During this school year, once a week, I have been going to a retirement home in Ojai, visiting a woman named Winnie. I didn’t know what to expect, but I thought it would be just a fun way to get in touch with the Ojai community and give back. I’ve gotten to know Winnie and look forward to visiting with her each week. We discuss any personal or broader happenings, she recounts tales about her life, and she sweetly offers life lessons. I’ve loved getting to know her and the other kind residents at the home. It’s always great to hear from a different perspective.

Also, this trimester I’ve had the new experience of IEA English horse shows with the equestrian team. For a weekend, we go away to the location of the shows and partake in them each day. Horse shows are a daylong process and each person competes in a certain section and rides a horse from the location through a random drawing. However, my favorite part of the ordeal is spending time with the team. Through triumphs and losses, no matter what we stay positive and root for one another. The competition is individual and as a team, so while I try to do well, I especially want to do well to help the team. We finished strong, earning 2^nd place in our last competition as a team! It was a ton of fun and I was able to learn more about riding and improve as a rider.