Words. Alysha talks too much. She writes too much. She reads too much. And she thinks too much. Her life is consumed by words - all over the place. There's a chalkboard on the back of her door, all so she can write words when they strike her. She keeps a notebook next to her bed so she can write the things she dreams, putting words to paper to make things feel like they're more real. There's a word a day calendar on her desk, and an app on her phone. Books and magazines are scattered all over her room, all so she can be enveloped by words. Her parent's swore she was gonna be an English major... but she loves what she does when she helps her brother Erik out- how much the other kids in his program appreciate her for what she does.
Booze. She's a drinker. It's not an everyday thing, its more of a comfort thing. Sometimes, when life gets a little heavy for her, which happens when she's working too much - she finds solace in the bottle. She know's its not healthy, but that rarely stops her. She's not a drunk drinker- more like, it's Tipsy Tuesday, let's have some wine and watch Glee.
Music. Is Alysha's constant. It's on as background noise. It in her ears, in her words, in her heart. It motivates her, to do, to move. She's almost always got her iPod on, even if the ear buds aren't in her ears- just so she knows it'll always be there. Currently, she's been in this place where all she's listening to is rap music- Notorious B.I.G. has been playing non stop for the last week and a half. In high school she was a Pom - pompom girl on the dance team. She's the first girl on the floor at a party, and more times than not, the last one off. While she took last year off, Alysha planned on auditioning for the Starheels this fall.
Family. Alysha's very close to her family. She's the middle child: her older sister Kelly opted to stay close to home and is working on her accounting degree at DePaul, and Erik is still in high school. Having a little brother with special needs really brought Alysha closer to her family- she became Erik's best friend, his cheerleader. They still talk on the phone every other day.
Orange. The color. The flavor. The smell. There's something reviving in the smell of citrus. It's her favorite color, bright and bouncy, even when she's got the mean reds and bouncy isn't really an option for her.
Her sorority. Alysha took a lot of time trying to figure out a sisterhood she could call her own. She went to visit with all four major houses on campus and received a bid from both Delta Delta Delta and Chi Omega. Although her mother was a Chi Omega, she picked Tri-Delt. Her sisters mean the world to her, and she really feels like she made the right choice.
HATE FORNarrow-mindedness. While Alysha is all for having differing opinions... don't be a douche and not listen to both sides of the story. She has a problem with people who aren't open to other points of view, she doesn't understand what makes them so closed. That's part of why she's so interested in Psych- so that she can pick other peoples brains.
Crying. That may not be entirely true, a good cry can be very helpful- she just hates crying. It's not that she feels weak, but it's that whole feeling hungover once you're done. The fact that someone or something can take so much out of you. The idea of giving some other entity so much power over you.
Judgement. Having Erik as a brother has really changed the way Alysha looks at people. She has no patience for people who make snap judgement about others. She's heard the whispering about her brother, people dropping the "R" word... but she's seen not only the amazing heart that people have, but what they can do once they put their minds to it.
QUICK FACTS♫ Alysha Yancey Maxwell, second daughter of Aaron and Shannon Maxwell. Born and raised on the north west side of Chicago, IL.
♫ Is the middle of three children. Sister Kelly is 23, and entering her senior year at DePaul University. Brother Erik is almost 17- and attends Northside Learning Center: a facility for people with special needs.
♫ Decided to major in Sport and Exercise Science because of her brother - her end goal is to work with the Park District's Special Olympics Program as a Sport Therapist.
♫ Sorority girl- NOT sorostisute. Takes her sisterhood very seriously- and does think of it as a life long commitment... not just something she's doing to make friends.
♫ Misses Chicago pizza and the Cubs. Doesn't miss the cold- the fact that winters in North Carolina are mild were part of the charm of coming to UNC.
