Q&A: Camille Guaty Shares Her Favorite Back-to-School Memories!

Going back to la escuela after a long summer vacation is hard for everyone, and celebrities are no exception. I asked one of my favorites, TV star Camille Guaty, 31 (Cupid, Prison Break), to share some of her favorite back-to-school memories and even though the gorgeous actress has traded her schoolgirl lunch boxes for star-studded parties, she kindly agreed to reminisce with Vivo Por TiVo. Read on to find out all about the worst experience Camille ever had on a first day of school (it's horrible!) and her advice for parents.

Let's go waaay back to elementary school. What’s your favorite back-to-school memory?

I remember how much fun it was to pick out my lunchbox. My all-time favorite lunch box was from the movie Annie. Also, I loved picking out school supplies! Trapper Keepers were my favorite.

What about high school? 

My junior year in high school was when I got my license to drive, but since I didn't have a car, my best friend would pick me up and we would drive to school together. My first taste of independence!

That is bad-ass! And very Clueless of you! How about your first days in college, at Boston University?

My parents and my brothers all traveled to Boston to drop me off for my first year. I remember standing in front of my dorm waving good-bye, feeling like my life was about to begin.

Did you ever have a horrible first day back at school?

My family moved from California to New Jersey in the beginning of my sophomore year of high school. I will never forget the first day in a new school, walking into the cafeteria during lunch and not knowing a single soul. I didn't feel confident enough to share a seat at just anyone’s table. For all I knew, I could have been committing social suicide. So I opted to take my bag lunch to the stairwell and I cried for the next 30 minutes.

"Social suicide," huh? Someone's been watching Mean Girls, and I like it! But that sounds terrible! Do you hate the first day of school jitters?

Not really. I still get the jitters every time I start a new job! I love it—makes you feel alive.

You are really stylish, so let me ask you: How important do you think it is to "dress to impress" on the first day of the new school year?

I'd like to believe it doesn't matter, but it does—at least in high school. Rather than “impress,” I like to describe it as an opportunity to express your individuality. I went to a Catholic school, so of course we had to wear uniforms. My only form of expression was in shoes and the style of my hair. (Maybe that's why I love to do hair.) But in high school, we would also decorate our lockers. That was so much fun. Filling it with pictures of friends and family and sheets of famous boys we wanted to meet. My obsession was New Kids on the Block, who were very similar to the Jonas Brothers craze!

What advice do you have for parents whose children are starting school in the fall?

Just try to understand how intimidating their first day back can be. I'd say allow them their individuality, whether it is through dress or hair or even something as simple as a lunchbox!