Olivia MacPherson - Bridgewater State University
2025
My first year at college was incredible, and I learned so much. Sure there were ups and downs, as is expected of life, but it was all worth it. I officially declared my second major as Sociology with a concentration in education, to join my core major of Early Childhood education. I made this decision after taking an introductory course in the subject, and finding it to be right up my alley. Academically speaking, things have been going smoothly. I love my majors, and find the subject material fascinating. Because of this I am able to enjoy my coursework and keep my grades up. I do however try to maintain a balance between purely academic activities, and more social ones such as the programs I have joined. For example, I officially joined the Child Physical Development Clinic (CPDC) where on Saturdays I work as a clinician alongside some of my peers, as we help with children with special needs. Each clinician is assigned a child to work with, so that we can get to know them and how best to support them and their families as they work towards their short and long term goals. This is a program I had hoped to join before I even entered the school, and I am so happy I was able to. In addition to the CPDC I have continued on with the Ink and poetry society club, In which I have been elected vice president. I joined the club in my first semester and have yet to miss a meeting since. It serves as a way to meet new people, and as an outlet for a variety of creative endeavors, such as submitting our work through the school publication The Bridge. Last spring I was able to publish one of my poems, and I have submitted more this year alongside some artwork. The club, like CPDC, is something I can look forward to each week, albeit for different reasons. Where CPDC serves as a more academic actviy that I know I will learn from, and as an incredible experiential opportunity offering course credit, the Ink and Poet Society is a time to be with friends, and write a poem or two. In general I feel like my time in college has been fulfilling, and I greatly look forward to what is to come in the next few years.
2024
I knew from the moment I stepped on campus that this was the place I needed to be to continue on in my career path. Now that the first semester is over, I can say it did not disappoint. I have gotten to join the poetry club, participate in events for my major, and meet a bunch of new people. I just wrapped up the first semester and am excited to start on the next. This semester I focused on my core credits for general studies, making sure I was on track with what was necessary to get to the next year. I especially enjoyed my class in sociology, and plan on taking more classes of this subject in the future. I even signed up for another next semester. Now that a lot of my credits are figured out, and I have either taken or signed up for all my first year core requirements, I will be taking a child study course. I am super excited to officially start classes for my major, and have even found an extra program that should help out with this. I applied for and made it into a program for next semester (and quite possibly beyond that), that while not necessarily part of the early education program, will be an incredible supplement to it. In this program called the CPDC (Child Physical Development Clinic ), college students work with children with special needs, helping them with fine and gross motor skills. The program meets at the gym, and I will be assigned a child to work with for the semester. I heard of this program when originally touring the school, and it was one of the factors That made me choose Bridgewater. The university is so welcoming, and It feels like there's an opportunity around every corner.