Jackie Phipps is an English creative writing major at CSUN.  Making the trek from Santa Monica, Phipps is in her junior year working towards a bachelor’s degree.

She doesn’t dedicate countless hours to any club or organization on campus, but she has been busy working on over 15 novels and short stories.

The 22-year-old’s hobbies consist of reading for hours, writing short stories, and going to the beach with friends. She enjoys having time to herself and to relax.  One of her favorite places is the annual UCLA festival of books because it’s “fun, but very exhausting.”

Phipps would like to write more novels in the future, but sometimes ends up writing short stories. Fairytales are definitely one of her favorites, simply because they can be twisted in so many ways, both for adults and children.

“The thing about fairytales is that there are so many versions of a story.  There’s the Disney version of these stories that are aimed towards children and are usually sugar-coated…but if you read the same story made for teens and adults, the story tends to be a little more gruesome and just more graphic.”

Another type of book genre Phipps can’t help but love is teen literature. “I know I’m 22, but I can’t help it. I just get really into it… It’s really easy to get involved in a teen lit story. Sometimes it’s simply relatable. I love it.”

After contemplating over several different majors, English was her final choice.

“I’ve thought about majoring in journalism, but I like creative writing. I like being able to be free with writing. It’s the fact that I can do it for pleasure and not have to follow a certain structure. It can be whatever I want it to be. I love that freedom,” she added.

In addition to her love for creative writing, Phipps has an interest in photography and the arts.

However, with the budget cuts, and not being able to qualify for financial aid, Phipps is paying for tuition and fees out of her own pocket and with the help of her parents.

“I figured if I’m not getting financial aid, might as well let someone else who really needs the help take the financial aid,” Phipps said.