This week Her Campus spoke to soon to be graduate Basia Padlo, a member of the English Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta sister, and former worker for Penn Press. When she’s not playing Cards Against Humanity or appreciating the convenience of having her friends only a floor away, this Campus Celebrity pushes herself as both a writer and editor.
Name: Basia Padlo
Year: 2014 (Senior)
Major: English/Creative Writing
Hometown: Northeast Philadelphia
Her Campus: How has Penn influenced your life over these four years?
Basia Padlo: It’s been such a great experience. I find it hard to articulate, but these have been the four best years of my life. I’ve learned a lot about growing up and that the things you think are “end-all/be-all” in high school really aren’t that big of a deal. More than any academic experience, I’ve learned a lot about myself, and I don’t know if I could have done that at anywhere other than Penn.
HC: Do you view Penn differently now than when you first arrived?
BP: Definitely. When I was a freshman, I was super intimidated. I didn’t know many people coming here, and I didn’t know what the atmosphere in an Ivy League school would be like. It took me a little while to get into the rhythms of Penn, but now that I’m graduating, I can’t imagine ever being uncomfortable here. It’s another home for me.
HC: How did you decide on the English major?
BP:I came into Penn a pre-vet major, and halfway through my bio class freshman year, I just thought, “What am I doing?” I had a huge existential crisis. I’ve always loved everything about English and writing. I like writing, I like reading, and I like studying other writers. I read somewhere, I think it was in Stephen King’s book/memoir On Writing, that if you want to be a good writer, you have to read a lot, and I think that’s true.
HC:I know you recently finished your creative writing thesis! What was it about?
BP:I wrote a collection of short stories I titled Welcome to Mystery. It’s set in the fictional town of Mystery, VT, which is kind of isolated from the rest of the world. Things work differently there–the people are strange, the customs are strange–but it’s almost a utopia of sorts. It doesn’t have a lot of the societal pressure that the outside world has. I ended up really loving the town I created. I’d move there in a heartbeat! I decided on this topic after discovering the podcast Welcome to Night Vale and watching shows like Twin Peaks and Haven. I’ve always liked to read things that are a little left of center–a kind of twisted, weird reality with just a tiny hint of magic, and that’s what I set out to do with my thesis.
HC: Describe something unique about yourself.
BP: Well, I did meet Laird Mackintosh [Broadway actor] on Thursday…just kidding. I suppose one thing that differentiates me from my friends is my heritage. My mom is an immigrant; she and her family came from Poland when my mom was nine. My mom’s half of the family all speak Polish, and we have big Polish holiday traditions. Also, my name, Barbara, isn’t really a common American name to begin with, and then you throw into the mix that I prefer to be called Basia (my Polish diminutive), and things just get wild.
HC: It’s so close to graduation, any last minute advice to the incoming class of 2018?
BP: Class of 2018…that’s so crazy! I feel so old. Don’t be afraid to get out there, to get involved, to do anything you want. It’s not as scary as it looks or sounds, I promise. It goes faster than you think it does. Enjoy every second, because suddenly you’re coming out on the other side.
HC: What are your plans?
BP: Job hunting! I’ll be moving back into my parents’ house and sending out my resume. My fingers are crossed for staying in Philly. The long-term goal is to write. I eventually see myself holed up in a study lined with bookshelves, sitting in my wingback chair and typing away at some latest novel or another. For now, though, and for more practical of a goal, I really would love to enter publishing. I’d love to be a fiction editor. So, look me up if you’re working on a novel!
Follow Basia on Twitter @theminiononion!