By: Gabby McLemore, Bicentennial Intern, Class of 2017, Journalism and Education, Bloomington
I applied for the Bicentennial internship because I wanted to gain new experiences, meet new people, and learn new skills. Well, I also needed to be able to pay rent, but you know what I mean. All of those things have happened already, but what I wasn’t expecting to take away from this internship was a deeper appreciation for my school. As a senior, I only have one year left on Bloomington’s beautiful IU campus and as a part of the group designing the themester walking tours, I have learned so much history about the buildings and green spaces I walk by every single day. Shout out to my fellow seniors, let’s make this last year the best one yet!
When I walked around the Old Crescent before this internship, I saw attractive buildings and a bountiful forest of trees. I was ignorant to all the little secrets and stories this campus holds. When I walk around the Old Crescent today, I see ornate limestone details of carved bats, owls, and grotesques. I see a piece of crafted land that took years to come into fruition. I see the Dunn’s Woods that have withstood the test of time.
I don’t just see Owen, Wylie, and Bryan Halls. I see the people behind those buildings, Colonel Richard Owen, Andrew and Theophilus Wylie, and William Lowe Bryan, who cared about the success and progression of this institution.
I notice more and more about the campus every day. I look up and around me instead of down at my feet on the concrete and red brick walkways (or my phone, I can’t be the only guilty one!). Leaving IU in just a year will be such a bittersweet moment. I have made so many memories at this school and will take away so much with me that it will be hard not to look back and wish
I was still a student. But at the same time I will be extremely grateful for all that IU has given me and that pride in my school has only been amplified since I began working with the Bicentennial Office.
Honoring 200 years of anything is no easy feat. So much can and has happened in Bloomington since Indiana University was first thought up. We only get four years here. I could’ve gone to IU 50 times in the amount of time it’s been around.
How do you sum up such an astounding history? How do you capture the thousands of lives who have been affected by IU? You create a Bicentennial team. You bring together a group of passionate people who all have one thing in common: a love of an unprecedented university.
I am extremely proud to call myself a member of this extraordinary team of individuals who will work together over the next few years to celebrate 200 years of the greatest university in the world. Well, that last part may be a bit biased, but you all know I’m right. So follow us along this journey to 2020 and I assure you, you won’t be disappointed.
We’re going to make this the best birthday any non-person has ever had because I couldn’t think of any other institution more deserving of the biggest birthday celebration in history!
