Liz Mullen just might be the sweetest person I have ever met. From the first moment I met her in a connection group with SALT my freshman year, I have seen her striving to do right by everyone around her. One of the best ways to describe her is that she is “everyone’s biggest fan.” She’s always looking to build people up, and we could certainly use more of that in this world. I aspire to be as kind and beautiful and loving as my dear Lizzie.
Name: Liz Mullen
Age: 22
Grade: Senior
Major: Dance
What are your plans for this summer?
I’m heading out to Estes Park, Colorado to work at the good old YMCA of the Rockies, where I also worked last summer. I figured it would be a great start to my journey in Colorado, hopefully staying there into the fall and onward in a dance-related job.
What are you most excited for regarding graduating/being done with school?
Oh my goodness, where do I begin? I’m just so so so ready to be done with it. I think what I am most excited about is being done with the studying, homework, presentations, tests and just being evaluated and graded in the way that we are in the university setting. Don’t get me wrong, I have grown a lot and learned so much in these years, but if in our culture it wasn’t so absolutely expected to go to college, I can’t say I’m positive that I’d go.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your time at college?
Oh my gosh, I think this is my favorite question ever. The absolute biggest lesson would be: know who you are and trust it. It is so insanely easy in college to get caught up in what he’s doing, what internship she just got, what grade he got on that test, what club she’s in, etc. It’s exhausting to constantly be comparing yourself to others, and it’s sad that it’s so easy to do so in this setting because for some reason there’s such praise for being the “busiest” or what have you. You can get caught up in trying to be like everyone else that you lose yourself. And my biggest lesson was to absolutely not do this. To respect and admire what others are doing but being able to say “Hey, that’s not for me, it’s cool, but not for me, and I’m gonna go ahead and be me today.”
What is your favorite social media platform and why?
Instagram. One hundred percent. Although, lately I have been getting on Facebook more and find it quite exhilarating that you can share as many articles and such as you want without the silly stigma of “double-posting” and what not. So I guess, to be more specific, my favorite would be Instagram, minus all the crazy weird rules and aesthetic and such. But I love that it’s posting of pictures you truly love and sharing it with those you love. (And the new Insta stories though – how cool are those?) I really shouldn’t be on social media as much as I am, but I do love the voice and autonomy it gives to people – that even if someone is in a situation in which they don’t feel like their voice is being heard, they can independently post on social media and declare what matters to them.
What is your favorite thing to do all by yourself?
I have so many favorite things to do by myself, honestly. I quite love doing things by myself. I adore the people in my life, don’t get me wrong, but I love alone time, which I’m recently discovering. But my absolute favorite thing to do by myself would probably be just straight up lying on the couch for hours and watching Friends, The Office, Parks and Rec or La La Land for the millionth time. Oh and with ice cream, but I thought that was a given.
What is your go-to restaurant/food and why?
T. Bell. Give me that Meal Deal A with no avocado sauce any day. Literally amazing. I feel so strongly about this. Love you, T. Bell.
What has been your favorite memory during your time at college and why?
My favorite memory during college…hmm that’s so hard. I think I’d have to say in general my favorite memories are laughing. Laughing with the people I love most in the purest of times. Not during a get-together, or dinner, or class or anything planned, but in the absolute real moments of life that I’ve shared with my friends (and especially my dear sisters) in which we truly and purely laugh with one another. There’s such deep connection and understanding and unity that occurs in these moments and I’m so grateful for them.
What is one thing you can’t leave home without and why?
I hate to say it, but my phone. I gotta listen to that Beyoncé on the way to class and make sure I’m catching up on all the GroupMe messages with my girls.