MacKenzie @silly-goose21 - Tumblr Blog

Looking Backward, Looking Forward

I just submitted my last final of Sophomore year. Here’s a look back at some random highlights, and all of the exciting stuff I have lined up for this summer and next year.

Sophomore year has been a wild ride, but I am glad to finally be done--and officially be half way done with Washington College. This year, I took 10 classes, had 4 (paying) jobs (Poetry Screener for Cherry Tree, Photo Editor for The Elm, Admissions Blogger, and Associate Editor for The Washington College Review), successfully ran Writers’ Union, hosting a range of events, and probably more that I’m forgetting. I have done a lot this year. Below is a list of random photos I found in my camera roll that I enjoyed and the stories that go along with them that really encapsulate my Sophomore Year.

Because I worked on The Elm, I got to come back to campus a week early for Publishing Boot Camp. At Boot Camp, Elm Editors learn InDesign and while I didn’t use it as the Photo Editor, I was still interested in learning how to use it so I attended one of the workshops about it. My friend Justin had just gotten a puppy, Gizmo (see above), and I was very excited to meet him. At the InDesign workshop, I made the above poster-thing during the demo. I have since worked with InDesign more and can create [slightly] better stuff, but this poster makes me laugh a lot.

Every year, my friends and I do Secret Santa and have a Christmas party. Fun fact: for the last two years, I have gotten Haley as my person to give gifts to. Anyway, at the party, we tried to take a group photo and all of my friends were being really loud and annoying so I fake screamed and whoever was taking the pictures got it. I very quickly became a meme (think KIm K exaggeratedly crying) and I think this picture is hilarious.

I call the above picture “I don’t speak broke” because I took it at the height of the I Don’t Speak Broke meme. Anyway, one night Justin and I were in Larabee working on art projects and he gave me his watch so I could control the music (a necessary factor of the project I was doing). So I had on two Apple Watches with the same band and it was just very funny to me (it is all the more funnier to know that my watch is dead).

Over winter break and throughout this summer, a group of friends and I watched Avatar: The Last Airbender because Megan and I had never seen it. We would watch at Mary’s apartment because she had a lot of space and a big TV. We finally finished the entire series on Sunday and it was heartbreaking, but a lot of fun watching the whole series with my friends. Fun fact: Justin is allergic to cats but Mary’s roommate has 2 so it’s really funny to me that Justin is smiling while having the cat on his lap (she is a very cute cat though!).

Last but certainly not least: Gus. For Admitted Students’ Day, my boyfriend dressed up as Gus (sh, I never told you that) and walked around greeting incoming students and their families. I was at the English table representing the department when Gus came over and started reading a copy of The Collegian, which was absolutely hilarious (see Kellen in the background laughing).

So that’s it. That’s my sophomore year wrapped up into 5 random moments based on 5 random pictures in my camera roll.

This summer I will be in Chestertown working as the Literary House Summer Intern. I am very excited to be working closely with Lit House Staff doing my various duties (see other posts for more details). I officially will be living in Dorchester, which is the Kappa Sigma House, which will be interesting, but my friend Nicole will also be living there this summer so we will be able to hang out.

Next year I will be very busy. I will be taking 5 classes, will be moving back to campus early for Publications Boot Camp as the Student Life Editor for The Elm, the Prose Editor for The Collegian, and a Poetry Screener for Cherry Tree, and will be President of Writers’ Union and Associate Editor for The Washington College Review again. I am very nervous about my new roles, but also very excited to see what next year brings! Have a great summer and see you all then!

Summer Plans

The semester is almost over and I can’t help but look forward to having a break this summer! It’s so nice to take time off to relax and do little-nothing after being so stressed from the school year. While I am looking forward to doing nothing, I am also really excited for the things I have planned this summer!

Last year I didn’t do anything (no job, internship, etc.) which was a really nice way to end my freshman year. This summer, however, I have an internship! I will be spending my summer here at Washington College as the Literary House Summer Intern! I will be doing a range of things from helping plan and coordinate events like the Cave Canem fellowship, the Cherry Tree Young Writers’ Conference, and Publishing Boot Camp. Having been involved with most of these things last summer, I am really excited to expand my role and play a larger part in the planning and execution of these events, and doing anything else I am recruited to by the other faculty/staff that need help doing stuff.

The Cave Canem Fellowship: Cave Canem is an organization that promotes the voices of African American poets (see for more info: https://cavecanempoets.org/mission-history/). While I don’t get to help pick the Fellow, I do get to help them settle in and navigate Chestertown while they’re here.

The Cherry Tree Young Writers’ Conference: The conference is aimed at high school sophomores, juniors, seniors, and rising college freshman as a way to help them explore their writing. Last summer I was a Summer Conference Intern which meant that I was in charge of two students. We attended workshops, panels, reading, etc. and it was an amazing experience. This year, I will be attending the conference again as an intern, but without watching any of the students. The Young Writers’ Conference is an amazing opportunity, so if you’re at all interested in creative writing, I recommend checking it out (which you can do here: https://www.washcoll.edu/centers/lithouse/programs/the-cherry-tree-young-writers-conference/)!

Publishing Boot Camp: Boot Camp is meant for the incoming staffs of the student newspaper, The Elm, and the student literary journal, The Collegian, as a way to get themselves into the swing of their respective publications. It’s a lot of fun attending workshops and panels to learn about how the publications are run and how best to run whatever section you’re in charge of. I attended last year as the Photo Editor for The Elm and will be returning as the Student Life Editor. I am very excited to help plan events so that both publications are off with a bang in the fall putting out the best work possible!

I will also be taking a few vacations this summer. My dad’s family always goes to Cape May, NJ which is always fun. My brother graduates from high school this year, so hopefully we will get to do a fun vacation before he heads off to college next fall. I may have a few other things in the works, but nothing definitive as of yet.

I am very excited to take a break from school and read for pleasure, relax, sleep, etc. and I can’t wait to spend my summer as the Literary House Summer Intern!

Unexpected Experiences

You never know what’s going to happen when you go to college—especially if you live on campus. Below is a list of experiences I’ve had while at WAC that I never would have guessed I’d experience.

My freshman year, there was a bat in Minta. An actual bat. It was insane.

One of the girls on my floor last year had 2 baby apple trees that she had planted in pots on the window sill at the end of the hall. Every time I went to the bathroom I would see the two trees (they were named George and Washington) sitting there. At the end of the year they were planted in the campus garden which was really cool. I never thought I’d become so invested in/entertained by trees, but there I was.

I didn’t expect to make so many friends so quickly, nor maintain those friendships so well, but I have which is really good!

I’ve been on the Dean’s List every semester so far (hoping I’ll be on there again this semester!).

Already I have 3 major positions in on campus organizations (Photo Editor for The Elm, President of Writers’ Union, and the Associate Editor of the Washington College Review) and hope to be doing more next year!

I have worked as a screener for WAC’s national literary journal, Cherry Tree, which has been an amazing opportunity.

A girl brought her dog to class today which was an amazing surprise. The dog was so well behaved and cute it was great.

There have been other surprising and unexpected things, but those are some standouts. Come here and see what kinds of wacky and unexpected experiences you have!

Weekends at WAC

I am super lame and spend the majority of my weekends doing homework. When I’m not doing homework, I’m hanging out with my friends watching movies or something on Netflix/Hulu, reading, or just taking time to do nothing.

Every now and then my friends and I will do a trip somewhere for a day. We haven’t done one in a while because this year has been a lot, BUT in the past we’ve gone to Annapolis, DC, Baltimore, NYC, beach trips to Betterton, etc. It’s a lot of fun to get away from campus and have different scenery for a day and to explore with new people/friends you wouldn’t get to back at home.

Pictured above is a few of my friends and I at Towson University for a football game.

How to Make Friends at College

Making friends can be really hard, especially if you’re shy (like me). But WAC does a really good job of connecting students so it becomes a lot easier to make friends.

There is a Facebook group of admitted students that usually evolves into a huge GroupMe. Lots of people I know came in knowing people because of the Facebook group, which helps a lot when integrating into college life.

If you have a roommate, you will get connected with them over the summer so you can plan the room stuff (ex: who’s bringing the fridge, microwave, allergies, etc.). Once you move in, it’s really easy to become friends with people on your floor too! Everyone is navagating the scene and wants to make new friends so it’s super easy to make friends while brushing your teeth or something silly like that.

Pre-Orientation and Orientation groups are a great way to make friends. I am still friends with my whole Pre-Orientation program and we are all still really close. I also made a lot of friends from my Orientation group because it’s the same as the FYS class you’ll be in. Peer Mentors will help with Orientation stuff and are another friendly face around campus to help you out.

In the first couple weeks of school, there will be a Club Fair where you can see what kinds of clubs are on campus and get involved right away, making friends that way.

You’ll make friends in classes—people at WAC are so friendly it’s almost impossibly not to meet someone whose interests align with yours.

There are plenty of ways to make friends, so don’t worry! You’ll find your group, and the more involved you are the more friends you’ll have.

Pictured above is my friend group freshman year. We went to Annapolis to hang out and check out the stores. For the most part, my friend group has only gotten bigger (which is nice) but I’ve also stopped talking to some people as much (less nice, but still okay).

Pictured above is me at the beginning of the semester at the Club Fair recruiting members for Writers’ Union, The Elm, and Poetry Club.

Pictured above is my friends and I dressed as Recess characters for Halloweeen.

Pictured above is my friends and I at our Christmas Party at the end of last semester.

Why WC?

There are plenty of reasons to commit to Washington College, here were some of mine:

-It immediately feels like a family--from day one you’re building close bonds and relationships with people, but honestly even before that there are ways to meet other people in your class to make friends.

-The professors here are amazing. They’re always available to help, are extremely understanding, and genuinely want to see you succeed.

-There are a lot of really interesting special topic classes in each department that are really exciting (and I’ve really looked forward to).

-Campus (and the water) is absolutely gorgeous at the beginning of fall semester, when it snows, and at the end of spring semester. Everything is in bloom (or covered in snow) and it’s great for taking pictures!

-Downtown Chestertown (and other neighboring towns) has a lot of really interesting shops and local restaurants that you can’t get anywhere else.

-Being right on the water means we have access to water equipment whenever (ex: paddle boats, kayaks, boat trips, etc.).

There are plenty of other reasons to commit to WAC, and plenty of them are major specific (ex: The Lit House, Chesapeake Semester, the Eastern Shore Food Lab, the Starr Center, etc.) but these are the things that are universally applicable.

Learning Outside the Classroom

Getting involved on campus is really easy and is where a lot of your social experiences happen—going to parties, joining clubs and making friends, getting exercise in IM or club sports, etc. Joining clubs isn’t just good for your social life, but also provides opportunities for learning experiences. There is an obvious connection between meeting new people an learning new things—people have different experiences, come from different cultural backgrounds, etc.—but you can learn other things too:

By working for The Elm, I have learned a lot about journalism, AP style, photography/editing, newspapers, etc. that I would never have known otherwise.

Being the President of Writers’ Union, I’ve learned about budgeting/the budgeting process, how to make a [terrible] doodle poll, planning large-scale events, etc.

Last year when my friends and I started a Ping Pong Club, we learned how to make a club on campus.

By joining other clubs, you can learn other things:

Radio Free George: radio stuff

Habitat for Humanity: how to build a house

Computer Club: coding

A Frat/Sorrority: raise money for good causes

IM sports: how to play that sport

Improv Club: improv

Those are just some things off the top of my head, but there are plenty of clubs to join and things to learn from them—or you can learn how to start a club if you have one in mind that we don’t currently have!

Next Semester

We are at the point in the semester where everything is due and everyone is super stressed. It’s a low point in the semester for sure, but there are ways to get around it (sleeping, hanging out with friends, going to see a movie, etc.). Besides, once this semester is over, I get to start looking forward to next semester and all of the new adventures it will bring. I am most excited for:

-Strategies in Editing and Publishing with Dr. Hall. This class is a workshop, so we will be writing, but it has a heavy emphasis on editing and how to edit. I am very excited not only to be learning more/better editing techniques, but also to be taking another class with Dr. Hall, which I haven’t done since freshman year.

-Writers’ Union will be doing some cool stuff in the fall (including taking a trip to the National Book Festival) which I am always excited for!

-Publications Boot Camp is the week before school starts and it’s always a lot of fun to move in early and get to meet everyone on the staffs of The Elm and The Collegian.

There are more things that I’m excited for/more things I will get excited about as Fall Semester ends, but these are the standouts at the moment!

Admitted Students Day

This Saturday is Admitted Students Day, is this Saturday and I hope to see you there! I will be working with the English Department during the academic fair and at the Lit House later, so please stop by!

Aside from the information overload that will be Admitted Students Day, there will also be other things to do Saturday. War on the Shore, the annual rivalry game between WAC and Salisbury is Saturday at 1. Alumni games for all of the Fall Sports at various times in the morning. Baseball and Softball will also be playing on their respective fields in the afternoon.

While there won’t be explicit events in town, it’s always fun to go downtown for lunch or dinner or just to explore the shops. If you plan on getting dinner, I recommend Louisa’s! It’s a really good Italian restaurant, but you may want to make reservations because they can get pretty busy. If you want to shop, walking downtown will give you a variety of options, but my favorite shop it Teacups & Twigs. They sell a variety of novelty-type things, and there’s always a really good find!

Goals for WAC

I’m almost at the half-way mark for my college experience (that’s a scary thought), so here is a list of things I have accomplished/that I want to have done before I graduate:

-My freshman year, I had two jobs: I was a photographer for The Elm and I blogged for Admissions. Within the first few weeks of having these jobs, I told myself that when Tori (the then Photo Editor) and Caroline (the intern in charge of bloggers) graduated, I wanted to take over those positions. Spring semester my freshman year, Tori went abroad and I have been the Photo Editor for The Elm since. This year Caroline graduates and I applied for and was offered her position. While I was unable to take it because of other positions I plan on holding next semester, I felt very accomplished that I had technically accomplished both of the goals I had set out for myself my freshman year.

-When I was touring WAC, I learned about Cherry Tree, the national literary journal that we publish that students screen submissions for and I immediately knew I wanted to work on it one day. Spring semester my freshman year, I took the Literary Editing and Publishing class required to take the course and was hired to work as a poetry screener for Issue 5 of Cherry Tree, which has been an amazing experience and I hope to work on Issue 6 next fall.

-I want to work for The Collegian, WAC’s student literary journal. I applied last year to work on it for this year but unfortunately was not hired. Here’s hoping I get hired for next year!

-Senior year, I would like to win the Sophie Kerr Prize, or at the very least be a finalist.

-Once I’m eligible, I would like to be in the English Honor Society.

-At some point, I would like to be the Literary House Press Intern and the Cherry Tree Production Intern.

Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP)

I got to go to AWP in Portland!!

Every year, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference is hosted in a different city. Last year, AWP was in Tampa, FL. This year, I was fortunate enough to be taken to AWP in Portland by the Lit House to work the Lit House Press booth at the book fair.

AWP is the largest writing conference in the country. Presses, MFA programs, and writers from all over the country come together to host/listen to panels, sell/buy books, and eat a lot of over-priced convention center food. Presses will also host off-sites, where they will host readings in coffee shops/bars/book stores later in the day after the conference is technically over. Having the opportunity to attend AWP was a phenomenal experience, and I got a lot out of the experience. I attended some really interesting panels, bought/was given a ton of books, and met a lot of writers. My favorite part of the conference was going to the off-sites because they were much more relaxed than the regular panels and I met some of the writers that read and had them sign their books that I had bought, which was really cool!

Pictured above is the wing of the plane/mountain range after our Seattle layover on our way to Portland. I flew by myself on this plane because my tickets were booked after everyone else’s and didn’t get the same flight. But it was okay! I got to watch part of Oceans 8, which I hadn’t seen before (and still haven’t finished).

Pictured above is my friend Justin with “Street Balloons” tied to his backpack. We had gone to a Muzzle/Vinyl Reading followed by a Sibling Rivalry Reading at this really cool coffee shop called Cup and Bar. Some of our friends met up with us for the Sibling Rivalry Reading, and they brought balloons with them that they had found on the street, which is really weird but also very funny.

Pictured above is the sunrise after we boarded the plane after our layover in Chicago on our way back to Dulles. We had taken a redeye, so seeing the sunrise was both cool and so sad because we were exhausted.

It is traditional to post an AWP Book Haul picture after AWP, so that’s what’s above. The stacks are, from left to right, anthologies, journals, poetry, chapbooks, fiction, and nonfiction. It is going to take me a while to get through all of these, but I am very excited to read them! (A note to my parents: please keep in mind that I did not buy all of these and even the ones I did buy were on sale/had bundle deals so please do not yell at me).

Advising Day

Wednesday was Advising Day, which means no classes! On Wednesday I normally have 3 classes, so not having any was a really nice turn of events. Having the day off meant I got to catch up on homework and sleep, which I always appreciate! I spent the majority of Wednesday working on a collaborative art project, which I think turned out pretty cool.

Now that it’s April and Advising Day is over, we’re really starting to hit crunch time for the end of the semester, which means working on papers, projects, and presentations from now until the end of the semester. Hopefully it’ll go by more smoothly that I think, but we’ll see!

April Fools

April Fools was a few days ago, and I still haven’t pranked anyone...I am painfully lame I guess, but that’s okay.

Of course I cannot think of a single funny thing that has happened to me in the last two years, BUT here’s a really strange story that was hilarious at the time:

So near the beginning of Fall Sem 2018, the power went out all over campus (I think a transformer blew but now I can’t remember). I don’t know how long the power was out, but I fell asleep doing homework with my light on (around like 9 pm, so it was dark out), and woke up maybe an hour or two later (like 10 or 11 pm) and my light was off (I had a mini heart attack thinking someone came into my room and turned my light off before I woke up enough to realize the power went out). Anyway, I heard a lot of [cheerful] yelling outside, and texted my friends in Chester to see if their power was out, and since it wasn’t I decided to go over there to finish homework. So I pack up my stuff and head over to Chester and I don’t know why but for some reason the freshmen went absolutely crazy when the power went out and they were running all over campus and were cheerfully yelling and were playing lawn games (completely in the dark). It was one of the weirdest experiences I have ever had (very Lord of the Flies-esk), but it was also hilarious seeing all the freshman run around in the dark while the power was out.

Internships

WAC has a ton of internship opportunities. The career center had a list of internships sorted by major that you can look through, there are specific internships you can get from professors/departments, and the Signature Centers have internships as well. You also have the option of getting an internship independently of WAC if you find one you like!

Last summer, I was a Cherry Tree Young Writers’ Conference Intern, working with high school students interested in writing. For a week, we attended workshops, small panels, and Q&As with the conference faculty. It was an amazing, educational experience and I’m so glad I was able to be a part of it!

This summer, I will be with Lit House Summer Intern, working on a variety of projects including assisting with the Cherry Tree Young Writers’ Conference, Publications Bootcamp, and the Cave Canam Fellow. I am very excited to be spending my summer at the Lit House and hope to see a lot about the publishing work and the day to day operations of the Lit House.

Stress relief

Here are some very quick stress relief tips. Everyone copes with stress differently, but these are some things that I do to relax:

Read a book you’ve been looking forward to or that you want to.

Do a self-care routine.

Hang out with friends.

Watch a movie.

Take a night off and go to bed early.

Professors, not just in-the-classroom teaching tools

At this point in my college career, I have taken a lot of classes with a lot of different professors. While most professors on campus have your best interest at heart, every department has its standouts—professors that absolutely go above and beyond to make sure you’re doing okay. For me, one of those professors is Julie Wills (we all call her Julie) from the art department. I’ve only taken one class with Julie, but I can say with absolute certainty that she is one of the most cheerful people on campus. She walks into every class with a smile and you can genuinely tell she’s happy to be there and to be helping you progress your art. She’s also super personable and genuinely cares about all of her students—she’s one of those professors that can tell you’re having an off day as soon as she sees you and asks if you’re okay. Last semester when I took her Art & Language course, she helped me a great deal when it came to my artwork and artist process, making me think in new ways and work in different directions, pushing me to be a better artist.

Even though I don’t have any classes with her this semester, Julie is still looking out for me. When I see her around campus we quickly catch up, but in a way that makes me feel like she genuinely cares how I’m doing. She’s also recommended me for really cool small gatherings/talks/receptions with artists that come to campus. The intimacy of these small events has put me on such a person level with artists that is unbelievably beneficial. I highly recommend taking one of Julie’s classes, to fill your art distribution if nothing else.

Sophie Kerr/Art Day

When I was a senior in high school, I came to Sophie Kerr Day to get a better look at the English department. We listened to panels, readings, had a Q&A with current students, and broke into small groups to do writing workshops. It was an amazing opportunity to get a better sense for Washington College, the English Department, and to be able to spend a day in the Lit House (my now favorite building on campus). A lot of the current students that had been panelists had said that they knew they would attend WAC after they had gone to Sophie Kerr Day, and I don’t blame them.

I hadn’t fully decided to commit until after I had an overnight with the art department, which was another amazing opportunity. I got to see the Art/Art History department, and meet all of the studio professors. I talked to them about my work and my interests as an artist over catered dinner, which was really cool! Because it was an overnight, I spent the night with a current student and got to experience dorm-life for a night, which was beneficial in the decision-making process.

Getting to have a more intimate look at our major-of-choice is an amazing experience, and I encourage you all to do it! It really helps you envision what your life here will look like.

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