Intro (:

Hi everyone! I'm Kelsey, and I'm a sophomore majoring in biology with a concentration in ecology. After graduating from here, I want to attend graduate school, and eventually have a job studying birds and/or doing field research. I come from a (very!) small town here in PA surrounded by beautiful back-country and farmland. Although I currently reside on campus, I go home frequently to spend time with my mom, dad, and 17 yr-old brother (OK, maybe not my brother...). I have a very sweet dog that my family adopted 2 years ago, and a bird that loves to snuggle in my hair; they are my babies and I love them tremendously! (:

 Luigi (left) and Mocha

I enjoy the simple things in life--a black cup of Baby's coffee, cuddling with my boyfriend, and the feeling of grass between my toes--but also find the luxuries attractive--Steve Madden heels, The Cheesecake Factory, and having a wonderful cardiologist. In my spare time, I enjoy drawing, making jewelry, fishing, birding, watching American Pickers, spending waaaay too much time on Facebook, and simply enjoying college life with my friends. I love to listen to music, and listen to a wide variety from indie/folk rock to metal to pop. Comedy and romantic films are my favorite film genres, whereas horror films are my least favorite (I usually hide my face under a blanket!). As far as pop culture is concerned, I try to keep up with music, video games, and films, but tend to like things that are a bit different or that are old (i.e., old Nintendo games, 90s music, black and white films). At the moment, my boyfriend has me hooked on this computer game called Heroes, and we play it a few times a week. The last book I read was Grayson by Lynne Cox, although this is probably the third time I've read it because I find it so beautifully written (plus I love whales!).

I'm taking this course as a gen ed requirement, but a friend had taken this class with Shannon last spring semester and enjoyed it immensely, which is why I decided to take this with her. My high school English classes were not much more than reading traditional literature and answering simple questions that didn't involve too much critical thinking, so I am eager to become more involved with what I read as well as read more contemporary pieces. I have difficulty opening up and expressing myself in an understandable manner, so I am also hoping that the way this class is formatted will help me with those weaknesses. Literature, I think, is a lot of things--books, magazines, commercials and billboards, essays written for classes, etc. I think that literature is meant to invoke emotion, thought processes, and at times action. I don't believe that authors write with the intentions of the audience merely accepting the text at face value--they want us to think about it, argue with it, extend on it.