The past two summers have been full of experiences that have helped shape the person I am today. Starting with last summer, the summer before my senior year, I had to make a choice between spending the summer in Italy with the rest of my family, or staying home and working at my first job. After much deliberation, I decided to stay home and work. I was working as a summer camp counselor during the week and at a pizzeria on the weekends. Since my family was going to Italy for the summer, I had to take care of myself during the time they were away. This meant I would have to do my own laundry, cook my own food, take care of my dog, and get to work on time without the benefit of having my mom to drive me. This was all very new to me but in the end, it proved to be a great learning experience. By the end of the summer, I had this newfound independence that would follow me throughout everything I did.
This past summer was the total opposite of the summer before. I did not work at all but instead travelled as much as I could. Going to Europe with my school was an amazing experience that allowed me to see the world in a new way. I especially enjoyed seeing London and hope to return there one day. Going on this trip also made me think of possibly doing a study abroad in the future. As for this current semester, I just hope to balance my time well so that I don’t get overwhelmed with all the work. I intend to focus on adjusting to the schoolwork this semester and then getting more involved with clubs and such next semester.
