Meet the panel:
All about us:
Lily Switka- Hola! I'm Lily, one of Villanova's Community Representatives for Odyssey! My favorite color is yellow, my zodiac sign is Scorpio, and I'm a dancer! My life is actually a romantic comedy. And I make a MEAN batch of scrambled eggs ;)
Madeline Lay- Hi! I'm Madeline Lay. I am an Odyssey writer (of course!), and I also love to run 🏃
Annie Mantei- Hey, this is Annie Mantei. I'm from Binghamton, NY and am a rising Sophomore at Villanova. A fun fact about me is that people will come up to me in public and think I am Sophie Turner (she played Sansa Stark on Game of Thrones).
Sophia Pedro- Hey y'all, my name's Sophia Pedro. I'm your typical productive Virgo with way too much time on her hands. I love drawing, painting, and anything crafty. The sun makes me happy but makes me wish I could be enjoying the warmth at the beach. I love writing, especially for Odyssey!
Where are you spending quarantine? What's the vibe?
Madeline- I'm spending quarantine at home with my family. My family has passed the vibe check so far because every Saturday night my sister and I plan a themed dinner party to keep us creative and busy.
Annie- I'm spending quarantine at my house in NY. I'm upstate so thankfully, my area isn't hit that hard. It's been a real adjustment because I am a MAJOR busy body, so this has been harder than I thought. I hate doing nothing!
Lily- I'm reporting to you from home in Northeast Ohio, in the company of my lovely mom (and best friend). We've been doing lots of things to stay creative and healthy, including a LOT of impromptu dance parties. Feeling thankful.
Sophia- I am currently quarantining at home in West Hartford, CT, with my parents and brother. My parents are still working because they are in the medical field, so it's pretty quiet around the house. My brother's school is also doing online learning so we are both pretty much cooped up in our rooms all day doing work or whatever else we can find to do that's fun.
What's something you didn't realize you'd miss?
Madeline- I knew I would miss my friends, but I didn't realize how much I'd miss going out and getting food with my friends. Ordering take-out is just not the same! I am seriously craving an acai bowl right about now.
Annie- The thing I miss the most is being able to see all my loved ones, especially my grandpa! He is in a nursing home and I think this has been the longest I have gone without seeing him. I would do anything to be able to see him. But I am thankful that I am able to be with my parents and sister during all of this!!
Lily- Didn't realize how much I'd miss the freedom to roam and adventure. I live for exploring coffee shops, going to see weird indie films, going to concerts and thrifting!
Sophia- Since being at home I did not realize how much I missed essentially "free" coffee at school; it's unfortunate that they don't accept meal swipes at Dunkin. I also just miss never being bored. At school I didn't have to be doing anything with my friends to be having a good time, just the company of others is enjoyable to me. I NEED SOCIAL INTERACTION!!
What's your favorite quarantine hobby that has emerged so far?
Madeline- My favorite quarantine hobby right now has to be baking. I think my family is happy about this new hobby of mine.
Annie- Like I said, I'm a major busy body so I've been going for tons of walks with my dog. It's so nice to get out and get fresh air, and feel productive! Plus, my dog gets so excited so it makes me want to go on a walk even more.
Lily- In lieu of dancing in a studio, I've taken to dancing in my living room. I'm trying to stray from my usual style, too, by shuffling my music and improvising to whatever comes on. It's been a great workout and also fun to get those creative juices flowing. Movement is beautiful in all forms!
Sophia- When it's nice out (which isn't that often because the weather here is literally bipolar), I like to run in the park across from my house and go for drives to nowhere with the windows down and music blasting. Other than that, I'm usually just making friendship bracelets (look me up on bracelet book @spedro ), or doing something else crafty.
How are you helping those around you?
Madeline- I call and text my friends and family often to make sure that everyone is not only physically healthy but also mentally healthy. Quarantine can be really difficult, and I think it's important that the people I love know that I am here for them.
Annie- I've been checking up on all of my family members and friends that I haven't talked with in while. Sometimes just reaching out to someone you haven't talked with in a while can be super meaningful and make such a difference.
Lily- I've been utilizing the trusty old mail system as a way to check up on people. Cards, mixtapes, anything... I forgot how amazing it felt to send letters! Maybe next I'll try a carrier pigeon.
Sophia- In my town I signed up to be a shopper on this app where people can order groceries and have them delivered to their house. It's a pretty good gig because it gets me out of the house and people are very generous and give tips, so I'm even making a little money too. I only do a couple runs a week because I too don't want to catch anything myself, but I'm very safe about it, wearing a mask and gloves into the store and washing my hands and sanitizing immediately after I drop the groceries off.
Drop a show, movie, or song recommendation for us.
Madeline- I usually don't watch TV shows, but Four Weddings and A Funeral on Hulu is so good. I watched all of season one in one weekend...oops! 🤭
Annie- I've been listening to a ton of old music I used to like. I used to love Gwen Stefani in elementary school and have been jamming to all her old songs.
Lily- My mom and I just finished binging Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu, which I highly recommend. It's a thrilling drama about motherhood that will leave you speechless. Reese Witherspoon & Kerry Washington are incredible! Also, for any of you period-piece fans out there, My Week With Marilyn is a great one on Netflix. It's based on a true story of a young filmmaker and his whirlwind romance with Marilyn Monroe.
Sophia- I just finished re-watching all nine seasons of One Tree Hill on Hulu (highly recommend) and am always looking for new stuff to watch. My brother suggested the Netflix original Outer Banks, or I may just continue with my reruns of Seinfeld. As far as music goes, country and Quinn XCII have always been my favorites, but I've also been bringing it back with some old Panic! At the Disco and John Mayer, too.
