Name: Jamie Louden
Age: 20
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Oldsmar, FL
Major: Communications
Relationship Status: Taken
Her Campus (HC): So, let’s get the most important question out of the way first: Moe’s or Chipotle?
Jamie Louden (JL): Chipotle. I really love the guac. And I like that they put it in a bowl so you can shake it up.
HC: I do that too! You act like it’s to-go, but it’s really just so you can shake it.
JL: Exactly.
HC: Are you involved in anything around campus?
JL: I work for Campus Rec. I am a facility supervisor for IM sports. I work a lot. Currently I am helping with the hiring process for next year. As of today and tomorrow I’m doing interviews. So that’s exciting!
HC: You have power!
JL: I do!
HC: What are you currently studying in school?
JL: I’m a Communications major with an Editing, Writing, and Media minor.
HC: What do you see yourself doing with that after school?
JL: I like to say that my life is a drawing board…because I have no clue what I want to do. Maybe international law, maybe journalism school, maybe something else. There are so many different things that I could do.
HC: It sounds like you’re interested in seeing the world. Do you plan on traveling at all?
JL: I would LOVE to take a year off after school and travel Europe or Australia.
HC: Why Australia?
JL: I actually have friends over there. They live about 45 minutes from Sydney, so that would be awesome.
HC: So, is the ideal career something that involves traveling?
JL: Yes, definitely something international. I have such a strong desire to travel and see the world. I feel like maybe when I’m older I will have a desire to stay domestic, but right now I don’t at all. I just want to see everything. I don’t want to stay in once place for too long. So, maybe international law. I could be a foreign legal consultant and practice in the US and abroad. Or journalism where I can travel for each job.
HC: Are you planning on going to grad school?
JL: Some sort, probably. A friend of mine actually went to law school in Australia. I’ve definitely thought about that.
HC: That would be absolutely incredible.
JL: I’ve already racked up student loans, why stop now?
HC: I like that attitude! Have you gotten to travel at all already?
JL: Yes, actually. I’ve been to Costa Rica twice on surf trips.
HC: You surf?
JL: Not well, but yes. I spent two weeks there for two summers in a row.
HC: That sounds amazing.
JL: So amazing. When you first go there, it takes your breath away. It’s so gorgeous and there are so many different things to do. For my first trip I went somewhere so rural, they only had a pizza shop and a grocery store. Which was awesome. I actually met my boyfriend on the trip, so that was cool too.
HC: Oh wow! Does he live here?
JL: No, he lives in Jacksonville.
HC: Do you guys get to see each other often?
JL: We definitely try, but not as often as we would like.
HC: What is it like being long-distance?
JL: You have to work at it for sure. It’s not as easy as dating someone who lives where you live. It’s a lot of Face Timing, a lot of phone calls. Sometimes it gets lonely, so that definitely helps.
HC: How do you keep yourself busy? What do you do for fun?
JL: I go out occasionally. But my friends call me grandma because I don’t go out as often as others. I hang out with friends. I play with my cat.
HC: You have a cat?
JL: I have a cat. His name is LeBron. And he is awesome.
HC: So you like cats better than dogs?
JL: I’d have to say yes. Dogs are more fun, but cats are good for cuddling.
HC: What has this semester been like for you?
JL: To be honest, this is just been the hardest year of my life. The past six months have been super stressful. Hit after hit. So you just think, at some point life has to lighten up and let me just live at some point.
HC: What do you mean, if you don’t mind sharing?
JL: Well, I got in a major car accident, my Grandma died in November, and then my mom recently passed away.
HC: Oh my goodness. I am so sorry. How are you coping?
JL: I’m dealing with accepting it. I would advocate for anyone to go to the Counseling Center in the SLC. I’ve only been twice, but it’s helping me so much. They’re actual doctors. And it’s free for students. It’s helping me through it. It’s just one of those things you take one day at a time. But it does get hard when you have so much going on. Right now is Hell week with finals coming up.
HC: Do you have a good support system?
JL: Oh, definitely. I have my family and my friends. I have sisters who are also going through it. We are all kind of dealing with it in our own ways. If I wasn’t already driven, I am now more than ever. There’s nothing that my mom wanted more than to see me be the first person in my family to graduate from a university. I’m not going to lie to you though, there are days when I see a picture or something and I get upset. And that’s going to happen. Hopefully there will be a time in my life, sooner rather than later, when I just think about her and remember the happy memories.
HC: It seems like you’ve been able to look at it fairly positively. That’s incredible.
JL: Some days it’s hard to see the silver lining. Some days it’s hard to see the point in getting out of bed and not just watching Netflix all day. But I have to think of it in a broader sense. It’s making me a stronger person. You have to think bigger, bigger than yourself. I also have to think, how is mourning in a very solo way going to help my family? So, if I mourn and I reach out, that helps them and makes them feel needed.
HC: You are so strong.
JL: I try. The big word is try.
HC: Is there any advice that you would give someone going through a similar situation?
JL: Just take it one day and one step at a time. Don’t close yourself off, even if it seems like the easiest option. Utilize the people around you because they want to help you and they are there for you. Like I said earlier, I’ve been told that eventually I will be able to look back and only think of happy memories and I know that comes with time, but I also know that it will actually happen.