During my first year of college, I remember walking past a fellow college student who was smiling brightly and offering candy to everyone who crossed her path. The overwhelming nerves of being far away from home and in an unfamiliar place momentarily faded as I was greeted by such positivity and generosity. Thankfully, I have now been fortunate enough to meet the person behind the bright smile.
Sydney Storms, a senior at Eastern University, was brought to Eastern because she was drawn towards their English department. Storms’ favorite thing about Eastern is “Just seeing everybody, you know, like I know it’s cliche but just seeing how close everybody is,” Storms stated. Storms’ favorite thing about Eastern’s English department is learning from Professor Storm, for she feels as though she has learned a lot from his classes.
While Storms originally intended to major in Creative Writing, she decided to switch to an English Literature major because she has always loved to read and write. “In high school and beyond I would get yelled at for reading during class. They would say, ‘Sydney put the book down’ and I would hide it under my desk,” Storms explained. She even had a high school English teacher that started class by saying, “Please put your books and phones away,” Storms shared.
In addition to reading, Storms enjoys writing, playing video games, and listening to music. “I just like to write, to escape in your own little world” Storms explained. Her favorite genre to write about is the supernatural, but she does not like writing about vampires in a manner that is similar to the Twilight series. She explains that vampires are supposed to be creatures of the night. Storms also enjoys Greek mythology, for she finds it funny how past generations believed that Greek mythology would be forgotten about, despite it being commonly read today.
As an English major, Storms is constantly engaging with numerous literary works. “I also like reading the
classics like the Epic of Gilgamesh,” Storms shared. A book recommendation offered by Storms is Icelandic Sagas, which she describes as a long read that contains very fascinating content. “It’s really funny. It’s a bunch of stories collected and it actually shows Leif Erikson and proves that he sailed before Christopher Columbus” Storms stated.
Regarding the top three things on Storms’ bucket list, she hopes to finish writing the novels she is working on without worrying about perfectionism. She also would like to travel to Italy to see ancient ruins of Rome, as she loves Roman history. Most importantly, Storms just wants to see where life takes her as time progresses.
A fun fact about Storms is that she has a deep love of hamsters, for she has owned many hamsters in the past. Currently, she owns a hamster named Whiskers.
Initially meeting Storms when she was handing out candy and smiling, I fondly reflect on the tranquility
I received in passing by a friendly face despite her being a stranger at the time. As she is no longer a stranger, Storms has continued to share book recommendations, conversations, candy, and smiles with myself and many others. “It makes people happy. Just to make someone smile, and I feel like candy always cheers everyone up,” Storms explained.