LEARNING FROM MY SUCCESSES AND STUMBLES AT NMU
Ever since elementary school, I had been looking forward to going to college. The freedom to study what one desires, the ability to learn essentially anything, and the independence created by living away from what was familiar were all wonderful aspirations for me. Despite this early focus, I still found myself making many blunders upon my arrival to campus. However, occasionally I have found successes from unexpected sources.
Join me for the next few moments as we take a brief dive into those successes and failures. While you personally may not ever find yourself in some of these situations, perhaps you can either find some solace in the knowledge that you never tried to ride a moped through a hailstorm, or some inspiration in events that transitioned from dismay to delight.
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LEARNING FROM MY SUCCESSES AND STUMBLES AT NMU
Ever since elementary school, I had been looking forward to going to college. The freedom to study what one desires, the ability to learn essentially anything, and the independence created by living away from what was familiar were all wonderful aspirations for me. Despite this early focus, I still found myself making many blunders upon my arrival to campus. However, occasionally I have found successes from unexpected sources.
Join me for the next few moments as we take a brief dive into those successes and failures. While you personally may not ever find yourself in some of these situations, perhaps you can either find some solace in the knowledge that you never tried to ride a moped through a hailstorm, or some inspiration in events that transitioned from dismay to delight.
High School
Before I attended NMU, I was actually fully set on going to a different school. After visiting NMU during the Presidential Scholarship Competition (which I highly recommend for incoming students), I suddenly changed my mind as I realized that NMU was a better fit for me. As I continued through the college preparation process I came to realize that having tunnel vision, while useful for staying focused on goals, can be detrimental in the long run as one becomes blinded to other possibilities. Generally, I was extremely thankful that I pushed myself quite hard in high school because it made the transition to college that much easier, yet I regret not taking as much time as I could have for recreation.
Fall 2019
Upon my arrival on campus, I was determined to leverage those lessons learned in high school. I attended Fall Fest and browsed about on the NMU website for clubs of interest. To my welcome surprise, I found more interesting clubs than time would allow. I eventually settled on temporarily joining Campus Cinema, the NMU Conservation Crew, NMU College Democrats, Rollerblading Club, and the NMU Fisheries and Wildlife Association. Over time, I determined the groups in which I desired to become more active, and dropped others accordingly. Later that semester, I became an officer for the NMU Conservation Crew, which is a position that I still hold today (definitely check out our website, Instagram, and page on The Hub. We are a really cool group of people!). Lastly, I was awarded a Freshman Fellowship during this semester in which I was paired with Dr. Gerig. His interests align closely with mine regarding fisheries science, so I ended up securing a position in his lab following my initial work with him as a freshman.
Winter 2020
Before my first winter semester at NMU started, I spent much of my winter break applying for summer internships. I discovered that many, specifically those related to ecology, become available in late November and require a significant time commitment in the application process. As a result, I found myself writing quite a bit during the holiday season. The biggest struggle that I had during this winter semester was related to my transportation. In the fall semester, I brought a hybrid bicycle as my main method of transport. While this was fantastic during the fall, I found that it didn’t work so well in winter (much to my surprise, studded tires could not compete with Marquette's snowfall). So I began to look for other ways to enjoy the outdoors in winter. Through NMU, I was able to rent cross-country skis and enjoy all that the Noquemanon Trail Network had to offer in winter.
Summer 2020
If you have also grown up in the Midwest, you likely are familiar with the fact that spring isn’t real. Winter simply ceases to exist one day as the temperatures warm to 80°F. The snow melts, and summer begins. So it was in 2020 when, as the school year was drawing to a close, I had generally been receiving only denials for the REU (Research Opportunity for Undergraduates) summer programs for which I had applied. Later, I found that this was an expected result as they are extremely selective internships. Not letting that get me down, I reached out to an ecologist at the Minnesotan engineering and consulting firm WSB who I had been in contact with for a few months. He offered me a position and I gladly accepted. Overall, I am grateful that I was driven to continue searching for jobs in the wake of multiple rejections.
Fall 2020
Remembering my transportation issues from the previous year, I decided to purchase a vehicle before school started in August. Once again playing it cheap, but also because it sounded fun, I decided to purchase a moped (much to my mom’s chagrin). For most of the fall semester, I thoroughly enjoyed having this vehicle on campus because it gave me access to more recreation than I had previously without the costs of owning a car. However, as the semester went on I began to notice two major downsides with the moped. Firstly, I was completely exposed to the elements. I did not think of that as a significant problem until I found myself caught in a hailstorm, which bombarded my exposed knees (thankfully I always rode with a helmet!). Secondly, in October I found myself in a fantastic relationship with someone I met on the night of the hailstorm incident. While we enjoyed riding on the moped together, the limited space on the moped meant that we were quite restricted in what we could bring when we went about adventuring. Still, I did not let that dampen my spirits and we thoroughly enjoyed the moped for the remainder of the semester.
Winter 2021
This semester was not so tranquil. I took far more difficult classes, and often was flooded in homework as a result. As with the previous year, I spent much of winter break constructing applications for summer job opportunities. Looking back, my biggest struggle this semester was not related to classes or Covid-19, but once again to my eagerness to cheaply transport myself. The moped simply did not function properly in the cold. It was a true obstacle to get the engine running, and once (perhaps the word “if” would be more applicable) the engine was started, it would often die in places such as roundabouts. As I am transcribing those events from memory, I now consider myself quite lucky to be alive. Despite my issues with transportation, public transit does exist in Marquette and is a viable alternative to a car for many people. In particular, I would recommend it for first year students as I wish that I would have taken advantage of that option. In fact, the only reason that I didn’t was that it was poorly advertised. All in all, this semester was difficult, chaotic, and frightening on occasion, but that’s how life in general goes sometimes. I’m grateful that I also had some amazing moments that provided uncountable opportunities for growth and enlightenment.
Summer 2021
We now have caught up to the present. My summer work is a continuation of the work that I began with Dr. Gerig as a Freshman Fellow. I am studying a method of identification of coaster brook trout and hoping to construct a scientific paper from the results. I thoroughly enjoy this work because, although field work is exciting, the reality is that the majority of my life will be writing and reading for research purposes. As I have had relatively little experience in that arena, I am thankful for the opportunity to develop those skills outside of the conventional school year. I also have the possibility of participating in field work when the occasion arises. Additionally, I have had time to practice developing laboratory procedures; another ability that will certainly be useful throughout my career. As the pandemic begins to wind down following the vaccination distribution, I look forward to the opportunities and prepare for the challenges that the next semester will bring.
Takeaway
Ambition generally has a negative connotation. While in some cases this is undeniably justified, I believe that in other instances ambition can be quite positive. Ambition and passion for my field of interest have driven me for many years to be the best person that I can while allowing me to stay on track to achieve my goals. If I continue striving to propel myself forward, I succeed. However, when this drive to complete tasks interferes with other aspects of my life such as family and mental health, then ambition begins to embody the ideas behind its negative connotations. Learning to balance the urge for achievement with time for convalescence is absolutely necessary to keep one on the path to balanced success. Allow ambition in the positive sense to guide you.
High School
Before I attended NMU, I was actually fully set on going to a different school. After visiting NMU during the Presidential Scholarship Competition (which I highly recommend for incoming students), I suddenly changed my mind as I realized that NMU was a better fit for me. As I continued through the college preparation process I came to realize that having tunnel vision, while useful for staying focused on goals, can be detrimental in the long run as one becomes blinded to other possibilities. Generally, I was extremely thankful that I pushed myself quite hard in high school because it made the transition to college that much easier, yet I regret not taking as much time as I could have for recreation.
Fall 2019
Upon my arrival on campus, I was determined to leverage those lessons learned in high school. I attended Fall Fest and browsed about on the NMU website for clubs of interest. To my welcome surprise, I found more interesting clubs than time would allow. I eventually settled on temporarily joining Campus Cinema, the NMU Conservation Crew, NMU College Democrats, Rollerblading Club, and the NMU Fisheries and Wildlife Association. Over time, I determined the groups in which I desired to become more active, and dropped others accordingly. Later that semester, I became an officer for the NMU Conservation Crew, which is a position that I still hold today (definitely check out our website, Instagram, and page on The Hub. We are a really cool group of people!). Lastly, I was awarded a Freshman Fellowship during this semester in which I was paired with Dr. Gerig. His interests align closely with mine regarding fisheries science, so I ended up securing a position in his lab following my initial work with him as a freshman.
Winter 2020
Before my first winter semester at NMU started, I spent much of my winter break applying for summer internships. I discovered that many, specifically those related to ecology, become available in late November and require a significant time commitment in the application process. As a result, I found myself writing quite a bit during the holiday season. The biggest struggle that I had during this winter semester was related to my transportation. In the fall semester, I brought a hybrid bicycle as my main method of transport. While this was fantastic during the fall, I found that it didn’t work so well in winter (much to my surprise, studded tires could not compete with Marquette's snowfall). So I began to look for other ways to enjoy the outdoors in winter. Through NMU, I was able to rent cross-country skis and enjoy all that the Noquemanon Trail Network had to offer in winter.
Summer 2020
If you have also grown up in the Midwest, you likely are familiar with the fact that spring isn’t real. Winter simply ceases to exist one day as the temperatures warm to 80°F. The snow melts, and summer begins. So it was in 2020 when, as the school year was drawing to a close, I had generally been receiving only denials for the REU (Research Opportunity for Undergraduates) summer programs for which I had applied. Later, I found that this was an expected result as they are extremely selective internships. Not letting that get me down, I reached out to an ecologist at the Minnesotan engineering and consulting firm WSB who I had been in contact with for a few months. He offered me a position and I gladly accepted. Overall, I am grateful that I was driven to continue searching for jobs in the wake of multiple rejections.
Fall 2020
Remembering my transportation issues from the previous year, I decided to purchase a vehicle before school started in August. Once again playing it cheap, but also because it sounded fun, I decided to purchase a moped (much to my mom’s chagrin). For most of the fall semester, I thoroughly enjoyed having this vehicle on campus because it gave me access to more recreation than I had previously without the costs of owning a car. However, as the semester went on I began to notice two major downsides with the moped. Firstly, I was completely exposed to the elements. I did not think of that as a significant problem until I found myself caught in a hailstorm, which bombarded my exposed knees (thankfully I always rode with a helmet!). Secondly, in October I found myself in a fantastic relationship with someone I met on the night of the hailstorm incident. While we enjoyed riding on the moped together, the limited space on the moped meant that we were quite restricted in what we could bring when we went about adventuring. Still, I did not let that dampen my spirits and we thoroughly enjoyed the moped for the remainder of the semester.
Winter 2021
This semester was not so tranquil. I took far more difficult classes, and often was flooded in homework as a result. As with the previous year, I spent much of winter break constructing applications for summer job opportunities. Looking back, my biggest struggle this semester was not related to classes or Covid-19, but once again to my eagerness to cheaply transport myself. The moped simply did not function properly in the cold. It was a true obstacle to get the engine running, and once (perhaps the word “if” would be more applicable) the engine was started, it would often die in places such as roundabouts. As I am transcribing those events from memory, I now consider myself quite lucky to be alive. Despite my issues with transportation, public transit does exist in Marquette and is a viable alternative to a car for many people. In particular, I would recommend it for first year students as I wish that I would have taken advantage of that option. In fact, the only reason that I didn’t was that it was poorly advertised. All in all, this semester was difficult, chaotic, and frightening on occasion, but that’s how life in general goes sometimes. I’m grateful that I also had some amazing moments that provided uncountable opportunities for growth and enlightenment.
Summer 2021
We now have caught up to the present. My summer work is a continuation of the work that I began with Dr. Gerig as a Freshman Fellow. I am studying a method of identification of coaster brook trout and hoping to construct a scientific paper from the results. I thoroughly enjoy this work because, although field work is exciting, the reality is that the majority of my life will be writing and reading for research purposes. As I have had relatively little experience in that arena, I am thankful for the opportunity to develop those skills outside of the conventional school year. I also have the possibility of participating in field work when the occasion arises. Additionally, I have had time to practice developing laboratory procedures; another ability that will certainly be useful throughout my career. As the pandemic begins to wind down following the vaccination distribution, I look forward to the opportunities and prepare for the challenges that the next semester will bring.
→ Takeaway
Ambition generally has a negative connotation. While in some cases this is undeniably justified, I believe that in other instances ambition can be quite positive. Ambition and passion for my field of interest have driven me for many years to be the best person that I can while allowing me to stay on track to achieve my goals. If I continue striving to propel myself forward, I succeed. However, when this drive to complete tasks interferes with other aspects of my life such as family and mental health, then ambition begins to embody the ideas behind its negative connotations. Learning to balance the urge for achievement with time for convalescence is absolutely necessary to keep one on the path to balanced success. Allow ambition in the positive sense to guide you.
