USD Magazine Fall 2005

CARMEN GONZALEZ

I f the word “wise” doesn’t come to mind when you think of a 19-year-old, that’s because you haven’t met Carmen Gonzalez. “When I first got here, I was worried about finding people with the same thoughts as me,” she recalls, eyes direct. But those worries proved groundless. Now, she’s got wisdom of her own to impart: “I’ve been hosting stu- dents for the admissions office,” Gonzalez says, explaining that she volunteered for the task, which allows prospective stu-

dents to shadow a current USD freshman and find out what cam- pus life is really like. “I’ve been telling them to be careful. Some people come here wanting to change the world, but instead they’re changing themselves.” Tough stuff, but this past year pushed Gonzalez outside her comfort zones. “My ‘Music for Educators’ class was great,” she says. “It’s always been hard for me to talk in front of others, and now I can actually perform. I even learned how to play the piano.” At first, she

BRIANNE BUTLER

T here’s something so gen- uinely nice about Brianne Butler that you can’t help but return her dazzling smile when she aims it your way. That’s a quality that will come in handy when she serves as Resident Assistant (RA) to a group of fresh- man girls this year, a challenge that makes her near-giddy to contemplate. “I’ll help them get into the swing of things when they miss home,” she says, flashing that mil- lion-dollar grin. As far as her own feelings, Brianne overcame bouts of homesickness during fresh- man year the old-fashioned way: by hopping on a plane for a visit every chance she got. “First semester, I went home so often it was just ridiculous,” she confesses. “But I cut it down quite a bit. Of course, now, being an RA, I won’t be able to go back as much.” For a moment, the smile fades. “I was really sur- prised, because I didn’t think it would be such an issue. I mean, I love it at USD.” Given the Washington native’s hardcore work ethic, it’s a won- der she found time to be home- sick. What with carrying 18 units last semester, serving as execu-

tive liaison for the Residence Hall Association and working 15 hours a week, there wasn’t much time for frivolity. “I go non-stop all day, nine-to- five,” she sighs. “Once I get to my room, it’s all about homework.” If Butler has a vice, it’s not lolly- gagging at the beach (“I don’t have a car”), slacking off (“This year the focus is on academics”), or being scatterbrained (“I’m really planning for the future; I even have a 10-year plan”). Instead, she indulges herself in another way: “Buying plane tickets is a bad habit of mine,” she confesses. “I’ve just got to cut back.”

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USD MAGAZINE