Start of Something New

I started this blog seven years ago, just before starting my first year of middle school. From 2014 to 2017, I posted fairly regularly, about everything from TV shows to school dances to book reviews. I loved getting to share the things and experiences I loved with the world, and I loved getting to interact with the people who were reading my posts. (Sure, it was mostly close friends and family, but I still loved the idea of getting to share my writing with the world.) But once I got to high school, I stopped posting as much. I can’t really explain why, it just sort of happened. I used to spend hours drafting and editing my posts, only to stop posting at all, with no warning or explanation.

The last post I made on this blog was in the spring of my freshman year of high school, in March 2018. Since my last post, I’ve gotten my driver’s license, lived through a hurricane and a pandemic, graduated high school, and started my first year at Widener University.

So, I’ve decided to archive all my old posts, and start fresh. Today marks the start of a new craftedbytaylor. Thank you all so much for reading and following along with my middle school adventures. Here’s to the start of a brand-new adventure.

Check back here next Sunday to hear about first-year orientation and my first week of college classes!

Life Lessons I Learned from Mean Girls

“On October 3rd, he asked me what day it is.”

I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen the movie Mean Girls. As far as early 2000s teen movies go, it has to be one of my favorites. Everything from the casting to the dialogue (well, most of the dialogue) costumes is on point. I don’t think I could ever get tired of watching it. Last spring, I even wrote a paper on it for my AP Psychology class.

In honor of Mean Girls Day, I want to take a minute to acknowledge some of the things I’ve learned from the movie. Mild spoilers for a seventeen-year-old movie ahead!

1. Don’t change yourself for a guy.
   • In the movie, Cady pretends she doesn’t understand calculus to get Aaron to notice her. Even to eleven-year-old me, this was pretty stupid. One: because Aaron had the personality of a slice of bread (sorry, Jonathan Bennett, but it’s true) and two: she actually liked calculus, and she was good at it! Why give that up for some guy you don’t even know?
2. It’s okay to stand up to your friends.
   • Cady kind of lets everyone walk over her in the movie, to the point where she befriends Regina for the sole purpose of trash-talking her to Janis and Damian. Granted, there wouldn’t be much of a plot if she’d put her foot down early on, but you have to be able to tell your friends no. If they really love you, you’ll respect that.
3. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
   • This is a classic life lesson, but I really like the way it’s presented in the movie. A lot of the conflict in the movie comes from the characters being straight-up rude to each other, whether that’s face to face or behind someone’s back. Said conflict could easily be avoided if the characters realized nothing productive comes from being mean to other people.
4. If you have a problem with someone, you need to talk to them directly. Don’t let things bottle up.
   • The first few times I watched the movie, Janis was probably my favorite character. But the last time I rewatched it, I realized that she probably would’ve been a lot better off if she’d confronted her issues with Regina a lot sooner. I’ve definitely had friends like Regina before, and while it’s not always easy to talk about the things that bother you, it’s better to get it off your chest than to try and deal with it on your own.
5. Making new friends does not mean you need to leave your old friends behind.
   • As a Girl Scout, I learned this lesson before watching the movie, but it’s still worth mentioning. Cady’s friendship with the Plastics began under false pretenses, and yet she still neglected her friendship with Janis and Damian as she got closer to the Plastics, culminating in one of my favorite scenes from the movie. (You can watch it here.) As I go through my freshman year of college, this is something I want to keep in mind.

Mean Girls is currently streaming on Paramount+! If you haven’t seen it yet, today’s the perfect day to watch it. If you have seen it yet, today’s the perfect day to watch it.

5 Things I’ve Learned in My First Month at College

One month and one day ago, I started my first year at Widener University! Time has flown by, and I can’t believe I’m already a quarter of the way through the semester. Though I’ve still got about twelve weeks left in the semester, I’ve already started to le

1. Switch up your study space.
   • My favorite spot in the library to study is the Poetry corner, but I’ve recently started moving to other spots. I’ve also found that I like to study in the University Center, the Starbucks, and the lounge of my dorm. I’ve found that switching up my location is great for when I’ve hit a slump in my work. Now that assignments are starting to pile up, it’s great.
2. Go to events.
   • During the past week alone, I went to two bingo nights, a tie dye/succulent making event, yoga class, a Constitution Day discussion, and a mixer for political science students. Some events I went to with friends, others by myself, but I had fun at each one. It’s great to make new friends, and also try new things.
3. Write things down.
   • Whether you use a planner or a digital calendar, you need to write things down! Make sure you’ve got all your assignments, due dates, and other meetings written down in a place where you’ll remember them. Some days, you’ll have a million things going on, and you don’t want to forget anything.
4. Make time for yourself and your friends.
   • The first week of classes, I spent almost all of my time in the library. As the semester has gone on, I’ve learned to balance that with spending time with my friends and taking time to myself. I realized that at the rate I was going, I was going to burn out really quickly.
5. It’s okay if you and your roommate(s) aren’t best friends.
   • My roommate and I talked a few times before move-in, and it seemed like we had a lot in common. But she moved out of our room on Monday. I thought I’d be a lot more upset about it, but I’m actually fine. In fact, after she moved out, my friends and I finally set up my TV and we had an impromptu movie night (aka High School Musical singalong). I might get another roommate, but for now, I’m enjoying having the room to myself.

As the semester goes on, I can’t wait to add to this list. I feel like I’m picking up new things every day. I can only imagine what the next three months have in store, but I’m excited to find out.

Hello, Circle

Mild spoilers for The Circle ahead!

Last year, at the beginning of quarantine, I quickly became obsessed with Netflix’s reality show, The Circle. Based on the British TV show, it follows a group of strangers isolated in their apartments. The contestants can’t see or hear each other, and they can only communicate through a platform called “The Circle”, a voice-activated computer program that acts as a social network for the players. The players rate each other, with the top ranked player(s) becoming Influencers, with the power to block another player from the Circle. When players are blocked, they must leave the Circle, though they are given the opportunity to meet another player face to face. At the end of the game, the highest ranked-player is crowned the winner of The Circle, and they win $100,000.

The first four episodes of Season 3 debuted this past Wednesday, and I’m already in love with this new batch of players. As of right now, I’m rooting for Ruksana, Daniel, and Sophia, but we’ve still got nine episodes left. Who knows what could happen in that time?

Having watched every episode (so far) of the French and American versions of the show, I’ve done a lot of thinking about the things I would do if I were on the show. A lot of characters boast excellent strategy and excellent instincts, only to be way off the mark. On one hand, as an audience member, I have insight that the players don’t, but on the other hand, some players think they know everything based off of a few interactions with a screen. Love the confidence, but they’ve got to stop.

With that being said, here’s a few things I would be sure to do if I played on The Circle.

1. I would bring my mom. Personally, I love watching the pairs on the show. In season one, Ed brought his mom, Tammy, on the show. While I wouldn’t say that worked out too swimmingly for them, I think it would work for me. My mom is a social media manager, and I think she’d be good to bounce ideas off of.
2. I would not play as myself. I can’t explain it, but I love rooting for the catfish. I also think it would be fun for me to create a character and a backstory for myself. It would also be a challenge to be as authentic as possible while not being myself.
3. I would not form any alliances that I didn’t plan to keep. I’m not going to tell someone that I’ll have their back, then turn around and tell someone else that they’re sketchy. I would not be the one starting drama in The Circle. It seems like a surefire way to get sent home. Obviously the nature of the game suggests that all alliances will have to come to an end, but that doesn’t mean I’ll backstab someone to do it.
4. I would keep detailed notes about my interactions with each player, as well as interactions with the group as a whole. I think this would be the best way to get insight into everyone’s motivations and interests, and would help me keep everything straight.
5. Remember to have fun! While there is a huge prize at stake, it is also a game. Obviously I’d take it seriously, but if I took it too seriously, I’d probably end up being one of the first people blocked.

Have you seen The Circle? What would your strategy be? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see you back here next week!

Freshman 15

As you know, I’m a few weeks into my first semester at Widener University, and I’m very excited about my freshman year. This time last year, I was doing my classwork at the kitchen table, with my dogs fighting in the background.

Although my campus experience this year is going to look a little bit different because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I still want to make sure I make the most of it. I missed out on a lot of fun stuff from my senior year (thankfully I still got to have prom and graduation), and I don’t want to spend the next year cooped up in my room.

Here are 15 things I’d like to do during my first year of college!

1. Add a second major (and maybe a minor).
   • Right now, I’m a political science major. I think I’d like to add a major in sociology, and I’m meeting with a sociology professor next week. As far as a minor goes, I have way too many thoughts: English, gender studies, creative writing, African & African American studies, criminal justice, psychology, leadership studies, etc. Thankfully, Widener’s distribution requirements will allow me to take classes in all of those subject areas.
2. Get involved on campus.
   • Last week was our Student Involvement Fair, and student organizations are starting to hold meetings again. Right now, I’m looking to join Amnesty International, Black Student Union, and the Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA.) I’ll also be volunteering on/around campus with the Bonner program.
3. Take advantage of all the resources on campus.
   • I have two mentors, two advisors, and I definitely want to make sure to pick their brains! I’ve already met with one of my peer mentors, and they put me in contact with the sociology professor. I also want to make sure I take advantage of other resources like Career Design and Development, Counseling and Psychological Services, and the Pride Recreation Center.
4. Make new friends throughout the year.
   • It’s no secret that I’m a little socially awkward, and COVID doesn’t make this easier. I’ll walk around campus smiling at people, only to realize that I was wearing my mask, and it may have looked like I was glaring at them. Even though I love the friends I’ve made now, I want to make sure I’m making friends with more of my classmates.
5. Go to a football game.
   • I know nothing about football, and will probably just end up cheering when I see other Widener students cheering, but I still feel like I need the experience!
6. Go to a group fitness class.
   • Right now, I’ve just been going to the gym solo (which is still fun, don’t get me wrong!). The classes are on hold right now, but as soon as they open back up, I definitely would like to go to a Zumba or yoga class!
7. Study outside, on the quad.
   • Since it’s been 90 degrees out for the first few days of classes, I tend to stick to the library for studying. But as the weather gets nicer, it might be nice to get a change of pace and study out on the quad.
8. Make a vision board.
   • This one isn’t explicitly college related, but I still would like to do make sure I do it this year. My mom and I made vision boards when I was in middle school. I think it would be a good idea for me to make another one so that I don’t lose track of my goals for college.
9. Do something fun off-campus.
   • Thanks to our Pride Activities Council and the other student organizations on campus, there’s no shortage of fun things to do here at Widener. But we’re also not far from Philadelphia, and I definitely want to make sure to take advantage of that.
10. Go to office hours.
    • Right now, all my classes are going really well, which is great! But I know that probably won’t be the case for the rest of the year, and I want to make sure that if I do have trouble, I’m going to office hours. Even if I’m not having trouble, I still think it would be beneficial to pick some of my professors’ brains.
11. Take a class that’s outside of my comfort zone.
    • This semester, all but one of my classes are in the humanities and social sciences. Registration for spring classes starts in November, and I want to make sure that I branch out just a little bit for the spring.
12. Make the Dean’s List.
    • In order to make the Dean’s List, I have to have a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
13. Read!
    • I’ve done a lot of readings for class so far, but I want to make sure I’m reading for pleasure as well. If all the reading I’m doing is for school, I have a feeling that’ll take the fun out of it for me.
14. Set up my LinkedIn account and rework my resume.
    • I think this’ll be important for me to do now, instead of scrambling to put something together at graduation.
15. Work on campus.
    • This semester, I didn’t work because I wanted to get a feel for my schedule first, but I think it might be nice to have a job on campus, whether that’s working the front desk at the gym, being an RA, or being a tour guide.

The last day of the spring semester is May 6th, 2022. I can’t wait to tell you all how freshman year went, and to see how many items on this list I actually accomplished.

Welcome to Widener!

Part One: Orientation

The first part of my orientation, Pride Experience 1, took place in the middle of June. During Pride Experience 1, I got to meet with my academic advisors and some of my future classmates. I also got to register for my classes.

The next part of my orientation, Pride Experience 2, began on August 18, when I moved into my dorm with the help of my family. My roommate, A, arrived just as I was starting to get settled. Though we’d already spoken via FaceTime before move-in day, it was still surreal to see her in person. While A and her parents set up her side of the room, I started adding events to my planner and preparing for the rest of orientation. After her parents left, we prepared to go to the first orientation event on the schedule: the welcome barbecue.

Unfortunately, we both got the starting time mixed up, so we missed the actual “welcome” part of the barbecue. But we still got to talk to some of the other girls in our floor, so it wasn’t a complete waste!

After dinner, A and I parted ways to meet with our orientation groups for our Widener Welcome Sessions, where we got an overview of the programming that weekend and a look into what it would be like on campus. Then, we returned to our dorm for our floor meeting. That first night was a blur of names, states, and majors, but it was great to see how alive the campus was. When I’d visited in April, classes were still in session, but there weren’t a lot of students living on campus. As I went to bed on the first night, I felt excited for what was next to come.

On Thursday morning, I got up early to get breakfast with a friend, Z, before our first orientation sessions. Thursday morning, I had three meetings back to back: Green Dot, a program about bystander intervention and preventing dating/sexual violence on campus; Conduct Matters, a program about the importance of our behavior and conduct as Widener students; and Maximize Your Buzz, a program about drinking and alcohol. It was a lot of information to take in all at once, but it was definitely engaging. My favorite of the session was Maximize Your Buzz

After a quick lunch break, I had another meeting: this time, with the other members of the Honors Program in General Education. I got to meet my Honors Mentor, E, in person for the first time, which was great. After the Honors meeting, I went to my last meeting: True Life: We Attend Widener University. True Life was probably my favorite session, even though I missed most of it. True Life gave us an opportunity to ask our orientation leaders questions we might not feel comfortable asking with a faculty member or administrator in the room, and we got to go on another campus tour.

Following the tour, I headed to the bookstore to get my textbooks for the semester, then hung out in my room for a bit before grabbing dinner. Though the mandatory orientation events were over for the day, there was an optional event that night: a hypnotist show by Dan Lornitis.

The closest I’d ever gotten before to seeing a hypnotist show was seeing “Shipnotized“, the episode of The Suite Life on Deck where London (Brenda Song) gets hypnotized into believing she was Bailey (Debby Ryan). I was definitely curious about what the show entailed, though I wasn’t sure I actually believed in hypnosis itself.

I didn’t volunteer to be hypnotized, because Dan had said it wouldn’t work if we didn’t believe we could actually be hypnotized. (Sure enough, it didn’t end up working on two of the volunteers, who, coincidentally, ended up sitting next to each other.)

Though I had no idea what to expect going into the show, I ended up loving it. He was a hilarious presenter, and the audience volunteers he picked were amazing. My favorite bit from the show was one where he’d hypnotized them into thinking they were superheroes, and he asked them all what their superhero names and powers were. We had Dark Spider (Spider-Man on a budget), Zoey 101 (I’m on a TV show), and even Mr. Steal Your Girl (No explanation needed). I also loved when he hypnotized one participant into forgetting his first name, and another into giving a different name every time someone asked.

Once the show ended, I definitely was on board with the idea of being hypnotized. Maybe next year!

Friday morning, I slept in so I could attend the Academic Convocation, a ceremony set to officially welcome the Class of 2025 to Widener. By then, I was already kind of burned out with all the other orientation events that had been happening. While there were a lot of orientation elements that were interactive, a lot of it was just people talking at us, and a lot of information had been repeated several times. But the speakers were very engaging, particularly Dr. C, a professor of social work, and TH, the president of the Student Government Association. I found myself glued to the screen for the entirety of their speeches.

One thing that resonated the most with me was a mantra TH’s advisor had given her: I am strong. I am powerful. I am confident. Write that down, in a place where you can always see it, for those times that you need a reminder.

After the Convocation, I headed down to my academic advising session, where I got to meet with my academic advisor and the other students in the political science program. Thankfully, the session was quick (and there were about ten of us altogether), so we got to be dismissed early. I got lunch with Z, and we both picked up our mailbox keys on the way.

The last mandatory orientation event of the day was Academic Success at Widener, which talked about services like the Writing Center, Career Design and Development, and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Thankfully, this session also wasn’t too long, though I was grateful for the information we received.

That night, there was a magic show by Nash Fung, and I went with Z. Though the magic show was hosted in a building not far from our dorm, we left almost half an hour early so we could get good seats. We’d ended up in the middle of the auditorium during the hypnotist show, but this time, we’d managed to get seats in the third row, right up close.

I also hadn’t ever seen a magic show before (although, once again, I had seen one on The Suite Life on Deck), so I wasn’t sure what to expect. My favorite trick he did was one where he took a student’s license and put it in one of three cups. Fung then moved the cups around and asked us to guess where the license was. But to my surprise, it wasn’t in any of the cups. It was an a can of Coke he’d shown us earlier.

I also loved one of his tricks that had to do with awareness: early on in the set, he’d asked us to take a picture of him. Part of me figured it would come into play later, but for the most part, I didn’t think much of it.

After we’d all gotten a chance to take his picture, he did a trick where he asked the two strongest people in the audience to tie him up with a piece of rope. He had the two volunteers cover and uncover him with a blazer. Whenever he was covered up, he’d pull a hand out of the restraints, waving it around. But when he was uncovered, his hands were bound tightly to his knees. Once he’d gotten out of the restraints for real. , he’d asked us whether or not we thought his vest was tan or gray. The audience seemed pretty torn (I thought it was tan), so he asked us to pull up the pictures from our phones to see what color it was.

But it wasn’t tan or gray, he’d been wearing a black turtleneck at the start of the set. Somewhere between getting tied up and getting out of the restraints, he’d changed from the turtleneck into the vest and button down. It was a great trick, and also a nice reminder that we miss things we’re not looking for.

The show went by much faster than I’d anticipated, but I loved every second of it. After the show, I got to meet some of Z’s friends, and we walked around campus for a bit before going on tours of each other’s dorm rooms. Then we talked in the lounge, and made plans to get brunch together the next morning.

On Saturday morning, I got to sleep in before heading to brunch with Z, E, and R. After brunch, Z went to work, and I went back to R and E’s dorm, and we talked for a while. R showed me all of their books, and we had a very long conversation about Criminal Minds and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. (There was a brief interlude where we discussed Midnight Sun and the Twilight movies.) Later that afternoon, E and I met Z at bingo, while R took a nap.

Before going to bingo, we’d all been told that we should go because the prizes would be good and because it’s a lot of fun. One of our orientation leaders even said that she’d never missed a Widener bingo night. Some of the prizes included gift cards (for Nike, Starbucks, Amazon, Doordash, and Target), a Brita filter, a Keurig, AirPods, an Apple Watch, and a 30-inch television.

For the first few prizes, we just had to get bingo straight across. But as the prizes got more expensive, the bingo games got more complicated. We had to do an X pattern, a C, pattern, a perimeter, and a blackout. (And of course, for all of these, I ended up getting bingo straight across). Even though I didn’t win anything, it was still a lot of fun, and I definitely won’t miss any more Widener bingo nights.

After bingo, I walked around with Z and E for a bit before grabbing dinner. By then, I’d pretty much maxed out my social battery for the day, so I returned to my dorm to watch A Simple Favor before heading to bed for the night.

I woke up early on Sunday morning to do laundry before classes, and made plans to meet up with Z, R, and E for brunch again. After brunch, Z and I went to a scavenger hunt hosted by the library. We learned the layout of the library and the services they offer, and afterwards, got to enter into a raffle. And I ended up being one of the three raffle winners! I won a TV (though it is currently still all packed up under my bed).

After the raffle, Z and I went back to hang with E, and the three of us got dinner at a pizza place by the campus. (And we learned that when the semester officially started, we’d be able to use our meal swipes at the pizza place, which was great.)

After orientation weekend, while I was still nervous, I definitely felt a lot better about the start of the semester. I went to bed early on Sunday in preparation for my eight AM class, and I felt pretty ready to take on the day when I woke up.

Part Two: Classes

For the Fall 21 semester, I’m taking five courses: Sustainability Science, Freshman Honors English, The (Dis)United States, Mexican Culture and Society, and Mass Media and Children.

My first two days of classes were mostly a blur of syllabi and getting-to-know-you activities. Thankfully, three out of my five classes are in the same building, so it didn’t take that long to try and find my way around campus.

For the most part, after getting the introductions and course expectations out of the way, we jumped right into the course material. And I’m sure this will surprise none of you, but so far, my favorite courses are probably English and Mass Media and Children. That being said, I do love all of my classes, and all of my professors seem great so far.

My sustainability science class ended early on the first day of class, and was cancelled on Friday, so we only had one lecture. Still, my professor has already gotten me to think critically about sustainability and little changes I can make in my life. The class has also made me realize that while sustainability has a lot to do with science, social justice and economics are important components of it. I’m very excited to see how this course ends up going for me.

On the first day of English, my professor had us fill out an information sheet where he asked about our majors, our other classes, the things we liked to read and write (if we liked to read and write), and our other hobbies and interests. I thought we’d just turn in the sheet and that would be it, but he went around the class and asked us to share, then asked us a lot of follow-up questions about what we said. I’ve gotten do do some great readings (of poems and short stories), and then I got to have some great discussions with my classmates.

We kicked off the DisUnited States by talking about campus politics, and we did an interactive (and anonymous) poll to see where our classmates stood on certain issues. Then we had a discussion on campus politics at Widener, but since most of my class are first-year students, not everyone had a lot to say. I’m curious to see how debates and discussions will go as we get further into the semester. On Friday, we got to start watching a documentary about John McCain.

My Mexican Culture and Society kicked off with a documentary about the Aztecs, and a few readings to go with it. I’m excited to delve further into the class and into Mexican history, since most of my history classes in high school and middle school focused on people like Columbus.

We spent the first week of Mass Media and Children watching 50 Years of Sunny Days, a documentary about the legacy and impact of Sesame Street. (It is available on Hulu if you’re interested in watching.) It was surprisingly emotional and incredibly engaging, and it sparked a lot of thinking about children’s media. It was the perfect way to start off the class, especially since our professor is letting us pick out the topics we want to cover during the semester.

In between classes this week, I met up with friends, went to the library, and went to the gym. I also walked around our student involvement fair, and got to check out some of the different clubs and organizations on campus. On Wednesday night, I attended the first bingo night of the semester with a friend (this time I didn’t win anything, but I got super close to winning another TV), and on Thursday night, we went to the first movie night. We watched Knives Out, and I can’t believe I didn’t see it when it came out. It was amazing. It’s one of those movies you could watch over and over again and pick up on little details you’ve missed.

All in all, the first week of the semester was pretty great. Part of me still can’t believe this is even happening, but I’m glad that I got to go to school in person.

Here’s to a semester filled with new adventures! Check back next week to hear more 🙂