My name is Alona Kemp. I'm almost 21 years old (August 26). I'm from Dallas, Texas.
I don't like my name, I'm young for my "grade", and I've never taken advantage of living in a major US city.
I'm a senior this year. I'm an Honors student. I'm a Letters major and an International Area Studies major. I've just returned from a semester abroad, in Clermont-Ferrand, France, where I finished my French minor, satisfied a requirement for IAS, and made lots of good friends.
I'm a woman. I'm bi. I'm Black. I'm a Liberal--like, super liberal. I'm willing to discuss nearly anything, but I can't promise to come around.
I'm partially deaf in both ears, so I read lips to catch what I miss in conversation. I don't see that posing a problem in this course, but if I ever meet any of you in person and I watch your mouth move, either ignore my gaze or speak up.
I'm an atheist. That doesn't mean that I don't believe in good or evil, or in the value of a human life. I just don't need a god to get me there.
I have a brother and a sister (Nicolas, or 'Cole' and Karis), both younger. Being the oldest has its perks, but I think the damage that your inexperienced parents do on your psyche isn't really worth being the first to get a car.
I love fantasy books, and sci-fi books, and historical fiction books...I really like books. I think it sucks that I don't have any time to read for fun anymore.
I love all kinds of music, except for country. I can't say that I like the whole genre, but I like a few songs within the genre. But I like reggae, alternative/indie, rock/soft rock, R&B and Hip-Hop. Sometimes I listen to German rap. I don't speak a word of German.
I have a dog, a mutt named Ginger. She was abandoned in our backyard when I was a kid, and we kept her. She's nearly 14 years old now. I live in Norman now, but even when I lived in Texas I never had much time to play with her. I do love dogs though. All dogs. Cats, not so much.
I love to paint and draw. I design tattoos for people, professionally. I cannot actually tattoo anyone, but I can give you a sketch to take to an artist.
I am writing a Research thesis this semester to earn my cum laude in International Studies. It is incredibly stressful to keep up with two online classes and a 30 page research paper. Why would I register for 2 online classes and a high intensity research paper? Apparently, I like pain.
I'm emotional about the most random things. I don't cry at funerals, but I watched the destruction of an ancient library on the news, or read about the extinction of the black rhino, and I cry like a baby.
I watch the most random shows on Netflix (my parents won't but a Hulu account and I refuse to buy one for some reason). Archer, That 70's Show, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Lucifer, Big Mouth, Sherlock, Shameless, Parks and Rec, Merlin, Peaky Blinders, Supernatural, The Get Down...I highly recommend any of these shows by the way. If you'd like more, let me know. I've got good taste in TV, haha.
When I graduate in May, I plan to go to law school. Hopefully on one of the coasts, East or West. I want to work to secure human rights for people around the world and within the US. I think I'd like to work for the ACLU, and eventually for UNESCO. I know I'm a weirdly ambitious person, but you gotta shoot for the moon. "Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."
If I had the time I'd try calligraphy. But all the supplies look insanely expensive, so I'm stuck with beautiful handwriting in pens from Walmart.
I was not popular in high school. Or middle school. Or elementary school. Now that I'm older, I'm okay with myself, but I used to be incredibly insecure. I still find that insecurity creeping up on me sometimes.
I've always had an interest in mythology and folk tales. When I was a child, my parents had a book of African stories and tall tales that they used to read to me and my siblings. When I got older, I read them to Cole and Karis myself. I used to research Greek and Roman myths for fun, fueled by Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. Later I got into Egyptian mythology, Norse mythology, African mythology. I think that they reveal so much about humanity collectively, and studying humanity from the vantage point of "one of them" is one of my favorite things.
I'm excited for this semester.
