By Kihei Staruch-Paikai, English Major & ACH Clear Pathways/Community Writing Center Intern
Well, this is crazy. I can’t believe we’re finally here! It feels like it was just yesterday that I was anxiously writing my first blog post. Another semester, all online… it quite literally ZOOM’ed by;-) All jokes aside, this internship has been a fantastic experience. The resume workshop was a success, which I couldn’t be happier about. Getting the opportunity to help individuals in the community was such a fulfilling experience. It truly goes to show that even within the era of COVID, our reach can extend far beyond that of just campus. Certainly, there are days where I want nothing to do with Zoom. However, it and other platforms like it have allowed us to create community outreach programs and have them be successful. Of course, there were many hurdles and challenges to overcome this semester due to the online platform. I can’t wait until we may start doing things face-to-face again. However, in the spirit of building connections with those in our neighboring communities, I’d say it’s worth it.
It’s an odd feeling knowing that my undergraduate career is coming to a close. There were many twists and turns, delays, surprises… frankly, there was just a lot of uncertainty. I changed my major a total of 4 times. 4 TIMES! Physics, Environmental Science, Education, and English. And because of that, there was a gigantic cloud of ambiguity surrounding when I’d actually graduate. Now that I know it’s coming in just a few short weeks, I’m actually a little sad. Don’t get me wrong, I am so excited to graduate. I mean, I’ve been looking forward to it ever since I enrolled in college. But, as cheesy as it sounds, I’m a little sad that this whole chapter of my life is ending. I’m scared about what the future holds. It feels like I traded one uncertainty for another, especially given the pandemic. But, I know that the classes I’ve taken, particularly this internship, have all prepared me for this moment.
Building Bridges 