Name: Elizabeth (Ellie) Jent
Company: Friends of the North Country, Inc. and Kavanaugh Realty
Position: Housing Counseling Manager and Realtor
City/Town: Plattsburgh
Are you originally from the area? If no, what brought you here?
No, I grew up in Tennessee and moved to St. Lawrence County in middle school. I moved here for several reasons, and stayed for the community.
How long have you been an ADKYP Member?
Since late 2017 or early 2018.
What do you do for fun?
I love learning new things. It could be how to cook a new meal, or how to speak a different language, or the history of lead plumbing in ancient Rome. So much fun!
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I was homeschooled until tenth grade, and I was more fluent in German than English when I was very young (don’t speak it anymore.)
Do you have any business or life tips you can share with others?
Expect the best from others, but prepare for the worst. There is nothing more awful than approaching a situation assuming someone is acting out of malice and discovering you misinterpreted their intent. On the same hand, it’s frustrating to find yourself unprepared. Act out of kindness, but be firm. Look at the situation from their context, not from your own. And forget the golden rule – not everyone wants to be treated the way you want to be. Treat them instead as they would like to be treated.
What is your guilty pleasure (TV show, sweet treat, etc.)?
‘ho boy, I have a lot of guilty pleasures. Video games are a big one, it’s very easy for me to get sucked into several hours of a game. Maroon 5 is another. It’s one of my favorite bands. I know they’re not that great. That doesn’t stop me from knowing almost every song by heart.
Have you done business with another ADKYP Member?
I have! With several, actually.
What is your dream vacation spot?
There’s a bookshop in Scotland that you can rent as an AirBnB (booked out for the next two years :[). You run the shop, make coffee, and enjoy the company of an entire shop of books. I wouldn’t be opposed to a beach stay, either.
What are you passionate about?
So much. Mostly the good in others, and understanding how life experiences shape us as people. Some folks will tell you humans are a selfish lot, but that’s inaccurate. We are creatures designed to be self-preserving, like all living things, and yet we constantly act against those instincts to form relationships with others. To save others. Humans are great.