Photos by Natia Ser.

Waking up to blankets of snow during the city’s most freezing months is nothing out of the ordinary.

A walk to campus means battling past troops of snow.

As winter nears its end, the sheets of white bid their final goodbyes, making space for earth to inhale their first breath of fresh air.

Very occasionally, we find ourselves drowned in pouring rain.

People scurry past, feet squishing against the cold, wet grounds. Complaints are muttered. They regret not bringing an umbrella until they realize it’s pointless either way, because the wind will make sure you’re pierced from all directions possible.

But it’s also amid this chaos that we get to watch water angels dance on the floor.

You know spring is near when the sky puts on a jacket of blue.

Slowly and tenderly, buds peep out from the tips of branches.

Nothing marks the height of spring more than cherry blossoms at full bloom.

As the heat embraces us, don’t forget to behold the caramelized skies that linger till 8 p.m. Relish the brief but golden summer days paired with warm gusts that remind us we aren’t crowned the Windy City for no reason.

Close your eyes, take it in—before the first piece of snow touches the ground again.

Natia Ser (BFA 2023) is a crazy cat lady who takes photos, writes and bakes. She snoozed her alarm 9 times this morning.