Now that I have at least a general idea of my plans for the next two years, I can also finally relax. My last semester as an undergraduate student is also starting to wind down. I am more or less finished with my senior capstone thesis, which I will be presenting at the International Studies Symposium next week, and I only have one take-home exam and a final in Russian to look forward to during finals week! I couldn’t ask for a better end to my undergraduate career!

Later this year, I will almost certainly be attending the University of Michigan Medical School.  What a tremendous honor it is to have the opportunity to go to such a great institution and to have options with all of the other excellent schools that accepted me!  I am so grateful for how the application process has treated me and I would go everywhere I was accepted in an ideal world, but the atmosphere and the sense of community at Michigan just stood out to me and made me feel most comfortable.  Regarding medical school in general, I have a unique situation in that I will be returning to a structured environment of sorts.  Nonetheless, I will have to adapt to many of the difficulties and growing pains that come with becoming a more mature, independent, professionally proficient adult.  However, thanks to the best four years of my life at Indiana University, I feel prepared for the next phase of my life.  There are so many people I have to thank for the ways in which they taught me and helped me to grow into who I am today but not enough time, space, or words to truly express my gratitude.  Therefore, if you are reading this and you made any sort of impact on my life whatsoever, whether it was good or bad, I want to thank you for making me ready for whatever is next.  Good luck to everyone and goodbye for now!

I’m happy I got a chance to see it before I graduate though. The building is incredible! I think the orange walls and purple curtains go quite well togther too (:

The performances were also amazing. I’ve only ever been to one other ballet performance but this one won in terms of originality. The dances were far different from what I’d consider the stereotype; there were jockeys riding and twirling on imaginary racehorses, a Spanish girl dancing with her reflection in the mirror, and cowboys and townhall girls dancing in Western-style costume. It all made for a very lively and somewhat unexpected performance! I’d encourage everyone to take a look at their other shows before the semester ends!

Before you know it, I will be turning in my last homework assignment, enjoying my last Little Five concert, attending my last undergraduate class, and writing my last blog entry for IU’s Office of Scholarships. It’s all very bittersweet!

It’s strange thinking that last week was likely my last spring break. Barring any graduate study plans, in which case I’ll likely win back spring break rights for at least the next two years, post-graduation there’s little chance I’ll have my evenly-spaced, planned-in-advance vacation times that I’ve enjoyed as a student. The “real world” as students and parents ominously call it, looms on the horizon.

But for me, I know this is just me resisting potentially leaving the university, town, and people I’ve grown very fond of the last four years. I don’t like to think about the last time I leave Bloomington or glimpse our beautiful, tulip-covered campus. Bloomington has become quite the welcoming and loving home for me, and as exciting as my upcoming graduation is, it’s a little bit sad as well.

And the waiting is killing me.

I began some of my applications in November, and many more in December. The deadline for a majority of graduate programs was January 15th this year, and I expected to hear back from most schools by early to mid-March, not unlike most undergraduate institutions informing high school applicants if I remember correctly? However, ever since I received my acceptance e-mail (?) from SPEA, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU, unexpectedly early on the 17th on January (so, a full two days after the application deadline), I figured anything goes and began obsessively checking my email everyday. Or hour.. Or whenever I found the opportunity.

Now, I’m happy to say I’ve been accepted to all of the different programs I’ve applied to. Nevertheless, yet another cycle of waiting has begun as I look forward to hearing from different scholarship committees about potential funding before I’m able to make a decision. It never ends!

So as the next couple of weeks drag by, imagine me much like my poor Doberman, Koa, who becomes unbelievably sad when my mother leaves the house for even the shortest of errands, and waits on the couch looking like this until she comes home. This is me waiting to find out where I’ll be and what I’ll be doing next year. Waiting is the worst.

He almost looks like he's crying, doesn't he?

Please follow along with my class during our week down under. We will be blogging every day, and it will be posted to this site.

G’day!

This week is off to a great start! Yesterday, I had the opportunity to have breakfast with Ms. Nancy Streets Lyons, a past winner of the Miss IU pageant, and her daughter. On top of her being a past Miss IU Winner, she was the first African-American Miss IU. This means a lot to me because I had the opportunity to not only speak to someone who is a part of IU history, but she is a part of African American IU History. Just being able to hear her speak about her experiences at IU and compare them to my experiences, really helped me to see how the campus has changed in some areas, and how it has remained the same in others. One thing that was very evident from the conversation that I had with Ms.Lyons, is that her love for IU has not changed. It goes to show that NO university is perfect, and they all have issues, but the thing that matters the most is how they address these issues, and the perception that students leave with. Ms. Lyons left with a good impression.

Outside of meeting Ms. Lyons, yesterday served as the first day of my fitness plan. Being in college, weight just seems to appear on your body out of nowhere. First, it’s the freshman fifteen that you never lose, and before you know it you are gaining five pounds every year up until your graduation. Well, I have decided to break this cycle, and try to make it back to the weight that I was four years ago when I came to IU. One thing that will make this easier is the fact that we have great fitness facilities. Yesterday, I went to the Student Recreational Sports Center (SRSC), which is the newer of our two sports facilities on campus. After doing about an hour of intense cardio, I was happy to head home. Once I made it home, a nice chicken caesar salad was calling my name.

OAN: IU WON!!!

Till next time scholars…

Today has been one of the most amazing days of my life! You might be wondering why I am so excited, so I will tell you. Today I recorded an interview with the Office of Admissions that will be used in a video that they are creating for admitted seniors entering the university. This event is extremely important to me because it means that I only have one more goal to complete before I graduate. Another reason why I am so excited is because I never thought that I would have the opportunity to be featured in an Indiana University Video Publication. This just really goes to show that I am very lucky person and that hard work pays off.

Outside of filming for IU, I recently had the opportunity to visit Charlotte, North Carolina. The purpose of my trip was to find housing for my internship this summer, but that was the least of my concerns. I met co-workers, toured downtown, and went to visit an old plantation. However, I must say that the best part of my entire trip was the beautiful mountains of Tennessee. Coming from the flat cornfields of Indiana, seeing the mountains was an absolutely breathtaking experience. I cannot wait until I return so that I can go skydiving and white water rafting.

“Every Great Dream begins with a dreamer – Harriett Tubman”

B-town.  Beautifully nestled in the heart of southern Indiana, it is, as they often say, the “quintessential” college town.  It is hard to imagine that this small, inconspicuous Midwest city encompasses such a large variety of activities and diversity of human beings that makes the atmosphere here as distinct and as it is.  There is a certain intimacy that comes with knowing that it was here where I gained the experiences and knowledge that will help me in the real world and here where I made the difficult and trying transition from boyhood to manhood.  I know now is certainly not the time to elegize over this town, especially since this town is here to stay.  However, I myself am not.  In fact, my departure grows more and more imminent with each passing day.  Driving around town and experiencing the locales that Bloomington has to offer continually reminds me of what I love most about this place and what I am going to miss the most when I am no longer here.  and now, more than ever before, I am looking to savor what remains of my time here.  If I don’t begin to treasure what makes this place so special now, then before I know it, POOF…it will all be but memories, existing in thought but gone in reality.

This semester puts me in an interesting bind seeing as I find myself in over my head once again and maybe already close to burnout yet here we are only in week 4.  At this very moment, I wonder if I honestly want to put myself through this again.  Sure, I may derive the same satisfaction I normally do at having accomplished a lofty feat of great academic rigor but part of me wonders, “is it really worth it this time around?”  After all, this is the last go-around.  To those of you who are younger out there, learn from me and don’t spread yourself thin.  Believe it or not, chillaxin’ is a desirable skill to have (and yes, chillaxin’ is an acceptable word nowadays).  Just like there are times to be going nonstop, there are equally as many times to let loose and relax.  This becomes even more compounded as a second-semester senior and justifiably so for all of the reasons stated above.  College comes and college goes.  You may come to regret always having your head in a book because before you know it, POOF…it will all be gone.  Always work hard to be the best you can be but never finish with regrets.