Quinn Conrad ‘22
Hi Quinn, and welcome to Hot Bench! Where are you from?
Baltimore, Maryland.
What are your favorite places to hang out or eat in Baltimore?
There’s a really cool bookstore near Hampden and an SPCA that I like to go to.
Did you work or volunteer with the SPCA?
No, but we’re always trying to adopt. Actually, we just adopted a kitten over the summer––it was free cat adoption month. His name is Chaos, and he’s crazy.
You’re done with one semester of 1L, congratulations! What are some of your favorite Law School memories so far?
My section is very close and we do a lot together. Also, my three friends and I will get together and bake for everyone’s birthday; we make them whatever treat they want. It’s been really fun, and we’ve made everything from Texas chocolate sheet cake to cream puffs. One day, we made homemade biscuits with honey-butter glaze and a quiche. While baking, there’s one friend who wants to eat more than he wants to bake and another guy who samples everything, so we have to make double what we bring to class.
Favorite book read?
My all-time favorite is The Alchemist; I was surprised by the ending, and the story line really resonated with me. It’s really inspiring.
Secret Hidden Talent? Other than baking?
I can say the alphabet backwards in less than 2 seconds. (verified)
How long would you live in a zombie apocalypse?
If my lifespan was judged by killing zombies in Call of Duty, then not long at all. But, I take notes when I watch 2012 or end-of-the-world movies, so I think I could last a week. Bird Box? I got a lot out of Bird Box.
You are about to get into a fight, what song comes on as your sound track?
“Got Each Other” by the Interrupters.
What is a superstition you believed in or still believe in?
I still lift my feet over railroad tracks, I don’t know what it means, but I still do it. Actually, I have no idea what that superstition actually does
If part of your life was made into a movie, what part of it would be made?
I think probably my first year at VMI, and my first year as a movie would be a mix of one of those real military movies but also The Benchwarmers. I was the only girl in my group; we were doing hill sprints and had to buddy carry each other up the hill. Nobody wanted to pair up with me because I was a girl. So I grabbed this six-foot guy and sprinted up the hill. Then everybody was like “okay, Conrad,” they didn’t even notice until I was halfway up.
During VMI, you studied international studies and Chinese, what was that experience like?
Academically, the I.S. department had some of my favorite professors. The Chinese department was very small, and I was only the second or third class to graduate, so I was very close with my Chinese professor too.
Can you say something in Chinese?
我的中文名字是康妮，我最喜欢的中国菜是biang-biang面。(My Chinese name is KangNi, my favorite Chinese dish is biang-biang noodles).
What is something you want to do or try this year?
If I could learn how to navigate my way around Slaughter Hall this year, that would be a win for me.
What do you do to relax?
I like hiking a lot, and I buy a lot of greeting cards. When I get stressed out I send them out to people, writing to friends and people I haven’t talked to in while.
Now that you’re not training, what is your workout routine like?
I probably run 4-5 days a week and lift four days a week, and dedicate one day to do something fun like a swim, hike, or bike.
What is a favorite food, or comfort food?
Maybe Chinese food, because I order it with my sister and we spend time together.
All of your siblings are/were in military school or are planning to join after college, how did that come about?
Our fun fact is that someone from our family in every generation has served since the Revolutionary War. I don’t know how it got traced back that far, but somebody in our family found it. Serving our country was inherent in the way we were raised, we had an awareness about it, but we weren’t pushed into it or anything. Growing up, my dad would always tell us stories of his training, it was really awesome to grow up learning about his experiences.
We thought it was just going to be our brother, but now all three of us will be serving.
If you could be born in a different era, what would it be?
Oh man, I’m not sure; Back to the Future is the most confusing movie and I cannot sit through it. Hmm, Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors, so it would be cool to go back to that time period, but probably not as a woman!
Favorite place traveled to?
That one’s hard, because Israel is one of the coolest places I have been too (during iTrek). I really liked China; I studied abroad in Shanghai and did Spring Break in Nanjing. Chendu, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, and Beijing are all great cities as well. But I love the French Riviera too.
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qec7ng@virginia.edu