Jessica Smith Is Going Places

By Skylar Taraborelli, ENGL 336.002

Hypnotized by Lady Gaga, Jessica Smith has been mesmerized by the theatrics of Gaga’s performances as well as her uniqueness. Like Gaga, Smith has found her niche. Since she was able to hold up a book, Jessica has been reading stories from all genres. Even though she was able to read at a young age, she convinced her parents to buy her Hooked on Phonics because it involved reading. Her love for the literary arts has deeply affected her life and the path she is following.
Smith grew up in Laurel, Maryland until age 12, where she then moved to Keedysville, Maryland. Jessica describes Keedysville as “the boonies.” Along with reading, Smith was a year-round competitive swimmer until high school, as well as a junior equestrian. She is also a seasoned traveler. She has been to thirty states, Canada, England, the Cayman Islands, and Cancun.
In 2009, she attended Towson University for a semester as a journalism major, but found the size of the campus as well as the number of people there to be less personal. She transferred in the spring semester to Frostburg, where she has found the people to be very friendly. She is now an English major. “I love reading. I eventually want to work for a publishing company,” says Smith. Jessica is drawn to authors who have unique and interesting twists to their stories. Her favorite author, Chuck Palahniuk (http://chuckpalahniuk.net/),appeals to her because he has “weird twists in his stories.”
As a fan of Gaga, Jessica is committed. She cut her bangs to emulate her icon. To her, Gaga is the most inspirational person in her life. “Everything she does is a performance. Even her walk is art…I bought a lipstick just because I knew she had it.” In Gaga-esque fashion, Jessica met her boyfriend at a hookah bar in Hagerstown, Maryland. She even has bright blonde hair and standout makeup that resembles the pop star. Although Gaga is known for her outlandish style, she is also timid and shy offstage. Jessica would love to be more outgoing. “It would be a lot easier to meet people. It takes awhile for me to let my personality out. I am a nice person,” she proclaims. She looks for loyalty in her friends.
The future of books may lie in the hands of a Frostburg student. Jessica Smith knows books, and she can spot a good one when she reads it.