Larisa Oleynik

Larisa: There's peaks and valleys and sometimes littler mountains and that's just the way it is. I'm planning on being around for awhile. This is what I love to do. I love my job so much, and not everyone can say that and I recognize how lucky that is.

Larisa: College inspired me to think differently. It's like no other time in your life.

Larisa: (on her friends) If I had to choose, I'd choose my friends over my career.

Larisa: (on movies) I definitely think that movies have the possibility to be something positive, and are really becoming teaching tools for a lot of kids growing up.

Larisa: (on Valentine's Day) I hate Valentine's day. It is a day for nothing but disappointment.

Larisa: (on life) I've had a pretty charmed life, so there's nothing that I need to take too seriously right now.

(on college) Larisa: Everyone tries to talk you out of going to college. The consensus being that people are just gonna forget about you, you know, and that's the way the business works.

(on her college years) Larisa: [Going to] college was the best decision I've made. I knew that I wanted to go to school and I wanted to go for 4 years and in New York. My favorite [classes] were the writing workshops. I took poetry classes, and courses in playwright and screenwriting. They were very comforting and productive. Everyone was respectful of each other. No one claimed to know everything.

(on her future) Larisa: I don't know! I want to try and see what happens with the acting thing. I've never had to make that kind of commitment. But if I'm not happy, I'll figure it out from there. I love New York and I'd like to get my masters in something. I'd also like to live in Maui for a year. (Maybe I'll) work on some organic pineapple farm.

(on friendship) Larisa: There's my family, there are cousins my age that I adore, Shiri and my college friends. They're all from different places. I have a healthy assortment of friends. It's great because if you ever think you're something fantastic, I have those friends who will say, 'I've seen your mom yell at you!

(on her first kiss) Larisa: I was 14. It was embarrassing. I didn't know what I was doing. It's always brutal. Everyone pretends that they know what they're doing, but they don't. It's ok if you have no idea what you're doing.