By Alex Honeysett
Jena Levy may belong to a sorority, involve herself in campus activities, and otherwise seem like the stereotypical college student, but she has one debilitating fear: Jena is afraid to drive on highways.
“I don’t remember when it started,” Jena says. “I just know it was something I didn’t want to do. And now it’s been so long I just can’t imagine doing it.”
A native of northern New Jersey, Jena relies on her friends and public transportation to get from place to place. She’s never brought her car to school because of the two-hour trek down I-95. Jena’s parents tease her that her 15-year-old sister will soon be driving her down to school.
Despite this anxiety, Jena in an amazingly accomplished and motivated young woman. Interested in the fashion industry, Jena took the hour bus ride into Manhattan every day to intern at the prestigious Hampton magazine this summer. She was given the opportunity to attend photo shoots where she met celebrities such as Ed Burns, Howard Stern’s girlfriend, and Billy Joel’s wife.
“I’d come home and tell my friends and they’d be like ‘what?!’” she says.
Though driving is an issue for Jena, her future is full of coast-to-coast dreams.
“I’d love to go home, mature to the city life, and move to L.A. for a year,” Jena says. “I could be open-minded if I was ready.”
She takes a deep breathe and smiles.
“Just don’t expect me to drive there.”
