Three Semester Review: My Time in Scholars

           College Park Scholars has truly been a transformative experience for me. I have made close friends, experienced new things, and learned so much about myself and others. Coming to college park in the fall of 2020, I was very uncertain about how my year would go. I wasn’t sure if we would even be allowed to stay on campus, or if we would get kicked out again if there was another Covid spike. However, throughout the worries of covid, I was able to find a community through College Park Scholars that I may have been missing from in person activities. 

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           I can't exactly say why I chose Media, Self, and Society as my scholars program, however, I can now say I’m glad that I did. One of my favorite parts of the classes themselves, beside the eye opener of course, is the sense of open discourse between students. Being able to discuss and break down current events with my peers allowed me to get a better understanding of what's going on in the world and allowed me to learn how to break down news in general. In the cases that I might not agree with my peers, scholars has also taught me skills of how to effectively discuss a topic that you might disagree on while having an open mind to understand the other view point. 

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           My favorite aspect of the Media Scholars curriculum and something that will stick with me for a long time is the analysis of how we as humans interact with and are impacted by the media we consume. This seems to be the ground principle of Media, Self, and Society. I always found it very interesting to look at how we choose to use media, what reasons we do what we do with media, how those choices impact us, and how media has changed society so drastically and so quickly. These were questions I didn’t think to ask myself before becoming a part of Media Scholars, however, they are very important and in my opinion should be taught more often. When it comes to digital media and the internet it’s very easy to feel very small and powerless compared to the ‘system’ but learning about media theory can help you become a more critical consumer and take some power back from the media. 

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           As an Art Studio major I didn't expect how much the topics of Media, Self, and Society relate back to the career path I want to follow after college. Many of my art classes teach how to manipulate colors and shapes to impact the impression on your viewer. This is a theme I often saw in media scholars. I see myself as a journalist of art, I can choose what I want to portray and my choices have an impact on the message I am sending. I also specialize in digital media and new technologies such as virtual reality which are often connected to discussions we would have in class about the future of technology and how it might change how we interact with each other. Media Scholars has also impacted my ideas about what I want to do with my art. It has inspired me to create art that might impact and grow others' world view. 

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           As technology plows forward in development, media of all kinds has become central to everyday life and the society we live in. It is almost an inescapable force, watching our every move and using humans as something to be manipulated to reach a goal. This idea can be very overwhelming, however throughout my time in Media, Self, and Society, I have learned many ways to understand the media I'm consuming, understand why I choose to consume that particular media, and even make media of my own. I have become a more informed and equipped member of a media centric society.