Howdy- Eliza Jane Schaeffer

Hi guys! I'm, obviously, sixteen years old and a Junior in the Academy at Henry Clay. I love baking, reading, running, hiking, people, and America. This summer I spent a week canyoneering in Lake Powell with my friends and a few middle school teachers. Canyoneering, for those who do not know, involves free climbing and repelling. It was easily the highlight of my life. Some of the places we went hadn't been walked on for one hundred years or more. The canyons were so beautiful and perfect and big; it was mind-numbing.

What "geeks" me? It's probably a tie between running and politics. Running is my stress-relief; I know most people hate it, but I love it and I can't explain why. I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes afterwards. People also hate politics, but I think I can explain my love for it a little better than I can for running. I just love America so darn much. It's a large scale, three hundred year old social experiment, and it's going horribly wrong. I won't go into details, because somebody will get offended, but politics needs a touch more of realism and a touch less of stubbornness. I think that the Republican party is going to undergo a Libertarian-ish realignment, which is something I would very much like to be a part of. Now that I've thoroughly bored you, and maybe even earned your strong disregard, I'm going to wrap it up by giving you a picture of me canyoneering...

...and my website, which is Pinterest. http://www.pinterest.com/ejs98/