Hey, everyone! My name is Alesia Brennan and I’m a senior this year at USM. I’m a Media Studies major and a Business Administration minor. I originally hail from Dunstable, Massachusetts (don’t worry, no one else has heard of it either) which is a (very) small town about ten miles north of Lowell and about five miles south of Nashua, New Hampshire. About a year ago I decided I’d had enough of the dorm life and moved into an apartment in Portland with my best friend Danielle. The picture of us below was taken in our dorm room during our sophomore year. Things I love about apartment living: My own room, my own bathroom, more privacy, and a full sized bed. Things I don’t love about apartment living: Cleaning my own bathroom, cooking (trust me, as much as you complain about the cafeteria food now, you will come to miss the fact that you don’t cook it or clean up the mess), and noisy neighbors with annoying dogs.

As for some more personal information about me, I’m a slight perfectionist who enjoys reading, eating my way through every restaurant in the greater Portland area, running (I have to burn off those calories somehow!), and I’m also a minor Netflix addict. I do love movies but I’m honestly more of a TV fan so my queue is usually clogged with shows like Lost (yes, I’m a Lost nerd and no, I can’t believe it’s over), Dexter, Friday Night Lights (Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!), and The Office. Basically, if you want to talk TV, I’m your girl!

Recently, I’ve also begun to develop a thing for documentaries and I’ve been taking advantage of the ones offered instantly on Netflix. One I would recommend to video game enthusiasts and everyone alike is King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters which chronicles two approaching middle aged guys competing for the world record on the original Donkey Kong game. It’s a heartwarming and hilarious movie that honestly made me want to go out in search of an original Donkey Kong game so I could try my hand at it.

Some other random facts about me include: my favorite color is green; I hate coffee but love tea; my favorite season is fall because I have a fondness for pumpkin flavored baked goods and desserts (I even want a pumpkin wedding cake); I love making other people laugh; I have no problem with wild birds but think pet birds are beyond creepy; I think miniature things are absolutely adorable (think the travel sized items section at Target); and I love a good musical.

Other than that, I’m just your typical college student; I go to classes, hang out with friends, work part-time for Undergraduate Admissions as a tour guide, and am a member of the peer advising program at USM which basically means if your part of the School of Business you may meet with me at some point to answer your questions and help you pick out classes.

I’m actually very excited for this new school year to start not only because it’s my last one but because I’m part of that rare breed that actually enjoys school and I’m looking forward to touring again and working as a peer advisor. Tour guide and peer advisor are perfect positions for me because as anyone who’s know me for longer than five minutes can tell you, I LOVE to talk. My philosophy is, if I love to talk why not get paid/get college credit for doing it? Also, sometime last year I realized that I really enjoy helping people in an academic setting and I want to pursue a career in high education administration (advising, admissions counseling, ect). I’m excited to start exploring these career paths more during my last year as an undergraduate.

So there is a not-so-brief introduction to my universe. I hope it held your attention at least somewhat. I also hope that you find future posts interesting, helpful, and informative and that they give you at least a glimpse into the life of four USM seniors. I hope everyone had a fabulous first week or so back and that this semester is a great one!

--Alesia