Car Raid

        Bowie High School graduate, Abby Black, has just made the long drive in from Arkansas. Her 2008 Mazda holds more than her pillows and clothes, it contains styrofoam, popsicle sticks, and a half-used jug of Elmer's glue.
        "I am a freshman at the University of Arkansas majoring in Architectural Studies," Black explained, "There are a lot of hands on projects. It's definitely craftier than people think."
         Just peeking into an open box in the backseat you can immediately tell that Abby Black has a creative personality.
        "I keep a craft box for my larger scale class assignments, and a smaller one for when I just want to doodle," she said.
         Black has kept all of her old sketchbooks from high school, where she took four years of Art classes.
        "My car is pretty messy in general. It's always scattered with post-its and pencils just in case I get some inspiration."
         Photography is also casual habit of Black's. She doesn't plan to take any photography courses, but she did have a few impressive polaroids lying on the dashboard.
         "I do have a polaroid addiction," Black laughed, "I love driving through the bigger cities on my way home and snapping pictures of downtown."
         Aside from the Visual Arts, Black was a Silver Star and dedicated dancer all throughout high school. However, she did not sign up for any dance team when she got to college.
        "Letting go of dance was a tough decision," Black said. "It wasn't just a team sport, it was a hobby. But since U of A didn't offer a similar activity that wasn't competitive and time consuming, I took this as an opportunity to start fresh."
         Snooping around in the center console, I discovered a stash of sour patch kids and Chik-fil-a cups. The cups were being saved and stored for her summer project.
         "I'm always saving stuff that I think will come in handy," Black explained. "It's the fun part about my major, everything can become useful."
         When Black drove me home later that day, I pulled down the sun visor and a Delta Airlines envelope fell out.
         "Over the holidays when I was meeting my family in Maine, I volunteered to take a later flight for a free round trip ticket. I'm still deciding where I want to go. Who knows when I'll take the trip, but it's a good reminder that I'm young and should travel while I have the chance."
          Abby Black is a college freshman with an adventurous spirit. This architect in the making is going to make her mark on the skyline one day with her innovative ideas.