Year Two
I couldn't start talking about my second year at UC in the Honors program without first talking about my summer before it. Working at Camp Nuhop completely changed my life and essentially took away the veil that had been separating me from the world and my passions. Working with about 40 kids personally over the course of six weeks taught me more than I ever expected to learn, and I truly learned more from the experience than I have from everything else.
As the summer came to an end and the school year started, I wanted to find a way to document events and memories throughout the year so that when I looked back, I would remember the little details that might slip my mind. Originally, I planned on including this documentation here, but as the year continued, many of those little details captured were rather personal. Many of them led to greater personal growth for me, and I'm glad I've got them written down and captured to look back on years from now.
The biggest realization I have had over the past year is how lucky I am to have so many inspiring influences in my life. I am forever thankful for the advisors and professors I have met and for the friends that I have made at UC, for they are the ones who have constantly challenged me to push my own boundaries and question my own motivations. One of the most difficult experiences was seeing three of my closest friends, Hannah, Morgan and Kyle, leave for their co-op rotations. Hannah went to Baltimore to work with an architecture firm and Kyle went to Hasbro in Rhode Island, while Morgan went to Dayton to work with an engineering company; now that they're back, it's exciting to hear about their experiences and the work that they did, but spring semester was thoroughly strange without them. I was lucky to still have another best friend, Jordan, in school, and together we ate lots of Adriatico's and watched way too much Mad Men. Being just the two of us, it was an interesting period of growth for our friendship, and considering the major changes that were going on with both of us as we figured out our own aspirations, it was so great to have his friendship throughout the year. I also got to meet many new people and became especially close with the new class in Connections as well as my own; it was nice to form those bonds with folks who are so passionate about so many things and who continually teach me something new and expand my mind.
Personally, the year was a major time of growth and addressing a lot of issues that I had tried to ignore for a long time. This was the first time that I had lived with seven other people, and addressing the issues that arose with the situation in a productive way proved difficult for me. I learned a lot about conflict, or at least how to go about addressing conflict in a way that all opinions are regarded and how the matter can be taken care of in a way that all involved are respected. If I could change one thing about this year, it would be learning how to live with others, especially there's conflicts elsewhere that don't directly involve you; I think that's one area where I could have acted more proactively. In the end, I moved in with two of my friends, Hannah and Mack, and we had an amazing semester full of cooking and crocheting. I also had a lot going on with my family, and figuring out how to be respectful and courageous was a lesson in practice for me; it's still something I'm trying to balance. Going to India this past May taught me that I don't always have to agree with what my family wants of me, but I should need to find a way to make them comfortable with the decisions that I see fitting best for my life.
In terms of classes, I knew the year's course load would prove challenging for me as it dealt with a lot of types of thinking that don't always mesh with how my mind works. In the end, it was really enriching to take organic chemistry and physics because it expanded my perspectives on science and scientific thinking and taught me how to think in new ways. I also took other great courses like Buddhism and Human Sexuality; it's these courses that make me feel like college is so worth it, and has expanded my mind to learn so much about the world and humanity.
Most importantly, this year was pivotal in me realizing that I don't have everything planned out for my life. The various experiences I've had have taught me about where I want to focus my efforts and where I want to impact change, and have given me the opportunity to also see where I might not fit in. The year has been a lesson in true friendship: my closest friends come in the form of classmates and also advisors and mentors, who have given me the space to be myself and have taught me how to be honest with myself, especially by making me think about what I want out of life after removing extraneous influences. In the upcoming year, I hope to more closely identify where I see myself in life, and which paths might be a good fit for me. I want to continue working in the community by finding new ways to get involved, like Bearcat Buddies. This past semester, I started working in the Office of the President, and the opportunity has helped me grow professionally in ways that I never thought I could handle. My goal in that respect is to the give the job my all and to continue to learn and grow.
This summer, I'll be working at Camp Nuhop again, and words cannot express my excitement to return to enriching children's lives and helping them create an environment to be themselves. I'm absolutely enthralled to work with my friends once more, and to meet new folks who are joining the Nuhop family to play their part in the mission. At the end of the summer, I hope to document the experience once more as I did last summer.
The button below leads to pictures that I took throughout the year of my friends and I, and serves as a wonderful way to capture the memories that we've made together.
As the summer came to an end and the school year started, I wanted to find a way to document events and memories throughout the year so that when I looked back, I would remember the little details that might slip my mind. Originally, I planned on including this documentation here, but as the year continued, many of those little details captured were rather personal. Many of them led to greater personal growth for me, and I'm glad I've got them written down and captured to look back on years from now.
The biggest realization I have had over the past year is how lucky I am to have so many inspiring influences in my life. I am forever thankful for the advisors and professors I have met and for the friends that I have made at UC, for they are the ones who have constantly challenged me to push my own boundaries and question my own motivations. One of the most difficult experiences was seeing three of my closest friends, Hannah, Morgan and Kyle, leave for their co-op rotations. Hannah went to Baltimore to work with an architecture firm and Kyle went to Hasbro in Rhode Island, while Morgan went to Dayton to work with an engineering company; now that they're back, it's exciting to hear about their experiences and the work that they did, but spring semester was thoroughly strange without them. I was lucky to still have another best friend, Jordan, in school, and together we ate lots of Adriatico's and watched way too much Mad Men. Being just the two of us, it was an interesting period of growth for our friendship, and considering the major changes that were going on with both of us as we figured out our own aspirations, it was so great to have his friendship throughout the year. I also got to meet many new people and became especially close with the new class in Connections as well as my own; it was nice to form those bonds with folks who are so passionate about so many things and who continually teach me something new and expand my mind.
Personally, the year was a major time of growth and addressing a lot of issues that I had tried to ignore for a long time. This was the first time that I had lived with seven other people, and addressing the issues that arose with the situation in a productive way proved difficult for me. I learned a lot about conflict, or at least how to go about addressing conflict in a way that all opinions are regarded and how the matter can be taken care of in a way that all involved are respected. If I could change one thing about this year, it would be learning how to live with others, especially there's conflicts elsewhere that don't directly involve you; I think that's one area where I could have acted more proactively. In the end, I moved in with two of my friends, Hannah and Mack, and we had an amazing semester full of cooking and crocheting. I also had a lot going on with my family, and figuring out how to be respectful and courageous was a lesson in practice for me; it's still something I'm trying to balance. Going to India this past May taught me that I don't always have to agree with what my family wants of me, but I should need to find a way to make them comfortable with the decisions that I see fitting best for my life.
In terms of classes, I knew the year's course load would prove challenging for me as it dealt with a lot of types of thinking that don't always mesh with how my mind works. In the end, it was really enriching to take organic chemistry and physics because it expanded my perspectives on science and scientific thinking and taught me how to think in new ways. I also took other great courses like Buddhism and Human Sexuality; it's these courses that make me feel like college is so worth it, and has expanded my mind to learn so much about the world and humanity.
Most importantly, this year was pivotal in me realizing that I don't have everything planned out for my life. The various experiences I've had have taught me about where I want to focus my efforts and where I want to impact change, and have given me the opportunity to also see where I might not fit in. The year has been a lesson in true friendship: my closest friends come in the form of classmates and also advisors and mentors, who have given me the space to be myself and have taught me how to be honest with myself, especially by making me think about what I want out of life after removing extraneous influences. In the upcoming year, I hope to more closely identify where I see myself in life, and which paths might be a good fit for me. I want to continue working in the community by finding new ways to get involved, like Bearcat Buddies. This past semester, I started working in the Office of the President, and the opportunity has helped me grow professionally in ways that I never thought I could handle. My goal in that respect is to the give the job my all and to continue to learn and grow.
This summer, I'll be working at Camp Nuhop again, and words cannot express my excitement to return to enriching children's lives and helping them create an environment to be themselves. I'm absolutely enthralled to work with my friends once more, and to meet new folks who are joining the Nuhop family to play their part in the mission. At the end of the summer, I hope to document the experience once more as I did last summer.
The button below leads to pictures that I took throughout the year of my friends and I, and serves as a wonderful way to capture the memories that we've made together.