Q: Where are you from?A: I am originally from northern Virginia, but I moved to Philadelphia when I was nine, so I claim Philly.
Q: What is your major?
A: I am in English with a concentration in Literature track in Secondary Education, and a minor in Spanish.
Q: What year are you?
A: I am a senior! I graduate in May.
Q: What are your literary strengths?
A: I really love the fact that I get to share my understanding, my comprehension, and how I viewed and read the book, and I really like literature circles within our classrooms. I really enjoy that because if you read something and I didn’t understand it, I can say “Oh! Okay, I didn’t think of that!” Exactly. So I love hearing those interpretations.
Q: Favorite books, shows, or genres?
A: My favorite book of all time - right now - is The Hate You Give [by Angie Thomas]. But I love The Outsiders [by S. E. Hinton]. That is a classic to me. My favorite shows… Jane the Virgin, oh. Okay. A Different World is classic. It’s about Black college students in the 80’s-90’s. [shakes head] It’s amazing, a spin-off of The Cosby Show. It’s lit.
Q: Why did you become an English major?
A: I became an English major to become an English teacher. I think education is 1000% important. In my senior year, my AP English teacher I really, really liked just paved the way for me, if you can say that. She allowed me to say, “Wow, Black women read, black women are teachers.” So, I really wanted to be a little her, but I found my passion and my purpose, which is to be an educator.
Q: What’s your favorite class that you’ve ever taken, at Bloomsburg or otherwise?
A: I don’t know, honestly… This is a hard question. For me, college has been a struggle. So, choosing one is… But, if I could say definitely, Principles of Teaching, my education course. I learned different things when it came to unit plans, to my teaching. Different avenues I can take when I am actually teaching in front of my students. So, I think it would be Principles of Teaching.
Q: What organizations are you part of right now?
A: I’m the president of SOL, which stands for the Student Organization of Latinos. I’m a founder of NAACP chapter here at Bloomsburg University, unit 29A, I believe. Also, I am on the CGA executive board, I’m the senior class president, and I’m a BOG scholar. I’m involved in various other ones - Curlfriends [for example], but yeah. Always something to keep busy.
Q: What do you like to write about?
A: I love to write about being a woman of color. I love to write about… just, things that happen in everyday life, or about social injustice, because I feel like that’s not talked about enough. Also, I like to talk about romance. I mean, who doesn’t want to fall in love, you know?
Q: If you had the ‘big three’ of time, motivation, and energy, what’s the title of a book you’d like to write?
A: [immediately] Watch Me Flourish. That would be the title. It would be about - just this Afro-Latina, just flourishing in everything she does.
Q: What would the title of a book about you be?
A: [after a moment] Who Knew the Flower Would Grow? [nods] There we go.
Q: What would be your dream job?
A: Giving back, that would be my dream job. Just to give back. Build my own community, building housing. Building rec centers. Building schools. Building hospitals. Building all of that… for those in need. That’d be my dream job. And I would be an entrepreneur. Making that money - but giving it back. Buying the fancy stuff - but giving back.
Q: Any advice for incoming freshmen or students who are interested in taking more English courses?
A: That’s a good question. So, I would definitely say, it’s your life, so choose it. Choose what you want to do. Also, acknowledge your worth - and that’s not in a self-esteem way, that’s acknowledge your worth because your worth is your brain. Your worth is your knowledge. It’s what you love to do. So, why have someone belittle it or have someone take you from the path that you deserve? Remember to flourish and be amazing.
Thanks for the interview, Angela!
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