Blog

Going into NOLS, all we knew was that the next twenty-three days would be spent in a dystopian world without cell phones or any connection to the outside world.

Time starts to lose form when you measure it not in days, but in episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Deadlines seem further away. Memories seem closer. And Captain Picard seems to be constantly giving life advice.

This summer I am interning for Opera Carolina in Charlotte, NC. I serve as an intern to the departments of Community Relations, Marketing, and Education; however, I have spent most of my time completing educational tasks, such as managing Opera Carolina’s Academy, a summer workshop for singers and actors in grades 6-12.

2020 has been a whirlwind for me as it has been for everyone, and looking back; it feels like March was years ago. Before March, I spent months planning and getting ready for a Summer Abroad in Spain- then backpacking throughout Europe. Let me tell you, it was going to be EPIC.

May 25th, 2020 was anything but a typical Memorial Day in America. While most Americans enjoyed limited freedoms from COVID-19 restrictions, spending time outside with friends and family, and honoring the men and women who have given their lives for the freedoms we experience in America, a Black man named George Floyd was carelessly murdered when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.

At the beginning of Spring semester, I had the opportunity to interview at Care Ring in hopes of securing an internship with a local non-profit in the Charlotte community.

Whenever I tell people that I am from New York, the immediate reaction is, “What’s it like living in New York City?” I quickly tell them that I live between Albany and NYC in a very scenic and unique part of the country called the Hudson Valley.

Ever since my sophomore year of high school, I’ve had dreams of studying abroad. I wanted to learn foreign languages, meet new people and experience other cultures, so when I became a part of the Levine Scholars Program, I was beyond excited for my dreams to become a reality.

Parliament. The United Nations. Google. Apple. Peace Corps. Harvard. Johns Hopkins. Being in the presence of exceptional individuals with such distinguished experiences could make any high achiever nervous, let alone a college freshman.

For as long as I can remember, becoming a midwife was my ultimate goal. When I would tell others, it was not uncommon to get some funny looks or even the occasional “wow.”