Kelly Horn, Neighbor

Email: khorn1233@gmail.com

Phone: 630-677-9975

Hometown: Geneva

Birthday: February 12

<b>Bio</b>

Kelly Horn is a freelance writer who recently graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She earned her B.A. in Teaching of English with a concentration in American Literature and Rhetoric. She has taught writing to students in grades 6-12 in various contexts for over three years.

Kelly grew up in Geneva and is a graduate of Geneva High School, where she played basketball and softball. She now coaches the freshmen softball team at the Geneva High School and will be entering her third season with the Vikings in the spring. Kelly currently resides in Batavia with her two dogs, Bartleby and Annie.

Kelly is a die hard Bears, White Sox, and Vikings fan. She also loves to watch less popular sports on television, such as bowling, billiards, and women&#39;s softball.  Since graduating from high school, Kelly has played on many different slow pitch softball teams and been a part of numerous bowling leagues. She was the 2005 St. Charles summer league female bowler of the year.

Other than playing, watching, and writing about sports, Kelly has many interests. She loves to read, bicycle, travel, and play with her dogs. She takes frequent road trips – both long and short – to places like Deadwood, SD, St. Louis, MO, and Galena, IL. Her ideal weekend would be spent in Deadwood, SD with her two dogs and her family watching the Bears and White Sox win and reading Mark Twain or Oscar Wilde.

<b>Politics</b>

I am a registered Democrat although I can honestly say I do not like assigning myself to one classification. I think the two party system has a way of turning people against each other rather than bringing people together. I tend to find myself feeling moderate about fiscal issues and liberal about social issues. Of course, many of my family members say this is because I am young and idealistic, but I like to think I make the best decisions with the information I have.

<b>Religion</b>

Because of my background in Philosophy and concentration in religion and revelation, I have a hard time committing myself to any definition of religion. I do not attend church nor do I celebrate religious occasions.  I was not raised with a religious background but have spent much of my college career learning about all religions – major and minor – and deciding what tenants of each religion I find to be truthful or helpful to my life.

I do, however, believe in greater forces in the universe, although I do not necessarily have a name or definition for those forces. I believe in reincarnation and being good to other human beings. Mostly, I believe that each person should find his or her own way of connecting with the world that is meaningful to that particular individual.

<b>Local Hot-Button Issues</b>

Right now, I think it is easy to say that the economy is the most influential factor in the lives of Geneva residents and most Americans in general. I have many friends and family members who have been personally affected by this economic collapse and who are struggling to get back on their feet. The status of the economy affects everything, and my personal point of interest is how it is affecting schools and the education system. Illinois recently cut 17,000 teachers and multiple extracurricular programs, which is a serious problem. Geneva has not been affected to the degree of some other schools, and hopefully it will not have to come to that point.