The Proust Questionnaire, named after French writer Marcel Proust, is a series of 35 questions designed to gauge the personality and values of the answerer.  For our latest PQ, Shield co-editor-in-chief Nate Williams sat down with art teacher Jessica Garcia.

The Shield: What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Garcia: There are so many ways to take this. Perfect happiness would be being financially stable and not having to worry about things. I’d enjoy it, too, if everyone else was financially stable, so I guess perfect happiness would be when other people are happy.

TS: What is your greatest fear?

Garcia: I get embarrassed sometimes, and I don’t want to do something bad because I have this fear that if I were to ever do something bad, it would immediately get around, and everyone would know that I did something bad. Like ending up on Austin Mugshots would be terrifying. I feel like as a role model, everyone having proof like that would make me so embarrassed.

TS: What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Garcia: I have really big imposter syndrome all the time. Sometimes I can fake it, but most of the time I’m like, “What am I doing?” or “I’m doing this wrong.”

TS: What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Garcia: Litterbugs. I hate people who litter so much because why would you not just hold onto a piece of garbage until the next trash can? Also, it annoys me when I catch students doing something they should not be doing, and I call them out, and instead of apologizing and moving on, they just try to gaslight me or lie. I feel like it’s something freshmen have not learned.

TS: Which living person do you most admire?

Garcia: I admire Ms. Massey. Ms. Massey is one of the other art teachers, and that woman is so organized and so good at teaching and getting things done and running the galleries, dealing with students, parents. I would just love to have an ounce of whatever she has inside of her to make her so organized and motivated.

TS: What is your greatest extravagance?

Garcia: Probably traveling. I do a lot of solo traveling.

TS: What is your current state of mind?

Garcia: I am good right now. We are towards the end of school, so everything is getting a little easier. If you asked me a few weeks ago, I’d tell you I’m stressed and there’s too much on my plate, but right now, I’m feeling really good, and we are on the right path. I’m also sad because my seniors are leaving.

TS: What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Garcia: I don’t think people have to be courageous all of the time, even though I think it’s a great virtue. Modesty is also very overrated. I think expressing yourself is super important.

TS: On what occasion do you lie?

Garcia: There are so many times when I come to school having a terrible day, but I’ll put on a face and try to be in a good mood. Sometimes, I’ll snap at people and then feel really bad, but I try really hard not to show that I’m having a bad day.

TS: What do you most dislike about your appearance?

Garcia: I’m in my 40s now, so my body is different from a few years ago, and I see the effects of aging on myself.

TS: Which living person do you most despise?

Garcia: It would have to be somebody in a leadership role right now, and I hate that we are so divided right now. I hate how mean people get.

TS: What is the quality you most like in a man?

Garcia: Every guy I’ve dated in the past has been really funny.

TS: What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Garcia: I really love funny women, too. And I like confident, chatty people. People who are always happy and positive are my vibe.

TS: Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Garcia: I say “Denay” a lot and will add it to the end of people’s names. “I’m over-stimulated” is something I say a lot in class, along with “Why are you late?”

TS: What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Garcia: My firstborn nephew was the biggest thing in my life for a long time. He’s 23 now, but we still text all the time, and he sends me videos. He was my first nephew, so I love him so much.

TS: When and where were you happiest?

Garcia: When I was in my early 30s, living in South Korea. It was a huge change from living in West Texas, so I became super independent and saw lots of different cultures and got to know people from all over the world.

TS: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Garcia: I am constantly scatterbrained, and I wish I could just focus on one thing at a time.

TS: What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Garcia: I think I am the world’s greatest aunt.

TS: If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

Garcia: I don’t know if I’d wanna be a person because I don’t think I’d want to live my whole life again. I would say to be born as a beautiful, tropical bird and live in Brazil. I could fly and eat raw bugs.

TS: Where would you most like to live?

Garcia: Outside of the U.S. and somewhere with free universal healthcare.

TS: What is your most treasured possession?

Garcia: My dog is the most beautiful, wonderful, cutest thing that has ever roamed this Earth.

TS: What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Garcia: Stuck giving a STAAR test that never ends.

TS: What is your favorite occupation?

Garcia: When I was in college, I wanted to be an art therapist. I was too scared to go out of state out of high school to study it. It’s fun to work with kids and make art. Public school teaching is also getting difficult right now.

TS: What is your most marked characteristic?

Garcia: I am very outgoing and quick at learning people and greeting them every time I see them.

TS: What do you most value in your friends?

Garcia: My friends have been my friends since we were in high school and junior high. What I look for in friends are people who are funny and positive, and outgoing. I want to be with people who are excited and want to go out and do stuff.

TS: Who are your favorite writers?

Garcia: I don’t read many books anymore.

TS: Who is your hero of fiction?

Garcia: I love Carmen Sandiego because she’s always going around the world, and I’d love to catch her.

TS: Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Garcia: I wish I could be more like Dolores Huerta and Frida Kahlo. I don’t see enough representation in history, I guess, to identify with someone.

TS: Who are your heroes in real life?

Garcia: Ms. Massey is my hero. I want to be like her when I grow up.

TS: What are your favorite names?

Garcia: I like Lola and Ava. Like, when you write them, they look really cool. They need to be short and cute. Luna is cute, too.

TS: What is it that you most dislike?

Garcia: I genuinely hate litterbugs.

TS: What is your greatest regret?

Garcia: My greatest regret is that when I was younger, I was more focused on dating than on myself. The whole time I was in Korea, I had a college sweetheart I was more focused on back home. Now that I’m older, I see that dating is not as important as we were told when we were younger.

TS: How would you like to die?

Garcia: I don’t know how I want to die, but I do think about the people who would go to my funeral. Probably just in my 80s in my sleep.

TS: What is your motto?

Garcia: I try to just say to myself that “It’s never that serious,” or to not take things so personally or get upset about the little things.