Well, I really let the ball drop when it came to updating my blog every week. I don't feel like describing everything that happened in my life since spring break, and I'm sure you don't really want to read about it so I'll just fill you in on the last week.
At ISU, dead week is over and finals start tomorrow. It's a stressful time but at least I will be finished by Wednesday. This past Wednesday, I attended the Board of Reagent's open forum to discuss qualities the Ames community and University staff and faculty believe to be important when selecting the next ISU president. There was a large group of us from ActivUs (a club on campus) to express the necessity of an ISU president that will take sustainability seriously and work towards green energy. As a school of science and technology, we should be the forerunners of sustainable action. We have the resources. And yet, Ames still uses a coal burning plant. Hopefully the board will take us seriously when they decide this summer.
I also attended a John Mellencamp concert this week (someone gave me a free ticket) and last night was the Collegiate Presbyterian Church's 100th anniversary Gala event with a really nice dinner and dance to follow. It was fantastic, and I'm still humming "Brick House." A few weeks ago I was inducted into Cardinal Key Society, an honorary group at ISU based off of the Blue Key at Yale, and today I have another induction ceremony for Phi Beta Kappa. My parents and grandparents have been attending to make sure I don't cause problems.
One of the reasons I waited so long to create a new post was that I was waiting to hear back about summer internships/employment. My contact at the Smithsonian told me to contact him in April as did an exhibit design and fabrication company in Minneapolis. I also applied for a position down at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico and another internship in Illinois. Well, I am not going to any of them. However, I am going to New York City for an internship with the American Museum of Natural History! After several weeks trying to contact the director of exhibits at the Smithsonian, he finally responded and referred me to the director at AMNH. I had a phone interview on Tuesday and after looking at my portfolio, he offered me a position. It will not be paid, but it will be an amazing experience. We will be working on the new space exploration exhibit, creating dioramas and models, etc.
A week ago today I had no idea where I would be this summer. I always like to have a plan so this has been a challenge for me. A while back I went for a run through a park here in Ames. The snow had finally melted, and I discovered a dirt path twisting through the woods along a stream. As I ran up a small hill, I looked over to my left and watched a beautiful blue heron fly up only a few yards away. It was a good reminder of something Robert Frost once said about a road less traveled.
