If I blink twice or click my heels three times, I may find myself back in Bloomington, roaming the winding pathways of campus or scouring the streets for a bite to eat. I miss the smell of the coffee press on the counter of my apartment and the sounds of drums fading away as I left my afternoon Dance Practices class and entered into the chatter of my US Latino Literatures class. It seems like only yesterday that I was running around buildings hanging up posters for the IU Arts & Humanities Council’s live events and meeting with our team in the Wells Library first thing on Wednesday mornings. And it is so bittersweet to remember how the weather had begun to turn toward warmth and sunshine when we got the notice that we’d be inside for the remainder of the semester.
I am now graduated, and I feel quite far from the place that I called home just a few months ago. As spring, summer, and now autumn, slide slowly away into memory, and
as the harrowing past looks toward a hopeful future, I am grateful to have an account of what has happened right here on this Student Perspectives blog site. Acting as Editor of this blog has provided me with a thread to hang on to: one that runs from Bloomington to my hometown in Illinois. It has allowed me to stay connected with my alma mater and the arts community that I still hold so dear.
I was constantly informed and entertained by the vast amount of knowledge that my fellow A&H Council interns had to share on this blog. They continually sparked my curiosity and opened my eyes to new concepts and ideas in all facets of the arts and humanities. I think it is notable that we have established a place to listen to one another and to pass along inspiring stories despite the distance that these difficult times have placed between us. It seems that when we cannot make physical contact, words step up to the job, allowing our memories and imaginations to fill in all the holes of sensation.
So a big thank you to all of our blog contributors for bringing me, and many others who felt remote and alone during 2020, back to campus time and time again. I hope to see you all in the new year—or at least someday very soon. Until then, I urge everyone to continue to speak up and out, exercise creativity, and spread love. These actions have gotten us through so much this year, and I would bet on anything that we can rely on their magic to enact change and provide healing in 2021, too.