My name is Arika and I am going into my junior year at Purdue
University. I absolutely love it here and couldn't imagine attending school
anywhere else. I'm a pretty simple person, it doesn't take much to please
me. I love laughing and meeting new people, and just having an all around
good time. My real passion is with animals, and while I'm not 100% sure what
I'm going to do upon graduating, I am sure that I will be working with
animals. I was born in New York, lived in Michigan for several years, but did
majority of my growing up in Valparaiso, IN, also where I graduated high
school. Despite what you may hear, I don't think it was all that bad. I can't
forget to mention that I have the best family and friends a girl could ask for
=)! I was pretty surprised when Mike messaged me on facebook regarding Tempe12,
and even more shocked when I got a call saying I made it. I'm really excited
to be representing the Purdue Boilermakers, because I don't think there is a
girl out there who loves this university more. Phoenix is somewhere I have yet to visit (if I have I was young and don't remember it...sorry Mom and Dad)...so anyways, I'm pretty excited to travel down to some warm weather for
the shoot. The weeks all seem to be going by so fast, I am just anxious to
get down there and meet all the other girls! | 
