While I wish that I could honestly say my second year in college was far easier to manage than the first, that just is not possible. The unexpected changes continued as the pandemic grew throughout this last year and college was no exception. Aside from the personal challenges I felt with meeting new friends through numerous quarantines and maintaining awareness of my actions to respect the lives of those in my community I found unique challenges in my education.
As a student, I have never felt so much individual responsibility over my education. I spent countless hours on the computer completing online courses and learning to manage my time when it feels like the virtual to-do lists are never ending and constantly waiting for me to turn the screen back on. Finding valuable experiences to learn and grow from was also more of a challenge than I would have ever expected prior to COVID-19. I learned greater adaptability, whether I liked it or not, and sifted through remote, hybrid, and adapted in-person internships to find a small role with the Ohio Innocence Project. These classes and hours spent volunteering my time proved resilience greater than I thought I possessed and allowed me to strengthen skills beyond the traditional expectations.
I do not wish to continue challenging myself in these ways and I feel very excited to return to so many “normal” ways of life (a BIG thank you to my little Moderna shots!) that I hope to not take for granted again, but I can still find appreciation for the growth the 2020-2021 academic year has pushed me to. To continue this personal and professional progress I have made the decision to start a new chapter with the “new normal” and transfer to Vanderbilt University. I will be moving to Nashville in the fall to study Human and Organizational Development.
This change would never have been possible without the foundation I was able to build at the University of Cincinnati and the incredible opportunities my education has offered me. I feel extremely grateful to everyone here, both students and faculty, who have supported me and equally as excited to see where this may now take me in the future. I cannot say a thank you directly to everyone that deserves it, but I truly am so genuinely appreciative and will not forget the importance of my two very unique years as a University of Cincinnati student.