For our first female Campus Cutie of the year, we chose a very special girl; rarely will you find a six-foot-tall Greco-Arabian beauty like Tala Bassil. Her ocean-blue eyes are windows to her sparkling personality, and her honesty and devotion make her an amazing friend. Keep reading to learn what kind of guy makes this Greek goddess’s heart skip a beat!
Name: Tala Bassil
Year: 2015
School: Wharton 2015
Major: Leaning towards Statistics and Management
Hometown: Amman, Jordan (but spent my childhood in Athens, Greece)
Birthday: July 11
Languages: English, Arabic, French and a little bit of Greek
Extracurriculars: Dorm Room Diplomacy, Wharton Ambassadors, West Philadelphia Tutoring Project, Statistics tutor and starting Penn Rugby in a week!
Relationship status: Single
Describe yourself in three words: Tall, easygoing and pensive.
What did you do last summer? I studied abroad in Venice for six weeks. Afterwards, I went home to Jordan and interned at a public relations company.
Most memorable experience at Penn: Spending six weeks in my favorite country in the world was a dream come true. How often do you get to ride a boat to get to class in the morning?
Penn bucket list: Pulling an all-nighter for the first time in my life.
Favorite food: Cupcakes because I have quite the sweet tooth! I also love anything with pesto, especially pasta.
Dogs or cats? NEITHER. Let’s just say there are as many stray cats in Jordan as there are squirrels at Penn. As for dogs, after being bitten by one, your opinion changes…
Celebrity crush: Liam Hemsworth
Perfect first date: I want to be pleasantly surprised, but the important thing is that we do something that allows me to get to know the guy (movies are out of the question).
Favorite pick-up line: Wrong question for a hopeless romantic like me…
What is the first thing you notice about a guy? His height.
What do you look for in a guy? A person I can be myself around. Someone I can have really deep conversations with, but who is also a lot of fun. Preferably someone spontaneous and unpredictable (but in a good way).
What do you find most appealing about guys at Penn? Their ability to balance so many different things at the same time; sports, academics, social life, etc.
Do you believe in soulmates? Yes, I do believe that two people can be very compatible.
Do you believe in love at first sight? No, but I believe that you can connect with someone instantly.
Words to live by: Always live in and for the present; we spend too much time dwelling on the past and worrying about the future.