I am so sorry for my prolonged absence on this blog. So much has been happening, and I keep forgetting that the semester is almost over. Just a couple weeks...and then I'll be halfway through college! D: Time is moving way too fast!
First of all, I'd like to inform you all that I've FINALLY finished my Global Comm Media Mapping website, which I have been working on for most of the semester. Everyone in each class was assigned a different country, and we had to do research on the country itself and the media environment. The culmination of our research was turning everything we found into an interactive educational website. My country was Malaysia. It was so interesting, but definitely one of the most difficult projects I've ever had! I found it difficult to figure out exactly what out of all of the information I gathered should be featured in my website. I was up late (or...early...) working on it, but I didn't quite mind--I had some company as my friend Lauren and I scrambled to put on the final touches at 8am while eating a wonderfully delicious (if not totally nutritious) breakfast of Teddy Grahams and rainbow chip frosting.
Anyway, the whole class did a really awesome job on each of their countries, and we're all really happy to see the result! You can view all of our projects here: http://journalism.smcvt.edu/webcourses/HomePages/GC2-2013%20Media%20Mapping%20HOME.htm
I've been working on a lot of other stuff for school too, since everything is wrapping up now. I have papers to write for Philosophy of Science, Technology and the Environment and for Environmental Problems, two classes I'm taking for my ES minor. I also have a final project for Photojournalism, where I have to photograph an event, person or other feature story and create a layout. Just recently I went to an art exhibit in Burlington, where I saw the opening of "Ecologies" by SMC art professor Brian Collier. It was an incredible event and I learned a lot about seed dispersal and the rejuvenation of wasted green space. I took pictures there, so I'm considering using that for my final. (PS: isn't it pretty cool that I'm finding ways to combine my major and minor? I just recently presented a prezi about how MJD and ES relate and cross paths, and I'm definitely trying to practice what I preach).
However, don't think it's all just doom and gloom here around finals time! Not only have my projects been interesting and (dare I even SAY it?!) kind of fun, but I've made time to do other things too. For example, after we all handed in our Global Comm projects, I went downtown with a bunch of friends from my class (including SMC blogger Juliana and the blogosphere's newest member, Sheila). It happened to be Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry's, so we all celebrated the end of our project with ice cream!
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| I answered a trivia question correctly: Ben and Jerry originally wanted to make bagels, but it was too expensive! I was given this "front of the line" pass, but I wanted to stay with my group so I ended up giving it to a friend I saw waiting in line later on. |
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| Here I am with some of my favorite gals on Free Cone Day! L to R: Liz, Mikala, Juliana, myself, Sheila and Cara. |
Yesterday was Accepted Students Day here at Saint Mike's, and I was lucky enough to meet some of the class of 2017. I can tell already that they're a lot of bright, interesting, and fun people! I just recently became a tour guide, so I've been shadowing other tours to learn the ropes. I went with my friend Alex yesterday, and we brought a few families around campus and told them some of our favorite things about SMC. I really enjoyed it--not only was it nice to meet new people, but sharing some of my personal stories reminded me just how lucky I am to be here and just how much I love it!
By the way, if you couldn't make it to Accepted Students Day either this weekend or next weekend, you can follow along with the fun by searching the #Accepted2SMCVT hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.
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| My official Tour Guide t-shirt...Lauren Likes Saint Mike's! |
Other than that, I've had some fun spending my weekends with friends. We went into Burlington for dinner last night, and we're hoping for the weather to clear up soon so we can go watch a sunset on Lake Champlain. Until then, we'll have to settle for playing some laughter-inducing games like Quelf and Cards Against Humanity.
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| Can you picture it? That's what I thought...you're welcome. |
I hope you're all doing well and that this post was worth the wait. I'll try not to be away for that long again...but remember that I'm always in touch! Contact me @LaurenKopchik, lkopchik@mail.smcvt.edu, or Lauren Kopchik on Facebook and Formspring.
Best,
Lauren
