So with Labor Day Weekend as the decided end to summer, it has come time to sit back and reflect on graduation, the summer, and what to do now. Before this summer I had always had something I was headed towards at the end of the summer, and now was always a time to prepare for the next year of school or college. I’ve realized now that any of the next step is entirely up to me. And this summer has been an amazing way to start the rest of my life.
Part 1: The Road
Hitting the road for two weeks on my own was a great way to jump into being independent. The trip combined connecting with a lot of people who I care about with the total independence of being in the woods on my own in Acadia National Park. I got to “drop in” to the lives of a lot of close friends and family, and get a glimpse how they live their lives. It made me realize that I still need to find that “home” place for myself.
Being in Acadia put an entirely different element of self-discovery on the trip. Camping and hiking alone meant that I was responsible for all of the successes and high points of the trip, but also meant oversights and challenges were both my fault and my responsibility to fix. I learned a lot about how I manage my own life. I mean, there has to be something said about deciding to drive up to Acadia National Park a day before doing so, and having the time of my life with next to no planning involved. And it felt pretty good to put down 40 miles of Acadia on my own terms. See my full post about the road trip here, and check out all my photos from the trip here.
Part 2: Hawai’i
My very short time in Hawai’i helped me remember why I will never be able to leave marine science. Most of the week was taken up by the 13th International Coral Reef Symposium, which was nothing short of amazing for me. I was able to meet incredible mentors and colleagues, and learn about all of the different research surround the coral reefs of the world today. Beyond this, I saw my future in the field of marine science, and now I can’t wait to get started!
I also go the chance to put my travel flexibility to the test with only two days outside of the conference to explore Hawai’i itself, and my budget was even shorter. As a result, I attended a full conference while couchsurfing, walked just about everywhere I went, and did most of touring of the island the day that I flew out, but it was far from a bad experience. Across my first day and last day, I learned to surf, hiked and climbed through tidepools, snorkeled on beautiful reefs, and met 4 different turtles in my adventures. I was happy to share the time I had with my labmates, who have helped me make the most out of everything I do, from snorkeling to research, and by the time I got on my 10:30pm flight, I knew that would be a perfect time to catch up on all the sleep I did not get during my week.
I also have to thank many locals for helping me enjoy that full week, from the students of University of Hawai’i at Manoa to my couchsurfing host Patric to my shipmate and former local Sabrina! If it wasn’t for these people I would undoubtedly have been completely lost…
If anything I learned in Hawai’i, it is that I will definitely be back for longer than two days. See my complete posts about what I learned about conferences and making the most of my two days off.
Part 3: Yosemite National Park
If there were ever a place that defied meaning and definition, it would have to be Yosemite National Park. Although I was there less than a week, at no time was I not in sheer wonder of what surrounded me. Sheer granite rocks and cliffs towered all around me, which made for some of the best (and challenging) hiking I’ve ever done. After making to the top of the hikes and being surrounded by these incredible mountains and cliffs, it was here that I got a small understanding of a quote by Neil Armstrong, “I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.” Check out my complete post about Yosemite here, and check out all of my photos from Yosemite here or on my flickr page.
Part 4: Beyond
Summer travels are now complete, not to mention the countless weekend adventures I’ve enjoyed around North Carolina during the summer.
Whenever I could, I’ve had a camera in hand, ready to capture the world all around me. While this is the end of the summer for me, it is just the start of photography adventures all over.
This summer has also marked the beginnings of a few other projects for me as well. Graduation marked the completion of a very special project for me: Project Bucket UNC. The past four years have been filled with filming myself and four of my friends completing the UNC Bucket List as a part of a documentary project about life at UNC.
With our final list item complete, filming closed up, and it has come time to turn this project into a professional piece. Working with a team of friends and impassioned editors, I have dedicated this next year to producing Project Bucket: UNC as a full-length documentary. To follow the project, like us on facebook at www.facebook.com/projectbucketunc
And of course without question I have to keep marine science in my life somehow. My dream of pursuing marine science as a career is still burning strong, and I have started my search for graduate school. The search has also included drafting an NSF GRFP grant application, taking a bout with the GRE, and a lot of emails. My year off certainly seems pretty on already!