Cat Neushul

WHO’S THAT CAT? It’s a tricky prospect introducing Cat Neushul, one of the two writers offering a “grown-up” perspective for independent.com‘s Eye on Isla Vista column. Eleven years ago, she reported on education for The Independent under the name Cathy Mitchell. She has since worked as a teacher, married, and moved to Isla Vista, where she writes and lives with her husband Andrew and children, Thea and Michael. But don’t confuse her with the other Cathy Mitchell, her sister-in-law, who also lives in Isla Vista. “People probably think she’s the one who’s been writing the columns,” joked Cat, who counts the beaches as her favorite part about her community. She said she hopes her column will open readers’ eyes as to Isla Vista’s unique charms and challenges. “Most people don’t really get what I.V. is about,” she said. Follow Eye on I.V. online at independent.com/eyeoniv.