Miracle League Volunteering + Semester Over!

This month, I volunteered with Miracle League again to help children with special needs play baseball. I got to know many of the kids and it was so much fun to help them play a sport that they otherwise might not be able to. I'm also glad I worked with kids because I don't have a ton of experience in working with kids: I'm an only child and I never had cousins or family that were younger than me, so I think it was good experience in learning how to talk to and act around younger children. It was also definitely an exercise in patience -- especially because I'm so competitive in baseball -- to just let the kids have fun and not become wrapped up in the rules. I saw some parents try to tell the kids to stay at first base, or that they couldn't run because there was already someone else on the next base, and I thought that was a little overkill because the kids couldn't really understand or care about the rules, and it was more about them just getting outside and having fun. The weather was also beautiful so it was nice to be outside and be a part of such a wholesome and inclusive environment.

Even though I'm glad we're done with all our exams, I'm really sad that the semester is over! I got so much closer to many people in our class this semester and I feel like we had just gotten to know each other really well. We all had a really fun time at Wrong Iron for the BMS happy hour just talking to each other, and there were so many people in the class that brought such different personalities and interests to the table. It was fun hearing everyone's plans for next year and hearing what they thought of the course, and I do wish we had all been closer earlier on in the semester. I have loved all of the events that the BMS and graduate programs put on, like the happy hours and mixers, and really felt like those brought us a lot closer and just created a space to hang out and get to know each other outside of class. This made class feel a lot more comfortable, especially when presenting or asking questions, and I wish we had even more of these throughout the semester. Overall I had such a fun time in this program and I know I'll stay in touch with a lot of the people staying in New Orleans next year! I'll be continuing working as an EMT full time while I apply to med school, and although my schedule is going to be really busy with all of my 12-hour shifts, I know I'll find time to spend with many of the people I met in the program. Happy summer!

Hours: 6