My Senior Reflection

Where has the time gone?

When we entered Longwood and were welcomed into the honors college family, I remembered the upperclassman always telling us how time would fly by, and that we should treasure each and every moment, and take every opportunity as they come and go. From Freshman and Sophomore year, I felt that I still had all the time in the world. Once Junior year began, I was finally in the classroom setting completing Partnership, where I fell in love with my Kindergarten students and the grade itself.  In the spring semester once again went into the classroom in an eighth grade Math collaborative setting, which was just as educational and helpful in helping me to form my growing teaching philosophy, but also helped me to find that maybe the eighth grade level was not quite my niche.

In my original letter to my senior self, I set so many goals and wishes for myself, and I am happy to say that I fulfilled most of them to by best abilities. I aspired to become a leader in the Longwood Company of Belly Dance, and to spend time in the dance company to find myself. I did that through becoming Vice-President, and President for over a year. Since fall semester of freshman year, the dance compay became one of my many homes in which I celebrated the uniqueness of others, and came together with my peers to create dances and perform for our community in order to teach the culture that we learned.

I also wished for myself to once again engage in my passion for painting and the arts through continuing involvement in the theater department. I not only joined the theatre honor society of Alpha Psi Omega, which I had admired for two years, but found another great family and group of inspiring individuals which all work together to work hard and inspire hard work in the theatre department. I was the secretary, fundraising chair, new member educator, and more- and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Throughout my time at Longwood, I challenged myself to become more involved in my organization, and I tackled each of my teaching placements with all I had. Did everything happen as I originally intended? Not quite. In the beginning, I had always envisioned myself as a Longwood Ambassador. I tried once, and never tried again. I possibly could have tried again and joined something that many of the upperclassman that I admire have taken apart of, but now, I know that it wasn’t quite for me. Instead, I was able to become a mentor for those in the theater department, and also was able to become a leader and recruiter for Phi Sigma Pi, of which I was a recruitment advisor for a year, and was able to focus on creating dances to share with the Longwood Community through dance.

I would do it all over again, but still, I would remind myself to still take all the opportunities given! Take chances, make mistakes, and try again! Even if it takes up until senior year to build the courage to do higher tier research like with myself, do it! It will make all the difference, and you will be all the better for it.