‘I wanna help other LGBTQ+ people [like myself].’

Gregg

Craig Gregg, Psychology Freshman is a non-binary student on campus who wants students to know “We exist.”

Endless scrolling is how Craig likes to start their morning. After the alarm goes off at 7:15, psychology freshman Craig Gregg rolls over to hit snooze. Ten minutes later, they finally pick up their phone to check what’s happened over night. Five minutes until their first class, Craig brushes their teeth, fixes their hair, and runs out the door towards Prothro-Yeager.

“After my first class ends, I’ll go to the dining hall and eat breakfast,” Craig said. “I’ll usually eat eggs or sausage, and if it’s a day with real bacon, not turkey bacon, I’ll always get real bacon.”

They identify as gender non-conforming. Craig is neither male nor female. Craig’s pronouns are “they” and “them.”

“Personally, I’ve never felt only female or only male. I’ve never been into traditional female or male things. People should care about people, like me, who identify as gender nonconforming, because we are still people. People should respect transgender people because we just wanna be accepted like everyone else,” Craig said.

They think it is important for people to acknowledge that third-gender and non-binary people exist.

Craig said, “Third-genders have appeared in cultures other than western civilizations. For example, third genders have showed up in native Hawaiian and Tahitians cultures, they’ve also showed up in indigenous people here in North America. We exist.”

A typical day for Craig includes classes, friends, and YouTube. They’ll usually go to their first class then work on French homework after. Monday through Thursday Craig has French at 11 a.m.

Craig Gregg, psychology freshman, watching YouTube in their free time. “My top three favorite YouTubers in no particular order are Jenna Marbles, MacDoesIt and Vox. I really like language videos, particularly french videos, and I like political and informational videos as well as music videos of my favorite music artists and others,” Gregg said.

“[My favorite thing about my classes is] just the lectures because I enjoy listening and following along with it,” Craig said.

After French, they will grab a quick lunch at Chick-fil-A and watch YouTube while eating. All of Craig’s friends have classes that get out later so they’ll take a nap while waiting for their friends to be done with class.

Craigg said, “[My least favorite thing every day] is right after my classes because my friends are still in theirs and I’m pretty bored. That’s why I just watch youtube and wait.”

After napping, Craig will go to dinner with their friends and spend the rest of the day procrastinating work which eventually leads to them finally their doing work.

“My favorite part of my days is hanging out with my friends and especially playing Mario Kart with my best friend Spencer,” Craig said. 

Craig doesn’t have a day of the week they consider to be insanely busy, or a certain day where their workload is less. Their schedule is fairly balanced.

“I don’t really have busy days, but when I have tests I feel really busy and stressed. Friday is probably my least stressful day of the week, because I don’t have any French homework to do right away and only have two, hour long classes,” Craig said.

The college experience for Craig so far has gone well. French is one of their special interests as well as their favorite class. Although they’ve had thoughts about changing their major, they’ve ultimately decided to stick with psychology.

Craig said, “I like to help people. I wanna help other LGBTQ+ people [like myself]. I wanna get a well-paying job where I can support myself and my family. My main goal is to help people with my psych degree,” Craig said. “I’ve thought about changing my major a little bit because I’ve thought about going into sociology or social work, but ultimately I’ve decided  on psychology because I can do more with this major, and there are more opportunities.”

Craig spends a lot of their free time watching YouTube and hanging out with friends. This semester Craig has also joined the campus PRIDE club. They’ve enjoyed getting to know the members in PRIDE and going to the club’s functions.

Craig Gregg, psychology freshman, and Gracie Payne, mathematics freshman, attend the cultural fair for PRIDE club. “I’m always most excited for the pride club. I really like the energy in PRIDE and the vibe of the people. I just really feel like myself there,” Gregg said.

“I really enjoy going to the PRIDE club. It’s like a home away from home. I’m always most excited for the PRIDE club. I really like the energy in pride and the vibe of the people. I just really feel like myself there,” Craig said. 

Although Craig spends a majority of their free time not focused on work, they still try and dedicate at least an hour or two every day to schoolwork and studying. For Craig, stress can stem from financial troubles and being away from home, however, they’re trying to focus on enjoying the time they have here.

“Being away from home and worrying about money and financial aid [is what’s most stressful]. I don’t really do anything to cope with the stress but I’m looking into the Counseling Center and have been going to the financial aid office for help. I’m possibly considering a job because I need money. I’ve decided I want to work on campus for flexibility, but I’m not exactly sure yet,” Craig said. 

Craig Gregg, psychology freshman, and Gracie Payne, mathematics freshman, go to Starbucks in a break between classes.

Craig has learned a lot since coming to college. They’ve prospered academically and had personal growth. They’ve learned that note taking is very important, as well as time management and memorization skills. Craig said it’s been different having to do their own dishes and laundry and has also struggled with being homesick despite frequent trips home.

Craig said, “I definitely miss my mom and my pets. I haven’t really found a way to deal with my homesickness yet. I try and go home every weekend to see my family, to help with it.”