I have always loved nature! One of my favorite things to do is to go outside and take a closer look at the world through my lens. I have always had an over-sized imagination. I used to spend hours writing little stories and creating fictional characters when I was a kid. I wanted to imagine what it was like to be small like insects. I used to enjoy watching “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” for that reason. I would go outside and stare at different bugs and take pictures of them imagining that I was as small as they were and hanging out on a leaf taking sips from a droplet of water. Seeing the world in this different way gave me a better vision for my photos and helped me gw as a photographer.
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COVID-19 continues to flood our news feed and everywhere else we look online, and as a result, we are seeing that it’s affecting many people. It doesn’t take much for a virus to spread. All it takes is an uncovered cough, unwashed hands touching a doorknob, and being near others while you are sick. COVID-19 is at the point where it is affecting our community. At Northern Vermont University – Lyndon, the virus is preventing teachers, faculty, and students from continuing the semester in-person. A message from President Elaine Collins was sent out in an email to students on March 12. The email said that in-person, face-to-face instruction will be suspended at the end of the day of March 13. The email also stated that NVU-Lyndon will be proceeding with classes online and use Zoom to meet for class instead of meeting in-person. On March 24, President Collins told us that remote instruction will continue until the end of the spring semester.
Even though some people might struggle with online classes, I believe that professors are doing the best that they can to help students get the most out of their online classes, even though we are no longer meeting face-to-face. I interviewed Meaghan Meachem who is a Journalism and Communications professor at NVU-Lyndon and asked her how the transition from in-person to online has been. She said that the transition has not been horrible and that she has had to get creative so her students can get as much out of the class as they can. Meachem also said that she has learned more about her students in the last two weeks through assignments than she did when they were face-to-face. She said that it’s also a good time to learn more about yourself during this pandemic. Even though this is a hard time for a lot of people, I believe that we need to stay positive and learn what we can from this situation. My name is Rachel Carpenter and I am a Broadcast & Digital Journalism student. I am staying here on campus doing my online classes. Even with this being a difficult time, I have been learning to look on the bright side of things in this situation. I think covering local stories about COVID-19 is a great experience and one that I will always look back on. It’s something I can put on my resume for a future employer to see that I had covered different pieces of this story. With everything that has been happening, I can step up and gain different skills about being a reporter that I might not have gotten if COVID-19 didn’t happen. During this time of remote learning, I have had the opportunity to meet with an anchor for Spectrum News in Albany, NY and a producer from WINK-TV in Fort Myers, Florida. This time has also been a great experience to hear what people in the journalism field are dealing with and how they are doing their jobs from home. I feel like even though this online learning happened so abruptly in the semester, I am still learning so much and experiencing new things! Michael Secreti who is the Assistant Director of Student Life at NVU-Lyndon, says during this hard time, we need to embrace that we are a community and make sure we are looking out for each other. I believe that everything happens for a reason, so if people get anything out of COVID-19, I hope it is how to look out for others and to be more caring and compassionate. I hope when all this is over, people will appreciate that they can go out and socialize with other people and won’t take it for granted. I love how the Outing Club at Lyndon has some great outdoor trips! The one I want to talk about in particular is the white water rafting trip that students went on September 29. In order to go, we had to meet at 4:30am to get on a bus to go to the Adirondacks! I had never gone rafting before Sunday, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was excited to go but I was afraid that I would get really cold since we were going at the end of September. Thankfully, the Adirondack River Outfitters adventure guides gave us wetsuits once we arrived. The wetsuits were damp when we got them, so I thought I would be cold the whole time, but once I put it on, I was surprisingly warm. After putting on our wetsuits, we all got on another bus and headed towards the Hudson River. On the bus, one of the guides gave us clear instructions so that we would be prepared in case we fall out of the raft. The raft guides were really nice and kept giving us tips and instructions throughout the day so we could be safe and still have fun. I found the guide on my raft was very good about instructing us when to paddle together and it was a good exercise in working together as a team. It was fun switching from the middle of the raft to the front of the raft, getting a different experience of the white water rafting. We stopped for lunch and had some water and tea. It was a really beautiful day to be away from your phone and just enjoy the outdoors. After lunch, we went down some good rapids before the river slowed down and we just took it easy. I think we went at a good time of the year to go rafting and see some of the foliage peak through the trees. The scenery was beautiful as we floated through the river towards the end of our adventure. When we got back to the adventure center, we had a really good dinner that they had made for us! After that, we began the drive back to school.
On the ride home, we reflected on the day and talked about what we enjoyed the most about the trip. Overall, it was a great experience and I learned a lot by going. All photos within the article provided by Jordan Zach. For more pictures, visit ARO"s Website. website. Waking up at 6:00 AM was worth it last Saturday. Why get up early to go on a thirteen mile hike, one might ask. For me, it was easy because hiking is something I love to do, but for some, I realize it is not a thing you would find worthwhile. Well, let me tell you that it is. As tired as you may get once you get to the top of the mountain, your perspective will change with a view of the mountain tops seen for miles and being up with the clouds. There is a huge feeling of accomplishment once you get to the top of that mountain, and even more so after you walk the ridge and look back at where you started. Last Saturday was the day I hiked Mount Liberty, Little Haystack, Franconia Ridge Trail, and The Falling Waters trail with a group from Lyndon. It was a great experience—meeting new people, seeing new sights, and having a good day away from textbooks. When I hike, it clears my mind more than anything else. When I am frustrated with a school project or have been working on a project for a long amount of time, getting outdoors is the best way to clear my head. Going out hiking makes me leave my stress behind, and when I come back to projects later, I feel more open-minded and less frustrated. Studying is great, but there are times where you need to get away, especially if you have been studying for a while. I feel like hiking or exercising is just enough to clear your head. The hike was a great experience and I feel like I learned a lot. I learned where not to step because of the fragile vegetation, how to walk in a group, which plants are edible, and how to be mindful of other hikers on the trail. I have hiked most of my life and have not known some of these really important things, so it was really good for me to finally learn the proper techniques of hiking. We had a good amount of water and snack breaks to keep ourselves from getting too tired during our journey. Once we reached the top of the mountain, the views were incredible. Taking pictures of it did not do it justice. On our way back from the ridge, we hiked by a beautiful waterfall called the Falling Waters Trail. It was a great end to an amazing hike. It was so peaceful and tucked away in the woods; I found it very relaxing to go to after such a long hike. If thirteen miles seems like a lot for you, start small. Go on a short hike, enjoy the views, and immerse yourself in nature. I guarantee you will not come back feeling the same.
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AuthorMy name is Rachel Carpenter, I am a transfer student at Northern Vermont University Lyndon, and I am in the Broadcast Digital Journalism program. I am a freelance photographer and take family photos, senior pictures, baby pictures, macro photography pictures, landscape photos, and more. I also enjoy writing about my experiences and writing articles to go along with my photos. Categories
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