Gabriella's Straight Talk

First off do not worry about trying to pronounce or spell my last name. It's hard enough for me sometimes. I am currently a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am double majoring in Political Science and Journalism, with a minor in history (hopefully!). I was born and raised in Raleigh, NC right down the road from Chapel Hill. My mom has been involved in politics my whole life, and her love has been passed down to me. I grew up talking about politics and heading with my mom to the North Carolina General Assembly. Today, my family still has heated political discussions at the dinner table or pretty much anywhere.

The other great love of my life is because of my Dad. He instilled in me a vast knowledge and appreciation for sports, especially hockey. I am that person at the hockey game who yells at the Referees and boos when the opposing team hits the ice. There is nothing better to me than that indescribable elation that I feel when my team scores. I have had the privilege of attending two Stanley Cup Finals, including watching my beloved Carolina Hurricanes win Lord Stanley in 2006. That is a memory that will forever be etched in my memory.

Besides politics and sports, I love to watch the news. When I was younger, my cousins and I created our own production company called M&MK for our last names. We would do skits and short movies whenever we would get together. I would host my own talk show called Straight Talk, hence how I got the name for this blog. On my show I would talk about politics and news stories. I'll never forget this one Christmas where I kept called Vice President Dick Cheney, Chick Cheney. My Uncle still teases me about it to this day. My love for politics lead me to watch the nightly news every night at 6:30. Peter Jennings on ABC was my favorite. I would also wake up early to watch Good Morning America with Charlie Gibson before school. Today my busy schedule prevents me from watching the news daily, but I still find time to read the New York Times.