My gap semester has finally come to an end. Although there have certainly been times where I was glad to have avoided Zoom University, I am beyond glad to be back in Pittsburgh. Normalcy seems to be returning (or, at least, the best that it can given current circumstances).
I hoped that it would be safer to resume in-person classes by now. Of course, I’m saddened that this wasn’t the case, but all that can be done is to make the most of my last semester. I never followed up with my post about my gap semester antics (despite titling it “update 1”), it felt like the perfect time to do a recap post on my previous goals and fill in on what I had been up to in my time off!
My weekly bullet journal series prevailed. It was exciting to see my video editing skills grow, and I’m quite proud of what I’ve accomplished! I’ve grown to better appreciate the effort that I put into something that I enjoy doing, even if I’m not the best at that particular
I continued my summer internship with the nonprofit app TurnUp Activism. I worked as the Social Media Director from August all the way to the end of January. During that time, I not only promoted the app upon its launch, but I also worked with an incredible team to increase youth civic engagement. The highlight of this experience was probably helping thousands of young Georgian voters register for the runoffs in January. I walked into the internship with an interest in working for a nonprofit; this experience has reinforced this desire.
I considered staying for longer. However, I accepted not only one but two TA positions for the spring semester. I’m elated to be back in Prof. Bevins’ Business Presentations class, except this time I’m a TA! I will also be assisting Prof. Wetzel over in Dietrich, where I will be a TA for Writing About Public Problems to first-year students.
In January, I began an internship with blogger Rebecca Gilbert of Yummy Plants. This has actually motivated me to film and edit videos more consistently: both things which I love doing but kept doubting myself on. So far, February’s content is planned out, and I’m ecstatic to whip up more plant-based goodies for the ‘gram! Hopefully my housemate will also appreciate the abundance of free food.
Moving forward, I’m determined to make the most out of my last semester of college. I will be taking both of the journalism-related courses offered this semester, which I am very excited about. Since I don’t have any other classes, I hope to continue my previous blogging endeavors and building my portfolio. This wasn’t quite the final year that I would have envisioned five years ago, but this is the best that anyone could ask for.
And am I glad to be back.