Introduction to an almost-grad
Hi! My name is Emily McPherson, and I am in my last semester of getting my master's degree in public administration. I'm in a super cool program where I'm able to get my undergraduate degree (in political science) at the same time as my graduate degree, which saves me a lot of time and money. I've taken a ton of awesome classes in my last four years here, but my favorites have been Faith and Constitution, where I learned about Supreme Court cases involving religion, and Education Policy, which is the field I'd like to go into when I graduate. My mom and sister are public school educators and my dad works at a university, so education is something I'm very passionate about, and I'd like to help influence policy that will improve the lives of students and educators.
This summer, I decided to take advantage of my last holiday before becoming a Real Adult and travel a bit. I went with my dad on a three-week backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail, stayed with my friend at her home in Greece, spent time with my grandparents in their log cabin in Maine, and visited a friend who recently moved to Detroit. I had an amazing time, but I'm glad to be back home.
This summer, I decided to take advantage of my last holiday before becoming a Real Adult and travel a bit. I went with my dad on a three-week backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail, stayed with my friend at her home in Greece, spent time with my grandparents in their log cabin in Maine, and visited a friend who recently moved to Detroit. I had an amazing time, but I'm glad to be back home.
Personal photo of me and my dad at a lake in Delaware Water Gap (a state park that is confusingly in New Jersey) while hiking the Appalachian Trail in May 2019.
I love to read, and every year I participate in the Goodreads reading challenge. This year, I've pledged to read 30 books. Lately, I've been working on my 20th book of the year, Beartown by Fredrik Backman. When I need a low-effort way to relax, I love to watch 30 Rock (which I've re-watched probably ten times).
When I'm not in classes, you can probably find me in the OU Daily's newsroom in Copeland Hall, where I'm the assistant design editor. I've worked here for four years in various capacities, most recently as the copy chief, a position I held for 2.5 years. Now, my responsibilities include laying out the print paper and designing various magazines, newsletters, and special projects. If you ever have a question about AP Style or InDesign, I'm your girl. Lately we've made some special publications in addition to our regular weekly newspaper that I'm pretty proud of, including our fall Crimson Quarterly magazine, an OU-Texas paper in collaboration with the Daily Texan (UT's student paper), and our gameday previews!
Aside from all that, I love playing guitar, hiking, rock climbing, kick boxing, reading, and writing!
Oh, Emily, this is great: I have heard about this master's program before, but I think you are the first student I've met who is actually doing that. Wonderful! And we definitely need people to educate policymakers about education; I share that passion, and I try to be a good spokesperson for open online education. I am a huge fan of the possibilities that online education can offer, but I also get very frustrated when I see online being used in ways that are harmful to students, especially in the K-12 world. So, I am guessing there will be all kinds of great connections you can make between this class and your other interests... and thanks as always for the good work the OU Daily has been doing. OU has been very much in need of good reporting over the past couple of years, and I am glad the Daily has been ready to meet that challenge: thank you to the whole crew for all their good work!
ReplyDeleteHello Emily!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about your year long reading list. That is something that I would really like to start doing more of. In middle school I read often but in recent years I have kind of fallen off. I appreciate your love of reading and i can say that it has given me some inspiration to read more than I do now. I also loved reading about the trip you took with your dad. That picture reminds me of my favorite place in Colorado so I can kind of empathize with you and your love for that place and your trip!
Hi Emily!
ReplyDeleteI think it's awesome that you're so passionate about public education policies; I wish I knew more about it, but I agree with Professor Gibbs - we definitely need more people that are! Also, I am SO jealous about your time in Greece. I studied abroad last summer with OU in Italy and it was the greatest experience, and I wish I had gotten more time to travel to other countries as well. Anyways, good luck this semester, and afterwards!
Nice to meet you, Emily!
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome that you can work towards your masters degree while also getting an undergraduate degree! It sounds like you know exactly what your goal is, which is pretty rare I have come to realize, so good for you! The picture you have included looks like a serene place to visit! My goal after I graduate this year is to travel a bit before becoming a full adult as well. Good luck with your reading goal this year as well!
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ReplyDeleteEmily you had quite an exciting summer! I too love to travel and see the world, I say that currently in Kazakhstan. I also love to read and find it quite peaceful. What genres of books are your favorites to read? Masters and a Graduate degree at the same time seems to be a lot of work!! Congrats on pushing through. What are your plans after graduation? What was it like to backpack across a country? It sounds like it would be difficult living without several comforts. It was nice to meet you and I hope everything works out for you this year!
ReplyDeleteHey Emily! Wow, you seem really cool! I love political science. I nearly considered that major myself, but I went for Professional Writing instead. It's great that education is a passion for you because we really need more compassionate, creative, knowledgeable people involved in our education system. I love your writing and can't wait to read more throughout the semester. Good luck on your final push to getting both of your degrees!
ReplyDelete- Cate
Hello Emily!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like an AMAZING Summer! I have always wanted to travel to Greece, hopefully one day I can make it there. That is so cool you are getting your undergrad and masters at the same time! I wish someone would have told me about that four years ago :,) It sounds like you have got a good head on your shoulders and are working hard to achieve your goals. Good job Emily!
-Sam
Hi Emily!
ReplyDeleteI'm also in an accelerated master's program – both my wallet and I love that it's an option here at OU. Congrats on making it to the end! It sounds like you had a great last summer before going out into The Real World. Best of luck this semester as you finish up everything!
Hi Emily!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how you can complete your undergraduate degree and your masters degree at the same time! Just by reading your post, I can see how dedicated and passionate you are about public education. I loved how you are a part of a reading challenge. A goal that I set for myself is to read more! I will definitely try to read the book you mentioned. Wishing you the best of luck!
Hey Emily!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you had a very eventful and amazing summer. I'm a very outdoorsy person, and dream about hiking in the Appalachians and visiting Greece. I also want to visit Maine, because it looks like such a beautiful place and I hear the seafood is bomb. I have always been a reader as well, and Goodreads is a site that I often visit to see what book I should read next. Unfortunately, I don't read nearly as much as I used to since I've had kids- I never have time to myself anymore. I'm a social work major, and we are always discussing the flaws in our educational system and how it affects the students. Congrats on your almost Master's Degree! :)
Hey Emily!
ReplyDeleteI am SO jealous of all of the traveling you did this summer! Those places all seem absolutely amazing. I think it's also really cool that you got to spend that much quality time with your dad. What a great summer before your last year of school. I am currently applying to graduate schools to get my Master's, and so I admire that you are almost done! Best wishes to you.
Hi Emily!
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool that you are graduating with your masters and undergraduate degree! My roommate is actually doing the same thing, and I can tell it is a lot of work, but props to you! I wish I read more books like you do. I just feel like I do not have the time or perseverance to do so haha. Nice to meet you!
Hello Emily!
ReplyDeleteThis is now the second time I have taken one of Laura's classes and ended up in the same section as a friend of THE Sophie Richardson! (Last time it was Tamiko in Epics of India.) Sophie seems to pop up even when you think she's disappeared for good, not unlike herpes (which is a joke I'm hoping you'll appreciate based on stories I've heard about you). Sophie has said great things and it's an honor to meet you via the interwebs! I also traveled to Greece to stay with her this summer, and as I'm sure you experienced, it was aMaZinG. Did you hike the Samarian Gorge while you were there? Such a fun, casual 16km walk on a steep downhill path covered in rocks. Sophie and I also almost got stuck on an inaccessible beach for 24 hours thanks to some high quality stupidity. But we ate a ton of feta which more than made up for the almost-tragedy (and also probably for any of the calories we burned on our hiking adventure). Anyhow, lovely again to make your acquaintance, and I can't wait to read your stories this semester!
Oh my gosh, hi Joni!! Sophie really is like herpes (I say this in the most loving way). We did hike Samarian Gorge! I feel bad for Sophie that she does it pretty much every time someone new visits, but I guess that's why her calf muscles are so good. I had just gotten back from my backpacking trip when I went to Greece, so my body was pretty acclimated to hiking... not to the heat though! We didn't get stuck on a beach, but I did almost miss the ferry to Crete and then Sophie was two hours late picking me up in Chania so... that was fun. Anyway, it's super cool that you're in this class and I'm excited for your stories!
DeleteHi, Emily! It’s nice to meet you! Congratulations on your final semester of public administration, that’s a huge accomplishment. I hope your master’s degree will benefit you in understanding education policies! Traveling is super fun, and I’m glad you got the opportunity to explore this past summer. I’m curious to see what Detroit is like—I’ll have to put it on my travel bucket list! Anyhow, I hope this class inspires you and your creative writing!
ReplyDeleteHi Emily! Goodreads is the best! I did the reading challenge last year and was short of my goal, but it was super fun! I really liked seeing what other people are currently reading or want to read. You seem really excited about life and I'm stoked to read your stories! Have fun!
ReplyDeleteHi Emily,
ReplyDeleteWould you be working on a state or city school board or are you thinking more like a coordinator?
I participated in the Goodreads Challenge a couple years ago (I read 60 books), but lately have had no time for free- reading so I haven't done it again but it is so cool that you do it every year! I probably should try to pick it back up soon, maybe just get all my reading in during the summer.
It's lovely to meet you.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to meet you and get to learn some cool facts about you! It sounds like you had a wonderful summer to relax and travel. Hiking on the Appalachian Trail sounds amazing, I love hiking but I haven't been in so long because of school. The same thing with reading, I can't imagine reading 20 books in a year let alone 30. Props to you for making this a priority in your life so you can accomplish that! Good luck during the rest of this semester!
Hi Emily! Congratulations on being so close to finishing up your degrees. I am going to be graduating next month, so I can imagine the excitement and everything you are going through. That is really cool that you are going to be finishing with degrees in more than one program. I wish you the best of luck with graduation and your future career.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily, it's so great to (virtually) meet you! That's so awesome that you got to spend so much of the summer traveling! I adore traveling as well, but it's rare to be able to allot so much time for it, so I'm really happy you got to have that experience. I'd love to hike part of the Appalachian Trail someday, too. Anyway, good luck with finishing your last year!
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