This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Northwestern chapter.
Name: Alaina McCaffrey
Age: 20
Major: Communication Studies
Hometown: Palatine, IL
Her Campus: What are three words that encompass your personality and why?
Alaina McCaffrey: Strong, sentimental, and curious. I feel very passionately about doing my best, and being strong is the best way I’ve found to make accomplishments. I’m very sentimental in that stories and memories are probably the most powerful thoughts I hold onto. And I’m curious because I constantly look for new ways of doing things and because I always want to learn new things.
HC: What student groups are you involved in?
AM: Nine Lives and my sorority!
HC: What has been your favorite part of working with Nine Lives?
AM: I have loved working on an organization from the bottom up. When we first started the project, we were all freshmen who had very few ideas about how to develop an organization. I’ve loved seeing each episode change and grow because I think they represent the strengthening of our team.
HC: What drew you to the storytelling community and to the idea of a live show?
AM: I’ve loved stories ever since I can remember. I used to sit around the dinner table with my family and just let the stories flow for an hour or two after we finished eating. When I was in junior high, I started listening to podcasts and they only made my love for stories grow.
I thought a live show would be a great way to put faces alongside the stories we tell. The storytellers we feature are so unique and interesting; I think it’s really powerful to watch them tell their stories to larger groups.
HC: What is your favorite quote and how has it shaped the way you conduct yourself?
AM: I think my favorite quote is “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you left them” from The Office. I’m an extremely sentimental person, but with so many things going on all at once, college can be a hard time to take a step back and appreciate the life you’re living right now. I try to keep myself grounded in the moment whenever I can.
HC: What is the one thing that you wish you could do in the next five years?
AM: Holy cow. Well, I hope I can be happy and successful, and that I can travel to see things I’ve never seen and get a new perspective. I mostly hope that I can accumulate five great years’ worth of stories.
To see Alaina’s hard work in action, come see the Nine Lives live show in the McCormick Tribune Center Forum on Monday 2/22 at 8pm!