Student Blog: It's Time for Spring Semester!

It's the end of January, which means everyone is making their way back to college. I've been back on campus for almost a week now and it's just a very strange time, on-campus and off. So, I've decided to give some hopefully helpful advice about this semester and just share what I'm up to!

Right now, campus is empty and it is so strange. A few days ago, we welcomed our international students and we've been doing orientation with them, so there are not many people around. Most people are returning in two days and while the quiet has been nice, I'm excited to get back into it. With the ongoing pandemic, one thing I've been trying to do is be grateful for every single day I get to be around other people, doing what I love. After so long of being home and just doing online classes, you forget how wonderful it is to have a college experience. There are so many little things I missed and while I was here last semester, it's just so good to be back. There's also always a chance that we could shut down and go back to remote learning, depending on COVID and state rules. This is pretty much everyone's worst fear, but I'm trying to make the most of the time that I'm here because I know it could change at any time.

I've recently been hit by the fact that my college experience is coming to an end and that's terrifying. I've written about it before but it's just not something I'm ready to be fully thinking about just yet. It's just another reason I'm trying to cram as much fun as possible into the next three semesters because I want to have the prime college experience. I know that my experience is going to be different than what I expected, but I want to look back with joy. I'm trying to make my semester about doing new things, whether it be different food, different places, different activities, anything to make new memories and switch it up. I think a lot of people are afraid of never being able to accomplish the college experience they wanted because of a thousand different factors, but mostly COVID and being sent home. It's strange looking back on my notes and college essays from high school about what I wanted to do in college and how much it's changed. I've set off on a new career path, but even that's not solidified yet. I applied to college wanting to be a lighting designer and now I'm working towards becoming a dramaturg. Things changed and I'm okay with that, but I understand how hard it can be to accept change.

This semester, I hope that we all find our places wherever we are. I know that for me, it was really hard to find where I stood for the first year here. It really took time while being in-person for me to know where I fit in the theater department and in the school community. I really love having a grasp on where I fit and where I want to be. It took a lot of trial and error and that's okay. I tried my hand in a lot of different things, and I probably will try a bunch of other things before I leave here. I joined student government, worked in electrics, became an orientation leader, and much more. There were definitely some things I enjoyed more than others, but they all taught me something about myself. I'm very grateful for the experiences I've had over the past few years and I'm excited to see what this semester holds!