It's been a long time...

Well, I got very caught up in school this past year and stopped posting on here obviously, but I'll summarize how my freshman year went:

First semester was amazing:
I made some new friends and got really good grades. I managed to make Dean's List and Semester honors.

In our first year engineering class, we had a large project to finish by the end of the semester about improving the transportation system around campus. Our team came up with a lot of ideas, but my personal favorite was the idea of putting little walk up shops along the sidewalks leading onto campus. We built a model to better illustrate our idea for our presentation. The professor kept our model as an example for future students!

Speech class was actually a much better than I expected. I really hit my stride with my last individual speech. I gave a really emotional speech about society blaming rape victims. Everyone in the class responded really well and I received a perfect score. But I was really proud of myself for my strong delivery.

Second semester was a lot harder:
I had a really hard time with calculus and chemistry this semester. I just never felt like I could catch up, but in the end, I pulled it off. I learned that if I am having trouble, sometimes I have to ask for help. I've never felt that way before. It was definitely a new feeling, and I'm not sure I like it. I prefer being able to figure things out for myself, but I won't let that pride get in the way of my success.

I was also involved in Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day through Women in Engineering. This day was fun, but also a little awkward for me. I was part of the Environmental Engineering group, but as a freshman not interested in that particular field, it was hard for me to answer many questions that the high school girls asked. Our demonstration activity worked out well though. We had small groups of the girls attempt to come up with solutions for an "oil spill" on a "beach". Everyone had a of of fun.

The other big thing from this past semester was the process of getting my internship with Procter and Gamble for this coming summer. The process was very long, but I'm very excited and also a little nervous now that I have the position. It seems like it is going to be a huge responsibility for me. It will be an incredible experience, but a lot of work. I really hope I'm up to it.

In other news: Over the past year I've been slowly writing a recreational story online, and I'm really thrilled to say that I have gotten over 100 people following one of my stories. I really hope to speed up my writing now, around working for the summer.

I've also spent a lot of time with my family, and I'm really happy to have done that. My parents are really supportive of me, and my brother has become one of my best friends. With one of my largest goals being to have a large family of my own, I think it is really important that I continue to understand the importance of family time. (Although at some point I really should learn to cook. What kind of mom can't even follow a recipe???)

Next on my to-do list: Figure out how to better blend my work/school and fun days together...and also remember to post on here!