With Ohio University wrapping up courses and exams in the next two weeks, students from the human interest section reflected on their school years, sharing both highs and lows.
“As a transfer student, this school year was a little stressful for me, but I had a great time and good learning experience, which was definitely worth it,” Fiona Petticrew, a sophomore studying journalism, said. “I transferred from a community college and had to learn how different a university is, from sleeping in a small room to having total freedom with my choices and friends. I learned how to be organized, how to balance my coursework and other projects and how to make friends in this environment. My favorite moment of the whole school year is when I fed a deer a pringle on Jeff Hill. She loved it because it was so salty and she asked for more of course, and that was so cute.”
“I have had a great school year,” Caitlyn Vance, a sophomore studying journalism, said. “I got to live with my friends in a building that we loved and the location was perfect. We made lots of memories. For the most part, I loved my classes. I took a lot that aligned with my major, which was great. I also got to write stories for The Post that I had fun with. Overall, I had a good year and met many new, cool people.”
“This year was probably one of my toughest but maybe best so far,” Ethan Herx, a junior studying photojournalism, said. “Fall semester I was super overloaded with things for my classes that I really had to cut back on being able to do anything in my free time. Because of that, I really wanted to take it easy this semester, so I did three online classes and only had two classes in person each week, both of which were fairly easy classes. On the one hand, last semester in particular really made me question a lot if I was in the right program, and I nearly considered dropping out entirely. On the other hand, I feel like these past six or so months have seen some of the biggest growth in my photography skills and how I saw myself as a photographer. Last semester I ended up going to a lot of concerts and ended up meeting pretty much my favorite band of all time, so that was probably my biggest highlight of the year. This school year definitely put me through the wringer, but I feel like I came out better because of it.”
“This school year had the best possible outcome it could have,” Liv Jacobs, a sophomore studying journalism, said. “It was filled with ups and downs alike, but the positive experiences outweighed the negative by a landslide. My favorite memory from the year was going to the OU vs. Miami football game in the fall. I went with three girls I had just met who I now consider to be my best friends and future roommates. We talked throughout the entire game, sharing stories of the year so far as well as goals for the rest of the year. OU winning the game made the night even better, and it gave me my first sense of belonging in college. I was surrounded by people who I felt at home with, on a campus I just started calling home. The game was honestly like my first time feeling like everything in college was working out for me. Anytime I feel like I'm dragging behind or getting lost I can think back to that night and how everything felt right and was so exciting.”
“This school year was one of my best but also most stressful,” Emma Snyder-Lovera, a senior studying journalism and media arts production, said. “I joined The Post, which is one of the most fulfilling experiences of my college career. Watching writers grow and making many new friends has been wonderful. Outside of that, I’ve spent a lot of quality time with friends reminiscing on our memories from freshman and sophomore year before we graduate next month. My workload was surprisingly heavy both semesters, but I learned a lot about managing my time and felt good about how it all paid off. I’ll always remember this school year and I plan to make many more memories in the few weeks I have left.”
“This year was great,” Aleni Bender, a freshman studying communications, said. “There were many positives, but also many negatives. A lot of my friends are transferring after this year, so that has been difficult to come to terms with. One of my favorite memories was when my entire friend group went to Strouds for the day. We packed food for a picnic, played volleyball in the water and just laid in the sun all day. My family and a couple families we are friends with also come down for the OU vs. Akron basketball game because we have many ties to Akron basketball. We all go to dinner, the game and then hang out afterwards as well. It is one of my favorite weekends during the year.”
“This past year was more than I could have ever imagined it would be,” Maria Saunders, a freshman studying journalism, said. “It started out a little rough when my roommate transferred universities after one day of classes, the homesickness went away, I adjusted to classes and got a pretty cool new roommate. It was definitely stressful at times, mostly due to my own procrastination, but I couldn't be more grateful to have been stressed over work that was preparing me to enter the career I want. The best thing though was meeting my best friends this year! Through my learning community, The Post and H2O Church, the community I've found here at Ohio University is so refreshing, fun and supportive. Just scrolling through my camera roll, I'm reminded how full of joy and love this year has been.”
“This year was incredibly rewarding,” Gina Napoli, a junior studying journalism, said. “I lived in a house with six of my close friends and made so many happy memories. I also had the opportunity to travel for spring break and deepen my relationships with women in my sorority. The Post took up a large portion of my time this year and I learned so much through my peers and section writers. I can’t wait to come back to Athens in August.”
