A Few Words About Myself

Hey there!

My name is Ema Barnes, and I’m a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed freshman here at McDaniel.

If you ask me where I’m from, my answer will vary. Some people ask because they pick up on my subtle accent. I grew up in Invercargill, New Zealand, so I pronounce certain words differently and can occasionally turn on a total Kiwi accent. However, if you ask me just off-handedly, I’ll say San Francisco, California, which is where my family currently lives. Having spent all of high school there, I consider myself a city kid. My heart, however, belongs in my favourite place on earth, Yellowstone National Park, where I spent this past summer working and playing. But right now, I consider McDaniel and my lovely dorm room home.

I’m an English and Political Science double major. I’m also fairly sure I’ll minor in Computer Science and am considering Economics, too. And I’ll probably end up with a Writing minor by default since I won’t be able to stop myself from taking all the writing classes. This may seem a little overzealous, but I took a lot of AP classes in high school and I technically have enough credits to be a sophomore now, and because the McDaniel Plan is so flexible, I have some leeway.

Outside of class, I adore participating in simulations such as Maryland Student Legislature, Model European Union, and Model United Nations. I’m also a member of our budding Young Americans for Liberty, of Philosophy Club, and of Outdoors Club. While almost everything I do in groups seems to involve politics, my passion in my alone time is writing and editing. I love to edit other people’s work and will give feedback on practically any essay or creative writing piece I’m sent, but I can’t seem to edit my own creative work. I’ve won National Novel Writing Month the last four years, a feat I’m particularly proud of.

I can’t believe that a semester has already gone by—that an eighth of my college experience is over—but I’m excited to be sharing my experiences here. Hopefully they’ll provide you with some entertainment!

~Ema