One down, one to go

Man, year one's already in the books! It's crazy to think about. There have been many ups and downs ( who would have ever imagined that?). Meeting new friends, thinking I was gonna quit at one point, and going to many different events rather than my usual staying at home, it's been a roller coaster year. But, overall, I wouldn't exchange it for the world. Now that all the sappy stuff is out of the way, let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we? Join me on this journey; let's get started.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we, with semester one, the Fall semester. That semester was mainly hitting the books hard and trying to get through it. That being said, it wasn't all books and projects. It also had its fun moments with meeting new people, new friends that I wouldn't have met otherwise. It's almost like college forces people to interact-who would have thunk it. Plus, doing the boards for the radio station pushed me into sports, something I have never been interested in. Goodness, I got way too into football and basketball; more than I ever thought I would. I actually liked listening and watching them and found myself talking about them. Unbelievable!

Sadly, though, it wasn't all fun and games, laughing with friends, and getting way too into football and basketball. At one point, I thought about quitting school. I was so overwhelmed with all the reading, homework, projects, and tests. I just didn't feel like I was college material. (Obviously, I didn't quit, or I wouldn't be writing this.) Thankfully, I came to my senses and decided to stick it out. Anyways, that's the first semester in a nutshell. I promise there's way more to hear about in the Spring semester.

So, the second semester, the Spring semester, has been way more action-packed, I'd say, with going to many more events and doing stuff I'd only imagined doing when I was younger. Some of those events include going to my first comedy show, going to my first big anime convention in Louisville, KY, meeting one of my idols, plus attending many school events at WVC -all that and still succeeding as a college student at WVC. Yay!

Let's talk a bit more about those events in the order they happened. First, the Brad Williams comedy held in Evansville, IN. How does a broke college student get to see a very expensive comedian? Well, it was thanks to my family for getting me tickets as a high school graduation gift. The show was amazing! It was Brad Williams, who was awesome, and two other comedians, whose names I can't remember but who were funny as well. Then, in March, I attended the Comic Con in Louisville, KY. It was quite the experience seeing all those who dressed in cosplay costumes and makeup, meeting and getting autographed photos of favorite voice actors, and browsing vendors for anime key chains, cards, figures, and plushies. It was also an eye-opener as it was night and day when compared to the convention in Evansville, IN. It was so much more: vendors, people, and bigger names to see and talk to. It was, truly, a great experience.

So, remember how I said we were doing things in order? I may have lied, and you fell perfectly into my trap! Before the Comic Con convention, I went to see Willy Wonka, produced by our very own WVC theater department. I really enjoyed it and Death of a Dead Guy, which was written and produced by the WVC theater class. The actors, the backstage crew, the music, everything was really good!

Last, but not least, was the 2026 WVC Spring Fest brought to you by our very own Student Senate and WVC clubs. There were food booths, including homemade ice cream, which was the bomb, corn hole and volleyball games, and tons of other stuff. It was totally a blast being able to sit down and hang out with friends and enjoy the food and activities. Highly recommend going to it next year.

So, I guess, I would be amiss if I didn't say something about my classes at WVC. Overall, I have learned a lot from producing commercials, a radio skit, and mishmash songs to writing feature articles and blogs. (link to blogs) I have had to learn to manage my time in order to get projects done on or before due dates and tap into my brain more than ever before. Second semester wasn't as stressful, thank goodness, and I look forward to what next year will bring.

So, now that we've reached the end of the journey for the first year, was WVC truly the best decision ever? Yes, even though I had my doubts last semester. If I had been somewhere other than WVC, I am afraid I may have dropped out. Here, I have a support system already in place. I am learning a lot about myself, my program of choice, and life lessons, too. I’m where I need to be. And that's all, folks. This is Evan signing off for year one. See you next time!