Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

After a very stressful end to the first semester of my senior year, I am looking forward to the numerous opportunities that this class has to offer me in this coming semester. From the mentorship to the research and production of my final product, I find myself exhilarated by the coming ideas that I have. While I know the work will be just as much, if not more, in this coming semester I am most definitely excited to see how I grow, not only as a student, but as a professional as well.

The first thing that I have worked on this new year is seeking out my mentor for the actual mentorship part of the Independent Study and Mentorship class. Before the new year, I had asked Jessica Olstad to be my mentor, because of the connection we made through the interview early in the semester. Sadly, she had to decline due to a very busy work schedule which is definitely something I appreciate her being upfront about. I then reached out to Dr. Tim Barckholtz, a lead researcher at ExxonMobil. I have not heard back from Dr. Barckholtz yet but I truly believe that this would be a great opportunity to have the ability to shadow his work. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Dr. Barckholtz accepts my request as I believe that I could truly learn a lot from him, given his experience in the industry and his high standing at ExxonMobil.

There are so many things that I am looking forward to this semester, and while I understand it will be a lot of work, I think that this process will help prepare me for my college and professional career.