Rebecca Thomson
Biology/Human Development and Family Science

The first friend I made in DS was Rebecca Thomson. We had attended the same orientation session during the summer, but I had only vaguely remembered her as the strawberry-blond-ish haired girl. It was after the first-year picnic, when several of us freshman were hanging out, that her phone rang, and as the chorus of “City Traffic Puzzle” played, the two of us bonded over similar musical interests. As a fellow Biology major, we had the exact same schedule the fall of our freshman year, during which time I got to make friends with this amazingly awesome DSer.

Now, more than two-years later, I have the pleasure of knowing Becca a lot better, and trust me, she's a really interesting lady. She's always willing to get involved and participate in all sorts of activities, even if that includes doing silly things at times. For example, while everyone else was “too cool” for it, she joined me in playing the game Murder in the Quad, which consisted of donning boxers over our jeans, hangers on our shirts, and socks on our hands.

Rebecca has also always been eager to get involved in student organizations. If there's anyone who's on top of coordinating dates and things to do, it's her. I remember being utterly amazed by her incredible skillz in planning ahead with a very detailed and complete iCal. This seems appropriate given all the things she has been and is involved with. Currently, she serves as a councilperson on DS Council, and heads up the planning for Journal Club and Meet-A-Scholar, and used to assist with Friday Lunch planning. Becca also serves as VP of the University Lutheran Church. And, she's a sanctioned vampire, aka, a volunteer phlebotomist at University Health Services, and she has probably drawn more blood than that Twilight character, (meaning that she's pretty darn good at it), so I recommend that you don't get on her bad side!

Becca has some interesting quirks, including, but definitely not limited to, the fact that she doesn't eat anything that is blue. A food aficionado, Becca is addicted to Whole Foods soup, Stonyfield yogurt, balsamic vinaigrette, and Top Chef, among other food/chef TV shows. And, mainly because she really likes food and knows lots about it, Becca is my go-to person on trying out new recipes and learning how to cook up scrumptious things. She's known for her Fudgy Scotch Bars, which we fondly call “deliciousness”, so if nothing, you all should get to know her for the mere possibility of her making this to-die-for dessert for you.

Currently, Rebecca is starting research with a professor in the Department of Kinesiology to study the potential behavioral benefits of structured exercise programs for individuals with autism. After college, Rebecca would like to attend medical school.

If you haven't yet befriended Rebecca, I definitely recommend you do it. She's interesting, talented, funny, quirky, and will definitely be changing the world in a few years!

FAVORITES
Color: yellow? green? pink? blue? yellow.
Animal: okapi!
Food: crab and butternut squash bisque,  Hungarian chicken paprikash with spatzle and cucumber salad, seduction bagels from Whole Foods with salmon spread, chole chana, chicken wings, chicken from Pollo Tropical, etc.  I really like food.
TV Show: Currently, Chuck! Top Chef! 30 Rock! THE BIG BANG THEORY!
Body of Water: The Horsepasture River.
Style of Eggs: Scrambled. or in quiche form.
Sport (to watch): Baseball (go Marlins!)
Sport (to play): WiiFit :)
Novel:  Crime and Punishment
Movie: Pretty much anything in a triology or with superheroes, aliens, or at least special powers.  And musicals.  And 80s John Cusack movies (I <3 Lloyd Dobler)
Album: currently, the soundtrack to the movie "Once." Always: Tom Petty's Greatest Hits.
Day of the week: Friday?
Element: Oxygen
DS moment:  pre-finals camping, attempting to make Omar a platinum blonde at the beginning of Freshman year
Professor: Dr. Whiteley, Dr. Barth, Dr. Swinney.
Class: Public Health Bacteriology Lab, Principles of Neuroscience
Quote:
A man said to the universe:
"Sir, I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."
-Stephen Crane
Household appliance: Food processor, if only I had one...
Icecream flavor: Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia or Chocolate Fudge Brownie Fro-yo
Fruit: Blackberry.

EITHER OR
Paper or Plastic: reusable bags!
Coke or Pepsi: Vernor's Ginger Ale
Summer or Winter: Summer
Chicken or Beef: Chicken
Cursive or Print: Hybrid
Pi or e: Pi.
Austin or city you are from: I'm from Austin...
ESB or Welch: ESB what?
PC or Mac: Mac.
Glue or Tape: Tape
Slide or Monkeybars: Slide. Waterslide.
Crunchy or creamy peanut butter: Creamy!
Vince Young or Chuck Norris: Chuck Norris makes for better jokes.

MORE STUFF
Couldn’t live without: food? even if it wasn't a requirement.
Words of Wisdom: Don't waste your time doing anything you don't enjoy (unless it's absolutely required).  There are far too many more interesting things to be doing than going to weekly meetings for your pre-med club or staying in a major you don't like just because you think you should.
Joke:  I'm more a fan of wit than jokes.
When I was little, I wanted to be: An Occupational Therapist or an art teacher.
First student you met from DS: Elaine in elementary school? Otherwise, Omar Gonzales.

WHATEV
Clubs/organizations, your role in them: DS Council, University Lutheran Church VP, UHS volunteer vampire (phlebotomist), former AMSA member/officer, former ABC-RHC hall rep
What you did this summer: MCAT.
Your lab work: I work with the UT Autism Project on a study trying to show how certain symptoms of autism can be suppressed with exercise.
Crazy hobbies/eccentric habits/obsessive compulsions: I change my sheets at least once a week, I don't eat things that are blue (the only things that are naturally blue are blueberries and I don't like those)
Talents: making fudgey scotch bars?
Passions: soup.
Where you’re from, your family, pets?    Originally from Ft. Lauderdale, moved here in elem school though so I consider myself an Austinite.  Mom plays the drums, used to be first mate on a charter fishing boat.  Brother Andrew is 18, has autism, is really good with remembering dates.  Brother Ted is 32, works for Apple Computer.
What do you do on weekends/in your free time: talk about food, eat, go outside, feign domination at trivial pursuit and bananagrams.
Everything and anything else about your secretive lifestyle: I apparently know more about Nickelodeon game shows than most other people my age.  I really miss watching reruns of the old show Mork and Mindy.  I think that my friendship with someone could be judged by one simple question: What does CCR mean to you?

Written by: Carissa Huq