If you have been on CNU’s campus for even a milisecond, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the ever-smiling Molly Carter. I’ve known Molly since I was a freshman and have never met a more genuine, kind person. In fact, as soon as I sat down for the interview, Molly offered to buy me a milkshake because I don’t have any dining dollars. Read on to find out more about this campus celebrity.
Name: Molly Carter
Major: English and Psychology
Minor: Leadership
Age: 21
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Celebrity Crush: “There’s a whole list… Ryan Gosling, probably. I just think he’s cute!”
Campus Involvement: “Phi Mu, REACH, Currents, Pscyhology Research team, Psych student task force, and CAB.”
Hobbies: “I love to read. I love to watch movies; I’m a huge Netflix person. I love creative writing, which is why I became an English major. Those are all solitary things, but I love having good life conversations and helping people out, too.”
Did you go on the REACH spring break trip?
“Yeah, it was great! I went on the youth development trip in Charlotte, NC with Urban Promise. We basically were there to serve the organization. In the morning, we did projects for them and helped clean. In the afternoon, we helped the kids with homework, helped the kids with math and reading, and just hung out with them.”
What are your career goals?
“I’d love to be a writer, but I understand that’s not the most stable lifestyle, especially if you want to have a family, which I do. When I graduate I want to apply to graduate programs in psychology and do therapy work with families and work with mental health patients. I’d like to do freelance writing as well – I always plan on writing. As much as I like to write, I like to work with people, so I feel like I need to balance that because I do love people.”
What kind of creative writing do you like to do?
“I like fiction. I’m hopefully taking a screenwriting class next semester. I also like reading blogs and personal material about people’s lives; I like it when people write about their own personal experiences and I hope to be able to write about my personal experiences one day. I’m a very keen observer. I spend a lot of my time on the outside looking in. I’m passionate about hearing a person’s unique voice, and I think that’s why I like to write so much. I see empathy as a tool rather than a character trait. Sometimes I feel like I throw people off because of this.”
Every time I see you you’re always smiling. How do you stay so positive?
“I guess it’s because I think of it as a weapon or a survival skill for being physically impaired. I don’t believe in blind optimism or foolish positivity; I don’t want to be received as shallow or foolish. I do think that growing up with a disability you have to look at the world differently, you have to look at your challenges differently. I can’t control all the challenges my disability brings, but what I can control is how I respond to them. I choose to get up everyday and see the challenge in front of me and face it head on as best I can. Sometimes I think that when you’re negative, people pick up on that and equate that with your challenges, but if you’re positive it doesn’t embody you or take over you. People tend to judge you based on your negativity and I never wanted people to judge me like that. I don’t want to be the person that drags people. I want to be a contributing member of the community and I want to contribute and I want to succeed. I believe in being genuine and authentic.”