My first semester at Hanover was a really great time for me. I made solid friendships, met my wonderful girlfriend, had classes that challenged me in a good way, and I found that what I thought was my passion is really my passion (history and secondary education). With that being said, here are the five things I'm most looking forward to for my second semester.

1. Solidifying Relationships and Building More of Them - The biggest factor that influenced me coming to Hanover was the opportunity to build friendships, and I feel as if that is going very well. I have lots of solid friends and I can't truly express how much they've helped my transition from high school as it has not always been easy. Going forward I hope to not only grow closer to the friends I already have but to also make more friends that'll last me a lifetime. With my girlfriend I hope that our relationship becomes all the more solid as I learn how to do long distance better. I'm still pretty new at relationships so it hasn't always been easy, but in the end we both love each other, so I believe that things will iron themselves out.

2. My Class Schedule - I love my class schedule this semester. I'm taking History of Modern Gender, Conversational Spanish, Instruction for Diverse Learners and Inquiry into Secondary Education. I'm particularly excited about the education courses as they'll give me insights into the field I want to be in. Further, they will give me experience in the classroom as I'll be going into schools and helping out teachers.

3. Working in the Athletic Department - At first glance this one may seem weird because I'm excited about work, but hear me out. I've been big into sports for the last decade or so of my life and have had interest in working in athletics for the last couple of years. Now I have the opportunity to work in athletics and I am pretty excited. It gives me the opportunity to see sports from a different perspective than just a fan as I get to see what happens behind the scenes. On top of this great opportunity is the fact that I'll be getting paid to do it, which is a gratifying feeling because I'll earn money doing something that I enjoy. You know what they say, if you love your job you'll never work a day in your life.

4. I have my own room - This is a slightly mixed feeling. Most of me is very excited at the prospect of having my own room as I will have more space for storage and will be able to do more creative things with my furniture. Moreover, I won't have to worry about being too noisy if my roommate is asleep or sharing the space in the refrigerator. However, it's a different experience because I like my roommate, and although he still goes here it's weird not seeing him as much anymore. However, I can look at the fact that we are still friends and it's a small campus so if I want to hang out it's not hard to ask.

5. Rush Week - This has been something that has excited me for many weeks as I am very interested in rushing. Rush week will be an exciting time as I will hopefully receive a bid from the house I really want to rush and I'll have the opportunity to bond with the people that I will hopefully be brothers with. It's almost too exciting to describe in words honestly.

There's a lot to look forward to this semester. The future holds many good things, and I can't wait to see all of them!