Her hat and leggings are from Forever 21; her sweater dress is from H&M; her jacket is from Macy’s; and her boots are from Just Fab.
Marketing senior Breanna Bradshaw | Diana Nguyen/The Cougar
Breanna Bradshaw: This is going to be my last year at UH, so I’m really excited. I’m really involved on campus, and I’m a dancer. I do everything except for tap… (it’s) kind of a wide range from ballet, modern, hip-hop, lyrical, all of that. I’ve probably been dancing seriously for the past seven years; before that I kind of played around (with it).
The Cougar: Which genre of dance is your favorite?
BB: It used to be modern, but now I’m really loving hip-hop. I’ve done performances for some friends in the dance world, and I’m getting ready for auditions for the Texans and the Rockets soon. I work there now and I’m really close with the director so I’m talking to her.
TC: If you become a Rockets cheerleader, would you leave your marketing aspirations behind?
BB: I’ll still do that. The Rockets will kind of be a side thing. The dancers would only have practice two times a week, so I would go after work. All the games will usually be at night. Hopefully I’ll make it.
TC: Do your parents and family support you with your passion in dance?
BB: Definitely. They come to everything. Whatever I want to be in, my mom will put me in it. They’ve been really supportive. I’m sure (my brother) doesn’t enjoy coming to some shows. He’s probably like ‘This is boring’, but he comes to everything.
TC: That’s good. What have you learned through dancing?
BB: Discipline. People don’t think so, but the strain you put on your body and those long hour practices. In high school, I’d go from six in the morning to 10 at night. You learn discipline, time management; you learn how to take care of yourself and your body. Those injuries are no joke. It definitely taught me a lot (like) how to work well with other people. I’m not shy. You go on stage in front of hundreds of people.
TC: Do you have a life motto you go by?
BB: Everything happens for a reason. If I go out there and fall on my face, I was supposed to do that! If I do, I’ll just roll out of it and make it look pretty. Nobody else knows what was supposed to happen except for me, so I’ll just play it off. I just go with it.
[/tab] [tab title=”Bethany Harper”]Her crochet beanie is handmade; her jacket and shirt are from Target; her pants are from Plato’s Closet; her glasses are from Walmart; and her shoes are Sketchers.
English senior Bethany Harper | Diana Nguyen/The Cougar
Bethany Harper: I’m an only child. I was adopted when I was little. I work at The Nook on campus as a barista. (I’m originally from) Mission, Texas.
The Cougar: Do you consider yourself a Houstonian?
BH: More like a suburbian, unfortunately.
TC: What pushed you into getting into English-literature?
BH: I kind of just fell into it. I really like to read a lot.
TC: Do you have a favorite author or book?
BH: Oh God, that’s scary. I don’t know… not really, I guess. I actually have a book tattoo. I originally wanted to get a quote, but I could never pick a quote that I really liked. I have an appreciation for any book. My great grandmother was kind of like a local poet from Missouri. She would write for the newspaper. I guess that’s kind of what got me into it.
TC: Do you feel connected to your roots?
BH: Not really unfortunately. I wish I was more connected. I actually took Spanish here for four semesters to reconnect… I think it’s fun to not be super close to a culture, because that way I can be really open minded. It’s hard for me to think about race and culture. I’m kind of just neutral. I have an appreciation for every culture and what you can learn from it.
TC: What kind of interests or hobbies did you have growing up?
BH: I was kind of a jack of all trades; I could never really stick to anything. I did things from swim team to art to dance. My mom was always really supportive in whatever I wanted to do. I think it was the generational gap. My mom’s a lot older; she’s a baby boomer. She was a lot more relaxed in comparison to some of my friends’ parents. She would always reinforce, ‘I just want you to do the best that you can do.’ I was more of the one pushing myself to get straight A’s and good grades.
TC: Kind of like in ‘Gilmore Girls’?
BH: Yeah! Basically. It kind of is. We’re like best friends.
TC: Do you have a life motto you go by?
BH: “Make it work.” I try to look at experiences like, “Don’t get too down about something, make the best of what you can do.” I don’t have a lot of money, and I guess I made my outfit work today. Make the most of what you have.
His jacket is Adidas; his shirt is LTB, from Turkey; his pants are from Urban Outfitters; and his shoes are OTW Vans.
Industrial engineering senior Berk Dogan | Diana Nguyen/The Cougar
Berk Dogan: I moved here three years ago from Turkey. At that time, my older brother was living here, so that’s why I moved here. He’s five years older.
TC: It’s just you and your brother here? Do you keep in touch with your parents often?
BD: Yeah, it’s just us. Every day we FaceTime. Turkish families are quite close to each other.
TC: What made you decide to get into industrial engineering?
BD: It was a logical way to go. I had two options: either get into design or engineering. Since engineering is more secure…
TC: What kind of design did you do?
BD: I worked in fashion business for three years.
TC: So that’s where you get your style from. If you could be anything and money or security wasn’t a factor, would you be a fashion designer?
BD: Yeah, probably menswear. Before coming here, I got accepted to some schools in London.
TC: What made you decide to take this route instead?
BD: After working three years in fashion, I saw the advantages and disadvantages. I know some people earn thousands of dollars in a day, and the next month, they won’t earn anything. It’s not a stable job. It’s quite risky. Probably one in a hundred people will become successful.
TC: What are some words you would use to describe yourself?
BD: That’s hard. I don’t know how I would describe myself. In terms of fashion? I would say I have a more European style. It’s more eclectic. It kind of represents my work experience and how I am as a person.
