Semester Reflections

Semester 1

As a student at the University of Maryland, I have found college to be similar to what I expected it to be like. I expected, considering my major as a Mechanical Engineer, to have limited free time due to rigorous homework and projects. While not as severe as I expect the future will be, the majority of my time does indeed go to my studies. However, I was also very excited to attend UMD for their clubs, events, and extracurriculars, of which I have had a wonderful time joining. 

This semester’s workload has been a pretty expected level for engineering. In high school the majority of my free time was consumed by homework and I assumed the same would be for college. The content is a bit harder, definitely more fast paced but I have been blessed with wonderful teachers who help me succeed in my endeavors. I’d say I spend about the same amount of time doing homework now as I did in highschool, maybe slightly more. For next semester I am going to push myself to get ahead at the start of the year and begin learning software over break so I can get ahead and stay ahead. Additionally, I have learned I do my best work while at the dining halls, at the library, and at the CCC so I will be sure to visit these locations more often when I need to buckle down and focus. 

Art Scholars has been similar to what I expected, this of course has been helped from attending multiple meetings about what scholars would be like before the school year started. I did not know about the Craft and Chat events or Arts Advisory Board events and all that I attended were a lot of fun! My friends and I have had many bonding experiences and beautiful crafts to thank from these events. I also greatly enjoyed our field trips such as to the Cirque du Soleil.

I think the most thought provoking event in Art Scholars for me was from touring the Sandbox. One of the main incentives for me to join Art Scholars was in the hope to learn new skills and be able to apply them to projects. One of my major goals in life is to become a jack of all trades, and being surrounded by all crafty tools and trades inspired me to want to build, craft, and invent with them as soon as possible. I intend to apply my knowledge on the Sandbox by finishing my machine training as soon as possible to begin developing hands-on experience crafting to build my skill sets and expand my artistic boundaries. 

Some of my greatest challenges this semester of college have mostly been in my time management. I tended to draw out assignments, stressing myself out and not allowing myself enough time to take effective breaks from work. At the end of the semester, I have found myself overcoming this challenge by finding better spaces for focusing, such as at the library or empty classrooms. Additionally, next semester I intend to make it a point to not look at my phone in the mornings or evenings to avoid getting distracted and to continue updating my planner as I have been to keep my days organized and on track for success. 

I have found brave spaces when reaching out to my peers for help or to have fun as well as by taking more risks in my art and skills to improve upon them. An example of this was when I tried incorporating string and sewing into a canvas painting. I was worried it would dent the painting, but I couldn’t be happier with how the painting ended up and am so thankful I took the artistic risk. I have been very aware of my discomfort and comfort levels throughout my life and I try to make it a point to overcome my discomfort in little ways as often as possible. Over the years I have become more confident in my skills and abilities and outgoingness in how I present myself to others. By practicing being myself more around my friends in scholars and by pushing my skills in art I am overcoming little obstacles that will allow my creativity and passions to flourish, making me proud of myself and happy with how far I’ve come. 

I find that I have made a point of being as aware of my position in the world as possible, particularly these last few years. I like to know what I’m signing up for before agreeing to major things, I ask other’s opinions, I read overviews on the subject, I ask questions from people who have experience in these subjects, and I weigh my own limits, abilities, confidence levels, and feelings on the subject before I come to a decision. In this way, I find I am rarely surprised by my environment or position in it, even in times of great change. When I am uncertain, I still don’t let it hold me back because I know someday I won’t be uncertain, and by taking chances I will often gain a new skill, perspective, or story to tell so I don’t dread different experiences, I invite and look forward to them and try to be understanding when things don’t work out and adapt. I believe that because of my awareness of myself and my surroundings, I have been able to adapt to college life easily and make the most of my experiences. Through there are still more skills to develop, subjects to learn, things to experience, and ways to improve and I am so grateful to Art Scholars for opening many of these doors and experiences for me and introducing me to some of the most wonderful people I have had to pleasure of meeting, this group has provided so much wonderful potential of my college experience.