The above shirts are part of a student project by Portlander Nicole Lavelle. For those unfamiliar, Jefferson was (wait… is?) the name of a planned Cascadian state comprised of Northern California and Southern Oregon. And here’s a fun fact: way back in college, I actually starred in a student opera based on the story of Jefferson! This was our final project for an Opera class taught by the amazing Nora Beck. I still have the weird little electro backing track I made for my big solo. Here it is. And the title of our little opera masterpiece? That’s right, “Waiting for Jefferson.” I’m still proud of us.