October 24, 2018
Fall is a wonderful time of year in Boston. Leaves are changing colors, apples are ripe for the picking, and this year, our beloved Red Sox are playing in the World Series. Likewise, the autumnal season brings exciting changes to Aria: this month we welcomed our newest Senior Account Executive, Cate Hannum! I sat down with Cate to get to know her better and talked everything from books and movies to travel and future goals. Here are ten things I learned about the newest addition to Team Aria:
Lindsey Honig: What is one book you would want to have if you were stranded on a desert island and why?
Cate Hannum: “Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace, because it would keep me quite busy.
LH: What two social media accounts would you recommend people follow?
CH: @CookieandKate on Instagram is chock-full of amazing vegetarian and vegan recipes. I’m not instinctively creative in the kitchen and when I first stopped eating animal products I felt a little lost. This account has inspired many delicious (and easy!!), environmentally-friendly and cruelty-free meals. I highly recommend making “meatless Monday” a weekly staple, and giving one of Kate’s recipes a try.
Also on Instagram, @themorningtoast is for anyone who loves pop culture and doesn’t mind listening to fast-talking millennials. Run by @GirlWithNoJob and her sister @JackieOProblems, they like to think of their show as a morning show for millennials. The Instagram account gives timely updates on anything pop culture-related and content usually coincides with whatever they have discussed on their show that morning. They will also occasionally branch out beyond pop culture to discuss social issues. The show streams live on YouTube and is uploaded anywhere podcasts are available shortly after the show finishes airing.
LH: What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
CH: Curious, empathetic, and introverted (not to be confused with shy!).
LH: Of the four seasons, which is your favorite and why?
CH: Fall! It feels like a chance for new opportunities, likely because I still associate the season with the beginning of a new school year. I also love the way the air smells when it gets cold; and the brightly-colored foliage makes me feel hopeful and inspired.
LH: It’s five o’clock on a Friday. What are your ideal plans for the weekend?
CH: I feel reinvigorated when I spend time alone and/or outside, so usually on the weekends I try to run each day, read a book, and sometimes I’ll go for a hike with my boyfriend, Harrison, and my dog, Hattie.
LH: What is the best movie you’ve seen in the last six months?
CH: A Star is Born – the 2018 release. I have never cried (it was so powerful!!) that much or thought about a movie that long after leaving the theater.
LH: How many of the seven continents have you traveled to? What country or city was your favorite and why?
CH: Beyond North American excursions, I’ve traveled to South America and Europe. My favorite country to visit was Iceland. I’ve been twice and it’s by far the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. Nothing beats hiking and exploring the country’s natural beauty.
LH: College lasts an average of eight semesters. What was your favorite class you took at Michigan State?
CH: Advanced Creative Non-Fiction with Professor Marcia Aldrich. She was hands-down the best professor I had during my time at State. We had a rocky start – I had her for an intro class my sophomore year of college and I was a bit discombobulated at the time. However, when I took her advanced course my senior year I think she ended up liking me *almost* as much as I liked her. I believe the professor makes the class, and she did that for me. I’ve encountered a number of writing professors who try to change your style to mimic their own ideas about writing. However, Professor Aldrich encouraged her students to strengthen their individual voices through creative prompts, strategic questions, and insightful feedback.
LH: If you could time-travel to one of the last nine decades, which would you go to and why?
CH: This is a hard question because there isn’t a time in the last 9 decades where women and other more marginalized groups of people have had more rights than they do right now. As long as I could come back to present day, I would visit 1976, the year Chris Ernst, member of Yale’s women’s rowing program, started a protest that demanded the enforcement of Title IX, four years after it came into effect. (Title IX is the federal civil rights law which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally-funded education programs—including athletics.)
Chris and her teammates should be largely credited as to why I was able to attend college on an athletic scholarship for rowing and was afforded the same treatment and privileges as the male athletes on campus. I would love to see the direct impact they made, including the reactions of peers and staff, as well as the action that followed resulting in the enforcement of Title IX at educational institutions. I also think it would be inspiring to be a fly on the wall during their planning of the protest to see how it all came together.
LH: What is one goal you would like to achieve in the next ten years?
CH: Earn my Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.
Are you looking to join a dynamic team of creative thinkers passionate about healthcare and public relations? Send your resume to jcohen@ariamarketing.com!
