All Jay Flippen wants is to have a high paying job he enjoys so he can avoid money problems. After achieving a perfect SAT math score and currently pursuing an engineering degree at Virginia Tech, it looks like that will not be a problem.

James “Jay” Howard Flippen was born in Norfolk, Virginia on August 3, 1988, and spent his whole life there living with his mother and sister. Since Jay and his sister grew up together, they have a close relationship, however he tries to distance himself from her. “She’s very intrusive and always wants to know everything about my personal life. We are close, but I don’t tell her everything.”

Despite trying to distance himself from her, his mother feel’s that spending time with his sister has helped Jay grow into the person he is today. “Jay matured over the years at an average pace but had some extra prodding from his sister.” Said Barbara.

Ed Whelan, one of Jays friends said he felt Jay’s determination to learn on his is one of his best attributes. “Jay likes to distance himself from people. He is very independent and usually likes to do things on his own.” Said Ed.

During his free time when not spending time with his family, he usually enjoys activities with friends, whether it is playing Monday night pong, skateboarding, or playing Halo 3. When Jay wants to enjoy himself and relax he feels good food and sleep are essential, and one of these comfort foods happens to be his homemade dip that he makes which consists of veggie dip, sour cream, Tabasco, and chili powder.

Jay will usually eat anything since he feels good food is extremely important, however when it comes to food, his mother feels there is one thing that distinguishes Jay from every other college student “He is the ONLY college kid ever, in all of history, that doesn’t eat pizza.” Said Barbara.

“I love just chilling, and having good food, and watching TV.” Jay loves to just sit back and unwind when he is not out biking, playing soccer, or hanging out with friends, and he does this by watching the history channel, and the discovery channel.

Ed described Jay as adventurous and confident, He said, “Jay’s a pretty outgoing person. I remember one time my band was playing at a party, and Jay came up and started playing along with the band even though he doesn’t play any instruments.”

When he is not effortlessly solving math problems or doing work, Jay likes to keep active with hobbies and sports. He usually spends time biking forty miles from his house to Norfolk, which he sees as one of his greatest accomplishments, as well as playing intramural soccer.

It is no surprise that Jay has a strong interest in physical activities and adventure. Even as a child, Jay was always interested in physical activities and having a good time. When asked to recall a fond memory about Jay, his mother said “Looking out the window and watching Jay ride the zip line and jump on the trampoline with his sister and neighborhood friends.”

Apart from his hobbies, Jay has a lot of pet peeves. “I am obsessed with hygiene. I can’t stand when people don’t shower or brush their teeth.” Other than hygiene, Jay dislikes people who are self-conscious or lack confidence. “I especially don’t like when people spend hours getting ready, but say they don’t care what others think.”

Other than the perfect score on the SAT math test, which helped him get into the engineering program, he has wanted to come to Virginia Tech since his second year in high school. “It was the best school I got in to. And I’ve wanted to go to tech since I was 10th grade.”

Although Jay has wanted to come to Virginia Tech for years, he feels the downside to the college is that the town is too small, and it just isn’t the same as Norfolk. “My hometown is ghetto, but it has a much more loose environment compared to Blacksburg. I also miss being near the water”

Jay participates in a number of clubs at Virginia Tech to keep himself active and entertained. He participates mountain biking, intramural soccer and has hopes for a future pong club in which he has already attempted to start with his friends.

Once he gets his engineering degree, Jay hopes to find an easy job he enjoys, but mainly one that pays well so that he doesn’t have to deal with money problems. “My mom used to have money problems when I was younger, so I just don’t want to deal with all that. Constantly stressing out over money is not a good way to live.” However, he does not know exactly what he wants to do with his career.

Jay says he is loving his experience at Tech, however he misses how high school was less work and much easier. “I also went to a private school so it was easier to do stuff, for example skip class whenever I wanted to, stuff like that.” Said Jay.

Although Jay misses a lot about his hometown, he would travel far away to any tropical place if he got the chance. When asked where he would like to travel in the future he said, “I would love to go cave diving in the Philippines and sail around the world. Or any place tropical like Fiji. Anything adventurous works for me.” He also wants visit Greece and then travel through the rest of Europe.

When asked the question, “What makes Jay unique?” his mother said, “Well, in my unbiased opinion - he's smart, musical, athletic, great looking and an all-around wonderful person! Solid Gold.”

Word Count: 968 By Aaron Drew

The Great White Sharko, also known as Tom Sharko, age 18, is what we in the modern world commonly refer to as a Renaissance man. Whether it is on the gridiron or in the classroom, “The Great White Sharko,” is capable of doing it all.

During his years at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, Sharko excelled as both a student in the classroom, and an athlete on the football field playing the positions of defensive back and sometimes wide receiver. While attending Ridge High School, Sharko had quite the talent when it came to learning and executing architectural designs. Surprisingly enough however, he is not enrolled in the architecture program here at Virginia Tech. In addition to being caught up with school and sports, Tom is also very family orientated stating that his two biggest influences in life are his father and his brother.

Despite the busy schedules that all four members of the Sharko family have, involving work and school and sports, they all manage to make it home in time for dinner every night. Tom states that “at times my family is super busy, both of my parents work and my brother, Nick, is always out doing his thing, so we are all constantly running around, but we all help each other out whenever we need to and we are all very reliable to each others needs. Every night we have dinner together, we all have a great sense of humor and we’re all honest with each other.”

Sharko finds that playing sports and hanging out with his friends and family are his best methods for creating a fun time and relieving stress. He is not the religious type, and a word to the wise, please do not chew with your mouth around this young man. Sharko finds heavy chewing with one’s mouth open to be very disrespectful, making it his biggest pet peeve. Sharko looks for friends that possess the characteristics of having a good sense of humor while maintaining a high level of honesty.

After meeting and talking with “The Great White Sharko,” it became evident that he is not only very talented, but he has many aspirations and dreams including a passion to one day walk down the streets in New York City on Wall Street, as a stock broker. He also dreams to one day travel to Europe and explore the entire continent, visiting and experiencing the many different countries and cultures. Sharko is a fan of hard rock and metal music. His favorite bands include Rage Against the Machine and Metallica, and he says with a chuckle and a smirk on his face, “Basically anything with a power guitar in it.” His obsessions include a love for the game of ping-pong among other sports such as football, and women, as made evident from comments made by two of Sharko’s friends in Anthony D’Angio and Tyler Luckewicz who say, “Tom loooves the ladies.”

During interviews with Sharko’s friends and brother, it was easy to see just how amazing “The Great White Sharko” really is. To outsiders, Sharko may appear quiet and shy; this is certainly not the case according to those who know him best, in Sharko’s friends. When I had inquired about one single word to describe Tom Sharko, D’Angio and Luckewicz simultaneously responded with “shameless.” Stating that Sharko stands with absolutely no shame in saying what he wants as well as saying what he means when speaking to people and when paling around with friends.

While becoming more in depth with D’Angio and Luckewicz, they informed me that Sharko is not intimidated by what other people think, in addition to not being intimidated by rejection. According to Luckewicz, Sharko applied to Princeton University despite being told by everyone that it was not worth it because he would not be accepted.

I know what you are thinking, a guy with this much talent must not have a very good personality; think again. According to ones closest to him, “Tom is very funny, and he speaks his own very unique dialect. He also tends to display his very own power stance in which he moves one leg in front of the other and with a thrust of the pelvis looks more authoritative than ever,” says D’Angio.

Along with Sharko’s sense of humor comes a talent known only as backpack skinning. Skinning a backpack refers to an ancient trick in which one takes another person’s backpack, opens it up and removes all of its contents, then proceeds to turn the backpack inside and out and refill it with its original contents without the proprietor of the backpack knowing. According to D’Angio, “The Great White Sharko” has the ability to do it in possibly under 7 seconds. Believe it.

Upon the conclusion of my final interview with Tom’s brother, Nick Sharko, I grew to have even more respect for Tom. According to Nick, “Tom works hard at whatever he does and he is also very disciplined.” In one word from Nick describing his younger brother, “determined,” with a back up description of “disciplined.” I asked Nick what he was most proud of Tom for and he replied, “That Tom got into a good school because he works so hard and he deserves to do well for himself.” Interestingly enough, that was also what Sharko referred to as his greatest accomplishment to this point in his life.

Upon sitting down after the four interviews, it started to become more and more obvious that the title of this profile would have to be spectacular and really show how special Tom Sharko really is. Thus it also became obvious that Tom Sharko should be called “The Great White Sharko,” because he truly is that entity.

By Matt Chernick

Race to the Stars!

Sam Hays races to reach the stars.
Sam has always been racing to the stars, not only in his academic success, but also in pole-vaulting, singing, and playing guitar.

Sam Hays was born on July 27, 1990, to John and Norma Hays. He was born and raised in a small town called Short Pump, located on the far west end of Richmond, Virginia with his big brother Nathan.

Now Short Pump is one of the biggest towns in Richmond, but when Sam was born, Short Pump was nothing more than farmland and a gas station. Unfortunately, the grand opening of Wall-Mart and Short Pump Town Center started the industrial boom. “Now, Short Pump is a nightmare town with way too many buildings in way too small of a space. It is impossible to drive through without getting stuck in traffic,” Sam yearns for the past.

Sam graduated from St. Christopher’s High School in the graduating class of 2008. He longs for his friends from his high school. “To me it was hard to leave the friends that I had been with for years and start over. I was worried about meeting new people when I got here, but it turned out well and I have met a lot of cool people,” Sam says.

Sam chose Virginia Tech largely because he has a lot of legacy here and also because he has visited Virginia Tech many times and truly fell in love with it. A number of his family members, including his father, brother, two uncles, one aunt, and two cousins have all gone to Tech. Sam states, “I figured that I should continue the tradition. My dad, brother, and uncles were also all in the Sigma Chi fraternity, so I plan in pledging for them this semester.”

Sam’s main obsession is music. He loves finding “cool” new artists and going to the concerts. Sam says, “Music is such a good way to escape from everything; if I am feeling down, I just lie down and listen to some of my favorite bands and I instantly feel better.”

Sam is a great guitarist. He loves acoustic music and always tries to play songs after he hears them. Although he may not succeed every time, Sam likes to try and have fun.

Since he was only ten years old, Sam has been singing and would like to continue singing at Tech. His favorite kind of singing is a cappella. Sam shows his passion of singing by planning to join a cappella group. “I have heard that Virginia Tech has some pretty good groups, so I might check few of them out next semester,” Sam says.

Sam chooses earning All-Prep and All-State pole-vaulting titles two seasons in a row as his greatest accomplishment. He pole-vaulted for many years and finally, as a senior in high school, he renewed his record by jumping 12 feet 6 inches in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. He felt more exciting because he, not only set a new height, but defeated his rival school, Fork Union Military Academy, which had always dominated men’s track.

Fork Union Military Academy has won the prep and state meets for past few years, and even though Sam received the best pole-vaulter titles, All-Prep and All-State Champion, his high school, St. Christopher, did not beat Fork Union as a team. “Even though we did not win, I still felt good because I beat them in my own event,” Sam expresses his feeling of excitement.

Endless field of Australia and beautiful scenery of New Zealand touch Sam’s love of nature. “I would love to go anywhere that I could just go outside and watch nature,” Sam shows his enthusiasm to travel to Australia and New Zealand. As a nature lover, Sam always enjoys watching the sunset or watching the stars on a clear night. He heard of beautiful landscape and scenery of Australia and New Zealand and always wanted to travel there. Sam says, “If I get a chance to travel, I would definitely go to Australia and New Zealand.”

With his great achievements as a pole-vaulter, singer, and guitarist, Sam seems way different than other ordinary American teenagers. However, Sam shows his ordinary nature of being an American teenager by sleeping, watching television, and eating in his spare time. “Pretty much I like to do nothing because I never have much free time. I am always doing work or going to class or doing something with friends, so it is nice to just sit down and not worry about anything,” Sam says.

One of Sam’s biggest influences is his brother, Nathan. Nathan has always been there to help Sam out with whatever he needs help with. Nathan is seven years older than Sam and went to the same high school, St. Christopher, and college, Virginia Tech. Since Nathan is much order than Sam and walked through the same pathway that Sam has to go in future, Nathan gives him good advice on pretty much everything based on his past experiences.

Currently, Sam is not sure of what to do it future, but he is certain that he wants to do something environmental. With his love of nature, environment suits him the best and is Sam’s favorite subject. He also has some experiences as an environmentalist. He did an internship with the James River Association earlier this year really enjoyed it. “We pretty much just went out on the James River and took water samples, observed the wildlife, and even went fishing. The outdoors has always interested me and I would like to continue to enjoy it,” Sam says of his passion and love for the environment.

Sam’s life always has been a race to become the best singer, athlete, and student. He has overcome the fear of meeting new people and finally reached the goal. Sam is now ready to start the next race here at Virginia Tech.

Next Generation Einstein comes to Tech

Matt Is Matt

“Exuberant.” If you are in the same room as Matt Chernick, you will pick him out, or if you don’t know him you will meet him, he is “that guy.” With a great sense of humor, and a perseverance to tackle problems head on, Matt will have fun or find away to have fun in the most boring situation.

He was born February15 in Princeton NJ. When he was three he moved to Chicago, and then moved back to Montclair NJ when he was twelve. Back in Chicago he had to say good bye to all of his friends, as he faced a new challenge of going to New Jersey not knowing anyone. Due to his character he choked back his fears and dove head first into a foreign environment. Once he discovered many new friends and how much fun he was having, nothing was stopping him. He quotes, “it was hard getting people to like you…a difficult move but a good transition.” For Matt this move wasn’t exactly easy, and it became one of his greatest accomplishments.

As Matt grew up over the years, his mother quoted, “a new age, a new beginning.” She went on to say that he was disciplined to know what he had to do and when he had to do it. Mrs. Chernick also responded, “Everything was a correct change for him and nothing held him back, progressed well.”

Perhaps this trend will continue on into the future, after college towards a career. However, Matt does not know what exactly it is that he wants to do; as long as it is adventurous and thrilling. “…like Bear Grylls.” He states. Matt is the kind of guy that will go out into the real world and just stumble upon a job that is everything he ever wanted, maybe even his own TV show. He’s not the kind of guy who would end up behind a desk crunching numbers 9-5 everyday; but definitely something outside or something that will get his adrenaline pumping.

The only thing he did mention that he wanted to do after college is to go to Amsterdam. He does not know how he may get there or when he might get there, just as long as he gets there.

He is influenced by his parents and his lacrosse coach. Always pushing him to do better and support him in whatever situation he might get into. “He’s a hard worker, blue collar type of person. He will never quit no matter how bad the odds stack up against him.” Mike Landy comments. He is one of Matt’s good friends that has been there on and off the field with him.

Mike recalled a fond memory with Matt, “It was after the championship game which we lost a heartbreaker to our rivals and everyone was down about it especially the seniors. He was hands down the hardest worker on the team. He came up to me as I was crying and put his arm around me and said it was an honor playing with me and he wouldn’t trade the time he had with the team for anything. He wasn’t an all-star on the team, but hearing it from someone who I respected, really made me step back and look at the last few years, playing with him was the actual honor.”

Matt is a big fan of sports, it does not matter he’ll do it and have a blast or watch it and have just as much fun. He especially likes lacrosse and football, the two sports he played in high school. Any chance for him to scamper around and get dirty, he will take it. Besides sports his attention is also captured by females. Now only if he could combine the two, he would be a happy man.
In his free time he likes to play sports, hang out with friends, and party. A place where he can just be himself, relax and have a good time.

When Mrs. Chernick was asked what she is most proud of about her son, she paused for a second and then quickly, almost instinctively responded with, “Matt is Matt.” Exemplifying that Matt is truly unique, because of his character, and how other people portrait him. Whether it is on the field where he is busting his ass for the team, or in the class room where he is making friends and getting all of his work done. When he is faced with a challenge, whatever it may be, he takes it face on and he is not going to relinquish, or let anyone else around him fail. Just like when he is out playing lacrosse with his good friend Mike, always encouraging him and motivating him to do better, but not just him, the whole team as well. She also mentioned his perseverance, courage along with his intelligence.

Off the bat, Mrs. Chernick could only think of one weakness for Matt. It is that if he is not fully interested in something, then he will lose focus and get distracted, in a good way, with something else. However if it is something that he does not like and it is of importance then that is where it becomes a problem. Other than that situation why should he waste his time with something he does not enjoy?

Matt is very talkative, and can start up a conversation with anyone. You can’t be around him for too long before he starts talking to you, about random topics. Within the first 5 minutes of English class this year he was already talking to me about Jersey, and I never met him before that.

All in all matt is a very humorous, hard working, intelligent individual who faces challenges head on, and does not give up on anything that he is committed to. Very friendly to everyone he meets and can relax and hang out with friends, while working hard through school, and enjoy any game of sports in the afternoon. His mother can only describe him in one word, exuberant.

--by Tom Sharko

“And this year’s 2008 Homecoming Queen is… Mary Burton!” A surprise to many, even herself, Mary gracefully walked up to the podium and accepted her tiara and sash. The once tom boy, transformed into a lovely dancer, Homecoming Queen and sweetest friend that anyone could ask for.

Mary Burton was not the most popular girl in school but she was probably the nicest. The people at her school knew that and loved that about her. Mary aimed to please and made the effort to be completely genuine and kind to everyone.

So, when she won the title of Homecoming Queen at Hidden Valley High School, it did not come as a surprise to those who knew her well. She admits she felt somewhat bad for the girl she ran against because she was the epitome of the popular high school girl and all of her friends were cheering her on.

Mary Burton’s love for dancing always shines through everything else. People view her as timid, shy, and introverted but the truth is she laughs, jokes, smiles and speaks her mind. She admits it does take her some time to warm up to people but once she becomes comfortable, she lets loose.

Her personality breaks through the moment she hits the dance floor. She has been dancing since she was three years old. She went on a “So You Think You Can Dance” tour with her sister-in-law, Elisabeth Burton, over the summer and loved every moment of it. Her mentors are her dance teachers since she has been so immersed in dance.

Her mentor and most beloved dance teacher Mrs. Watkins, was practically her second mother and one of the biggest influences in her life. Mrs. Watkins always kept Mary entertained and inspired. Recently, Mrs. Watkins was diagnosed with breast cancer and it amazes Mary everyday how she continues to dance and teach and take pleasure in life with her situation.

Another prominent influence in her life is her mother, Julia. Her mother endured so much throughout her life and was forced to take care of Mary and her older brother Phillip all by herself. Mary respects and understands the hard work her mother underwent to raise two children with very minuscule help from their father.

Julia Burton also inspired Mary to pursue a career in the medical field. She dreams of becoming either a physician’s assistant or an optometrist. When she was younger she would join her mother at the hospital. Mary wandered the halls and watched the surgeries, the doctors at work, patients being rushed to the ER and knew it was her calling.

Mary truly values her family over everything. She knows that they will always be there for her no matter what is thrown her way. She enjoys her friends but also is aware of the fact that not everyone is your friend. So, she believes in having a few close friends that are always dependable and that care about her.

Mary’s friends and family pride her for never prejudging people and treating people insanely well, but warn her that she can be too kind and people might take advantage of that. She learned that in high school people tend be deceiving and untrustworthy, so she applies that to her everyday life.

One of Mary’s strengths is the ability to be honest. She says “I hate lying so I don’t and I think a lot of people lie. Not that I don’t trust people. I just don’t like to lie.“ Not only is Mary honest with others but more importantly she stays true to herself.

She believes in a set code of ethics and morals that no one can shake from her. She is independent and decides for herself what she wants to do and refuses to give into peer pressure. Her sister-in-law says “She doesn't have the view of "that is what ever one does today" she goes by her own thoughts and beliefs.” These admirable traits sufficiently prepared her for college.

Mary’s acceptance to Virginia Tech has been her greatest accomplishment thus far. Her family and friends were overjoyed with her acceptance into Virginia Tech, not only is it a fabulous school but it is also so close to her home.

Mary was born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia, a short drive of only forty-five minutes. Part of Mary’s decision involved the fact that it was such a short distance from Virginia Tech. She said that “Subconsciously I liked the fact that the Tech was so close to home because I am very close with my family.”

She is also an extreme Hokie football fan so there was no question after she got that letter in the mail that she would be attending Tech in the fall. She has already joined the pre-optometry club too. Success.

The only aspect that Mary truly misses from home would have to be dance. The one activity she devoted her whole life to is no longer accessible to her. She loved dance and practiced and performed regularly and at Virginia Tech there are not as many opportunities to dance; which is the one among the many of her favorite things.

Mary also enjoys watching movies, especially zombie movies. She seriously finds pleasure in watching people. She says “It’s one of my favorite things to do, just watch people, especially at fairs. Carnies are funny.” She also loves to eat everything but really loves steak and chocolate. Her favorite past time would have to be taking a nap, not only does it calm her down but it is almost a hobby.

Mary Burton can be described in many words but lovely, good-hearted and reliable pretty much sums it up. She always tries to be pleasant and caring towards everyone. Many people view her as shy but it’s only because they do not know the real Mary. She can be easily found out on the dance floor. Her talent is immense and wonderful and she has “…an obvious love for musical expression of all types…”.

--by Liesel Benjamin

New Experiences, New Values: Profile of Carlie Guilfoile

George Bernard Shaw once said, “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” Carlie Guilfoile did just that last year.

In the spring of 2007, Carlie was nearing the end of her high school career and was faced with the same choices multitudes of students are. However, unlike many of the others, Guilfoile opted to take a risk.

“I was scared to take a year off but I realized I simply like to do things that scare me. I like to push myself to see my limits,” Guilfoile explained.

Carlie decided that it would be in her best interest to not immediately
continue her education in a college but instead grow as an individual while traveling abroad to three different countries.

Guilfoile began her travels in Greece where she spent a month in a tent having never camped before. It was here that she worked with a turtle conservation program and was able to make an impact on her growing concerns for the
environment.

Carlie then traveled to South Africa where she experienced life in a township first hand. She was apart of a lower class community and worked at the local preschool. She recalled her fondest memory of her time spent there to be watching the children play at recess and the interaction she shared with them.

The last stop on her three part adventure was Guatemala. It was here that Carlie attended school to study Spanish. And although she has a background in the language, Guilfoile found this to be the most mentally challenging place to travel. She was placed in a home with a family who did not speak any English.

Carlie stated, “There were lots of tears but it made me value communication so
much more.”

Carlie’s mother shared that she was very pleased Carlie choose to take a year off. She felt her daughter grew up a lot during this time and was awarded the opportunity to learn who she is as a person without the influence of family and friends. Guilfoile also personally credits this to be her biggest accomplishment and the source of her gaining independence.

After completing her year off, Carlie made the decision to come to Tech where she is currently apart of the University Studies program. Interior design has always been a huge passion for her and for this very reason she hopes to get into the school of architecture to complete this major.

Coincidently, Guilfoile is obsessed with IKEA. This large home furnishing store is filled with everything she loves. She enthused, “I get really excited about interior places!” In fact, our interview was held in what could be considered a fairly empty room with plain walls and a few pieces of mismatched furniture. Carlie’s face lit up when she talked about all the things she would do with the study lounge given the opportunity.

Carlie’s mother also mentioned that they moved into a new home last year. She shared that Carlie took great pleasure in combing through many design catalogs and created her very own work space within their home that is very brightly colored and comfortable, a reflection of her personality.

Although Carlie’s adventures in traveling and her career goals are a reflection of who she is, there is much more to her personality and life.

Carlie Susan Guilfoile, or Carr as her friends call her, was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and spent a mere two months there. She and her family moved to Dallas where she resided for eight years before finally picking up and moving to Chapel Hill, North Carolina where she has happily lived the past 11 years of her life. The multiple changes in environment has led to Carlie’s outgoing personality which is obvious from the moment you meet her.

Guilfoile’s roommate shared that her first impressions of Carlie where actually the exact opposite in what she was excepting to find in a roommate. She feels that Carlie is a very outgoing and determined person who others view as laid back and easy to talk with. Her best friend of seven years, Mari said she believed Guilfoile’s “care free spirit, energy, eagerness for adventure and enthusiasm for anything different,” makes her the unique person she is.

Her colorful personality is something which she has always possessed. Her mother recalled one of her fondest memories of Carlie being when she was a small child and strapped in her car seat. She had mistakenly left her purse within Carlie’s reach and when she turned to check on her, she discovered her daughter to be covered in lipstick from head to toe. Another time, she expressed her creative nature by giving herself a haircut which was described as, “not pretty, but pretty funny!”

When it comes down to who Carlie is and what she enjoys, it is apparent that she is your average, down to earth girl. She describes herself as a very competitive person who loves to be apart of a good challenge. Carlie was a member of a soccer team for 13 years but opted to quit playing her junior year of high school. The sport was a large part of her life and she often
contemplates picking it back up.

Carlie loves nothing more than chocolate and a good bowl of dumplings which get her through her hardest days. And of course, she has two very close friends who she enjoys spending her free time with. Her favorite thing to do with the girls is to get coffee in a small café in Chapel Hill called Driade. This is one of the things she misses from home but knows it will make going back even better.

Guilfoile values nothing more than an interesting conversation. She thoroughly enjoys coming into contact with new people who have perspectives on life that are different than her own. She shared, “I love to branch out and talk to people.”

All of the experiences in Carlie Guilfoile’s life has had impact on the person she is today and the goals she has set for her future. Her traveling has given her the thirst to learn more about other cultures and communication. Guilfoile desires to spend time traveling to many other places and to make herself the most well rounded individual possible while still doing what she loves.

--by Jordan Hunt