Name: Kelsey Tatum
Major: Biology
Year: Junior
Hometown: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Relationship Status: Single
Courtesy: Kelsy Tatum
Her Campus (HC): What’s it like being a biology major?
Kelsey Tatum (KT): It’s definitely difficult at times. The course work can be really demanding, but I feel like there is a lot of comradery between all the biology majors. We try to work together and help each other out to get through it.
HC: What are your career aspirations with a biology degree?
KT: I would like to go to medical school to become a doctor. I don’t really know what field yet, but I definitely have an interest in infectious disease and pediatrics. Those are the two areas I’m currently exploring right now.
HC: Why did you become interested in these two different fields?
KT: I think I’ve always kind of been interested in infectious diseases. I’m taking a class on the ecology of infectious disease and it’s been very interesting to me. I really look forward to going every week. In context of pediatrics, I’ve always loved kids. I began volunteering at the Big Bend Homeless Coalition (BBHC) Hope Community when I was a freshman. I became really involved and now I go every week and play with these kids who are at the homeless shelter. They are honestly the best part of my week and I always enjoy being with them. Volunteering at BBHC keeps me going and distresses me from classes, so I really enjoy doing it.
HC: Can you tell us anything else about BBHC?
KT: There are two trips that go out every week through the Center for Leadership and Social Change. One is on Monday, which is the one that I facilitate, and there is also one on Thursday. I became a facilitator in the spring of this year, and basically my job is to take a group of volunteers out there and introduce them to Big Bend and all of the kids who are there, while helping to promote good volunteer experiences and a higher awareness of issues involving the homeless community.
HC: Wow, that’s amazing, Kelsey! What makes volunteering at BBHC every week so important to you?
KT: Definitely the people who are there. The kids that I work with are just the funniest, kindest, cutest, most intelligent kids. I think that there is a really terrible stigma against homelessness and I really want to show other people that the issue isn’t what it seems based on the things that occur in the media and what we tend to see online.
HC: When you’re not drowning in bio homework or volunteering within the community, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
KT: I love listening to music, so I definitely try to go to live music shows whenever I can. I also really like to explore Tallahassee and go on little day trips and things like that. I love going to new restaurants, so I keep a running list of the places I want to try in Tallahassee that I have yet to go to.
HC: What are your favorite restaurants so far?
KT: I really like Merv’s and the Sweet Pea Café. I’m a vegetarian, so those are the two big ones that I’m a fan of.
HC: What made you choose to become a vegetarian?
KT: I became a vegetarian when I was fourteen and I read the book Fast Food Nation for a school project. I’ve always been really sympathetic towards animals and animal rights issues and that inspired me to go vegetarian based on the social aspects involving workers, environmental aspects, and humane animal practices.
HC: Do you have any recommendations to other vegetarians or people who want to become a vegetarian?
KT: Don’t be intimidated by being a vegetarian because it’s actually not as hard as you think it might be. You need to make sure to take a multivitamin, because you might need some time to find the perfect dietary balance when you’re first starting out. I’ve been taking a multivitamin for years and it just ensures that I’m getting all the dietary vitamins and nutrients that I need, like iron.
HC: We hear you like hockey. What can you tell us about that?
KT: I grew up in Tampa as a kid and my family would go to hockey games, or I would go with my friends, or watch the games on television. I think I was 9 when my favorite team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, won the Stanley Cup for the first time and it was such an amazing feeling. I stopped watching hockey when I moved away from Tampa, but I’ve recently gotten back into it and I’ve just become completely obsessed. It definitely helps that one of my best friends is also a hockey fan, so we talk about that a lot and keep up with what’s going on in the league, etc.
HC: Okay one last question. Who’s your favorite player and why?
KT: Ondřej Palát! He plays as a forward, but also has some defensive qualities to his playing style. He’s just a very solid, reliable player and I think that we can always count on him to be where he needs to be and get the puck in the net. He was a 7th round draft pick, which usually means that he wasn’t necessarily the most amazing hockey player in the draft, but he has become a really important part of the team and I love that. It just goes to show that you don’t have to be the first draft pick to make a difference on the team.