events, and of course, dances at events such as the Involvement Fair and different competitions.

“It’s a multicultural sorority, and there are girls from 19 different ethnicities,” she said. “I’m very passionate about different cultures and diversity.”

She chose Rutgers mainly because of its diversity, although the school’s major choices and the fact that her brother went there also factored into her decision.

She attributes her appreciation for her diversity to her family, who is involved in their local community.

“I learned appreciation for other people because I helped out all the time,” she said. “That’s where I learned to care about others.”

Dockery is also an accomplished student. She graduated in the top 10 percent on her class at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology and has made Dean’s List in every semester in college so far. She is also part of Rutgers’ School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and is a recipient of the Dickson Carr Scholarship. Her favorite subject in high school was math, but has expanded her horizons ever since she got to college.

“The best thing about college is having the free range to choose courses you actually enjoy,” she said.

A lifelong native of Buena. N.J., Dockery lives with her parents and her dog, Sochi.