This year has been crazy, and while I spent the majority of it away from this blog, I thought that the end of the year would be a great time to review the year, so instead of doing a Things in December I decided to do a year in review. Looking back I can't believe that it's only been 12 months. The personal growth I've experienced living in college and the friends I've made while away from home have been so amazing.
I got into all of the colleges I applied two except for 2, and that included getting into Harvard. I've already spoken about this achievement, and even though I decided against attending Harvard in the fall, I will never forget the happiness I felt when I found out.
Not going to lie I wasn't expecting to meet my future best friends at this summer program. Yet, here I am writing about how I met most of my current friends at this 5-week experience. Heck, I met my future boyfriend at this program. I got my first "official" taste of anchoring in a studio through this program and got to recognize that this is what I want to do. Besides the academic and leadership side of this program, I got to have fun with people who would become my good friends through day trips to Lynchburg and swimming at Goshen Pass.
I may have mentioned this earlier, but I spent a week in Jamaica shortly after I got back from the AIM program. My mom is from Jamaica so I also got to visit my extended family while I was there. The sun, the beaches, and the food really helped nourish my soul, and remembering what once was always makes me a little adder when I think of what I eat at my college's dining hall hahah.
Like the crazy gal I am, I moved in the day before my birthday on August 25. Most hearing that would think that was the recipe for homesickness at the start of the year, but thankfully I was able to hold off those thoughts for a few more months. College was a crazy time that I'm only now starting to unpack, but I'm so excited to see what the future holds.
My school offers students the chance to take pre-orientation trips which would allow them to move in a week earlier and travel to different locations to either do volunteer work, trek trails or get acquainted to campus. I chose to go on the trip to Baltimore which focused on educational policy and the effects of race and socioeconomic status on one's chances of graduating from secondary institutions. Not only was this a mind-opening experience, but it really helped me realize on a smaller scale how systemic some of America's problems are. One road in Baltimore has homes below the poverty line on one side and homes owned by millionaires on the other. The wealth disparities were crazy and the effects are very visible in Baltimore.
At the start of the school year, I auditioned to become an anchor for my school's news broadcast and was offered the anchor position. This experience has been everything I wanted and more. And I cannot wait to (hopefully) do it all over again next semester!
Those closest to me know that DC is one of my favorite cities in America (it's a toss up between DC and Dallas). Being in such close proximity to our nation's capitol has allowed me to experience so many things from seeing the Newseum before it closed to trying out a fast ramen place (because we all know that isn't available in Lexvegas haha). But the best part was going with my friends and getting to explore the city from a slightly different perspective.
Hit em with a whoaaaa. I think this tops the list of things I did NOT expect to happen in my first semester, but as God keeps showing me. There are so many things you cannot plan for. It's been so much fun taking on life with this boy and I can't wait to see all the crazy things we do next semester.
I learned pretty quickly that W&L knows how to party. There was a homecoming dance and a more formal Mock Con gala that talk more about here. Both of these dances were so fun and such a welcome reprieve from schoolwork. I love getting dressed up for things and this was another chance to let loose and do so. Plus it forced me to live a little which is always nice!
1 | I Got Into HARVARD
I got into all of the colleges I applied two except for 2, and that included getting into Harvard. I've already spoken about this achievement, and even though I decided against attending Harvard in the fall, I will never forget the happiness I felt when I found out.
2| I Chose a College
After receiving the Johnson scholarship at W&L, on May 1 I decided to make it official and attend the college. Like all college experiences, it was not without its ups and downs, but now I can honestly say that I'm happy I made this decision. It may have not been my "best" option on paper, but now I can see that it was the best fit for me.
3 | I Graduated High School
Besides choosing a college I also graduated from high school. Just like my first semester of college, it wasn't without its ups and downs, but I really enjoyed all the teachers and friends I came in contact with at my high school.
4 | I went to AIM
Not going to lie I wasn't expecting to meet my future best friends at this summer program. Yet, here I am writing about how I met most of my current friends at this 5-week experience. Heck, I met my future boyfriend at this program. I got my first "official" taste of anchoring in a studio through this program and got to recognize that this is what I want to do. Besides the academic and leadership side of this program, I got to have fun with people who would become my good friends through day trips to Lynchburg and swimming at Goshen Pass.
5 | I Went to Jamaica
I may have mentioned this earlier, but I spent a week in Jamaica shortly after I got back from the AIM program. My mom is from Jamaica so I also got to visit my extended family while I was there. The sun, the beaches, and the food really helped nourish my soul, and remembering what once was always makes me a little adder when I think of what I eat at my college's dining hall hahah.
6 | I Moved into College
Like the crazy gal I am, I moved in the day before my birthday on August 25. Most hearing that would think that was the recipe for homesickness at the start of the year, but thankfully I was able to hold off those thoughts for a few more months. College was a crazy time that I'm only now starting to unpack, but I'm so excited to see what the future holds.
7 | I Went to Baltimore
My school offers students the chance to take pre-orientation trips which would allow them to move in a week earlier and travel to different locations to either do volunteer work, trek trails or get acquainted to campus. I chose to go on the trip to Baltimore which focused on educational policy and the effects of race and socioeconomic status on one's chances of graduating from secondary institutions. Not only was this a mind-opening experience, but it really helped me realize on a smaller scale how systemic some of America's problems are. One road in Baltimore has homes below the poverty line on one side and homes owned by millionaires on the other. The wealth disparities were crazy and the effects are very visible in Baltimore.
8 | I Began Anchoring
At the start of the school year, I auditioned to become an anchor for my school's news broadcast and was offered the anchor position. This experience has been everything I wanted and more. And I cannot wait to (hopefully) do it all over again next semester!9 | I Went to DC
Those closest to me know that DC is one of my favorite cities in America (it's a toss up between DC and Dallas). Being in such close proximity to our nation's capitol has allowed me to experience so many things from seeing the Newseum before it closed to trying out a fast ramen place (because we all know that isn't available in Lexvegas haha). But the best part was going with my friends and getting to explore the city from a slightly different perspective.
10 | I Met a Boy
11 | I Went to Some Dances
I learned pretty quickly that W&L knows how to party. There was a homecoming dance and a more formal Mock Con gala that talk more about here. Both of these dances were so fun and such a welcome reprieve from schoolwork. I love getting dressed up for things and this was another chance to let loose and do so. Plus it forced me to live a little which is always nice!12 | I Got All A's!!
I can't think of any other way to cap off an amazing year than to mention that I ended the year with a 3.975 GPA this semester (which is actually slightly off because I don't get credit for one of my classes until I take a trip in February that's part of the class), but I digress. I know that next semester will be significantly harder because I will be switching up the style of classes that I'm taking (namely taking econ and accounting instead of traditional liberal arts lit classes), but I'm excited for the challenge. Plus, I will have friends in my classes so I can't wait for frantic midnight study sessions.What was your favorite memory from 2019?
