In the midst of the chaos that has been my life since the world turned upside down, finding time to virtually visit these projects seemed to be just another added piece of stress. Between online classes, preparing for finals and fulfilling the duty of helping home school my 14 and 8 year old sisters PSL was far from my mind. However, I am glad that I made the time to visit these projects as it was a welcome reminder that there is more to life than just COVID-19, and that though the virus is what dominates most of our minds and news nowadays, there are still other issues in our country, state and city.
I am much more of an auditory learner, so I would’ve much preferred to have been able to have visited these projects and their creators in person and actually discuss the issues they had dedicated so much time to. However, there was still knowledge to be gained from this activity. I am certain I will remember these projects when it is my turn next year as a standard to hold myself to.
This leads me to discuss topic ideas for next year. For someone who is in a Politics Society and Law Scholars group, I am not extremely fond of being overly vocal about my own political beliefs. I don’t aspire to be a politician, but politics still do interest me, even if I am typically more of an observer than a participant. In that way, I am both anxious and excited to be pushed out of my comfort zone next year. As to a specific topic, I will admit I am not certain of one at this time. However I am certain that, even if there is a vaccine and the quarantine itself is a distant memory, the effects will be long lasting. I am no expert, but I know that there will be important issues that we need to resolve as a result of this pandemic, and I think that addressing a specific issue caused would make for an excellent project, as well as an important cause.
Between the stress of schoolwork, overbearingness of my family and spotty WiFi that was stressing me out that day, virtually attending the Public Advocacy Forum seemed like it was going to be a chore. However, I am happy to say I was wrong and that I enjoyed, learned and was inspired by the projects I visited, and I know that this years sophomores have set a high standard for us freshmen to live up to next year.