Kara Elliott is a second-year junior in the Nursing Program. She chose to come to Tarleton because she first fell in love withStephenville, and then felt like everything just “clicked” when she visited Tarleton’s campus. She has been in Phi Mu for over 3 years, and is also a member of the Student Nurses’ Association and Sigma Alpha Pi, the national leadership fraternity. After graduation, she plans to become an RN and eventually get her Master’s in NursePractitioning and Women’s Health.

JTAC: What is your favorite part about Tarleton?

Kara Elliott (KE): I love that it’s a community in-and-of itself. At many universities, you have to be involved to like your school—you have to join a bunch of organizations or fraternities—but  at Tarleton, you’re just a family and just being at Tarleton is kind of like being part of an organization. I just love that family atmosphere. I also like how Dr.Dotavio and his wife are always so involved with us—he comes out to the Greek events, the events on campus like our Tailgates, Midnight Breakfast and just all of these things. What other president is that down to earth and cool?

JTAC: What is one thing you wish you could change about Tarleton?

KE: If I could change anything, I would say that I’d like to have the library open 24 hours, because there are a lot of people that could use the extra jobs, and a lot of people don’t have cars, so they’re really willing to work on campus. Not to mention that a lot of universities have 24 hour libraries, it’s about time we did. I would definitely stay in the library past midnight if I could.

JTAC: What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial this year?

KE: I liked the RadioShack commercial the best, because my mom called me after it played and said, “I remember it looking like that…” It’s funny, because nobody ever goes to RadioShack.

And I’m a girl so I also loved the Budweiser puppy commercial.

JTAC: If you could wake up tomorrow morning and be anyone in the world, who would you want to be?

KE: I’d want to be Ryan Reynolds so I could look at myself naked all day. I would never leave the mirror; I would just be like, “Yes!” and rub my abs all day. Then, after I’d get him really fat, I’d be myself again.

JTAC: Would you rather shave Chewbacca’s back or give a Gringott’s Goblin a deep-tissue massage?

KE: I would have to choose shaving Chewbacca’s back, because I’m a huge Star Wars fan, so that makes sense; I would kill to meet Chewbacca.

JTAC: What would you do with the fur after you shaved his back?

KE: I would probably make it into a wig. Or I would make a sweater out of it, but of course I’d line it with microfleece, and then I would attach his belt across it.

JTAC: It’s award season and you have just won a very prestigious award. Which one have you won, and who do you thank first in your acceptance speech (besides me of course)?

KE: I think I’d want to win a Pulitzer Prize first, because I want my words to move people. Then I’d want a Grammy—I’ll take my Pulitzer Prize-winning book and turn it into a song. I’d probably thank my mom first, and that’s a given because she’s so supportive, but it’s mostly because she’s hilarious and she taught us the serious things in life. She also taught me how to see humor in everything, and that helps me always see a silver lining.

JTAC: What TV character do you feel that you most identify with?

KE: I think the character I most identify with is Dr. Temperance Brennan (‘Bones’) on Bones. She’s a forensic anthropologist who works for the Jeffersonian in Washington D.C. She’s very smart, but she’s not a people person—she often lacks tack because she’s so logical—and while I am a people person, sometimes I get lost in the logic of things instead of my intuition. I am an introverted extrovert.

JTAC: Finally, in honor of Valentine’s Day, what is the best cheesy pick-up line you know (that’s school-appropriate of course)?

KE: A cheesy pick-up line that I like is: excuse me, but I’m really attracted to you and according to Newton’s Laws of Gravitation, you’re attracted to me too.