What don’t I do, you mean? I study Community Leadership, English, Writing, French, and Irish Studies at Aquinas College. I work as a Writing Center Consultant at the AQ Writing Center, an office assistant in the Aquinas Marketing Department, and I work as a barista at D’Arts Donuts! If I’m not doing any number of those things, you can probably find me falling in love with different movies and books and drinking too many cups of Irish Breakfast Tea.
Where is your favorite place to go on adventures?
Ireland, for sure. Most of my big adventures have been there–climbing mountains, drinking from rivers, and just enjoying the ocean views. After that would be New Orleans, getting lost in the French Quarter and helping out at Saint Peter Claver Catholic School.
What was your favorite book as a kid?
I hope you know this is an impossibly hard question, Tommy. One of the most formative books was Goose Girl by Shannon Hale because she controls the wind and that’s always something I wanted to do (still do). Another one would be Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine because it was fun and sweet and also empowering. Also Harry Potter, because who doesn’t want to use magic?
That reminds me–I’ve always wanted to know: If you tumbled into a vat of radioactive liquid and emerged with a new superpower, what would that superpower be?
This is so dumb but I really want to be able to control the weather and the elements of the earth. Kind of like Storm in X-Men. But if I couldn’t do that, I’d love to be able to time-travel (or control time in some way).
What is your favorite part of working at the CYC?
Everything! I love that I get to do a lot of graphic design work. I love that I get to be creative and professional. I love being able to go out into the community and spread the word about the CYC and its mission. I love that we’re striving to give kids a platform for their voices that they might not get in many areas of life. I love that we’re inspiring confidence in kids and encouraging artistic expression. I love that I’ve found an organization so close to me whose mission is something I’ve been hoping to accomplish my entire life.
What is one thing you can’t live without?
My family. I know that’s kind of cheesy to say, but they’re my rocks & my best friends. They’re the funniest and best people I know and I’m very lucky to have them. If I’m not allowed to say “my family,” then I would probably say “books, tea, and donuts.” Those things are my lifeblood.
Do you have a favorite quote?
I know I should only pick one, but I have a few:
“If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely” – Roald Dahl
“Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Le Petit Prince
“You can never find a cup of tea large enough, or a book long enough to suit me” – C.S. Lewis
You did a lot of work for our show on October 26, The Characters That Lived. Now’s your chance to tell the world what you did!
I designed the Save the Date cards, the posters (not the artwork, but the layout of it all), the programs, and the character bookmarks! My favorite thing to work on was probably the character bookmarks. It was so fun seeing what the students wrote and drew. I loved creating a little memento of the kids’ characters for them to take home and keep forever.