MEET A TEEN: ALYSSA ROBERTSON
May 31, 2012 4:46PM
Alyssa Robertson
Updated: July 2, 2012 8:02AM
Age: 18
Hometown: Griffith
School: Griffith High School, Class of 2012
At home: sister, Kayla, 20; Kayla’s fiancé, Tim Velo, 27; cat, Yin; bearded dragon, Kida
Besides classroom and household responsibilities, how do you spend your time? “Most of the time, I’m working. And anytime I’m not working, I am hanging out with my boyfriend or other friends.”
Some teens are given cars and spending money by their parents. Do you think some teens are spoiled? “I think kids are very spoiled; some kids will work hard — they have good morals and stuff — and, for that reason, their parents will (help them). I think they deserve a little help, especially because they’re just starting out, but I think it’s wrong to just have a car bought for you, to have your gas paid for and the insurance. I think people need to be more responsible for their things.”
You seem to have a mature attitude. “I had a little bit of a rough childhood, and I just had to learn how to grow up fast. I wasn’t fed with a silver spoon. Our parents were very good about raising us correctly, and I think I just learned the best way I could.”
What issue is important to you? “The economy worries me; it’s getting very expensive to live. I have a decent job; I get roughly 26 to 30 hours a week and I’m still trying to save up for my car. And I’m not remotely able to live on my own.”
If you were not present, how would your friends describe you? “Probably as a couple of things. They’d probably say I was a nerd, because I am. They’d probably say I was a little goofy at times; other times, they would probably say I’m pretty serious.”
Define “nerd” and compare it to “geek.” “A geek is more (related to) technology. As far as defining myself as a nerd, I read anime and I go to the anime conventions and stuff like that. Most anime are kind of goofy or funny, but Inuyasha is based on war, with demons and stuff. But there’s also a love story intertwined with that.”
How are you applying your interest in photography at GHS? “I’m in Yearbook Club, which is actually a class. I told the teacher last year before we signed up for classes that photography is something I love to do. It’s not like a job for me. I just take pictures of things they need for spreads. A lot of people shy away (from the camera).”
— Compiled by
Anthony D. Alonzo,
Post-Tribune correspondent
