Sometimes you don’t really see how busy you are until you’re on a break. Last semester felt more intense than usual, and I know that intensity was not only felt by me. Maybe it was because of finally returning to an in-person semester for the first time in over a year or switching into a new major with a new set of expectations. Whatever it was, the pressure was certainly felt, but I was able to pull through and end on a high note.

During the break, I had spent a lot of downtime relaxing and enjoying some calmness before heading feet first back into the swing of the semester. While I did have a few things I had intended to do throughout the break, the sudden rest from the semester overtook my productivity. But, hey, better now during a break than a week before Finals (been there, done that). Now that the semester is approaching soon, and by soon, I mean exactly a week from when I wrote this, professors have taken this time as the perfect opportunity to disrupt the pattern of calmness and peace by sending emails with 10-page syllabi. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being ahead of my work and starting a course smoothly, but who wouldn’t want to stretch out a break just a bit longer?

I am excited to see what this semester brings and what 2022 has in store in my college career. There is anticipation of new projects along the way for my major, research opportunities to seize, specific days of interest for campus activities and lots of room for adventure along the way. And once the semester starts, it is full speed ahead to the summer. Until then, any new email that pops up in my inbox would be met with an audible “Oh Geez” from me.

~ Rudy