What Students Really Say About Farmington


What is your major?
English, but I'm planning to switch into Secondary Education - English and Language Arts.

Why are you switching majors?
I decided that I'd rather use my passion for writing as a tool to teach others.

What was your childhood ambition?
When I was in sixth grade I was determined to become a radio DJ one day, which is kind of funny because now I'm involved in the radio station here [WUMF 100.1FM]. I'm the station's Assistant Music Director.

What do you think of the radio station here?
It's pretty excellent. It's been a great experience, and I'm really glad I got to fulfill that childhood ambition of mine.

What's your fondest Farmington memory?
I'd have to say the fund-raising event I helped organize for our college radio station that raised money and food for the local food pantry. It was for a great cause, we got a lot of food donations and we had a lot of fun doing it.

Who do you like for music genre or a particular artist?
I listen to a lot of different types of music -- mainly alternative, ska, some jazz, hip-hop. My favorite genre would be the whole riot grrl movement, like, kind of feminist music. Bands like Bikini Kill and LeTigre.

What's your wildest dream?
I know I'll never do this, but I've always had this dream of moving to Hollywood and becoming famous. I think everyone has that dream secretly.

Have you ever thought about doing a national student exchange?
I've thought about it, but I don't know if it'll work with my major and graduating on time. But I'm definitely hoping that I can go to Japan for a few years and teach English there.

What was your proudest Farmington moment?
I'd say it was last year at the student leadership banquet, when I received the award for WUMF. It meant a lot to me. I was just a freshman from this really small town in Maine and here I was being recognized for my contributions to this student organization -- the biggest student club on campus.

What do you live for?
I live to help others, but that sounds really cliche. That is what everyone does. So I guess I live to help others understand English in the way I do.

What's your biggest challenge?
Some of my classes are a lot harder than I presumed. Sometimes I just don't feel prepared. I just study really hard to overcome that.

What has been the best class you've taken?
I'm currently taking it - Writing and Teaching of Writing with Dr. Overstreet [associate professor of literacy]. I'm always looking forward to going to that class because of the way it's run. We have the best discussions and we always have these amazing writing assignments where we share our writing with each other. It's just a really good class to take.

Who is your mentor or hero?
Again, I'd say it's Dr. Overstreet. She has taught me so much and I've only been in her class for a short period of time. I also took my freshman seminar class with her. She's just amazing at what she does.

How about overall?
Probably indie rocker, activist, and 'zine writer Kathleen Hanna. She sings and writes about feminism and spreads the word through different types of media in order to reach and influence many, many people.

What's your guilty pleasure?
I think I go to the campus Snack Bar too much. I guess that would be it. I go to the UMF Fitness Center every day, too, but I always find myself at the snack bar later that night ... which just makes me feel stupid. I spend so much time at the campus radio station and the Snack Bar is just down the hall. I just can't help myself. [laughs]

What is your perfect day?
I think a perfect day would be spending it with people you care about and just having a fun time, just worry free.

Do you have a secret talent?
I can speak Japanese. A lot of people don't believe me because when they ask me to say something in Japanese I freeze up and I can't. But when I go to Japan, I pick it up very fast.

How often do you go to Japan?
I go there just about every other summer.

Do you have a secret indulgence?
Well, I'm really into in the world of feminism and learning more about it. It sounds like I'm more passionate about feminism than anything else, but I'm also passionate about the writing world and finding new books and learning more about literature every day.

So, what's your favorite book?
Wow, it's so hard to choose ...I'd have to say "White Oleander," by Janet Fitch. It's a coming-of-age story about a young girl who gets separated from her mother and is placed in a series of foster homes. It's just an interesting tale, really sad, but it also makes you realize your own life isn't that bad.

What is your inspiration?
Whenever I go to write a creative piece, I sometimes think of my own life experiences and create a wild exaggeration of it. I go overboard and create a bunch of scenarios so it ends up not being my life story at all. Other times I make up stuff that sounds cool [laughs]. Hey, that's why they call it "creative fiction," right?

Why did you choose Farmington?
Well, when I was in high school I had a friend who had recently graduated from Farmington and he suggested the school to me. At the time, I was really unsure of what I wanted to do. My parents wanted me to be a computer programmer but I knew that wasn't for me. In high school I was really into literature and writing and my friend read some of my creative writing and said thought it was really good. He told me about UMF and said it had a really good English program, so I checked it out and kind of fell in love with the place when I visited in-person. And so ... well, here I am!