I came to Carlisle in 2011 from France to start my education at Dickinson College.  My mother also attended back in the 80s.  I chose to study Studio Art, and I enjoyed my time there! One of my favorite parts about going to Dickinson quickly became the town itself.  I started to meet some of the locals and quickly made lots of friends.  I consider a lot of people in Carlisle to be my family, like a family of friends.

Currently I live in the West Side of Carlisle, and I work in Harrisburg.  In 2018, I helped Nate Smith and Jeff Adams start the Carlisle Tool Library. I am on the digital media and promotions side of the operation, and it’s been going great! We hosts loads of workshops, are looking forward to welcoming new members and really spread a sense of community across the town.
As I speak French fluently, I also tutor a few Carlisle students throughout the year.

My two favorite parts about Carlisle are the people and the closeness to nature.  I do appreciate all the different cultures and the food as well, but the people are really what stick out to me.  I have met some of my best friends in this town and I’m sure I’ll meet more!  The musical community is also huge from Carlisle to Harrisburg, an I don’t think people realize how much amazing music is at their doorstep on any given night in this area.

Personally, some of the bigger challenges I had to face were solved a while ago, as I was getting used to living in the USA.  The culture shock wasn’t too extreme but there were some new things I had to learn and get used to.  I think the dichotomy between Dickinson students and Carlisle residents is a bit of a challenge. I’d love to see the students and the residents get together and come up with solutions to get along better. One other thing I would love to see addressed in this community is more access to fruits and veggies. I know we have the farmer’s market every Wednesday, and that’s great. but I wish we also had it on other days, or in a different part of town where people don’t always have close access to fresh groceries.

Overall, I’d love for the Tool Library to prosper and offer people what they need for their home repairs, which will make the quality of living only better!  This town is ever growing, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the influx of people is managed. – Cassie Lier, featured artist for Art While You Wait | Meet Me at the Creek located on the corner of W. High St. and S. College St.