About The Interviewer
Crystal Rose Clusiau
Hollins University,
Class of 2008
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About The Interviewer |
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Crystal Rose Clusiau |
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Hollins University, Class of 2008 |
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About Me. Well, I am
20 years old, and was born in Phoenix, Arizona, but I consider myself to
be from Gastonia, North Carolina. My biggest influences are the
members of my family, with my older brother in top rank, no doubt.
I'm no exactly sure why, but to me he has always been amazing and
brilliant, and I look up to him more than any other. I have also
had a continuous loving relationship with my parents, and ideals and
values that they have given me, I will be forever thankful for. I
consider myself to be, among other things, a student, a swimmer, an
outdoor adventurer, an environmentalist, a feminist, a leader, and a
lover-of-life. I graduated high school from Gaston Day School in Gastonia, and am currently a student at Hollins University. I am planning on majoring with an interdisciplinary study, "culture, community, and outdoor education," and having a double minor in French and mathematics (a true liberal arts student). I am a part of the Batten Leadership Institute, the Varsity Swim Team, and work for the Hollins Outdoor Program. My job outside of school is working for Camp High Rocks, an all boys adventure camp, teaching rock climbing and swimming. I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up, and I think that's just fine. |
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What I thought about the process. Conducting and writing life histories is a new subject for me, and one that I both enjoyed and hated. While the actual experience of getting to know people and spreading their words and actions is amazing, it’s the nitty-gritty work that I found taxing – transcribing, developing, and making a final product. In particular, I believe that I may have felt a little better about it had it been a project I was completely dedicated to, rather than having four other classes and other responsibilities to juggle. Do I feel that I’ve learned a lot? Absolutely. Now I feel better about interviews, both on the giving and receiving end. I have developed my skills in communication, and I have learned about the dynamics of a conversation between people of similar backgrounds or very different backgrounds. I think that what I learned is very valuable because I think that communication and understanding is relevant and important for any work that I choose to do or involve myself in. It has also been wonderful to get to know Hollins Alumna. It has given each of us, in the class, a chance to develop a contact and relationship with a woman in the professional and social work worlds. Also, seeing as we could choose our interviewee for the project, it’s possible, and true for myself, that our new connection is working in a field that we are interested in. For
me, the most difficult part of the process has been knowing that I am
actually the one telling the story – and this power makes me nervous.
Constantly I am hoping that what I choose to elaborate on, or how I
interpret a situation, is actually correct, and that my interviewee
feels that way as well. I am scared of misinterpretation, because
really, the way I see it, this interview is not about me telling a story
– it’s about me telling someone else’s story. |