When Kim Paul is not doing homework for her psychology major and her five other minors, Paul is scaring patrons of the Haunted Forest as a cannibalistic clown. The Haunted Forest is a 14-year Ames tradition for many ISU students and also provides employment opportunities for students.

Q: Where did you first hear about the Haunted Forest?

A: On the ISU Theatre Facebook page. Someone said they needed actors, so that’s how I got involved.

Q: What characters do you play there?

A: I chose to be a clown. A sort of cannibal clown. You can be whatever you want every night.

Q: What do think about Haunted Forest hiring students as actors?

A: I think it’s great because we’re not tied down. If you don’t like your job one night, if you don’t like your character or if you don’t like your placement in the forest, you can do whatever you want the next night. You also create your own character. If it doesn’t work for one group, you can change it for the next group and see if it works.

Q: What’s it like to work with the Ballard family?

A: I didn’t know [it was a family business] going in. It was awesome because they are all super nice and they are all just trying to help us out. They gave us water and candy, and they come through during the night. It’s just cozy.