Maybe She’s Born with It, Maybe It’s Neighbelline
By Lindsay Mahoney | Observer Contributor
“I love getting lost in my little fantasy worlds, I just start writing, and I melt away. I just feel like this is my home,” said Katy Houghton, a first-year student in the Professional Writing track at the Mount. Like many students, Houghton juggles work, school, and her personal life. A typical week for her includes working a physically demanding overnight shift at an Amazon warehouse from 1:30 am to 9:00 am. Afterward, she attends school in the afternoon, completes her homework, and repeats the cycle for the entire week.
While balancing her busy schedule is stressful, Houghton finds solace in writing fantasy stories and poetry. She draws a lot of her creativity for her poetry from her own mental health struggles, which she’s been grappling with for several years.
Houghton was born an only child in Salem and later raised in Townsend, Massachusetts; she graduated in 2022 from the Parker Charter School in Devens, Massachusetts. While in school, she enjoyed her senior year the most as she had a group of friends that she was close to, who she felt understood her at a time when finding good friends can often be difficult, as we enter the adult chapters of our life. When asked how she felt about the change, Houghton said: “It was a pretty big change, it did affect me a lot.” She acknowledged that it can feel isolating and discouraging to be separated from your friends after graduation.
Houghton doesn’t let her mental health or even a 900-pound horse get her down. Yes, that’s right: in 2021, a toothless yet adorable 900-pound horse named Louie fell on top of Houghton. It was just a regular day at the barn, but Louie had other plans and bucked her off of him. Houghton did what any strong-willed Leo would do: she got right back on the saddle.
Her love of horses knows no bounds, considering she grew up around these beautiful animals and worked at a barn when she was younger, solely taking care of dozens of horses, raising, training, and showing horses since she was little. Her favorite riding style is Western horseback. Houghton explained her preferred riding style as being, “…pretty informal, rugged, and cowboy-like. I’m just kind of drawn to that.” Her favorite discipline that she has learned is jumping, an incredibly brave craft within the equestrian sport.
Another hobby that gets her heart racing is motorcycles. This comes as no surprise as Houghton shared that one of the items on her bucket list is to obtain her motorcycle license and race someday. Houghton’s love of motorcycles comes from experiences shared with her father. She said, “My dad used to let me ride on his bike when I was little, and I guess I just want to do something my dad does.” Houghton said she would love to try white water rafting someday as well.
Houghton incorporates her passion for adrenaline and horses into her fantasy writing, along with werewolves, mermaids, and general feminist badassery. After enduring a long day filled with work and no leisure, Houghton unwinds by playing Lego Star Wars and Minecraft.
Something that Hougton is never without is her notepad and pen, just in case inspiration strikes, which is almost a daily occurrence. She has decided to share her visceral, heartfelt poetry online on a dedicated Instagram page. “I wanted to get my work out there to get the weight off my shoulders,” she explained. It seemed that in doing that, it was cathartic for her to be open with others about her afflictions.
Houghton’s dream is to move to Texas after earning her associate degree from the Mount. Her goal is to work as an editor while simultaneously publishing the book she’s been working on for the past six years. It started as a school project and has since evolved into a full-fledged novel. Houghton has written about 300 pages thus far. When asked about the plot, she wouldn’t reveal much, but it sounded like a fairytale with a medieval twist, intricately woven with elements of science fiction and magical delight.
After speaking with Houghton, it is clear that she is a determined student and a brilliant force to be reckoned with. Managing homework deadlines while working is something a lot of Mount students have on their plates, and it can be very overwhelming. One takeaway from Houghton’s story is to ensure that you allocate time to “get lost in your little fantasy world” like she does when she writes. Prioritizing time to do what you love is key to lesson the stressors of life. It is no easy task jumping through the everyday hurdles of life, but there’s no doubt that Houghton will persevere. Even while seemingly saddled with a multitude of responsibilities, Houghton, the horse-loving poet, will ride off into the sunset.
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