Molly Byman is never one to pass up an opportunity. She’s followed the beat of her own drummer since her childhood, leading the 27-year-old on a journey that has transitioned careers and countries. After spending several years teaching, Molly elected to change classroom roles when she enrolled in law school. She was finishing up her first year when she the call for Survivor, and true to her nature, jumped on the chance to play. Now she sits across from me on the precipice of another opportunity, eager to bring authenticity and privacy to the island.

Read on for my chat with Molly, and make sure to check in with Parade.com every day for interviews with this season’s contestants and other on-set tidbits. Survivor: Island of the Idols premieres on September 25 with a special 90-minute premiere on CBS.

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Tell me about yourself.

I’m 27 years old from Topsfield, Massachusetts, which is a super small town. I live behind the oldest agricultural fair in the country, and on the other side is a farm with a haunted corn maze. I’m a former teacher and a current law student. I go to Duke Law.

What prompted that career shift?

I graduated from Boston College in 2013. I studied abroad in Tanzania and taught there a little bit. I needed a break from school, so I did Teach for America in San Antonio, Texas. The first year was the hardest year of my life. I taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Special Education. My 7th-period class was 14 boys, and I’m 22 years old at that point. It definitely paints a picture. (Laughs.)

But I loved it and wanted to keep teaching. It’s enjoyable and fulfilling. So I moved back to Boston and taught for three more years in Lawrence. I was always planning to law school, but I was in a stride with teaching. Last year I decided it was time to do something for me. I feel law school is the most privileged and selfish thing I’ve ever done, aside from Survivor. It’s been awesome.

And what made you decide to go out for Survivor?

I know a lot of people are going to think I’m absolutely nuts to take off a semester of law school for Survivor. But anyone who knows and loves me knows I’ve wanted to do this forever. I love adventure and testing myself. I always said since the first season, “I’m going to be on this show.” I only applied once before. But last year I said, “Now’s my time. I’m crushing it. I’ve run two marathons, I’m hitting my stride at work, I’m going to go to law school next year.” So I made a video last April and they emailed me in August after my first two weeks of law school.

I always knew once they met me, they’re going to want me on the show. Fast forward to me getting a call the day before my first final. I had just watched David vs. Goliath when Christian faced off against Alec for six hours. When he won, I cried and said, “I’m going.” I needed to do this. When I told my dad, he was shaking his head and saying, “I thought we were past this stage.” But then he was like, “I should have known. When you say you’re going to do something, you do it.”

Is that an attitude you’ve always had?

I’ve always lived that way, even before the “Year of Yes” thing was trendy. I’ve never been “cool.” When I was a kid, I had a huge gap in my teeth and I didn’t know how to deal with my hair. I had Hermione Granger hair, straight up Potions class. (Laughs.) But people were drawn to me because I did what I wanted. There was a tiny section in our History book about Dunkirk, and I was like, “How is that a footnote?! This was a miracle!” So I made a movie called The Miracle of Dunkirk, recruiting my siblings. Then when Christopher Nolan came out with Dunkirk, I was like, “This was my idea! I knew this was a big thing!”

I’ve always done my own thing. So when I hear an opportunity, I’m always game. When I studied abroad in Tanzania, I had no fear of missing out on the European experience. I knew I wanted to do something that I wouldn’t do otherwise. And it was amazing. I observed the Rwandan tribunal because they were still carrying out the hearings for it. I was going to school right next to that. I went to orphanages and did a homestay with a Masai family. All these rich experiences.

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What do you think people are going to perceive you as?

It’s funny. Jeff asked me that question when we first met and I couldn’t answer. You could see the big blonde hair and my smile and think I’m a fun, nice girl. But if you know me for ten seconds, you know I’m a lot more intense and dynamic than that. I’ve also read six books in Ponderosa, so people could be like, “Wow, she’s really smart.” But wherever I fall changes when you actually meet me. My charm is I’m really myself.

So how much of that authenticity are you going to bring into your game?

I plan on being completely myself. I don’t naturally trust people. I have a hierarchy where there’s my family, then a few close friends, and that’s it. I’m compassionate, respectful, and kind. But I think I can be authentically myself while being super competitive. My family has a Yankee swap on Christmas, and somebody cries every year. I’m the oldest of thirteen cousins, which is a fun dynamic. Then we play Catan and somebody else cries. I am not the crier, but I may be the instigator.

Is there anything from that unique familial experience that you’ll bring to your tribe?

I have three younger siblings, and I’m 13 years older than my youngest sister. I grew up in a chaotic household. Both my parents worked, so I was babysitting my siblings all the time. I can operate in chaos. I know how to step away and find the time I need. I can also relate to a lot of age groups. I’ll go skiing with my aunt, and she’s in her mid-50s. Then I can hang out with my 9th-grade sister. My brother’s a Southie bro, and I can hang out with his friends. I love these people and can be all with them. It’s kept me young and fresh.

What do you desire in an alliance partner?

I want to have an open relationship. I’m going to find one person and stew on it. I remember in Micronesia, Cirie sat out and waited to see where she wanted to fall. I want to sit on it and focus on who I want to be with. I want to find someone who’s stable and wants to play. I don’t want someone who’s all over the place. The dumbest thing ever was when R.C. got with Abi in Philippines. I want someone who’s smart and willing to be loyal to one person. Wendell/Dom, Denise/Malcolm. The best route to victory while being proud of the way you play is to find a ride-or-die and keep it quiet. I also want to find someone a little different than me so we can diverge and find a group of five to fill it out. We’re each other’s number ones, but we can see other people.

Give me a Survivor winner and non-winner you want to play like.

As every woman probably says, obviously Parvati. We should all strive to be her. She owns her womanness. She’s honest and herself. I loved it when she tells James, “I’m going with the girls.” She was so upfront. At the end, when Amanda had to decide between Cirie and Parvati, Parvati’s just like, “Obviously you’re going to choose me.” That type of flippant confidence is something I also have. There’s a fine line between honest and foolish, and I think she straddles that well.

As for non-winner, I’d say Chrissy. I love Chrissy. I call the reason Chrissy didn’t win “The Hillary Clinton Effect.” She was Superwoman. She was smarter and more prepared than anyone in the game, but she was unlikable. I don’t know why; I liked her. They were like, “You didn’t get to know people; you only know facts.” What the [expletive] is the difference?! For some reason, they didn’t perceive her as genuine. But no one thinks I’m not genuine.

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What line will you not cross morally in the game?

Are you ready for my rant? I think privacy is the most important thing. I don’t share my location with anybody on my phone. You could leave your journal wide open and I wouldn’t read it. Being raised in a family of six people, we know that you have your own space and you don’t intrude on that. You have a right to privacy. When you’re out on the island, you don’t have anything. You only have the clothes on your back and your bag. Going through someone’s bag when you live in such a small community is such a violation of privacy. I would never do that.

I’ll also respect your privacy to work with someone else. Listening in on someone or shadowing someone is not off-limits. Anything that’s intrusive and infringes on a person’s belongings crosses the line.

When you’re at your lowest low, what’s one memory you’ll pull from to boost your spirits?

When I left for Tanzania, I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with my dad and brother. We were not hikers; my dad and brother are both accountants. We sold out REI before leaving. (Laughs.) I didn’t physically prepare, but I mentally prepared. We were the first people at the top in our group. It was still dark and the sun started rising just as we’re getting our picture by the sign. I actually lost my vision at the top for the last 30 minutes of the climb because of the altitude. But I was able to take this phenomenal picture of the sun peeking over. That picture is what I’ll remember. How horrible did my body feel, but how good did my heart feel?

Which is more important to your game: Strategy or social?

When I find that one person, I want to be strategic. I know I’ll make friends, and I’m really excited for after the game. But at the moment, I’m not there for small talk. I’m actually glad it will be a rainy season because I don’t like that camp orientation stuff. I’m going to be more geared towards strategy.

When your tribe visits Tribal Council, would you rather vote on strength or loyalty?

If someone’s hopeless, you have to get rid of them. You didn’t prepare, it’s your fault, bye. But I do think at a point, you need to get rid of the strength. There are some big guys here. I consider myself pretty medium-sized in real life; I’m pretty small here.

If you could bring one celebrity or fictional character out as your loved one, who would you pick?

You’d like this as a podcaster. I’ve been really into Binge Mode: Harry Potter. I made an effort to finish it before Survivor. I would love for [host] Jason Concepcion to come out. He’s so funny and does such great voices. He’d make me laugh and we could talk about Harry Potter.

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