Hello hello! Today I’m trying something new, and that something new is writing this blog post about my ~actual~ life (I'm an instinctually private person, what can I say lol). Right now I’m sitting outside on the porch of my favorite cafe here in, the very ironically named, Manhattan Kansas. It’s my last week of grad school! Yay! A long chapter of my life is coming to a close, one which only my close friends and family really know about. For the last 3 years I have been working and studying my way toward a Master of Fine Arts degree in digital and experimental media. Why though? In 2015, having studied both computer science and studio art in undergrad and with only vague understanding of how the two connected, I was faced with the question all graduates face: what now? So I applied to a few schools, prioritizing those with high likelihoods for full funding. When I was accepted to Kansas State University, I jumped at the opportunity to study the bridge between my two passions without increasing my student debt. And now, three long years later, I’m walking away with much more than another degree (which is great considering I doubt I’ll be pursuing a career as a professional artist lol). During my time here, I have personally taught over one hundred students skills I myself have had to learn, on occasion, only days before they did. I have had to learn how to adapt and problem solve on the fly, and how to appear confident while doing so. My interpersonal skills have grown in ways I didn’t think possible; huge classrooms full of judgy faces no longer scare me! And of course I have all of the skills, both practical and analytical, to apply to a future of perpetual personal growth and creative exploration. So cheers to obstacles conquered and new beginnings - especially to my fellow 2018 grads! We’ve earned it!