College Life: Two Down...

A little over a week ago, I finished my sophomore year at Olivet Nazarene University.

To be honest, that statement really doesn't mean much (and those of you at Olivet who aren't in a science major can back me up there). A lot of my time so far has been focused on adjusting to life away from home, finding new friends, and figuring out what to actually pursue in my four-year program there. Difficult schoolwork? Not so much. The toughest part of classes this semester has been waking up for my 8 AM class three days a week.

So, what's happened? Did I hit a sophomore slump in any areas?

Not really. This has actually been one of the best years of my life. Between a lot of excellent classes, making some new friends, and finding romance, it's been really incredible. I have no complaints and very few regrets going into the summer. Here's some notes about stuff going on:

  • My grades ended up pretty good, even in the classes I hated. The best thing about this semester academically was that my biggest challenges in coursework happened to be in a class that I was super passionate about (shout out to Prof. Teresa Garner for that one). I had to learn how to manage my time better with traveling, schoolwork, a job, and a girlfriend, but that was a really good exercise for my sense of discipline. 
  • Speaking of a girlfriend, Felicia and I are doing really really well, but being apart from her is going to be no piece of cake. I'm not going to get into a lot here (because I know I can go on and on and I don't want to bore you), but going from seeing her every day to being able to just talk and text while actually seeing her a lot less is a big shift. 
  • Lifesong is officially over for good. The team is not continuing into next year, as most of us are going onto full-time ministry teams from Olivet. I personally am not going to travel next year, and I'm so happy about that. I cannot wait to find a good church home for the next couple years and park myself there, as I've really been missing the consistency of being part of a single local church. Seeing how the church can look different and still be the same has been amazing, but being able to stay in one place I hope will be very beneficial. 
  • As far as the summer is concerned, I am back in Champaign and will be doing some youth ministry work at Windsor Road Christian Church. I am super excited to get to experience youth ministry on the ground, especially after coming off an incredible youth ministry course this past semester. The job thing is still a bit of a work in progress, but it's going. I'm kind of glad to have a bit of room to breathe after a somewhat stressful finish to the school year, but I'm also really excited to be busy. I hate feeling like a useless blob sitting at home all day. 
That's all for now, folks. Keep on keeping on. I should have some new reviews up for you in the next couple weeks. 

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