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Graduation weekend at Columbia is always a raucous, joyful time. Manifest takes over almost the entirety of the South Loop, and you can feel the pride radiating off the students, their professors, and the friends and family who come to view their work. It was very exciting to be involved in the actual graduate showcase this year! I had my writing circles unit on display, so everyone who came to the elementary education gallery was able to read some of the published drafts of my students’ writing. If you enroll in Columbia’s education department, I highly recommend you participate in Manifest. It’s totally worth it.

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It’s hard to believe my journey at Columbia is almost complete. Two years ago, I was nervously awaiting the start of the journey. Now, I am about to begin a summer job working as a Teaching Assistant at Northwestern University’s Center For Talent Development Summer Program for gifted students! I couldn’t have imagined all of the good things I would discover about myself and the world at large from going back to school. It was challenging, it was a lot of hard work, and at times it was scary, but I’ve come out of it a better educator who is ready to face whatever comes my way!