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| Nick Brandreth |
Name, Major, Year?
Li Evans, first year Computer
Science major.
What brought you to RIT?
Aside from the good CS program,
my mother lives in Philly. I wanted
to be close enough to her that in
case of an emergency, I could go
to her, but far enough that she
couldn’t just show up whenever
she wanted to.
Do you visit Philly a lot?
Not as much as I did when I lived
in New Orleans. I lived there during
the Katrina year, so I’m pretty
done with it.
What was your experience
like during that time?
I’d experienced so many storms
before, so naturally I thought
Katrina would get me out of
a week of school, and everything
would be back to normal.
Kind of like the North’s snow days.
But once it hit and I had to evacuate,
I couldn’t wrap my mind around
what had happened. I spent my
junior year of high school in a
blur. I don’t remember much.
The occasional joke comes to
mind though. “Hey, Katrina girl,
you wanna try out for the swim
team? Hey, Katrina girl, did you have
to boat to school? Hey, Katrina girl,
how’s life under the sea?” Kids these
days, right?
You don’t get offended?
Oh, most definitely. But I’m not
a confrontational person. I just
continued on my merry way,
counting down the days until I
got to go back home. The thing
that bothers me the most though
(and this isn’t just pertaining
to Katrina) is when people say
“New Orleans,” like it rhymes with
jeans or beans. Southerners wince
at the sound of it. And people try to
correct me like that’s not where I’m
from. It’s “Orlinns,” kids. If I don’t
say “Orleens,” neither should you.
How have you adjusted
to living up north?
Lots and lots of layers. Coming
from 80 degrees on a chilly day,
this is a culture shock. I miss
the sun so much. I can’t wait
for summer.
Are you heading back
to New Orleans then?
Not until sometime in the fall.
I’m going to save up money this
summer and try to get a car.
Have you got a type of
car in mind already?
A black ‘60s or ‘70s Cadillac El
Dorado Fleetwood, or something
like it.
How would you
describe yourself?
I like making people smile, even for
a minute. So if seeing me strutting
down the Quarter Mile with purple
hair wrapped in a lime-green
shoestring screaming the words to
a Coheed and Cambria song off-key
brightens someone’s day or gives
someone a chuckle, so be it.
I must say, you have a very
cool style. From where do
you draw your inspiration?
Thanks. I don’t really know where
it comes from. It just kind of happens.
I love color, but then again,
I love black and white. I get bored
pretty easily. It all depends on how
I feel that day.
Ever get bored with RIT?
You gotta admit,
it’s pretty colorless.
That’s exactly what I said when
I visited the first time. It was
a rainy, gloomy day, and the
bricks made everything so sepia.
I’m used to bright pink and green
and yellow houses, Mardi Gras
beads everywhere, rainbow flags
flapping in the air. But after a while,
it sort of grew on me. I like it here.
The excessive graffiti helps.
