Kelly McCormick, 20
Third Year, Linguistics Major
We found Kelly on the Portland campus, humming 80’s pop song ‘Two of Hearts,’ so we pulled her aside, and asked if she wanted to be famous.
FP: So, tell us a little about yourself. And your song.
McCormick: I’m Kelly McCormick, Portland-dweller, I’m twenty years old.and a half. The tune is stuck in my head from watching the movie Party Monster, which I watched today, and have seen a hundred times. I go to school here, I’m on my way to work.
FP: School? Here? What for?
McCormick: What am I studying? I’m a linguistics major, concentrating in American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation. I want to be an interpreter. I started out at USM as a theater major, actually, but I took a class; Intro to the Deaf World, it was so interesting, and I fell in love with ASL. It’s really so beautiful.
FP: Nice. So, taking an Intro course changed your life?
McCormick: Seriously. Actually, my next tattoo is in the works, and it’s going to be an abstract of the ‘I love you’ sign. If you’re privy to sign language, you’ll recognize it. I think it’s going on my wrist.
FP: But you left theater in the dust? Why?
McCormick: It wasn’t tickling my fancy. Before, I had been doing it for fun, and I was passionate about it, doing it for grades took away the fun for me. It turned into evaluation and testing, and it lost its hold on me.
FP: So at school this semester, what are your favorite classes?
McCormick: I love my ASL class. I’m taking a class, Intro to Jazz, and it’s to fulfill a core requirement, but it’s awesome.
FP: Other than school, what are you doing this fall for entertainment?
McCormick: My best friend is visiting Portland from Chicago this coming week, I’ve been planning a surprise field trip for her. You must promise not to tell her.
(FP crosses heart)
McCormick: She’s never seen a moose. So I’m taking her to the Acadia Zoo, and we’re going on an excursion, where we can actually go find, and maybe touch a moose. Which she is going to be crazy about. Also, this fall, I’ve been apple picking twice. In one day. But then I ate too many and my belly hurt.
FP: Nice nails. (Kelly is donning metallic blue-green nail polish)
McCormick: Thank you. (Her cell phone rings; a friend calls to ask her about disk golf locations.she contemplates plans for the night including a ‘Theater Tea Party’ before hanging up.) Sorry.
FP: You’re off to work? Where?
I work at a tourist shop downtown called Something’s Fishy. Plenty of fun to be had at a shop that sells tee shirts like: ‘Don’t need a boat to drink like a sailor’ and ‘Probably too old for this’. Last week a group of ladies who came from the Old Port area were so excited about these shirts in particular that they paid and left wearing them. Slurring.
FP: One last thing before you go, who’s that on your shirt?
McCormick: Oh. (laughs) This is my friend Seth. He had this made up for all his family and friends at Christmas. It’s a screen print of his face and big hair. Awesome, huh?
FP: Absolutely.