Remember yourself!

In college, it’s easy to forget what makes you, you. If you value your education, you could develop a tendency to become a productive, homework-completing, excessive reading, studying machine and forget to indulge in those things that make you unique, those things that make you sane.

My first few years of college, I fell into that. Now, I’m not saying that academic productivity and a deep-valuing of education is in anyway a bad thing, but during that time, I tended to justify denying myself things I enjoyed because “school was more important.” This year, I have allowed myself to enjoy the other things I’m passionate about in my life in addition to school, and I can tell you, I am a lot more psychologically well-off than in previous year.

This week serves as a perfect example. I was faced with an intense literature paper, another paper proposal, my senior seminar research paper and a collaborative project. Luckily, I got an extension on one assignment, but the workload this week has been taxing to say the least.

And yet, this week, I also vowed to engage in activities that had nothing to do with school but which genuinely made me happy. Yesterday, for example, I attended a poetry workshop with several other students and Kentucky poet Bianca Spriggs. Writing poetry is something I genuinely enjoy and find import. In the past few years, though, I have not been able to devote much time to it because of school. The experience last night was simultaneously depressing and inspiring. I realized just how much I had neglected a true passion, but I gained the hope that I can make time for it, even during a week when everything seems to be due for class. I had a fabulous time, and left with the beginnings of several new poems!

Bianca Spriggs performing one of her poems!

I am also allowing myself two more pleasures this week! Tonight at midnight, I will join the masses at the movie theatre for the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1. The Harry Potter series was an integral part of my childhood, and so I am allowing myself to take a break from research to go enjoy this event with sold-out crowds.

What I am most excited about, though, is my trip to Cleveland, Ohio this weekend, to see three of my favorite bands perform in concert! Music is also a huge passion of mine, and has been for years. In college, however, I did not have time to keep up with it like I used to, and I even went whole days without listening to any music because I had too much work. Honestly, that shouldn’t be an excuse! That’s why I’m allowing myself to make the 6 hour drive to see my dream concert! No more –always- passing on valuable non-academic experiences in favor of work.

It is possible to be completely dedicated to your education while still enjoying those other things that make you happy. So, when you come to college, don’t forget yourself!

Newspaper Conference!

A couple of Saturdays ago, Transy funded my trip to the Student Media Advisor’s conference at the Galt house in Louisville, KY. I went to represent our newspaper, The Rambler, which I have rambled about before (It’s late. Forgive a terrible play on words).

Now, at Transy, we don’t yet have an official journalism program, so everything we do at the Rambler is completely volunteer and everything we learn about Journalism, we have to teach ourselves or learn from our WONDERFUL advisor, Terri McLean. Needless to say, I was pretty stoked to go to this conference free of charge to learn more about the practice of journalism.

I arrived bright and early at 8:00am to drive around Louisville and to find parking, and I arrived at registration at 8:30. So some people might think I’m crazy for getting up that early on a Saturday to go to a conference, but I can actually say it was invigorating, inspiring and informative! I loved it. The first session I attended was called “First Amendment Reality Shows” during which I learned all about the rights of the student press and networked with some lawyers that could help us out if we ever ran into conflicts.

The Galt House Hotel in Louisville! It was so nice!

I also attended other energizing sessions that gave me all kinds of cool ideas to the paper. I attended a session about writing sex columns, a session about Nelly Bly and her ground breaking journalistic techniques, and a session about “Where to Find News.” I was so happy to bring all of these ideas back to my fellow staff members so that we can keep improving our paper. No doubt, with continued support like that which I received to attend this conference, student media on Transy’s campus will continue to flourish!