Basic Info:
Cutie: Gina Russell
Year: Senior (thankfully)
Major: English
Heritage: A mess of things, but predominately Polish, Irish, and Italian
Hometown: Mount Greenwood, on the southside of Chicago
Campus Life:
Local or Commuter: Though I was a commuter for three years, I now live near UIC off-campus.
What are you involved with on campus: I’m the Co-Editor here at Her Campus UIC. Sometimes I write articles in between homework and sleeping. I dabble in writing for UIC News as well.
What is your favorite thing about UIC: Through and through, I just like being in the city. Even after twenty-one years living here, I still just cannot get enough of Chicago. Just last week I was walking down a street in Ravenswood, and the colors on the trees were so vividly beautiful that I couldn’t help but think “This is the kind of place that people write poems about.”
What is your least favorite thing about UIC: That our school never officially closes, that classrooms are either negative twelve degrees or a sauna, that all of our apparel is overpriced, but all in all, I don’t hate the place.
Who is your favorite professor at UIC: I fall in love with just about every English professor I have –male or female– so I’m a little biased. But to name a few: Professor Thomas is incredible if Shakespeare is your thing, Professor Whalen changed the way I interpret literature, Professor Canuel is brilliant, and I’ve never had the pleasure of being able to take his class, but Roger Reeves is an amazing poet that I swoon over.
What are your plans after graduation: Good question. Some days it’s clear to me and I’m confident, others not so much. I’ve mulled over a plethora of possibilities: hopping into the work force, attempting grad school, law school (that thought lasted two weeks), teaching abroad, etc. At this point, your guess is just as good as mine. Writing and passion are the constant. I’m hoping things just fall into place after that.
Fun facts:
If you could have any power for an entire day, what would it be: I would love to read people’s minds, but I’d abuse that power way too much to be a contributing member of society.
What’s your favorite quote: This one’s tough for me because words are the love of my life. So I’ll throw this one to good ol’ Uncle Walt with an excerpt from one of his poem’s titled “O me! O life!.” It goes,
“That you are here–that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.”
One interesting fact about you: I struggle with having the self-confidence to eat apples in public.
Describe yourself in three words: Sarcastic, clumsy, feministic
Love Life:
Single or taken: Single
Celebrity crush(s): Ezra Miller, Jack Kilmer, Andrew Hozier-Byrne. Basically any guy who can fit his hair into a bun and appears disheveled. Odds are, I’m into it.
What is your deal maker: Similar and/or matching humor, that’s the common denominator I strive for.
Describe your ideal boyfriend/girlfriend? Jim Halpert. That just about sums it up.
What is your deal breaker: Pretentious nature and inability to laugh at oneself. In my experience, these two typically go hand in hand.