Name: Courtney Lauryn Vignola
Age: 19
Major/Minor: Psychology with a double minor in Italian & Speech Pathology
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Bogota, NJ
HCM: Why did you decide to attend Montclair State?
CV: It’s a long story. I had originally wanted to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a Broadway star but during my college audition process my senior year, I decided that it was a love not a lifestyle. Montclair was cheap and close to home and I couldn’t afford to dorm anyway so it was the best fit.
HCM: Wow! So, how did you decide on Psychology?
CV: After deciding not to pursue musical theatre as a major, I thought of my fall back options. I thought about being a guidance counselor and the idea stuck with me until recently. I am now extremely interested in speech pathology and hope to pursue that as a career.
HCM: What is your favorite thing about the major?
CV: I am actually not a fan of my major because I hate statistics and research and all that. I was more looking forward to understanding how the mind works and how to help people. But an elective I am currently taking, Psycholinguistics, is one of the reasons why I decided to go into speech pathology.
HCM: Would you say that becoming a speech pathologist is your ultimate goal, then?
CV: Definitely. I am an Italian minor also so it’s safe to say that language, speech, and overall communication truly fascinates me.
HCM: What do you think is the most important thing you’ve learned so far in college?
CV: I have learned so far that “adulting” is difficult. I have a part time job to pay for my car. No car = no school. No school = working at Quick Chek for the rest of my life. That is not ideal.
HCM: What has been your favorite part about college so far?
CV: So far, my favorite part about college is the friends I’ve made. I go to school with a few of my best friends and making new ones is truly rewarding. Plus my boyfriend goes here too so we correspond our schedules so we can carpool.
HCM: Care for a little speed round?
CV: Surely!
Favorite song(s)? Stacy’s Mom by Fountains of Wayne, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, and anything by Fall Out Boy/Panic at the Disco/ Marianna’s Trench.
Words/Quote you live by? “If anyone ever tells you you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.”
Favorite movie(s)? “Grease.”
Favorite book(s)? Captain Underpants? I hate reading (LOL). Want me to be a stereotypical white girl? Then The Fault in Our Stars. That was the first book I’ve ever read fully and it was by force #EnglishClass
Favorite food(s)? Linguini with Clams (my absolute favorite), Cheese, Sushi, Pasta (specifically Angel Hair Spaghetti), Bacon, anything with Butter and Garlic, Eggs, Ribs . . . I am literally a human garbage disposal. My nickname growing up was “Four Course Courtney.”
Top three countries you would visit? Italy, France and Greece
Celebrity crush(es)? Zac Efron, Channing Tatum, Bradley Cooper, Aaron Tveit, (young) Sylvester Stallone and John Travolta.
Favorite season? Fall and Spring. (I am a spring baby so I am biased LOL)
Pet Peeve? Know-it-alls.
Fun Fact? I have two different colored eyes.
Hobby? Eating, cooking, sleeping.
HCM: What motivates you?
CV: The fear of failing in life. This way, I work hard so I don’t disappoint myself.
HCM: Who inspires you?
CV: My sister, my friends, my boyfriend.
HCM: Do you have any role models?
CV: Yes, my sister definitely. Also, my parents. My mom is a 5 year cancer survivor and my dad is currently battling a rare type of lung cancer. They are so strong and it is an honor to call them my parents.
HCM: What is one thing you wish people knew about you?
CV: I consider myself an open book, what you see is what you get. There isn’t much I want people to know that I don’t show already.
HCM: You’re having a dinner party and can only have five people come: who do you want there and why?
CV: If I could invite 5 people, I would invite my boyfriend, his two deceased grandfather’s, my deceased grandfather that I never had the pleasure to meet, as well as my great grandmother that we referred to as “Nonnie.” My boyfriend never got to meet one of his grandfather’s who he is named after. His other grandfather he was really close to, but when he died about 10 years ago, it destroyed him. If I could give him the chance to see them one more time, I would.
I never got to meet my grandfather but he was a remarkable man. When he came here from Italy, he went to Yale and Georgetown to become a lawyer. He served in the U.S. army and was also a missionary for an Italian organization he was a part of. My great grandmother was also amazing. When my grandfather died, she stepped into my mom’s family and helped her daughter raise 4 children. She was a fashion and wedding dress designer. She had become so successful that she even had her designs in the windows of 5th Avenue in New York City. I would’ve loved to meet her.
HCM: To wrap things up, what’s one piece of advice you have for our Montclair collegiette’s, especially our freshman starting college this year?
CV: Everything happens for a reason. If things don’t turn out the way you planned, it’s okay. The best things happen when you least expect them.