Getting to Know the Trinity Community, Job Hunting, & Scholarship Rewards

As it is getting closer to high school graduation, I’ve been spending a lot of time both reflecting on my past and planning out my future. Last Sunday afternoon, Trinity hosted their Admitted Student Day where I was able to go and visit with other students who are planning on or at least considering (for those who haven’t made commitments to any schools yet) attending Trinity next Fall along with meeting some of the faculty members, current students, and alumini.

                I must say, it’s a weird sensation to be standing in a room amoung complete strangers who will soon become highly influencial over the next four years of my life. Some will be my proffessors, mentors, coaches, tutors, classmates, co-workers, best friends, roommates…who knows, maybe my future spouse was in that room. How strange is that? After the school president, John Reed, along with some other speakers finished-up their presentations many of us drove to Trinity’s Boathouse for a BBQ that Trinity’s Crew Team was hosting. I talked to some of the students who are currently part of crew and they seemed to love it! Now of course, they’re trying to recruit me by telling me that I get to wake-up early enough to watch the sunrise over the Cascade Mountains from the water.

                They all make it sound like a lot of fun, but I know it’ll get exhausting doing all those hard workouts everymorning. Speaking of hard-work I’ve been thinking about some of the unique job opportunities I could have in Downtown Everett or Seattle and there are a lot of options. Maybe I could get a job right across from Trinity at the Everett YMCA or just a few blocks away I could work at the Comcast Arena or at the Everett Performing Arts Center. If I’m willing to drive into Seattle there are plenty of opportunities working at various musems, tour companies, theaters, ect. Or more specialized places like the Seattle Aquarium or Pike Place Market…who knows what kind of job is out their just waiting for me to come along!

                Getting a higher education from a private school is certainly not cheap, but they do give out some nice scholarships. So far I’ve received an Honors Scholarship worth $6,000 and the Lenore Meyers Scholarship worth $3,000 (for one year only). The Honors Scholarship is just for my grades and the Lenore Meyers Scholarship is for students planning on going into Trinity’s CYFS (Children, Youth,  and Family Studies) Program. Apparently, in the past years I would have received the full $10,000 for the Lenore Meyers Scholarship, but they had alot of highly eligible applicants this year and I was one of the top five so they had some left over money in the CYFS budget and decided to give each of us who would have received the full scholarship in the past a non-renewable scholarship for $3,000.

Life Altering Decision

     A few weeks ago I turned 18 and it was really strange…I was overcome by all these mixed emotions of both the excitement and fears of becoming a young adult. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my future and the expectations that others have of me. My parents want me to go to Eastern Washington University because it’s the cheapest in-state university. But I want to go to Trinity Lutheran College, go into their Children, youth, and family Studies program and become a youth director or a pastor. My youth director keeps telling me I don’t need a fancy college degree to work in the church and wants me to go straight into an internship with him next fall, but I don’t want to disappoint my family by not going to college.

     I suppose it never really was my plan or idea to even go to college in the first place, but more an idea placed on me by society that college is the “only option” and the only way to be “successful” in life. Isn’t it strange how by the time we’re half way through our junior year of high school society expects us to have our entire life planned out ahead of us? I find it scary that the college decision we make as a 17 or 18 yr-old in high school pretty much determines where we end up going and ultimately what we end up doing for the rest of our lives. If you ask me, that’s a lot of pressure to put on teenagers! I’m so young…why does society expect me to make such a life altering decision at such a young age?

Last Christmas at Home

     Just a few short days ago I celebrated my last Christmas living with my parents. It’s such a strange feeling to know that I’ll be moving out so soon, I’m so nervous and scared, yet extremely excited as well. I’m pretty thrilled with the gifts I received and they make me just that much more ready to move into my apartment next fall. For just saying, “All I want for Christmas is stuff for my apartment for college next year” I was certainly surprised with all the big gifts I received from my family.

     I got a Craftsman  Evolv 23-piece homeowner tool set (which includes: 7oz fiberglass claw hammer, 6-in. ergo grip slip joint pliers, 6-in. adjustable wrench, 12ft x 5/8-in. tape measure, 9-in. magnetic torpedo level, magnetic driver level, 16 1-in. driver bits, and a utility knife). I also received a Philippe Richard Everyday Basics 20-piece non-stick aluminum cookware set (which includes: 5-qt covered dutch oven, 15”x10.5”x0.5” cookie sheet, 5” utility knife, 6” carving knife, 7.75” carving knife,  7” frying pan, 9” frying pan, 1-qt covered saucepan, 3-qt covered saucepan, slotted spoon, slotted spatula, solid spatula, and 5 glass prep bowls varying in sizes from 5 ounces-33ounces). In addition I acquired a 16-peiece Room Essentials Dinnerware Set (which includes: 4 dinner plates, 4 salad plates, 4 bowls, and 4 mugs). The two big things I really wasn’t expecting though were the Samsung Wireless Laser Printer and Kindle3 that my dad got for me.

     Last night I started putting a wish list together of other things I’m going to need for college next year and I ended up staying up until 1:30 this morning completing online gift registries. I know it’s still December, but I figure it’s best to start early. My cousin and I are having our high school graduation parties together and we’re having everyone RSVP online, so by having our wish lists and registries done early I can post them up on our website for people to view. Having people RSVP online also helps us have a more definite number of how many people are going to be attending our party and allows us to plan around things (like food allergies and other dietary needs). I would definitely suggest that you have your guests do the same if you’re technology savy.

Just Got Accepted...Now What?

Tuesday evening, I received my acceptance letter from Trinity Lutheran College!!!!! You should have seen me jumping up and down and running around the house screaming like crazy! I am so excited that I got accepted into my first-choice college, but what comes next? When I told my dad, he just laughed and said, “Congrats! Now how are you going to pay for it?” and my thought was like, “gee, I really hope I receive one of those big scholarships I already applied for.” If I don’t then I better start looking for a good-paying job and the nearest soup kitchen.

I figure if Trinity is really where God is calling me to be then he will provide. So with the thought of finances put aside, I began reading through and filling out all the forms that came in the acceptance packet. It felt strange filling out my housing application form, since I’ve lived in the same house my entire life. It’s strange to think that I’ll be graduating and moving-out so soon. Being a senior is so bitter-sweet. I’m so excited to be moving out and starting a new life for myself, but at the same time it’s going to be really tough leaving behind the only way of life I’ve ever known.

I currently attend a high school where my graduating class alone has over 800 students and next year I’ll be at a small private school with an entire student body of only 113 students. Right now I think my smallest class size is 38 students and Trinity has a 7:1 student-teacher ratio. It’s going to be such a huge shock for me to have that dramatic of a difference in my educational environment. I think the hardest thing for me though will be adjusting to living in the heart of downtown Everett when I’ve always grown-up in a rural area surrounded by farm land and forests.

I’m not completely sure what kinds of obstacles I’ll have to overcome this upcoming year, but I hope that I will continue using this blog to inform my readers of what’s changes I encounter as I adjust to college life so that you are all better prepared and know what to expect in your future, as you go through these same adjustments.