You may be wondering about the fantastic day-to-day perks that set Professional Writing and Information Design students apart from other students on campus. Do we wake up with an extra spring in our step, bouncing to our laptops to write an essay? Are our minds instantly alert, ready to learn from our favorite professors?
Well, I hate to disappoint, but my day begins just like any other sleep-deprived college student: by groaning awake.
It’s a Monday, which not only means I have a busier day than usual, but I have to deal with the weekend brain fog that won’t leave me alone until Tuesday morning at the earliest. However, as the sun rays begin to poke through the blinds of my Maddox dorm room and fill it with warm light, my eyes flutter open more willingly. I’m hit with the sudden realization that today is the first seventy-degree day in weeks, and not only that, but it’s the day of the eclipse. Always a sucker for warm days, newfound life sparks within my soul and I find myself jumping out of bed. I get ready for the day, making sure to brush my teeth and make myself presentable for my first destination: Chapel.
As I walk to the Dixon Ministry Center, the warm breeze tickles my hair and fills the air with the smell of flowers. I take my seat squished between my friends and pull out my notebook to soak in Dr. White’s message over Romans 13. Having this time of fellowship and praise always proves to be rejuvenating, even on a Monday. I leave feeling more awake than before and ready to take on the busyness that’s sure to follow.
Now that I’ve finished chapel, it’s time for me to get a bit of work done. Finding a comfortable spot in the Steven Student Center, I pull out my laptop, my fingers drumming along the keyboard. I begin by creating an Instagram post for the Writing Center Instagram (shameless plug: check out the Writing Center Instagram @cedarvillewritingcenter). After successfully posting the graphic, I’m free to work on a commission project that a fellow PWID student and I have the opportunity to work on. We are writing a grant for a Cedarville professor, and these quiet moments in the SSC motivate me to work on my portion of the project.
11:55 hits, and it’s time for me to head over to my first class of the day: Intercultural Communication with Dr. Elliot. Today we’re learning about culture shock, what it looks like, and how it affects families as they move from one country to another. I sit between my two good friends in the back of the classroom, listening to Dr. Elliot’s lecture and taking notes from the PowerPoint slides.
After Intercultural Communication, I hurry to make it to my next class: Web Design 1. This class, while interesting, is definitely a stretch in my abilities. Throughout the semester, we’ve learned the basics of coding HTML so that we can create our own website, and now we’re in our CSS unit. This class is located in one of the computer labs in Tyler, and all the students gather to join Microsoft Teams on the computers and learn from Professor Hoover. Today our information load is light because Professor Hoover wants to give us time to make it outside to watch the eclipse. Fueled by anticipation, I hurry outside to meet my friends on the Apple lawn.
We’re all buzzing with excitement as the sun beats down on us, the moon slowly inching towards the fiery ball of light. We share a pack of lemon oreos and sip from cans of Poppi, our glasses at the ready atop our heads. I watch in utter amazement as the sky around us begins to darken and giddy screams begin to sound around campus.
“Put your glasses on!” my friends shriek to each other.
Despite my itching curiosity to behold the eclipse with my bare eyes, I decide I value my eyesight more and perch the eclipse glasses on the bridge of my nose. I watch as the moon completely covers the sun, sending a dark shadow over the earth and wowing us all. As I take in this cosmological event, I’m in awe of my God and the beauty He’s placed around us. How blessed am I to witness such an event in my lifetime, and to do so surrounded by dear friends.
From the hours of 4-8:00 pm, my schedule becomes more crowded. I’m moving from place to place, trying to get homework done, meeting up with friends, and catching a quick dinner before ending my night tutoring at the Writing Center. I get the chance to help a student work on his script for a film class, and we have fun talking about developmental editing ideas and picking out different parts of his script that can be improved.
As I think over the busyness of my day, I take in all the blessings and opportunities that being a PWID student has afforded me. I love being able to collaborate with other writers and have fun with my peers. I’m able to strengthen my writing skills each day and find ways to aid others with the knowledge my PWID classes have equipped me with. Each day learning from these PWID classes is a blessing, and I wouldn’t trade my major for anything—not even for the eradication of Monday mornings.
