Lexie: Welcome back to the podcast. We're feeling very bittersweet today because this is our last podcast of this semester, but we're also introducing our new peer ads for the next school year. So as you guys know, I'm Lexie. 

Katie: And I'm Katie.

Karly: I'm Carly.

Usha: I'm Usha. 

Aniya: And I'm Aniya.

Natalie: I'm Natalie. 

Andrea: And I'm Andrea. 

Lexie: Yes. So these are our three new peer ed. Um, I'm gonna have them just quickly tell us their majors and their year in school. 

Aniya: So I am a sophomore and I am currently majoring in public and um, public administration. 

Natalie: And then I'm Natalie again and I'm a sophomore majoring in social work. 

Andrea: And then I'm Andrea. I'm majoring in psychology, and I'm finishing up my third year.

Lexie: Yay. And we are so excited to have them. April is always such a chaotic time as we transition into new routines, roles, and weather. Hopefully this semester has been one of my favorites of college, and I've been spending a lot of time reflecting this past week before I graduate. I would love to hear about some of your guys' favorite memories of this semester, though.

Karly: My favorite memory of the semester was definitely getting to see Role Model in concert. Such a good concert. 

Andrea: See, I would say mine was definitely going to Chicago for spring break. I went to this place called Vegan Donuts and I would literally drive there tomorrow just for them. But yeah, 

Lexie: So fun. My partner and I did a ski trip to Vermont, which was something we like, had wanted to, we'd always wanted to ski in the snow and so that was definitely mine, I think so.

Aniya: A favorite memory of mine this semester would include a group of, um, friends going to Detroit for the weekend. 

Lexie: I love that. So fun. Yeah. 

Usha: So my favorite memory is going up to Chicago with friends for a one day trip. Oh, we have a less time. We enjoyed a lot there.

Natalie: Um, my favorite memory would have to be getting into the school of Social Work here at Grand Valley.

Katie: Mine is definitely done with physics after entire, an entire year of physics. If you know anything about me, literally physics has been like the bane of my existence for the past year. I made everybody, everybody around me, also feel it. All right. I was not gonna experience that a little, that's for sure.

Katie: And for our last podcast of the year, we're just gonna chat a little bit about our summer plans and then for Lexie and I, our plans after graduation. That's so sad. 

Lexie: So sad. Yeah. Yeah. Um, as you guys all know, I'm sad to be graduating. Only talked about that a few times on here. I decided late that I want to attend a school psych grad program. Like knew I wanted to go to grad school but wasn't sure which program. Um, and so because I wasn't planning on that, I don't currently have like the right experience to apply to grad school, but I actually worked out because I'm taking a gap year anyway, so I'll be spending my summer and next like school year gaining experience with kids in educational settings, which is really exciting. Yeah, yeah. Outside of academic and professional plans, I'll be visiting my friend who lives in Chicago and seeing all her favorite parts of the city, which is really fun 'cause I've batten, but not with like a local. And then I am going to Bonnaroo in Tennessee, which will fulfill my lifelong dream of going to a camping music festival.

Katie: I can’t wait to see those photos.

Natalie: That sounds so fun. Um, this summer I'll be working a lot as a server and I'll be staying here at Grand Valley, so I'll definitely be visiting Lake Michigan a lot and hopefully Chicago. I'll also be going home to the east side of the state to visit my family and my dogs. And I'll work on my creativity a lot this summer. I'm hoping some maybe scrapbooking, painting thrifting and fixing up old thrifted items. I love doing that. Yes, I love it. And then my sister's actually graduating high school and going to U of M, so I'll be busy helping her this summer and her grad party and everything, so I'm excited.

Katie: Oh yeah. Um, so. I always have summers full of working and doing things 'cause that's how I support myself. But I'm also moving into a new house with a lot of my friends, but I'm also taking two summer classes, which isn't fun, but like that's just what it is. Um, but after I graduate this winter, I plan on taking a, at least a gap semester to chill out, to figure out what I wanna do. I have literally been in school ever since the summer before college. I've been taking summer classes and doing all the things, and I don't know why I did that to myself, but that's just where we are. Like, I wanna travel, I obviously wanna make money. And then do what normal girls in their twenties do. Because I don't have a hobby I don't like, I don't have things I just do for fun. I just study and I work and exist. That's literally all I do and it needs to change before I explode. 

Andrea: I hope you find something. But then, so for me, I'm gonna be going back home, which is on the east side of the state, but then in May, me and my mom are gonna go on a trip to Rome, Paris, and London, so I'm very excited. We gotta deal through Costco, so there we go. Um, but then after that I have to get back to business and I'm gonna be working at a camp with, um, special needs kids and then also I'm gonna try to volunteer when I can just to get that extra experience. But those are my plans. So fun. 

Karly: I'm trying to get volunteer experience this summer, but my big thing is I'm studying abroad in Ireland. Going for three weeks for psychology, so I'm very excited. Um, but I'm also going to Kentucky for the 4th of July to live out my southern country dream. I want to like just go in the south, listen the country music. Deep down, deep down. I just need to be like a southern like girl in the country. But yeah, I'm also doing an East Coast road trip with my dad because a lot of the grad schools I wanna go to are on the East coast. So we're taking like this huge road trip. The main one I wanna go to is Boston, so like we're definitely going there. I’m so excited.

Katie: I'm so excited you said it for you. So cool. 

Karly: We go to Maine Yes. University of Maine. We'll see, we'll see. But I'm also just excited to go to the beach and hike literally every single day. Yeah. Like I'll be good to be outside again and for like next year, I'm moving into a two bedroom with my best friend in August, so I'm so excited. Finally, we have had the trenches of roommate problem for the last two years. We're getting guys two bedroom, so excited, jealous, fun. 

Aniya: That sounds fun. Um, this summer I'm going back home to Chicago. I plan on really working and locking in. Um, I plan on, uh, interning at my previous job, which was as an administrative assistant at Loretta Hospital and along with that, I plan on going back to my old high school and interning as a Peace Warrior Lead. Um, and I will also be taking summer classes, unfortunately, but they'll be in Uganda, so hopefully better.

Usha: Uh, I say like, I have a very boring, so listen to all of you. But this summer I will be working on campus and I'm also starting my internship. So I, uh, it's my first internship here, so I'm excited for it. And I also want to explore some places in Michigan as I'm graduating in the December. So this summer I, I'm trying to balance both. Yeah. I think it'll be fun Michigan.

Karly:. It sounds like everyone has super exciting summer plans. I'm just so excited to finally be done with this semester and actually have free time to enjoy myself and work. Yeah, I know. Oh, it's also so important to take time for ourselves during school, especially right now, final season. So I'd love to know what mindful moments everyone has by recently. 

Usha: I will start with mine. Uh, I'm trying to plan and taking breaks between my assignments and projects to refresh and work more efficiently. 

Katie: That's so awesome. That's such a good skill to have 

Aniya: With this workload. I definitely think breaks are necessary. Yes. Um, as far as me, I went home this weekend. Um, I was able to partake in a short, um Road trip to Springfield with my mom. Uh, we blasted music and I was able to catch up on this book that I just started. So yeah. 

Lexie: My friends and I do collage nights, but we used to just do them like at, but we found a place called Nito and it's a third space and it's also like a vintage owned store that's but like the third space part is like you don't have to buy anything, you can just be there. So we moved collage nights to Nito because we can like invite more people and really in the community and we love. We literally like dreamed of a third space in Grand Rapids. It's been forever. So now that there is one, we're like, yes. 

Natalie: Um, for me this week, to take my mind off finals a little bit, I painted a few pictures. I like painting little flowers and stuff, so that's what I did to clear my mind. 

Andrea: That's so cute. I wish I could paint, but that's just, not for me, I just restarted watching Gilmore Girls for probably like literally the fifth time. What's the point in starting something new and I can start a show I'm gonna like.

Katie: So that's what I'm saying 'cause I just restarted Greys my show and, and I talked about a trip to go see her mom and I'm just like, wait, my mom came last weekend too and she brought my dog and it was just, honestly, it, it was so awesome. I really needed it. Yeah, it was. It's definitely a great day.

Karly: That's awesome. My friends and I started doing TV Thursday is what we call it, where every Thursday, like we have this group of like four of us that we watch an episode of the show and we just finished The Pit, which is actually like the best show everyone needs to so good. But that just finished, so we started watching like. It's called All Access, like Grand Rapids PD. And it's like I, yeah, really like all access into like the Grand Rapids Police Department. Like they go over cases and stuff. Yeah. Yeah. So we started watching that and then we started like making them themed because we like need to do more. So last week was PowerPoint night, and then this week's game night. 

Katie: I love that. So mindful. 

Usha: Yeah, that's all for this podcast, and once again, welcome all the new periods and we will miss you, Katie and Lexie, and we'll be back again in the next semester. Until then, bye bye!