Averie Severs is one of our newest writers at HCYU, and we are so lucky to have her. She is enthusiastic about Her Campus, and we know she is going to continue to write amazing articles. Here is her profile, so you can get to know her better:
Name: Averie Severs
Age: 19
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Relationship Status: Single
Siblings: I have both a younger brother and sister.
Major and year: I’m in my second year of Film Production here at York University.
Any Pets? I have a Yorkie named Maisie and a very old cat named Addy.
Favourite Food: Mozzarella Sticks!!
What are your hobbies?
I love to read, write, play piano and the ukulele, hike, camp and canoe.
What made you want to write for Her Campus York U?
I’m roommates with Rowan O’Brien who is also a writer for Her Campus YU, and close friends with Sam Goodyear who is one of the Campus Correspondents for Her Campus YU. They’d talk about Her Campus sometimes and I was always really interested in joining, just nervous about having to balance it on top of my coursework. When the strike happened, I took it as an opportunity to join and I’m glad I did!
What is your dream career?
I love film, so a career in film is definitely the dream. I’d love to be a documentary filmmaker in Canada, but I also love writing screenplays and making fiction films as well. I study American Sign Language at York and I’ve been toying with the idea of becoming an interpreter and somehow integrating sign language into my film career. So basically, I want to be a documentary filmmaker, who also happens to be a fiction filmmaker/writer, and also happens to be an interpreter? I don’t know. I have a lot of dreams for my future and I’d be happy with any role in film. Whether that’s an editor, director or writer. I used to want to be a teacher when I was younger, then I was going to be a dancer, and then in grade six I decided I was going to be a filmmaker. However, university has given me opportunities to explore my creativity in writing and learning sign language, and now I feel like it all needs to be a part of my future.
Who is your role model?
My dad. He went through a rough childhood and had every obstacle thrown at him in his early life. He was able to rise up and make a successful life for himself by believing in positive thinking, passion and hard work. I could only imagine having that kind of drive and success.
What are three words your friends would use to describe you?
Creative, dedicated and optimistic (at least that’s what they told me when I asked).
Do you have any advice on how to get out of writer’s block?
I often get writer’s block when I write screenplays and when I’m trying to think of ideas for film. But for any type of writer’s block I start by pouring myself a cup of tea, and having an open mind. I like to write things based off of what I know, who I know, who I am, what I feel or what I have felt. With screenplays it can be an entire story almost entirely based off of someone that I know, or a story that has just one scene based off of an actual event from my life. I am a journaller, and so if I’m really stumped I read through my journals for ideas, or I go through old pictures. I think about the people in my life. What are their stories? Could I write something loosely based off of them? If that doesn’t work I try and take in as much information and inspiration as possible. I watch a movie I like for ideas (I like that movie for a reason right?), I go on Tumblr, look at photography, think about what’s the story behind someone in a photo and build from there.
What is your favorite quote?
I don’t really have a favorite quote. However, my dad is a big one for quotes; he makes his own and recites them to me almost daily. Like the other day, he told me, “We are all students of the world.”
What book would you recommend anyone to read?
I would recommend The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I read it last summer and really loved it. I’d recommend anything by Margaret Atwood, really.
If you could pick five people to have dinner with living or dead who would they be?
Gord Downie, Lorelai Gilmore, Greta Gerwig, Gina Rodriguez and John Krasinski.
I definitely would pick Gord Downie, the late singer of the Tragically Hip as I love him and his music. I would want the fictional character of Lorelai Gilmore from Gilmore Girls to be at the dinner for sure, as she is a big ball of energy and she would make sure the coffee kept on coming. I’d want Greta Gerwig to be at the dinner as she is a woman in the film industry that I look up to and I love the film projects she has been a part of. I would have Gina Rodriguez as I love her in Jane the Virgin and as a person in general, and I’d have John Krasinski, a.k.a Jim from The Office because I love the show and his character.
So, now you know a lot more about one of our very talented writers! Don’t miss out on any of Averie’s wonderful weekly Her Campus articles! If you’d like to join her and our other talented team members, click the ‘Join Us’ tab on our profile, or visit our Facebook page.