My third academic year of college is concluded, folks (if you don't count the summer co-op I am currently completing.)
From my fall co-op in my research lab, to the awfulness of spring semester classes, it was an interesting year. I was also lucky enough to serve as president for Astronomy Club yet again, and raise up a great exec board for next year! The mentorship program that I had implemented, based on ideas from other clubs' success with it, worked like a charm. For more info on this project, follow the link here: Astronomy Club Honors Experience
Additionally, I was design chair for Engineers without Borders, and membership chair for Ipals, bringing new students into both organizations and furthering their causes. This year has really helped me narrow down what I want to do in terms of both extracurricular involvement, and in further aspects of my life. Although I want to still interact with people from other cultures, I dislike bureaucracy in terms of it, so I probably won't stay at the top of these organizations that require a lot of hoops to go through for long. As long as I can make an impact on international communities, that is the goal! I will still be involved with these groups in following years, but on the sidelines for the most part, helping where I am needed, rather than being on the exec board. And I want to try to go to the source... after all, people know better what they need than the bureaucracy "helping" them does. For my efforts in bringing in new Ipals, and helping to make the Ipal family closer together, I got the "Exceptional Ipal" award this past year!
On the creative side, I also made some leaps and bounds. I became a cantor for my church, St Monica St George. This was terribly nervewracking to go sing in front of everyone, but I am glad to do it now, and I'm gaining more self confidence every time.
I also opened my own Etsy shop! Although my Etsy shop didn't do terribly well, I did a few more craft shows, and started making a bit of money (not a lot, but at least making my money back).
Personally, I decided to try to focus more on my mental well-being, and cut the people out of my life that seemed to be more of a poison, or me putting lots more effort forward than them. The one-sided relationships often made me more anxious and frustrated than they are worth. This isn't foolproof (social anxiety is for everyone, not just fools!) but it really did help clear up some of my self-confidence issues. One thing that helped with this was meeting with my co workers from Chong Qing. Two of them had come over for their fifth year (Robert and Celia, if you've read the blog from China), and I loved showing them around Cincinnati! Each semester we had a dinner with all our co workers, and I did various activities with them as well outside of that, such as ice skating, going to Mt Airy Forest, and UCWF meetings.
Thank God that my grades this spring semester weren't awful 😅 (I even made the dean's list), and that some of the professors had mercy on me! This was the first semester where I took classes for all three of my academic concentrations (my mechanical engineering major, my astrophysics minor, and my philosophy minor), and I couldn't have been more sure that I pursued the right studies.
My Advanced Astronomy course was with the professor that I worked with for Astronomy Club, and the professor that I will be doing astrophysics research with in the fall. It was more challenging than I thought it would be, with some dense material that, at times, went over my head. However, I loved the enthusiasm of my professor, and with a study buddy, I made it through the class with a great grade, and a positive attitude for future studies/research in astronomy!
My philosophy courses (the Good Life honors seminar, and Intro to Logic) brought new friends, great professors, and lots of new knowledge I wouldn't have gotten outside of this minor. I attempted to sign up for the Enlightenment seminar for the fall with the same professor that taught the Good Life, but it was cancelled due to lack of interest. I realized through the discussion, and through the new types of logic that philosophy is much more than just constantly questioning yourself. It's constantly challenging yourself to do better, and encouraging your "love of wisdom" in the company of others.
Now onto my summer, doing research once more, furthering my knowledge of fuzzy logic and UAV path planning, and learning Japanese for my last co-op rotation in January! For my research co op, I am expected to publish a paper with my findings by the end of the semester, so that's a bit nerve wracking. Although it is enjoyable, I have realized that the research I am currently doing is not really what I want to do in grad school.
Let me explain: I'm currently doing more simulations than anything else, running it to make sure my code is working correctly, and not doing hands on things. As UAVs are not my passion, doing this for 40 hours a week is wearing me down. I want to combine my passion of space with my passion of engineering. I want to have a concentration on astronautical engineering, and that requires very specific studies in only a handful of universities around the globe. Right now, some of the top choices I have are MIT, Stanford, Purdue, or the International Space University in France. Although these can be reaches, my past honors advisor assured me that my experiences speak for themselves and put me above the crowd. We'll see where life takes me from here!
Some other goals I have for over the summer are continuing to learn French, catching up with old friends, narrowing down grad schools, and joining Cubecats to learn more about cube satellites!
One thing I almost forgot to put in here was my trips this past year! Over winter break, I went to Haiti for a week with my boyfriend, who is a native Haitian. It was amazing to see their culture firsthand, rather than just through the media, which often gives a negative perspective. After this, we went to New Orleans, to continue the French and Creole theme of the trip, and to spend his 21st birthday there! Pictures are below! It was definitely an amazing two weeks, and it really helped to strengthen our relationship even further. Going to Haiti really helped me realize how media skew the perception of the country, and that the amazing culture and beauty of the island beckons one to come explore and judge it for oneself!
Over spring break, I did three different things. The first one was going to the Air Force Museum for a day trip with UC World Friends, an international Christian group that I am in. Secondly, I went to Louisville for three days alone, to allow myself to explore and indulge in EVERYTHING I wanted to do! It was an amazing city, and so close to home as well! Thirdly, I went on a trip to Red River Gorge that I had organized for Astronomy Club. Although it looked like it wasn't going to happen (see the honors experience tab for Astro Club for more details) a few of my friends pulled together, helping me out with both driving, and navigating through the gorge!
Other small miscellanoues trips I took were the Ipals spring and summer retreat, the International Prom (the first one of its kind) at the Newport Aquarium, and a few church retreats with H20 in the fall and St Monica St George in the spring (the latter was the most effective religious retreat that I have been on). I was also invited to the YAL regional summit in Cleveland, which helped me clarify many of my political views, and was a very intensive experience. I went on a few trips with UCWF, including to Clifty Falls in Indiana, where I got some emerald quartz to take home. We also went to the breathtaking Niagara Falls, which was absolutely incredible! I was also invited on a trip with to see Maestro Ilayaraja in concert in Chicago. Although it was in Tamil and Telagoo (two Indian languages), the immersive nature of it was an unparalleled experience, and Chicago was incredible.
Pictures of this year are below!
From my fall co-op in my research lab, to the awfulness of spring semester classes, it was an interesting year. I was also lucky enough to serve as president for Astronomy Club yet again, and raise up a great exec board for next year! The mentorship program that I had implemented, based on ideas from other clubs' success with it, worked like a charm. For more info on this project, follow the link here: Astronomy Club Honors Experience
Additionally, I was design chair for Engineers without Borders, and membership chair for Ipals, bringing new students into both organizations and furthering their causes. This year has really helped me narrow down what I want to do in terms of both extracurricular involvement, and in further aspects of my life. Although I want to still interact with people from other cultures, I dislike bureaucracy in terms of it, so I probably won't stay at the top of these organizations that require a lot of hoops to go through for long. As long as I can make an impact on international communities, that is the goal! I will still be involved with these groups in following years, but on the sidelines for the most part, helping where I am needed, rather than being on the exec board. And I want to try to go to the source... after all, people know better what they need than the bureaucracy "helping" them does. For my efforts in bringing in new Ipals, and helping to make the Ipal family closer together, I got the "Exceptional Ipal" award this past year!
On the creative side, I also made some leaps and bounds. I became a cantor for my church, St Monica St George. This was terribly nervewracking to go sing in front of everyone, but I am glad to do it now, and I'm gaining more self confidence every time.
I also opened my own Etsy shop! Although my Etsy shop didn't do terribly well, I did a few more craft shows, and started making a bit of money (not a lot, but at least making my money back).
Personally, I decided to try to focus more on my mental well-being, and cut the people out of my life that seemed to be more of a poison, or me putting lots more effort forward than them. The one-sided relationships often made me more anxious and frustrated than they are worth. This isn't foolproof (social anxiety is for everyone, not just fools!) but it really did help clear up some of my self-confidence issues. One thing that helped with this was meeting with my co workers from Chong Qing. Two of them had come over for their fifth year (Robert and Celia, if you've read the blog from China), and I loved showing them around Cincinnati! Each semester we had a dinner with all our co workers, and I did various activities with them as well outside of that, such as ice skating, going to Mt Airy Forest, and UCWF meetings.
Thank God that my grades this spring semester weren't awful 😅 (I even made the dean's list), and that some of the professors had mercy on me! This was the first semester where I took classes for all three of my academic concentrations (my mechanical engineering major, my astrophysics minor, and my philosophy minor), and I couldn't have been more sure that I pursued the right studies.
My Advanced Astronomy course was with the professor that I worked with for Astronomy Club, and the professor that I will be doing astrophysics research with in the fall. It was more challenging than I thought it would be, with some dense material that, at times, went over my head. However, I loved the enthusiasm of my professor, and with a study buddy, I made it through the class with a great grade, and a positive attitude for future studies/research in astronomy!
My philosophy courses (the Good Life honors seminar, and Intro to Logic) brought new friends, great professors, and lots of new knowledge I wouldn't have gotten outside of this minor. I attempted to sign up for the Enlightenment seminar for the fall with the same professor that taught the Good Life, but it was cancelled due to lack of interest. I realized through the discussion, and through the new types of logic that philosophy is much more than just constantly questioning yourself. It's constantly challenging yourself to do better, and encouraging your "love of wisdom" in the company of others.
Now onto my summer, doing research once more, furthering my knowledge of fuzzy logic and UAV path planning, and learning Japanese for my last co-op rotation in January! For my research co op, I am expected to publish a paper with my findings by the end of the semester, so that's a bit nerve wracking. Although it is enjoyable, I have realized that the research I am currently doing is not really what I want to do in grad school.
Let me explain: I'm currently doing more simulations than anything else, running it to make sure my code is working correctly, and not doing hands on things. As UAVs are not my passion, doing this for 40 hours a week is wearing me down. I want to combine my passion of space with my passion of engineering. I want to have a concentration on astronautical engineering, and that requires very specific studies in only a handful of universities around the globe. Right now, some of the top choices I have are MIT, Stanford, Purdue, or the International Space University in France. Although these can be reaches, my past honors advisor assured me that my experiences speak for themselves and put me above the crowd. We'll see where life takes me from here!
Some other goals I have for over the summer are continuing to learn French, catching up with old friends, narrowing down grad schools, and joining Cubecats to learn more about cube satellites!
One thing I almost forgot to put in here was my trips this past year! Over winter break, I went to Haiti for a week with my boyfriend, who is a native Haitian. It was amazing to see their culture firsthand, rather than just through the media, which often gives a negative perspective. After this, we went to New Orleans, to continue the French and Creole theme of the trip, and to spend his 21st birthday there! Pictures are below! It was definitely an amazing two weeks, and it really helped to strengthen our relationship even further. Going to Haiti really helped me realize how media skew the perception of the country, and that the amazing culture and beauty of the island beckons one to come explore and judge it for oneself!
Over spring break, I did three different things. The first one was going to the Air Force Museum for a day trip with UC World Friends, an international Christian group that I am in. Secondly, I went to Louisville for three days alone, to allow myself to explore and indulge in EVERYTHING I wanted to do! It was an amazing city, and so close to home as well! Thirdly, I went on a trip to Red River Gorge that I had organized for Astronomy Club. Although it looked like it wasn't going to happen (see the honors experience tab for Astro Club for more details) a few of my friends pulled together, helping me out with both driving, and navigating through the gorge!
Other small miscellanoues trips I took were the Ipals spring and summer retreat, the International Prom (the first one of its kind) at the Newport Aquarium, and a few church retreats with H20 in the fall and St Monica St George in the spring (the latter was the most effective religious retreat that I have been on). I was also invited to the YAL regional summit in Cleveland, which helped me clarify many of my political views, and was a very intensive experience. I went on a few trips with UCWF, including to Clifty Falls in Indiana, where I got some emerald quartz to take home. We also went to the breathtaking Niagara Falls, which was absolutely incredible! I was also invited on a trip with to see Maestro Ilayaraja in concert in Chicago. Although it was in Tamil and Telagoo (two Indian languages), the immersive nature of it was an unparalleled experience, and Chicago was incredible.
Pictures of this year are below!