Student Interview: Mikayla Mudzengi

Interviewer: Claire Dallimore

Claire: What are you eating there?

Mikayla: I'm eating Cheetos, which are actually really good.

Claire: Are you enjoying them?

Mikayla: Yeah, they're okay, though. They have, like, some weird ingredients. Mmhmm. Yeah. Anyways, yeah, let's keep going.

Claire: Okay. Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Mikayla: Okay, so my name's Mikayla, and I came to LGCA when I was in grade 6, the first time I came to Canada was in 2014. During COVID. 2021, and I came here with my mom, my sister, and my dad. I have a sister who's in grade 6 right now. And yeah, I love Canada.

Claire: Okay. What do you do outside of school?

Mikayla: Outside of school? I don't really do any extracurricular sports, but I know how to skate. I ski sometimes. I sometimes draw when I'm bored. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Claire: What's your go-to lunch spot? Around the school?

Mikayla: Mm-hmm. Okay, so outside on the benches sometimes, or, the LAC room, or the benches outside or Ms. McCullough's room.

Claire: Okay.

Mikayla: She doesn't kick me out.

Claire: What's one thing you would tell your past self?

Mikayla: Hmm. One thing I would tell my past self? That grade 8 is not as bad as everyone says it is. Honestly, it's not that bad.

Claire: Yeah?

Mikayla: Yeah.

Claire: If our class had a theme song, what would it be?

Mikayla: Ooh! Okay, wait, I have to think about this. Our class? (Grade 9)

Claire: Yeah. I think our class' theme song would be, like, I have to think. I think the theme song would be... Aww. I don't like song ideas. I don't know! (sings) I'm a new soul that came to this strange world. Yeah, I think that would be a theme song.

Claire: Yeah?

Mikayla: Yeah.

Claire: Is there a reason behind that?

Mikayla: I don't know. I think our class is just so derp. (-redacted-) Okay, I'm back.

Claire: What's your most used app?

Mikayla: Instagram. I'm an Instagram user. Like, repost, you can see it all. Guys, follow me on Instagram. Make me famous.

Claire: What's your Instagram?

Mikayla: I'm not dropping that. Hashtag I have haters. I can't let them know my location. Hashtag the opps are out, guys. Keep safe.

Claire: If you could give one piece of advice to every LGCA student, what would it be?

Mikayla: Have fun, guys. High school? High school is going to end really quickly. And I'm saying this because I'm only 13, but it's going to end really quickly. Have fun. Seriously. Enjoy it. So derp.

Claire: Okay, next question. If you could make a school club with absolutely no work in it for you, what would the club be?

Mikayla: No work?

Claire: Basically, if you had to just start a club.

Mikayla: Theater! Theater. We need a theater club, guys. We need a theater club.

Claire: Yeah, you'd be such a good actor. Yeah, fact. I can see you just opera singing.

Mikayla: Cool.

Claire: Describe yourself in three words.

Mikayla: Fun. Hungry. Actually, no. Scratch that. Not hungry. Fun. Energetic.

Excited. Okay.

Claire: If you could time travel, would you go to the past or future?

Mikayla: Oh my gosh, future. I could never go to the past. I'd tweak out so hard. Actually, wait, pause. Actually, yeah, future. I would go to the future so I can warn the future about the present so that I could alter what's going to happen. Okay. Yeah.

Claire: Pineapple on pizza?

Mikayla: Pineapple on pizza, no question. That's the best creation on earth. I don't care if you're a hater. Okay, it's good. The sweetness of the pineapple contrasts with the tanginess of the cheese, it's just so delicate. If you don’t like pineapple on pizza, unfollow me on Instagram right now. Unfollow me. I don't even care. Unfollow me right now.

Claire: If you were a fictional character, who would you be?

Mikayla: Oh my gosh! Donkey from Shrek. Yes! Donkey from Shrek. He's literally my spirit animal. Donkey from Shrek. Dory from Nemo. Wow. Yeah. Or the shark from Nemo, the one who didn't want to eat the shrimp. Fish. The fish.

Claire: It was shrimp.

Mikayla: You know what, Claire? Yeah, whatever.

Claire: Okay, what animal symbolizes you best?

Mikayla: Animal?

Claire: Yeah. Animal.

Mikayla: I feel like those talking parrots. Those talking parrots. Yeah, the talking parrots.

Claire: What's your go-to karaoke song?

Mikayla: Umbrella by Rihanna. (sings) You can stay under my umbrella, ella- Yeah.

Claire: What's your favorite food to make for a lazy dinner?

Mikayla: Probably potatoes and tuna. I know that sounds like a really weird combo, but it's actually really good. Yeah.

Claire: If you won $10 million, what would you do?

Mikayla: I would first, um, I'd feed, I'd donate 5% of that money to children who need food. And then the rest of it, I'd buy my family a car and a house. Yeah. And then the rest I'd donate.

Claire: Okay, wait, (umm…)

Mikayla: (sings again) Do-do-do-do-dodo-do-do-do-do-do. Intermission break. Do-do-do-do-do-do-do. Claire's trying to find a question. She's scrolling through her cookbook. Okay, she's back.

Claire: If you were… If you were a new addition to a crayon box, what color would you be?

Mikayla: Oh my gosh, wait, that's such a good question. I'd be one of those like crayons when it's like color. Those crayons where you (like..) dip it in water, it's like a surprise like color, you know? One of those “change your color” crayons. Because you're a big surprise. Yeah, big surprise.

Claire: If you had an elephant, what would you do with it?

Mikayla: I'd make it take me to school every day! It'd be kind of aesthetic.

Claire: What color would the elephant be?

Mikayla: It would have like a wig. I don't know. It would be like a zebra and have white and black stripes and then have a purple mane kind of like a horse. But it would still be an elephant.

Claire: What would its name be?

Mikayla: Lola.

Claire: Do you have any pets?

Mikayla: Yeah, actually. I have two dogs, Theo and Theodora. And they're in South Africa. Just kind of sad.

Claire: What kind of dogs are they?

Mikayla: They're Jack Russells. They're really tiny. I got Theo for my birthday when I was like one years old. So we're technically twins. Technically twins? Yeah.

Claire: And what about your other dogs? When did you get her?

Mikayla: I think I got her when I was like six, seven. No. I got her when I was like ten. I got her when I was ten years old. That's awesome. Yeah.

Claire: What are your dog's personalities like?

Mikayla: Honestly? Theodora is actually really hyper. She's really fun. I remember one time we were taking her for a walk and her body's so tea. Yeah. She kind of slipped out of her harness thing and then she ran across the road with moving cars. That was really traumatic. And my oldest dog, he's kind of old and he has muscle problems and he's looking like a fatty. He eats everything. Everything. He's really chill, honestly. But if you're upset, he might bark at you and bite you. But it's okay. My puppy was okay.

Claire: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

Mikayla: To silence people.

Claire: So you could talk?

Mikayla: Yeah, so I could talk to myself the whole time. And people get annoyed by me, and I'm like, okay, haters gonna hate. But I think I should just silence you. You know? Computers, everyone is hating on me. It's not, it's never my fault. Who is the victim?

Claire: Last question: What's your favorite song?

Mikayla: I think that song I love Yukon by Justin Bieber it's a really good song

Claire: Okay do you have any last words?

Mikayla: This was a really good interview. There was a... Yeah, she was a good interviewer. Wait, can you put an outro song? Like... Um... Create it. (sings) To the night angels...