InsaneJournal

idealist  i⋅de⋅al⋅ist  [ahy-dee-uh-list]  –noun
1.         a person who cherishes or pursues high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc.
2.         a visionary or impractical person.
3.         a person who represents things as they might or should be rather than as they are.
4.         a writer or artist who treats subjects imaginatively.
5.         a person who accepts the doctrines of idealism.

Synonyms:
2. romantic, dreamer, stargazer, quinn kenny.

Idealist.  In a word, Quinn.

As Quinn's "Mama" likes to put it, her baby girl had entered the world with a smile on her face and a song in her heart shortly thereafter.  It was cheesy, surely.  However, it was true to a degree and remains so in the present.

Kyle Sr. (Quinn's Pops) is part Irish American and a sliver of Native American (aka American Indian), whose family has been in and around Fayetteville, Arkansas for generations. Beverly (Quinn's Mama) is a mix of Filipino, Spanish and Chinese, whose Arkansas family roots go back only a couple of generations.

Both of Quinn's parents come from modest backgrounds with fairly large families on either side.  Kyle Kenny worked his way up in his father's car dealership, Kenny Cars and has since claimed ownership of the Chevy Dealership and used car lot in Fayetteville as well recently opening a small used car lot in Fort Smith.  Beverly was an ER nurse until Quinn's birth, after which, the Kenny's decided it would benefit their family if she became a stay at home mom.

It was apparent from a very young age that Quinn had an affinity for and with music.  One might say it moved her.  When she was three, Kyle and Beverly noted, if she was not keeping herself entertained dancing and singing her own made-up songs in front of the full-length mirror, she could surely be found toting around the novelty ukulele one of her uncles had brought back for her, from his vacation in Hawaii.

Coming from large families themselves, it's only natural that the Kennys have instilled in their children, the importance of family.  That goes for extended family as well.  While the Kennys only have two biological children of their own, they consider Quinn's best friend, Amelia one of their own.

Quinn was raised to believe that everyone deserves a chance regardless of background, religion, etc. and she tends to take that principle to the maximum.  She believes in the human race and humanity, hoping against all odds and previous experiences that the good will always pull through - that the world does have a chance to get better for all, "if only..."

This tendency should often lead to disappointment, but she refuses to give up and see the reality of certain (read: most) situations.  There's always a reason or excuse that she can come up with, and don't forget, never give up, there's always hope!

While some may consider her naive because of this belief in people, she is not so naive that she doesn't realize how the world works in regards to religion, prejudice whether it's racism, sexism, or any other ism.  She chooses to maintain a more positive outlook and believes that without hope, people would whither away.

Sure. The world may not be made up entirely of butterflies and pixie stix, rainbows and cotton candy clouds, but wouldn't it be great if it was?




Drives a '68 Camaro RS Z-28 that she's had a (small) hand in helping her father restore.  Her name is Calliope.

Has a virtual menagerie of animals she's taken in because they were strays, hurt or abandoned, in addition to the pets she's collected for over the years.

Is only allowed to cook or bake if someone is there to remind her to stay on task and not burn the house down.

Is in a band with Claire, [insert other members here].

Considers Amelia her best friend.

Ever since they saw the John Travolta version of Hairspray, she continues to get Amelia to skip/dance/sing down the sidewalk with her singing "Good Morning Baltimore". Of course, they replace Baltimore with Fayetteville.

Makes good use of the Rec's wide range of classes and will take just about anything that catches her eye and fits into her schedule.

Has had a crush on Will [the bully] since the 8th grade when he helped her pick up books she'd dropped, and has been involved in an online "relationship" with him since the summer of '08 in which she presents herself as a blonde from California.

Has been taking hip-hop (and other) classes at the Rec for years, and also volunteers there to teach and play with the tiny tots during the summer.

She can also be found (when there is time to spare) working at her father's dealership.



1st period - Band IV
2nd period - Algebra II
3rd period - AP Music Theory
Homeroom
4th period - Spanish II
Lunch/Activity
5th period - Mixed Choir
6th period - English 12
7th period - Amer. Govt./Civics




Music Club
Students Against Drunk Driving
Gay-Straight Alliance


Write an essay with a minimum of four full paragraphs explaining to the world why "I am not just a stereotype"

Harold Evans, a British journalist once said "Attempting to get at truth means rejecting stereotypes and clichés."  While some might say that stereotypes are often based on a bit of truth, everyone is more than just a stereotype.  Moreover, everyone deserves to be given the time of day by others to get to know the person behind the stereotype(s).   In keeping with that sentiment, I have faith that you will put aside your preconceived notions of just who and what I am for at least as long as it takes to read this.  In fact, I challenge you to get to know the Quinn behind the multitude of stereotypes that can be pinned on me.

According to my ethnic make-up (Native American, Filipino, Spanish, Irish, and Chinese) and nationality (American), I should be a short, overweight, impoverished, loud-speaking, Nascar-loving, geeky, slant-eyed, lazy, siesta-loving, alcoholic cheapskate Catholic Flamenco Dancer, prone to bad driving, bad grammar, and a quick temper that drives either a Honda, BMW, or MPV whose father owns a casino or pub, and whose mother is a nurse.  Granted, the last is true, or was true.  My mother was a nurse, and a pretty darn good one from what I can tell.  While I suppose I can be considered fairly short at five feet and two and a half inches in height, I don't see myself as overweight.  I think I'm fairly reasonably proportioned physically.  My family does well enough for themselves, thanks to my father's dealership which, by the way, does not sell Hondas, BMWs, or  Mazdas.  (For that, you would have to go to our used car lot.) My lovely little baby happens to be a ballsy (if I may say so) restored 1968 Camaro RS Z-28 that I handle quite well, thank you.  I'm far too busy to have much time to take naps, and I like it that way.  If my grammar isn't perfect, don't blame it on my foreign accent or ethnic origins, as I was born here in Arkansas and the only accent I have is one that a lot of us have.  As far as the Flamenco goes, I love to dance, but I've yet to learn that one!

That leaves us with the other possible stereotypes I might be judged by - those of which the high school social hierarchy seems to be governed by.  I suppose I could fall under the band geek category, as I am quite passionate about music in general.  I could also fall under the loner boner (or is it floater?) umbrella, as I do tend to be alright with socializing with pretty much anyone as long as they're decent folk.  I don't believe in segregation, but you'll find that most of my peers tend to buy into that whole deal.  (They're just misguided and need an opportunity to get out of that rut.)  I am in the band, I love being in band and pretty much most of what is involved in being a part of band, but believe it or not, I don't come back from band camp with personal tales involving me and my flute, if you get my drift.  I am also a part of Choir, but perhaps that would fall under the Filipinos love to sing stereotype.  Oftentimes, I do find myself stepping in time to whatever music might be playing, or just about anything rhythmical going on whether it's construction or what have you, but I believe anyone with a sense of musicality would be prone to do the same.

So, there you have it.  I realize what I did was give you a run down of just a few stereotypes, but as I said earlier, this is my challenge to you to make an effort to get to know the real me.  It's up to you to dig beneath the surface and see if I have anything to offer other than my band geek status or any of those other labels people like to tag me with.  You might be surprised at what you'll find.  If you're up for the challenge, that is.