Week #19: One Year Down.

My 2016

Week #19

One Year Down.

It's crazy to think that this time next week, I'll be in Appomattox. I'll be home. And this entire year of grad school will be just a memory. 

How am I halfway done with my master's degree already?

This past week has been a crazy one (but really, aren't they all?). Since No Exit was now over...and I just realized I never mentioned how it went. Quick detour--

(No Exit was FANTASTIC. It came together in a way that I never expected and truly exceeded my expectations. The feedback I received from faculty and audience members was helpful and instructive, and I am so beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to watch something I directed come to life right before me. Such a wonderful moment. Ok, back to this week.)

Sine No Exit was now over, I sat down with my planner and quickly realized that I had quite a few large projects/papers/assignments due over the next week...all of which I had been putting off. This is not the way I normally tackle homework, so needless to say, I was extremely stressed about it. On top of that, this week was also induction week for APO, a national honor society for theatre. I was extremely excited to have been asked to join APO, but it could not have come at a worse time in the quarter. I felt guilty for not participating in all of the "initiate bonding" exercises they had going on. However, I also felt that school work and teaching responsibilities were more important. It was a constant struggle, but at the end of the week we had our initiation ceremony and I was officially accepted as a member of APO. I'm honored to be a part of such a wonderful society, and I can't wait to participate more actively next year. 

Last night was Tech Tony's, a night when the theatre department (along with donors and major supporters of the program) come together and give out awards and scholarships to students. Much like the actual Tony's, we give out Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Production, Best Scenic Design, and a lot of other awards. It was my first time experiencing it, and it was so fun to dress up and have the opportunity to formally acknowledge all of the hard work that went into the 3 shows from this season. I was also incredibly honored to receive the Merritt Performing Arts Scholarship, given to a student who excels in both music and theatre during their time at LA Tech. It was great to look back on everything we accomplished as a department this year and to get excited about what's coming next. 

After it was over, we got all of the first year grad students together for a picture, and it hit me: we're done. I have a database, a paper and a production report to turn in....and I'm DONE. We're going to be second year grad students; we're going to be the leaders, the ones who know what's going on, the ones who can help the new kids. We're not the newbies anymore. (Thank God.)

I'm looking at the picture above, and I'm thinking back over the past year. 

There are people missing from this pictures. (Love you always, Shea.) 

Next year, there will be people missing as well. (We'll miss you, Rebecca.) 

We've all had our ups and downs, our little spats and reconciliations. 

We've shared homework woes and supervisor frustrations. 

But we all started this thing as an overwhelmed, amazing group, and I'm so glad that we have one more year to know each other, work together and grow together. 

Congrats on a great first year of grad school, fam. We're halfway there!