Dear Reader,
Let me tell you, second semester was not shaping up to be a good one. Back when I registered in November, I couldn’t get into half of my classes because I wasn’t an official journalism major yet. So I freaked out and just got random classes that I could get into and was stuck with, what I thought to be, the worst schedule imaginable. All of my classes either terrified me or bored me already, and I was not looking forward to second semester at all.
Now, though, I couldn’t be happier. First of all, I don’t have a single class before 10am, and I’ll never have to make the 25-minute trek to Western Campus again.
Second, these are my classes:
Literature and Composition: This is just the mandatory English class I have to take because I got a 4 (not 5) on the AP exam. But, by the looks of it, I don’t think it’s going to be end up being the boring class with people who hate English that I expected. We’re studying The Notebook, Clueless, Brokeback Mountain, 500 Days of Summer, and Emma by Jane Austen just to name a few films and books. And we’re looking at how masculinity and femininity is portrayed in the media.
African American Writing from 1949-present: I was terrified for this class because it’s a 300-level and it’s with a teacher who I really respect, but never got a good impression if she liked me or hated me (first semester was kind of rough). After today, though, I know we’re on good terms and I’m really excited to learn more from her.
Socioculture in Education: Oh my word, I heard horror stories about this course. The main professor wrote the freakin’ textbook, for crying out loud. But, as it turns out, I find the textbook fascinating. And the co-teacher is awesome. She has purple hair and specializes in teaching sexuality and is so encouraging of exploring new ideas and having good discussions in class. I really can’t wait for more.
Introduction to Media: Another class where the professor wrote the textbook. I’m honestly still scared for this because it looks like it’s a lot of work, but if I do really well in this class, I could possibly be a UA (like a teaching assistant, but undergraduate), which would be amazing and really help me on my path to becoming a teacher. So I’m beyond excited to have that to motivate me all semester.
Intro to Video Production: Finally MAC211. This is a four-hour class on Wednesday nights that I was scared I might dread or just downright hate, but the professor is awesome. He’s hilarious and inspiring and even though he’s young (34!!!), he’s done so much! He’s an emmy-winning director (yes, he showed us the trophy in class today) who’s worked on movies like Fun-Sized with Victoria Justice and Abduction with Taylor Lautner and Toddlers and Tiaras.
And I’ll be learning how to make videos–something I’ve wanted to learn since becoming obsessed with YouTube. Honestly, this class has me so amped up right now, I could write an entire separate post about it if I wanted.
But the thing is, so much could have gone wrong. There are three sections of EDL 204 at the same time, but I just so happened to get the one with the awesome professor. I also had the huge decision of choosing between a four-hour class and a W/F class at 8am. But because I chose the one on Wednesday night, I have the incredible De’Niel Phipps. I also have good friends and co-workers in the other classes, which just happened without any planning whatsoever.
So, what I’m saying is that everything happens for a reason. Two months ago, I was heartbroken because my perfect schedule was seriously screwed up. But honestly, it doesn’t even compare to the one I have now.
And I don’t know how it happened to work out so perfectly, but I can’t even describe how blessed and at ease I feel because of it.
It’s a great thing to be excited about your education.
Sincerely,
Sammy
SINCERELY, SAMMY 