End of Semester Thoughts

Posted April 19, 2018 by ShanTil Yell

I won’t lie, y’all. It was hard for me to think of something to write about for my post today. I’ve actually been having a lot of trouble in that area where inspiration meets diligence lately…which, you might guess, and guess correctly, is not the nicest position to be in here at the end of semester when final papers and projects are due. Still, I’m showing up, and that’s always a good first step!

Things are winding down, which is simultaneously a relief and bittersweet. It’s surreal to think I’m almost done with my first year of the program (which flew by crazy fast), meaning I’m almost halfway through (how on earth did that happen?), meaning sooner rather than later I’ll need to consider what I want to do and where I want to apply for jobs and live and start my actual adult life. Because strangely enough, I don’t feel that it’s started that yet. Being in school again makes me feel like I’m in a perpetual state of youth somehow. Anyway, I digress. Yes, things are all a bit crazy and up in the air, but I’d like to take some time and reflect on my experiences this spring and how grateful I am for each of them.

I just finished up a fantastic internship at Mount Auburn Cemetery. I had the privilege of volunteering in their historical collection, and on the few days where I had time and the weather wasn’t a total buzzkill, I enjoyed a handful of serene walks through the property. I had not one, not two, but three classes this semester that required me to participate in regular discussions. I was pushed to not only participate more in class–I’m a bit on the reserved side, and am way more comfortable when it comes to putting words on paper than forming them into sentences that come out of my mouth–but I also had to engage more critically with the reading material than I would have if I knew I wasn’t going to be talking about it. Finally, I was able to figure out a little more what I don’t want to do. Example: I don’t think that the paths of archivist or academic librarian are right for me, at least not at this point in my life, and the courses I took this semester helped me realize that. My mindset there is that those doors are closing so other ones can open.

I guess that about wraps it up! Hope all of you out there are enjoying some delightful spring weather. Please feel free to send some our way…Boston seems to have missed the memo that the season has officially changed…