Hello world—or
just my fellow so-called Compquistadors! I want to take my first blog post to
introduce myself. To start, I would like to mention that I do have two former
blogs intact from eighth grade—please ignore the poor grammar in these if you
ever come across them. One, Girl Between
the Lines, features two blog posts about books that I had read the summer
before freshman year. This blog also served as inspiration for my current blog
title: Girl (Still) Between the Lines.
After completing three years here at McFarland High
School, I have been exposed to a lot of great material and, as a result, seem
to have found an accurate definition for myself—an avid learner. The insatiable
“thirst for knowledge” that exists within me is one that seems to grow
everyday. From learning about Russian history to suffering through an absurd
amount of chemistry, I never get bored.
I think that literature is an
essential part to my continual education, and only wish that I had enough time
to read every book that catches my eye. This past year a lot of classic books
such as Castiglione’s Book of the
Courtier have joined my list due to an intriguing semester in Mr. Brehm’s
AP European History class.
Although my education takes up a
lot of my time (and energy), I also enjoy two varsity sports. I began playing
volleyball in eighth grade and have enjoyed the sport since then, despite chronic
knee injuries and knee pain. Along with volleyball, I throw shot put and discus
for our track and field team. This past season I made it all the way to state
in both events but was unable to compete due to a sudden knee injury a few days
before the competition. Through my experiences in athletics, I have been privileged
enough to experience great success through overcoming devastating loss. Both
have made me a better person by forcing me to stay humble and keep a positive
outlook on life.
My family is also an integral part
of me. My father, a Software Marketer and Business Analytics guy for IBM, is
everything from my “dive buddy” to my favorite teacher. Some of the best moments with him are ones where we just sit and talk. My mother, a teacher
turned stay-at-home-mom, is the most creative, inspirational, compassionate
woman I know. Along with my amazing parents, I have one sister named Maddie.
She will be a sophomore in the fall, and she also enjoys volleyball and track.
Unlike me she excels in drama, taking part in this summer’s production of Legally Blonde. My family also enjoys the company of my
grandparents, as they live with us in our lake home. Finally, we have two dogs
Mimi and Lace.
We love to spend time on the
lake together—swimming, tubing, fishing, boating, and even tanning. Lately we have
all joined Vine (the newest social media app available for our iPhones) and have been enjoying posting six second videos to the very
few followers we have.
Although it would be great to spend
every day of my summer on the boat with the family, I do have other plans. Like
last year, I am interning at UW Madison in the Biochemistry building. I will be
studying Bacterial DNA Replication Restart by analyzing a certain protein
involved in the process. Along with that, I will also be rehabbing my knee and (hopefully)
playing volleyball soon.
During the summer, I plan to
continue looking at—and maybe visiting—some colleges. I am not set on where I
would like to attend school yet, but I do believe I would like to go into
Biomedical Engineering. Two of my favorite schools are Harvard and Colombia,
but I have many other schools on my list. Besides considering schools based on
academics, I am also thinking about participating in volleyball or track as a
collegiate athlete.
Besides the obvious biographical
content, there is some to be read “between the lines.” I am a certified scuba
diver, and have been since I was ten. I love roller coasters—especially The Hulk at Universal Studio’s Islands
of Adventure. I am tall, but, no, I do not play basketball. I have been known
to eat apples with a spoon. Oh, and I would do anything to spend all day curled
up with a blanket, Pop Secret’s Home-style Popcorn, and a good movie—preferably
The Dark Knight Rises or Titanic.
Although I cannot believe that I
will be a senior in the fall, I guess our time has come. I am looking forward
to a great school year—with challenging yet inspiring classes. I hope that
everyone enjoys his or her summer!
