EXPLO Junior Interview with Mikayla from Indiana

Mikayla is a first year EXPLO student who is following her passion for cooking here at EXPLO Junior. In addition to improving her culinary prowess, Mikayla is also crafting cosmetics and reporting the news. Mikayla is having a wonderful time meeting people from all around the world and making lots of new friends!

Is this your first time at EXPLO, Mikayla?
Yeah!

That’s awesome! We’re glad to have you. How did you find us?
I got a flyer in the mail. I saw all the pictures and it looked like a lot of fun. Everyone just looked like they were so happy!

Is that what’s it’s really like here?
Yeah! Everyone here is really nice.

That’s great to hear! Has your floor been good, too?
Yeah, they’re all really great. They’re all nice and cool. There are people from all over the world. There are people from China, Guatemala, Spain, and all over the country, too. Today was fun because it was Alien Invasion Theme Day, and it was also one of my floormate's birthdays, so me and another girl made our whole floor antenna to wear today.

That sounds really cool! Have your RAs (Residential Advisors) been pretty good, too?
Yeah! Aneeka and Sarah are great. They’re always around and they’re a lot of fun. We were playing two truths and a lie on our floor the other day and we all just started laughing and couldn’t stop. They really make us all feel safe; we all really trust them.

That’s so great to hear. How’re your classes going?
Well I’m taking How the Cookie Crumbles and We’re Live in 5....

Cool! Tell me about How the Cookie Crumbles.
The class is about the science of cookie baking. Basically, we try different recipes for cookies to see if they change and figure out why. Karissa, our teacher, is really great at pointing the differences in our cookies from day to day.

Very cool! What did you do in that class today?
We were in two groups and one group got to use a store bought mix for their cookies and my group made our own. We were trying to see which one made better cookies in the end.

Which team won do you think?
Well, they tasted pretty much the same, but I think the ones we made were better.

Were those your favorite cookies you made?
No, we made cookies the other day, but switched the regular sugar for brown sugar. The brown sugar changed the color of the cookie, but I think it tasted way better.

And We’re Live in 5..., how’s that?
It’s good! In the class, we learn how to interview people and how news works. We are going to film our own news show eventually to show at Off-Broadway Night.

Cool! Do you know who you’re going to interview yet?
No, we’re still learning about filming and how to use the cameras. We’ve also talked about how to do a good interview and what kinds of questions to ask.

Well, I hope this interview is going well! What have you learned about interviewing?
It is! We learned how to not ask one word questions or give one word answers. We also learned about researching before asking and planning our questions ahead of time.

Those are all great techniques. Tell me about your electives.
I’m in World Cooking and Summer Spa.

So it sounds like you like to cook! What did you make in World Cooking?
Our class made fettuccine alfredo and tiramisu, but I only worked on the tiramisu. It was actually really easy to make. You make the cream using a type of cheese, which kind of surprised me, and then you dip these cookies into coffee to make one of the layers.

Sounds delicious! Do you think you’d make it again?
Yeah! It was really good.

Great! And Summer Spa?
We made lotion, glitter gel, and soap last week. I made mind with lavender scent because I like lavender a lot. I also made it light purple to match.

Do you have a name for you skin care line?
Yeah, Flowers and Fragrances.

Sounds lovely. So if you had to describe EXPLO in five words, which five would you choose?
Fun, exciting, friendly, interesting, and surprising.

If someone was thinking about coming to EXPLO but wasn’t sure, what would you say to them?
I would say they should definitely come because there are so many nice people here. It feels like every time you turn around, there’s a new friend waiting for you. I also love the staff, they’re all so nice and funny and you can trust all of them.