Dear Chicago, thank you for everything.
Living in the city of Chicago for a summer has truly opened up my eyes about the way I view others, social issues, and myself. A few days before coming to Chicago I found a picture of myself cliff diving, that accurately described how I felt about coming to Chicago. I was nervous, scared, excited, unaware of what was to come. I know now that it was similar to how cliff diving goes as well, you make a splash and you enjoy it and then maybe you will want to do it again. Some of the highlights of my summer included being able to go out and change my views about certain issues such as immigration, marriage, and living in projects. The seminar has impacted my beliefs in these issues because it allowed me to experience them first hand and not behind the views of a newscaster on television, my peers, or my family. I have never been exposed to any of these issues, really. I live in a fairly wealthy hometown where issues of housing and immigration are not topics that are often discussed. On the other hand, I do not know anyone who has ever experienced the struggle of not being able to marry who they love because of laws in place. I love that I was able to shape my own views, which has become increasingly important as the presidential election is approaching quickly and now I know if I lean more right or left and can make my own educated decisions of who I vote for because I have witnessed the issues first hand and have been able to talk to people who have experienced them. I no longer jump to irrational quick conclusions when I see a homeless man on the street or if I am passing through an unsafe neighborhood. The world is not out to get you and you must have confidence in yourself when traveling to places. One of my favorite hobbies I picked up in Chicago has been people watching on CTA or just on the streets in general. I always make myself challenge my initial thoughts and now I think about what their personal struggles and their story. How is life as a minority and what struggles have they faced? This happens often while traveling the red line, the six, or the two. I have also noticed that every single bus you take has a different feel to it based on who is on it and every single rail line car you step into is always different and you will have a different experience every single time you ride the CTA.
Living in the city has also taught me a lot of lessons about myself and the confidence I should instill in myself. It is so easy to be hard on yourself when things do not seem to go right or if you are unsure about your path of the future. I experienced this a lot while attending this summer session and I admit that I did let it take the best of me. I would constantly find myself comparing my success to others and I found myself to be struggling in feeling like I was not doing enough in the city, my internship, and my plans for when I got back to school. Eventually though, it finally just hit me that I am doing truly great things. I really began to value my own self worth and my thoughts and views as the seminar progressed. I also learned that it is okay to struggle and it is okay to admit and reach out for help if you need it. I completed the most interviews of anyone in my group and did not settle for anything less than what I wanted in an internship and kept trying until I found what I was looking for. I realized that deciding on a whim to intern in Chicago s a huge step in itself and then opening up your mind to all these social issues you really never had the chance to be apart of is just such an incredible experience. It may have been a slow process and maybe I did not adjust as well as the others, but I am perfectly content with my experience in Chicago and the accomplishments I completed.
Living in the city of Chicago for a summer has truly opened up my eyes about the way I view others, social issues, and myself. A few days before coming to Chicago I found a picture of myself cliff diving, that accurately described how I felt about coming to Chicago. I was nervous, scared, excited, unaware of what was to come. I know now that it was similar to how cliff diving goes as well, you make a splash and you enjoy it and then maybe you will want to do it again. Some of the highlights of my summer included being able to go out and change my views about certain issues such as immigration, marriage, and living in projects. The seminar has impacted my beliefs in these issues because it allowed me to experience them first hand and not behind the views of a newscaster on television, my peers, or my family. I have never been exposed to any of these issues, really. I live in a fairly wealthy hometown where issues of housing and immigration are not topics that are often discussed. On the other hand, I do not know anyone who has ever experienced the struggle of not being able to marry who they love because of laws in place. I love that I was able to shape my own views, which has become increasingly important as the presidential election is approaching quickly and now I know if I lean more right or left and can make my own educated decisions of who I vote for because I have witnessed the issues first hand and have been able to talk to people who have experienced them. I no longer jump to irrational quick conclusions when I see a homeless man on the street or if I am passing through an unsafe neighborhood. The world is not out to get you and you must have confidence in yourself when traveling to places. One of my favorite hobbies I picked up in Chicago has been people watching on CTA or just on the streets in general. I always make myself challenge my initial thoughts and now I think about what their personal struggles and their story. How is life as a minority and what struggles have they faced? This happens often while traveling the red line, the six, or the two. I have also noticed that every single bus you take has a different feel to it based on who is on it and every single rail line car you step into is always different and you will have a different experience every single time you ride the CTA.
Living in the city has also taught me a lot of lessons about myself and the confidence I should instill in myself. It is so easy to be hard on yourself when things do not seem to go right or if you are unsure about your path of the future. I experienced this a lot while attending this summer session and I admit that I did let it take the best of me. I would constantly find myself comparing my success to others and I found myself to be struggling in feeling like I was not doing enough in the city, my internship, and my plans for when I got back to school. Eventually though, it finally just hit me that I am doing truly great things. I really began to value my own self worth and my thoughts and views as the seminar progressed. I also learned that it is okay to struggle and it is okay to admit and reach out for help if you need it. I completed the most interviews of anyone in my group and did not settle for anything less than what I wanted in an internship and kept trying until I found what I was looking for. I realized that deciding on a whim to intern in Chicago s a huge step in itself and then opening up your mind to all these social issues you really never had the chance to be apart of is just such an incredible experience. It may have been a slow process and maybe I did not adjust as well as the others, but I am perfectly content with my experience in Chicago and the accomplishments I completed.
I gained so much more confidence in
my abilities to navigate through a city, learning how to enjoy doing things
alone, and how to enjoy alone time. You never realize how valuable it is until
you are constantly surrounded by cars, busses, roommates, or just genuinely
unhappy people downtown or on the CTA. My favorite place in the city was easily
the Lakefront Trail where I would try and make it to every Sunday to bike. I
used to see the city as this giant place full of professionals, but living on
the south side and going to different neighborhoods has made all the
difference. When most people think about Chicago they think about The Bean or
Navy Pier. When I think of Chicago, I think of my favorite neighborhood,
Pilsen, not downtown or the North Side.
My
internship has taught me that through incredible mentors and role-models, you
can develop your skills in ways you did not think possible. This has become
essential to me since I know the major and minor I am completing are not the
most “safe”. I have realized over the past 5-6 weeks that I do not need safe, I
just need something that I enjoy doing. I have discovered that a lot of my true
talents are in the scope of creating plans and ideas and watching them come to
life. Now that I have tapped into that, I can continue to develop that skill
and the whole box of skills I have gained through my internship. I have gained
much confidence in myself in knowing that I have put myself ahead by not only
completing an internship, but by completing one my sophomore year and not my
junior year like many others. I gained the experience about learning about
political issues within the city through my internship, which was fairly
exciting for me. I am also incredibly lucky I got to work with a small team of
people who are so dedicated to their job. Although I do not see a future in
politics, I can now see myself working in a non-profit which is something that
I did not see myself at before this summer. My goal for next summer is to
potentially complete an internship at a business to see how the two compare to
one another and to broaden my horizons. I am thankful for the confidence that
my coworkers have helped me developed and the confidence that Scott has
instilled in me in my writing and professional skills as well. Overall, I am
incredibly thankful for the time I have spent in Chicago and the world that has
opened up to me since being here. It is a time in my life that I will never
forget and I would not have been able to develop the way I have personally and
socially without this experience.
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