Dale Hall gives me conflicting feelings. First off, when I think of Dale Hall, I just think of the front building on the south oval and not Dale Tower. There is something simplistic but nice about the building. I had the majority of my classes at Dale Hall both my freshman and sophomore year. I also have ROTC classes in Dale Hall every semester since freshman year. And finally, I have had and run all my skydiving club meetings in Dale Hall. During the day, I think of Dale Hall as super busy and congested with traffic. During the evening, I think of it as peaceful with clubs having meetings. When I think or look at Dale Hall, I get a mix of anxiety (from ROTC and classes with exams) and comfort (because of knowing the building very well and it is a familiar sight). I have probably spent most of my time at Dale Hall during my time at OU so it definitely has more sentimental value than other buildings. I also have a lot of fantastic memories at Dale Hall like running my club meetings which add to the sentimental value.

This is a blurry but decent picture of where my first job was. This building is in downtown Bartlesville Oklahoma and is a few stories high. Above the Subway there is the college Rodgers State University, where I spent my first year of college. As well as a few other businesses. This building is special to me because its where I began working when I turned 16. I worked here for three years and I really enjoyed my time working here throughout high school. This building brings back a ton of memories for me that I associate with being in high school. Its also the same building where I started college so that adds a little extra to the feelings I have towards it.

Throughout high school, I had a plethora of chances to perform in amazing venues for band. I previously wrote about Carnegie Hall however, the Alamodome deserves a place on my list of buildings that has impacted me. I performed here three times, each time we competed against 86 other bands for a chance to be one of the top 14 bands and advance to finals. There are two times when I performed that truly impacted me. The first again was my sophomore year. I had a vocal solo and sang in front of thousands of people. It was nerve wracking and thrilling at the same time. The cut off of the band before my solo rang throughout the vast space, sounding like claps of thunder and once it was silent, my voice and my voice alone was the only sound in the building. It’s something that I haven’t experienced since then. The second time was my senior year, my band had made finals and it was my last performance. I remember the end of our show, we all brought our horns down and the feeling of “wow, I’m done, that’s it” rushed over me. Four years of hard work was now finished and there was nothing more that could be done. It was a bitter-sweet moment and I’m so incredibly glad that it was something that I got the chance to experience.

Couch Tower was my dorm tower freshman year. This tower brings memories both positive and negative. When I first saw the dorms I was very unoptimistic about living in that cramped space but I had a lot of fun freshman year in the dorms and made a lot of good memories. I was fortunate enough to have a lot of friends on my floor which made it to where there was never a dull moment. While living in the dorms had its moments there were times when I hated it like when the power would go out, the fire alarm would go off at 4 am and we would have to evacuate or when our floor flooded with brown water. Now that I have moved out and I look back those times where I wanted to move out I smile and laugh about it. That’s really how the dorms make me feel now.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church is located in a small, rural town in Northern Minnesota called Frazee. It may not look like a lot, but this is where I would find myself on Sunday’s with my entire family. It holds a place in my heart and means so much to me because this is where I first heard my grandfather sing. Sitting in the pews, even if I wasn’t anywhere near him, the vaulted ceilings carried his voice throughout the space. I was young when we attended this church, and at the time, I didn’t think that it would have the significance that it now does. My grandfather passed away in April, and I would do anything to walk into the church and to hear him singing because I know that if I could, I wouldn’t take it for granted ever again.

Alcatraz Island in San Francisco was one of the most profound places and buildings I have visited. Being on the island and exploring the old prison was an eerie experience but one I will never forget. It was interesting learning about the history of the prison and little stories and facts about inmates, guards, and attempted escapes. The building itself is separated into a few parts and being inside the main prison area where the cells are was a creepy experience for me. It was well lit, but I couldn’t help thinking of all the past prisoners that were sanctioned to this island and all the things that went down on this chunk of land in the middle of the ocean. It truly is astounding how a maximum security prison was built on an island that can only be accessed by boat, surrounded by freezing cold water and threatening sea life. Alcatraz is definitely a must see if you are in the San Francisco area!

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia has had a positive impact on my life. I went on many field trips here from elementary school to high school and got to some incredible exhibits. As a child, I saw a cowboy exhibit which was one of my favorite field trips. In high school me and a select group of students went and got to see a Medieval exhibit which was fascinating. I have been to the Museum a number of times on my own with a few friends and have had some profound experiences exploring the multiple story building and all the different exhibits. As a child when I would go to the High Museum, our group leaders would always take us to eat t The Varsity for lunch, which is another reason why I associate The High with such a positive experience.

The Great Reading Room in the Bizz is one of the places on campus that I fell in love with when touring. I knew that I wanted to go to OU from the moment I started looking at schools and this room solidified that feeling for me. Walking into the Reading Room with my parents, they both looked at me and could tell that I was in love. I often would find myself here in previous semesters, not only to study but to sit in the silence and reflect on my day. I find this space incredibly comforting and when people come to visit me, I take them to campus and this is one of the first places I bring them. When we leave, I always get the comment: “This looks like something out of Harry Potter!” I can’t help but agree with them because I find the Great Reading Room to live up to it’s name.

My senior year of high school I traveled to France with my older sister and the building that stuck me the most was the Eiffel Tower. We went there during the day and took the elevator up to the top. I remember walking up to the base of the tower and just being amazed with the scale of it. I loved seeing all of the inner connections and steel work in the tower. When we got to the top of the tower a sense of awe overcame me. Seeing the entirety of Paris from the top of tower really made me appreciate the beauty of the city even more. We came back to the tower at night too and it was even more incredible all lit up.