If the average Ames High student was asked what they knew about Rhode Island, they might come up with a couple various answers. They might say, "Oh dang! That’s the smallest state in the Union!" or "It doesn’t fool me: even though it’s called an ‘island,’ I know that most of that state is actually connected to the mainland!" Maybe it would unearth ugly memories of that very important question they missed about Roger Williams while taking a US History test. A lot of students would probably express their knowledge of the television show Family Guy, which takes place in the city of Quahog, Rhode Island. Family Guy is not the only thing that Rhode Island has given Ames High, however. Ames High has recently welcomed a new student from "the Ocean State," sophomore Bridget Fonseca. "Quahog doesn’t actually exist," Fonseca said. "And I’m actually more of a Simpsons person." Fonseca is from Providence, Rhode Island (a city that does exist.) She says that it’s about the same size as Ames, but there are a lot more people. The smaller town atmosphere of Ames is something that she has enjoyed since moving here. "I like being able to go to the store and see people that I know," Fonseca said. Though greeting friendly faces in the produce aisle at grocery store certainly is an activity that is hard to beat, Fonseca said there are a couple things she does miss about Rhode Island. These include "being near the ocean," and the fact that there are overall "more things to do" there. So why did she make the move from halfway across the United States? "My mom grew up in Iowa and wanted to move back," Fonseca said. Switching schools has been a common occurrence for Fonseca; Ames High is the eighth school she has attended since kindergarten, six of which have been in Rhode Island. She said the school switching is a result of her parent’s having high standards for schools and the lack of good schools in Rhode Island. She has been the new girl a lot and even attended school in Georgia for two months right before moving to Iowa. She said she has liked Iowa more than Georgia. "[Ames High] has been really good," Fonseca said. "My favorite teacher is probably Mrs. Jurgensen." Fonseca is in some sophomore classes; however, because the year certain classes are taken differs in other states, she has a slightly odd class schedule. Fonseca said she’s in both honors world studies (a freshman course) and chemistry (usually a junior or senior course). Fonseca is also taking a photography class, and photography is one of her hobbies. She has enjoyed capturing some artsy snapshots around the Iowa State campus. Possible future plans for Fonseca include graphic design, and she said she hopes to attend the University of Washington. Another hobby Fonseca has is playing the bass guitar, which she started in 6th grade. She has a strong interest in music. Some of her favorite bands include Beirut, Band of Horses, and Miike Snow. "I like to try learning new instruments," Fonseca said. "I’ve tried [playing] guitar and saxophone." Not only is Fonseca a musician, but she is also an athlete. Though she is not participating in track this year, she says she hopes to throw discus next year, and she might want to try out for cross country this upcoming fall. Moving from Rhode Island is certainly a big change, but Bridget Fonseca seems to be making the transition to Ames High quite well indeed. It might be a good "idear" (sic) to get to know her. Fonseca is certainly a very fun person everyone should meet just for the sake of it.