by Juniper Rogers
Grace Priddy is a senior from Martinsville, Virginia, and she is majoring in creative writing and minoring in both religious studies and health and exercise science, and is even working towards a concentration in publishing and editing. When asked what her second greatest achievement was, she responsed that “I really have enjoyed becoming best friends with the wildlife on campus.” If you also enjoy fraternizing with our neighbourhood creatures, Grace suggests going for a walk in our beautiful Salem whenever you can. Grace even has her own three dogs at home, whose names are Max, Rocky, and Freyja. Some of her favourite animals (listed in order) are crocodiles, goats, aligators, and sharks.
Grace says that, over her college career, her biggest accomplishment was getting published in the literary magazine “Sheepshad Review”. The poem that she published is titled “Complete Collection”, which was included in the Halloween issue. After being asked how she feels about knowing that her work is out in the world, she said “It lit a fire of inspiration inside of me. I’ve dedicated more time to my writing and even when I walk around campus, I often think about what would make the story or poem I am working on better.” Hearing this, it is clear what Grace’s passion is and why she has been successful in what she does. If you are also a writer or any other kind of artist, I bet that you are well aware that one needs a constant outlet for their creativity, which is exactly what Grace has found in the Roanoke Review. She first got into it through the suggestion of Professor Hill, and ever since then has been working on a very daunting project. “I go through the print anthology of the Roanoke Review and scan and edit the pictures so that the collection can be uploaded onto the Roanoke Review website.”, Grace reports on her project. She says “There are still some issues left ot be scanned, so I’m going to have to hand the job off to my successor!”
As with any college student, Grace has developed a necessary skill and loving attitude for cooking. As for her favourite dish to cook in the dorms, “I love to make sweet potato chips that I usually get from the farmers market on Main Street. If you want to try this at home, grab a big sweet potato, wash it, cut it into thin chips, mix olive oil and your favourite seasonings in a bowl, cover the chips in the mixture, lay the chips out on a pan, make sure to preheat the oven at around 400 degrees, and cook until crispy.” Grace likes hers crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, but she will leave that decision up to you. “I really hope to take some cooking or baking classes after I graduate when I have the time!” she says.
Talking about the coming years, she says “As soon as I graduate, I plan to start working and spending more time exploring the local parks and wildlife back at home. I also hope to be able to travel to more cool places like science centers and planetariums across Virginia and North Carolina.” She really has accumulated quite the bucket list of things to learn and sights to see y’all! Finally, Grace’s advice for underclassmen is “Don’t be so hard on yourself! Its okay to make mistakes because that is how we all learn. Also, remember to take care of yourself. Take breaks! Take a walk! And, don’t forget to drink water!”
