Editor’s Note: From time to time, Sweeps will be introducing you to the vibrant personalities that embody the 60115. These people are truly DeKalb characters … Tired of “Hail to the Chief” and “Still the One”?

Well, consider Playback your sanctuary from tired political tunes. This week’s compilation comes from Teresa Wojnar, a junior pre-elementary education major. Wojnar drove an hour back home to cast her ballot Tuesday and was happy to see her family and 1-month-old niece. If the Des Plaines native were to make a mix of her favorite songs today, these 14 tracks would get her vote.

1. “Here You Me” – Jimmy Eat World. “This song is about angels bringing peace to people – a closure to the next big step. I know it’s about someone passing away, but it’s comforting as an ending with a new beginning.”

2. “American Pie” – Don McLean. “I think of good memories of car rides with my family and singing along with my big family. Those were the good old days when things were easier.”

3. “Hash Pipe” – Weezer. “I think of high school and all the people I hung out with who were punks and skateboarders. I still love the ‘Green Album.’”

4. “Tuesday Morning” – Michelle Branch. “I saw Michelle Branch live in concert at NIU last year – that was my first year here. Her CD ‘Hotel Paper’ is great as background music when I’m busy doing homework and even better as bedtime music.”

5. “Until the Day I Die” – Story of the Year. “This song helps release a lot of pent-up emotion I feel. It’s so loud and wild that it’s weirdly soothing.”

6. “Vindicated” – Dashboard Confessional. “I connect with the simple lyrics that mean so much in the song. I feel like I’m getting to that point in my life where he says, ‘I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself.’”

7. “The First Cut is the Deepest” – Sheryl Crow. “The song is so true. It’s a Cat Stevens cover, but it’s relevant today.”

8. “She Will Be Loved” – Maroon 5. “I know this song is played too much on the radio, but it still is one of the sweetest songs I’ve heard. I would love to see Maroon 5 in concert someday – especially at NIU.”

9. “Hey Ya” – Outkast. “This song was everywhere last year and added to all the fun I had here then. I became a fan of Outkast after this song.”

10. “When the Sun Goes Down” – Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker. “My roommates turned me on to country and now I listen to a lot of it. You can’t beat an emotional song like this one.”

11. “Barbie Girl” – Aqua. “This song really brings me back to my years in junior high. There are a lot of people who secretly still love this song – including my friend Daria who loves everything pink. We would blast this song in my car on our way to school every day.”

12. “Under the Sea” – Sebastian the Crab. “This was a song played in my house often because I have a lot of little siblings, and now a new niece. I hope the movie will be one of her favorites.”

13. “I Remember” – Stabbing Westward. “This song was comforting when I went through a really bad breakup. The song mentions all the promises made that never came true and that hits really close to home.”

14. “Wannabe” – Spice Girls. “Okay, now I’m really going back. ‘Girl power’ was awesome, and I miss those days when they were really big.”