Whew! It’s been a long time since I’ve been active in this section of my blog. This past semester, and  this summer, have been very busy, which allows me to give you all quite the update!

Let’s start from the beginning of this past spring. I urge you to go read my blog posted on May 9th, which was about the biggest decision I made this semester, about choosing to leave a group that had, sadly, become my identity.

The biggest part of this semester, and arguably the greatest event of my college career, was the fact that I went to Spain for spring break! This was quite the trip, and something I will never forget. I had never been out of North America before, so I had no idea what to expect! This was for a class I was enrolled in at school, but the experience I gained was worth so much more than what I learned in the classroom during that trip. After a long 8 hour flight, I landed in Madrid! I spent some time exploring there, while getting over both a head cold and extreme jet lag. After getting some delicious pizza and heading to bed, we got on the train the next morning to travel to Seville. I found Seville to be much cooler than Madrid, the weather was better and we spent much more time there, going on tours, exploring spaces on our own, trying all different foods and mocktails (paella is now one of my most favorite foods), and shopping! My group went back to Madrid for the last couple days of the trip, and poked around for a bit longer, and even got to go to a flea market with lots of local vendors! Going on this trip with a group of students who were (almost) all entirely older than me, who were all also strangers, in a place I’d never been and that was so far away from home, was a huge step out of my comfort zone. I never thought through the first couple years of my college experience that doing something like this would turn out to be so comfortable for me, but it was an experience I will never forget. Hop on over to my favorites album tab to see all the pictures (you might have to scroll through a bit, but you won’t miss them)!

Like I’ve mentioned countless times on the blog, this past spring was extremely busy. I was enrolled in 7 classes, was volunteering, and working a part time job, all while spending time with my friends and my boyfriend and making time for having fun! The workload was a lot, but I’m so glad I was able to accomplish it! My secret to time management: having MULTIPLE schedules and lists all at once. I kept my schedule in my laptop calendar, my phone calendar, and my planner, where I also kept lists of things to do each day, and also put those lists on post-it notes on my notebooks and around my bedroom. These lists included due dates for projects and papers, what homework assignments to do each night, how far in advance I should be studying for exams, when my tutoring sessions were, etc., etc., etc., the list could go on and on. Being in college is so incredibly enjoyable, and each day, I truly am doing whatever I want at all times, and that includes going to the classes I had picked. I really am going to classes that are preparing me for the future I hope so bad to have. The volunteering opportunities I’ve had, the internship I have for this summer, is truly what I want to do forever: devote myself to a life of service. I want to be able to help people for as long as I’m able, and I have the chance to do that while in college, which is why I truly don’t mind balancing such a heavy schedule.

This summer, I’ve started a new internship as mentioned. I get to work with kids, which is something I find so rewarding, and so joyous. I also volunteer and have a part-time job, so I had to upgrade my time management - I’ve also got my calendar on my wall in my bedroom now, which helps me tremendously. Remember! Time management seems so simple when you can look at things in multiple different places. I value being able to spend time with people I love so much, and it’s so important to be happy, no matter how busy the schedule. Mental health is just as important as success, and I always made sure I had time for friends and activities at some point in my day! I leave you with this - make sure you have just as much of a focus on your own happiness! Make sure you’re choosing your own path everyday, and prioritizing having fun!

As a college student first, I have a lot to say about life as a college student in Chicago! This tab is where I’ll talk about my time management tips and tricks, my favorite parts of college, what I’m up to, going-out outfits, and everything in between.

One of the things I really started to learn about my life was just that… my life really is mine. I think this was one of the sections I was most excited about because I feel a lot of college students have a really hard time with that concept, myself included. It took me until just about this semester, the first of my junior year, a semester full of reflection, to really learn that. Although I’m in college and surrounded by other 20-year-olds constantly, I’m still able to live my life as an individual. This semester, I said so many times, I want to do whatever I want 24/7. This sounded silly to a lot of people but is how I plan on living my life. As a college student, it’s so easy to fall into the pattern of doing things just to do them, doing things because it’s what you think you’re “supposed” to be doing at the time. I thought I was “supposed” to party all the time as many of the people around me did for a long time, even though my body didn’t enjoy it. So many times in my first half of college, I found myself getting ready to go out at 9pm, putting on makeup and doing my hair, and wearing uncomfortable clothes, even though I’d rather be in bed. I think it’s important to note that sometimes I still love to do that, but when I do, it’s because I actually want to, not because I think I should. This semester, I started doing more things that made me feel like myself! I started hosting things like Golden Bachelor watch parties with all of my favorite girls in their PJs, I started reverting back to things I once found to be so fun, like making things to hang around my apartment and bedroom. I was doing activities solely for the fact that I liked them, and while it sounds like a trivial thing to “learn,” I find it’s something a lot of people my age struggle with. I started spending my money on things I found more worthwhile and spending time with other people in a different way. I would so much rather sit down and have a meal with my closest friends, actually hear the things they’ve been thinking about and caring about, have real conversations about things that matter, and form deep connections, rather than be at a loud club, intoxicated, miles away from home, not being able to hear what the person in front of me is saying. College life can look like that and be so fun for some people, but it can also look like sitting on your couch in your favorite sweatpants with your favorite friend, watching episodes of trashy reality TV and Taylor Swift music videos until midnight. I’m so excited to write about the usual college things here, like sorority formal and busy Saturday nights, but I also am so thrilled to have a space where I can talk about the things I find so exciting, like a finals week dinner with all of my favorite people!

Recently, my roommates and I hosted a big “family'“ dinner during finals week! We invited all of our favorite people, and it was a great space to let off some steam during such a stressful week. Everyone brought their favorite food, and it was such a wonderful night of community that brought all of our hard work during the semester to a close! I made mac n cheese, and I’m super excited to get more practice with many more dinner parties to come! :)