As I reach towards the end of my undergraduate experience here at the University of Cincinnati, I continue to be thankful for all the opportunities afforded to me by being a student here. Junior year has been an up and down rollercoaster for me personally, and I have been working through some mental health issues that resulted in my dropping out of classes in the second semester. Despite this, I have still had a good experience first semester and was able to take some fun classes in the fall semester. Even with me working through my depression and anxiety I feel I was able to grow as a person because of it, and although I may have to carry this baggage with me; it feels a lot less heavy than I expected now that I am through the worst part of it and able to accept the reality of my position. Regardless, I had the opportunity to take a very interesting honors course fall semester called Topics in Lit: Through the Lens of Alcohol. This class was taught by Dr. Dziech, who I also had my Intermediate Composition class under. We explored different literature that have alcohol or alcoholism as a key component in the story and then proceeded to reflect on the nature of alcohol/alcoholism as it affects the individual and society. It was a very interesting experience, especially with me turning 21 at the end of the semester and the topic being so relevant to the pervasive drinking culture we find ourselves in today. I also got to experience my first time going abroad over winter break this last year. A small group of students (including me) and the professor from my Microbiology course went on a week-long trip to Paris, France. I have always wanted to go to Paris after taking French in high school, and this was a very enjoyable trip that blended all the tourist attractions I wanted to see and scientific venues relevant to the class, including the Louis Pasteur Institute. Overall, this year has been tough, yet also quite rewarding. I am looking forward to going into my last year here at University of Cincinnati, and am planning on continuing to room with one of my best friends, volunteer with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and attempting to squeeze all I can out of this last year of my undergraduate experience.