Interview with Brianna Johnson

Many people would find transferring to a new school over 3oo miles away from home stressful and overwhelming. Adjusting to the new living situation while not knowing anyone in the area; without the comfort of knowing you can always head home for a weekend is scary. Throw on top of that managing the academic course load along with a vigorous daily basketball practice and it is a lot to take in. Brianna Johnson, a sophomore transfer student at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY makes this major transition appear effortless.

Despite being in her first semester, Brianna is well known amongst the campus community. This can be contributed to her warm smile and friendly demeanor as well as her bleach blonde dreadlocks and basketball star identity. As a fellow transfer student, I have watches in admiration at Brianna’s positive outlook on life. She takes the time to get to know everyone around her and takes a genuine interest in them and their life. A simple task such as walking to the dining hall can take Brianna nearly twice as long as an average student, due to the fact she stops to say hello and carry on a conversation with so many students and even staff along the way. She is on a first name basis with nearly all the school workers as well as most of the students. It is evident that she only stops to converse with others because she genuinely cares about them.

I have never met a person like this before and it is truly something to take notice of. As Brianna’s roommate I see on a daily basis how her positive outlook and compassion towards others affects them. Watching her take a few minutes out of her busy day to briefly chat with a shy freshman student or a cafeteria worker having a long day and it is obvious how much this small gesture brightens that person’s entire day.

I am lucky to have Brianna Johnson as a friend and roommate and I had the pleasure of interviewing her about her adjustment to The College of Saint Rose, basketball, her family and more.

 What is your full name?

Brianna Claire Johnson

What is your age?

I am 22.

Where are you from? I was born in Houston, Texas. Then I Moved to London when I was four years old. I stayed there for about one and a half years. Then I moved to Northern Virginia, where I lived for thirteen years.

How do these places compare to Albany, NY?

They were very different from Albany. Not as cold, the landscaping is a little different. In Texas it was a lot flatter and hardly any tress. In Virginia there was a lot of trees.

Do you play any sport?

Yes, I do. I play Basketball.

 What position do you play?

I am a shooting guard.

 What is it like to balance schoolwork while playing division 2 basketball?

It can be a little stressful at times, but I think that staying busy makes things easier to get done. I know I have a certain amount of time to do it so it is all time management.

What do you think of the team at Saint Rose, How does it differ from your last school?

I LOVE my team here! There are 8 new players on the team this year (15 players total), so we are all getting to know each other. I feel like we are a lot closer than my other team and we are not as exclusive.

Was it difficult to adjust as a transfer student?

Yes and no. Yes, it was difficult because everything is so new: the people, the team, the school, the campus; but the actual transferring process was easy because everyone was really nice. My teammates were very open and the professors were outgoing and helpful.

Do you like living in the transfer house on campus?

Yes. I think I enjoy being on campus, especially for my first year. It helps to get to know a lot of people. I like how everyone in my building is a transfer student too and we are all in the same boat coming in.

How have the professors at Saint Rose been helpful or not helpful to you?

They have been helpful because they are very open to helping me. Most seem very understanding and reasonable of where we (there students) are all at.

What are your short/long term goals?

My short-term goal is to do great academically this semester. I want to  get all As and Bs

My long-term goal is to graduate with a 3.0 or higher.

 

What is your major?

My major is in Special Education. I just recently switched from Communications.

 Have you ever over came a difficult struggle? Explain.

Absolutely! I have been through many struggles. One of my toughest ones was breaking the failure mentality; that was an old habit. I had to renew my mind and see things differently in order to move forward; specifically in my academics. I also had to work on  discipline in all areas of my life.

 Give me a little background on yourself. (Culture, religion, philosophy, etc.)

I am very down to earth, understanding and outgoing. I love to help out others and I love to share. I think that anytime you have an opportunity to appreciate someone you should. I think that it is important to give thanks when it is due. I love Christ.

What is your family like?

I have two siblings an older brother who is 24 and a sister who is 28. My parents are divorced, both are not married. I am big on family. I am very close with my mom and I am working on my relationship with my father; but overall I have a great relationship with all my family members.

 Do you have any hobbies or interests other than basketball?

I love to go outdoors, I love hanging out and relaxing with my friends and family, I love to chill and watch a movie, I love to dance, I like to read. I love to go to church and hang out with my brothers and sisters in Christ and I love animals.

 Explain one lesson you learned that you would like to share with the world.

To never ever EVER give up or stop believing.

What is a fun fact about you?

I have been to 22 of the 50 states.

Thank you, Brianna. It has been a pleasure!

Thank you!!!

“Realms of the Unreal” Film Review

Realms of the Unreal is a Documentary following the life of artist, Henry Darger. The film was done in a creative way, by a combination of first person narration from a character playing Henry as well as a series of interviews with people who had met him. While the Henry character spoke, a lot of images were shown on the screen, mainly of Darger’s artwork. The film followed his life from childhood all the way through his death. The documentary came across as quite strange mainly because Henry Darger was a strange man and from what it sounded like he had some mental health problems.

When Henry was a child his father, went to live in a poor house and Henry was sent to a home. Although he was smart and loved to read. Henry did not  fit in socially at school. He made weird noises with his mouth and nose during class, annoying the other students and teacher. He noted that everyone at school hated him, yet he did not stop making the noises. Henry was told that his heart was in the wrong place and taken to a doctor but really he was taken to see if he was crazy. Later Henry was shipped off 162 miles away from his father to a home for feeble minded children. At this institution Henry worked on a state farm. He and the other children were physically beaten on a regular basis and he desperately wanted to escape. After one failed attempt Henry managed to escape. He believed he was at the institution for seven years.

After regaining his freedom Henry worked in a hospital as a janitor. He began to find comfort in   and even wrote a 15,000 page novel himself. Henry loved to collect newspapers and story books and would cut out pictures from them and paste them into photo books. Henry would spend hours and hours alone in his appartement room talking to himself and creating art. He did create many beautiful pieces and was a talented artist. He had particular interest in little girls and drew them often. Although he often drew little girls with penises suggesting he may not known the difference between girls and boys.

Henry’s neighbors noted that Henry could not easily relate to other people and spent most of his time alone. He would rarely talk to others but would talk to himself a lot in his room. He would change his voice and believed he was talking to real people. Henry had a great deal of difficulty distinguishing the difference between what was real life and just in his head. For example sometimes the character narrating his voice was a man and sometimes it sounded like a young girl. Based on this, I think there was a good change that he was schizophrenic. It sounds like he most definitely had something wrong with him but it was noted by neighbors that Henry was not out of control. The only thing Henry would talk to others about was the weather.

Religion played a major role in Henry’s life and he attended church regularly. He sometimes struggled with god, such as when he was denied a request to adopt a little girl. However, in the end he could never abandoned his faith.

Overall I found the film to be slightly creepy as Henry’s obsession with little girls seemed abnormal. It was also confusing at times when he switched between talking in a man and a girls voice. I think it accurately portrayed how Henry could not distinguish between the real and unreal, as well as showed off a lot of his artwork. The interviews with people who met Henry were helpful in following the storyline, without them it would have been impossible to know what was really happening in his life and what he thought was happening. I would recommend this documentary to anyone interested in mental disorders or in film making. It was put together in a creative way and it was effective in grabbing the viewers attention.