One of my major roles in life is being an older sister. My younger

sister and I have gone through a lot of ups and downs, but at this point in

my life we are closer than we’ve ever been. I chose a picture of my sister

and I at a Pirates game because that is one of the many things that have

brought us together. We both love Pittsburgh sports. Recently, attending

baseball and football games has been something we really enjoy. It’s our

bonding time.

I play a role as an older sister every day, but I’m not with my sister

every single day and we aren’t attending sporting events all the time.

This specific role is most prominent when I’m home for breaks and holi-

days and when I have free time in the summer. This role also correlates

with my finances. I only have the money to spend on my little sister when

I’m able to work. Those times are over the summer and holiday breaks.

My role as a student often causes consumption conflict with my

role as a sister because my biggest responsibility lies in my school work. I

often have to make consumption decisions between time and money.

Take the extra time to study takes away from free time with my sister.

Choosing to purchase school supplies and books, as well as covering liv-

ing expenses affects my ability to spend on leisurely activities with my sis-

ter. Our relationship is strong either way, but it’s more enhanced when

we’re able to go do things together.

I love yoga! It’s a huge stress reliever and I try to attend

occasional classes in studios in Shadyside. I also practice yoga

on my own. It’s definitely my top choice in terms of exercise.

In addition, those who practice yoga form a culture that is

very unique and positive. I love being able to identify with

that.

Although being a “yogi” is a role I play, it is much less im-

portant than things such as being a sister, daughter, team-

mate, student, and friend. This role is most prominent when I

have extra free time or I’m extremely stressed. I am a con-

sumer of the services when my other primary roles aren’t de-

manding my attention. Being a yogi is about recognizing your-

self and taking time to reenergize and relax. I’m not always

able to put myself first.

I experience consumption conflict when I have to choose

between being a yogi, fashionista, and music junkie. I only

have so much money to spend on hobbies. I often have to

choose out of the three at a single point in time. I weigh

price, time, accessibility, and need.

NAMASTE

Being a teammate is huge responsibility. I can apply this role

to more than one aspect of my life. I am a teammate in group

projects, student organizations, my part-time job, and even

among my friends. My role as a teammate is always changing

and developing, but it’s always present.

This role is active every day of every week. I’m involved aca-

demically, socially, and even professionally. I’m constantly work-

ing on projects, events, and assignments. About 80% of every-

thing I do requires some degree of collaboration. This role goes

hand-in-hand with many of my other roles so it doesn’t neces-

sarily cause consumption conflict.

The only negative effect that this role causes is minor cogni-

tive dissonance in regards to how I spend my time. It’s difficult to

balance my role as a teammate with my social life, family life,

and academic life. Each requires some degree of leadership and

teamwork and I have to divide the role among three groups. It’s

hard to decide what gets more or less attention when the divide

cannot be equal.

I can’t, but we can.

Being a writer is a role I play in my personal life. I have a huge appreciation

for words, clever quotes, well-written articles and books, and even advertisements.

I want to pursue a career in advertising so I’m always trying to enhance my commu-

nication skills. I always start with writing.

This role is present at all times. I try to write my own story every day. I love to

purchase books, I google quotes at least once a day, and turn to written words

when I can’t express myself verbally. I purchase a lot of books and decorations with

thoughtful words and phrases. Clever slogans and advertising approaches always

catch my eye.

Being a writer applies to many other roles such as being a student, team-

mate, free spirit, media guru, and dreamer. I use my writing skills in almost every-

thing I do. I love to blog and I’m constantly writing thoughts and ideas on paper and

even in my phone. I don’t find that being a writer causes much conflict. My love for

words always leads me to look for products that are creative and unique. For exam-

ple, I recently made a purchase from Maggie and Stella’s. I bought a published book

of motivational quotes. After the purchase, I went online to look up the brand and

found some other items that I’ve added to my Christmas list. I like small, unconven-

tional brands. I found they produce some really creative products and I appreciate

the thought and quality of their work.

“I’m always

writing a

story in my

head.”

“As we grow up, we realize it becomes

less important to have a ton of

friends, and more important to have

real ones.”

Aside from being a sister and a daughter, being a friend is a role that is

extremely important to me. I put a lot of time and effort into maintaining the

relationships that I believe are worth having. I am a friend 24/7. I stress to my

friends that I’m always there for them.

My friendships have a lot of impact on my academic, social, and per-

sonal life. A lot of the decisions I make are influenced by some of my best

friends and I look to them specifically for help and guidance. How I spend

my time and money is also largely influenced by my friends. Ultimately, I

make my own decisions, but if all my friends decide to go shopping, go to

dinner, or see a movie I feel inclined to participate as well. I value the time

and memories that come from those times. I’m willing to make considerable

investments for memories because I think it’s a crucial part of living a mean-

ingful life.

Unfortunately, I do experience consumption conflicts when I have to

put my other roles ahead of spending time with friends. My friends like to

use the term FOMO (fear of missing out) for a lot of situations in which

someone is unable to experience something. I do have a large fear of miss-

ing out because I so highly value experiences and memories.

Currently, being a student has a huge impact on all of the

decisions I make. Aside from friends and family, it is my biggest re-

sponsibility. All of the choices I make now are directly affecting

my career. Most of my time is dedicated to school. All of the oth-

er roles I have are impacted by my studies. I have to make a lot

of sacrifices to make sure I’m a successful student.

Being a student controls my social life, my financial deci-

sions, my future, and my time. I am student 24/7. Even in the sum-

mer I manage classes and internships. There are not many things

that come before my school work. Since becoming a college stu-

dent, my consumption of school supplies, books, electronic de-

vices, food, and resources overall has nearly doubled. When it

comes to tuition, I obviously wasn’t price sensitive. I’m now expe-

riencing some cognitive dissonance about that decision when

thinking about the pile of debt that is waiting for me in less than 2

years. When it comes to books and pretty much everything else

that comes along with the college lifestyle, I actively search for

discounts.

Hail to Pitt!

“ I always find beauty in things

that are odd & imperfect– they

are much more interesting.”

I define myself as a free spirit because I am drawn to anything that is unor-

dinary, goofy, artistic, and unconventional. I have a very open mind and I love to

try new things, meet new people, and travel. I keep a lot of these characteristics

in mind in a lot of my consumption decisions. For example, I don’t like to buy

name brands when it comes to clothes and shoes. I love thrift shopping and find-

ing deals. I have found some really unique pieces at Goodwill and fashion thrift

shops. I prefer cafes, coffee shops, and family-owned restaurants to large chains.

I’m a small town girl from a little country town that wants to start a career in New

York City. I’m open to new environments and I look for innovation and creativity

in the products and services I consume.

Being a free spirit is something that is present all the time. It’s part of my

personality and who I am. It affects a lot of the roles I play and how people per-

ceive me. I don’t feel that this role causes any conflict, but it does influence some

of purchasing habits. I’m very crafty. I buy a lot of handmade products or buy the

materials to make a lot of my own things. I like to buy very unique food ingredi-

ents. I like to try different cultural dishes. I came to Pitt because I loved the di-

verse atmosphere. I find being a free spirit is a huge benefit and a positive role to

identify with.

“Some of my best friends are playlists.”

Music is my escape. I have an appreciation for lyrics and one of my

favorite things to do is attend concerts. I listen to broad range of genres

and you won’t find me anywhere without my headphones. I spend a

large amount of money on purchasing music and I spend an even larger

amount of time browsing YouTube, Spotify, and iTunes for new artists,

new releases, and catchy tunes. My love for music is very prominent in

my life.

I tend to purchase more concert tickets in the summertime. I’m a

big fan of country music and a large portion of those shows are in the

months of May-August. I’ve never experienced any conflict in this role

because I have free access to music anywhere at any time. In terms of

concerts, those are more reliant on money and time. This role also re-

lates to my roles as sister, friend, daughter, teammate, yogi, and student.

Many of my friends, peers, and family all share the same appreciation

for music and it’s a way to relate to others.

My love for music guides my decisions to buy electronic devices.

When I purchased my laptop I looked specifically for a good sound sys-

tem. When I buy new headphones I look for quality. I initially switched

from an Android phone to an iPhone because I liked the idea of being

able to sync my iTunes to my cell phone. I am willing to spend more

money for more high quality devices when it comes to the sound quality.

I love fashion! When I was little I wanted to grow up and become

a fashion designer. I’m always looking for clothing and shoe sales.

I look for pieces that are stylish, but also low-priced. I can’t afford

name brands and I don’t believe that clothes are something that

should create identity. I believe clothes are a form of expression

no matter what brand or quality. I’m a bargain shopper and

chances are not many people would know.

A lot of my spending money goes towards new clothes and shoes

because I like to change my style, create new outfits, and create

a unique look. When I’m in a clothing store I look for what I like.

Brand recognition is irrelevant to me. My purchasing habits are

driven mainly by personal tastes rather than social pressures.

I hate online shopping. I prefer to browse a store. However, the

emails and promotions I receive on my phone do influence the

frequency that I visit a store.

My role as a fashionista is influenced by other roles such as being

a free spirit, dancer, student, and yogi. I frequently experience

cognitive dissonance after my purchases, but it always fades

after wearing the new clothes. I also frequently experience con-

sumption conflicts when I have to cut back on clothes in order to

support another hobby, need, or want. The shiny new shoes in

the store front that I can’t have just break my heart.

I have a highly active social media presence. I have an Instagram, Twitter, Fa-

cebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Pinterest, and YouTube account. I use a lot of these

platforms for reasons other than just networking and communication. I use many of

them to create my personal brand. I spend a lot of time researching and creating

the content that I want to share with my audiences through each of those channels.

In terms of general media, I’m extremely interested in movies and music vid-

eos, comedy, and photography so I spend a lot of time browsing reviews, articles,

online journals, and blogs. I find this creates a lot of consumption conflict in my life

because it takes time. There is not enough time in one day to do everything that I

wish I could do. Managing my time well is something that I struggle with daily.

I find that media is capable of enhancing my interests or generating new in-

terests. I use social media as a way to keep up with trends and news, but it also

sparks my creativity. I try to portray myself as a very creative ,dynamic individual

and my various profiles reflect that. My interest in creating a personal brand via me-

dia channels is reflected a lot in consumption decisions. I’m constantly thinking

“What look can I create?”, “What can I do to make a difference?”, “This would be an

amazing event.”, “I want to build these skills”, etc. For example, I basically use Pin-

terest boards to map out the physical things I want, the experiences I want, the look

I want, and even the emotional level I want to reach. To meet a lot of those goals, I

have to purchase products and services. My role as a media guru affects all of the

other roles I play because it’s so broad and is incorporated into so many different

aspects of my life.

#creativity

I owe my parents the world. In the past couple years, my

role as a daughter has been extremely important to me. I’ve real-

ized how much my parents have sacrificed for me. I take the ex-

tra time to make sure they know how I appreciative I am. My

parents are my rock and they are responsible for every single one

of my successes. All of my decisions are based on the values and

lessons that my parents have taught me.

In a less emotional sense, my mom taught me everything I

know about bargain shopping and how to find deals. My dad has

taught me how to manage money and how to look for quality. I

know how to shop smart. When I’m making my own purchases I

keep these things in mind. I apply the lessons I’ve learned from

my parents to everything.

Before making a big purchase, I look to my parents for their

opinion. Being a daughter doesn’t cause my conflict or signifi-

cantly affect the other roles in my life.

“If your dreams don’t

scare you, they’re not big

enough.” I want to live in New York City. I want to create a career in

advertising. I want to see the world. I have a bucket list. I

want to meet as many people as I can. I want to live my life

to the fullest. I want memories and experiences. I want to

make a difference. I want to become a recognized blogger.

I have a lot of goals in life that seem so far away. I have a bil-

lion ideas in my head and I sit and day dream every day about

how I’m going to get where I want to be. Being a dreamer di-

rectly relates to being a writer, student, free spirit, and team-

mate. All of the roles I play lead into this role. Everything I do

has some meaning. The smallest things get me one step clos-

er to my dreams. Every consumption decision I make, every

personal decision I make, every academic decision I make

play a part in shaping who I am and what I’m going to be-

come.