CSS Student Blogs

My girlfriend and I recently stopped by Cummings Greenhouse, located on W Arrowhead rd. in Duluth, to pick up some vegetables for the summer. We decided on tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, basil, and cilantro. We tried cucumbers, peppers, and green beans last year but they became challenging with out limited space. It is fun to tend to a garden and have a little bit of responsibility of watering and tending to the vegetables throughout the summer. We also thoroughly enjoy when we can harvest our veggies and incorporate them into our meals.

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This post is dedicated to my Pre-Raphaelites course. In the class, we are learning about 19th century art.

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We all leave a footprint on this earth, far and wide. What does yours look like? I know mine is an ever developing, intricate design of passion, love, and life. I hope to leave behind a mark of kindness, a mark of care, and a mark of effort. I have learned a lot of great lessons in my time at The College of St. Scholastica and in my study abroad program. I have learned to love the Earth more deeply through my involvement in Outdoor Pursuit and becoming a kayaking guide. I have learned to love the art of education thanks to my brilliant professors who have brought such passion, trust, and guidance into the classroom, sharing their wealth of knowledge and perspectives. I have discovered the path meant for me, and I have left behind the one that I thought was the / right / way, through the liberal arts requirements, which allowed me to open my mind and heart to other areas of study. I have learned to love the individuality of humanity and the specific people who surround me through the friendships and experiences I have pursued, especially in England. I have learned to accept myself as a writer and photographer, through the building of my skills and confidence in coursework and beyond. I am so grateful to The College of St. Scholastica. I am heading out into the world with much more than a college degree. I am leaving with a new perspective on my life and the world.

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I am walking the path less traveled. It is my truth, and it is my plan. It is my future. Most college students will graduate with their Bachelors degree, apply for jobs, and begin their journey into what we all accept as reality. However, I have decided to craft my own version of the real world, and it looks considerably different from what is typical. I am graduating early, by one semester. I am done with finals, and I am in Europe. I have no job lined up, instead, I have three months of travel around Europe ahead of me. I have planned for life of world experience rather than immediate job security at this point in my life. I will not generate my living from one 9-5 career or corporate employer, instead, I choose to pursue all of my passions and generate my living through them all. I will be based in media, writing, publishing, or the music industry (I hope). In addition, I will teach yoga, I will manage my photography, and I will write all along. My college education from The College of St. Scholastica and Regent’s University London has prepared me to be successful in whatever path I choose to walk, but I am, oh, so confident that these two universities have given me something else unique and special, something that has prepared me to be successful in this, in my own way of life.

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The current state of our world is an unnerving one, but I do not let it discourage me. Instead, I am finding inspiration and motivation to make a difference and to encourage change. I stumbled upon this piece of art in Brighton, UK this past Saturday. At the time, I captured the image with my camera simply because I liked it. The colors and composition stood out against the old, pale, and worn building behind it. Now, a couple days later, I am thinking about this image in a different light. There was something about its placement or being that caught my attention and inspired me to do something: snap a photograph. What if I could create art or content that made people stop, think, and change the way they view the world as a whole? What if I could be the artist to stop someone in their tracks? What if I could be someone who helps change the world only for the better. My university education has inspired me and dared me to ask those questions. And, I have learned to bravely answer, what if I told you, Emily, that you can change the world.

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