As I reflect on my fall semester at Bates College, I am deeply grateful for the opportunities that MVYouth has made possible for me. After working in the Early Childhood Program this past summer at MVCS, I started my third pre-season with the Bates Women’s Soccer Team. I had worked hard over the summer to stay fit and was selected as the starting goalkeeper. While we did not have enough wins to make it to post-season play, I had a wonderful surprise from the MVRHS girls’s soccer team to see our game against Tufts in early October. I was also named to the NESCAC 2023 Fall All-Academic Team. Despite an unfortunate concussion that sidelined me for the last two games, I am grateful for the experiences and growth with my teammates this season. I declared a major in Psychology last year and engaged in challenging coursework this semester with a standout experience in Research Methods. I conducted a randomized survey studying Jewish and Protestant Americans. This hands-on research presented a positive and challenging opportunity to refine my skills in research, data collection, and analysis. The mass-shooting incident at the end of October was extremely scary and, while no one from Bates was directly affected, the Lewiston community continues to recover. I am looking forward to my spring semester abroad in Granada, Spain. I have enrolled in courses that will enrich my Hispanic Studies minor. I will be taking classes in Cross-Cultural Psychology, The Arab World and The West, and Flamenco dancing. The IES program also includes trips to Córdoba, Sevilla, and Morocco! Looking forward, I am hoping to secure an internship in Boston next summer and just learned that I was accepted to a Job Shadow program that will help to refine my internship goals. I am also excited about the opportunity to reside off-campus next fall and planning for my Psychology thesis course.
Ruby Reimann - Bates College
I played my second season of varsity soccer this fall semester at Bates College. It was a great season for our team and we were able to build strong connections with each other leading to a more robust program. One of the highlights of the season was our 2-0 victory over Tufts University. This was my first NESCAC start in goal, and following this win, my coach chose to start me in the net for the rest of the season. Our team is also planning to take a soccer-oriented trip to Iceland this April which will include both exploring the country and playing soccer. This fall and last spring I volunteered several days a week as a fourth-grade teaching assistant at a local elementary school. This opportunity has sparked a new passion for working with children leading to my future work at the Early Childhood Education Center at MV Community Services. I plan to work there this summer with children ages three to five to develop my skills as a mentor and teacher, and to gain insight into the other services provided through Community Services that will help guide my career path. I recently declared a major in Psychology with a minor in Hispanic Studies and will be applying to a semester abroad program in Granada, Spain during the spring of Junior Year. I am grateful for the opportunity MVYouth has given me in pursuing my athletic and academic interests at Bates.
Ruby Reimann - Bates College
My first semester at Bates has been an academically and athletically demanding but socially rewarding experience. Playing varsity soccer has allowed me to develop a special bond with my teammates, and has pushed me to become a better goalkeeper and organized student. The NESCAC league is extremely competitive, and although we didn’t achieve enough wins for playoffs, the capacity for development and success is ever-present. The requirements for both vaccination and testing at Bates has allowed all of the students to have a more normal college experience, and for that we are extremely grateful. Attending a liberal arts college has been rewarding in the sense that I have taken classes outside of my math and science comfort zone, and took classes in history, sociology, and religious studies. I am considering a general education concentration in public health, but I’m looking forward to exploring a variety of classes before I declare my major. Though Bates doesn’t offer varsity ice hockey, there is a club team that has been playing at the local arena. Our campus rink has been used as a Covid testing center since the beginning of the pandemic, but a successful campus-wide petition convinced the administration to reestablish the ice. I am looking forward to lacing up my skates again with the club team. I’m extremely grateful for the support and opportunity MVYouth has provided me, and I look forward my next semester at Bates.