What is your name? Bethany Kaylor

Alias? BFK (Big Friendly Kaylor)

Where were you born and where do you call home? I was born in Cincinnati, and that’s where I generally call home.

What’s on your fashion shopping list? Uhhh….wool socks?

In which undergraduate program are you enrolled? I’m currently enrolled in the Comparative Literature undergraduate program, with concentrations in French and Creative Writing. I’m also a member of the Clark Honors College.

Favorite word? Perhaps

Please describe what Community Planning Workshop (CPW) Project are you working on and your role with the project? I am the undergraduate researcher for CPW’s project with the Willamette Farm & Food Coalition. My job is to collect data on local food sources and production in Lane County for the years 2011, 2012, and 2013. This entails contacting local farmer’s markets and distribution centers and compiling their data. Willamette Farm & Food Coalition will then use this data to project consumer trends and interests in Lane County’s local food system.

What are some of the outcomes you hope to gain working on this project that will assist you professionally? I hope to learn how to best communicate with people to achieve a common goal. In this case, it is supporting Lane County’s local food system and culture. I think it is crucial to understand that although people may be working towards a common goal, their motivations and paths may not look alike. In my opinion, acknowledging different perspectives is the first step in making any progress.

How does your involvement with the CSC relate to or inform your education? I’m a writer. Or at least, I hope to someday be one. Through my involvement with the CSC, I’ve understood how to best communicate with people in order to hear their stories, a skill which will go far beyond my college education.

What advice would you give to your ‘younger’ self just beginning the CSC program? Well, this is my first time with CSC program…and I’m actually writing a how-to-manual as part of my project, so I guess I’ll just have to refer to that it in the future!

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpower to be? To be able to replay moments in my life.

Where can we ‘cyber-stalk’ you? On Facebook, but my favorite social media site is gmail. (I know, so 2010.)