In that time, I got drenched at Shamrock fest in DC with some awesome people, been onstage with the Dropkick Murphys (twice), ran my first marathon, saw the glory of Tennessee, and got accepted into graduate school.
I'm still having a quarter-life crisis going on, a bit early, but I blame my dad for that. He has a habit it saying all of the horrible things I think. For example, I applied to graduate school for something that I'm passionate about and am super excited about the fact that one of the schools wants me. However, I know that it is going to cost a lot of money to accomplish but to me it is worth it. My dad never went to graduate school so he doesn't understand the whole situation. Part of this issue is that I've been so used to having running goals for the past couple of years but now I don't have any because I have no idea where I'm gonna be in the next 6 or so months. I did sign up for the Army 10 miler but that's partly because it sells out within 2 days and that you are able to transfer that race registration. I think that it is the uncertainty that bothers me. I plan on going to an open house for grad school in a few weeks and hopefully that will help cement my decision. It probably doesn't help that I'm horribly indecisive, especially when it comes to something that will change my life.
I'm still immensely proud of myself for sticking with my decision to apply to grad school. To those that care, here is my essay:
I know the exact moment that I realized I wanted to be a librarian. I walked up the stairs at the Andy Warhol Museum to the famous stuffed Great Dane, Cecil, guarding the library with its hundreds of boxes. I had always been a great lover of books but I had never put the two together until then. That museum visit crystallized my next goal: attending graduate school for a degree in library science, with a focus on archives that will help me share the experiences of the past with the minds of the future. Just as those dedicated researchers at the Warhol Museum created an intensely personal learning experience for me, I too, would like to make an impact on the learning experience of others. Having the opportunity to change the way the past is presented to society and to help shape the way history is viewed is why I want to pursue this degree at Drexel University. Moreover, its close proximity to a plethora of museums such as the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, American Philosophical Society Museum, and Independence Hall, to name a few, is what makes Drexel University particularly attractive to me.
Growing up I had a severe speech impediment that led to a love of reading because of my inability to communicate with others. I spent so much time at the local library that I volunteered during middle school summers even as my speech impediment became less noticeable. The library was the one place that I always felt accepted, and it nurtured my love of reading. This love of reading spilled into my classes, as my teachers encouraged me with book recommendations. Because of this, I was often the only student who had read the majority of books a professor would mention throughout a class, regardless of the subject matter.
I carried this same dedication to the playing field. During the fall semester of my sophomore year in college, I broke my collarbone playing rugby. Unable to play that semester, I rehabbed so that I could play the following semester. Despite my coach’s wariness about letting me play, I persisted, and by the following fall semester, I was playing full games in a completely different position on the team. Likewise, when I did not receive the grade I thought my class work deserved, I would discuss it with the professor to better understand his or her expectations of me. Being armed with this knowledge- made me better prepared in my studies and fostered closer relationships with my professors, with whom I developed strong bonds that transcended the classroom.
I feel that my experiences with rugby and school, combined with my eureka moment at the Andy Warhol Museum, would make me a valuable member of the diverse community at the College of Information Science and Technology in Drexel University. Specifically, I see the Library Science and Information program at Drexel University as the bridge from my past to my future of helping others experience history in a manner relevant to today.
