Year: 2018
Major/minor: English, History/CWES, Public History
Hometown: Pottsville, PA
Activities: Selling books to book lovers across the world, petting dogs, bringing justice to improper grammar, and running Her Campus Gettysburg!
HC: Why do you love Gettysburg?
JS: Gettysburg has great memories for me starting in my childhood, when I’d visit the battlefield with my grandparents. By the time I was old enough to start looking into colleges, I’d already attended the CWI summer conference twice, and fallen totally in love with campus (granted, the mango-infused water at Servo helped, RIP, old juice machines!). It was so bad that I even got my senior pictures taken on campus! Since coming here, my favourite things are tied between the opportunities and the people; I’ve had more chances to do incredible things in my short time here than some people do in a lifetime, all the while surrounded by some of the best friends, professors, and general community members a girl could ask for.
HC: What is your dream job?
JS: Well, aside from being a Princess (Prince Harry, if you’re reading this, drop me a line!), I’d love to be a writer. I plan to work for the Park Service first, gather some more historical knowledge, and then meander into the world of historical writings, then eventually fiction and maybe some poetry.
HC: If you were an animal, what would you be?
JS: My friends and I often joke that I’m the human embodiment of a chihuahua (is animilification an actual concept? It should be.). The stereotype of this shaky little tiny furry thing is pretty spot on, but I can be pretty yappy when prompted. Plus, Taco Bell fire sauce is pretty much life.
HC: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
JS: Gosh, positive introspection… I’d have to say that my favourite thing about myself is that I truly care about things, whether it’s a person, a cause, or even a fictional character. Empathy’s probably my best trait.
HC: If you could have coffee with a figure from the battle of Gettysburg, who would it be and why? What would he/she order?
JS: Either James Archer or Paddy O’Rourke (I always have had a thing for ghosts, I suppose!). I could see Archer ordering his coffee black (coincidentally, my go-to drink), very lawyerly of him, while O’Rourke would obviously need some Bailey’s to make his complete!