Well Hey!

Since my fellow two bloggers have taken the time to introduce themselves, I suppose it’s time I do the same. My name is Ray, and indeed I am participating in the Pittsburgh Semester. Since we are somehow in our third week already, it is important that you get to know me quickly. So, in narcissistic fashion, here is a blog post dedicated to me and my interests.

I am a junior at Geneva College. I am 5’10, 190 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. I am a sleepwalker who, according to reports from conscious witnesses, leaps out of bed and begs his invisible tormentors to stop shooting him (don’t worry, I have warned my new roommates). I grew up in the Pittsburgh area, about 5 minutes from Kennywood Park, America’s Finest Traditional Amusement Park. Roughly a month ago, I asked a wonderful woman to spend the rest of her life with me. And she actually agreed!

Emily and Kim have done a great job so far in describing different aspects of the Pittsburgh Semester, especially with their internships. Honestly, the internship opportunity makes the Pittsburgh Semester a very unique experience, as it gives students the chance to truly explore their fields, and perhaps their vocation. I would like to tell you about mine. This is where my story gets a little confusing, and perhaps interesting, but mostly just confusing. I have taken an internship with the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, the second largest newspaper in Western Pennsylvania. Am I a communications major? No. Am I an English major? No. Am I one of those “undecided” people wandering through college, patiently awaiting a direct calling? Well, you’re getting warmer. Actually, I am a History major. Needless to say, I’ve had an unusual trek through collegiate academia. I started out wanting to be a pastor, bailed out and went to community college, came to Geneva undecided but with a growing interest in writing, tried some English classes, worked on the school newspaper, ended up in education, felt a lack of passion for teaching, and finally turned out to be a History major with the intent of going to graduate school for journalism. Wow, it looks even worse when it’s written out like that. Obviously, if I’m to get into a graduate journalism program, internships are vital. The Trib seemed like a great place to start. Though I haven’t done anything of much significance in my time there thus far, it is exciting, and even rewarding, to be out in the field.

Anyway, that’s probably much more than you needed to know. But, I wanted to get familiar with you before I write in more depth about my experiences here. I vow to always be honest and forthcoming in my posts, and my hope is that, by the end of the semester, the stories of my time here will bless you wherever you may be on life’s path. Until next time…

-Ray Judy