"I just asked people what they thought," she said with a cheerful smile.
As it turned out, she won the contest and was offered a free trip to California.
"I figured the trip to California is the chance of a lifetime."
"I'm going to get a tan," she said after hearing early weather reports predicting flurries in State College. Kristy also planned of being a tourist and visiting Hollywood and Beverly Hills. In addition, she received tickets for The Price is Right after weeks of mail-in requests and she planned on meeting Bob Barker.
She was also looking forward to getting Colin Morteson's autograph despite the fact that she didn't know who he was. Everybody she knew heard of him, but because she never watched Real World, he was a mystery to her. Now she wants his autograph to make her friends jealous.
When Kristy first found out about her trip, she could hardly imagine what to expect. However, when she spoke with Kirberger, she mentioned the book she had written herself, and things went from there. The book was about college life, titled Most of the Questions, Some of the Answers.
Right now, Kristy is concerned with getting the book published. As it turned out, when she spoke with Kirberger, she was given the chance to let the author read the book and possibly send it in for publishing.
"Contacts are everything," Kristy said.
Kristy was really looking forward to the meeting. "There has to be something good to come out of it. The best case — she likes it and contacts her publisher."
What makes Kristy's book so unique is that it is a book about college students, by a college student. "I think that it will help people," she said. The book was written as a manual on what to expect from college. However, unlike other books written on the subject, this deals with specific instances only a college student would know about.
"It's written in our own language; funny at points, serious at others."
The stories and tales written in the book were taken from the author's own experiences. She took notes on memorable times from her and her friends and put them together to make a guide for students. The great part is that instead of focusing on credit cards and laundry, she centers on finding your individual way into college.
"The most important thing in college is not giving up." Kristy emphasizes the importance in finding friendship and achieving your dreams over everything.
"There is nothing in the world that can ever stand in the way of our dreams if we can get past one thing that will forever hold us back. . .ourselves."
For Kristy, the easiest part of writing this book was the fact it was simply taken from the mouth of an average college student.
In the end, Kristy is pleased with her accomplishments. No one can blame her. She has done more than most students and she's only a junior. She believes that her success is largely due to her values on love, friendship and — most importantly — being herself.
