Summer 2018 was (and hopefully will be) my only summer spent in the classroom.  While campus was great with less people and classes went well, many sunny days were sacrificed to accommodate the studying. 

    In between summer and fall semester I completed my first ever self-designed honors experience, which was a short hiking trip to Gatlinburg, TN. where I did not allow myself to look at any social media.  The experience was very eye opening in several aspects to me.  I gave me a huge boost in self confidence in the fact that not only did I create the honors experience myself, but it was also the first time I had ever planned a trip that large.  This trip allowed me to see just how much social media had been affecting my life, even though I never believed I was as engrossed in it as many of my classmates.  Rather than seeing the world through the pictures and posts of other people, I got to experience it first-hand, I that made me appreciate it so much more.  This trip has given me the motivation to look at taking more adventures in the future, and it also has me looking less at social media even to this day.

    Fall semester I began my fourth co-op semester, and my second semester at Valco Melton.  During this time, I completed my second self-designed honors experience, which was to teach myself guitar.   Not only did I gain the beginners knowledge of a new instrument, but this experience taught me that given the time and dedication, anything can be accomplished.  Time management was also big in this experience, because I was working 45-50 hours a week at co-op, working a small part-time job on the weekends, and training for a Thanksgiving half marathon.  I quickly learned my personal priorities and was able to shift them around to accommodate everything thing I was doing in a day (with only sacrificing a small amount of sleep).  This experience has given me ideas for future experiences and what else I may want to teach myself in life.

    Spring semester came quick, and classes progressed smoothly.  I again challenged my time management skills by signing up for the Flying Pig three-way challenge, which is where you run a 10k and 5k on the Saturday of race weekend and complete the half marathon the next day.  Challenged both mentally and physically, the week of finals was rewarded with good exam grades and a great weekend of new personal record in both the 5k and 10k.  I even completed the half marathon in a quicker time than I expected, given the fact that I had run hard the day before.

    All in all year four was definitely memberable—especially because I got engaged in November!  I so excited to start my final year as a UC engineering student and look forward to life after school.