Freedom School has been exciting so far. I have been going to sites to do the things I practiced during in-town training like, gathering content, creating posts, and conducting interviews. I feel like my job is kicking into high gear, as if my first two weeks were practice for the real thing. Taking photos during Harambee is becoming progressively easier as time goes on. Especially because now I know most of the Cheers and Chants, so I know the moments that will give me the best content.

I am happy that the scholars are here now because I love getting to know them, even in the short time that I am at the sites. Seeing their anticipation for Harambee every morning is the best thing to witness. There were a couple of mornings where the energy from the scholars was low. So, I used all the energy I had to get them hype for the day. I enjoy seeing the transition from low to high energy as they go through Harambee. I love to see the enthusiasm scholars has around learning. It truly gets me hype for the day.

One way I have learned the best ways to take photos from angles to the best moments to capture has been by looking through previous Freedom School summer photos. Being able to capture our scholars this week has been interesting. I feel a little stuck. I do not want to be repetitive with the photos that I take, so this summer looks different that past summers. However, I also want to find a fresh perspective, a new groove.  Maybe the point is not to worry as much about the angles and shots, but to focus on the scholars. There are new scholars, new Servant Leader Interns (SLIs), and new experiences for me to capture. I do not want to be wrapped up in my own world of perfection.

A new lesson I have learned this week is to be flexible. I consider myself an adaptable person, but sometimes I get caught up in deadlines, outlines, and wanting things to be moving at a certain pace. So, when that doesn’t happen, I just remind myself that all things will get done and they will be done well. This was the first week I did not have a laid out outline for the newsletter days in advance and I was stressed out about it. I knew the deadline was approaching and I had nothing. I expressed my stress to Annalise and she reminded me that we are both new to this and it would all come together if we stayed calmed and worked together. And honestly, she was right, the newsletter came out great and everyone loved it. Learning to balance ‘rolling with the punches’ while being task-oriented is something I know Freedom School will teach me this summer.