{"id":1676,"date":"2019-11-19T16:32:53","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T00:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/?page_id=1676"},"modified":"2019-11-20T17:18:38","modified_gmt":"2019-11-21T01:18:38","slug":"meet-the-new-graduate-cohort","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/meet-the-new-graduate-cohort\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the new graduate cohort!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Meet the new graduate cohort!<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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By Alana Inlow<\/em><\/p>\n

This year our department welcomed nine graduate students to the 2019\/2020 cohort. Below we learn a little bit about each new graduate student. WSU Sociology wouldn\u2019t be what it is without an excited, curious, and inspiring new cohort each year.<\/p>\n

Ed. Note: Answers were lightly edited for clarity and brevity.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Sandra Yokley\"Front<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Belleville, Illinois (20 minutes outside of St. Louis)<\/p>\n

Education:<\/strong> B.S. in Sociology, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 2018<\/p>\n

Associate of Arts, Southwestern Illinois College, 2015<\/p>\n

Research Interests:<\/strong> social inequality, social justice, liberation sociology, urban sociology, social movements, political sociology, public policy, organizational sociology, poverty, class origins\/destinations, mobility, qualitative methods, mixed methods<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> What\u2019s your favorite natural phenomenon? If you have more than one favorite that\u2019s fine.<\/p>\n

Sandra:<\/strong> Hmm, that\u2019s such a hard question. Give me some parameters.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> There are weird ones like volcanic lightning or the green flash at sunset. But also, more common things like regular rainstorms are fine too. Have you ever been interested in any natural phenomena or taken a fascination with any of them?<\/p>\n

Sandra:<\/strong> I guess on a basic level I\u2019m really into stars\u2014finding them, looking at them. Not necessarily astrology but just the idea, the vastness of space. Space\u2026 really everything that has to do with that; more along the lines of how I relate to it, how it makes me feel.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Did you ever want to be an astronaut when you were little?<\/p>\n

Sandra:<\/strong> No, I was your pretty basic princess singer. I didn\u2019t know other options were available to me until I grew up.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> What\u2019s your favorite music era? And if you could pick a song from that era that you really love, what would it be?<\/p>\n

Sandra:<\/strong> These are really hard! I don\u2019t like new music. Well, I don\u2019t want to say I don\u2019t like new music; I don\u2019t like mainstream music? I\u2019m definitely an indie-alternative kind of person. I\u2019m trying to think of the song, it came out during my birth year, and it\u2019s by\u2026 let me look it up. It\u2019s by Annie Lennox. \u201cNo more \u2018I love you\u2019s\u2019!\u201d Okay, so that came out during my birth year, of course I didn\u2019t hear it during my birth year, but that\u2019s one.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Do you enjoy singing too?<\/p>\n

Sandra:<\/strong> Yes!<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Do you have a go to karaoke song?<\/p>\n

Sandra:<\/strong> Oh goodness. If I\u2019m going to do karaoke I like to be as dramatic as possible because I\u2019m not naturally super dramatic, so, like, “Benny and the Jets” or Adele.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Those are perfectly dramatic. Okay, one more. How do you feel about garden gnomes?<\/p>\n

Sandra:<\/strong> They creep me out! There was a time in high school where my friends and I\u2026 there was a game and we would go out in the middle of the night and the goal was to find the weirdest thing in someone\u2019s yard and steal it and bring it back. And there was always a garden gnome. And they creep me out. Back home, gnomes around Christmas are the thing, so I\u2019m ok with them. But there is something about them that just creeps me out.<\/p>\n

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Sarah Deming\"Front<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown: <\/strong>Tacoma, WA area<\/p>\n

Education: <\/strong>M.S., Family and Consumer Science, University of Idaho, 2019
\nB.A., Sociology, Western Washington University, 2003<\/p>\n

Research Interests: <\/strong>sociology of the family, gender\/gender role expression, social inequality, qualitative and survey research methods<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> What do you like to do with your free time if you have any?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Oh, all my free time! I\u2019d say just being outside is probably my number one priority when I\u2019m not working on stuff. Running is probably the biggest thing that I do most regularly by myself. Also, the family and I mountain bike a lot and raft. My husband works for Northwest River Supply, so we get out on the water a fair amount too. Ski and snowboard in the winter. I just like being outside and exploring. I like hiking and trail running and stuff up in the mountains and being on the water.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> What\u2019s the worst gift you\u2019ve ever received?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> This is going to be kind of mean, but my husband, on multiple occasions now\u2014it started as a birthday present, but he has tried to pull this off multiple times, for Christmas too\u2014he was going to build me a dining room table, which is a beautiful idea. I really wanted this big farmhouse kind of table, so we bought these big slabs of wood. But that was three years ago, and they\u2019re still sitting in our garage annoying me every time I go in. It has kind of become a joke. The unfinished table.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> If you were a plant, any kind of plant, what would you be and why?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Hmm. I think I would be a succulent because I like to think of myself as pretty low maintenance and only need small amounts of\u2026 oh, geez, this is such a \u201cmother\u201d answer, I can be neglected. And they\u2019re actually my favorite kind of plant too, they\u2019re just not so needy. They\u2019re kind of satisfying, you know the ones that bloom, it\u2019s so surprising.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> How to do feel about garden gnomes?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Oh, I can\u2019t imagine ever putting them in my own yard. It\u2019s not something I would ever spend money on buying for my yard. But I think they\u2019re adorable when I see other people\u2019s yards with them. I don\u2019t know. I have vague feelings. I feel like my grandma had some.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Yeah, if a young group of undergrads had them, that would be a little kitschy.<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Yeah, I think that\u2019s fair. I feel like I\u2019m a little judgey, \u201cWhy do you have all this weird stuff in your yard?!\u201d Unless you\u2019re above a certain age.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Then you think, \u201cOh, that\u2019s cute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Yeah, I feel like my parents are just about that age where if my mom got a garden gnome, I\u2019d think, \u201cOh, now you\u2019re in that category. Okay, you\u2019re old now!\u201d<\/p>\n

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Thomas Familia\"Front<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown: <\/strong>\u201cAll over the place,\u201d in the U.S. and overseas<\/p>\n

Education: <\/strong>B.A., Sociology, Economics, Political Science (emphasis on international relations, University of Utah, 2003<\/p>\n

Attended WSU 2005\u20132008, as a PhD student in Sociology<\/p>\n

Research Interests: <\/strong>environmental sociology, energy sociology, political sociology, globalization, social stratification, research methods<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> What was the last movie you went to see and what did you think?<\/p>\n

Thomas:<\/strong> I\u2019m blanking on the name of the movie; can I look it up really quick? What\u2019s that guy\u2019s name that was in the vampire movies but now is actually a good actor? Patterson?<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Oh! Um, Pattinson?<\/p>\n

Thomas:<\/strong> Yeah, Robert Pattinson. I saw this movie he was in, it was set in space. It was this claustrophobic space indie movie from a French director. Highlife<\/em>? Is that what it\u2019s called? Highlife,<\/em> yeah.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> What did you think of it?<\/p>\n

Thomas:<\/strong> Very um\u2026 it was good but depressing. Basically, just these prisoners who were put in space. They send them off all the time hoping they find something, but they\u2019re going to die in the end no matter what.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Oh, god, that does sound depressing. Okay, well, let\u2019s see, if you had a warning label what would yours say?<\/p>\n

Thomas:<\/strong> Um, \u201cnon-spontaneous.\u201d *laughs*<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> So, I\u2019ve been asking everyone this last question, I like it for some reason, and I want to see what each person says. How do you feel about garden gnomes?<\/p>\n

Thomas:<\/strong> Um, uh, they give some variety? They\u2019re like, I wonder if they\u2019re spying? I don\u2019t know the word I\u2019m trying to think of, like I wonder if they\u2019re\u2026<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Oh, like surveillance?<\/p>\n

Thomas:<\/strong> Yeah! Surveillance.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Oh, I never thought of that, huh. Never thought of it that way. People usually just say they\u2019re creepy or they\u2019re cute. But I never thought about if they could be some sort of surveillance mechanism. Ew.<\/p>\n

Thomas:<\/strong> Although, I\u2019m not into conspiracy theories.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Yeah, but they can be fun sometimes!<\/p>\n

\n

Cassandra Leonard\"Front<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown: <\/strong>Wappingers Falls, NY (just outside New York City)<\/p>\n

Education: <\/strong>B.A., French Language & Literature, Stony Brook University, 2018
\nBA Political Science, Stony Brook University, 2018<\/p>\n

Research Interests: <\/strong>Haiti, gender, family, family structure, portrayal and perception of Haiti in western media<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?<\/p>\n

Cassi:<\/strong> Oh, this is a terrible question because I don\u2019t know any actors or actresses. Um, can I pick a man?<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Yeah, you can pick anyone you want! There are no rules.<\/p>\n

Cassi:<\/strong> Probably, agh, this is going to be so embarrassing\u2026 probably Emma Watson or Johnny Depp, I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Any particular reason?<\/p>\n

Cassi:<\/strong> I just don\u2019t know any people. Emma Watson is obviously amazing, she\u2019s beautiful and talented, and all of the things, I don\u2019t know. And I think Johnny Depp is hysterical.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> What was your favorite subject in elementary school?<\/p>\n

Cassi:<\/strong> Probably art!<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> That\u2019s a great subject. Okay, I ask everyone this one because I like it and it\u2019s weird and I just want to hear everyone\u2019s answer to it. So, how do you feel about garden gnomes?<\/p>\n

Cassi:<\/strong> Oh, my god, I love them! Yeah, my family has a garden gnome on their front steps. But we\u2019re always terrified that delinquents are going to attack it.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Yeah, I\u2019ve gotten so many different answers, it\u2019s interesting.<\/p>\n

Cassi:<\/strong> How could you hate them? They\u2019re so\u2026<\/p>\n

Alana<\/strong>: Some people think they\u2019re creepy. Let\u2019s do one more. What\u2019s your go to karaoke song?<\/p>\n

Cassi:<\/strong> Yeah, oh, wow, I\u2019ve actually never done karaoke, but I\u2019ve always wanted to. But, um\u2026 this is really putting me on the spot.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> If you could sing anything and be good at it\u2026<\/p>\n

Cassi:<\/strong> The first thing that comes to mind is \u201cParty in the USA\u201d but that\u2019s not what I would actually pick. Um, I guess, I guess “Party in the USA.”<\/p>\n

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Michelle Weston\"Front<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown: <\/strong>McCloud, California (Northern CA, at the foot of Mt. Shasta)<\/p>\n

Education: <\/strong>B.S., Sociology and Anthropology, minor in Political Science, Southern Oregon University, 2018<\/p>\n

Research Interests: <\/strong>rural sociology, political sociology, environmental sociology, ecology<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Okay, now for the fun questions. So, if you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> It\u2019s hard to pick a place. I want to say some interesting thing like a different country or whatever, but I would honestly pick something like the far outskirts of Portland, up in those mountains because it\u2019s so beautiful and it\u2019s within commuting distance of Portland but you don\u2019t have to live in those urban areas. I really miss Oregon. I miss the beautiful wet forest.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> And all the green.<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> Yes, all the green. I want to move back to Oregon.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Me too, me too. Okay, what\u2019s the last thing you watched on TV?<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> Like current shows that I keep up with, or\u2026?<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Anything, just the last thing you watched.<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> I guess last night I was watching CS<\/em>I, which seems like a weird thing to watch when you can\u2019t sleep. But it\u2019s cathartic to me. We didn\u2019t have cable growing up, so we only got one local channel and they used to play CSI<\/em> at weird hours. So, we used to watch CSI<\/em> as kids and it\u2019s like a comforting voice, which probably makes me sound like a sociopath!<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> No, no! I get it. I understand. Sometimes I listen to creepy podcasts to try to fall asleep. It\u2019s calming. Usually the people have calming voices and there\u2019s calming music, you know?<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> Yeah! So, I was watching CSI<\/em> and a student recommended Mindhunter<\/em> to me, and they use the sociological imagination on the first episode, so I was watching that yesterday.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Okay, how about, are you related to anyone famous?<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> Ummm, no.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Or even maybe a weak tie to someone famous?<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> Oh, I have a cousin who lives in Los Angeles and works in the movie industry, so he kind of drops names and will say, \u201cOh, y’know I worked with George Clooney last month,\u201d and I\u2019m just thinking, \u201cNo one cares!\u201d Yeah, that\u2019s a loose tie I have to someone famous.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Okay, last question! I\u2019ve been asking this to everyone. How do you feel about garden gnomes?<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> Um, I actually had a book that was like a conspiracy theory about gnomes taking over the world and I don\u2019t know what happened to it. But I would have to say that they\u2019re probably government surveillance *laughter*. That would be what I would like to study, just ridiculous conspiracy theories like that.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Okay\u2026 government surveillance gnomes. Have you ever listened to Coast to Coast<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> I think so!<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Okay, yeah, it\u2019s a conspiracy theory radio show, there\u2019s people talking about Sasquatch and aliens and things like that.<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> Yeah, I think we even get that in Northern California where we don\u2019t get radio stations!<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Yeah, it\u2019s weird, it\u2019s everywhere somehow.<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> Oh, I have an aunt who loves garden gnomes and they\u2019re all over her yard. I always thought that was kind of creepy. Yeah, so they\u2019re creepy and just probably cameras and taking over the world.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Yeah, sounds plausible to me for sure.<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> Have you ever heard of the conspiracy theory of birds not being real?<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> What?! No<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> It\u2019s a mock conspiracy that mocks all the ridiculous ones, and it just says birds aren\u2019t real and that they used to be real, but they all died out in the ’70s and the government just replaced them with, like, surveillance drones. So, I have this shirt that says, \u201cBirds aren\u2019t real.\u201d So, I\u2019m just, like, \u201cBirds aren\u2019t real! Wake up, sheeple!\u201d And there are, like, explanations where there are tubes all over the United States where the government is supplying man-made eggs that are made in a laboratory.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Wow, that is amazing. Oh man.<\/p>\n

Michelle:<\/strong> I mean, living in Southern Oregon you just become familiar with all the conspiracy theories.<\/p>\n

\n

Sam Castonguay\"Front<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown: <\/strong>Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Southern New Jersey<\/p>\n

Education: <\/strong>B.A., Sociology, Ithaca College, 2018<\/p>\n

Research Interests: <\/strong>environmental sociology, higher education & academia, gender & sexuality, research methods<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> What do you like to do with your free time\u2026 if you have any?<\/p>\n

Sam:<\/strong> What free time? I don\u2019t have free time! Mostly just exploring this area and getting to know the community a little bit better; definitely finding new hiking spots. I just drove out to Kamiak Butte last weekend and it was really nice. Otherwise, just cooking and baking.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> So, do you have a favorite type of food or favorite recipe?<\/p>\n

Sam:<\/strong> No go to recipes, but I\u2019m really good at making pasta. I don\u2019t like pasta, but I\u2019m good at making it. I hate Italian food, I can\u2019t\u2026<\/p>\n

*Faculty member, Dylan Bugden<\/strong>, interjects from across the hall: \u201cYou hate Italian food?! You have to go back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam:<\/strong> Listen! Where am I going back to?! *laughter*<\/p>\n

Dylan<\/strong>: You\u2019re just done! *laughter*<\/p>\n

Sam:<\/strong> So, I grew up in a really Italian family. My mother is from Italy, all my grandparents came over here at the same time. So, all we got to eat as a kid was Italian food!<\/p>\n

Dylan:<\/strong> So, what?!<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Okay, so that\u2019s your least favorite food, what\u2019s your favorite food?<\/p>\n

Sam:<\/strong> Uh, probably sushi, if I had to pick one. Sushi and muffins. I survived undergrad on muffins. It\u2019s not a healthy choice!<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> What kind of muffins?<\/p>\n

Sam:<\/strong> Various muffins. You have to spice it up sometimes. Variety muffins! Definitely not the Italian kind.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Okay, if you had a warning label, what would yours say? I know this is a terrible question.<\/p>\n

Sam:<\/strong> No, I love it! I was prepared for the gnome question. I\u2019m not prepared for \u201cif I had a warning label.\u201d I feel like I\u2019m emotional. I think I\u2019m relatively funny and I can joke around, and then other times I\u2019m just emotional. But, I really don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

Alana<\/strong>: Okay, emotional, funny\u2026<\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: Oh, no, I don\u2019t know, just make something up for me!<\/p>\n

Alana<\/strong>: Indecisive?<\/p>\n

Sam<\/strong>: Oh, god, yeah, indecisive. Yeah, that\u2019s perfect, actually, yeah, that\u2019s even better.<\/p>\n

Alana<\/strong> *laughter* Okay, I\u2019ll end with the gnome question \u2026 how do you feel about garden gnomes?<\/p>\n

Sam:<\/strong> I\u2019m a big fan. Actually, my parting gift from my nonprofit work was a little build your own gnome pack. It\u2019s like a little pillow gnome. And I don\u2019t know how Michelle is going to feel about that because, apparently, they are all government surveillance gnomes. I\u2019m going to bring that gnome into the office. Pro-gnome!<\/p>\n

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Sophia (Shuangshuang) Yang\"Photo<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown: <\/strong>Shanghai, China<\/p>\n

Education: <\/strong>B.A., Sociology, Shanghai University, 2019<\/p>\n

Research Interests: <\/strong>gender, family, sexuality, low fertility, social demography, and quantitative methods<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> What\u2019s the worst gift you\u2019ve ever received?<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> The worst gift? Oh! I have to think about it. Okay, I think it is a book, a novel. It just tells a love story of some teenagers in college, which is a clich\u00e9, and I just hated it. But somebody gave it to me. They said, \u201cOh, I think you\u2019ll like it! You\u2019re such a romantic person!\u201d and I\u2019m thinking, \u201cNo, it\u2019s not the type of romantic I expected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Yeah, those books are\u2026 I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever had to read one.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Okay, what was your favorite subject in school when you were little?<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> Music and art.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Cool! Do you still play music now?<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> Yeah, I still play cello, but I didn\u2019t bring it here. So, I can\u2019t play anymore.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Oh, that\u2019s awesome though! What about art, do you do art now?<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> I just draw pictures<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> That\u2019s really awesome! It\u2019s good to keep those things up you know? Okay, if you were a plant, what kind of plant would you be?<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> I want to be a tree, like a big tree.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Any certain type of tree? Just a really big tree?<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> Yeah, that\u2019s always green.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Oh, that\u2019s nice. Okay, last one, and I\u2019ve been asking everyone this question. I don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve heard about it yet, but how do you feel about garden gnomes?<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> What??<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Garden gnomes, the little guys in gardens, like from the Travelocity commercials?<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> I\u2019ve never heard of it. What is it?<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Here, I\u2019ll look it up and show you. I\u2019m sure you know what they are but maybe have a different word for it.<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> So, it\u2019s like a Santa?<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Yeah, kind of!<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> Oh, oh, my gosh. I had one when I was in Ireland! I thought it was a Christmas thing, like a type of elf or a type of Santa, I never knew.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Oh, okay, I get it. Yeah, it does look like Santa!<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> Yeah, so, I totally didn\u2019t know anything about it. I just got one for Christmas.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> So you like them?<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> Yeah, I like them!<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> They\u2019re kind of cute, huh? They\u2019re kind of weird, but they\u2019re kind of cute.<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> Yeah *laughter*<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Cool! Well, they do look like Santa, the beard, the red hat, you know.<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> Yeah, but, what was its name?<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> A gnome, a garden gnome.<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> Does it have a meaning?<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> I think maybe to some people? But, they\u2019re just kind of like fantastical fairytale type creatures.<\/p>\n

Sophia:<\/strong> Oh! They\u2019re cute, yeah!<\/p>\n

\n

Tinashe Chirume\"Front<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Originally from: <\/strong>Glendale, Zimbabwe (small town in Northeast Zimbabwe)<\/p>\n

Education: <\/strong>B.A., Sociology, Morehouse College, 2018<\/p>\n

Research Interests: <\/strong>environmental sociology, social organizations, political sociology, norms, attitudes<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> So, what do you like to do with your free time, if you have any?<\/p>\n

Tinashe:<\/strong> Oh! So free time, I usually like playing sports. I play cricket and soccer. Right now I\u2019m still looking for soccer groups to join.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Have you found a cricket group?<\/p>\n

Tinashe:<\/strong> Yeah, I did! It\u2019s mostly Indian students at the graduate housing. There\u2019s a green field there where they play every Sunday. Last Sunday was the first time I saw them. So, I\u2019m going to try to play next Sunday. But I\u2019m still looking for stuff to do in Pullman. I want to get into hiking, but I\u2019m still afraid because during our international orientation, this guy was telling us how someone just died on a hike out here and how there are bears and stuff. So, I\u2019m now afraid of going hiking. *laughter*<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> No! Well, was he talking about the kid who fell off the waterfall?<\/p>\n

Tinashe:<\/strong> Yeah.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Well that\u2019s only if you go close to the waterfall. You won\u2019t fall in if you stay on the trail. Anyway, now to the fun questions. What\u2019s your favorite music era, and which song from that era do you love?<\/p>\n

Tinashe:<\/strong> Well, it depends on the time that you catch me. I have phases where I concentrate on one era. Last year I was really into ’60s\/’70s jazz and then I went to the blues. Right now, I\u2019m listening to some more alternative. I like One Republic. I have a playlist that I play every day. Sometimes I play one song all day and then I don\u2019t want to hear that song ever again. But I associate that part of my life to that song, so when I hear the song again years later, I think about the things I was doing then. Oh, yeah, I like Cage the Elephant, and Billie Eilish.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Okay, so if a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play you?<\/p>\n

Tinashe:<\/strong> Oh, I would say Michael B. Jordan, but he\u2019s too tall. I\u2019m trying to think of something more my height.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> I mean you can pick anyone!<\/p>\n

Tinashe:<\/strong> Oh, really? Okay! Idris Elba or Michael B. Jordan then, for sure.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Okay, what\u2019s your favorite type of food?<\/p>\n

Tinashe:<\/strong> I like Mexican food, I\u2019m very big on Chipotle. When I was in New York I think I would go every week. That was my last meal in New York.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Well, there\u2019s no Chipotle here, but there\u2019s a taco truck and there is Taqueria Chaparrito.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Okay, so last question, this is the one I ask everyone. How do you feel about garden gnomes?<\/p>\n

Tinashe:<\/strong> What\u2019s that?<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Like the little guys with the beards and pointy hats that people put in their gardens.<\/p>\n

Tinashe:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know anything about that. *laughter*<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> No? Okay, I\u2019ll show you.<\/p>\n

Tinashe:<\/strong> Maybe it\u2019s a cultural thing. Oh yeah, I\u2019ve seen them yeah! Um, they\u2019re cool.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Some people have a bunch of them and collect them. It can get a little weird, but\u2026<\/p>\n

Tinashe:<\/strong> So, they\u2019re just for outside?<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Yeah, I mean I\u2019m sure some people have them inside. I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

Tinashe:<\/strong> No, that\u2019s cool. Do you have some?<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> No, people either tend to think they\u2019re creepy or cute.<\/p>\n

Tinashe:<\/strong> I can see both sides.<\/p>\n

\n

Sarah Parker\"Front<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hometown: <\/strong>Pembroke Pines, Florida (10 minutes north of Miami)<\/p>\n

Education: <\/strong>B.A., Sociology, University of Central Florida, 2019<\/p>\n

Research Interests: <\/strong>food security, social inequality, social stratification, qualitative analysis, community-based research, socioeconomic status, race\/ethnicity<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> What do you like to do in your free time, if you have any?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> I like to lay on the floor with Gracie, my dog, and take naps. I like to drive and get lost in the corn\u2014corn fields?\u2014 wheat fields! *laughter*. That\u2019s about it.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> If you were a plant, what kind of plant would you be?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Oh! I would want to be a Christmas tree, but maybe Baby\u2019s Breath. I\u2019ve always loved it, even though they\u2019re ugly and don\u2019t smell like anything.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> What, no! I think they\u2019re beautiful little plants!<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> I think they\u2019re just the cutest thing, like the name of it, and they\u2019re just so itty bitty. Or dandelions. Can it be all of them?<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Sure! There are no rules. If there was a movie made about your life, who would you want to play you?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Amy Adams, she\u2019s my favorite.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> I was actually thinking that before you said it!<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Okay, last one: How do feel about garden gnomes?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> I knew you were going to ask this, and I\u2019ve been thinking about how to answer it for like two months! I think I\u2019m scared of them.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Oh, really?!<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> They move at night, and they end up in different places, and they watch you in stores, and they cost too much money to be so ugly. They\u2019re awful. They. Are. Awful.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> I guess they are awful. Hmm. I kind of like them, though.<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> No!<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Well, I\u2019ve just been agreeing with everyone no matter what they say.<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Why do you like them?!<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know if I like them, I don\u2019t really have an opinion on them.<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> I guess they\u2019d be cute to collect, if you can get really weird ones.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> I think collecting is the creepy part.<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> It would be creepy, but can you imagine kids being scared of your house? That would be awesome.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> I can imagine them vandalizing my gnomes.<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Well, that\u2019s why you need un-vandalizeable ones. Like my mom collects broken nutcrackers. She has a foster home.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> For nutcrackers?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Yeah, for the broken and the abandoned.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> That\u2019s so sweet! Aww.<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> It\u2019s really cute. You could be like that but with garden gnomes! Get them a little jacuzzi. That would be so cute.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Why a jacuzzi?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Because garden gnomes deserve to be treated well.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> That\u2019s true. Even though you\u2019re scared of them\u2026<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Yeah. If they just don\u2019t move at night, then I\u2019m fine with them.<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> I think that\u2019s it!<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Did I get the job?<\/p>\n

Alana:<\/strong> Yeah!<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> I win!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meet the new graduate cohort! By Alana Inlow This year our department welcomed nine graduate students to the 2019\/2020 cohort. Below we learn a little bit about each new graduate student. WSU Sociology wouldn\u2019t be what it is without an excited, curious, and inspiring new cohort each year. Ed. Note: Answers were lightly edited for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2119,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-builder.php","meta":[],"wsuwp_university_location":[],"wsuwp_university_org":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1676"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2119"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1676"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1754,"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1676\/revisions\/1754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_location?post=1676"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_org","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soc.wsu.edu\/socnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_org?post=1676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}