Since we last checked in, a lot has changed in my life, and I am sure in yours, as well. I thought I would be in Thailand, or Columbia or Europe right now, hiking mountains and wandering cities, meeting locals, but instead I am home, in the town of Vineyard Haven I grew up in, biking along the Lagoon and seeing the island in a new way. Since we last checked in, countless horrific events have transpired in our world, but there have been some silver-linings for me, and hopefully for you, too. My silver-lining happened in March. As the world was shutting down, so did my campus, and the agency where I had interned at for the prior year. As most of my NYU classmates terminated their field placements, my supervisor offered me a paid temporary remote position within another program of the same larger agency - The EMPOWER Center, a health center servicing survivors of sex trafficking. I worked at The EMPOWER Center from March until the job’s end date in late June. Throughout those first 3.5 months of quarantine, I worked out of my parent’s Vineyard Haven basement in the same room I slept in each night, calling, emailing and texting clients living in New York City. It was the hardest experience of my life, and also gave me great insight into what it truly takes to be a social worker supporting survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and/or sex trafficking. By July, I realized I needed a break from social work, and decided to take this year living at home to learn how to best take care of myself, so in the future I can better take care of others. Among this silver lining, I graduated from NYU, and plan to start my MSW at the University of Chicago in Summer 2022.
Meghan Sonia - Anna Maria College
Even though this semester and year have been a little unusual and at times difficult, my semester was one of my best yet academically. This semester I pushed myself and enrolled in eight courses. Six of those were ranging from Organic Chemistry to Theology to a Photo class. With this semester being my last year before my challenging nursing classes begin, I decided to get involved a bit more with the school. This semester, on top of my 6 required classes I decided to become a peer mentor and help the incoming freshmen during this trying year. It was such a rewarding experience, especially this year because there were very few opportunities for freshmen to learn from upperclassmen. As for the rest of my courses, I was fortunate enough to thrive due to the low amount of cases which allowed us to remain in-person for the majority of my classes. I was also incredibly fortunate to be able to participate in both field and ice hockey with a limited amount of restrictions. Since we weren’t allowed to compete, we used this time to focus on our skills and better our weaknesses. If we can compete in our spring season, we will be able to use the skills that we practiced this fall and apply them to game-time scenarios. This semester was a growing time. I learned three major things when faced with adversity. I have to accept that I cannot change what is happening, be willing to adapt my plans to my new world, and continue to push myself and not let myself use that obstacle as a reason to not succeed. I am so thankful to MVYouth for giving me this opportunity to learn how I can react in the face of adversity while also bettering my education.
Max Smith - Cape Cod Community College
This past semester went quite differently than anyone could have imagined. What started off last spring as a normal return to classes, day to day life as a student continued just as normal as before. Everyday was spent with my fellow classmates learning everything we could about aviation mechanics, everything from learning to draw part diagrams to creating those exact parts in the sheet metal shop. What we all expected to be a fun and relaxing spring break eventually ended up being a lengthy hiatus from the shop and a new world of online learning. A unique but challenging way of learning for myself and many others. As a trade school student studying to be a technician you could probably understand the difficulty of learning such over Zoom! But through perseverance and maybe a little bit of luck we were able to make it through and eventually make it back for some brief time in the hangar before finishing the first major part of my license, the airframe section of the airframe and powerplant certification. I decided that to get the most from my education I would take a pause for the second section until the madness that surrounds us all settles down and I will be able to continue my study in a way that I will be sure to understand everything presented to me. In this period of absence I have been working on the island for a company, Fuller’s Energy, which installs residential and commercial solar systems all throughout the island. Although it doesn’t exactly pertain to my field of study I have definitely enjoyed learning about this field and how far solar technology has come and continues to grow. It feels good to see the continued growth of green energy on our island and it feels even better to be able to be a part of that growth. I look forward to returning soon to finish my mechanical trade but for now I am happy to be back on island and helping out in the ways I can. As always, thank you to all MVYouth has given and continues to give to me and the community. Your support means so much to so many, myself included.
Emma Searle - Boston College
While this fall semester looked quite different than the last, I have been so lucky to be able to continue my education on Boston College’s campus despite the pandemic. This fall, I declared a Philosophy major with a Perspectives Concentration in addition to my Communication major, and have been thoroughly enjoying my classes in both disciplines. This year, I am taking Perspectives II: Modernism and the Arts, and have so enjoyed continuing my study of philosophy alongside modernist art and literature. I am also working towards the completion of my Communication requirements, enrolling in critical methods and public speaking courses, which certainly looked different this semester in an online format. I have also been very fortunate to continue dancing with the Boston College Dance Ensemble in our Brighton Campus studio and look forward to the possibility of performing virtually at some point in the future. I have also begun working as the External Editor of the Bellarmine Law Society Review, a biannual publication of undergraduate legal scholarship, and have so enjoyed the exposure to the opinions of many undergraduate scholars provided by this position. As COVID-19 has created a very unique on-campus environment this year, my friends and I have been spending lots of time outside on BC’s greenspaces and finding new ways to explore the city of Boston in a COVID-safe manner. Most recently, I began my application to study abroad next fall. Though COVID certainly poses some logistical challenges to this endeavor, I am very excited by the breadth of opportunities that BC offers. I am immeasurably grateful to MVYouth for your continued support, and look forward to all that the rest of my time at BC will bring.
Meghan Sawyer - Colgate University
This semester I was fortunate to have the opportunity to live at school and attend classes in-person and online. To ensure it would be a safe learning environment, my university enforced a two week quarantine period upon arrival. Our meals were delivered to us and we attended classes online until the quarantine period ended. I wasn’t totally stuck inside though as we were allotted two periods of outside time a day where we could exercise and escape our rooms. This is my first year as an upperclassman, so I got to enjoy the benefits of living in a university owned apartment with three of my close friends. I found this especially beneficial for the quarantine period as I wasn’t confined to just a dorm room. I also enjoyed having my own kitchen because I spent a lot of my time cooking my own meals and trying new recipes. Covid-19 restrictions hindered a lot of my extracurricular activities, but as restrictions were lifted I was able to return to the things I loved doing like playing ultimate frisbee on the club team with my friends. I had a particularly tough course load this semester, but two of my favorite classes were Games and Strategies and Health Economics. In Games and Strategies I learned about game theory, which is the study of decisions where the best strategy requires taking into account the decisions of others. In Health Economics I learned tools to study health care markets. We learned about social determinants of health, supply and demand of health insurance, hospital competition, comparisons of different health systems in the world, and more. Even with all the covid restrictions I had a great semester, and it gave me a greater appreciation of my university for working so hard to allow the students to come back. I would like to thank MVYouth for their continued financial support throughout my higher education. I am so grateful, and I cannot wait to return to school for the spring semester!
Nayson Peres - UMASS
This last year has been educational both inside and outside of the lecture hall. Things started off great, I was enjoying my classes and extracurriculars. Science concepts I had learned began to combine in courses like biochemistry while others like anatomy and nutrition were pleasantly engaging. Then the pandemic arrived in March and the campus closed. As I returned home, the Vineyard’s social isolation was in full effect and the next weeks and months were - as I’m sure all can attest - shocking and strange. The knowledge I acquired these past years about diseases, community health risks and responses, controversial medical issues surrounding vaccines, etc. has been immensely insightful. Also, thanks to the real world experience of the pandemic during these last months, I’ve come to realize how challenging it can be to navigate biological and health-related ideas and issues. I can only now start to appreciate how these crucial fields are interconnected to socioeconomic and political factors and implications. From the disruption of work and schooling to mental weariness and stress caused by social isolation and quarantine, the pandemic’s effects are legion. Since I decided to stay home for the fall I’ve kept myself busy. While on the Vineyard, I’ve been working and volunteering for my local community. Although the summer was safe and productive, the new normal is here to stay, while we all cope with its challenges. On the other hand, I plan and am eager to return back to campus to finish my studies in 2021, hopefully leaving behind the abnormal circumstances that have marked 2020. Lastly, I’d like to thank MVYouth for its support, including all those who contribute to MVYouth’s projects. May it continue its great work for the Vineyard and its residents.
Paulo Pereira Filho - University of Massachusetts, Amherst
It is incredible how fast my college experience has transpired. Although my final year was not at all what I was expecting, and all my classes were entirely remote, I made the most out of the situation in every way I could. I continued to stay just as busy, if not busier, as my previous “normal” semesters. When I wasn’t busy with schoolwork, I frequently participated in virtual Zoom meetings for clubs and career panels with numerous guest speakers. Additionally, I have been doing a significant amount of post-grad planning, and as I continue to prepare for what lies ahead in the near future, I have solidified the conclusion that I would like to continue my education in the years to come by pursuing a Master’s degree. The highlight of the semester was my honors thesis, which I completed through the capstone courses of the Isenberg School and Honors College, “Business Strategy & Entrepreneurial Leadership.” To briefly summarize an extensive thesis project, my research addressed the future of meat consumption as consumers seek to incorporate more plant-based meat alternatives into their diets, consequent to learning about the negative externalities associated with conventional meat consumption. Among the many things I learned upon completion, the most pertinent is the environmental effects and inefficiencies linked to livestock and conventional meat production. It is more important now than ever before to address the impacts of climate change, and one way to do so is through consumers’ dietary habits. Following this, the capstone professor, who guided me through the honors thesis, asked me to assist him in completing his own thesis project next semester, which I am excited about. We will be researching and analyzing growth investment opportunities set to transform the landscape of industries within the Technology sector. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the continued support of MVYouth and all those involved. These past four years have been filled with a myriad of new learning experiences and opportunities, none of which would have been possible without the support of MVYouth. I look forward to the day in which I am able to demonstrate my eternal appreciation and gratefulness for MVYouth and its donors. Thank you all so much for the opportunities you have given to me!
Charles Parkhurst - UCLA
It’s certainly been quite the crazy year, but I’m extremely grateful for the good fortune that I’ve had. A few months ago, Walmart eCommerce decided to close down the office in San Francisco and get rid of most positions within the company. I had the option of pursuing a new role at their office in Bentonville, Arkansas, but I decided it was best for me to look for other opportunities back in Los Angeles where I went to school. I’m now living with one of my best friends from college and I couldn’t be happier. On top of that, I ended up landing a dream job that I’ve been working at for a few weeks now. I’m working at a hedge fund, Stoic Strategies, which deals with the emerging cryptocurrency/blockchain industry. My position is as the Strategy Developer. I develop rule-based strategies for the fund to trade off of, as well as strategies for our software engineers to build automated trading algorithms for. I’m a few weeks in now, and I’m absolutely loving it. It’s very challenging work, but it could not be more interesting and engaging. I’ve been involved in the blockchain space for about three years now and have been learning about trading for over four, so I couldn’t imagine a job that I’d be happier doing and would be a better use of my skills and knowledge. I got to take on a lot of responsibility during my time at Walmart and got excellent experience, but I know that this job is going to turn out even better! Thank you so much for making this dream come true; without MV Youth I never would have had this chance!
Jo Orr - Wagner College
After taking the second half of my spring 2020 semester online, I decided to take the fall 2020 semester off because of the impact of the pandemic on my performance-based classes at Wagner College. While I missed my friends and performing, I know it was the right choice for me. Instead, I stayed on Martha's Vineyard working as a nanny, which has been so rewarding, especially since I want to go into music education. Working with different age groups over the course of 2020 has taught me so much about child development and the role of music shifting in their life. While it's not the semester I thought I would have, I've been able to have independence that most don't have by age 19. I was able to stay in my own apartment, work on my craft alone, and branch out with artistic opportunities online. I've taken online dance and circus classes to keep me connected to my community, and to be ready to hit the ground running when the pandemic is over. I started my own Redbubble store to sell my art, and I've created over 600 art pieces since quarantine started. I had so much time to myself I even started to write a musical, focused on gender studies, which I'll continue to write at college with the help of some of my composer friends. As for next semester, I've already registered for 11 classes and am excited to be busy again. I'm looking forward to going back to Wagner College and getting back onto the track that MVYouth has been so generous to lay out for me.
Ryan O'Malley - Yestermorrow School of Design
This past fall has been a surprisingly busy one. On top of working full time at South Mountain Co., I helped a co-worker with side work on afternoons and Saturdays, and did caretaking for an older couple on Sunday mornings. I would say by this point that I'm fully enveloped in a very hands-on and sometimes fast paced learning environment. September and October were spent working on various different projects. We were busy wrapping up and siding on the new SMCo workshop/warehouse space. I spent most of the summer here and was able to participate really early on, from raising massive 13 foot walls, to scooting on some pipe staging a seemingly endless amount of time finishing the vertical siding and the final pieces of trim on, I had a lot of fun and felt fulfilled knowing that I am gonna use this space for years to come. Starting in late October my crew and I joined a new renovation and addition in Katama. This project was to add a few extra bedrooms and provide more living space in an existing guest house. This house was built by SMCo some 20 years prior and thus the modern energy retrofitting it receiving has proved challenging at times, but provided me great experience air sealing and flashing houses in general. One of the trickiest parts of this project was in the demolition, trying to save as much existing wood as possible. This meant that pine boarding, windows, interior trim, and beautiful roof overhangs all will hopefully be re-used in the finished house after we insulate and resheathed every outside surface. The careful extraction part I definitely have room for growth on. I may have said many choice words to innocent pieces of trim as I unjustly mangled them! I'm still working on this house now in January. We have finally migrated off the roof and are nearing completely sealing off the outside. I'm excited to eventually change gears and do finish and interior work, for it offers a different pace and approach than the insulation process. I would like to thank MVYouth for their contributions to my education and career. I hope to continue learning and growing and potentially apply to a timber framing course sometime in the not too distant future.
Anne Ollen - Barnard College
In an unprecedented and challenging year, I feel extremely grateful to be continuing my work at Blue State, a digital strategy and marketing company based out of Washington D.C. My team and I collaborate with progressive non-profits to execute successful fundraising and advocacy campaigns. This work was crucial in 2020 when our clients needed to raise money to help ensure that everyone has access to essential services, such as health care and safe housing, and that people were able to make their voices heard by casting their ballots in November. During a time of great hardship, I am once again thankful to be able to partner with such great organizations that are working tirelessly for families and communities across this country that are in need of support. I am also proud to have collaborated with my colleagues at Blue State to form a union this fall. After months of planning, we were formally recognized by company leadership in October, and are now in the process of negotiating our contract. Through this collective bargaining, we are hoping to create a more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable work environment. Outside of work, I left Washington in the spring to move back to the Vineyard to be with my family during the pandemic. Throughout this unexpected time at home, I have explored new walking trails, tried countless vegan recipes, and read more books than ever before. In November, we also adopted a sweet puppy named Bowie who has added so much joy and love to our family. Though 2020 was not the year that I, or anyone, predicted, I am endlessly thankful to have spent this time at home and am hopeful for the year to come.
Isabella Morais - Wesleyan University/Brooklyn College
This past semester I transferred to Brooklyn College from Wesleyan University after taking a year and a half off for my mental health. I enjoyed my semester greatly and all of my professors were incredibly helpful in getting me back into the swing of things. My favorite class was my communications theory class and my art history course. Most of my classes were asynchronous which was refreshing and a good way to reintroduce me back into school because it took away the pressure and anxiety of sitting in a room and performing. Since moving to New York, I have had the opportunity to work as the Editorial Assistant for The Root, an online Black news and media site. It has been fantastic and I have worked with people such as Stacey Abrams, Cory Booker, Ayanna Pressley, Taraji P. Henson, Ava DuVernay and Tarana Burke of the "me too" movement. The Root has shown me so many incredible opportunities. I am majoring in Journalism and Media studies which has helped me secure an amazing summer opportunity through the company. I’ve also been working as a social media manager for a vegan web series which has taught me a lot about and health and wellness; a great tool in an insane time like this. In addition to my full course load, my job at The Root and my social media job, I also tutor two young children in order to cover the difference between my MVYouth award and my tuition since I am not yet a New York state resident. I have loved living in New York and being a Brooklyn College student.
Madeleine Moore - University of Chicago
Throughout this year, I have been working on the campaign trail. After working for Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic primary, I began working in Kentucky to elect Amy McGrath. I spent five months organizing events and training organizers to get the vote out and persuade voters. The pandemic has caused a lot of shift in what electoral organizing looks like and it was very exciting to get creative about how to best reach out to voters while not being able to do a lot of door knocking or in person events. My team helped increase voter registration and turnout significantly, setting a good foundation for future Kentucky candidates to challenge their legislators more successfully. While we were not successful in removing Mitch McConnell from office, I have been able to help elect Reverend Warnock and Jon Ossoff to the U.S. Senate. Since graduating, I have been working in politics and have been involved with this election cycle since June. It has been thrilling to dive more deeply into our electoral system and inspiring to work for an array of candidates. While the election cycle has ended for a bit, I am looking forward to discovering another side of politics in D.C., off the campaign trail. While looking for work, I have been able to return to the Vineyard and spend some time with family. It has been so refreshing and nice in the middle of all this chaos. Thanks to MVYouth, I have been able to make all my career decisions free of the burden of student loan debt. I recognize how fortunate that is and am grateful that MVYouth has given me the opportunity not only to attend the university of my dreams but also begin my career uninhibited by financial debt. I hope, one day, I will have the same impact on Vineyard students’ futures.
Evelyn Medeiros - MA College of Pharmacy and Health Services
Last January, I was loving my first semester of nursing courses, until the pandemic struck, cancelling all in-person learning, including lab and clinicals. I was disappointed, but tried to stay patient. However, as I progressed through the summer semester, my frustration grew. I had virtual simulations in place of clinicals, and I had to record myself practicing how to suction a tracheostomy on a teddy bear. While my peers, professors, and administrators, and I were slowly running low on patience, we began to realize that we had to simply make the best of what we had. Even though being in nursing school during a pandemic is extremely challenging, I realized that so many people were facing such greater challenges than my classmates and I. By taking things more seriously and putting just as much caution and empathy into taking care of that teddy bear, as I would a person, I could still prepare myself to enter into the medical field and be able to help those that were impacted in much worse ways than me by the virus. Finally, in November, I got a chance to test those skills I had been practicing at home. I was able to administer intramuscular injections, document, and teach patients ranging in age from 2 to 68 at a Boston Medical Center flu clinic. I am also excited to share that I have been selected by a panel of professors from my program to apply for a preceptorship next semester. This means, if I am selected by a hospital, then I would be assigned a nurse to follow and work closely with for the entirety of his/her 12 hour shift up to three times a week. This would be an incredible opportunity, as it would be the most realistic view of what my life is going to be like once I become a licensed nurse in the upcoming year.
Louise McDonald - Trinity College/NYU
This past semester at Trinity College was extremely challenging to navigate around the COVID-19 pandemic. I decided to attend Trinity College thinking that I would be able to get involved easily in a small school setting and have the opportunity to explore new ideas, much like I did in my small island hometown. Now in my sophomore year, while I have enjoyed my academic courses and professors, such as Psychology with Professor McGrath, I find myself frustrated by the limited range of courses and extracurricular activities that are offered to students. This semster I was incredibly disappointed that Trinity College was unable to grant me a seat in any psychology courses I need to complete in my academic career. The Coronavirus pandemic has allowed me to explore diverse academic opportunities. This semester I applied and have been accepted as a transfer student to New York University. As a transfer student to New York University, I am eager to explore all that a large school offers in a world-class city. I want to study new ideas in the field of psychology with other students from around the globe. Under the Department of Psychology, I will be able to enjoy a vast selection of academic courses spanning from topics on the science of behavior to the subject areas of psychopathology, and neuroscience. At the College of Arts and Sciences, I will benefit from the opportunity to develop a close personal and professional relationship with faculty working as a research mentor. Learning under the world's best professors, I will acquire a superior education through faculty-sponsored research projects that will help me develop specialized research skills. With various opportunities to study alongside professors actively engaged in psychology research, I will learn psychology theory and contemporary research in the field. From the opportunity with MVYouth, I look forward to developing my academic and research interests at NYU's College of Arts and Sciences. As an aspiring psychology major, I cannot imagine a campus that will better encourage and cultivate my future academic and professional goals. I am forever grateful for the support and generosity from MVYouth and cannot wait to explore this new and exciting chapter in my life!
Casey McAndrews - Hamilton College
At the end of my four-year journey at Hamilton, I’m very excited to have decided that I want to pursue a career in medicine and plan to attend medical school in the near future. After a Zoom graduation to wrap up an incredible four years, I spent my summer in quarantine at home taking online classes to finish pre-med requirements. In the fall, I started working as a medical scribe/assistant at an ophthalmology office in Rhode Island. Each day I work alongside many talented doctors that perform cataract and glaucoma surgeries, cornea transplants, and routine eye exams. As the doctor moves through their day, I’m responsible for inputting any important information from the examination into the patients’ electronic medical records, and for assisting during a variety of minor surgical procedures in the office. Outside of work, I have been studying for the MCAT that I will take in March and preparing my medical school applications to be sent off in June! Thank you again to MVYouth for supporting me throughout my time at Hamilton College, and for giving me the ability to continue to pursue my dreams without having to worry about being held back by student debt. I will be forever grateful for all that you have given to me and to the Vineyard community.
Shannon Levesque - Massachusetts Maritime Academy
This year has been out of the ordinary for all of us, whether you're a college student or not, I believe we have all learned something about ourselves during this time. In order to become stronger we have to admit to our weaknesses. I have learned a lot about myself this year as all classes for my major of Emergency Management were online for the majority of the semester. I can admit that I am one who needs laid out structure in order to succeed which was the main reason I chose to go to Massachusetts Maritime Academy, taking classes online lacked that structure for me entirely. Procrastination was not an option while being on campus because you not only have your leaders pushing you to be your best, but some of your closest friends as well. I have learned to push myself and become independent instead of relying on others to hold me accountable. Being able to continue getting an education through Massachusetts Maritime has been a blessing, and I have MVYouth to thank for it all. Throughout the semester I was constantly becoming more disappointed due to many events being cancelled because of COVID-19 but I have learned over this semester not to become disappointed over the small things. I have learned to take a step back and be truly grateful for what I have. I am grateful for my health and safety throughout this unpredictable year, friendships, as well as the support of MVYouth through these times of uncertainty. The biggest lesson I have learned this year besides the many amazing topics I have dived deeper into at school, is to be true to yourself and accept any obstacles that may come your way. I have attached a photo not only of myself, but myself in the middle of my two closest friends, pre-COVID-19, to remind everyone to hold onto hope, that our lives will soon return to how they were, where new memories will be made. Thank you MVYouth and everyone who has supported me all these years and I wish you all a happy and healthy 2021!
Marlla Lemos - UMASS, Boston
As times continue to be hectic, I am happy to report that in September 2020 I was offered a full-time position at the law firm I interned at my junior year of college. I now have an amazing job working on obtaining citizenship and legalization for children under the age of twenty-one years old. Working so closely on a matter that means so much to me has been one of the most fulfilling job experiences I have ever had. I look forward to continuing in this line of work, to hopefully be able to attend law school in the near future with the plan of becoming an immigration attorney myself. Now with a lot more time to spare I have started to volunteer my time at a local food pantry in the city of Somerville. In the current world we live in, I strongly believe it is important to lend a hand to others because we are all living through this pandemic together. Other than that, the most exciting thing I have done with fall was adopting two little kittens (named Noodle and Chichi) to keep me entertained and constantly on my toes. I would like to thank MVYouth again for making my dream of becoming the first college graduate in my family come true. I truly would not be in the position I am today without all your help and support. Because of you guys I have a job I am passionate about and can plan for my future without worrying about debt.
Olivia Jacobs - Hamilton College
It feels like a lifetime has passed since my last update in December 2019! When Hamilton College closed last March, I returned to the island and was welcomed with warm, open arms into the home of family friend Kimberly Angell to finish out the semester and graduate online. My concentration in Women’s and Gender Studies culminated in a thesis to meet the moment, titled “Transformative Justice at Hamilton: A Guide for Student Organizing.” Although I missed out on a celebratory final semester, I felt overwhelmingly grateful and privileged to have a roof over my head, an island kiddo to care for, and Land Bank trails to explore as Covid-19 ravaged through communities across the nation. In September, I gathered up all of my courage and made the big move out to Seattle, Washington to begin my Masters of Social Work at the University of Washington. This was a daunting task during the pandemic, especially knowing classes would be online and how hard it would be to make connections in a new, unfamiliar city. I’m proud to say I just finished my first quarter of the program, and found a strong sense of community with four wonderful housemates. I also declared my concentration in Administration and Policy Practice, and am excited to begin my placement next quarter at Yes Farm, a Black-led food justice organization in downtown Seattle. Thank you so much to MYouth for funding my undergraduate education at Hamilton, as the knowledge and experience I received there will be foundational to my postgraduate studies and future career. Although my new home is now located on the other side of the country, I am sending the entire island community my love and wishing healing to all those touched by these difficult times.
Danielle Hopkins - Barnard College
While this semester was certainly not how I envisioned my senior year to be, I have learned a lot and been able to find time for fun as I now enter my final semester at Barnard College. I spent this past semester at home taking my classes remotely as my school did not offer any in-person courses. I have begun writing my senior thesis for my American History major on Gullah cultural preservation at the Penn Center on St. Helena’s island off the coast of South Carolina. My family on my mother’s side is Gullah Geechee and we have a deep connection with the Penn Center, formally Penn School. In addition to my thesis, I was able to take some other great courses remotely including a Women and Gender studies course entitled Critical Approaches in Social and Cultural Theory. I also took a coding class in the language of Python and a Religion course in Black culture in America. While online classes were certainly difficult and it felt like I was already spending a lot of time on Zoom, I was also able to engage in some really great extracurricular activities. I was a part of the Barnard Student Government Association and will continue that role into the spring as the Vice President of Finance. I also was able to continue two of my campus jobs remotely. As a Barnard Student Admissions representative, I took over the Instagram page and gave virtual student experience presentations. As a Barnard Speaking Fellow, I was able to support my fellow peers remotely over Zoom. While I usually am involved in student theater, this semester I decided to take a step back however I did end up directing a 24-hour musical where the Black Theatre Ensemble wrote a spoof of the Cheetah Girls 20 years later and the next day we performed it virtually. It was my first time ever directing a show and it was so much fun! I am a little sad that my final semester at Barnard will also be virtual as I have chosen not to return to New York even though the school is offering in-person classes. I am looking forward to completing my senior thesis and taking my final courses while searching for a job post-graduation, as I hope to move to Philadelphia for two years before attending law school. I also recently begun working at the Green Room and will continue working there part-time next semester. Thanks to the generosity and support of MVYouth I have been able to have such an amazing experience at Barnard and learn so much about myself and the world around me. I am so appreciative of everything you do for the youth of the island community and for giving us opportunities to grow and explore!