As our world has continued to change in the last year, so have I. 2021 was a year of immense personal growth for me, as I decided to take the year off from school and social work. I spent the winter, spring, and summer bopping from one Martha’s Vineyard rental to another, all while working at Martha’s Vineyard Community Services Chicken Alley Thrift Shop. It was while working at Chicken Alley that I connected with a new community of islanders, as most of my close friends from high school were not home for the pandemic. Not only did I score some incredible vintage clothes, but I also learned so much about our electic, loving, complex island community. I became quite close with my coworkers, volunteers, and regular shoppers during a time where closeness was fraught. This deepened my gratitude for the special place we all call home. Since September of 2021 though, I have been off the island. My first stop was Brooklyn to visit college friends, and give New York the proper goodbye I was never able to give when I graduated from NYU back home in May of 2020. I loved being back in Brooklyn so much I decided to spend an additional month there. During that time I began volunteering at a community garden which distributes food and supplies to houseless people in Bushwick. I also spent a lot of time biking around the different boroughs, exploring new neighborhoods, and reminiscing in old ones. As 2022 rolls around, I am excited for the year to come. I just accepted my offer of enrollment to University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice where I will be getting my Master’s in Social Work. I plan to move to Chicago in June of 2022.