Blog Post #1 - 05/30/25

What did I accomplish? :

During this introductory period, I first made sure to familiarize myself with my cohorts as well as the instructors and the GAs, in which I made efforts to spend time together outside of schedule class time, and spent way too much time learning to memorize everybody's names. Work related however, I put a lot of time into designing and fleshing out my website with a design that I was happy with. I fleshed out the "Blog" and "About Me" sections in particular. My final accomplishment was spending time learning how to navigate the CWRGM database. I began thinking of different topics based off some of my findings to delve deeper into for my research project.

What were my roadblocks? :

My biggest roadblock so far has been understanding the deeper meaning behind some of the letters, particularly during the "Researching Marginalized Communities" lecture I quickly became aware how long it had been since I've read handwritten accounts from time periods. I picked up small and subtle details a bit slower than my peers. My second biggest roadblock was adjusting to the schedule and period times. I assumed the program would be more structured akin to college classes, and I've been a little all over the place adjusting to a more consistent 9 to 5 schedule. Finally my last roadblock (being a smaller one) was learning how to navigate the Wix website building tools. Several times I would Google where to find certain buttons and add-ons just to perform simple changes.

What I learned? :

Possibly the most important thing I learned during this introductory week was what exactly the work would be during this internship. Going in I had several ideas about what the project would be, but things were kept fairly vague. Now I've got a solid grasp on the work and have gotten started on getting the ball rolling. I also learned a lot of things about the Civil War during the lectures. It hasn't been too long since my last U.S. history class, but during the lectures I was both reminded of several details that I had let slip. I also learned several new things that have even inspired what I might perform my research on.

Finally, I learned about how to navigate the USM campus. I've been to Hattiesburg a lot in the past but never got a chance to tour the campus and it's many buildings. On the first day I spent several hours skating around and keeping up with my map so I wouldn't forget where I was going.

What is my next action/step/thing you need to do for your research? :

My next step on the research is going to be to start looking up letters and narrowing down what my options really are. Right now I have several ideas, but I'm sure a lot of them will and wont be viable based on the contents of the letters received by the Governor during that time. Currently I'm working on developing a spreadsheet I can use to track how many letter concern my specific topics, and I'm making sure to include how many of said letters can actually contribute to my content in a meaningful way.

What else have I been up to? :

Every night post lecture time, me and several others in the Mapping Freedom cohort have been making an extra effort to spend time together. Our activities have primarily been focused playing board games in the dorm's media room. We've also spent a good amount of time exploring Hattiesburg. We've already been to the local "Pocket Museum" in downtown, visited a local farmers market, and ate out at several local spots. On Friday we went out by a lake for some team bonding exercises and honestly had a pretty fun time even though the heat was starting to get to all of us by the end.