Month: September 2024

There was a period in my life when photography became more than a hobby. It was my escape. Through the lens, I could find order in a world that often felt chaotic. But there came a point when, no matter how well I framed the shot, my own life seemed out of focus. I spent more time behind the camera, hoping to find clarity in the photos I took. One evening, while reviewing my shots, I realized the problem wasn’t with the images but with how I was seeing things. Just like in photography, where adjusting the lens can change everything, I needed to shift how I approached my own perspective. It wasn’t about perfect focus, but about learning to accept what the viewfinder couldn’t always capture.

When I was six years old, my family embarked on a vacation to Mexico. Though my memories from that trip are hazy, a few vivid impressions remain: the allure of the resort pool and hot tub, the colorful banana hammocks, and the delightful indulgence of unlimited soft-serve ice cream. Yet, one day at the beach stands out as a particularly traumatic experience.

In the shallow waters, I swam carefree, enveloped in the joy of childhood. Time slipped away until I began walking back to where my parents were. Suddenly, my mother came rushing toward me, urgency in her voice as she instructed me to turn around. With a mixture of confusion and dread, she pointed out a large, red sting mark covering my back.

Panic set in as I looked back at the water, only to find the largest jellyfish I had ever seen. The moment remains etched in my memory, a stark contrast to the joy of the trip, marking one of my earliest encounters with fear.

Ten Key Words: 

Ice Cream

Childhood

Beach

Jellyfish

Sting

Trauma

Panic

Memories

Swimming

Fear

When I consider all the pivotal moments in my life, I usually reflect on the time when I attended the High Mountain Institute during my junior year of high school. The High Mountain Institute (HMI) is a selective semester school in Colorado that blends academics with an appreciation for the natural world. To attend this school, I had to move across the country, leaving my high school, friends, and family. It was there that I experienced outdoor learning while hiking for 18 days in both the backcountry of Colorado and Utah. At HMI, I matured and endured many physical and mental challenges that allowed me to grow.  However, the most significant obstacle I faced was hiking up Mount Elbert, the highest summit of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. That 14,439-foot journey was one of the most trying and rewarding experiences of my life. It taught me the importance of perseverance and the reward of never giving up. In the case of Mount Elbert, the reward was the once-in-a-lifetime view of  Colorado. In addition, at HMI, I learned and observed environmental degradation firsthand. This experience made me even more environmentally conscious and eager to raise awareness as it exposed me to issues surrounding forest fires, acid mine drainage, and biodiversity loss. Learning alongside individuals who protect and preserve the environment and reduce their carbon footprint made me want to emulate them. HMI has shaped my future career journey within sustainability and has given me numerous life lessons. 

-Mountain/mountain range

-Hiking boots 

-Trees/wood

-Nalgene/ waterbottle 

-Walking stick 

-Leave No Trace(LNT)/ Footprints

-Campfire

-Backpack 

-mountain goats

-Sunrise and Sunset

1a. The event I chose is my semester studying abroad in Glasgow, Scotland. I recently studied abroad this past spring semester at the University of Glasgow, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I was able to learn more about a new country and its culture, while simultaneously learning more about myself in the process. I have never traveled to Europe prior to my semester abroad, so I was definitely nervous about adjusting to life in a new country. Though I easily adjusted, and was able to meet many new people and make friends. In addition to learning and traveling to Scotland, I am lucky to have been able to travel all over Europe and meet up with my friends from Bucknell. Almost all of my friends also studied abroad, so I was able to travel with them every few weekends, which made the experience that much more enjoyable. When traveling, I always flew on a plane to different countries because Scotland is far from the European mainland. When in other countries though, I traveled by high speed trains. Overall, I enjoyed this experience so much and it changed my outlook on other countries and traveling.

1b.

1. Europe

2. Exciting

3. Nervous

4. Highland cows

5. Spring

6. Rain

7. Food

8. Scotland

9. Travel

10. University

Part 1: This event was during my childhood. I can’t remember exactly what day or year it was but I know it was when I was in elementary school. It was during winter break and my family had planned a big family trip to Big Bear Lake in California. All my aunts, uncles and cousins were all going so I was really excited. The adults of the family had rented out a big cabin for all of us to stay at for a week. The week that I was there was some of the most fun I had ever had. It was the first time I had ever seen snow, which was amazing to me as a child. Every morning we were there, me and my cousins would get ready after breakfast and mess around outside for hours. We made snow angels, built snowmen, snowball fights, sledding, etc. We also did some hiking as well which was fun but not as fun as playing outside. After we did our activities during the day, we would go back to the cabin and do all sorts of other things. Me and my cousin brought our nerf guns and we’d run around shooting each other. One of my cousins brought their Wii so we would play video games until we fell asleep. Our last night there was our favorite night. That night we had dino nuggets and macaroni and cheese for dinner (the best meal for a child) and baked cinnamon rolls for dessert. Me and my cousins felt it was the greatest time of our lives.

• Nostalgia
• Family
• Snow
• Nature
• Food
• Cold
• Childhood
• Wonder
• Carefree
• Excitement

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part A: The event I chose for my project is my trip to Hershey Park with my friends. We spent the day walking around the park and riding different rides. We visited various attractions around the park including the zoo. We took photos at these attractions. Before we left, we bought chocolate souvenirs from the shops.

Part B: Chocolate, Rides, Amusement Park, Hershey, Fun, Friends, Attractions, Walking, Photos, Explore

Part A. During the covid pandemic it was hard for individuals to meet together. This created a national feeling of isolation. However, for holidays and birthdays my family had a knack of making the best of sad situations. For instance, Thanksgiving 2020 was the first holiday where our usual family was unable to gather together. Thanksgiving being my mom’s favorite holiday we normally went all out for the holiday. However, due to the pandemic and covid protocols we needed to find a way to make the holiday more special when it appeared difficult. We decided to still invite another family very close to us over and set up games for everyone to play. In the front yard we used our cornball set, bowling pins, and a football to create our own at home fowling set. In the living room we had balloons, feathers, and sharpies to draw our own turkeys. We then set up these turkeys in our backyard and used the BB gun to “hunt” them. We still talk about how much fun this Thanksgiving was and it makes me happy to think that my family rose to the occasion.

Part B. 

1. Family
2. Balloons
3. Crafts
4. Football
5. Bowling Pin(s)
6. Dinner Table
7. BB Gun
8. Bullet (BB bullet)
9. Turkey
10. Doodles