My Semester in Review, Part II
May 22, 2019WoaaaAahhh, I’m halfway there. This week marks my last week as an underclassman. With two years down and only two to go, I’ve decided to make an iteration of the post I shared at the end of last semester. Here’s my second sophomore semester in review:
Right before school started, one of my best friends visited me in Houston and we traveled to the bay area to visit another one of our friends. We ventured to the California Academy of Science, Golden Gate Bridge, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and finished off our winter break with a road trip back to Claremont.
My schedule this semester consisted of:
- E83 – Continuum Mechanics
- E80 – Experimental Engineering
- E72 – Engineering Mathematics
- Physics Lab
- Modern & Contemporary Art Practices
- Intermediate Spanish at CMC
(14.5 credits)
… plus kickboxing at Scripps and yoga at CMC!
My art class with Professor Fandell at Mudd was one of my favorite classes. We studied art and movements since 1900 to the present day. We had 7 exhibits throughout the semester including a monochrome, readymade, video art project, and more. Here are a few photos of my projects:
My other favorite class was E80, experimental engineering. E80 is a part of the engineering core and is usually taken during sophomore spring. It is regarded as one of the main courses that “makes Mudd engineers Mudd engineers”. The first half of the semester consists of seven labs and then after spring break, we work on building a robot which is deployed at the end of the semester. As I was going through my photos and thinking about what I did this semester I found a lot of this….
and this…
… which really highlights the presence of 80- not only in my camera roll, but in my life. The entire course is based on teams that are assigned before classes start. While the course is invaluable and teaches a vast amount, part of the reason why I loved it so much was due to the people I worked with. Amazing people aren’t hard to find around here, and I was lucky enough to be assigned on a team with three really incredible people. I’m glad that the hard work for 80 has finished up, but I will definitely miss working with them.
Outside of school, my spring semester has been full of concerts, beaches, and time with friends… no surprise there, really. During spring break, I visited Santa Monica, Venice Beach, and the Getty Center in great company.
I attended a few more Brownies and Lemonade concerts this semester and I even got to meet Graves after his concert at the Echo in LA! I also saw Virtual Self at the Shrine in February.
Some other highlights of my semester include getting to surprise my mom in Houston for her birthday and being visited by her at school. When I went home I was able to meet my family’s new kitten, Rocky, and of course enjoy my human family’s company. When she came here we explored Claremont, spent time with my friends, and visited Smorgasburg, a food truck festival in Los Angeles.
Another important part of my life, this semester and many before, has been the Society of Professional Latinx in STEM (SPLS). These people are family to me and I was able to enjoy my second retreat with the group this spring.
Looking back on my semester I realize I get to enjoy some pretty spectacular views. Now that it is my second year here, I’ve acclimated to the rigor, graduated from core, and been able to create the space for focusing on relationships with others and enjoying my surroundings. Whether it’s a sunset on the beach, a perfect day to watch a rugby match, or a day trip to Joshua tree – my views rock.
Now that school is wrapping up, I’ve got my summer plans to look forward to. At the end of this week I’ll be heading to Las Vegas to attend EDC. Afterwards, my brother and I will road trip through a couple of states before returning to Houston, where we will celebrate his graduation from college (GO ADAM!). I will spend two weeks at home before moving to Huntsville, Alabama to work at Northrop Grumman for 10 weeks. I’ll have another couple of weeks at home and then I’ll be back before I know it. Cheers to sophomore year and being halfway there!