Olivia Goes to Annapolis

Olivia’s Profile
By Johann Albrecht ENGL 336.003

Olivia Flisher is a sophomore here at Frostburg State University. She is a communication studies major, with a minor in public relations. She is from Middlebury, Connecticut, and is 19 years old. She also goes by her nickname “Libby”. A very interesting fact about her hometown is that it had no public school system, so she had to attend school in the neighboring town. She is the middle child of 3, with one younger brother and one older brother. Her older brother is already out of college and her younger brother has yet to decide where he wants to attend school, but he has made it clear that he “doesn’t want to go to Frostburg”. Her mother is a teacher at the elementary school that she attended. Olivia stated that when she was born her mother “almost had her in the parking lot of the hospital”. Also, her mother very much wanted her to attend the University of Rhode Island, but she ultimately chose Frostburg in order to “get away from home”. This was due to the fact that when her mother went into labor she could not get a hold of her father. Her entire family is very close, in part because her grandparents live only a few towns over.
Olivia does not watch a lot of television, but her favorite show is the Jersey Shore. Although she does not play sports, her favorite sports teams are the Indianapolis Colts, Boston Celtics, and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. She doesn’t like the Green Bay Packers or the Pittsburgh Steelers and does not plan on watching the Super Bowl.
She is a member of Zeta Phi and lives off campus here at FSU. She also works at the Bronzing Barn Tanning Salon here in town. When she is not here at Frostburg she likes to travel around a lot. Last summer she went to Germany and Austria. What she remembers best about the trip is that she took the Sound of Music Tour. She also got to see where they did the majority of the filming. When she isn’t traveling she works at a restaurant in her home town, and also interns at the St. Michaels Resort near the Chesapeake Bay. In ten years, she sees herself “married, with 2 kids living in Annapolis”.

Birds Coming From the South

The Washington Wizards have made their move at this years NBA trade deadline. According to the Washington Post, the Wizards have agreed to a deal that will send guard Kirk Hinrich and forward Hilton Armstrong to the Atlanta Hawks for forward Maurice Evans, and guards Jordan Crawford and Mike Bibby and a first round pick.

Bright Spots

During this weekend, two streaks of utter futility finally came to a close. On Friday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers, owners of the longest losing streak in NBA history (26 games), finally broke out of its funk, with a 126-119 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Tonight, the Washington Wizards defeated these same Cleveland Cavaliers by a score of 115-100 to end the longest active road losing streak (25 games) in the NBA.

The Future of Sports Delivered to You by Aaron Ware By: Josh Webb ENGL-336

Aaron Ware is an FSU student and Maryland native. He was born and raised in Springdale, MD and lives with his parents and younger sister. Ever since Aaron was young he’s been a huge sports fan and participant.

Throughout his grade school career he has played basketball, golf, and football. Aaron’s love of sports is evident by his choices in school. He originally wanted to major in pharmacy. But after writing a paper on March Madness for his English comp class his view changed. Aaron said “After I wrote that paper my teacher told me I had a knack for writing, and should consider sports journalism.” Aaron also had the pleasure of working as an intern for the Washington Wizard’s marketing department. He said “It was a really cool experience; I even got to attend the draft party.” The love for sports must run in the family, because his cousin Josh Morgan was scouted from UT to play for the San Francisco 49’ers.

Writing isn’t just a task for Aaron either. He even writes outside of his class work. NBC 4 hosted an essay contest for Black History Month in which he won fourth place. He said, “After winning the contest my essay was published in the newspaper, and I even got to star in a television commercial.” The love and skill of writing runs in his family as well, because his sister was right behind him winning the fifth place spot in the contest.

When Aaron isn’t busy with school reading, video games, and traveling occupy his time. Traveling is a big part of his family life. His family vacations at least once every year. He’s had the opportunity to see some amazing things. Looking back on some of his most memorable vacations he said, “I’ve seen some pretty cool things on our vacations, especially the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Boston Red Sox stadium.” Sporting a Toronto fitted cap he got in that very city; he explained that he’s also been to Canada. So it looks like Aaron is destined for big things. A few years from now when you’re reading Sports Illustrated, watching ESPN, or reading your local sports page there’s a solid chance that Aaron Ware will be bringing you the latest in sports news.

This is Hawa Sadat...with all the information.

By Jason McKenney ENGL 336.003

Meet Hawa Sadat.  A junior at Frostburg State University and a person who thinks about the world around her. Coming all the way from Hanover, Maryland, after attending Anne Arundel High School Hawa never intended on attended on being here in Frostburg. Her original choice was in the big apple at New York University. However, after a small mistake by her guidance counselor she couldn’t attend her freshman year there. She then chose Frostburg State University, and even though she’s had the opportunity to move on to NYU the surroundings here have kept her around. Majoring in political science and minoring in journalism, Hawa looks forward to giving out information, but not running for office. “Even though I’m in political science, I don’t want to be in politics” says Hawa. She continued saying that as young child “my focus was politics”, but that after seeing what has to be done to be a politician that it wasn’t for her. Now Hawa look forward to hitting the radio or newspapers to get her ideas out. As she looks to her inspirations and influences she cites Walter Cronkite, Christiane Amanpour, Anderson Cooper, and Stephen Colbert. She finds them all great at what they do for “letting the people decide” and for “really having guts.” Hawa doesn’t just look toward journalists as her inspirations. She finds former president John F. Kennedy as a big inspiration for being someone who “pushed the envelope.” Going into the personal life of Hawa we find she enjoys thrills, drama, and action in the films she watches citing “Inception”, “The Godfather”, and the Batman films of the 2000’s. She loves Christopher Nolan as a director finding him to be “very classy.” If there was one actor that Hawa would love to see in any movie that would be Killian Murphy. Hawa finds him to a really talented, versatile, and believable actor. Moving from movies to television, Hawa isn’t too big of a television watcher, limiting her time to “Pushing Daisies”, the news, and soccer. Other than that when there is time on Hawa’s hands she reads or heads to her friends. While she has good friends here in Frostburg, her two best friends, Rahima and Zulbykha, are at home in Hanover. Their friendship has lasted over 13 years and mainly because they connect so well that they “know exactly what I think” says Hawa. But what are friends without a family. Her mother is Russian and her father is Persian, which offers a beautiful family background. Her mother owns several daycares along with other people and her father is a Professor of Political Science, which Hawa admits may have had something to do with her major. She also has a 13-year-old brother, with whom she is best friends and a 16-year-old sister. Hawa says that she has no political affiliation. When asked what could be done to fix the problems with the country Hawa responded unity. Continuing by saying that “without unification, nothing can be healed.” When moving to the subject of music Hawa enjoys British-Indie Rock, citing The Bravery as her favorite band and their song “Song for Jacob” as one of her favorites. Looking to the future, Hawa intends to attend NYU for graduate school and then in sometime having a show on the BBC saying “I plan on living in London, if I can.” So there is Hawa Sadat, a woman with a plan.

Adventurer Gretchen Settle

By Nathaniel Moore ENGL 336.002

A prime example of today’s 21st Century Woman, sophomore Gretchen Settle has major plans ahead. Being free spirited, adventurous, and non conventional may help 19 year old Gretchen along in her quest to become head of an animation company she does not work for, but instead she owns it.

Born second to the Settle household, Gretchen is one out of four siblings. Breaking the Settler family up would be difficult to do as the family is quite close. Not even the differences between Gretchen her eldest sister, 21, could erase the bond between them. On her relationship with her only sister, Gretchen comments “we’re similar, but we’re different. She’s the party girl of the house.” Add the fact that big sister would rather a romantic chick flick into the mix, while Gretchen would rather an adrenaline rush inducing horror flick, and the two expand in differences. Perhaps it is this fact that allows Gretchen to play video games with her two younger brothers, ages 15 and 9 respectively. Though Gretchen is quick to admit that her youngest brother tells her she is not good enough to play. A younger Gretchen recalls playing Dinosaurs with her younger brothers because she believes “Jurassic Park is the best movie ever.” In fact, a Jurassic Park figurine sits in Gretchen’s dorm room.

First job experience fit Gretchen’s characteristic traits pretty well. For six years Gretchen worked as a stable hand where she cleaned horse stalls, gave hay to the horses, and swept the floors. Her love for animals made this job an easy task for her given that she felt just right, or “in her element” she says. A love for animals is something that has stuck with Gretchen for a while. Working 20 stalls might be hectic for some, but babysitting two baby twins, who Gretchen considers nephews, being a stable hand was not as intense as some might find it.

Intentionally, Gretchen’s dream for the longest time was to open her own animal sanctuary. Though she has other plans, Gretchen is very adamant about her dream animal sanctuary becoming tangible.

Gretchen’s less than traditional qualities influence more than her home life, but her desired career influences and career paths as well. Majoring in creative writing, Gretchen aims to take on Disney. “I’ve always been a writer,” she claims. Her mom is very supportive, often asking her daughter “why aren’t you published?” Throw in a love for animation as well and Gretchen’s artistic abilities show through. Though she’s not fond of just any animation company. Modern day Disney does not sit well with the creative writing major, as she feels it is less about inspiring and more about monopolizing. Her biggest influence and inspiration would be Don Bluth, who she has been following since she first saw Thumbelina as a little child. “I love him so much more than Disney. He gives ten percent more background. He’s not afraid to be darker,” Gretchen states shortly before claiming Disney is afraid to go deeper with their storylines.

Frostburg State University will not hold Gretchen long, however, as she plans on transferring to Montclair University in New Jersey sometime soon. Once done with university, Gretchen has no plans of getting married because the idea does not excite her. Instead, Gretchen plans on travelling the world being an adventurer.

Nathaniel Moore :Mass com major, journalist, adventure writer.

By Gretchen Settle

Nathaniel "Nate" Moore is a 20 year old Mass Com major at Frostburg University, originally he wanted to pursue a psychology major, but found that he preferred a track in Mass Communications with a minor in Journalism. When asked about his dream job he said, “…hopefully I can be someone’s publisher, and I can also do PR”. Nate said that he could do things like “press releases for large events”. We laughed as I cracked a bad joke about networking since our dream jobs correlated to each other. Talking further, I found that his interests in publishing and journalism are founded in the love of writing.

Nate talked about how another big dream of his would be to publish a book that people would enjoy. We talked about what makes a good book, and he talked about how he enjoyed reading Harry Potter as a kid. “I used to read a lot” he said, he went on to say that he didn’t read as much because of school but he’d like too. Nate enjoys action and adventure books, “anything non-fiction”. I asked him what made him want to write and he responded, “I had a teacher really good at their job, kinda proved it to me I really need to get published one day”.

Nate lives with his mother and his younger sister, his older sister having moved out. He said that they were, “close” but like all families though, they had their moments. I asked Nathaniel if he gets along with his siblings better now that he’s older, or if they still argue. He said that they don’t argue so much anymore, I asked him how come and he said, “We used to fight all the time, now it’s completely different, I stopped being annoying. I stopped telling on her. I stopped picking fights.”

Nate plans to move off campus next semester he said, “I like it but it’s really far from everything and that sucks”. He’s excited because he’ll be living with his two best friends. He has a job as news writing on our schools paper The Bottom Line and hopes that he can eventually write for the music section. He loves almost all kinds of music, but has an affinity for No Doubt and Lady Gaga. When asked about Gaga, he stated that,” She’s really bold, and I like that”.

Will bylines be in Raven Robinson's future?

By Samantha Wagner, ENGL 336.003

Anyone who meets Raven Robinson quickly learns she is not a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. The twenty year old is a proud Baltimore, Maryland native and passionate Baltimore Ravens fan. Until she left for college, Raven lived in the same house all her life. Now nearly, two and a half hours from home, Raven is a junior and Mass Communication major at Frostburg State University. The move from city life to the small town of Frostburg, however, was not without adjustments. The limited shopping in the area and weather were among issues she had to get used to her freshman year. Raven admits she does not enjoy the snowy and cold conditions for which the university is known. In fact, she did not believe the rumors of the town’s chilly weather until she arrived. “I didn’t think they were serious,” she said with a laugh.

Even three years later she still has not adjusted to the cold and hopes to move somewhere warmer in the future. “I don’t get to travel very often, “she stated “but I love the beach.” During the cold months, Raven likes to play video games and listen to her favorite band, Paramore. Currently, her favorite television shows are Pretty Little Liars and Vampire Diaries. When the weather is right, however, Raven loves to play softball, swim and spend time with friends. On occasional breaks during the semester, she visits her family back in Baltimore. Raven is one of five siblings, four girls and one boy. Remarkably, she shares her birthday, September 25, with her only brother. Both of her parents worked at the Postal Service until recently when her father retired. “My mother is manager now,” she said proudly. Although she does not visit often while classes are in session, she plans to go home to help her younger sister prepare for Prom later this spring.

Like many college students, Raven’s goals are merely tentative and continue to change throughout her educational career. While she discovered her love of mass communications during middle school, she confesses that her goal has since shifted from “working on camera to working in behind-the-scenes production.” Her encounter with the subject again in high school only solidified her interest and when she arrived at Frostburg, she figured she “might as well” continue the communications course. After graduating in 2012, Raven plans on attending graduate school and while California has a certain appeal, she has been researching Howard University for a more affordable option. Recently, she narrowed her career focus again to magazine production and wants to get an internship with Girls' Life Magazine this summer. She hopes the opportunity will provide her with necessary experience and strengthen her interest in the field.

Brittany Murray: The Next American Idol

By Stephanie Jones, ENGL 336.003

Born May 17, 1991, Brittany Murray, only 19 years old, is certainly one to look out for. She was born and raised in Frostburg, Maryland. She agrees with most college students in the area in saying, "there is definitely not much to do here." However, after talking with Brittany, most people would understand that there is more to Frostburg and to Brittany than meets the eye.

Although nine years apart and nothing alike, Brittany was constantly compared to her older sister Jen. "Growing up teachers would say 'Oh you're Jen's little sister.' and I'd say 'No, I'm Brittany'," she laughed. And that's exactly what Brittany has done-made a name for herself. Brittany Murray is a junior here at Frostburg State University. She is a Mass Communication major, with a professional focus in Audio Production. After joining the campus newspaper, The Bottom Line, this is Brittany's second semester publishing the music section. "Since joining Bottom Line, I want to do the whole journalism aspect too," she added. This newly sparked interest with journalism prompted Brittany to add a journalism minor into her course load.

However, journalism isn't her only interest. She is also very involved in the music world. This comes as no surprise to Brittany since her dad, whom she is very close with, was in several bands throughout high school. She even credits him saying, "Dad is probably why my musical taste is so diverse." She listens to all types of music, but her favorite artist without a doubt is Carrie Underwood. Brittany has been a fan of Carrie since she was on American Idol and has been to two of her concerts so far. "One concert was a Christmas present. I cried and screamed, and just couldn't wait to be there,"she commented. Brittany is also a fan of the show, American Idol. "If people like Carrie Underwood are on it...then Whoa, I have to watch it," she laughed.

Not only does Brittany Murray have a diverse taste in music, she is also a musician herself. She has played guitar for about five years now, and has been writing songs for a while. "I usually write about whatever is on my mind at the time...there have been a lot of relationship themed songs," she laughed. However, Brittany's talent doesn't stop there. Along with guitar, clarinet, and piano (all of which she taught herself), Brittany can also sing. She took four years of private singing lessons and was in theatre all four years of high school. She was in a lot of plays and performances but her favorite was "Cabaret, because it was so different than any of the others. I had to play a different role, like pretending to be drunk on stage. That was a lot of fun."

When Brittany isn't hanging with friends, or learning new guitar chords with her dad, many people would be surprised to know that she and her dad spend a lot of time tracing their family ancestry. Genealogy has been an interest to Brittany for many years now. Ever since her dad shared some family history that he had learned from his father, Brittany has been searching around to learn more about her ancestry. After searching around in cemeteries, libraries, public records, and birth certificates, they found that her great-grandfather was the first born in the United States. "The rest of my family is from a small town in Northern Ireland," she claims. Although she and her dad are very into tracing their family ancestry, Brittany finds it ironic that her sister, "a history major in college, wasn't into her own family history," she laughed. Brittany hopes to eventually learn more about her ancestry. She hopes to travel to Ireland one day to see where her family came from.

Melanie Cassel: An extreme environmentalist

By Ashley Burdin, ENGL 336.002
Melanie Elizabeth Cassel does not have the typical American dream. Cassel does not dream of growing up to own a traditional home in the suburbs. Rather, Cassel dreams of living in a shipping container. Cassel does not dream of the average nine to five job either. Cassel wants to go into the peace corp. Now forget the dream of owning a luxurious new car, Cassel would rather ride a bike. While most people would not prefer to live this way, Cassel claims "I'm very minimalistic". Cassel does not see the need for so many objects, and is also a vegetarian. She claims watching the movie "No Impact Man" is what got her started on being a vegetarian and recommends it to everyone. Now there is more to this Italian environmentalist than just her love for the environment. Cassel also loves to read. She even owns a nook color, however Cassel claims "I love my nook, but i still love the smell of books". and while Cassel may not have the typical American dream in mind for her future, she does want a big family. She even has the desire to adopt children as well as having her own. In her opinion, a good amount of children would be five or six. And where would Cassel love to have five or six children living in a shipping container? The west coast, Washington or Oregon state to be exact. When asked why those two states, Cassel replied, "I love the rain". She not only loves the rain and the smell of books, but she loves to dance as well. In fact, she has been dancing on a team since she was five years old. Cassel was also on her high school dance team. Along with dance, Cassel has been playing violin since fourth grade. If Cassel was not busy enough, she also held a part time job at a restaurant called chee burger chee burger. Cassel has been working at this restaurant since tenth grade and she claims "I love being a waitress and meeting new people". Towards the end of the interview when Cassel was asked what she wants to do with her life, Cassel responded "I want to make a difference".

Megan Lehew: Books, music, and magic--kingdom style

By Liz White, ENGL 336.002

Twenty-year-old Megan Lehew certainly harbors a plethora of interests and life experiences. Although she cannot wait for her 21st birthday, which will not come until November of this year, Ms. Lehew is not entirely sure where her various hobbies will lead her. One thing of which she is entirely sure, however, is the importance of family in her life. Despite her numerical age accurately reflecting her desire for independence, she remains quite close with her parents and grandmother. Their continuous support is a comforting thought as she enjoys her space from them at Frostburg State University. Of course, it is not as if there is a great deal of space between Ms. Lehew and her family when she attends classes at Frostburg. Living only 30 minutes away in Fort Ashby, West Virginia, allows her to commute to school and frequently go home to her supportive family.

While family is a significant aspect of her life, Ms. Lehew feels that her interests describe her better. "Music and literature are the two things that define me the most, I think," she claims. She is a fan of quite a few alternative genres of music including Indie, Ska, and Punk. Run, Forever! and Cobra Skulls are just two of the lesser-known bands she enjoys, but there is still just a touch of mainstream in her musical preferences. Death Cab For Cutie is guaranteed to show up in her music library, as well as any of Ben Gibbard's projects for that matter. Ms. Lehew supports local bands as well by attending shows. Her boyfriend plays bass for a local band, so going to his shows to support him gives her access to more obscure bands.

Although she listens to a cornucopia of lesser-known bands, Ms. Lehew reads some well-known authors. Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S. Thompson, George Orwell, Nicholas Sparks, and Edgar Allan Poe make up at least a portion of her favorite writers. The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower are just a very few of the books she enjoys. "Oh my God, do I love to read," she exclaims. She claims she is not talented in writing her own literature, despite being such an avid reader, but she does write nonetheless as she is a frequent blogger. Some of her blogging consists mainly of sharing various media, but she also blogs about her family and life.

Another aspect of her life is her employment history--at one location, specifically. Ms. Lehew was employed at Disney World during the summer of 2009, working as a member of crowd control. Excitedly, she relates her experiences there: "I've been yelled at in at least three different languages. I've had friends get spit on, pushed." Monitoring the behavior of the crowd on Main Street, USA, at the Magic Kingdom was unquestionably her favorite job. "Nothing compares to Disney. I loved it there," says Ms. Lehew. Even though she did not have the opportunity to dress up for her position at the Disney theme park, she did not fret. "I really never envied the people in costume because while they got to make magic in their respective roles, they had to kind of hide who they were to do so."

Jason Mckenney: Next Big Thing From Baltimore?

Too much TV will cause your eyes to get stuck to the screen and will melt your brain into mush that will ooze out of your ears. Fortunately, Jason Mckenney dodged these terrifying and crippling deformities that all our parents warned us about despite watching TV. Instead, he used it as a tool for inspiration. Jason is one of many students attending Frostburg State University. Like most sophomores he chose a major in his area of interest, Mass Communication. The 19 year old attended high school at Western School of Technology in Baltimore City MD. He has a lot of interest in television and enthusiastically expresses the reasoning behind his fascination, “Being able to produce your ideas and use television to broadcast them all throughout the country seems really cool” (Mckenney, Jason. Personal Interview. 3 February 2011). Jason decided to pursue his passion at Frostburg State University, not only because of his love for the snow but because his cousin attends as well. Currently, he produces small discussion segments on YouTube, “In my mini shows I discuss everything that goes on in the week from pop culture to politics…” (Mckenney, Jason. Personal Interview. 3 February 2011). For the future, he explains that he will not be going to graduate school, but plans to start his career through working for television stations in Baltimore. Outside of school and his major, Jason has a lot of interests and idols that distinguish him. He explains that he likes many genres of music with one specific favorite, “I am a very collective person but If I had to choose I would say my favorite genre of music is R&B” (Mckenney, Jason. Personal Interview. 3 February 2011). His favorite Artists include: Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Beyonce. Because he is so interested in television, his preferences in actors, movies and TV personalities is a curious matter. He reveals that his favorite actor is Eddie Murphy who he describes as, “A versatile actor who can play both dramatic and [comedic] roles” (Mckenney, Jason. Personal Interview. 3 February 2011). He also has many favorite movies that include: Liar Liar, Dream Girls, and Wizard of Goonies which tells the story of a group of gutsy boys who are being forced out of their home and decide to go on one last epic adventure. Naturally, his major idols are TV legends Walter Cronkite, for his great coverage of the JFK assassination, and Lucille Ball, who he admires for being funny even through her severe life struggles, like a difficult marriage and being publicly accused of being a communist, which she was able to overcome.

When not at school, Jason lives with his Mother, who handles stocks for a living and his Father, who is a retired postal worker. He has both a younger brother who is 14 and older brother who is 30. He describes his relationship with his sibling as “pretty good, except for when my younger brother wants to tag along with me everywhere…it can get annoying” (Mckenney, Jason. Personal Interview. 3 February 2011). He also enjoys spending time with his best friends, Steven and Simone, who understand him very well. In ten years, Jason hopes to become a well known game show host or form some sort of career in television.

Sara Maricle: From the Beach to the Mountains

Sara Maricle: From the beach to the Mountains?
By: Tim Ebron

Sara Maricle was born March 27th in Point Pleasant New Jersey. Sara moved to Caroline County, Eastern shore Maryland when she was five and still calls it home. Sara is of Italian and Cherokee Indian decent. Sara has one older brother who is 23 and works as a canine cop in the Marine Corps. Sarah comes from a loud Italian family, “If were not picking on you, something is wrong.” Sara is a tall girl with long straight brown hair, she wears glasses, and had on blue jeans and a red sweatshirt during my interview with her.
When Sara was in high school she took an interest in cosmetology and “I got my cosmetology license when I was seventeen.” Sarah decided to attend Frostburg because she “wanted to stay in Maryland, and still be far from home.” Sara is currently a sophomore at Frostburg, and is a declared business major with a concentration in entrepreneurship and human resources with a minor in public relations; “ultimately I want to open my own spa or salon.” Sara is also part of Delta Sigma Pi here at Frostburg and the vice president of professional activities. Sara really enjoys reading, drawing, browsing facebook, and listening to music. She loves all types of music but usually listens to 80’s classic rock and country. Her favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird and her favorite Author is Stephen King. Sara would really like to go to Italy one day and although she is Italian she rarely eats Italian food because “Dad isn’t really into it.”
Sara suffers from PCOS and Epstein-Barr virus which is essentially a form of mono that you never get rid of and due to her illness spent her sweet 16 in the hospital. Sara loves to travel and has been to Canada, Georgia, and Texas. Sara grew up 20 minutes from the Jersey shore and visits often because she misses it. “I miss New Jersey but, I’m glad I came to Maryland because if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have the friends I do now”. During the summertime Sara enjoys driving down to Assateague Island in her Jeep with her best friend Crystal Wells and her boyfriend Andrew Skinnard as well as hanging out with friends, and going to concerts. Lastly, when asked if she had any regrets Sara responded with this “I do not have regrets because everything I’ve done has made me the person I am today”.

Big Dreams

Magdala Louissaint (on the left in picture), known by friends as Maggie, is a student at Frostburg State University. She was born on March 30, 1991 in Prince George's County, MD. Having lived in PG County for nineteen years, Louissaint has grown up with a close group of people. Living in an urban area, there was always a lot to do including many close malls and places to eat with her friends. Louissant was very involved in high school being a part of the choir , yearbook staff, newspaper, and also played volleyball. When I asked about her family i was surprised to find out she was the only girl with three younger and three older brothers. For growing up with all brothers, Louissaint was very well put together and not at all a "tom-boy" as would be expected in her situation. She does not have any pets and is afraid of dogs due to a frightening encounter when she was younger. Louissaint and her cousin were chased by a German shepherd, and while running down the sidewalk to escape, her cousin was nipped on the butt by the dog. Since then she has a hard time trusting dogs.

Growing up, Louissaint was always the social girl who brought friends together. To her friends she is known as Momma Maggie because she is always looking out for them and wants whats best. Hanging out with friends is when she is outgoing and loves to be loud. Louissaint doesn't care what people think about her and says, "I'd rather be original than a copy." Being a social person, she loves to go out and meet new people. Social networking on Facebook and Twitter take up a lot of her time, as well as surfing the internet for new facts and things.

Louissaint is studying mass communications at Frostburg as a sophomore, with a minor in journalism. Having an interest in news and world events, she wants to be a news anchor for Fox 5. She also has big planes to live in New York to work with Good Morning America and one day have her own show. This might include some traveling which Louissaint loves to do. She has already been to New York, New Jersey, and Florida because she has family in these ares. Also Louissaint visited Haiti when she was about five, where she got sick. "I think I drank from the faucet when I wasn't supposed to," said Louissaint thinking back to the trip. Although she plans on maybe transferring to Towson University, right now she is enjoying her time at Frostburg state where her bestfriend from home is now her roommate, living with her on campus in Frederick Hall.

Josh Webb: From Texas to the "Burg"

Josh Webb is 21 years old, and is currently a sophomore here at Frostburg State University. Josh was actually born in Lubbock, Texas, home of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Josh is the oldest of his siblings as he has two brothers who are eighteen and eleven. At the age of eight, he and his family moved to Frederick, Maryland. Six years later, his family would make another move, though not as far, to Hagerstown, Maryland. According to Josh, "this was the most difficult move to make" .During this period of time, Josh played basketball for his middle school team.

Following high school graduation, Josh decided to postpone going to college for a year in order to earn some money by working. After that year, Josh was prepared to further his education. The school he chose was Frostburg State University. When I asked him why he chose Frostburg, he told me that: he liked the fact that it was a small school; the school was only an hour away from home and a half hour away from his place of employment; and a lot of his friends that went to high school with were here so he would already know people when he arrived on campus.

Josh’s hobbies include playing video games, hiking, skating, and tossing the Frisbee around with his friends. He also enjoys surfing the web and visiting his favorite website which is www.postsecrets.com. Josh’s favorite brand s of clothing include American Eagle, as well as LRG .When Josh watches T.V. you can bet that he is watching “Adult Swim” on Cartoon Network, or the hilarious comedy “My Name is Earl”. When I asked josh if there was anywhere in the world that he would like to visit, he informed me that he always wanted to visit the city of Toronto, which is located in Canadian province of Ontario. In addition to Toronto, Josh also said that he would love to go visit the beautiful continent of Europe. When Josh is not on his way to class or studying for a quiz, he can be found at at the Papa John’s in Cumberland, MD where he is currently employed.

While here at FSU, Josh intends to major in Elementary Education, with a specialization in Language Arts. He then wants to get his Masters in teaching to further his career. So if you have kids one day, and you are looking for a good English teacher for them, look no farther than Josh Webb.

Katie McAuliffe: From Ireland to the States

Katie McAuliffe was born on November 21, 1987 in Waterford, Ireland; which is in southeast Ireland. Katie is studying abroad at Frostburg State University along with ten other students. She normally attends Mary Immaculate College in Limberk, Co. Limberk, Ireland. She is a junior but in Ireland they say that there in their third year, and she majors in English and Mass Communication. While at Frostburg State, Katie is taking an acting class and guitar class. Back at home she was a part of the music society, her grandfather is big in singing. Her first Language is English but she can speak Irish. That was a big language for her to learn because she does live in Ireland, in high school she did take up another language which was French.

Katie is one of three children. She has an older brother, 22, and is in college and a younger sister, 16, who is in high school. Her father is a police officer but in Ireland it is called a guard, and her mother is a manager at a swimming center. She gets along with her family. They are a Catholic family. People being Catholic is dying out in Ireland with the new generation, you cannot be married if you’re a priest or nun. Some of their biggest holidays are Christmas, Halloween and of course St. Patrick’s Day. I asked her are leprechaun’s real and she said laughing “No not really, it’s a myth, it’s only big in America.” She also said “There are no Lucky Charms in Ireland because it’s too sugary.” Her job back at home is at a children’s play center, it is a pirate theme and kids go there to bowl, mini golf and do other activities. Katie use to play Camogie and Gaelic football, which are Irish sports, and an all-Ireland swimmer. She also danced; Irish dancing, hip hop, tap and ballet, but she gave them all up. She still sometimes dances. Katie likes to party just like any other college student. In Ireland their legal drinking age is 18 so that was a bit of a shocker but she is 21. She likes all types of music except techno and heavy metal. Some of her favorite groups are The Script, Michael Bubble, and Take That, when she goes back home she is going to see them in concert.

Katie loves being here in America and at Frostburg State University, but she is trying to get use to the weather. Ireland does not get as much snow as Frostburg gets, but they do get a lot of rain. She does not like the food here because it’s just different; back at her school in their cafeteria they do not have a buffet style. Also they do not have dorms. On her flight to America, it was 8 hours long. They landed in Washington DC, which was her first time being there. Instead of having a green card, they were given a visa card which lasts until May. But they have a month grace period where she and the other 10 students are going to go traveling. She wants to visit New York. Katie has also traveled a lot. She has been to Paris, France to go to Disneyland, Spain, Germany, and Italy. She participated in a student exchange where she visited Nantes, France.

Plan your next party/event with Tim Ebron!

By Sara Maricle ENGL 336.003

Tim Ebron was born in Montgomery County on September 6th. Tim still lives in Montgomery County and is currently 21 years old, a junior at Frostburg State University, and has two younger siblings, a younger brother (18 years old) and a younger sister (16 years old). When asked how does he feel about being the oldest of three, he says "It has its perks... it's tough cause you have to set the example and constantly watch out for your younger siblings."

Tim went to Seneca Valley High School. He played for his high school soccer team for one year, despite playing soccer longer. Tim was also part of the diving team for Seneca Valley and really enjoyed it. However, Seneca Valley High School had a bigger impact on Tim Ebron's life. He had a teacher who went to Frostburg State University and that teacher was his favorite teacher so he decided to check out FSU and ultimately decided to continue his education at FSU. Originally he was a psychology major but then changed his major to education. Despite changing his major twice, he changed it one more time. Tim said that he is "really interested in mass communication and public relations," and that is why he changed to that major and minor. During the summer, he works at KidsCo and as a server at Ruby Tuesday but he ultimately wants to become an event planner and move to New York when he graduates.

When he is not busy with school work, Tim can be found hanging out with friends and during the weekends, he likes to go to the bars with his friends. "I LOVE to party", enthusiastically saying when asked what his hobbies were, including buying clothes and shoes. Besides partying and shopping, he is "addicted to networking; Facebook, BlackBerry, all that.". He is also obsessed with sushi and loves Chipotle, emphasizing how great they are.

To the Past and Back: with Carson Mackie

Logan Hubert

ENGL 336.002

Carson Mackie is a 21-year-old sophomore at Frostburg State University, who resides in Cumberland, Maryland and is majoring in History. He grew up in Western Maryland and was raised in a Christian household.

He graduated from Fort Hill High School and always has had a passion for the past. From different books that he read, to various video games and movies he would watch. A couple of his favorite films consist of Casino and Goodfellas. “I really like the style and the way the cars looked back then,” said Carson. “I feel like rags to riches stories in Early America are really inspirational.”

When it comes to reading, Carson particularly enjoys books about Ancient Rome and the Greeks, Winston Churchill, and anything about wartime because he says it’s a “defining time in history.” In his free time, the Cumberland native enjoys playing first person war games such as Bad Company and Call of Duty. He also loves to ski, which he started doing when he was five years old with his Dad at the Wisp Resort in McHenry, Maryland. He said that it was one of his best memories and that “it was awesome!”

His favorite music is primarily from the 60’s and 70’s ranging from The Doors to The Beatles, and even to Jimi Hendrix. Mackie stated that, “newer music is a lot more depressing these days.” He has never been to a concert because most of the musicians he follows have either deceased or are not touring anymore. Some of his favorite television shows are The Daily Show, The Root of All Evil, and V. Carson said, “I like to watch comedy shows on TV and action in movies.”

Carson has visited Canada, New York, Philadelphia, Miami and the Bahamas twice with Miami being his favorite. “I really liked the beaches and how warm it was there” he stated. He also said that he wants to either be working in a historical museum or teaching high school students about history within the next five years. From my short time with Carson, it seems to me that anything he puts his mind to, he will definitely accomplish.

Jessica Growden: Modern Day Renniasance Woman

In America's tough economy its become more important than ever for college students to be well rounded in order to compete in the job market once they graduate. One student who wont have a problem adjusting to post college life is Jessica Growden. Jessica, 21, was born in Virginia but moved to Cumberland, MD at the age of 4 and she is a proud graduate of local Allegany High School. Jessica admittedly had little interest in college following high school, in fact Frostburg State University was the only college she applied to. She describes her experiences as an FSU commuter student as "day to day". Jessica, a Senior, majors in Liberal Studies and double minors in Cultural Anthropology and Philosophy. Jessica was recently accepted to Lincoln Memorial University's Duncan School of Law in Tennessee but hasn't yet decided if she will attend. Aside from being a student Jessica has held a number of interesting jobs including that of a tour guide, a hotel clerk, and a teaching assistant. Jessica had a hard time deciding which job she liked the most, stating that "all my jobs are my fav(orite)". In addition to her diverse work history Jessica also runs her own business, Bodmin Massage. There, amongst other things, she is an equine sports massage therapist or in simple terms a horse masseuse. Her company works on a variety of animals from horses to cats and dogs. One day Jessica hopes she can have the opportunity to work on a dolphin. Jessica loves animals and has been riding horses since childhood with no formal training. Ironically enough Jessica does not own any pets and stated that she did not have a desire to own a horse. Jessica's childhood was not limited to riding horses she also began acting at age 7. In her most memorable role she was cast as Scout in a semi professional production of To Kill A Mockingbird and her performance garnered praise from the local news. Jessica can also add globetrotter to her impressive list of titles as she is also an alumni of the People to People Student Ambassador Program. During her trip she got to travel to Italy, France, Spain, Monaco and Vatican City. Despite having experience in many different fields Jessica is uncertain on just exactly what she will do once she graduates. What is certain is that Jessica will have a multitude of options once she receives her diploma.

Stephanie Jones: Educating our youth

By Brittany Murray, ENGL 336.003

Stephanie Jones is a 19-year-old sophomore majoring in Early Education. After moving around the state of Maryland, her family settled in Hagerstown, where she has lived since middle school. She has two older half brothers, a sister who is 21, and a nine-year-old brother.

Growing up, Stephanie and her sister enjoyed playing school. Stephanie loved going to school and would often be upset when it would close due to weather. A fan of the movie Matilda, Stephanie says, “I wanted to be Miss Honey.” Her favorite courses were Language Arts, English, and “anything to do with reading and writing.” Stephanie knew that if she was so passionate about school, she should become a teacher. Throughout high school, Stephanie was active in cheerleading, dance, softball, Best Buddies, National Honor Society, and Student Government. She was also the editor of her school yearbook and senior class president.

Although her sister attends Hood College, she was originally going to enroll at Frostburg. When her family came to visit the campus, “it was fall and very gorgeous.” Stephanie liked the small campus and the fact that everything is close. Other schools that she considered attending were overwhelming. Frostburg’s cheerleading program was something she wanted to be a part of, but it would not be her main college experience. At FSU, Stephanie would have “the chance to do both school and cheer.” Cheerleading has also given her the opportunity to travel to Walt Disney World for the College Cheerleading and Dance National Championship.

Stephanie loves music. She listens to “a little bit of everything,” but admits that she is not a fan of rap. Although her music tastes are diverse, “if I had to pick, country would be my favorite.” She is a very big fan of Keith Urban, but has not been to see him in concert. She is hoping to see him this summer at one of his numerous Get Closer tour dates.

Many people would be shocked to know that Stephanie was born three months prematurely, weighing about two pounds. Her mother’s difficulty in labor is why her parents waited 10 years to have another child. Despite the age difference, Stephanie is very close with her brother, but admits, “He’s a handful.” She says, “The hardest part of going away to school was knowing I wouldn’t be there to help him.” She is also close with her mother, who she says, “is like my best friend. I can talk to her about anything.” Her father, however, is “a little old-fashioned.” He may not know much about dance or cheerleading, but he was always at her softball games and gave tips, as well as support.

Perhaps a good relationship with her parents is why Stephanie is a well-grounded girl. She is not into partying, though she does sometimes like to make fun of how drunk others get. She has found that there is not much else to do in the Frostburg area, but cheerleading and school keep her busy.