The best summer of my life was looking like it was going to be the worst summer of my life as I anxiously worried about everything that could possibly go wrong. This was the adult test I had been dreading, as I would be moving to Des Moines, Iowa, which was over a thousand miles away from my home. It felt like I was in way over my head as I thought about all the things I needed to learn--working at a real job, driving everywhere by myself, learning how to cook for the first time...it all seemed so overwhelming and impossible.
However like with anything, as soon as I started it didn’t seem as scary as I made it out to be. There were a few things that went wrong, like not having internet for a week, but the group of interns I was housed with quickly became fast friends. Before I knew it, we were hanging out almost every day. It felt like we tried to do everything there was to do in Iowa, which was a lot more than I thought. We did everything from camping to hiking to kayaking to roller coasters to movie nights to eating BBQ. Looking back on it, I sometimes forget I actually worked a job that summer. With no homework to do during the evenings or weekends, I finally felt free to actually experience life.
That summer was a story in itself, and I never wanted it to end. However like all good things, summer went away and fall semester approached as I made the long ten hour drive back to Columbus. I moved into my new apartment two days before school started and was completely exhausted. But I was determined to take what I learned from the summer and start stepping out of my comfort zone more.
My junior fall semester was a whirlwind as I packed it full of new activities. Surprising even myself, I joined a public speaking club even though I was terrified of public speaking before. I started going to a morning workout class with my friend despite not being a morning person at all. And the biggest thing I did was attend the Grace Hopper Celebration with ACM-W, a conference dedicated to women in tech. That entire week was a blur as I had interviews lined up, company after parties to attend, and was handed free swag at every turn. On the last day, a couple of friends and I decided to ditch the closing ceremony in favor of going to Disney World which turned out to be the best decision ever. From that conference, I ended up getting multiple internship offers and ultimately chose Target.
As spring semester started, I was excited for what was next. I had just been accepted to a study abroad program in Greece which would take place right after the semester ended. I was getting emails from Target about my upcoming internship which only excited me more as I thought about how great my other internship had gone. I ended up becoming president of ACM-W for the next school year, something I never thought I would be.
I went home for spring break feeling like I was on top of the world.
I’m pretty sure you can imagine how everything fell apart as the news of the pandemic hit and the whole world shut down. I ended up staying at home for almost five months as I never ended up going back to Columbus when spring break was over. It was a very stressful summer, as I was worried about COVID, taking on the responsibilities of work, and figuring out how to lead an organization in a pandemic.
But like everything, I adjusted and it eventually got better. Going back to Columbus in the fall was a breath of fresh air as I finally saw my friends after being away for so long. Virtual school became the norm, I started running, and things began to seem okay.
And then the spring semester started. Most of what’s happened is already in my previous blog posts, but writing all of this has made me realize the ups and downs of life. I know this is not what I thought my senior year would look like, but I’ve still managed to make the most of it. I’m grateful for all the moments of joy I’ve been able to find throughout college and the fortunate situation I’ve been in during this pandemic. My college experience has been a rollercoaster of emotions, but I feel like I have grown so much in four years. While I still get nervous thinking about the future, I also know that I can handle anything as long as I go in with the right mindset.
