Student Blog: To New Beginnings

2021 will be a year to remember. The Covid-19 pandemic is still surging around us, and it took hold of everyone's plans for the year and turned them upside down. In 2022, I am looking at the brighter side of life, with my head up high.

Last January, I made the decision to stay home for the spring semester of my freshman year at college. I didn't have a great experience in the fall semester and so I thought, what was the point? In spring semester, things were easier and I was able to finish out the school year at home while maintaining my GPA. Then, summer arrived. I had some great vacations going to Myrtle Beach with friends and then traveled to Utah to see my sister. I also had an internship which gave me a lot of confidence and improved many skills of mine. Once summer was over, I was so ready to go back to Pittsburgh. I could not wait to live in a dorm and have in-person classes.

The semester did not disappoint. I met some incredible friends and made tons of memories my first semester of sophomore year and I am very excited to go back. There is, however, some downsides to this upcoming year and with that, I have set some goals for myself.

First, I have yet to be cast in a theatrical production at the University of Pittsburgh. I know that I did not adequately prepare myself for auditions and I know that I did not push myself hard enough. This is something I want to work on for the future and hopefully I can be cast in a show soon. On the bright side, I told myself that if I was not cast, that I would write a one-act play. I have always had an interest in playwriting, and I think this is a good opportunity for me to try something new without tons of pressure.

My other goal for the semester is receiving a higher GPA. My fall semester was not terrible at all, but my grades did falter a little mostly because the direct introduction back to in-person learning was more difficult than I had thought. I also had a part-time job that was taking up a lot of my time and I know for next semester I am going to pace myself and find a more low-commitment job.

Some other small goals include reading more books, eating healthier, improving my cursive writing, find new hobbies and staying fit. Though a few of those goals sound repetitive and feel cliché, I know that they will make me feel good about myself and I will be able to have a great spring semester leading into a new year.

As for the rest of 2022, who knows? I get to move into my first apartment with my two other roommates this August which I am very excited for, but that also means saving up money which leads to me needing a steady job and it all snowballs onto itself. My goal for 2022 is to pace myself and go with the flow and I think that mindset with help aid my goal-reaching abilities.