Meet Campus Celebrity Bri Hightower, Member of Mayfest

Name: Bri Hightower

Year: Junior

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Birthday: Feb. 26, 1992

School: School of Communication

Major: Communication Studies

How long have you been part of Mayfest?

I’ve been on Mayfest since I was a freshman.  I was in a similar student group, A&O Productions, when I was a freshman.  Then I applied to be on Mayfest…there’s an application that comes out mid fall, about six weeks into being on campus, and you apply to each of the committees that Mayfest has.  There are seven committees, Finance, Corporate, Promotion, Special events, Concerts, Production and the Underground Armadillo.  Then you interview with the committees if they choose to interview you. I was on the general board my freshman year, now I’m the Promotions co-director. 

What made you decide to apply for Mayfest?

I am interested in being part of the day that each student at Northwestern remembers, and I want to be part of creating that experience.

How do you help with Dillo Day?

We make all the merchandise for Dillo Day, like t-shirts and all that.  There’s a lot of free stuff, like water bottles and fanny packs, that are sponsored by groups on campus.  This year, Health Service is sponsoring the water bottles, and Health Promotion and Wellness is sponsoring the fanny packs, which you can get at Dillo Day firesides. We create the physical merchandize and we are responsible for the website and how people interact with Mayfest and Dillo Day before Dillo Day.

What else does Mayfest do?

Mayfest does programming throughout the whole month of May, like Battle of the Bands and the Disney sing along.  For Battle of the Bands we have eight bands that compete over two nights.  Four bands compete each night and Friday night we announce the winner.  The winner gets to play at Dillo Day and they’re the first band to play.

What is your favorite part of Mayfest?

I end up remembering all of Dillo Day, and I get to see all the acts.  It’s fun, and it’s really cool to see the result of all the work we’ve put in.  We spend hours and hours creating this experience for the students and then we get to see everyone having so much fun.

What part of Dillo Day are you most excited for?

So I’m really excited for Walk the Moon; that’s the style of music that I already listen to and the dancing kind of music is what I like.  There’s such a diverse lineup though so everyone will be able to see a genre that they’re probably really into.

What is your favorite type of music?

I really like surf pop, or dream pop, like Beach House, which is the type of music you would listen to while laying on the floor of your bedroom and zoning out to the world.

Have you always been interested in music?

I think every teenager is really interested in music.  I used to do put up flyers in Dallas for bands going on tour and it was a natural progression for me.

Which year have you had the best time helping with Dillo Day?

This has been my favorite year.  I’m so much more involved than I used to be, and the more time you spend preparing for Dillo Day, the more you know the ins and outs and the more you can contribute.

Do you want to help out again with Dillo Day next year?

I want to continue being highly involved and serve on the executive committee.  I’ve met some of my best friends on Mayfest, and since it’s given me so much I want to continue giving back to the organization. 

How do you feel about the people on Mayfest?

I think it’s a quirky group of people, and we spend a lot of time getting to know each other.  On Dillo Day, we crew the whole day, set up everything on the lakefill and on the stage, and we’re a very cohesive team that can get along very fluidly.

What else are you involved with on campus?

I am one of the student directors for the Northwestern Alumni Association, and I just finished teaching a class on campus; during winter quarter I taught HIV and Culture, which covered the history of HIV in America.  I’m also on the training committee for Sexual Health and Assault Peer Educators, so I train incoming members, and I have two jobs on campus. I work at Pick-Staiger and at the School of Communication.  I’m also in the communications honor society.

What do you plan on doing after you graduate?

I want to do children’s media research, studying how children interact to emerging digital media or TV shows that are aimed at children.  I have always been very involved with children; I babysat a lot and was involved in my little brother’s upbringing.  I saw the media children consumed and it was clear when children were watching something that was not on their maturity level or not meant for them developmentally.  What really hit me was seeing how for low-income people, shows like Sesame Street can affect the children and better prepare them for kindergarten.