Never ending to-do lists

Photograph by Hannah Schultz

For the last two years, I've started almost every day by writing a to-do list. I'm regularly so scatterbrained that if I don't, I tend to forget what I need to do. This semester, more than any other, my to-do lists seem to be never-ending. With mostly upper-division classes, an internship, and an attempt at a "social life", my schedule has turned into a constant balancing act. These lists fill my notebooks, keeping me sane and focused. They give me much needed organization in my currently chaotic life.

However, there was a time when to-do lists and organization had no place in my mind. Transferring to UP my sophomore year brought quite the change in my study habits. When I was in high school, I really didn't care about my education. My grades were...passable, but uninspiring. Frankly, I just didn't believe that I was smart enough to do well, so I didn't try. I got into a cycle of skipping classes and not doing my homework. The worse I did, the more overwhelmed I felt. The more overwhelmed I felt, the more I avoided my problems.

Photograph of Wenatchee High School by Curtis Cronn

Now that I care about my education and feel the support of a small school environment, I've started to succeed. I took UP as a chance to start over and actually make the most of my education. Often I think back and wish I'd taken school seriously when I was younger. However, I'm well aware of the opportunities I still have that are due to my education.

Something we've been discussing in my Social Class and Inequality course is the American school system. The effect an education has on a person's income and future is a pretty clear correlation: the more educated you are, the more opportunities you have. In fact, the desire for a student to attend a prestigious University is so great, many families start preparing as early as pre-school. I'm lucky that I attended a quality public high school, but many kids, particularly in urban areas, are not as fortunate.

According to the documentary Waiting for Superman, "In America right now, a kid drops out of high school every 26 seconds. These drop-outs are 8 times more likely to go to prison, 50% less likely to vote, more likely to need social welfare assistance, not eligible for 90% of jobs, are being paid 40 cents to the dollar of earned by a college graduate, and continuing the cycle of poverty.” It's very clear that the gaps and inequalities in America's public education system need to be fixed. In fact, according to an article by The Cornell Daily Sun, "In 2020, there will be 123 million high-skilled, high-paying jobs in America, but only a projected 50 million citizens will have the technical skills to fill the positions." So what can be done to fix this? Shouldn't we want, no, require, more for our youth? I don't have the answers, but I truly believe that education is power, and this inequality in our country needs to be a priority for our government. 

There are so many factors that attribute to how hard I work in school today. The cost of UP (yikes) + previous academic struggles + a heightened awareness of how fortunate I am results in me feeling an intense drive to make the best of my education. As stressed out as I get, as much as my to-do lists keep piling up, I have a lot to be thankful for. 

Sap-Attack

Photograph by Hannah Schultz

A lot of the things in my room were given to me by someone. That someone is my boyfriend. This post is going to be much more personal than any of my previous. Personal things in my life + personal writing = über-extra-dextra-personal post. That's what people like, right? So here it goes: I have been dating my boyfriend for two and a half years now (awww). And I must admit, I have Facebook to thank for it. There! I admitted it! Facebook gave me my relationship! Does that make me an online dater...? 

8th grade Hannah

Let's not answer that question. I have known Alex since I was about twelve-years-old. We grew up in different towns in Washington, and he was one of my brothers tennis rivals from our summer tournaments. We are, undoubtedly, the Romeo and Juliet of our generation. I must be honest, our interaction during those younger years was...limited. You see, Alex is about three and a half years older than me. So when I was twelve, he was fifteen going on sixteen. That age gap, at that time, was significant. While I pined after him, he saw me as a little girl. But do not fret. There is clearly a happy ending to this, since I somehow managed to woo him. 


Alex was a senior in college by the time I was a freshman. The summer before I went to Western Washington University, we started casually chatting on Facebook. I'd followed his life throughout the years, see him have girlfriends and see it not work out. This is somewhat embarrassing to admit, but I knew we had a lot in common based on what I noticed on his profile. The summer before I started college, our communication started to rapidly develop. Messages became the length of novels, and then we switched over completely to phone conversations. We would talk all throughout the day about every aspect of our lives, our beliefs, our goals, past present and future. Everything. 

October 11th, 2008

This new found connection + my previous crush quickly became fully developed "feelings". In October of 2008, he invited me to a concert in Portland. It was clear that the age gap no longer mattered. So really, this is me, giving hope to all young girls in the world crushing on their sibling's friends.


I guess I want to relate this experience to the whole idea of dating in college. I've had a few people express the opinion that it's bad to become tied down too young. But in my life, I don't find these arguments applicable. I am dating my best friend. Is that not something to hold on to? Even more, when I look at the drama and uncertainty my single friends face, the hooking up, the awkward dates, I'm even happier that I'm in a stable and healthy relationship. 

Photograph by Hannah Schultz (clearly)

Now, I'm not saying that everything in my life and relationship is perfect. It shouldn't be. Alex and I have had our fair share of trouble that we have needed to work through. I am also aware that there are positive aspects of being single in college, like gaining a greater sense of independence. I just believe that when you find someone you love, you don't let go of it because of how old or young you may be. You love who you love when you love them, and that's that. 


I hope this post hasn't been too unbearably mushy-gushy. But I really want to know something, since everyone's lives and experiences are different. Have you ever loved anyone? And what has your college dating OR single experience been like?