Semester Reflections

Semester 2 - Freshmen Time Capsule

It's mindblowing to think that my freshman year is officially over. Looking back, I had a very difficult year, and I've grown so much from it. When I first started UMD, it was difficult adjusting to tight schedules, classes, and the challenges of being a commuter. I didn't have a proper routine going, and it felt like I was just trying to catch up. Although I’ve learned that figuring ourselves out first is very important as a college student. Being in the Arts Scholars Community, I have made so many new friends and have learned important lessons that I am taking from this. Connecting with professors was hard at first because it felt scary emailing them, whether it was about a question in class or a request on an assignment, but once you do, you will know that professors really do care about your academic success and the effort you put into their class. I once made a mistake of not turning in one of my biology post-lab assignments because I didn't have a good routine down, so I lost track of time. I then emailed the coordinator to see if he could take the assignment a few minutes late, and with that, I was able to get a full score on my assignment. It's worth asking rather than not knowing your potential. While connecting with other scholars and classmates also seemed difficult as a commuter but you will realize soon that you will fit in with just the right people and able to make so many friends when you put in effort to go to different events, talk to people, and just network, which is how I met my amazing Arts Scholars friends, Chloe, Sabrina, Daisy and Mia. They helped me adjust to college life by making me feel like I belonged. And even sometimes, outside of scholars, we help each other with our similar classes and our majors. The next year freshmen can make the best use of advice by just being themselves and putting in effort to go out and talk to people, make connections, and definitely try new things.

The Arts Scholars program fosters community and artistic engagement, as this program is based on the arts. This program is for students to be able to express themselves and their creativity in all artistic forms, such as dancing, painting, and even acting. It's not solely a pencil and a canvas in front of you, but this program is to make you feel at home with the people around you. One example of how this program influenced me and provided me with opportunities to contribute to our community and engage with the arts is being in the “Recycle Restyle Rewear” workshop, where I got to meet my amazing workshop leaders and learn about sustainability, not just that, but also able to recreate clothing and other accessories that is usable rather than throwing it away, this is to embrace our creativity and make something new from it. With that, I can contribute back to our community by attending future events and becoming a peer mentor. My understanding and appreciation of art been impacted by my first year in Arts Scholars because I grew up loving to draw, I took art classes for 4 years and its been a passionate hobby of mine, so when I first came to Arts Scholars, I assumed that we were all going to create something but quickly I learned that its more of being yourself in this program, you don't have to learn how to draw or dance or perform to be considered good at art, you just have to be yourself and create something from it that shows who you are. I hope the future Arts scholars can expand from art being one definition of just doodling on a canvas, but more importantly, learn that anything can be art.

From all the aspects of this course, I personally think that the TRYathlon was most beneficial to support my work because these events (usually hosted by the TAs) allows you to create different and new artwork every event such going from rock painting, making Japanese wind chimes, to figured beads, these TRYathlon events is such a creative way to help students take time for themselves and create something new. It's been a great stress reliever being able to just sit down and chat with my friends while creating amazing art. For the incoming Arts Scholars to get the most out of this experience in this program, I would say attend all events, field trips, and many more extracurricular activities that help you bond with the people around you while having fun.