Why I choose to take a gap year: Choosing to take a gap year was a long and thought out decision that started at the beginning of my junior year of high school after attending a local Chicago gap year fair. After considering many options, I loved the idea of professional development through an internship, navigating a new city and a structured living environment where I could gain significant skills to compliment my lifestyle and living habits. Many times I wasn’t sure if I was fully capable of navigating adulthood right after high school, which was one reason for my decision to take a gap year.  Another reason for wanting to take a gap year was that I wanted to know that I would be able to manage my time, and well-being, with the goal that positive habits became part of my routine.  I wanted to learn to be proactive in my experiences and not reactive.   

Learning to live independently in apartments: Moving and adapting into the apartments at Dynamy was very easy and smooth from the start. Everyone in the house is someone I get along with and/or can hang out with regularly. All of us flow very well together and contribute to a lot of different things that benefit the house as a whole. Purchasing a very high speed Wi-Fi connection for the needed bandwidth for all 14 housemates (I live in an apartment of five) was a nice little accomplishment for all of us that we bonded over together right from the start of the semester. My roommate and I have gotten along great since the day we all checked in and, while roommate issues are always inevitable, we have been fortunate enough to not have had a single problem with each other. When the semester started I feared it would be weird sleeping in the same room as someone else every night having never had to do that before, however with a mutual understanding and respect between roommates, it’s really been no problem. It’s been easy being held accountable for needed trips like groceries when you see your roommate doing the same, and vice versa.

Interviewing for an internship: I have always had a love and appreciation for cars- the visual appeal of a nice car, the mechanics, the engineering and inner workings of what makes a car run.  Given this passion I worked with my Dynamy advisor to determine various automotive based locations throughout Worcester, MA where I could interview to hopefully be hired as an intern for the semester.   During our orientation week I was prepped for my interviews at 3B Auto and ACDC (Automotive Career Development Center).  Overall my interview process was very smooth and not problematic. I’ve always been able to handle my interviews pretty well but felt energized by the experience of landing an internship at ACDC.  For my next internship I hope to re-interview at 3B Auto and continue to build on the skills I learned while at ACDC.

Living in Worcester, MA: The large amount of automotive based businesses in Worcester is my favorite part of it. Not only because it brings auto related jobs and internship opportunities, but also the culture of making and creating, and people who really care about their cars. Worcester is a town full of car enthusiasts and engineers that enjoy working hands on like I do.  I know every city is unique but I hope to be able to continue my love and passion when I return home to Chicago or any future city that I move to!