I love going to a college with an equine program. This picture is from awhile ago, but this horse is the best. I love Napoleon. :)

I added a second major!!! Political Science! It will only take an extra semester to complete…so my intended graduation should be December 2014! Woohoo! Hopefully, I can find a solid job in the equine industry after graduation until I venture to grad school.

It’s so lonely being one of the only females in your school’s history program. Oh! And the other history majors? They’re mostly student athletes who call you an overachiever because you actually complete your assignments on time. Oh, VI. I like to do my work. I love to read. I love to write. I love being a history major.

mylifeasahistorymajor:

shithistorianssay:

After 2 years, I’ve had a change of heart. I am changing my major. Instead of receiving my licensure to teach social studies at the secondary level, I would like to get my BA in History and a minor in Political Science. I don’t think that secondary education is right for me. At this point, I would like to attend graduate school after VI and work towards becoming a professor. This is my new goal and I feel like a burden has been lifted.

Yesterday was my first day doing field experience this year…I went with my favorite outfit: a skirt and a cardigan!

This summer has been interesting. I guess I shouldn’t use interesting as it is a non-descriptive word. All right, this summer has had its ups and downs.

On a high note, I spent all summer working on my research grant! At this point, I have 21 pages typed. I’m hoping for the paper to be around 30 pages in length when I am finished. To sum it up? The Forest Service has drastically altered its mission in order to meet the changing demands of the American public. Not only has the public pressured the agency into allowing more public participation during the decision making process, but congress has also created various pieces of legislation to legally alter the mission of the Forest Service in order to make the American public happy. That is a short summary of my project. I’ve looked at the original legislation that gave the agency a purpose and I’ve read recent GAO reports and interviews Forest Service staff. I’m still working on it, but it has been educational and fun. The best part? I loved visiting Duke University to use their library and archives.

And…the low part of the summer. I am 20 years old and now have braces. At times, it still hurts to eat certain things, but they aren’t as bad as I thought they would be. It is what it is. At least I’ll have pretty teeth one day! Home was a sketchy situation for most of the summer. Things were bad; however, I have lived with my grandparents and my surrogate grandparents for the past 5 weeks. All is well now. I’ve redefined my idea of “family” and “home.” I’m much happier now than I have been in a long time.

And the best part? I move back to college in less than a week! I’m ready to start the semester and I miss my apartment. I am carrying a course load of 18 hours and I’m ready to tackle my junior year of college. I have a new pet bunny to bring with me too.

An ode to summer…well, it has been a learning experience. I feel as if I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’ve had to grow up throughout the past 4 months, but that’s a good thing. So, I’m ready to end the summer and begin the new semester (plus, I miss helping with kiddos in the classroom, even if I am only observing. I graded papers for my surrogate grandfather last night and I was so excited to do something, even if I just graded papers).

I just returned home from a trip to Duke to do research for my research project and it was amazing. The people at the Forest History Society were wonderful and very helpful! I’m actually motivated about my project again, which is good. I also looked at the Duke University campus as well. That is my dream graduate school. Yay! A productive trip is an awesome trip.