Follow us on Instagram
Try our daily mini crossword
Play our latest news quiz
Download our new app on iOS/Android!

Tiger Tots: Marshall Barnes

Marshall Barnes
Courtesy of Dr. Stacey Sinclair

Dr. Stacey Sinclair is Head of Mathey College, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, and an associated faculty member in the Department of African American Studies. Her research focuses on interpersonal transmission of prejudices and stereotypes. In a normal semester, you can find her in her most popular class, SPI 345: Prejudice Its Causes, Consequences, and Cures, or eating meals in the Mathey dining hall with her family and the students they now “miss very much.”

In the third installment of Tiger Tots, The Daily Princetonian met with Marshall Barnes, Dr. Sinclair’s nine-but-almost-10-year-old son. Marshall came to the Zoom call smiling and professional-looking, ready to discuss his taekwondo prowess, his mom’s mind-reading abilities, and what he misses most about being on campus.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Daily Princetonian: How old are you?

Marshall: Nine, and I’m going to be 10 in one month.

DP: What grade are you in?

Marshall: I’m in fourth grade.

DP: Do you like fourth grade?

Marshall: Yes!

ADVERTISEMENT

DP: What’s your favorite part about it?

Marshall: Probably math because I really like solving problems.

DP: What’s your least favorite part?

Marshall: Probably social studies.

Subscribe
Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

DP: What do you like to do outside of school?

Marshall: I like to do taekwondo.

DP: How long have you been doing that?

Marshall: Four years, I think.

DP: What do you like about it?

Marshall: Well, I like breaking boards and going to tournaments.

Dr. Sinclair: He has his black belt and is currently working on his second-degree belt. He is also taking saxophone and Chinese lessons. We are proud of him every day.

DP: What’s your favorite movie?

Marshall: My favorite movie is “Black Panther.”

DP: Do you have a favorite book?

Marshall: My favorite book is “The Mysterious Benedict Society” because I love how they solve problems, and I like the predicaments they’re in! Always keeps you guessing.

DP: What about a favorite TV show?

Marshall: Well, “Teen Titans” used to be my favorite TV show.

DP: What about a favorite animal?

Marshall: My favorite animal is a wolf. I don’t know why, I just think they’re very cool.

DP: Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?

Marshall: Not yet. I used to want to be a sports player — I kind of still do — but if that doesn’t work out I want a second job. My parents are always telling me that.

DP: Do you have any siblings?

Marshall: Yes, I have two siblings. One’s in North Carolina and the other is in Colorado and they’re both in college.

DP: What are they like?

Marshall: They’re really nice, loving, and protective. 

DP: What do you think about your mom’s job?

Marshall: I like it. I like being close to everything in Princeton and I also like hanging out with the students.

DP: Do you want to be like her when you grow up, or do you want to do something different?

Marshall: Kind of, but I don’t want to be a teacher.

DP: Since she knows a lot about psychology, do you ever feel like she knows what you’re thinking or she can read your mind?

Marshall: Hmm … well, I feel like my dad does that all the time, and I used to think my mom did that all the time, too.

DP: But not anymore?

Marshall: Well, not as much at least.

DP: You mentioned that you like being on campus and being with the students. What was your favorite part about that?

Marshall: Well, I really liked eating dinner in the dining hall and getting to talk to them.

DP: What would you talk to them about?

Marshall: A lot of the time they’d talk about my taekwondo ‘cause I got my black belt last May, so that got talked about a lot for, like, the two months after it.

DP: What else?

Marshall: We’d just chat, ask how their day is, if they’re doing well and stuff like that. I miss eating in the dining hall with all the students, ‘cause the food is good there, and you also have good desserts.

DP: Did you ever have funny interactions with students?

Marshall: Yeah, sometimes.

DP: Like what? 

Marshall: I think one of the students once while we were eating, right in the middle [of the dining hall], he tripped and fell. I almost slipped once too.

DP: Are there any specific students that you remember or that you miss?

Marshall: I miss the cooking club. They used to come to our house and cook food. Those are probably the students I miss the most.

DP: Is there anything you’d want to say to students?

Marshall: That I miss them.

For more Tiger Tots articles, visit this link.