E349S Introduction

"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."
-Robin Williams

 The name is Alexis George Cownan, and in my eyes, the world is a playground. If you want a chemical break down of who I am, it goes as follows: one part Harvey Spector (for all you Suits fans out there), two parts Charlie Sheen,  3.14 percent Jabbawockee, 50 percent Barney Stinson (gotta love How I Met Your Mother), and 100% me.

 I was born in Dix Hills, New York, which is about thirty minutes from the Big Apple otherwise known as The City That Never Sleeps (true story). I am a third year English major with minors in Philosophy and Government, and I will be going to Law School after my undergraduate endeavors. My end goal is to be a corporate lawyer or go into litigation. Currently, I reside in Katy, Texas. Although I am physically in Texas, my heart will always be in New York. I come from a humongous extended family as my mother has ten siblings and my dad has eight! The majority of my cousins live in the Northeast, so I visit the New England area every summer and winter for the most part. Enough about my past, let's get into my present.

 I am very outgoing and very much so outspoken. A lot of my friends refer to me as a sort of Harlequin, as I hate being serious. Life is too short, and when I look back, I want to know I did everything I could with my little time here and have no regrets whatsoever. I am of South Indian descent and a first generation American. I have one younger sister, Alyssa Cownan, who will be going to St. Johns University this coming Fall in their Physician Assistant Program! Woot!

 My freshman year at UT, I started a chapter of a fraternity, Iota Nu Delta. Most of my cousins were major contributors to South Asian Greek life and Greek life in general across the nation. Because of that I was always interested in getting my foot in the door. Iota Nu Delta was founded on February 7, 1994, and stands as a pillar for the ultimate definition of brotherhood. We believe in quality over quantity and I wanted to create a fraternity at UT that broke all racial boundaries. Iota Nu Delta provides an extensive professional network to UT students and a nationally acclaimed family to individuals of all descents, creating a melting pot of experiences and lifelong friendships. I have served as the Social Chair, Pledge Master, President and I am currently taking the role of Step/Stroll Captain. I choreograph and perform various dance routines with my fraternity Step/Stroll team campus wide. It has been a humbling experience and a mind blowing journey thus far.

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 My family is well versed in the arts, and I have been brought up learning various instruments and styles of dance. I learned to play the clarinet and piano at a young age, and have tried my best to keep up with such talents throughout my college years. I trained under the tutelage of Divya Unni, a renowned Indian dancer for years in Houston, mastering various forms of Indian dance, as well as training in contemporary dance, hip hop, and break dancing. Freshman year I helped start UT Saaya, a dance team that competes nationally on behalf of UT, as we have competed across the nation and all over Texas over the last three years. It is a fusion dance team inspired by Asian and Western Influences. I am also on a fusion dance team in Houston known as Shingari's School of Rhythm (SSR), which performs and competes internationally for various events and tournaments. Dance has always been a huge part of my life, and I will continue to perform and practice throughout my life!

  
  As far as Carroll and Hopkins goes, I honestly have not studied Hopkins ever, but I have studied Carroll back in the good ole' High School days. I am excited to further my knowledge on both writers, as I love writing. I came to UT as Biology Pre-Med major, seeing the majority of my family has gone into Medicine and Engineering (totally rocking the racial stereotypes, I know), but I came to realize my passion rests in English and writing. I have fervor for learning, and I find Carroll to be a peculiar and interesting author, so I am very excited to learn more about his writings and life. Bring on Alice and bring on all the awesomeness (I also like to make up new words) Hopkins wrote!