SENIOR YEAR

Three years ago, I was just getting ready to start classes at Western Washington University. At times, it feels like it was just yesterday. Other times it feels like it was ages ago.

Yesterday was my first day of my last year of school. I know, I know, it's so stereotypical, blah blah blah, but I'm so thankful for the opportunities that college has brought me. As a first-generation college student, I didn't really know what to expect out of college, but I'm so glad I came here.

When I was young, I wanted to be a doctor. I didn't know what kind of work that entailed until I got older, so eventually I switched my goal to be a nurse. In high school, I went through a phase where I wanted to study photography and go to art school but realized that wasn't exactly doable. Then, I came to Western thinking I wanted to study environmental science (boy, was that short-lived) and eventually switched back to biology, with the hopes of becoming a nurse after school.

I took chem classes, bio classes and math classes and my grades suffered. I sucked at chemistry, biology was interesting (but really hard) and math is just... math. I couldn't picture myself graduating with that degree but I also couldn't picture myself graduating with anything else.

Then my dad got sick. Really sick. I dealt with this during school, and again, my grades suffered. Finally, before the second week of winter quarter of my sophomore year (and what was going to be my hardest quarter yet) I got a phone call from my mom saying I needed to come home immediately because dad wasn't doing well.

Two days later, I dropped all of my classes for the quarter. I knew what was going to happen. My dad was going to die, and I wasn't going to be able to focus on class. I was right; he did die. That's easily the hardest thing I've ever had to go through in my life, especially as a 19-year-old college student.

However, in the weeks that I sat at home recovering, I realized something needed to change. I couldn't continue with these classes that made me unhappy. I had adopted a new perspective on life — you've gotta do what makes you happy. My dad had always engrained that in me, but balanced it with a "as long as you can make a living" mindset. I signed up for a few easy classes that seemed to be more in my niche for the quarter that I returned to school; art (well, technically visual dialogue), art history and newswriting. I heard all these classes were pretty easy to get an A in, so I was excited.

I didn't expect what would happen next. Newswriting became one of my favorite classes. It was interesting and I was good at it. I searched through the journalism department website and noticed that one of the options was a visual journalism major.

Visual journalism had everything I wanted in a major. It had the writing aspects and the artsy aspects. This was everything I never knew I wanted.

Now, a year and a half later, I'm nearly done. I've yet to take a class within the major that I didn't like. I don't expect that I'll dislike any, but for now, I'm enjoying every second. You know how they say that doing work that makes you happy isn't really work? I'm finding that it's true.

Fall quarter 2011

Fall quarter 2012

Fall quarter 2013 (and my first published story!)

Aaaand there's me on my last first day of school (Fall quarter 2014). It got a ton of likes on Facebook. I felt pretty proud.

Side note: I was scrolling through old emails a few months ago and found that in response to an email of me whining about how hard chem was, my dad suggested I switch to journalism before I even realized I wanted to do that myself. Funny how that works.

In nine months, I'll be done with school. I have no idea what I'll do then, but I guess that's part of the adventure. Maybe I'll move across the country. Maybe I'll move across the world. Maybe I'll stay in my cozy little Bellingham bubble.

For now, I'll just take life as it comes.

xo,
allie

dunzo!

Fall quarter is finally coming to a close.. almost.

I haven't posted since October 22nd. Ahhh! This quarter has literally swallowed me whole. Between Front staff, law, and photojournalism (which is easily my favorite class), I've been crazy busy. Add in work and a little bit of a social life, and goodbye, blog.  Sorry!

I've learned a lot this quarter, about both journalism itself and what it's like to be a journalist.  Writing can be hard, but there are certain aspects to being a journalism major that have its perks.  Likewise, there are also bits and pieces that totally suck.  But like most things, the good outweigh the bad.

What I have for you lovely readers today is a compilation of the pros and cons of being a journalism student.


I'll start with the bad, so that I can end with the good.

LOTS of outside work.

While being on the school newspaper, you're expected to put out a lot of work, which is again expected.  It is a real newspaper.  You're held to the same professional standards as other newspapers.  Sometimes I would be working on multiple stories at a time, which is a daunting task when working with features.  (Features are the longer, insightful stories and profiles inside the newspaper.)  Photo J was a lot of work as well, but not nearly as much as Front staff.  That was work I enjoyed a little bit more when I put my head to it.

Talking to people.

At work, I can find a random person and talk to them about what fabulous deals we have at Forever 21 at any given moment, but when it comes to interviews, talking to strangers is a lot harder.  When I would be out shooting photo projects, I would have to go up to random people, talk to them, ask them their name, age, phone number, and some questions— luckily, most people are willing to be photographed, but photographing strangers is no easy task.  Most people make some self-depreciating joke, and you have to figure out a way to make light of it ("oh, don't get below my shoulders! I don't like that to be photographed!"- how do you reply to that!?) 

Not being able to be creative.

If you've read a newspaper, you know that there is a very particular kind of voice that reporters have when writing.  All of the stories can kind of sound the same after a while, and you have to be super precise with your words/AP style.  This is tricky for me because I like to write like I talk (well, you are reading my blog.) 

Meeting new people, and learning new things.

While it was really hard talking to new people, the experience was like no other once you got to meet them.  I met an 86-year-old woman who had lost two husbands on the same day (years apart), and a fellow student who was trapped in a snow cave for 24 hours and managed to survive.  I also got to meet some faculty quartet members, Miss Seattle and so many other amazing personalities who I wouldn't have met otherwise. I also got to learn about Paganism, a forgotten Bellingham author, and so many other things that I wouldn't have known existed otherwise.

Seeing your stories published.

This is potentially the biggest 'pro' of them all.

Through all of the hard work and time invested into this major, there's nothing better than picking up a newspaper and seeing "By Allie Holzman" (or something else. Or Allie Holzman if your name is also Allie Holzman.)  

My first story! You can read it HERE! 

Definitely not my best story or hair day but that's beside the point.  I was so stoked to see my name in the paper that day.

Read this story HERE!

The first story I wrote that made front page sneak peek! This one was probably one of my funnest ones to write as it was about a fellow Western student who is phenomenal at Humans vs Zombies, and it gave me a newfound respect for the players of the game.  I could actually kind of tell you how the game works now, too. See? Learning. Plus this was a better outfit and hair day, AND it was right before my birthday. Good day, right there.

Finally, in the last week of the quarter, I got my first double truck.  For you non-journalism people, that's just a two-page centerfold.  THAT was a good way to end the quarter.

If you don't have super sight, read what I wrote about Hanukkah at Western HERE. 

Well, that's it for now. 

I'll post again during break, when all I'm doing is working and sitting at home.

happy sunday!

Last week is over and all I have to say is thank god.

I had a crazy busy week- I had a million things due on the same day, and then more things due, and more things due, and more things do.

On the other hand, it was a pretty rewarding week.  I got my first photojournalism project done (it's posted here on my journalism blog!) and while it's not my best photography I'm still pretty proud of it.  I need to get better behind the camera.

Saturday I went to a Relay for Life committee workshop in Seattle and all I have to say is that I am so happy I got involved with it.  I have done Relay for the past two years, but after this year's relay I decided I wanted to help be behind the scenes, and the people are fantastic and the ACS is able to do so much.  

Here's what I've been up to on instagrizzle:

Being cute AGAIN with Bridget. We haven't had any cute pictures together until recently. Now we have a couple. Yay!

Fangirling hard over my city and my favorite season. 

Doodling on a white board while "studying" with Paige in the library.

Took this whilst out and about doing my first photojournalism project. I love my city. (More fangirling). 

Can you guys guess what my favorite color is?

Trying to get more work done. Ahh!

Fangirling (word of the day) about my new shoes, and again, fall.  

Taking pretty pictures of pretty things at my school. 

PUMPKINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Being adorbs with my roommate Paige before going to a lil shinding last night which ended up turning into a full out riot. Stay classy, Bellingham.  

I'm hoping to post at least once a week, on Sundays, about my week in general and hopefully keep posting other random things.  School takes away from my Allie time.  

Have a lovely week!

class must-haves

I'm admitting defeat.

By that, I'm admitting that school does indeed start on Wednesday, and I'll be beginning my 3rd year at university.

This summer has been absolutely amazing- kicking off with memorial day weekend at the Gorge seeing some of my favorite musicians, then going to five countries in Europe (six if you count the Frankfurt airport, and two continents if you agree that Turkey is in Asia and not Europe), and then camping in the Okanogan for a week and a half.  On top of all that, I moved from a tiny apartment to a three-story house.  I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my summer.

Now, it's time for fall.  It's time for sweaters and pumpkins and candles and iOS7 and corn mazes and crispy leaves and clouds and halloween and all that jazz.

Salted Caramel // Haggen
Apple Cinnamon // Dollar Tree

Yesterday I took the seven minute walk from my house to campus (super close!) and picked up my books for my classes and got some school supplies.

I'm one of those crazy people who goes nuts over office supplies.  As a kid, I loved getting new markers and pencil crayons and regular crayons, and as I got older that transitioned into pencils and notebooks and Peechee folders and highlighters.  I'm pretty sure it had something to do with my dad bringing me home random office supplies- yellow lined paper, tri-tip highlighters, and pens with "Safeco" on them.

There's a stigma regarding college kids- freshman year you buy pretty much everything you can find, and senior year you buy notebooks and pens.  I've definitely learned to downsize, but I still end up buying more than "normal".  I just frikken love supplies.  What can I say?

1- Post It Notes
Essential for tagging pages in textbooks and keeping track of where you are in your planner.  Also for leaving fun notes all over your roommate's rooms.

2- Miro 7x10 Canvas Notebook
Canvas covers and 100% post-consumer recycled paper.  Plus, it's nice paper that passes my 'writing' test- I'm picky about how pencils and pens write on paper.  The campus bookstore makes some generic notebooks (I don't know what else to call them, but they're also 100% post-consumer recycled paper but it just isn't very good paper in my opinion) but this one looks better and has nicer paper.  It's got 200 sheets of paper, so I'll probably need another notebook at some point in the quarter because I still prefer taking notes by hand rather than on the computer, but it's definitely one I won't mind replacing.

3- Plastic folders
For holding syllabi and rough drafts of any articles I'll be writing for the school newspaper. Aaaah!

4- Staedtler Highlighter Pens
In the prettiest colors I could find.

5- Pentel E-Sharp .5mm Mechanical Pencil
Another pencil that passes my standards.

miro notebook // highlighter // pencil

6- 2014 Paper Source Pool Academic Date Book
When it comes to schoolwork I rely on my planner like crazy.  I swear I spent half an hour looking all over The Paper Source in Bellevue looking for just the right planner.  It's a little spendy- $33.95- but still cheaper than Erin Condren planners and absolutely adorable inside.  Plus it comes with stickers.

7- Pilot G2 Assorted Pens
When taking notes, it's easy to get bored.  A long time ago I heard someone say that taking notes in different colors not only allows you to categorize them, but also keeps it visually fun and makes it easier to read when reviewing your notes.

You now know what I'm doing this week.

Finally, textbooks.  Not a supply, but a necessity (depending on the class).

That's not all of them, I just have yet to dig them out from under my bed.


What are your favorite things about back-to-school or just fall in general?