Name: Veronica Eres
Age: 19
Year: Sophomore
Major: Classical Guitar
Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee
Her Campus (HC): Why do you refer to yourself as Veronica Mars?
Veronica Eres (VE): My honest answer? I actually just don’t want to be found on the Internet, as weird as that sounds. It’s pretty scary how people can just look up your name and find out all of these things about you. I don’t like that. But other than that, I really like the show Veronica Mars, and I can really relate to the main character, Veronica. She’s so badass and sassy. Kind of like me. She has all of these admirable qualities that I want to have. She doesn’t take crap from anyone and she’s awesome at figuring things out. I strive to be like that when I’m older.
HC: So you’re majoring in classical guitar. What’s that like?
VE: It’s really interesting and a lot of fun. It’s what I want to be doing more than anything else. It isn’t your average major and it demands a lot more than people think, so I have to constantly be on my toes. You work your butt off all the time.
HC: Wow, that sounds demanding. How do you manage your time?
VE: I have a pretty strict schedule that I have to keep to. I’d like to think I’m pretty good at time management. I budget my time every day and I plan the stuff I need to do around that.
HC: What do you love about playing guitar?
VE: There are so many reasons… for one, I love the sound of it. I like how it feels when I pick it up in the morning to play it. I played violin for a good ten years of my life and ended up switching to guitar just ‘cause it just really wasn’t my thing. When I picked up the guitar, I knew it was my chosen instrument. I also love it ‘cause of the Eastern European repertoire, and since I’m Eastern European I can relate to it. I really like Spanish music, and knowing how to play the guitar gives me the opportunity to play it. I also love performing. It feels great to make people happy. It connects me with the audience in a way that I wouldn’t know how to do otherwise. It’s a way you can express your emotions without having to talk, and I’m not very good with words, so guitar is the perfect replacement.
HC: How does it feel to live in a dorm where everyone shares the same music major as you?
VE: It’s really nice to be surrounded by people who do the same things as me. We share the same activities and have the same problems, so I can relate to them. It kind of sucks, though, because last year everyone who lived there was in the same grade as me – we were all freshmen – and now that we’re sophomores, everyone left to live in apartments, so I don’t have as many fiends who live here. But in a way it’s cool because I can be like a mentor to the younger students.
HC: What do you do on your free time besides practice guitar?
VE: I go to the gym a lot. I run. I Love running. I read. I’m currently re-reading the Harry Potter series. Reading relaxes me after a long day of stress. Oh, and speaking of relieving stress, I do yoga. Yoga’s awesome. I’m still kind of a beginner, but I’m getting better. I practice it for a little everyday. I also like listening to music – any kind. I really like Flamenco. There’s this Brazilian Samba called Bossa Nova that I currently really love. On the other hand, I like rap. (Chuckles) Anything that sounds good to me on Pandora honestly. I also like a lot of classical music and symphonies.
HC: So you’re from Tennessee. Do you miss home? What do you miss most about it?
VE: Yes, I really miss home. I mainly miss the mountains and the beautiful views. I miss being able to walk outside and just be surrounded by trees and forests and mountains. I miss the snow that comes with winter. I miss driving along the long hilly roads. I miss the hardwood floors of my house – is that weird? Oh yeah—and I miss my family a lot too. Spring break can’t come soon enough.
HC: How was studying abroad your junior year of high school?
VE: It was so much fun. There were a lot of ups and downs, but overall it was a great experience. I went through a lot of emotional changes. There were a lot of difficult cultural barriers that I had to overcome. It was the first time I had to figure stuff out on my own, without my parents. I loved making new friends who spoke different languages. The train systems are crazy to figure out. Overall, it was the best year of my life, and I recommend it to anyone who’s thinking about it.
HC: What are your plans after graduation?
VE: I want to go study abroad again for a few years. I want to go to grad school in Italy or Switzerland or Spain. I’d love to recreate that year of my life when I studied abroad. I ultimately want to just travel as much as possible and learn as much as I can. And as for what I want to do after those years – I really have no clue.