By Emily Mentzer, Lebanon Express writer | Posted: Wednesday, May 6, 2009 12:00 am
Sage Gerson has always loved fairy tales and fantastical princess stories, and now she is a princess.
Gerson has two younger sisters: Peri, 16, and Bryn, 10. Her mother Jean is a substitute teacher and her father Eric owns Ridgeway Woodworks.
One of her favorite movies is "A Little Princess."
"There's a line in it: 'It doesn't matter what your living conditions are, or who your parents are, every girl is a princess,'" she said. "That just rang true to me."
Gerson said she wanted to be a Strawberry Princess because, as a young child, she loved the idea of being a princess.
"Not because of the fancy clothes, or to have the money, but because I wanted to impact others positively," she said.
Gerson said she sees young girls looking up to women who dye their hair and wear more makeup than she's ever seen.
"These are totally fake people," she said. "Girls need a real role model. Someone who's down to earth, who can stand up and be like, this is who I am, and I'm not ashamed. As corny as it sounds, be yourself, follow your dreams."
The Strawberry Festival is a time to gather together, she said.
"I think it brings people together in a way that nothing else in our community really does,""she said.
She said she enjoyed dressing up in the parade when she was a child.
"I think I was an American Flag once, and my sister was Princess Leah."
Gerson has been accepted to the University of Chicago, and will be attending this fall, majoring in English.
"We didn't think it would happen," Gerson said, "but they offered me financial aid, so now it's a possibility."
She said she plans to get her bachelor's and master's degrees in one fell swoop, and then take a break and get some experience.
"I think writing is all about experience," Gerson said. "I'll join the Peace Corps or Americorps and get some real cultural experience."
She said she wants to go where ever they need her.
"I just want to go where I can have the biggest impact," Gerson said. "I don't want to change their lifestyle; that's their culture, and that's special to them. I want to give them fresh water and food and stuff. Teach them to read. Teach them to use their resources without destroying their environment."
She plans to do some freelance writing and take some time off before going back to school to get her PhD in English so she can be a professor and support her family.
"It's important to be able to provide for them," Gerson said.
Gerson is involved in many sports and extracurricular activities. She is a team captain this year in tennis and plays doubles with her sister, Peri.
Gerson is the vice president for the National Honor Society. She's involved in the fashion classes. She is a coordinator for Mr. LHS, involved in Aspire (a program to assist college-bound students) - Key Club, the school theater department, and is a freelance writer for The Warriorsspirit, the LHS student newspaper.
"I play the piano," she said. "I've played 12 years now, and I really enjoy it. It's something I do for myself outside of school."
Gerson said she still takes lessons because there is always more to learn.
She enjoys reading. Some of her favorite authors are JD Sallinger, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Marcus Zusak.
What strawberry dessert would you be?
If Princess Sage Gerson could be a strawberry dessert, she would be strawberry cheesecake because "it's really good."