When asked for a few words to describe her, Cleveland freshman Aliya Schwartz’s friends chimed in. “Witty, “smart,” “funny,” “flamboyant,” Schwartz’s companions said. The stories behind these traits were soon discovered.

Schwartz’s wit and intelligence is seen in her view of freshman year so far. As opposed to giving the typical answer, like, “Oh it’s great, I was really scared when I started, but love all my classes and new friends,” she stated her feelings plainly and cleverly. “Freshman year is less interesting than I thought it would be. I was expecting to have cooler classes and people. It’s kind of just like middle school with more people and bigger in general,” Schwartz said. “I get good grades but I definitely procrastinate.”

When many students attend an important event, they wear a lucky piece of clothing, or carry some sort of momento. To Schwartz, that is unnecessary; instead, she prefers to do the simple task of matching her socks. Schwartz said, “When I do something important, I like to make sure I’m wearing matching socks. It makes me feel put together.”

This is one of many anecdotes that remind her friends of her humor. When asked why she thought her friends view her as funny, she said, “I have lots of crazy ideas. I want to go on a three week road trip when we’re 16 and can drive. I want to go across the country, but [my friend’s] vote is somewhere with family so we can stay with them along the way.”

Another quality that Schwartz possesses is flamboyancy. With every task, she is dedicated, and doesn’t shy away from sharing her passion with others. Her newest interest is baking. “I like making chocolate cake. I have a really good chocolate buttercream frosting. It’s always good because it tastes really good and it’s fun because it’s simple and I can make flowers out of a different color fondants,” Schwartz said.

She started baking last summer; after watching the show Cake Boss, she said, “‘This is really cool, but I can never actually do anything with this,’ and then I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll just give it a shot.’“ The first cake Schwartz made that summer was for her grandmother’s 90th birthday; she distinctly remembers making bright flowers out of colorful fondant.

Schwartz is a dedicated worker with a humorous facade. Her love for baking, learning, and traveling makes her a unique member of the Cleveland community.