A sense of belonging, Mrigaanka Sharma ’26 believes, grows through tiny repeat encounters. The barista who memorizes your order, the bookstore dog who ambles over for a pat. “Those connections are really what make you feel grounded in a place,” says the molecular and cellular biology major.
Sharma, an international student from Mumbai, found that their most formative experiences as an undergraduate unfolded off campus. “My friendships, my growing moments, they were all happening in cafés and shops and other little places in Baltimore.”
Their Bander Family Fund–supported endeavor, The Third Places Project, documents those spaces through interviews with community members, video, and original writing posted on a multimedia website.
Beyond the bubble
Normal’s Books & Records in Waverly, which Sharma calls “a true place of culture,” was a major source of inspiration for the project. Other stops include Punjab Groceries, Indochine Restaurant, The Crow’s Nest art gallery in Mount Vernon, Wyman Park Dell, and Red Emma’s bookstore and coffeehouse.
The project pushes against “the Hopkins bubble,” a tendency of some students to remain within campus borders. Sharma wanted to show another experience, rooted in the rituals of city life.
Sharma, who completed their undergraduate degree in December, will return to Baltimore this fall to begin a master’s at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Third Places, they say, is not finished.
Photos Courtesy of Mrigaanka Sharma 
Photos Courtesy of Mrigaanka Sharma 
Photos Courtesy of Mrigaanka Sharma 
Photos Courtesy of Mrigaanka Sharma 
Photos Courtesy of Mrigaanka Sharma 
Photos Courtesy of Mrigaanka Sharma
