The end of the spring semester is finally here and this month we've asked our writers to reflect on the past year and the hopes they have for the future.
May 2018
The First Year
Kaitlyn Marks
MSMU Class of 2021
Last week, a friend and I decided to go for a walk after being kicked out of the academic building in which we were studying, since it was so late. When I say we walked, I mean we took an hours-and-miles-long trek. It was one of those uncharacteristically warm nights that blooms up spontaneously, much-needed after weeks of frigid winds and misty rain.
While the breeze whirled around us and the mountains stood dark against the night sky, we looked at each other and realized that somehow it happened; freshman year is almost over. A year’s worth of changes, memories, dreams had unfolded in what felt like only a few moments.
I remember move-in day so vividly; I was so tan, and somehow, looking at photos of that day now, I feel like I had looked so much younger. More importantly, I was so afraid. I have always been apprehensive about change, nervous and wary of the unfamiliar, but simultaneously excited and joyful at the prospect of something new. Starting college was so
exciting but so new. Everyone around me was new; I was in a new room, with a roommate; my classes and professors were different; my routines needed some time to take shape. Reflecting on it now, I see how quickly I actually did adjust.
By the end of that first week, I knew my favorite study spots on campus. I learned that sometimes, I had to ignore my friends and tuck myself away on the third floor of the academic center with a stack of textbooks and some snacks. Other times, I realized the importance of saying yes to spontaneous adventures big and small, of challenging myself to
branch outside of my comfort zone and of letting homework wait until after that hiking trip or lunch date or long phone call.
Each month that I’ve been in college has been saturated with happy memories, nights where I felt alive with the joy of singing in a car or strolling under a star-lit campus. August meant figuring out how to navigate the world of college. I fell in love with my dorm room, the quiet moments in the sunshine while the rest of the girls on my floor were
still sleeping; I fell in love with the professors I met, the opportunities they gave me, and the way I could spend hours and hours doing the things I love and people actually understood why.
As September came around I realized just how much there is to be happy about, especially at the Mount. From the kindness of the staff in the dining hall to the colors of the leaves beginning to change, throughout the fall, I found myself reflecting and becoming so much more grateful for the person I was becoming. Academically, I have become a stronger
writer over the course of this year. Perhaps the most important thing I learned academically, though, was not to study thoroughly or to go to class every day or to write everything out; rather, it was learning to find passion in everything I do and learn.
There are so many ways to accomplish a simple task, and in college, you are encouraged to pursue your own path to success as well as to push yourself to discover what makes you light up with a spark of passion. For me, coming to college meant finally being surrounded by people who view writing as a legitimate field; I’ve had professors encourage me,
hand me opportunities, and help me develop a voice.
This first year at the Mount has been an adventure, and I lived by the motto of doing one thing every day that made me truly happy. Sometimes this meant treating myself and a friend to an iced coffee in the middle of the afternoon. Sometimes, it meant chasing the sunset and waking up to see the sunrise. Sometimes, this meant watching a movie with my
friends and sometimes it meant getting all dressed up and going out to a fancy dinner.
There were lots of conversations where some weird time jump happened, and suddenly it was 3 a.m. and I was laughing under the stars. There were early mornings. There were service trips, and corn mazes, and trips to downtown Frederick. There were fancy leadership dinners and opportunities to give back to the community. Somehow, amidst all of the
busyness and chaos of to-do lists and adjustments and challenges, I found a new normal. I found people I can call my own. I learned to not only accept the person I am, but to be that person, genuinely, all of the time. I learned to take care of myself and that it is okay to take a break once in a while.
Thinking back across this year at the Mount, I can honestly say that this is my biggest lesson: I believe everything happens for a reason. Ending up here, on this beautiful campus, with the people and professors around me, happened for a reason. Every challenge and obstacle I’ve faced has made me stronger, bolder, and more confident in who I am. Every
joy and celebration has allowed me to see how lucky I am to have a family that is so supportive and friends that are kind and willing to go exploring. Every amazing opportunity that I stumbled into or fought to earn is pushing me towards becoming the best version of myself.
Each paper, exam, and crossed-off to-do list item has let me see the value of balance and hard work. I could not be more grateful for the year I have had, and could not be any more excited for the next year here. I know that more excitement is to come, especially in a place like this where, looking back, I can find something magical and amazing in
every single day. I’m still the same person I was that first day, but everything I am has evolved and shifted to reflect who I want to become.
Read other articles by Kaitlyn Marks
Anticipation
Morgan Rooney
MSMU Class of 2020
When asked to reflect on the semester, it wouldn’t be right to start from anywhere other than January. With each new year, many start off with resolutions- some harder to reach than others. Personally, I can’t say I have ever been known to follow through with my resolutions, whether they be to exercise five times a week, cook some old
family recipes for dinner, or try to pick up the viola more in my spare time. Each new semester, both spring and fall, I must remind myself that it is a new start. I can start all my new classes with a clean slate, and start planning around my new work schedule. It is not about the New Year for me, but the clean slate in the semester that reminds me that I can potentially be
successful in the classes I have chosen.
Because I am only a sophomore, and because I didn’t formally decide on a major until after the end of Freshman year, I’m only now really diving into the communication program and the potential career paths that will be open to me through it. It has been interesting taking different classes in the department and being able to write more journalistic
articles for the school newspaper, The Mountain Echo, along with the more narrative articles I have written for the Emmitsburg News Journal, like this one.
These have brought me to attend events I wouldn’t normally attend and have challenged me to think deeper about things on which I wouldn’t normally reflect. Both have been great ways to break down my own boundaries and open up more than I had before. I don’t know what my future holds, but I am really excited to progress in the field and improve my
writing and communication skills. This semester has really been a confirmation that this is the path I would like to continue to follow and I look forward to learning more so I can expand my horizons.
In addition to communication, I also have taken a variety of French courses with the hope of potentially double majoring in French Studies. This is the second semester in which I have been taking an Arabic through French course, where students learn basic Arabic while the class instruction is in French. Through this class, especially this semester as
my Arabic and French is progressing, I have really been overwhelmed with the variety of cultures in the world that I don’t often think of.
After having taken this class, I feel as though an entire world has been opened up to me. Learning about people a world away only increases my eagerness to travel to different places and experience different cultures. When taking any language, especially Arabic, I feel as though there is no way it could not be a beneficial intellectual and cultural
experience. As Arabic is extremely difficult for an English speaker to pick up, and my expertise only includes a very limited amount of the language. Despite the difficulty, however, I have already learned a lot. When I come across Arabic writing, I can’t help but to sound out the letters and try to figure out how the word is spoken. It’s really exciting to be able to take
the things I’ve learned and apply them outside of the classroom.
This has truly been a semester filled with anticipation, for a variety of reasons. I have been planning for a while to go on the 2018 summer study abroad trip to Tours, France, where I will have the opportunity to learn and experience French culture as well as increase my proficiency in the French language. I will have endless opportunities to enrich
my understanding of French culture including living with a French family and experiencing different aspects of French language, history, landmarks, and cuisine. To immerse myself completely into another culture will be such an amazing learning experience. I look forward to all the stories I will be able to tell.
Overall, I will be spending over a month in France and I could not be more eager to go! My whole life, I have always been looking forward to the opportunity of traveling abroad and the day is quickly approaching. Studying French has opened up so many windows for me and is something I really enjoy, even though I may not be the fastest learner in the
world. I have already decided that I want to continue to improve my language skills for the remainder of my life, whether that be in French or any other language that I decide I want to try to pick up or learn a bit about.
Coming to the end of this semester marks a halfway point in my college career, which really puts things into a new perspective. Time has really flown! Three years ago, I did not know where I would be the following year, and now I am coming across that realization once again. This 4-year decision offered me a form of security, in my own mind at least.
Even though I did not know exactly how life at a university would be or where it would take me, I knew I would be here for 4 years.
As the time goes by (very quickly), I am beginning to ask myself the questions I asked myself three years ago. Where will I go when it is finally time to leave this place? What kinds of careers or studies will I be pursuing? How will the experiences I have here affect my future? What kinds of opportunities will come my way? Although I am technically
already an adult, it feels as if a much more “real adulthood” is approaching rapidly, and it is exciting and terrifying at the same time. The array of things I would like to accomplish and the unlimited possibilities makes the future look bright and fuels my eagerness to take myself there, wherever “there” might be.
Read other articles by Morgan Rooney
One to go
Shea Rowell
MSMU
Class of 2019
Every year, as I begin sorting the contents of my dorm room into boxes, totes, and plastic bags, I am amazed by the amount of belongings I have stashed in the nooks and crannies. Under the bed, tucked in the corner of drawers, at the very top of my closet, lies a photo of my friends and I at the grotto, a book from a first-semester class, a handmade
birthday card from my roommate. It occurs to me, as I rifle through piles of the stuff, that the year has gone by in a blur. Was it really nine months ago that I carefully arranged those photos on my wall? As I study and schedule my final exams, I realize that it feels like yesterday that I was looking at a brand new syllabus for a brand new course, eager to launch into new
literature (I’m both and English major and a nerd).
As grateful as I am to have one more year at my home, the Mount, I can’t help but realize that next year, nothing will be the same. The room where I do most of my studying will belong to someone else, my classes will be filled with new people, and I will feel like a new person myself. When I come to campus next fall, all the students who were here at
the Mount when I arrived as a bright-eyed freshman will have graduated. I will envy the freshmen, who experience the newness of this place all over again, and who have it all ahead of them.
And while I will feel a longing for the memories made in the past, I will step into the following year as a fresh start. A chance to return for the last time to the places I love, and to learn more and more about the things I love. This is the gift the Mount has given me. In this past year, I have been in such a rush to finish that paper, to study for
that exam, and to practice for that performance, that I sometimes found myself forgetting the love I have for every second of it. Junior year, they say, is notorious for being the most difficult year academically. My coursework this year did not disappoint. But through the stress and the workload, I learned a lot about myself.
I learned that I thrive under pressure. I meet deadlines effectively every time, and generally put forth my best effort no matter what the assignment is. I have, through exposure, deepened my passion for writing and literature, and more than anything, I have learned that there is a lot more to learn. My when-I-have-time-to-read book bucket list has
doubled in size, as has my writing portfolio. I have found that my taste in literature, movies, and music has changed drastically. I now love characters I once would have hated, and cherish the harsh dissonance that only makes musical resolution even sweeter. I now find myself seeking out books, movies, and pieces that push boundaries and challenge the viewer/listener with
ambiguity. It’s cliché, I know.
I have learned, painstakingly, that there is a limit to the number of things a person can do well simultaneously… and that the number is much lower that I thought! Therefore, a lesson I needed to learn was the importance of saying "no." Knowing my own limitations was half the battle; the other half was learning to value my own well-being enough not to
over-extend.
My follow-up lesson was this: the experiences in life that I will remember and value the most are the ones that don’t involve straining for a good grade, or working to satisfy some ambition, but the ones that I do simply to do them. The moments when I get lost in the story of a book I’m reading in class; the ones when I am excited to write the
conclusion to the paper I’ve worked on for days; mornings in Pangborn chapel with the bright morning-rays peeking through the stained glass; classes full of students itching to share their insights or indignations about a reading assignment; sunny days in the quad, sitting on a picnic blanket with a book; spontaneous trips to Frederick or Gettysburg; performances in the
Delaplaine Theater with my friends by my side on stage. These are the moments I will never forget.
The last three years have taught me that college is worth much more than professional development. As a student worker at the Career Center, I can personally testify that the Mount does prepare its students to transition into the workforce. The skills we learn are worth their weight in gold—or rather, green. However, the Mount experience is worth much
more than that. Here, I have made friends I will cherish for a lifetime, who have challenged me to become a better person in many ways. I have met professors and staff members who are mentors to me as I begin my professional and academic life. Here, I have learned how to manage my own life and needs – grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning and the like. I have grown independent,
or at least more so, and confident in my own abilities.
As this year comes to a close, I feel grateful. The Mount has truly been a home to me in my three years here. My roommates, classmates, and professors form a sort of family, united in our love for the place that brought us all together. This year has challenged me, but through the challenges it has forced me to grow. It has taught me to be responsible
for the welfare, not only for myself and my loved ones, but of my community as well.
The Mount has given me more than I ever knew it could. Each year, I emerge from final exams, tired and dreaming of summer, but also sentimental and a little sad to be leaving a great year behind. Three down… only one to go.
Read other articles by Shea Rowell
Begin at the beginning…
Sarah Muir
MSMU Class of 2018
The time has come for me to write my last article as a senior for Four Years at the Mount. It is astonishing how fast this day has come, but what is even more surprising is how much has happened over the last four years. My time at the Mount will always be a highlight of my life and I will forever value the education I have received here and the
friends I have made along the way. It is hard to believe how I have changed and in what ways I have stayed the same as I ever was. I have always found retrospectives to be difficult and it is dauting to be faced with the task of condensing my university experience down to one thousand, or so, words. But, to take advice from Lewis Carrol, the best way to retell a story is to,
"begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop."
I was lucky Freshman year. I heard horror stories about roommates ranging from mild inconsideration to downright unbearable behavior. However, I managed to find an old friend that I spent a majority of my childhood with to be my roommate. She was an education major and I was undecided at the time, oscillating between English and History until my second
semester when I landed comfortably into an English Major. We never fought, very rarely got on each other nerves, and bonded over our propensity to binge watch tv shows. After our freshman year, we both became commuters and while we do not see much of each other we keep in touch. She is now on her way to becoming a magnificent teacher (in fact, she won the Teacher of Promise
Award a few weeks ago).
My freshman year was also when I was presented with the opportunity to join the Emmitsburg News-Journal team. I remember that it happened completely by accident. I was at a retreat before the term started called, Mountward Bound. It is a retreat for incoming Freshman to meet people, participate in community service, and get advice from upperclassmen. I
mentioned during one of the icebreakers that I enjoyed writing. A week or so later, I got an email from one of the leaders on the retreat, Lydia. The newspaper was looking for a freshman student writer and she wanted to know if I was interested. I sent in a writing sample and the next thing I knew, I was the new Freshman writer for the Emmitsburg News-Journal. At first, I did
not speak much at the meetings. I suffer from bouts of shyness and, at the time, they were more frequent. However, the small family of the newspaper was going to mean more to me over the next four years than I could have ever imagined. At the time it was under the management of Kathryn Franke. She was a phenomenal managing editor and to this day I try to fill her shoes and
handle the paper with the same grace and aptitude she did.
My sophomore and junior years were a whirlwind between work, school, and my sister’s imminent wedding. By the end of my sophomore year I was the assistant managing editor of the newspaper and by the start of my Senior fall semester, I was brought up to managing editor. It was a shift, but I adapted well enough. I think the transition was made easier
because my new assistant editor, Shea, is an excellent person to have on your team. Slowly, the paper found some fresh faces and hired some new writers.
When the New Year and the start of the spring semester rolled around, I was preparing for my next adventure. Study Abroad: London. It was the single most thrilling and terrifying experience I have ever done, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. While I made new friends, being alone in another country teaches you things about yourself that you
did not know before. For example, I am not as hopeless with directions as I originally thought (I mean, I am no Davy Crockett, but I can navigate a strange city with more successes than failures). The greatest thing I learned though, during my time away, is that the entire world is outside your front door and yours to explore. There is so many things that you do not know, or
could even dream of, and discovering them is attainable.
This leads me to senior year. While it has had its pitfalls, there has been more highpoints than low. Graduation will be bittersweet. For while I am excited to see what the world has to offer, I will miss the family I have made here at the Mount. However, I will always hold my time spent here close to my heart and look back fondly on the memories I
have made.
One of the achievements that make me the proudest is that I have been able to see the writers I have brought on board grow into strong young minds. I have written for this newspaper for four years, and though this is not my last article for the newspaper, I know that soon I will type my last word for the Emmitsburg-News Journal. I know in my heart of
hearts, that the paper has a bright and lasting future ahead of it and that my time with this newspaper will be an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Read other articles by Sarah Muir
Read Past Editions of Four Years at the Mount
