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Get to know Iris Magazine intern, Taylor Lamb!

Year: Third
Major: English with a minor in Drama
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA

1. Why are you passionate about your program at the Women's Center?

I am passionate about Iris Magazine because I fully believe in the power of art to impact social change, and writing is most certainly an art. It's so important for women to have a magazine that is just for them- both for reading and for expression. Iris has given me an amazing platform to express my ideas, even if at times they are controversial. I really appreciate that and I hope people enjoy getting to read a variety of opinions and articles in the magazine.

2. What made you choose UVA over other schools you applied to?

The University Achievement Award Scholarship. I can say with 100% honesty that if it was not for that scholarship, I would be at VCU Arts, which was my first choice. However, nearly two and a half years in, and I can say that I'm grateful I ended up here.

3. What has surprised you about UVA?

I was surprised by my ability to find a community in which I belonged. I think the stereotype is that the typical UVA student is Rich, White, and Preppy. And I won't lie, there's definitely some validity to that statement. That's not really what people were like where I went to school back home, so coming in, I was a little scared. However, despite being smaller, I think there's a lot of communities here that someone can find themselves in. I have found myself in the black community and the UVA Theatre community (and the intersection of the two that's started to grow in the past few years!). I hope that most people feel like there's somewhere they can find themselves, even if they aren't the Typical UVA Student.

4. What's something you know you do differently than most people?

I love chocolate chip cookie dough but don't like chocolate chips. So I'll buy cookie dough and pick the chips out, or make cookies without it. People always say to me "Why don't you just eat sugar cookies?" and that really bothers me because that's not the same thing! They're two different recipes. But yeah, that's something people always give me weird looks for.

5. If you could have coffee with anyone from history, who would it be and why?

I would have coffee with Ida B Wells Barnett. We very briefly covered her in my seminar on W.E.B. Du Bois and I was so fascinated. She was a writer, so that's a big talking point we could have. But also she was just so tenacious and such a go getter, in a time where black women were not expected to be and that definitely made people uncomfortable. To be honest, even if she was living now I'm sure many people, mostly men, would be opposed to the things she said and how she went about accomplishing her goals. I think she and I have that in common. I'd love to chat with her.