1. Hey Ya || Outcast

2.  Hello || Giraffage

3. Nerds || Bo Burnham

4.  Moving to New York || The Wombats

5. Be Impressive || The Griswolds

6. Holding Onto You || Twenty One Pilots

7. America || The Griswolds

8. Don’t Stop Me Now || Queen Cover by George Watsky

9. De-Stress || Rebelution

The playlist starts out with a reflection from the unofficial start of my year, a SERVitecture trip I went on only a week before college started. Being thrust into a week-long trip with people I didn’t know, in a state far from where I’d ever been, doing work and service already preparing me for my major was obviously stressful, However, none of these situations could stop me from being outgoing and optimistic, and so Hey Ya starts the playlist off to an upbeat and exciting note. Then, I meet my wonderful roommate Elise and the start to college kicks of with Hello, a salutation to someone who would later become one of my closest friends. However, I couldn’t forget Abbi, my best friend from high school living just a floor below me, and so NERDS, a song even she herself had shown to me plays for nostalgic reference to our already existing friendship (plus we’re lame nerds so it fits). I can’t help but pick out a big moment in my first semester, getting to go on the Art Scholars New York trip. I had only been to NY once before, and I couldn’t possibly hide my excitement to travel there again. Whether I chose this song based on my love for the city and way of life itself, or if I chose it because I was dreading taking the 11 hour bus back to Columbus, Moving to New York accurately portrays my feelings towards the trip. On the topic of big cities, my next moment reflects on the effort I put forward in my multimedia drawing of Chicago, a piece I felt very accomplished making, hence Be Impressive fits in well. My next greatest accomplishment when I was passed down the Scout Scroll, an esteemed honour in the Boo Radley Society. I chose Holdign Onto You more as a pun off the title, as it raining hard and I desperately clung the book to my chest as I ran home without an umbrella. The next moment is also a pun off the song title, America, as I was in England at the time and there was little to no urge of me wanting to go back. The trip was my first out of the country experience and I was ecstatic to experience anything and everything I could in the 9 days I was given. The next moment was with some of my close high school friends that came up for OSU Relay for Life. Though the 18 hour event did eventually get cancelled early due to the horrible weather, Don’t Stop Me Now shows our resilience in trying to persevere through the night. The reflection ends with a recent picture of my boyfriend and I De-Stressing before finals by going to my very first soccer game! I liked it so much that I made him take me to the game the week after, too. Overall, the positive experiences definitely outweigh the negative and I can’t wait for my second year.

Last semester, I had many interesting experiences adjusting to college life. There were many peaks, such as meeting and connecting with new people from all around the world, and having the freedom to make my own decisions. However, with making my own decisions came some valleys, such as figuring out time management with architecture and clubs and even getting more than six hours of sleep. I’d say my highest point was befriending the guys down the hall, as they continue to be good friends of mine and very entertaining people to hang out with. A low point was definitely having to stay at Knowlton until 2am and walking myself all the way back to Baker in a lethargic haze. Shortcomings I really want to work on are my study skills, which were pretty much non-existent last semester, and my sleeping habits, as I tend to prioritize social interaction before my health. Unexpected successes I had include my studio architecture projects, which turned out to be some of the best in my class, as well as my quick ability to make friends, an ability I had originally feared I lacked. Overall, this semester will definitely have to try hard to beat the satisfaction last semester has given me.

Having Abbi Voda as my partner, I thought this project was going to be easy. Having been my best friend throughout most of my high school career, there was no one I knew better than her and no one I thought easier to capture in a picture. The task, however was harder than I thought. Because I knew her so well, and because we were so close and I admired her so much, it was extremely difficult to think of a single picture to capture all of her great qualities. Later on, after she explained to me the picture she had taken for me and what it meant to her, I was even more stressed to compare to such a creative and meaningful counterpart. After that day, I spent most of my unoccupied thinking moments trying to come up with the best picture for her personality. Finally, inspired by a stroll back to Baker, I decided on this. There are few things in this world that mean as much to her as theatre does. Theatre provides a separate family, a close-knit group of people with similar interest that can lead to forever friendships. It also provides an escape, a chance to express your emotions, to be somebody you’ve never been, a  paradise for raw emotions and imagination. I represent this passion through the steps/seating of the amphitheater. The steps are more than just that; they provide structure, support, and even atmosphere. Each area on the step gives the viewer a different perspective, and in this way, though the experiences are different, they provide no less joy to the individuals. Like these steps, Abbi has many different levels of herself, each with disparate qualities that make her who she is. She is a kind, strong person who is always there for support. But as a human, she is constantly changing and growing as a person, just as the grass between the steps do. Not only do theatre kids respect her, but many others she comes in contact with. Without the steps, the show can be watched, but the world loses the magic that the steps create with their existence. Similarly, I believe both my life and the lives of several others would be strongly impacted without having her as a friend. No amount of words, not even a single picture, could describe such a beautiful, complex person such as Abbi’s, but I believe my picture of the amphitheater captures the key traits of hers that form her own  unique personality.