junior year

Hey guys! I'm baaaaaack. Please don't roast me for how long it's been since I last posted... I have no excuse, but I'm back at it! Summer is here, which means I have way too much time on my hands; hence, a reflection post.

Junior year at Messiah was possibly the best one yet! When I first started college, I always thought I would maintain basically the same mindset, friend group, and interests. This super-planner had no idea how different life would be just a few years later! Junior year was a year of experiencing new things, making new friends, starting new positions, and learning both in and out of the classroom. However, I also experienced continuity this year: in relationships, in classes, in work experience, and in diving deeper into the fields I love. This time in college is so precious because I got to see what it is like to be experienced and innocent at the same time. C'est la vie of an undergrad.

Now, here are some of the many highlights of my junior year (with brief descriptions).

on-campus apartment

I will (hopefully) never live in a dorm again! This year I got to live with my Spanish Major friends, Hannah and Lorena. We started out the year in hopes that we would only speak Spanish in the apartment, but that only lasted a semester. Then, we mostly spoke Spanglish.

Living in an apartment forced me to learn how to cook and clean, but it was also very convenient to live on campus. Next year, I'll be off campus, so I might just miss Smith A202 and its unreliable water heater. (It's not too fun for the water to go icy cold when you're in the middle of shampooing, especially in the winter.)

peer tutoring at the Writing Center

I've always loved to write, and I enjoy people, so I applied to and was offered a job at the Writing Center! I really enjoyed this job. Working one-on-one with peers to help them improve their writing is so rewarding. I feel like it's a puzzle that we get to solve together. Honestly, I could do this job full-time (except I'm an introvert, so it would probably exhaust me). Working at the Writing Center has helped me improve my written and oral communication skills, and I've also made so many friends!

co-founding the Spanish Club

I find it very strange that Messiah College did not have a Spanish Club until this November. Spanish is the largest major in the Modern Languages Department, but we only had a French Club! My roommates and I set out to change that. We applied to be an officially recognized organization and wrote the constitution and by-laws and everything! Our start-up was slow, but I can't wait to see what we do in the fall!

relationships, new and old

Relationships are hands-down the most rewarding part of being at Messiah. I love how small the school is because it really facilitates close-knit relationships with both peers and professors. I got to know the faculty better outside the classroom, and I can definitely say my professors are one of the things I'll miss this summer. My relationships with my friends also deepened, and I made new ones, too! I never thought I would still be making friends my junior year of college, but I'm glad I did! I made friends with people of every year and major through various outlets: in my classes, at my jobs--many of my friends' friends are now mine, as well! I hope I continue to make friends next year, too.

bullet journaling

I'm sure you've heard of this very popular creative outlet through social media or your friends. I always wanted to do it, but I never considered myself "artsy" enough. But I decided 2019 was my year, and my friends Jemi and Charmaine bought me the notebook and pens for Christmas. My bujo isn't the prettiest, but it's very functional, and I love how customizable it is. I'll do a post on that later.

editing The Peregrine Review

Last year I was on the editing team for The Peregrine Review, our school's literary journal. But this year I got to head that team! It was so fun to oversee the process. My favorite parts with reviewing the submissions with other editors, Christine, Hannah, and Natalie, and seeing the finished product. Our advisor, Dr. Smith, said he thinks that this year's edition is the best one yet!

last class of Spanish major

This spring I took my last class for the Spanish major, Teatro de Protesta. We studied plays of protest in Latin and South America and even got to go see a live performance in Washington, D.C.! I really enjoyed this class because as we read the plays, we also studied the sociohistorical context. I learned so much about different Latino cultures, but there's still so much I don't know. I'm intrigued to discover more!

cultivating my green thumb

Okay, disclaimer: I actually started my plant collection at the beginning of 2018, but junior year really solidified my love for the little green monsters. There has definitely been a learning curve (I killed my dill plant, Charles Baker Harris, four separate times), but I've had some of my plants for over a year now! Take that, haters who said I would kill them all! I only killed some of them!

working for the English Department

As usual, I had my work study with the English Department. Whenever people discover this about me, they usually want to know what I do. Honestly, it would be easier to tell them what I don't do. I love this job because I get to do so many different things! My freshman and sophomore years, for example, I spent a lot of time redesigning the layout of our website--with a lot of help from Tech Support, of course. This year, I got to redesign the bulletin board that had been a hot mess for far too long. I also help publicize different events, co-run the various social media accounts (along with the professors and my friend/fellow work study Hannah), and complete whatever odd jobs my professors come up with. It's really fun! I love spending time improving the department and working closely with Hannah and my professors.

Well, I would say I wish I had made a shorter post, but that would be a lie. This year was packed with great things, and I feel like I've barely covered them. There's so many things I didn't talk about. Anyways, have a great summer everyone! I'll try to keep up with my semi-regular posts.

xx Liz

If you're a college student, what were some things you enjoyed this year?