Interview With A Friend #1 Featuring Jeri Plante

Jeri and I have been friends since freshman year of high school. We knew each other before that but it wasn't until marching band and participating in band camp the summer before freshman year that we really became friends. She marched trumpet and I marched baritone; after bonding over how much we didn't want to be there, a friendship was created. We were roommates for every single band trip (so about 10 trips possibly), we had sleepovers and girls' night, went to Panera for lunch many times, and were in the same group for going to prom senior year. Jeri and I don't have exactly the same style, however, I am always loving the ensembles she puts together. She has a lot of really cute dresses, shirts that have neat cut outs and patterns, and a lot of fun jewelry. Anyway, here is the interview I did with her on college, style, and taking her first trip out if the country:

Jeri (L) and me (R) on a marching band trip
 to Disney in Florida.

Where do you go to college? What are you studying/majoring in? And why?
I go to BGSU (Bowling Green State University in Ohio) and I was undecided in my major because I keep majorly second guessing myself in what area I want to go into.

What was your favorite class this past year/hardest and why?
My favorite class this past year was either my astronomy or my personal finance class. I found my astronomy class to be really interesting and we went out on a stargaze on night and got to use different telescopes and got to see all kinds of stars. I really enjoyed my personal finance class because of my professor. It was a small class (only 15 people) and I was the youngest so I always got picked on but it was all fun and I actually use the information I learned in real life. The hardest class I took was definitely business calculus. I've always been really good at math but this stuff just didn't click with me.

What would you say is your dream job?
I wish I had a dream job… That would at least point me in the right direction as to what degree to pursue. 

Do you have a favorite quote?
 I’m not sure who said this quote but I really like it. “Success isn't the result of spontaneous combustion, you must set yourself on fire.”

How would you describe your personal style?
My personal style is always changing… I always like to wear nicer clothes anytime I go out. Lately I've been wearing dresses accessorized with belts, jewelry, sweaters, and cute shoes.

What are your favorite stores?
My favorite stores are Forever 21 and Target.

What is your must-have accessory?

Jeri (far left) and me (2nd from left) with 3 of our other senior friends before
going to dinner before prom.

 My earrings are my must-have accessories.

What is your go-to outfit?
I have two go-to outfits. The first is my royal blue dress with a cute cutout bow style back. It’s from Modcloth and I love it. I usually pair that with my brown wedge sandals and some jewelry. The second is some kind of nicer looking tank top with skinny jeans, my wedges, and jewelry. 

How are you spending your summer before sophomore year?
I am mainly spending my summer working, but I also will be going on a mission trip with my church to the Dominican Republic!

Please describe a little about your trip and how you're planning on packing for it:

I leave June 23^rd so I just started packing today actually. I plan on only bringing a small suitcase and a backpack. We will be helping with construction, running a Vacation Bible School (VBS), holding a college conference, participating in a local church service, and we will do a little bit of site seeing, along with visiting the beach and going snorkeling! I started pulling different outfits that I might want to bring today and I’ll be bringing a wide variety of clothing, anywhere from overalls (for VBS) to gym shorts to swimsuits to maxi dresses. It definitely helps having an itinerary before you start packing so that I know I will actually be wearing the clothes that I’m bringing and I’m not just wasting space in my suitcase.

How do you feel about going out of the country for the first time?

I am super excited and very nervous for my trip. I've never been out of the country before so it will definitely be a new experience. The culture is very different in the Dominican Republic. It is a third world country. I’m a little worried about the culture shock. I took three years of Spanish in high school but that won’t get me very far. So the language barrier is a bit intimidating too. The whole experience and working with the people will be amazing though.

If you could go anywhere in the world and do anything, where and what?

If I could go anywhere, I probably wouldn't pick the Dominican Republic, I’d either pick an island somewhere or Paris. One day I would like to see the Eiffel tower and I would also like to lie out on a beach and swim in the ocean. 

Have you done research about where you're going? Such as weather and cultural aspects for clothing?

I've done a little bit of research about the Dominican Republic. I learned that many of the people there dress up a majority of the time but I also learned that it wouldn't be completely out of the ordinary to see children walking around naked. As for the weather I looked it up and it seemed pretty similar to our current weather. It looked like it rains more there though… I guess we’ll see.