September 2007
What a Difference a Year Can Make

As I arrived back on the Canisius campus a little over a month ago, I became overwhelmed with excitement, a kind of excitement like none other. After being home in Vermont for four months I was eager to settle back into my second home in Buffalo. The familiar beauty of the Canisius quad, the coziness of a dorm room, and the frequent smiles from familiar faces were each shoots in my deep rooted excitement. The superficial attributes of Canisius excited me, yet there was so much more to my   excitement; there were the friends made freshman year, that I had missed more than I could have expected, there were the experiences I knew laid ahead of me, and the sense of purpose I knew came with each semester I studied at Canisius. After a summer spent as a member of the “the real world,” working two jobs, running errands, and accomplishing the trivial day to day tasks, I was more than eager to again be part of a college community.
 

My Canisius friends and I are all dressed-up
 
Now, over a month into my sophomore year at Canisius I cannot express how lucky and grateful I feel to be studying here. Sure, there are days when written homework and massive amounts of studying do not inspire me, but within each one of those days I draw my inspiration from the fact that a good education is the root of an even better future. For the past two years, when time has permitted I have worked at a local general store at my home in Vermont. There I spent twelve hours ever Sunday working my senior year of High School, and then worked over fifty hour weeks there this summer. The time that I worked there I was able to earn enough money, I was able be social with community members and learn important culinary skills while in the deli. Working there this past summer gave way to a crucial realization for me. I realized that I was working in an environment that though I was learning, the lessons were not crucial, an environment where I was unable to advance, unable to improve the routine skills asked of me, and the overwhelming feeling that I was capable of more, capable of impacting my community in a much greater way. In returning to Canisius for the fall semester I took my summer work experience with me, acknowledging that maintaining a ‘real world job’ is both important for personal growth, life learning, and ones work ethic. However, I have concluded that a college education provides me with so much more, strengthening my intellectual being, while teaching me life skills, and providing me with the opportunities to apply knowledge and make a difference in the world around me.
 
I am aware that all of this may seem ‘deep’ yet it is honest, I am grateful for the fact that I chose to further my education, and that I have created the opportunity to learn each of the lessons that Canisius has to offer. Now over four weeks into my ‘07 fall semester I find myself busier than ever, as I am taking five classes, two of which are language courses(Spanish and German) and thus require a lab course in addition to the classroom; continuing to work a work-study job in the Canisius Admissions office; and I am proctoring a team learning freshman English seminar course. I am also preparing for a study abroad semester in the spring, which I will be spending in Dortmund, Germany. Though each day of my fall semester is crammed with places to be and things to do, I am learning within each hour of the day, and eager to continue in such a way both in Buffalo and in the world abroad.

Barbara's March 2007 journal
Barbara's February 2007 journal
Barbara's December 2006 journal
Barbara's October 2006 journal
Barbara's September 2006 journal