Well hello all! It's been awhile, but here we are. I've been waiting to find out a couple of things before I blogged about looking ahead to next year. And now, with only three weeks left of school, it seems to be the appropriate time! Here are some things that I am certainly looking forward to in the next year!
Major/Minor Update
I feel like every blog post I have written I have changed my minor or my double major, but don't worry. Hopefully this one will stick. I have decided NOT to double major, but instead to add two minors toward marketing and graphic design. Here's to hoping that the combination of journalism, marketing and graphic design makes me as hire-able as possible post-grad!
Heading Abroad!
I'm so excited because in about one month I will be on a plane to New Zealand, shortly followed by a trip to Australia! I'm going to New Zealand for three weeks with a study abroad program through APU! I will be working (interning) at Wandering Sheep Productions in Auckland and staying with other students and three professors from APU. We will be doing plenty of exploring when we are off the clock, however, including visiting Hobbiton and going to a hot water beach and going on a small kayaking trip for one day!Right after, a group of friends who are going on the New Zealand trip with me are puddle jumping over to Australia to stay in Sydney and Cairns. Consequently, I will be out of the country from May 16 to June 16, so see ya later! Much much much more information and blogging will be taking place while I am there and I promise to take a ton of photos! If you have any advice for what to do or see or where to go in Australia, let me know!
Junior Year
I got the jobs of my dreams! I am lightening my class load (no worries, I'll still be graduating on time) and will be working more than 30 hours a week between being the marketing intern in the Office of Career Services on campus and being editor-in-chief of the Clause next year! I am so so so happy that everything fell into place exactly as I had hoped.Although I am nervous, I know that these positions are going to push and challenge me in ways that I never have been before. I am already learning about what I want to pursue in terms of leadership on campus and cannot wait to put that into action next year! So, if you need a job, stop by Career Services next year! Or, if you have a story that needs telling, stop by the Clause office!
I am also so excited since I will be moving back into the freshman dorms next year to live with my sweet friend Crystal Reed, who will be the RA of an all-girl freshman hall in Trinity next year! She has been my best friend since early on my freshman year and I am so excited to live with her and support her as she leads about 50 girls through their own freshman journey.
Bring on the New
Although I have the very thing that I crave most, having everything all lined up and planned out, I find myself extremely nervous to be thrust out of my element, serving in a capacity I never have before. Although I have experience in both of my jobs already, this next year will be on a much larger scale. What I am realizing is how hard it is to have grace for yourself. I think I find it so easy to quickly to forgive others for little mistakes (well, sometimes). What I struggle with most, however, is forgiving my own.What is being constantly reiterated to me in this season is that I will undoubtedly fail at some point in some capacity this summer and next fall in my new adventures and positions of leadership on campus. However, what is more reassuring is that I do not have to be perfect and that I have a community to lean into.
Perfection is impossible. Boom. The pressure is off. Thankfully, Christ took that burden off my shoulders a long time ago, and I can be at ease. And furthermore, Christ set us up to live in a community that forgives, is merciful and is a complete support to me. It is now my responsibility to 1.) continually remind myself of this truth, and 2.) to offer this same hand of grace to others.
This last week has been filled with affirmation that I am moving in the right direction and that I have a community who will support me as I navigate in the upcoming months. Thanks so much for those that encouraged me to do the things I thought were crazy, and for those of you who have been so kind and supportive as I have taken on these new roles.
Good luck with finals everyone! May the odds be ever in your favor.