Her Campus Profile: Jackie Benson
Major: Business
Year in School: Freshman
Hometown: Haiku, Maui
HC: What’s your major?
JB: I’m a pre-business major, mostly so I can make money in international business. I want to travel to Italy and all over the world because I’ve basically lived on a rock my whole life. I also want to explore more of Oregon. Exploregon.
HC: Why did you chose the University of Oregon?
JB: A lot of people on Maui and in Hawaii come here. Several of my friends came to Oregon this year–OSU and Willamette University.
HC: What differences between Oregon and Hawaiian culture have you noticed?
JB: Freakin’ haoles. No, no, the type of people are pretty similar. It’s kind of a small town, in a way. They have similar features in terms of how people act with one another. There’s a lot of pride, but what’s mainstream here is obviously different from what’s mainstream on an island.
HC: What’s mainstream on the island right now?
JB: We have organic memes, there are a lot of hawaiian specific memes about island life.
HC: Don’t native Oregonians think it’s cool that you’re from Hawaii?
JB: Yeah, they always tell me to get an instagram to ‘post those cool beach spots,’ but the beach gets old.
HC: The beach is boring?
JB: It’s not boring, but when you can go there everyday it’s not exciting. Also you can get skin cancer, or melanoma, which I just learned about today.
HC: You learned about skin cancer today? In what context?
JB: Cancer class, the biology of cancer, 204 to be exact.
HC: Why are you taking the biology of cancer?
JB: I signed up for my classes late and it was the only science class that didn’t conflict with my schedule. It’s not great because I have a weak constitution so I can’t really pay attention, I feel like I’m going to faint all the time.
HC: What other classes are you taking this term?
JB: Political science, business law, and geography. I roll with it, but you can’t party all the time.
HC: What were your first impressions of Eugene?
JB: The school is very nature oriented, and very cold. The squirrels were a first for me as well.
HC: There are no squirrels in Hawaii?
JB: No, but we do have mongoose. One time there was a mongoose that was harassing my chickens. I didn’t want to kill it with my beebee gun so I captured it with some cheese instead. Then I dropped it off at a pineapple field.
HC: How are you faring in Oregon winter?
JB: I’m warm blooded, so the cold doesn’t really bother me.
HC: What’s winter like on Maui?
JB: Pretty hot, up to 80 degrees. There is no winter really, but you do get to sing mele kalikimaka which is a crowd favorite. Plus there’s snow at the mall–it’s soap, they just throw it from the balcony, people love it.
HC: Do you have any exercise tips for the gym?
JB: I usually wear a sweatshirt to sweat more. Selena Gomez says it makes your skin softer and lose weight faster.
HC: Is Selena Gomez your beauty icon?
JB: No, I would have to go with Samantha from Sex and the City.
HC: Why?
JB: I respect her free spirit and her love of sushi. I want to be that when I’m 45.
HC: Do you want to live in the city?
JB: Why not? Cosmopolitan me up. I just don’t know what city yet.
HC: What’s your go-to music?
JB: Indie R&B. I’ve been listening to Gallant, Mac Demarco, Tame Impala obviously, Hiatus Kaiyote, and Chon.
HC: What advice would you give to incoming freshman?
JB: Make an effort to sign up for your classes early or you might end up with the biology of cancer.