Julie's Jukes: A rollercoaster summer

By Julie Newell
Editor in Chief

Keep calm because I’m back y’all! After a much-needed break, I am so happy to be back at The Lookout.

If I had to use one word to describe my summer, it would be “eventful.”

I started my summer by taking a girls’ trip with my mom and sister to Tennessee. A family friend was getting married in Tennessee and we decided to seize the opportunity and extend the trip to explore Gatlinburg and The Great Smokey Mountains.

Being a photographer, I got some great pictures. I even got to see a couple bears.

The trip was great, and I loved being able to spend time with my mom and sister.

After that, the summer semester started and most of my time was spent stressing over classes.

In July my family from Georgia and Wisconsin visited and we had a lot of fun.

We went to a South Bend Cubs baseball game, and my sister and I took our cousins to an escape room. Sadly, we didn’t escape.

The worst part of my summer happened in July when I broke up with my boyfriend. We had been together for four and a half years and had plans to get married in a couple years. It was hard, but ending the relationship was the right thing to do.

My summer ended on a more positive note when my sister and I took a trip with my aunt to South Dakota to see The Badlands and Mount Rushmore. The trip was a lot of fun.

We stopped at a few kitschy places along the way, like the statue of The Jolly Green Giant in Minnesota and the famous Wall Drug Store in South Dakota. The Badlands were gorgeous and we got to see a lot of adorable Prairie Dogs and huge Bison.

Over the course of the summer, I did a lot of self-reflection, especially when it came to my career. I came to LCC to become a Sign Language interpreter, but now I have decided not to pursue that career path. I have loved learning the language and the culture and getting to know the people, but I don’t feel like this career is what I should be doing.

I am not sure what I am going to do now. I have thought about looking into Graphic Design or Digital Marketing. I’m trying to look into possible careers where I can apply the skills that I already have. For now, I’m not making any big decisions and I’m taking things one step at a time.