Student Blogger: Allie Pruett

So spring break has come and gone for the majority of us, and now we're left with the memories of the last week that'll stick with us for years to come.

Fandom-ism isn't a one-way street, for the most part at least. One fandom usually bleeds into another one, and then another one, and soon enough you're a fan of more things than you originally expected.

My first week of my second semester of junior year was...long and short at the same time. It did pass by quickly, since half of my in-person classes were cancelled for most of the week, but slowly also, because most of that free time was spent sitting around, waiting for something to come up to entertain me.

Ah, 2022, what could I possibly say about you? You introduced me to photography, something I had previously enjoyed but developed a deeper appreciation for just because I learned the craft.

First semester of junior year at MBU was probably the most notable of any semester so far of college. For one, my best friend, the one on the right in the picture, started working at the university and will be starting school there in a couple weeks.

Usually, when I think about fall, I think of crunchy leaves that make a mess of our deck and bitterly cold temperatures whenever the sun's not out. This year, though, that changed, if only a little bit.

Two years ago, little ol' freshman-in-college me was struggling to figure out what to go as to my choir's Halloween party. I didn't have anything planned.

Dropping this picture here purely because I just got the chance to download it, so here's a little gift for you. Anyways, this month has been full of revelations and such for me.

As I sit here during the first day of my junior year of college, I can't help but reflect on the last three-and-a-half months.

The music in the movie Forrest Gump was a central part of the plot, believe it or not.

Even four days after the fact, it still has yet to dawn on me that I've left the teenage years behind.

Having a major in the Fine Arts department can mean many things, but for me, it means being able to express myself through multiple outlets, including photography, which I just realized I have a new passion and appreciation for.

Picture a history buff high school freshman, who is hypercritical of this new musical that had just come out a year before about one of the Founding Fathers and is griping about all the historical inaccuracies. Flash forward to 2020, when said musical debuts on Disney+. That newly graduated high school senior had just had her perspective changed.

Picture a somewhat-windy Sunday afternoon in South St. Louis County. Can't do it? Well, I'll help you out there.

I used to only see myself in the performing arts, having been in choir for the majority of my life and having been engulfed in writing for the past several years. Now, I finally find myself branching out beyond what I thought I was capable of.

This year, I'm going to my first real musical. Yes, I saw a couple in high school and performed in many in my children's choir at church, but I've never been to a professional performance. Thankfully, my mom gifted me (and herself) Hamilton tickets for when the U.S. tour stops in St. Louis.

Every four years or so for the past...probably twenty years, MBU has been performing Handel's Messiah. This year is one of those years. Needless to say, it's not an easy work. It is several hundred years old, after all, and some things have been lost in translation, so to speak, but it's still a fun work nonetheless.

All in all, this time of year is just a time to wind down and reflect. If that means cutting some toxic people in your life out, that's perfectly fine. If it means bringing new people in, that's also great!

I know what you're thinking now, that all we sing is stuff about God and Jesus. While that is definitely in there, it's not all we do. We just had our fall concert on October 1st, which was just over a week ago now, and most of our lit centered around the bicentennial of the state of Missouri, as the state was established in 1821.

How do I manage my anxiety and get college done at the same time? It's easy. Don't pile too much on yourself at one time. Take it easy on yourself and don't overdo it. Find ways to manage your time that don't leave you in a panicky mess later.