Q: Why did you decide to come to Sewanee ? What influenced your decision ? What do you love about the school ?
I had heard about the Young Writer’s Conference when I was in middle school, but it always conflicted with my Student Council camp so Sewanee sort of fell to the back of my mind until my friend from high school, Madison, started going here. I visited her on Experience Weekend and fell completely in love. I knew this was the only place I would be happy. I only applied to two schools because of my visit and I knew I wouldn’t be happy unless I was on this mountain. Since then, I have never regretted my decision. Sewanee has made me a stronger and more confident person. It’s allowed me to grow and to take the risks that I never would have anywhere else. The people here are unlike any other. It’s refreshing to be with students that take their academics seriously and enjoy challenging themselves. The community here is incredible, too. I’ve met some amazing people with amazing stories.
Q: Tell me a little bit about your photography. Why do you do it and what created this passion?
I’ve always loved photography because it was really the only art could do. I used to draw and paint, but could never get what I saw in my head onto paper. With photography I am able to take the way I see the real world and show through my eyes. I used to be a sports photographer, mostly. In high school I took pictures for my school’s sports teams and later interned at the University of Tennessee as a sports photographer which was a really amazing experience. I got to be on the sidelines and dugouts of a D1 team which was really incredible. Now I mostly photograph people. I love capturing people in their best light or in the way I see them. It makes me happy to make others feel beautiful. I’ve started a portrait series about my sorority called “Goddess” that I update often. It’s partly a way to show off my amazing sisters, but also a sort of self-portrait, if that makes any sense.
photo by Kimberley Williams
Q: Tell me about Bonner life. Why does it brings so much joy to your life?
I could go on about Bonner literally forever. I work at three sites right now: The Community Action Committee, Food with Friends, and Imagine Franklin County (a high school club at FCHS). Being a Bonner is a lot of my identity now. I love building relationships in the Sewanee and Sherwood communities. There are so many things that we as students never see that go on within the borders of the Domain. The stories and experiences that the people that have lived in Sewanee all their life have are so different than those of the students. Being a Bonner and working with community members so often makes me see the Gown and Town divide very clearly, but it also affords me the opportunity to try to break it down. I love getting other students involved in the work that the CAC and Food with Friends does.
Q: What other organizations or activities are you involved in on campus?
I am an Assistant Proctor at Benedict, a job that I absolutely love. The freshman I work with are incredible. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people. I’m also a member of Alpha Delta Theta and the Multicultural Outreach Board.
Q: What impact do you feel you have made on campus?
I don’t really know what kind of impact I’ve had on campus. I hope a good one! I’d like to think that I’m helping the efforts to tear town the barrier between students and other members of this community. I just want to make people happy while I’m here.