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Summer 2020 Life Update

Hello, friends!

After months of not posting about the exciting events of my life, I figured that an update post was in order.

In May, I graduated from Soka University of America. Since school was being conducted online due to the pandemic, my life has remained comparatively unchanged by my ownership of a Liberal Arts degree with a concentration in Humanities. Over a month passed between what would have been my graduation ceremony and the arrival of my diploma, cap, and gown, so there was awhile where I wondered "What if I actually didn't graduate? What if there was a problem with my transcript and they're waiting to tell me?". But, fortunately, my diploma has now arrived, and I am officially a college graduate! Before the pandemic required me to move home, I was able to get my graduation photos taken. So, please enjoy these graduation portraits, courtesy of Soka's Photography Office:

White person with short brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses wearing a black graduation cap, black gown, and a light blue stole. They are smiling brightly, with teeth showing and eyes squinted.
This is one of the better pictures featuring me smiling with teeth showing. However, it is also one of those photos where I look at it and think "Is that really what I look like? Is that what my friends have to look at when I'm smiling at them?".

White person with short brown hair and glasses, turned to the right side of the frame. They are wearing a graduation cap, gown, and stole, and smiing slightly with their mouth closed.
I think this image says "I am a diligent and responsible college graduate prepared for employment in your area! Please contact me with any available job leads."

A white person with short brown hair and glasses smiles down at a copy of An Exercise in Necromancy by Patrick Roche. They are smiling and wearing a graduation cap, gown, and stole.
For my "prop photo", I brought An Exercise in Necromancy by Patrick Roche. I feel like the typical choice is to bring a longish philosophical book that you read for your Capstone, but I wanted to choose an unusual book that helped me to get through college. An Exercise in Necromancy was one of the shortest books that I read in 2018, and only 8 other Goodreads users read it that year. Also, I love the minimalist cover art of this book.

Just a day before what would have been my commencement ceremony, I found out that I had been accepted as a Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS) Fellow for the 2020-2021 QVS year. Quaker Voluntary Service is an 11-month long fellowship program for young adults ages 21-30. QVS Fellows live in an intentional community with other young adults, engage in spiritual community through a spiritual mentorship program and participation in local Quaker meetings, and engage in volunteer work with local organizations. The program provides financial resources, including helping with housing costs and providing money for food expenses, and support. I will be moving to the Twin Cities and volunteering as a teaching assistant at The Friends School of Minnesota. Of all the times to be planning a move, this is a particularly strange one, but I am excited to begin this next chapter of my life.

I wrote last year about the peculiarities of turning 21 at camp. I had no idea back then that my life would be so radically upended during my 21st year of life. This year, I spent my birthday working as a counselor and program manager at virtual Mountain Friends Camp while socially distancing with my family. If being 21 felt old for camp, being 22 makes me feel ancient. I feel like I am leaning into my grumpy old man vibes more with each passing year. At the same time, it's very nice to spend time with our staff, which encompasses a variety of ages, and our enthusiastic and kind campers. In Minnesota, I will be working with elementary-aged children, and I worry that it will be challenging to make friends when I spend my whole day with kids. Still, I am hopeful that I will be able to make friends who are just as wonderful as my staff friends at Mountain Friends Camp.

I hope that this blog post finds you well, and that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy.

Best wishes,
Lydia

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