Caitlin's Blog

Facts about your family:

All of my family still lives in San Antonio. My dad and mom are English teachers, and my brother is a junior at Reagan High School.

Why did you choose to attend The University of Texas at Austin?

Both of my parents graduated from UT, and so there was definitely pressure to come here. The only other school I was even looking at was Boston University, but that turned out to be too expensive. I’m so glad to have chosen UT though. I honestly cannot imagine myself anywhere else. It’s been a perfect fit!

What do you want to do when you graduate from the university?

I’d love to either write for a major music publication or work at a record label. I’m also very interested in social justice and similar progressive political issues.

If you had to choose one thing about yourself to share with the university’s Web audience, what would it be?

I am obsessed with music to the point that it takes much of my time and money away from me. I love to just walk around campus and zone out to tunes on my iPod.

Who are your heroes?

I have two people in my life right now who I consider my heroes. First is my brother because he is a brilliant human being with some of the greatest potential I’ve ever seen, and he is driven to do what he loves. I think he will change the world. My other hero is Loren, my friend and manager at the student radio station. She is one of the strongest women I’ve ever known, and I look up to her and hope some day to be as confident and as beautiful a person as she is!

If you could travel to one spot anywhere in the world, where would you want to visit?

This is the most difficult question ever for me to answer because I inherited the traveling spirit from my dad. I absolutely love to travel because I like to make new friends, have new experiences and take in the sights of different places. Right now my goal is to study abroad in Norway, so we’ll say that is my current destination of choice!

What are your current favorite books?

What books would you recommend to someone you just met? I absolutely loved “The Red Tent,” which I read over the summer. It was heartbreaking and engrossing. I also love “PostSecret,” because it’s an easy read that gave me a different perspective on the other people with whom I share the world. Another fave is “The World According to Mr. Rogers” because it reminded me of what I should value in life.

What pushes your buttons? What are your pet peeves?

I like to think I’m relatively easygoing, but there are definitely four things someone could do to really set me off. First, I hate when people take up the entire sidewalk and walk slow when I’m trying to get to class. I am a very timely person, but sometimes I have two classes back-to-back across campus, and I always get stuck behind the slowest people! Second, I don’t like people who are disingenuous. Especially in college, I feel that the environment is so “you”-friendly, and it makes me sad to see people hide behind facades. Next, and most important, I hate when people make “jokes” that are offensive. If it isn’t funny to everyone, it just isn’t funny. Finally, I hate when my alarm doesn’t go off and it makes me run late to class!

What are your favorite Web sites? Why?

Questionable Content is one of the best comics out there today (I think!) It took me a while to catch up to the current daily issue. Also, just like 90 percent of the rest of the UT population, Facebook. It’s the easiest way to keep up with friends besides the handy-dandy cell phone!

What are your favorite foods?

I’m a vegan, so this might sound a little strange, but I love pasta, soy ice cream and soy cheese pizza from Austin’s Pizza. (I discovered it over the summer, and I am now addicted!)

What music are you listening to?

I’m listening to some Jeff Buckley. I have really random tastes, so I sort of act like a traveling record store for all of my pals.

What are your all-time favorite movies? Why?

I absolutely love “Amelie.” It is my all-time fave because it is all about how the little things in life can be the happiest things, and it just makes me feel good. Also, I love “Little Miss Sunshine,” because it exposes the imperfections of human beings and makes us love ‘em anyway.

Who are your favorite artists?

The artists I’m most familiar with are music artists, but I couldn’t really pick a favorite. I am sort of cliché in what I like in terms of paintings and graphic art, but I don’t think anyone can beat “Starry, Starry Night” or Warhol. Also, I love photography. It is another hobby I picked up from my dad.

What are your favorite academic subjects?

What are you interested in studying in the future? I love my current RTF class on racial representation in the media. Classes on social justice and women’s studies really get me excited! I also love to write, so writing-component classes are fun for me. I hope to continue my studies in RTF and also double-major in Journalism so I can take more classes about radio (production, management, etc.)

What’s your favorite spot on campus?

I have three. My all-time fave is the East Mall, because it’s quiet and I love that fountain! Then, there’s the spot on the South Mall where you stand right in front of the Tower and can see the George Washington monument directly lined up with the Capitol. Finally, I love the Communication buildings! I have so much school pride, it’s ridiculous. Mostly because the Austin City Limits show is taped in our CMB building, although they are moving it off-campus the year I graduate, which will be very sad!

Where are your favorite places to go in Austin?

What are your favorite things to do in Austin? I love to be outdoors, and I love water, so running by the lake or swimming at the freezing cold Barton Springs are some favorite activities of mine. I also love to go down to Sixth Street and see concerts galore. Going to concerts on a regular basis is one of my favorite aspects of Austin. I just recently discovered a costume shop called “Lucy In Disguise With Diamonds,” and it’s the coolest store ever! Austin has numerous hidden-away shops with the coolest knick-knacks. I definitely love traveling up Congress and discovering new things! My all-time favorite spot in Austin is the corner of Sixth and Lamar because it has BookPeople, Whole Foods and (THE BEST store EVER) Waterloo Records!

What are your favorite free-time activities?

Concerts, concerts, concerts! I also love to go to Gregory Gym and work off stress from the week. I love walking around campus or up Guadalupe, and I love to hang out with friends. I love shopping (a little too much) and I love to hike and just be outside in beautiful Austin!

Other interesting facts about you:

I work at the Daily Texan, volunteer for the student radio station KVRX, and will be attending the South by Southwest music festival for the second time in March 2007! I love meeting new people and sharing my experiences, and I am constantly a work in progress. I’m learning to love myself, and it gets easier and more difficult as time goes on, depending on my circumstances. I love animals, especially dogs, but that isn’t why I became a vegan: I wanted to lower my blood pressure by eating foods without animal products in them!