143/365

Name: Pratt
Three words to describe yourself: typical-Gemini, cynical, busy
Pratt is from Mobile, Alabama and attended Mississippi State University to study horticulture because he wanted to "graduate and leave quickly" and also liked plants. He then went to Georgia State University to study Community Development. After graduating, Pratt worker for the General Assembly for the Georgia House of Representatives because he is interested in political issues. Then Pratt worked for Emory University doing a campus awareness project. At the age of seventeen, Pratt said that he wanted to live in Athens, but never thought about it again. Now, Pratt lives in Athens and is a professor in the College of Environment and Design at UGA. "Working with students" has been Pratt's favorite part about his career, and he did not realize that students would stay in touch with him after classes. He said that this behavior is something you do not find with elementary or high school classes. Pratt has traveled all over the world, and usually the last country he visits, is his favorite; in this case, Thailand and Slovenia. Egypt, Brazil, Nepal, Cuba, and Argentina are countries where Pratt would like to visit. He told me about his first time to Africa and how the experience was a "cultural realization" for himself. He said, "I was one of the few white people . . . it gave me a sense of understanding . . . It's hard to be anonymous, and that's a good thing." Pratt also mentions that people usually "open up" to him, and he thought it was a Southern phenomenon, but said "it's how you approach people." Eventually, Pratt would like to retire closer to the equator, on the water, not in America, and "close to good hospitals."

142/365

Name: Mike
Three words to describe yourself: "a nice person"
Mike is from Athens, Georgia, and after high school, he moved to Macon, Georgia to work in the poultry business. He returned to Athens because the city is "familiar," he's "accustomed to it," and Mike has family here. Currently, Mike is looking for employment but says "once you get a felony, it's hard to become employed." At the homeless shelter where he lives, Mike said he receives three meals a day as well as a shower, but eventually Mike would like to get his own home. He obliged to the picture, which was fine because he originally declined the interview, so I put a picture of downtown Athens instead.

141/365

Name: Nathan
Three words to describe yourself: sincere, pensive, realist
Nathan is a senior in high school from Peachtree City and has been acting and singing since the age of seven. Originally, Nathan got his start in community theater, but since then, he has already begun a professional acting career and has appeared on television shows such as iCarly and Criminal Minds. He was in a scene with Miranda Cosgrove, so he was not simply an "extra."  Here is his imdb profile where you can creep on him! http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2743938/ Meryl Streep is his favorite actress, and Nathan adds "so does everyone else." For college, Nathan wants to go to either NYU or somewhere in Southern California, but he also applied to UGA and Georgia Tech. He has a lot of ideas about what he would like to study, but he is interested in human psychology, international relations, and human rights. "Meeting new people" is what he is looking forward to the most after high school, but Nathan is worried about the "lack of stability." Nathan is half-Vietnamese, 1/4 Swedish, 1/8 Irish, and 1/8 Italian, and his mom emigrated from Vietnam to San Francisco at the age of fourteen because of the war.

140/365

Name: Shannon
Three words to describe yourself: outgoing, complex, adventurous
Shannon is a senior in high school from Peachtree City and describes her city as "a bubble," but she likes living there. In the fall, she will be attending Georgia State University because she wants to be in the city, and she is "undecided" about what major to study. For college, Shannon is looking forward to "not having to live with [her] parents," and she is most worried about "making the most of [her] time and taking advantage of all the opportunities." In her high school, Shannon is involved in theater and Next to Normal is her favorite Broadway musical. Shannon has been to Honduras for a mission trip, as well as traveling around the southeastern region and the east coast. She would like to travel to Rome "for the history and architecture," and a random fact about Shannon is that she physically cannot sit "criss-cross applesauce." Yes, I did make her prove it to me.

139/365

Name: Bethel
Three words to describe yourself: jumpy, unorganized, lovable
Bethel is from Doraville, Georgia and says that where she lives is closer to Atlanta. Before going to UGA, she had lived with her mom, older brother and two younger sister, and she has not moved across cities, but has moved across courts in her neighborhood. When she described her experience, Bethel said, "It was a while new territory for me . . . people laugh, but it was a big deal for me." Bethel, however, has done some traveling and said, "I'm really proud of all the states I've traveled to . . . Most recently DC, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama." She does want to travel "everywhere in the world," but said, "I don't necessarily want to experience other cultures, it would be nice, but I just want to leave. I don't need self-discovery." She is studying political science because "it's not cut and dry. . . there is no straight path to figuring out what works and what doesn't work." She intends to become a lawyer, and the type of law she wants to practice is "up in the air," but Bethel is considering immigration law because both of her parents are immigrants from Eritrea, and Bethel thinks immigrating should be easier for people when their home country is not safe. I asked what her goal was, and Bethel replied, "I just want to become successful so that I can take care of my mom. She's done a lot for me." As a random fact, Bethel has a scar on her face from a car accident, and has come to appreciate it. She said, "It's a part of me and reminds me that I was blessed by an angel."

138/365

Name: Valery
(I forgot to ask her to describe herself! Failure on my part...sorry!)
Valery is from St. Marys, Georgia, and she is a sophomore studying biology with a minor in nutrition. As a "outdoorsy person," Valery said that biology would get her outside and the major "is broad enough to where you can do a lot with it." In her free time, she likes to play soccer and run, as well as making arts and crafts like painting, making bracelets, and "the stuff you do in a car on an eighteen-hour drive." She would like to travel to Australia to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef, and one of her goals is to become scuba certified. As the youngest of five kids, Valery described her experience:  "I got picked on a lot, but it wasn't vicious. It was fun growing up."

137/365

Name: Morgan
Three words to describe yourself: funny, caring, organized
Morgan is from Marietta, Georgia and when I talked to her she was re-reading the second book of the Hunger Games series. Because she "wants a people job," Morgan is majoring in social work. She would either like to become a social worker or a foreign services officer; preferably the latter because she also loves to travel. When she was ten years old, Morgan traveled to Rome, but she said that at that age she "did not appreciate it as much," and she would like to go back. This upcoming May and June, Morgan is participating in the "Semester at Sea" study abroad program. She is on an intramural soccer team at UGA as well as a sister in Delta Gamma, and she enjoys the sorority because "there's diversity" and "a lot of unique people." One thing Morgan would like for people to know is that even though she is in a sorority, she does not drink. Morgan said, "I don't feel the need to, and I'm kind of scared of authority and the law."

136/365

Name: Grant
Three words to describe yourself: determined, motivated, easygoing
Grant is from Alpharetta, Georgia and has lived there for the past six years. Before then, he lived in Dallas, Texas and was born in San Antonio. His family moved because of his dad's job in a nationwide company. Because he is interested in politics, Grant is double-majoring in politics and history in hopes of attending law school. He said that he is good at analyzing and reading, so a career in law would be appropriate for himself. Grant is a "big sports fan," with UGA being his favorite college football team and the Dallas Cowboys for NFL. His goal is to get an on-campus job and eventually go to a good law school.

135/365

Name: Cedric
Three words to describe yourself: caring, energetic, hardworking
For the past eighteen years, Cedric has lived in Bloomington, Minnesota, and he chose to attend UGA because he wanted a culture change. He said, "I lived there my entire life and didn't get to leave much." College has been his favorite part about moving, and as far as adjusting to the South, Cedric said, "The cuisine is definitely different." Cedric is a first-generation American whose families originates from the Philippines. His mother left because her father also came to America for a better life, and Cedric still has extended family overseas. Cedric is majoring in finance, international business, and marketing and is also minoring in French. He took business classes in high school and was on the DECA team, which got him interested in the business world. His short term goal is to graduate, while his long term goals are to eventually start a non-profit organization and live in either London or France. Cedric also considers himself a "movie buff" and says that he watched over 250 movies during the summer. Classic movies such as How to Kill a Mockingbird and Casablanca are his favorite types of movies, while The Day the Earth Stood Still is his least favorite. Cedric also mentions that "any Keanu Reeves movie is bad."

134/365

Name: Katie
Three words to describe yourself: energetic, dedicated, friendly
So far in her life, Katie has moved over twenty times, but she said, "I love Georgia. It's where I've lived the most." Her dad builds cell phone towers, which is why her family moved frequently, and in sixth grade alone, she lived in three different states. Michigan was her least favorite place because "it was cold," and Katie "can't function in cold weather." A few summers ago, Katie attended the Washington Journalism and Media Conference (WJMC), which made her interested in studying English. Her career goal is to become an editor for a magazine or a book publishing company. Katie has not traveled outside of the country, but she would like to go to Greece and study abroad at Oxford. Jane Austen and Emily Bronte are her favorite authors and Wuthering Heights is her favorite book. Normally, she carries her Nook everywhere she goes, and she said her favorite part about reading is "getting so involved in a book that you can experience things you never have before."

133/365

Name: Natalie
Three words to describe yourself: talkative, altruistic, driven
Natalie was born in Atlanta, and she lived in Snellville, Georgia. Her family "wanted to upgrade," so they moved to Loganville about three months ago. Photography is a big hobby for Natalie. For the past two years, she has done freelance work, senior portraits, weddings, and other work. Her website is http://www.breonahbrownphotography.com/ if you'd like to see some of her work! She is a marketing major with a minor in Spanish and would like to go into advertising. With advertising, Natalie wants to either own an advertising firm or photography studio. Currently, she works in Terry College of Business at UGA as an assistant and is the marketing chair for University Union. On top of that, she is involved with Women in Business and the Creswell Community Council. Over the summer, Natalie visited Chicago and said, "It's windy! But their pizza is really really good." I asked her where she would like to travel to, and Natalie replied with Canada because there are good photography programs available. She also describes herself as "very business savvy" and Natalie told me to put the following in all caps: "EVERY STUDENT SHOULD HAVE A LINKEDIN ACCOUNT."

132/365

Name: Starr
Three words to describe yourself: hardworking, smart, silly
Starr is from Blackshear, Georgia and her name was chosen by her oldest brother, who was six years old at the time. She is studying anthropology because she likes learning about history and other cultures. She is half-Filipino from her mother's side and still has some cousins in the Philippines. Since the age of seven, Starr has been dancing, and she is a part of the Prelude Dance Ensemble. Jazz is her favorite style because "it's not as strict as ballet . . . it's more free style." Starr's short term goal is to graduate, and her final words to wrap up this interview were, "Go Dawgs!"

131/365

Name: Trey
Three words to describe yourself: reserved, loving, easygoing
Trey is a forestry major from Blackshear, Georgia, and he became interested in forestry because his girlfriend's dad is also in the field. His family also owns timber and pine trees, and Trey thinks his career may involve timber real estate. I asked Trey if he had any goals, and he said, "To work as hard as I can in whatever I do." Because Trey likes history, he also wants to travel to Europe and visit the Louvre. I was sitting with both him and Muhammad during dinner, and Muhammad describes Trey as "the perfect mix of Southern gentleman and dirty bastard." Trey is also a member of the Forestry Team and is a Club Powerlifter. A random fact about Trey is that he has three titanium plates in his face and therefore can stick magnets on his face.

130/365

Name: Babajide
Three words to describe yourself: funny, awkward, interesting 
Babajide was born in Nigeria and he and his family moved at age of five for "better opportunities . . . and the better education system." At the time Babajide and his mom moved, his dad was already living in the U.S., and they moved to Stone Mountain, Georgia. Because he did not speak English, he had to take extra speech classes. In Nigeria, they also did not use toothbrushes or soap, so his dad had to find someone from work who would teach them how to do basic things. Babajide said that he does not remember too much about adjusting to the new culture, and everything he does know is from family stories. Like his older sister, Babajide is studying microbiology and is pre-med. He said that he is interested in medicine, but his family also wants to have a doctor in the family. Babjide also likes to draw, preferably portraits and his dream would be to "go to some island with a beautiful beach, build a hut complete with the Batman Animated Series, and just draw all day long." He is also a member of the African Student Union.

129/365

Name: Liz
Three words to describe yourself: sarcastic, charismatic, spontaneous
As a native of Augusta, Georgia, the farthest city away from Augusta that Liz has traveled to is Washington DC, for President Obama's inaugural address. Her dad was a state senator working at the Atlanta capital, and when Obama visited the capital, he asked Liz's dad to be a superdelegate for his 2008 election. Liz likes to be very involved in organizations on campus with volunteer organizations such as Freshman Forum and Shop With a Bulldawg. She also likes the stress that accompanies being busy, but she said, "I think I handle it better than most people." As a double major in political science and journalism, Liz would like to concentrate in advertising. Being like C.J. on West Wing working as a Press Secretary is her dream job. Her short term goal is to pass biology this semester, and her long term goal is to "be a momma to three boys and one girl." As a random fact, Liz and her brother are both named after their parents. Liz wanted to end her interview by saying, in the words of Robert Frost, "In three words, I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on."

128/365

Name: Daniel
Three words to describe yourself: I'm a male
Daniel is a twin from Lawrenceville, Georgia and describes the city as "not anything special, but it wasn't crazy." His brother is attending Kennesaw State and Daniel said the separation "was weird at first, but we talk to each other like every day." He is studying computer science because his dad works with computers, and Daniel enjoys the major. One of his interests is sports, with the Atlanta Falcons being his favorite team, and he is training to try out for the UGA football team. He played four sports in high school: football, swimming, tennis, and basketball. As an Eagle Scout, his project was making 200 care packages for the Salvation Army. Daniel has also been to the Dominican Republic for a mission trip and would like to hike the entire Appalachian trail.

127/365

Name: Tiffany
Three words to describe yourself: organized, detail-oriented, responsible
Tiffany is from Augusta, Georgia and describes the city as a "good place to grow up." During her freshman year of UGA, she went to a panel discussion, and one of the panelists was a marketing major. Tiffany found that marketing interested her, and as a result, she would like to do marketing for an international business. She is also learning Spanish and wants to live in a Spanish-speaking country for a period of time "to immerse in a culture." She is not fluent in Spanish, but describes herself as "proficient" in the language. Tiffany is a junior and says that she is very close to her younger sister, and they are "a year and eleven days apart."

126/365

Name: Abby
Three words to describe yourself: smiley, optimistic, hardworking
Abby is an international student from Trinidad. She loves Trinidad for its warm weather, the friendly and open atmosphere, the outspoken people, "and the fact you can be near your family and friends." Using collegeboard.com, she did a random search and chose UGA for its geology program. In high school, she studied geography, math, and chemistry for upper level testing, so Abby is majoring in geology because it was a combination of the three subjects. As a career, she would like to be either a petroleum geologist or a geophysicist. Originally when Abby thought of Georgia, she thought it was more of a "mixed state" in terms of ethnic diversity. She saw that UGA "had so many different groups on campus, but people stay with their same group," and "people aren't as adept to mix-in." She does, however, say, "They always say 'Bless you' when you sneeze. It's so nice!" Abby further explained that she has "punctuality struggles" as far as going to meetings and classes on time. In Trinidad, Abby says, that if a "serious function" is supposed to start at 9:00, the function really starts more around 9:30. She is also a Creswell RA, and she says her favorite part about the job is "getting to know the residents and being able to help them with stuff when they ask."

125/365

Name: Muhammad (Mo)
Three words to describe yourself: entertaining, friendly, colored
Muhammad was born in Pakistan and lived there until the age of ten, when he moved to the U.S for better schools and opportunities. Because he moved around the time of 9/11 and did not speak English, he said that making friends was difficult. Now he says that his excuse for everything is "I'm foreign." Muhammad wants to become a dentist because he wants to have a skill that he can use to make an impact on someone's life. He would like to go to third world countries to help, but would also like to travel all over the world simply to travel; especially to Brazil. He is a resident assistant in Creswell, and his favorite part about the job is that he "likes meeting from all over the place, hearing their story, and getting to know them." Muhammad likes to laugh, as well as make others laugh, and he believes, "The day is wasted if I haven't cheered someone up." He also loves chocolate chip cookies, with his favorite being from the Addabbo household. "They're delicious."

124/365

Name: Wade
Three words to describe yourself: pragmatic, realist, optimist
Wade is from Newnan, Georgia and has lived there for five years. Before that, he lived in Memphis, Tennessee. During this past summer, Wade was in Freshman College, and he took a course in anthropology and is now majoring in it. He is also studying history and says that he may become a professor. Literature is another interest of Wade's with Lolita being his favorite book. He also says, "I probably spend too much time on the internet," but really enjoys the organizations on campus. Wade is a member of Athens for Justice in Palestine (AJC) and the Lambda Alliance. His says that his long term goal is "to live life how [he] would like to," and Wade wants to go to Thailand; partly because Muay Thai is his favorite sport. He also has a brother and sister and describes his taste of music as "diverse."

123/365

Name: Lemona
Three words to describe yourself: spiritual, creative, helpful
Lemona is originally from Covington, Georgia, but moved to LaGrange, Georgia during her 10th grade year. She is a "5th year senior" at UGA majoring in interior design with a minor in dance. At first, Lemona was more interested in math and science but did not want to go into the medical field. Architecture was her next choice, but UGA does not offer it as a major, so interior design followed. She said that she has an artistic side which is more fun, as opposed to her math and science interests. As a career, she wants to build housing for low income families or for countries with poor quality housing. She told me that she figured out her career within the past month after she went to the "Passion Conference" in Atlanta. Lemona is Christian, and she said her inspiration "came from prayer." Last summer, she interned with Athens Land Trust, which is a land conservation organization that renovates homes in poorer neighborhoods providing affordable housing. The buyers own the house, but the organization owns the property, so if they home owners want to sell the home, they have to sell it back to the Land Trust. This summer, Lemona is going to study abroad in Italy, and she just started creating logo designs for a friend who owns a social media company. She also started making exercise part of her daily routine and has picked up the hobby of couponing.

122/365

Name: Kara
Three words to describe yourself: introvert, thoughtful, kind
Kara is from Binghamton, New York and described the city as similar to Athens. She studied English composition and History at SUNY Potsdam, and went on to complete her graduate education in elementary education in Mansfield, Virginia. While she was in school, Kara went to the residential office to look for off-campus housing, and the next day the secretary of the office called Kara wondering if she would like to have an assistantship, and eventually Kara worked in the Vice President's office. After returning home to look for a job, Kara went to a student affairs convention called "The Placement Exchange" that "was like a cattle pen," but she ended up getting a job with UGA's Department of Housing. Along with "falling into it" in grad. school, Kara gives credit for interest in student affairs to her mom, who was a social worker that always pushed the importance of education on her. Kara likes working with students and enjoys advising the residence hall councils. I asked Kara what her favorite part is, and she replied, "It's nice to see how residents have grown since freshman year." Eventually, Kara would like to move back north and become a Dean of Students working with more of the leadership aspects of a college campus, such as Student Government or Alternative Spring Break. She would also like to have a family and a family of wiener dogs. Kara is "religiously" a Glee fan, and likes Desperate Housewives, Once Upon a Time, and Pan Am. She also plays World of Warcraft "but not obsessively."

121/365

Name: Walter
Three words to describe yourself: friendly, workaholic, joyful
Walker is from Columbus, Georgia and is living his retirement in Athens. When he lived in Atlanta for a few years, he came to a few home football games at UGA and knew Athens is where he wanted to retire. He said that selling food to hungry students is "enjoyment,"  and not necessarily "work." Meeting the people is his favorite part of both his "enjoyment" and the city of Athens itself. He says, "I get to watch y'all be stressed!" When he moved to Athens, Walter said that it took him a while to get used it. He had asked, "Why are all these people waving at me?" Now he describes Athens as "one big family." Walter was in the army for seven years, and while he served, Walter was stationed in Korea, Germany, Alaska, and Hawaii. Germany was his favorite place because he got to travel to Switzerland, and he said, "It has to be one of the cleanest places on this planet . . . I loved it!" You can find Walter selling food and drinks across from the Main Library, near Baldwin Hall, and he is a member of Cornerstone Church.

120/365

Name: Milan

Three words to describe yourself: tall, dark, handsome
Milan is from "the middle of Georgia," or otherwise the city of Warner Robbins, but his parents are both from India. They moved to the States during the early 90's because it is "the land of opportunities," and as a result, Milan is multilingual, speaking English as well as Hindi and Gujarati. He still has family in India and London, so Milan flip-flops visiting either location every year, and he described Indian culture as being "more family oriented" than American culture. Because he likes math, Milan is majoring in the subject with a pre-dentistry focus; knowing that he can make a lot of money as a dentist. His goal is to be number one in something, but is unsure of what that entails. Milan has traveled to every continent except for Australia and Antarctica, and Costa Rica is his favorite place that he's been too because "you can relax and escape the world." Also, Milan is not afraid to tell the world that he likes sappy, romantic movies, such as Gone With the Wind. 

119/365

Name: Gabe
Three words to describe yourself: hardworking, athletic, diligent
Gabe is from Charlotte, North Carolina and he is a first generation American. His parents grew up in the bad parts of Ireland and they left because "there's very little opportunity to do better than your parents." His dad now owns a very successful finance company in New York and says, "Dad has done pretty freaking well." As a long term goal, Gabe would like to emulate his father, so he is also studying finance. Because his whole family lives in Ireland, Gabe has visited about ten times, but he has never seen the sights because while he's in Ireland, he is mostly with his family. He has volunteered in Ghana with a cousin at an orphanage and would like to eventually travel all over Europe, especially to Switzerland.

118/365

Name: Essence
Three words to describe yourself: loud, silly, bubbly
Essence is from Augusta, GA, but lives more on the countryside. She was born in Ft. Hood, Texas, where both of her parents served in the army, so she was an "army brat." At UGA, she is studying international affairs and says, "I'm going to be President, Vice President, or Secretary of State. That's actually my pick up line when I meet a guy . . . I ask if he would like to be my first lady." During the college application process in high school, Essence was trying to figure out what she wanted to do, and the test she took on College Board said "international relations." She thought the classes associated with the major were interesting, and she is thinking about going to law school with the intention of getting into local politics. Her real fascination, however, is criminology, but UGA does not offer it as a major. She said that she could "watch serial killer shows all day . . . maybe not, you start to become crazy." Being on "Real Housewives of Atlanta" is also a possibility for her, along with marrying an NBA player. Essence went to a fine arts high school and did ballet, musical theater, and ceramics. She has a dog at home named Coco Chanel, and after becoming President she would like to be a soccer mom with five kids. Essence said, "But don't tell my mom! I have five names picked out, so I need to have five kids." The best thing that happened to her today was seeing her best friend from Atlanta and eating waffles from Waffle House.

117/365

Name: Lindsay
Three words to describe yourself: outgoing, extroverted, compassionate
Lindsay was born in Manhattan, New York but has lived in Marietta, Georgia since she was five years old. She is a transfer student this semester from the University of Miami, and she was studying dance but did not want to make it as a career. Contemporary is her favorite style of dancing and Lindsay has been dancing her whole life; she comments, "It's not just a hobby. It's a part of my life!" Now, Lindsay is studying social work, and she would like to eventually practice disability law with the intention of creating more resources for disabled people in cities and "getting people out of institutions." Lindsay is in my Spanish class this semester, so we talked a little bit about our high school language experiences. In her junior-year, her AP Spanish class took a two week trip to Spain and described it as "the best two weeks of my life!" because she experienced it with her best friend. She was almost fluent in Spanish during high school, and would like to become more fluent. Lindsay said that she would like travel to Spain again in the near future.