Zimmerman said that, after four years, glossing over things had pretty much become second nature. “Involvement in athletics, accessibility to financial aid for international students, I can pretty much handle it all,” she said, smiling brightly. “Come to think of it,” she added, “I can’t remember the last time I’ve answered a question head-on.”

Zimmerman said she has improved over time. “Early on you learn the basic things—like people will ask if the food is good, which it is on some days so you just say ‘yes’ and talk about program housing,” she said.

The true test of ability, Zimmerman said, are what she calls “gotcha” questions. “People will ask about Brown’s investments in the fossil fuel industry and the prison industrial complex,” she said, adding, “If you know what you’re doing, that is a prime opportunity to talk about Brown’s thriving culture of student activism.”

When asked if she ever felt strange about her ability to deftly derail a line of questioning, Zimmerman explained that Brown has 14 a cappella groups.