What Sophomore Year Awaits

The term is coming to an end, and with it my first year at Carleton. I cannot help but get excited about all the things that my sophomore year promises. Now that I am familiar with the ins and outs of campus, I feel prepared to make the best out of my time here.

Summer at Carleton

So, after much deliberation, I have finally decided to spend my first college summer, you guessed it, at college! I’ve been lucky to land an internship with the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. Thus, I will be staying on campus to work remotely with them.

The Career Center granted me some funding to cover my expenses. This is for housing on campus and meal planning (I will probably be cooking for myself most of the time). What is most exciting about this opportunity, however, is the fact that my roommate will be staying with me! She has an internship of her own and will also be in Northfield.

We are looking forward to participating in all sorts of activities on campus over the summer. These include Dacie Moses’ brunches, commencement, and my first-ever Fourth of July celebration.

New Sights

Perhaps the most anticipated event of my sophomore year: I am going abroad! I will be part of the Office of Off-Campus Studies’ Cross-Cultural Psychopathology program in Prague this coming fall.

I decided to apply after some encouragement from my academic advisor. Thanks to the support of my professors (who kindly filled out last-minute recommendation forms on my behalf), I was accepted! I will be joining a crew of 21 Carls, from current first-years to rising seniors. While some are Psychology majors, what I love most about us is that we have a variety of interests and expertise. I am sure this will be a very enriching experience and a welcome change from the Northfield scenery.

Diversifying my Work-Study

If you haven’t picked up on it by now, I currently work on campus with Admissions! (This blog here is part of that job.) Though I have been enjoying my job just fine, I want to experience what it’s like to hold other positions too. I got a little taste of that when I worked in the mail office over winter break, and have been craving for more since.

So, I am pleased to announce that next year I will be splitting my work hours between Admissions and being a Spanish TA for the Spanish Department! As an aspiring teacher, I cannot wait to get real-life experience in the field. I’ll also get to share the beauty of my language with others! If you can’t already tell, I am REALLY eager to become a TA next spring term.

Outside of Class

One of my goals for my sophomore year is to narrow down the activities I am involved in so that I can be truly committed to each one of them. I plan to continuing my involvement with the Christian community on campus, maybe taking on a leadership position.

Similarly, I want to devote more time to both my piano and swimming lessons. With the former, I hope that by the time I graduate I will be able to put together some sort of performance. In terms of swimming, I am working towards getting a lifeguard certificate.

Declaring a Major

Last but not least, I will be declaring a major during sophomore year! Though my intention to major in Sociology/Anthropology (SOAN) is still firm, I am nonetheless looking forward to officially joining the department, getting my own SOAN advisor, and taking lots more SOAN courses.

There is just so much to be enthusiastic about in the next 12 months! My second year sure promises to top my first, but until then, I will enjoy what I have left of this one.

Fátima strives to learn everything about everything, but is especially interested in Sociology/Anthropology, Psychology, and Disney! As a freshman, she can’t wait to introduce her peers to her native Guatemalan culture, put in practice her newly acquired ASL skills, and play in the snow for the first time. In her free time, Fátima can be found watching cartoons, poorly playing the ukulele, or desperately missing her dog, Cosmo. Meet the other bloggers!