August 24, 2026
Personal Reflections
At some point, people getting to know me will likely hear about my time at Pacific Lutheran University and the unique opportunities I was given during my education. During my pursuit of a Double Major in History and Political Science with a Minor in Music, all my professors totally let me dive into my quirky interests, like American Girl Dolls, Betty Boop, etc. Back then, I wondered if they thought I was a freak. Today, I realize it takes one to know one.
Reflected in my writing today, I have always had off-the-wall interests and perspectives, and I credit that as a gift from the divine. I mean, come on, I write about The Twilight Zone. Driving to work the other day, I had a moment of insecurity where I asked myself, “Okay, am I too weird? Do I need to calm down?” Then, I started laughing because I remembered one of the classes I took in college on James Bond and the Cold War, taught by Dr. Peter Grosvenor during the J-Term. If an accredited university welcomes that kind of education, and classes like these remain popular today, then I can’t be too crazy, right?
I have to tell you about this class: I kid you not, we watched multiple James Bond films in class, and then would step into these very deep, nuanced conversations about their historical, sociological, international, and political contexts. You should have seen our final test; it was a nerd’s dream! I cherished this class and the camaraderie amongst us.
During class breaks, we would have fun conversations with each other and with Dr. Grosvenor, discussing our special interests and recommending movies to one another. When a peer and I recommended Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris,” we got on a whole kick on nostalgia theory that completely transformed the way I think about history and my place in it.
One last story from memory lane: PLU had the kind of environment where people would regularly, without any shame, discuss their "nerdier" interests. One day, I was talking to a peer about how obsessed I was with Lucille Ball during one of our James Bond class breaks. Dr. Grosvenor had been listening while he was getting water from the fountain, asked what we were talking about, and then responded: “Lucille Ball is a great obsession to have.”
During my time at PLU, I was surrounded by equally quirky people—not just my peers but my professors, too—and that was truly special; I do believe it had a profound impact on me personally and on my career. I don’t know if I would have been brave enough to pursue any of this in the first place if it were not for the way PLU normalized being “abnormal” and nourished creativity.
I often tell people that there is no other place in the world I would rather live than Thurston County, and part of that is because it nourishes creativity and weirdness in the same way as my Alma Mater. There are other towns in the world like Austin, TX or Portland, OR that have signs telling people to keep their city weird. I would say that I am surprised we don’t have our own, but I think it is just something we all deeply understand.
We must never take the privileges that come with living in our little corner of the world for granted. Just as any of these signs suggest, it takes intentional, human effort to sustain cultures like ours that welcome the abnormal. Sometimes, we might be required to roll up our sleeves and join the fight against those who want to eliminate our opportunities, or prevent others from accessing the promise of equality and the pursuit of happiness.
One of the easiest things we can do to remain active in this kind of advocacy is to keep pursuing our interests, tending to the itch that lives inside each of us, calling us to follow our passions and dreams. When we do that, and invite others in, we make the world a better place.
Thank you all for continuing to support my work, which aims to do just that.
This Week in the Arts
I will be publishing three pieces in my JOLT Column including:
Review: Harlequin Productions’ ‘Barefoot in the Park’
Review: Theater Artists Olympia’s ‘Improbable Peck of Plays’
Partners in literature and life, Jonah and Austin Barnett are launching Countershade Press and debuting ‘Menagerie’ on August 28
I will be publishing these articles under “Rachel’s Choice”
Review: ‘My View from the Back of the Bus’ by Merritt D. Long
To read my articles as they come out, I invite you to subscribe to The JOLT News and follow me on Instagram and Facebook, then invite a friend to do the same! :)
If you read a story that inspires you, I invite you to share it with others and help spread the word about the incredible things happening in the Thurston County Arts Community.
Other Fun Things This Week
14 Questions for My Community: Where do you go to find serenity?
Getting in ‘The Zone’: “Kick the Can”: Season 3, Episode 21. Watch here in advance.
14 More Questions for the Community
What started off as a fun summer project during my undergrad studies in 2023 has turned into something bigger than I ever anticipated. The heart of this project is to invite people to have their voices heard and, through sharing their perspectives, allow readers to feel that they are not alone. They say, “It takes a village,” and this project seeks to create that village—a space we can all access and draw from when we encounter life’s deepest questions. Click here to learn about the next round of this project and to sign up to participate.
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