MIKE CARSON

When I turned in my last column of fall quarter, I told myself “never again.” But here I am again, staring down a third straight quarter as a Daily columnist. Still got that itch. I didn’t want to quit because of the work­-I like this gig as much as anyone could ever like hours of unpaid labor. But if there’s any virtue I cherish in a young man, it’s a healthy respect for silence. I wasn’t born with a gift for keeping my thoughts to myself, but it’s a skill I could stand to develop. But then again, there’s that darn mayoral election. And Northwestern’s new discrimination “task force.” And really, if I’ve already hammered out two quarters of columns, could a few more hurt? The fact is that in a few months, I’ll be finished with college classes, and I’ll have to go to work like everybody else. I figure I’ll have plenty of time to practice my “strong but silent” routine while I suffocate in a cubicle. So call this my last chance to make some noise before I grow up and get a filter. Unless­-and here’s a scary thought-I can’t give it up even after college, Econ major be damned. There it is again. Still got that itch.

KAREN CHEN

Karen Chen is a curious Medill freshman with an awful tendency for Dickensian-length sentences and a happy affinity for bad similes. Hailing from Canada’s capital, Ottawa (not Toronto), Karen likes to nap, snack, shamelessly play Neopets and make lists she never completes. Karen completed high school in Beijing, a city she fell in love with for its unbeatable food, revolutionary taxi drivers and the local tendency to fill awkward pauses with offers to feed you watermelon. She is desperately searching for a place to get good coconut macaroons and Vietnamese pho. She enjoys wearing fuzzy socks and having random dance interludes. Her goal for this quarter? Be a buirrel: hibernate like a bear with the food storage skills of a squirrel. Having run out of things to say about herself, she would like to share her favourite word with you: bed. Because “bed” looks like a bed!

ALEX HOLLANDER

I played two games with my childhood friends: detectives and real estate agents. In “detectives,” we’d fill up plastic briefcases with paper and pens, create stories about criminals we’d have to catch (usually a plastic bat toy I had for some reason) and write up reports once we had caught them. In the second game, we’d draw houses and make Excel spreadsheets with information detailing the families living inside, including fake names and ages. Unfortunately, we did not wear skirt suits for this game. However, my clear passion for carrying around paper and obsessively cataloging information turned me on to journalism early. When I wasn’t drawing or indulging the early signs of OCD, I developed a love for R&B. Since my mom raised me on pre-crack Whitney, Luther and Teddy, I had a soft spot for hip-hop waiting when the likes of B2K and later, Lil’ Wayne, entered my orbit. More recently, I’ve started looking to rap for writing inspiration-I’m always genuinely delighted by how clever and unexpected the lyrics can be. As T.I. once said, I know I can count on “Weezy for the wordplay.” This music has made me want to make my writing (and life) funny yet poignant and original.

TERRI POUS

I am the youngest of four girls, and I’m the consummate baby of the family. I was teased, cajoled and forced into ridiculous costumes as a child. Many years later, I’ve come into my own, but my sisters still like having me as more of a pet than a sibling. I am from Bethesda, Md. I grew up on politics and history, thanks to my dad, and shopping and culture, thanks to my mom. Now, I major in journalism and minor in political science, which satisfies both them and me. I have been involved in several campus organizations throughout the years. Outside of school, I enjoy traveling, skiing, cute shoes, dogs and eating. My goal in life is to visit all presidential homes-right now, I’m at 15. My favorite author is Bill Bryson, and my favorite movies are “Airplane!” and “When Harry Met Sally.” When I grow up, I want to do something in either or both politics and journalism. Career suggestions are greatly appreciated!

BEN ROTHSCHILD

For the first half of my life, I dreamt of the day I would become the Super Bowl winning quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I wanted to be in the spotlight. However, once the Steelers drafted someone named Ben Roethlisberger, I decided that I had come close enough. It was time to move on. Since then, I moved from being a tennis player to classical musician to a math, economics and Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences major, and now, even as a senior, I am only beginning to discover the path I want to follow.

I always wanted to write a column for The Daily. It was sort of a challenge I made for myself as a freshman, and now that I made it to my final year, I realize I no longer had any time to procrastinate. The goal of my column is simply to get you to think a little differently about something, be it your time at Northwestern, current events, or life in general. I am going to be writing about NU culture, Evanston, economics, current events, technology, and everything in between.

AMANDA SCHERKER

I’m a sophomore who enjoys Woody Allen movies and Indian food. I have all the predictable college-age liberal leanings. I mainly rely on Jon Stewart and New York Times columnists for accurate worldly information. My favorite author is Jack Kerouac, although my terrible driving means I’ll probably never be able to imitate his cross country road trip. I’m an RTVF major from Miami, Fla. When I’m not wasting my life watching B-list movies on Netflix instant play, I like going to concerts in Chicago. My dream is to convince somebody in New York to pay me to write music or movie reviews, though I’d probably settle for How-To books. I figured this column would be a good way to vent my frustrations with the Tea Party and “Twilight,” among other things, while also satisfying interrogations from extended family members about what exactly I’m doing with my life.

DERRICK CLIFTON

Northwestern, I greet you the Wendy Williams way: How YOU doin’?

Me: Communication junior, In Technicolor’s board chair, University Christian Ministry member, RedVelvet (think Rainbow and winter), a high school debate coach, board member of a local non-profit and solid in Spanish. ¿Cómo estás tú?

I read: David Sedaris, Maya Angelou, “How to Say It,” Bible, PopEater, HuffPo and The Daily Northwestern.

TV time: The Wendy Williams Show, Oprah, The View, Boondocks and tons of YouTube viral videos (I do Be-Weave!)

Rocking to: My iPod = girl power! Adele, Janelle Monae, Nikka Costa, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Spice Girls (oh, you saw that coming…), Lily Allen, Leona Lewis, Gabriella Cilmi.

Thumbs up: Cheese, blue, dark chocolate, singing, excuses to wear costumes, sass at opportune times and rolling my eyes every time I see UGG and North Face paired. Original much, Northwestern? There goes that sass…

Thumbs down: Ke$ha. My love will never be her drug, but I’m sure she’d like my beard.

I would like to: Skydive, snowboard, learn to whistle, work or attend graduate school after Northwestern.

STEVE HOFMANN

Steve Hofmann is a Northwestern junior. He really enjoys a sharp-looking v-neck because it takes him one step closer to becoming Harry Potter, and, thus, scoring with women who look like Ginny Weasley but are actually of-age. Steve has just returned from studying abroad in Barcelona and has absolutely no motivation to return to real life (i.e. rigorously applying for investment banking internships and returning to the problem set glory-days). He is majoring in economics and Spanish.

Steve is president of the on-campus social business Ecco Living and may or may not plug Ecco a couple times in his
column if the opportunity presents itself. Steve is borderline overwhelmingly sarcastic – which points to his laid-back personality – and never turns down a solid “that’s what she said” moment. Despite his joking demeanor, Steve gets down to business and loves writing, as long as it’s informal and humorous by nature. Who knew investment bankers could be light-hearted?