When the name of poet Henry David Thoreau comes to mind, many people who know of the poet are aware that he thought outside-of-the-box. This is similar to Ashleon Butler, 17, of Atlanta, Georgia. Many of his interests are unique in their own way, which for him provides comic relief to those who hear of his out-of-the-ordinary quirks.

Growing up in Atlanta, Butler was often surrounded by drugs, alcohol, and other illegal substances. Many of his friends and classmates chose to participate in these activities, which resulted in the students skipping school, dropping out of school, and being kicked out of school. Fortunately for Butler, he was not one of them.

“I am not the average product of my environment,” stated Butler.

One situation that contributed to Butler’s success is the profession of his mother and grandparents. As teachers, they instilled in Butler what it means to be a student at school, and what privileges there are in attending school.

“When I see people do something to the teachers in class, I think that someone else could do that to my mom, grandma, and grandpa,” said Butler. “I take my classes and I make a lot of jokes, but I don’t go too far like some people do. I can relate to the teachers’ situations.”

Butler’s mom has been the biggest influence on his life, as she had to overcome a lot growing up. Her family was very poor, but she overcame this obstacle as well as many others to go on and earn a PhD. at the University of South Carolina for public health. She taught him that “against all odds, you can do whatever you want.”

The quote that Butler lives by is, “Do a job, big or small, do it well, or not at all.” If Butler is set on doing something, he does it all the way.

Butler hopes to have a career as a sportscaster, but his real dream and passion is for directing films. He hopes to direct hit epics and movies that thousands of people will see.

He decided to participate in the 2007 Dow Jones Journalism Workshop because it will help with his writing skills. As a future broadcast journalism major, Butler likes speaking more than anything. However, writing will greatly help in his career.

Trust is a major factor in Butler’s life. “I have a hard issue with trust,” Butler said. “I believe in people, but I don’t trust them. I used to trust people, but they do not live up to what they say (that they are going to do). They make empty promises, both friends and family.”

This does not play into his character, however, as he is easy to get along with, and provides more laughs than one can count in ten days’ time.

One of the most interesting facts about Butler is that he is obsessed with hot dog water. “It is kind of like Kool-Aid,” he replied with a laugh.

He loves a good cheese and egg sandwich, and likes to eat foods that don’t mesh such as applesauce and bacon burgers. He has so many little quirks that he cannot name them all in twenty minutes, let alone in a day’s time.

Upon first being introduced to Butler, many wonder how he received his name, since it contains the names of both a boy and a girl. “My auntie’s boyfriend who I never met came up with the name,” Butler said. “I was supposed to be Brandon Kyrie, but he thought that Ashleon was more interesting.”

When Butler is close by, one can expect to laugh more than once at his jokes, and to have a very interesting and enjoyable conversation.

Profile written by Laura Pepper