Sophomore Year in Review

There are a lot of things that stick out about this past year, things that made this year even better than my freshman year, which seems like ages ago. Heck, who am I kidding? Sophomore year was, without a doubt in my mind, better than freshman year could've even hoped to be. I feel more confident in the path I'm taking and the friends I'm sharing that journey with. Last year, I made a rather large switch in my major, and it changed everything for the better. As many of you know, I made a "big switcheroo" from journalism to African American studies, which is quite the hop, skip, and jump as far as topics go. Last year, I was planning on attaining a fashion internship, writing more and more articles for countless newspapers and magazines, and networking like crazy. Now, I'm going to Africa in less than a month! And when I return, I will be headed to Detroit for the museum research internship of my dreams! 

I'm a huge planner . . . very Type-A as some would put it, others may call me Gold (referring to the personality and leadership assessment "True Colors"). And for once, the planner in me is satisfied with the "big picture" that is my life. My passions have changed drastically, or maybe I wouldn't even say "changed." To me, my passions have finally been discovered, and this is just the beginning. I had never shared this clearly on Ritzee Rose until now, because I felt like I was still searching for exactly what I wanted to do and how I wanted to go about doing it. Now, my inner-organizer is satisfied with how my future is looking, and I'm willing to share.

After what I will now refer to as the "big switcheroo" occurred, I had a more secure base to lay my sophomore year foundation on. That foundation started with the Resident Assistant (RA) job. 

I came back two weeks early in August for RA training, and looking back, I had NO idea what I was getting myself into. After two weeks of exhaustive training, I was cautious about the job and curious as to what it might bring me over the course of the year. 

 
Now, I can tell you that the RA job was a major part of my happiness this year. There have been confrontations, emotions running wild, and lots of paperwork, but all of those pale in comparison to the wonderful parts of the job. Getting paid to make friends (with my residents), craft, and care about others is just about the best thing I can think of doing as my "job." This position has brought me two of my closest friends, Katie and Morgan. 

It's also taught me so much about teamwork, how to deal/react in certain situations, and last but certainly not least, I've learned more about myself in the process. I've learned more about priorities and time management, as well as the importance of taking care of myself, even when I have so many others to care for. Not to mention, I have the best residents in the world. Sorry all you other RAs out there, but it's the truth. 

Some of my residents after their AMAZING performance of Spring Awakening at Ohio U.

Some of my residents restraining RA Kyle during ALICE Active Shooter Training

I'm so grateful to have a job that I love . . . it's not for everyone, but it's unquestionably the job for me. Next year, I will be in a new building as the Senior Resident Assistant (SRA), leading new RAs and new residents to grow during their college careers, and I'm extremely excited to share the experiences I've had with others. 

Obviously, I mentioned Katie and Morgan above, and I just have to say that those two girls, along with Brittany and of course, Gabby, made this year wonderful. Freshman year, I struggled with finding my "group." I had friends, but I hadn't found someone that I could sing Miley Cyrus with at 2am on Halloween RA rounds

Morgan and I spent HallOUween doing our RA duties... along with laughing and singing until we cried.

 It was all out hysteria, due to lack of sleep and too much Miley Cyrus.

Morgan and I always have good laughs, but nothing compares to HallOUween

 or get sushi with at any moment because I knew she'd be hungry for it too 
 

Katie is one of my ever-faithful sushi buddies

 or establish and run a freaking organization with,

Brittany

 or call at a moment's notice when I was having a meltdown because I knew she'd being willing to listen.

Gabbs

Overall, I hadn't found anyone that I could genuinely be myself with, and over the course of this year, along with the help of these four girls, that has completely changed. It's crazy how friends can give you the extra support you need to make it through a really crappy day...you know the one...where it rains and you get soaked and you feel gross and it feels like life just couldn't get any worse (I don't know about you guys, but I hate the rain), and then you see a friend and suddenly, things are better . . . not perfect, but better. That's what these girls do for me, and I appreciate it every day.

Speaking of founding an organization, the last major thing that really made this year a winner was the crazy amount of time and energy I spent on new opportunities and organizations. I continued with Thread Magazine this year. I wrote my first feature and two other rather large stories which you can read at:

October 2013 (My story = 174)

December 2013 (My story = 152)

May 2014 (My story = page 83)

And to push forward with my overall growth, I applied, interviewed for, and accepted the position of Business Manager for Thread Magazine for 2014-2015. I'm excited to learn valuable business skills that could come in handy for just about anything I do in the future. The other organization I spent a lot of time on this year was the Ohio University chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. 

I founded our chapter in January 2014, and have been building it from the ground up with the help of Brittany, the rest of the executive board, and the national office in D.C. I'm so proud of what this organization has already achieved: We reached over 300 members in our first semester on campus, and we've already held several successful events. In the fall, we will be having our first official induction ceremony, where over 300 Ohio U. students will get their certificates and listen to a wonderful keynote speaker talk about leadership. This organization is like my baby, and I can't wait to see what we can accomplish next year. 

As for opportunities, this summer I will be traveling to Atlanta, Georgia for the Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity National Convention. I will repping my chapter (Epsilon Iota!!!) and I will hopefully get some great ideas to bring back to my new role with the fraternity: ICR Chair or Inner Chapter Relations Chair.

Going to the conference with this guy! My fraternity brother, Jared!

In the fall, I will start my certificate program in the Global Leadership Center at Ohio U. where we will be working with international clients on real-world problems. Through the GLC, I will have the opportunity to travel, present to clients, and explore the world. Out of everything that Ohio U. has to offer, the GLC is certainly one of the most valuable experiences that I could hope to take part in.

Fun was a highlight of my year, because sometimes I catch myself not having as much fun as a 20-year old college gal should. BUT not too much fun and all family-friendly of course. Here are a few ways I occupied my time this year:

CRAFTING!!!

  

Crafting with my residents

NEW THINGS!!!

Running the Color Run

Seeing a historical marker unveiled . . . right in Athens!

Presenting at the Undergraduate Student Research Expo

Woof and Wine event with my mom. :)

Thread Fashion Week with Ali!

Bowling with my staff members... this became a somewhat regular occurrence.

Hosting a fake newscast with my fraternity bros --> Watch Here

And of course, ANIMALS!!!

(If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE animals!)

Herbert the Puggle!

My Gizmo.

 Sophie and Ames

A goat! I don't know what his name was...

<--Winston Franklin-->

My adorable pup, Gizmo.

Bulldog puppy who I secretly named Winston!

Miley

Brutus

Through everything, the ups and downs, highs and lows, Glee switching over to full-time NYC filming (YAY YAY YAY), missing my puppy dogs and family, Emma Stone's lip-syncing battle with Jimmy Fallon (WATCH HERE), struggling to find my place, managing my time and still possibly being able to get some sleep after all the hustle and bustle, I've ultimately found my place! I've hit the halfway point in my undergraduate career and it's about time I got it all figured out . . . mostly. I'm still working on that whole "studying" thing, but hey, you can't be good at everything, right? 

Progressing in the Detroit Direction

Since coming to college, I've turned into what some might call a "foodie." 

Fine. I admit it. I'm a ... foodie. 

Whew! It feels sooooo good to get that off my chest! 

I love trying new food and eating anything international really floats by boat.

Now, if you hadn't noticed, food has become a necessity when it comes to these blog posts. In fact, on some posts the food has practically taken over the entire purpose of the post...but it looks so yummy, right? ...so it's totally fine.

Anyways, my weekend trip to Detroit was no exception to this food-lovin rule. For those of you that don't know your Detroit history (shame on you!), a town called Dearborn is just west of the city and is home to the largest Muslim population outside of the Middle East. Therefore, there is an abundance of Middle Eastern cuisine to choose from at all times, along with practically any other kind of food you could ever possibly desire.

You name it, Detroit has it. Greek, Mediterranean, Chinese, American, Italian, it's basically the best city for food, in my opinion (apart from NYC of course). 

Because of that, I was determined to try as many different foods as possible, and like always, those foods were immediately Instagram-ed out to the world. 

My friends, Dan and Emily, and I arrived in the motor city after 11pm, just in time for a late night meal.

Meal #1: A turkey pita and fries at Leo's Coney Island.

Quickly, let's step away from the food for a minute...

(believe me, we'll get back to it before you know it)

But I'd like to stop and take a minute to recognize the adorable animals that I came in contact with in Detroit. First, there were the two cutest and orneriest kittens ever: Franklin and Maggie.

Kitty licks!!

Then there was Herbert the puggle, who also happened to like to take selfies.

Okay, back to the food. 

The first full day I was in Detroit we had Bastone's Brewery for lunch. 

And looking back on my meal now, I'm practically drooling...it was sooo delicious.

I savored this lobster salad sandwich. Not to mention, they bring you a pickle with it!!! And on top of it all, they serve this amazing mayonnaise dipping sauce to go with your fries. It may not have been the healthiest meal, but there was no complaining on my part.

That evening, we enjoyed some good old-fashioned Detroit pizza.

Deep dish, lots of marinara sauce, and square-shaped!

The next day, we delighted in a Mediterranean meal. 

Stuffed grape leaves, hummus, and tabouli.

Finished with a piece of baklava for dessert.

Lastly, we completed our trip with lots of shopping! Because duh, I couldn't go to a city without checking out the best they have to offer in the retail therapy department. 

Detroit certainly didn't disappoint, with several large malls to choose from including designers, outlets, and everything in between. 

The Somerset Mall in the suburb Troy, outside of Detroit.

 Also while in Detroit, I was able to visit the home of my summer internship, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

To learn more, click here. 

The museum itself is beautiful and it's very close to the public library, the Detroit Institute of Art, and the Michigan Science Center. 

This is definitely going to be a wonderful summer experience filled with culture, research, learning, music, food, and fun!

On the last night of our trip, we decided to get Chinese takeout. After we finished eating, my fortune read, "The current year will bring you much happiness." 

Seeing as how this past year has already been so wonderful and knowing my plans for the upcoming year, I can only hope that this fortune is right! 

I'll officially be back in Detroit in June for the start of my research and archives internship. See you soon, Detroit!