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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Notre Dame chapter.

An Intro to Kathleen

Name: Kathleen Flavin

Hometown: Downers Grove, IL

Dorm: Welsh Fam

Major: Chemical Engineering

12+ Family Members

That number may be an exaggeration, but we can start with acknowledging my enormous 100% Irish family because everything is built upon family. I’m who I am because of them and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The Flavins span far and wide, so chances are you’ve met one of us. I speak for all of us when I say it was a delight to grow up with this support system.

11 Toes

just kidding

…11 Cakes Sold

This past summer, I baked and decorated cakes out of my kitchen… until my oven exploded. They ranged anywhere from Hawaiian flowers to the Notre Dame Stadium. It’s just something I’ve always liked to do. My ideal job would be to strike it rich and then retire to be the old lady who sells cakes out of her basement.

10 Years of Basketball

I would still be playing tall forward had I not stopped growing at 5’2 3/4” in the 7th grade. Luckily this height was just enough to procure a spot as sophomore team captain for good sportsmanship (I didn’t play at all- I don’t understand it either.)

9…0 Flex Points Spent on Coffee

Strictly black; this is America.

8 Bucks an Hour

The wage I earned working at McDonalds. I was an overnight drive thru specialist…it was just about as life-altering as you can imagine.

7th Friendliest Town in America According to Forbes

Downers Grove is a big deal.

6 Things Lost Here

Notre Dame ID (lost and found and lost again and found again)

1 Ninja Turtles cape (not recovered)

1 safety compass (not recovered)

2 plastic daggers (partially recovered)

My willpower to exercise (gone; not yet forgotten)

1 Spicy Hawaiian Reckers pizza (stolen; not yet avenged)

5 Lovably Quirky Siblings

Mary Jo, Tom, Jim, Mike, and Liam. Bonded together by infinite car trips and crazy family holidays.

4 Days Camping in the Rockies

Somehow it was one of my most breathtaking yet hellish experiences. I was one of two girls in a mostly male group. We hiked about 4.5 miles to our campsite with everything we could carry on our backs. No shower existed, our tent flooded, mosquitos ran rampant, and our only bathroom came in the form of a retractable shovel.

On the other hand, I learned to shoot a gun, fished, and hiked to the alpine line to watch a thunderstorm. What I’m trying to say is that this excursion made me one step closer to appearing on the survival show Naked and Afraid which is pretty cool.

3 Webassigns Currently Due

The soul-crushing trials of any engineering major.

2 Seemingly Conflicting Ambitions

I’m an engineering major but also considering a minor in studio art. I feel like to be a true artist, you have to be well-learned in a lot of disciplines. The best artists were Renaissance people who were so well educated that they could create art that meant something significant. For me, I think the best path to take to create something of significance is to major in engineering and apply it on a larger scale.

1 Great Picture of Young Plump Kathleen

Because I think it’s important that people know the real me.

Disclaimer: She reportedly calls her 12 year old self “Fat Kathleen” so twig 12 year olds don’t do it behind her back.

Thanks Kathleen! Merry Christmas!

 

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Images courtesy of the interviewee.

 
Ariana Zlioba is a sophomore Political Science major and a proud resident of Pasquerilla West Hall. She spends her free time exploring every minor Notre Dame has to offer and imagining the editor's notes she will write after she succeeds Anna Wintour as editor-in-chief of Vogue. Here is what she likes: Stephen Colbert, high heels, and that coconut coffee Waddick's has sometimes. Here is what she doesn't like: Permacloud. At any given moment you'll most likely catch her dashing across campus in between meetings, Dance Co. rehearsals, and other meetings.