Hey Guys & Gals

Hi there. I am Dylan Cutler, an easy-going athletic Greek girl from a big city on the west coast of Canada. Contrary to popular belief, I do not live in an igloo, I do not own a beaver as a pet, and I do not drink beer all day. These assumptions, although partly make me who I am (Canadian), are not everything about me, or where I come from. Home to me means ocean and beaches and forests and wood cabins and fishing and skiing (but I don't ski) and hiking and lastly, hockey. Oh, I do love the game of hockey. All sports are great, really. I am on the field hockey team here at SLU, and field hockey has been a part of my life for eight years now. Before field hockey, it was soccer. Before soccer it was volleyball. I also love to run long distances. As far as my Greek heritage, my entire mother’s side is from Greece. Although I am not religious, I do proudly partake in many Greek traditions that my mother has passed down to my sister and I. I hope to do the same for my children no matter where we are living. There are times where my Greek roots seem distant to me. For example, at a recent family reunion, there was Greek dancing which looked like a blur to me, and all sorts of very rich foods, which I didn’t seem to have much appeal for. I felt out of place in a way, but understandably so as I have lived in Canada all my life.

I am a sophomore and a Biology-Physics Major. I am enjoying this as I have found a perfect balance in the combination of my interest for the human body, and movement. My intention after SLU is to go to medical school and then into the field of sports medicine. My ultimate dream is to one day be the doctor of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team (Go Habs Go!). One day. Yup.

I have had good experiences so far in my English courses. Last semester I took Techniques of Poetry with Professor Hummer and I learned a lot about both poetry, and about myself. I discovered a new way that I enjoy expressing myself, as well as a new way of telling others how I feel. There was so much I learned that goes into poetry, which I never even had knew of or thought of before. Likewise, I am sure this class will enlighten me even more in a new field of literature I am quite unfamiliar with. I am hoping this class will show me not only how African-Americans were/are portrayed in literature, but also some true insights into what they went through in their struggles in the world. I do not know of any authors at the moment the specialize in this area, but I hope to be able to identify specific authors and their styles and techniques they like to use.