Name: Justin Martin
Year: Class of 2019
Age: 19
Hometown: Hilliard, Ohio
Major: “English, probably?”
Campus Activities: Runs an improv group called the “Ballpit Whalers”, involved in Unity House, and Cake Party
HCK: “Hi, Justin! Though not everyone on campus knows your face, many recognize your name from your poetic and purposeful posts on Facebook. In your opinion, what is the best advice you have ever written on Facebook and what is the most valuable advice you have ever read on Facebook?”
Justin: “I feel like it’s sort of sociopathic to call your advice valuable, because usually what happens is, I get really angry about something or I feel like people aren’t thinking about something in the way that I would like them to — and then I just see if I can phrase it in a way that might strike a chord with people, and sometimes it does. I was really happy when I read an article in the Thrill about mental health on campus and I put up a post saying, “if you’re having issues with the mental health system at Kenyon, or if it’s going great for you, contact me.” I was surprised at how many people reached out! I was able to get them in touch with some support systems that I know of, so that felt good.”
HCK: “I understand you are involved in an attempt for more student accessibility on campus. Why is this issue important to you and what do you hope to accomplish?”
Justin: “There are two sides to this. 1: I am selfish, I want to do stuff. It really sucks that I can’t get into Old Kenyon or take classes in Ascension. I’m taking Intro to Philosophy now and I would like to continue in Philosophy, but their classes meet in Ascension and they would have to relocate on an individual basis from class to class. 2: I really hope that part of the reason Kenyon admitted me is a way to say, “we want more disabled students here eventually and this can work if you are disabled.” So, beyond the selfish aspect of it, I want Kenyon to be more accessible so that future students don’t have to miss out on not only the academic side of things, but also just the day to day ‘making plans with friends’ stuff.”
HCK: “How have you dealt with some of the accessibility challenges you have faced while at Kenyon?”
Justin: “If by challenges ,you mean choosing to write two papers in a row and pulling an all-nighter -” (Note: Justin’s roommate interjects to say that he actually got 4 hours of sleep that night, at which point Justin (jokingly) threatens to kill him with a cheese – covered knife)… “In terms of disabilities, there are still jerks at Kenyon, but unlike at high school, you can sort of choose who you hang around and it’s a lot easier to deal with well-intentioned stupid people when you have places full of well-intentioned smart people who you can go to to recharge afterwards.”
HCK: “What sparked your interest in English?”
Justin: “This is gonna sound really pretentious, but I believe that the only way we digest things as human beings is by telling stories. So, it’s almost like medical diagnoses are stories, history is a story, cookbooks are stories, why your girlfriend broke up with you or why you broke up with your girlfriend is also a story, so I guess if everybody interacts with stories, the real question is: what gives you the right to tell them? On the one hand, nobody is going to pay me to lift boxes, so this is an easy choice for me. On the other hand, the world is full of scary, uncomfortable stuff that we don’t like to look at so I like finding fun and tricky ways to make people look at those things without realizing that they are looking at them.”
HCK: “I know that you are also in a comedy group. How did the group form and how is a typical meeting organized?”
Justin: “Organized?” (he laughs.) “Good choice of words, there. So, there’s this improv comedy group on campus called ‘Fools on the Hill’ and I hear they are pretty wonderful and I’ll just have to assume that because their shows are located in second-floor Ascension. At the beginning of the year, ‘Fools on the Hill’ had two spots open, only there were about I’d say a dozen really talented people just in my audition. I had done improv all through high school until my senior year when I got kicked out for “being a satanist?” So I was still wanting to do improv, and there were a lot of people in that audition who wanted to do improv but couldn’t get into ‘Fools,’ so I decided to start something and that’s what we did!”
HCK: “Tell me about some of the work you guys have done!”
Justin: “So far, it’s been really terrifying, to be honest, but also really rewarding because in high school, we did what was called ‘short-form improv,’ which is like games you would see on the show ‘Whose Line is it Anyway.’ But here, I do ‘long-form improv’ which is where you get one word from the audience and then make a 30 minute sitcom with interconnected scenes based on that one word. It’s a lot closer to serious acting than short-form improv, but to give you an example it can be about cults based around Panini presses and God’s ex-wife, Susan. We also just did a story about a bride who ordered billions of dollars worth of beta fish for her wedding. It was pretty great.”
HCK: “What is your biggest pet-peeve?”
Justin: “In terms of general people pet-peeves, today someone saw me with one of my friends out in public and asked him if he was my care-provider as if there was no reason for an able-bodied person to just want to hang out with a disabled person.”
HCK: “If you were an animal, what would you be?”
Justin: Realistically, I would probably be a wounded deer stuck in a bear trap… you asked me what I would be, not that I would like to be. I feel like most people lie when they get this question — like no, Stacy, you are not majestic enough to be a dragon. I would want to be a dolphin because dolphins are allegedly one of the most intelligent mammals in the animal kingdom but, unlike me, they don’t brag about it. It’s admirable to have good things about you, but it’s even more admirable to have good things about you and keep them quiet. I also remind myself of a dolphin in that if someone put a plastic bag over my head, I would probably not be able to fend for myself and then die… so, yeah, dolphin.”
HCK: “What are your plans for the future?”
Justin: “I’m going to get my four-year English degree at the College of Kenyon and then since Kenyon does not have an Education major and I want to be an English teacher until I can support myself with creative writing, I’m going to probably go to OSU after Kenyon and get a two-year teaching certification. I also have a bunch of comic book scripts sitting on a google drive, only I can’t really draw so I’m hoping that I can find a decent illustrator. I want to finish listening to the end of ‘Hamilton’ tonight, does that count? Oh, and I don’t want to be in Ohio for the rest of my life… I’m thinking a city like Seattle, or New York, or LA.”
HCK: “Thanks, Justin. Good luck with your plans for student accessibility and I’m sure we’ll all look out for your posts on Facebook!”