You may have caught from another one of my posts that this is my last semester on campus at Hope. Next semester I will be participating in the Chicago Semester program, and then I graduate! I am so, so excited about the program that I am doing in the fall, but a lot of people do not know that much about it, so I thought I would offer a quick overview of why I am looking so forward to this fall.
The Chicago Semester program is geared (to a certain degree) toward education and social work majors, but students of any major may apply to participate. I’m a Religion major, so I am just doing the general program, rather than any of the more specialized tracks, which have a few different requirements. My two friends who are going are both studying management. This fall, my program will involve an 8-credit internship four days a week, and two 4-credit classes which meet once a week, one of which is my senior seminar, my last required class credit.
I am excited about this program for a variety of reasons! One aspect is that it is a really good use of my leftover credits. I need 15 credit hours next semester to graduate, but my only required class is my four-credit senior seminar. With 11 other credits floating around so open-ended, I thought it would be really productive to use them on an internship rather than a bunch of random (potentially freshman-level) classes.
Chicago is also closer to my hometown since I’m from North Central Illinois, so I will be much closer to my friends and family. I’m really excited to be able to go home a little more often and to see a lot of my friends who live in the city!
There are so many great opportunities in Chicago. I’m hoping to have my internship at a church, but they set people up with a really broad range of organizations (I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of someone doing their internship at the Shedd Aquarium. So cool!). I also get to live with one of my best friends in a really nice neighborhood in a really sweet part of the city. Think: Walking distance to Water Tower Place (and the Cheesecake Factory), Lincoln Park Zoo, the beach, and Giordano’s. It’s going to be so great for so many reasons!
Over the past two years, I have gone from a small-town-forever-I-hate-Chicago-and-you-can-lock-me-in-my-room-forever-and-I-wouldn’t-even-mind person to an adventurous explorer who is unafraid of new people, places, and things, and most relevantly, who loves Chicago. I cannot wait to explore a city that I have grown to appreciate in so many ways, and to live there for at least a short time – Something I never thought I would get to do!
I’d invite you all to come visit, but I am living in a studio apartment and have no place for you to stay. Sorry!
Questions? Tweet me (@hopekathryn17) or send me an email at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu!
“O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.”
—Psalm 51:15