Artifacts

I know since last time I said that I was nervous about having all online asynchronous classes but I’ve managed those classes very well this semester (looking like a 3.0+ gpa this semester which is awesome ;)). In my second session HIS 2700 class, we’ve gone over a lot of historical events that help aid to climate change. For example, I didn’t really know that Ancient Rome/Greece at a point struggled with plant/carbon/nutrients cycle to the point that it caused famine and later a spread of disease aiding in the fall of those civilizations. This class has caused me to shift more towards soil conservation career wise.

I still keep to a flexible schedule of still getting majority of my work done either in bulks by classes and/or using the first three days to get the week’s worth done. I still work quite a bit but like Brett said in seminar, “it’s good to start saving, even a dollar is something.” But by having work it’s helped keep me organized and occupied…making good use of my time.

Besides improving academically this semester, Ive also really been able to finally get to the “friendship” part in many of my relationships. Being a commuter is already tough but having the global pandemic added on to that makes it very difficult for friends. Last semester it was meeting people and becoming acquainted, maybe even meeting up once or twice. This semester now I’ve narrowed down on my inner circle, and been able to start feeling truly updated and included. However through this “process,” what I’ve learned about myself (especially after the field day) is that I’m just a social person. Part of that could be me missing the socialization and going overboard with it or maybe because this feeling is just how life & college relationships go. But I’m a group hopper. What I’ve realized is that it has it’s own benefits and drawbacks; it’s good because I know a good amount of people allowing me to feel connected, but it takes so much longer until you get “intimate” because you are dispersing your social time between some groups/people-kinda like a competition factor.

With all of that being said, one thing that I do worry and struggle about is next year. As of now, the plan is me to move onto campus in North (with another former commuter who is in my inner circle). I’m really excited about it! Things are starting to feel like how they should have happened last year around this time, but its all still very new and kinda overwhelming. For example, because I’ve been around different groups/people choosing a roommate was really hard. And now I have to think about which dorm is best (when i don’t really go into the dorms, so kinda clueless there), what meal plan suits me the best (again i know you can change it later but right now it’s just very new), scheduling (this will be my first year on campus and I’ll technically be a junior, so the workload might be more 😅), figuring out dorm necessities, the list goes on…but I still can’t wait.

Yay first month done!

Sooo something new…for this semester all of my classes are asynchronous. I am both excited and a little worried about that, but so far it’s going great. This style of classes is very freeing and I’m doing well. I think the biggest thing that concerns me is how I’m missing out on a lot of social interaction with my classmates and also just making sure I stay on top of my work and classes. However, this has allowed me to be even more independent and really focus on the balance between school, work, and social events. What I try to do is get majority of my schoolwork done earlier on in the week, then I workout with a friend on campus about three times a week (which really helps me feel included and like a “true campus student”), and then I work and/or babysit about 2-3 times a week 🙂

I think what helps add to my happiness is that I really like my classes; this semester I’m taking ENR 2000, ENR 3000,  ENR 3500, ENR 1150, and a women in the Bible course. One thing in my ENR 3500 class, which is like a class more focused on EEDS with community development, is that we are doing a semester long project. What happens is all the students work with different leveled communities (high, middle, low class) and then they focus and figure out ways to make the community better. There are these things called community capitals, these capitals are areas that determine the strengths in a community. There are seven-social, human, built, financial, nature, political, and cultural- they all can overlap and affect one another (for example colleges and schools create more of all the community capitals except nature). For my community I picked the lower class one. I picked this one because what I wish to do with my major, is to help work on sustainability worldwide on all levels of wealth and development (and in my personal belief I think it’s much easier to change a middle/high class than a lower class community with very little resources). It’s a really fun project because we get to make our own ideal community, make the culture, and see all the progress and development.

Everything is pretty mellow, not struggling with anything nor have “achieved” anything (I mean I have A’s and a B if that counts lol).

Semester Review
Well that was interesting haha. Going to college during COVID was different and challenging. Well first off, going to a new school and starting fresh was also hard within itself. I had to figure out the style of the class, make new friends, understand carmen. But the hardest thing was commuting. There would be times when my friends would want to do something late at night or hangout all day and my schedule/classes didn’t allow that, so I missed out on a few fun opportunities. I’ve said this earlier but sometimes it felt hard to connect with others. I also struggled with finding a good balance between school, me-time, working, home-life, and social-life…but honestly I’m not sure if anyone ever really finds a perfect balance. I think this will just be a thing I will always have to change and alter throughout my college experience.

With all that said something that I achieved was finishing my first college semester, despite all the challenges from COVID and commuting! I think for me it can be easy to get cut up in all the negatives but not everyone gets to even attend a college (let alone successfully pass a semester). Commuting really allowed me to grow into someone who is more independent and self-aware. I now can more clearly figure out how I’m feeling and why I might be feeling that way (compared to just ignoring it and moving on with my day). Even though no one has liked COVID, being at home has allowed me to be safe and be closer with my family. Another good thing that happened this semester is that my whole family was able to stay safe (no one got it and very fortunately not even COVID scares).

One thing that I do really enjoy about college is I feel like I’m finally making steps towards my career. My high school didn’t really have a lot of environmental topics available, we only had AP environmental science, environmental club, and AP bio if that counts; compared to here at OSU, there are tons of different clubs that are environmentally focused, lots of classes, many professors and alumni doing awesome things, the list goes on. So being here at OSU really makes me happy in that sense.

A goal of mine for next semester is to just push myself harder. Both academically and socially. This semester academically was ok, but for spring I want to try building more interactions with my professors and find a friend in each class (even though all my classes are online again). I think this will help me be more serious about assignments and make they classes feel more personal (instead of just going through the motions and feeling distant). Socially, when classes first started this semester a big goal of mine was to join a couple of clubs. However, that didn’t happen because I decided to focus more on my schoolwork and zoom meetings didn’t sound that appealing to me. For spring semester my new goal is to find at least two clubs and stick with them all semester. Even if I only end up finding one club, I also still want to grow closer with the people I know in SENR (hopefully because it’s spring more people will be willing to meet up outside).

(Almost) Halfway through the semester!!
It’s crazy because in the moment it seems long and tedious but 2020 is almost over. Still working on self, I think the hardest thing for me now is being motivated. Most of my days are the same; wake-up, attend zooms, do homework, drive to class if I need to, go to work, sleep. I feel busy yet also bored. COVID isn’t helping either, I have this strong urge to hangout with others (but social distancing, limited people, only meeting outside, kinda puts a pause on hanging out). However something that I’m learning about myself is how to be a better sibling. I’m home this semester, so I’ve been trying to grow closer to my younger siblings and help them navigate through online schooling too. I know I can’t get much social interaction but my siblings and my cat keep me entertained for now haha.

Something that I’ve learned is actually from seminar. We had a trivia survival night. I had a good time with my fellow trailblazers (a smaller group within the SENR) even though we came in last place. It was a fun informational night; knew the answers to some questions but most importantly now I have better understanding on key tips in emergencies. For example, if someone breaks a bone the best way to help them is to stop the bleeding, make a splint, and keep them still.

A big achievement for me is having a better understanding of what I want to do in the future and narrowing down on my interests (thinking about specializing in soil & environmental sustainability). I used to think that I wanted to work with animals, but after attending zooms and reading from professors, I really want to do is work with sustainability. I still think keeping all life-forms alive is crucial but specifically I want work with helping humans to stop polluting (that could in the end save species and natural spaces).

My (almost) first month of college is done!
College is very different than high school because instead of taking general required classes, I can actually start to choose and take more major focused classes. For example I’m taking this course, ENR 2300, and it’s a lot like my AP psychology and AP environmental science mixed into one class. So far the most interesting thing that I’ve learned from that class is how systemic racism causes many minorities and/or poor communities to experience the most climate change. This is because back in the 1920s immigrants, blacks, and majority people of color would have to live in highly packed apartments on the dirty side of a city. Compared to many white families that could have bigger houses, their streets were frequently cleaned, could afford luxury things, etc. Over time not much has changed because those people in the poor communities often had low paying jobs, meaning they couldn’t afford to move out of the bad living conditions (like sending their kids to schools with few resources, working jobs that exposed them to extra pollution, or even living near power plants that caused severe health problems). I like this class because it helps break down poverty & other social problems, and explain how that impacts the environment.

Another way that college has been different for me compared to high school is because I’m commuting this year. I live about 10-15 minutes away from campus and not being in the dorms has been a struggle for me. At times it can be hard for me to feel the “college experience” and being socially involved with others who are my age. I’ve made a few friends who are in the SENR program but I haven’t been able to really get to know them due to dorm policies and social distancing (with class schedules on top of that). Even though it’s been hard for me to adjust socially, it’s also allowed me to be more independent. I’ve been able to really focus on myself since the beginning of the pandemic-figuring out what makes me happy, the best way(s) i can de-stress, or exploring new study habits. Learning self-patience has been a big accomplishment since summer.