Documenting the Wild: Desiree Allison-Towson

By Nicholas Amick, ENG 336.002



Above: Aspiring writer Desiree Allison-Towson

                 In the endless sea of college students, one would be have difficulty finding a single student who genuinely enjoys the massive amount of writing that is required at the college level. Desiree Allison-Towson stands out in this sea as a student who not only loves the pen and paper, but actually has an insatiable love for it. Born in Baltimore, MD, Desiree is the daughter of Douglas Allison, 45, and the late Karen Towson. Desiree is also one of three sisters; she currently lives with her sister Nicole, 26, in Columbia, MD. During her adolescence, Desiree’s journalistic interests began at Wilde Lake High School. Until she was a junior, Desiree’s interests were in the subject area of Mathematics, until she had a math teacher who changed her life and interests forever. “The teacher sucked,” she stated without hesitation.

Following having a less than desirable experience in Mathematics, it was not long before the former dancer and cheerleader became interested in writing. Before too long, she found herself involved in the school’s yearbook committee, where she eventually became the editor. While involved in yearbook, Desiree noticed a slow-building sense of pride that filled her whenever she reviewed something that she had written. “I felt proud of my work when I reviewed the pages,” she said. “It was like, ‘wow I actually wrote that.’” Once she established herself on the high school yearbook committee, the next move for Desiree was working for the local newspaper. Now, two years later, Desiree has big plans and even bigger dreams.

Desiree, who recently transferred to Frostburg State University to major in Mass Communications, has her eyes and her pen set on a lifetime goal. “I want to write for National Geographic when I graduate from college,” she stated. “I love animals and I love to write, so I feel that it is the perfect job for me.” Not one to be intimated by even the largest of goals, Desiree stated that she will do whatever it takes to achieve her dream. “National Geographic has an office in Georgia,” she said. “I plan to contact them and let them know that I am very interested in their company.” Desiree knows that the goal will not be easy to obtain, but is determined to work as hard as possible to achieve it.

In order to reach her lofty goal of working at National Geographic, Desiree has also been taking the time to hone her writing craft. “There’s always room for improvement,” she said. To work toward improving her skills, Desiree has been taking an abundance of writing courses; in fact, during the current semester, she’s enrolled in four different courses. The workload is so intense that she has found herself “working on four separate papers that are due at the same time.” On top of this intense workload, she has also juggled an internship at the Allegany Radio Corporation, where she wrote for their online news segment. Desiree has not been discouraged by the workload though. In fact, she is continuing to make arrangements in order to fight toward her goal. Recently, she applied for an internship in Los Angeles that focuses on writing. She has also expressed interest in applying for an internship at a zoo or aquarium in the future.

While she has not joined any writing organizations at Frostburg State University yet, she says that anything is possible. “I want to get used to the campus first,” she said. Until then, Desiree will be keeping busy with her school schedule and working toward her dream of documenting the wild.