Sarah Carvajal | The Rider
Being a student alone is a lot of work, but this semester, I have added the priorities of a part-time job and being involved in an organization.
Before this year, I would go to class, get what I needed to do done and then go home and relax. My only priority was my schoolwork.
Now, as a junior chemistry major, I have decided to branch out and start learning new things.
In high school, I was involved with various clubs, such as band, yearbook and student council, so I knew how to manage my time before I started college.
With the classes being more demanding in the amount of study time I have to devote to them, I really had to learn how to manage my time even better, and as my biochemistry professor says, “Live off a calendar.”
Google Calendar has become my best friend since I started working in August because I literally put everything in there, from meetings with my organization, to my work hours and even little things such as my deadlines for assignments.
I always get asked, “You’re a chemistry major, so why do you work as a photographer for a newspaper?” Basically, my answer is, “It’s something that I have always enjoyed doing.”
In yearbook, I was known as the photographer, and even became photo editor my senior year. So, I thought, “Even though it doesn’t go with my major, why not have my first job be something I actually like doing instead of becoming the usual waitress or retail associate?”
While yearbook did teach me the importance of getting stuff done on time, the deadlines in newspaper are way more hectic because it’s a weekly thing compared to the two weeks we would have to complete our spreads back then.
Then, my co-worker told me about the Operation Smile Club at UTRGV (OSC) she had founded and I immediately was interested because it was for a good cause.
When I join a club, I don’t just do the bare minimum, like go to meetings and, occasionally, show up to some events. I become a dedicated member.
Even though I’ve only been a part of OSC for a couple of weeks, I’ve already put so much into it and have met so many great people.
OSC and being a photographer for The Rider has allowed me to use the “right side” of my brain, the creative side, compared to my major that requires a lot more logic and reasoning (the left side).
I love being able to create different projects, such as the frame we used for “Trunk or Treat” with OSC, or find different artistic angles for photos of events we cover for the newspaper.
Artistic things, such as painting, have always been sort of an escape for me. There are times where I like to sit down with a canvas and a paintbrush in my hand and just paint whatever comes to my mind.
On the other hand, I’ve always been a logical person.
In third grade, I was doing sixth-grade-level math. So, since a young age, I knew that critical thinking and problem solving were my strong suits.
I fell in love with chemistry in high school, so that is why it’s my major.
Photography is my hobby, and now being able to do it as a job is even better, but I still like being able to figure things out through the puzzles that chemistry brings.
Though the semester was a little all over the place at the beginning, I’m still learning and growing from the experiences.
It’s a work in progress, but I know it will all be beneficial when I leave this place into the craziness of the real world.
