My name is Alli Huppert and I am from the small town of Blair, Nebraska. I am majoring in journalism and advertising and public relations, with concentrations in English and art. In my free time, I enjoy doing yoga, painting, and biking. I also enjoy playing with my kitten, Milo. She was a Christmas present from my boyfriend. She is the cutest thing! I work at the Daily Nebraskan in the Arts and Entertainment department, which has given me a good sense of what it would be like to work at a larger newspaper publication. It's something I have always been interested in. After I graduate, I hope to get a job at either an advertising firm or to get involved in the public relations department at a well respected company in a larger city, such as Chicago or Minneapolis. 

     I write for many reasons. I write to express myself. I write to free my mind. I write to feel nothing, but everything at the same time. I write to move passed what has happened. I write to intrigue others. I write to entertain others. I write to inform others. I write to understand my own thoughts. I write to question things. I write to remember minor details. I write to feel joy. I write to help others feel joy. I write to have a voice. I write to be heard. I write to analyze. I write to get out of my comfort zone. I write to write. I write because I have to. I write because I want to. I write to communicate. 

     Raymond Williams describes community as being “the warmly persuasive word to describe an existing set of relationships, or the warmly persuasive word to describe an alternative

set of relationships.” Community is a very powerful concept, because it brings a generally diverse group of people together. It gives people a sense of purpose, which is shared by all within the group. 

I am apart of many communities. I’m a part of Lincoln’s community, UNL’s community, the Daily Nebraskan’s community, each of my classes’ communities, my different friend group’s communities, and my family’s community. 

     Each of those groups are considered communities because they bring each individual person together in the group. It makes everyone feel needed to be in each community. To be apart of something greater than yourself is a very profound feeling. I believe if more people were in communities and did not feel lonely, the crime rate would be lower. 

     Writing and language are very necessary in communities because without them, the individuals in the community would not be able to communicate and without communication, there really isn’t a community period. It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to work on something as a whole without being able to talk or write to communicate. The group itself would not exist without language or writing.