Hello my beautiful fellow Hixsons! Well, this is it: The final blog post! Seems like just yesterday I got my acceptance letter for the Hixson scholarship, and now here we are, almost finished with the class! College so far has been a crazy, unimaginable roller-coaster of an experience, and I've loved every minute of it! I think college changes everyone, whether it be good or bad. I'd like to believe that my college experience so far has made me a better person. I've always been an extremely outgoing, social person, but I feel like college has helped me expand my social skills even more! I've learned how to use my extrovert personality to network and create connections that will help me in the future.
I've also discovered how to depend less on my parents and more on myself. Before college, I never realized how much I relied on my mom and dad for everything. Sure, I had a job in high school and paid for my gas and any of my typical teenage girl purchases, but my parents did a lot for me. I've learned so much about being independent and becoming an adult in college. Heck, I finally learned how to do laundry when I came here! I've come to the realization that being in the adult world now is a big responsibility and it's a lot of hard work, but everyone has to do it and it's just part of life.
I think the most important way I've grown is in my work ethic. I have always been an extremely hard worker, and I pride myself on perfection in all my endeavors. I think college as helped me nearly polish my work ethic into the perfection I desire! I try my best in every class and I'm willing to put in as many hours as it takes to make my work ideal to both my professors' and I's standards.
All in all, college has made me a better student and person. It's only been a semester here, but it's already been one of the greatest experiences of my life. College is a learning experience, not only education-wise, but also learning who you are and what you really want for your life. They say that college is the best 4 years of your life, and I am ecstatic to see what the future holds for me here at ISU. I hope to see you all around after this class ends, and it's been a privilege to be part of Teal Team Six! Have a great break and a superb rest of the year!
You stay classy, Teal Team Six.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Blog Post #6: What does the Hixson award mean to me?
"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of it? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained." - Marie Curie
I think this quote greatly exemplifies what we as Hixson scholars have gone through in life, and where we are now. We have all struggled, yet persevered, and accomplished a great feat.
It's difficult for me to come up with a solid answer to the question, "What does the Hixson award mean to you?" because words really cannot explain the gratitude I have for this award. All my life, I have worked so hard in everything I've done, whether it be school, sports, theatre, my job, etc. in hopes that it would all one day pay off. After everything started falling apart in my life, I cannot tell begin to say how many times I just considered giving up. I always had a small voice in the back of my head telling me to keep going, and that everything will be okay and worth it in the end. I kept going on, persevering through it all, and thriving.
My senior year, I was working so hard to prepare for college, and really focusing on my academics. Once I knew I was accepted to Iowa State, I started looking into scholarships, and found this one. I finally realized that this could be an opportunity for all my hard work to pay off (literally!). When I got my letter in the mail telling me I was awarded the scholarship, I felt so relieved, and so incredibly proud of myself and all my work.
For me, this award is a symbol for all the hard work I've done in my life, and my strength to move forward past all the hardships I faced. It was tangible evidence of my perseverance and dedication to my academics. Winning this award was the proudest moment of my life, and I will be forever grateful. I have met so many great people through this program and have already created so many memories in just my first year! I can honestly say my life has forever changed thanks to Christina Hixson and her support for my higher education.
I think this quote greatly exemplifies what we as Hixson scholars have gone through in life, and where we are now. We have all struggled, yet persevered, and accomplished a great feat.
It's difficult for me to come up with a solid answer to the question, "What does the Hixson award mean to you?" because words really cannot explain the gratitude I have for this award. All my life, I have worked so hard in everything I've done, whether it be school, sports, theatre, my job, etc. in hopes that it would all one day pay off. After everything started falling apart in my life, I cannot tell begin to say how many times I just considered giving up. I always had a small voice in the back of my head telling me to keep going, and that everything will be okay and worth it in the end. I kept going on, persevering through it all, and thriving.
My senior year, I was working so hard to prepare for college, and really focusing on my academics. Once I knew I was accepted to Iowa State, I started looking into scholarships, and found this one. I finally realized that this could be an opportunity for all my hard work to pay off (literally!). When I got my letter in the mail telling me I was awarded the scholarship, I felt so relieved, and so incredibly proud of myself and all my work.
For me, this award is a symbol for all the hard work I've done in my life, and my strength to move forward past all the hardships I faced. It was tangible evidence of my perseverance and dedication to my academics. Winning this award was the proudest moment of my life, and I will be forever grateful. I have met so many great people through this program and have already created so many memories in just my first year! I can honestly say my life has forever changed thanks to Christina Hixson and her support for my higher education.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Diversity Event: Is the War on Drugs Helping or Harming?
For my diversity event, I attended Is the War on Drugs Helping or Harming? Before this lecture, I was somewhat oblivious to the world of drugs and the huge debate surrounding it. I came from a high school where a lot of people did use drugs, and coming to college I realized that many people use here as well.
The first speaker for the lecture was a professor I believe (I didn't catch his name!). He talked about marijuana, or cannabis. He said that the compounds in cannabis, known as cannabinoids, have different effects on people. Some of the medical benefits he talked about were relieving pain for cancer or AIDS patients, suppressing cancer cells, lowering pain and pressure for glaucoma, working as an antiemetic (stops vomiting) and promotes hunger for sick patients who have stopped eating to prevent them from getting weaker. The speaker also addressed the behavioral and cognitive effects cannabis has. It affects our perception, such as how we decode things and our senses. It especially affects our time perception, as the feeling of time passes more slowly using cannabis, and reduces our reaction time much like alcohol. Our memory is also disorganized, and people will forget what they are talking about. It affects our performance, even doing everyday tasks like driving a car, which could be dangerous for society.
The next speaker was Brian Leininger, an attorney who is a member of LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition). He opposes the war on drugs and wants all drugs to be legalized and regulated. He explained that billions of dollars and thousands of police are used to to arrest people with drugs. He believes that be legalizing drugs, that money and police could go towards other things, such as crimes with actual victims. He also said that with drug legalization, the black market selling drugs would be eliminated, drug related murders and rapes would be decreased and people addicted to drugs would have to rob and sell stolen items to pay for such high drug prices. He said that many lives have been ruined because of the amount of drug convicts in prison, and although people would still abuse drugs, it would eliminate a lot of the problems. Some interesting facts he said were that the last few presidents have used marijuana, and in a nationwide poll, 58% of the US were for legalizing marijuana. He also believes that Missouri will soon legalize marijuana, and other Midwestern states will follow suit.
I found this lecture to be very informative and interesting. I couldn't believe that an attorney was actually FOR making all drugs legal! I do think he made some very good points, and he was very convincing. However, I still don't believe all drugs should be legal. People will still use drugs no matter what, but once you legalize dangerous drugs, what else will be next? Who knows what trouble that could lead to, and what potential harm to our country and citizens it could create. I do think however, after hearing this lecture, that legalizing marijuana would not be terrible. They said that alcohol is far more dangerous than marijuana, yet it is legal and marijuana is not. I think that as long as people are smart about it, it would be okay. I'm mostly for it because Colorado's and Washington's economy has vastly profited since they decided to legalize, so I think that it could benefit Iowa's economy as well.
The first speaker for the lecture was a professor I believe (I didn't catch his name!). He talked about marijuana, or cannabis. He said that the compounds in cannabis, known as cannabinoids, have different effects on people. Some of the medical benefits he talked about were relieving pain for cancer or AIDS patients, suppressing cancer cells, lowering pain and pressure for glaucoma, working as an antiemetic (stops vomiting) and promotes hunger for sick patients who have stopped eating to prevent them from getting weaker. The speaker also addressed the behavioral and cognitive effects cannabis has. It affects our perception, such as how we decode things and our senses. It especially affects our time perception, as the feeling of time passes more slowly using cannabis, and reduces our reaction time much like alcohol. Our memory is also disorganized, and people will forget what they are talking about. It affects our performance, even doing everyday tasks like driving a car, which could be dangerous for society.
The next speaker was Brian Leininger, an attorney who is a member of LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition). He opposes the war on drugs and wants all drugs to be legalized and regulated. He explained that billions of dollars and thousands of police are used to to arrest people with drugs. He believes that be legalizing drugs, that money and police could go towards other things, such as crimes with actual victims. He also said that with drug legalization, the black market selling drugs would be eliminated, drug related murders and rapes would be decreased and people addicted to drugs would have to rob and sell stolen items to pay for such high drug prices. He said that many lives have been ruined because of the amount of drug convicts in prison, and although people would still abuse drugs, it would eliminate a lot of the problems. Some interesting facts he said were that the last few presidents have used marijuana, and in a nationwide poll, 58% of the US were for legalizing marijuana. He also believes that Missouri will soon legalize marijuana, and other Midwestern states will follow suit.
I found this lecture to be very informative and interesting. I couldn't believe that an attorney was actually FOR making all drugs legal! I do think he made some very good points, and he was very convincing. However, I still don't believe all drugs should be legal. People will still use drugs no matter what, but once you legalize dangerous drugs, what else will be next? Who knows what trouble that could lead to, and what potential harm to our country and citizens it could create. I do think however, after hearing this lecture, that legalizing marijuana would not be terrible. They said that alcohol is far more dangerous than marijuana, yet it is legal and marijuana is not. I think that as long as people are smart about it, it would be okay. I'm mostly for it because Colorado's and Washington's economy has vastly profited since they decided to legalize, so I think that it could benefit Iowa's economy as well.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Blog Post #5: Cultural Diversity
To quote Ron Burgundy, "Diversity is an old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War era." Though this is a convincing definition, Sylvester's presentation really helped me get a better grasp on what diversity actually is. Having acceptance for diversity will definitely help in the professional world, and just in the general social world as well.
In the class activity, I chose sister, low middle class, daughter, white, student, friend, Hixson scholar, female, actor and vegetarian as the dimensions of my identity. I'm sure people make judgments based on these dimensions. I get judged for being a Hixson scholar, because people don't understand what we have been through to get this award. I'm also judged for being female, because of the sexism that still exists today, and also for being a vegetarian, because everyone just assumes I'm a weirdo :).
I'd assume that I share a lot of these dimensions with people from our group, such as sister, daughter, white, student, friend, low middle class and of course Hixson scholar! I don't think any one else is an actor or vegetarian from Teal Team Six, so I'm unique there!
Although it wasn't a stereotype, I loved Eva's story about how she didn't know she was black! It just proves that color and other differences are just taught, and that we are born without judgment towards those types of differences. Sylvester's story about how he doesn't have to take precautions at night walking by himself really made me think. Because of my gender, I have to be careful and think twice because I don't have all the privileges that men do.
One thing that I will do to support what I've learned in class is to try and attend a diversity event this week, and hopefully more in the future. I think it is very important to learn more about others and their culture and ways because this is a very diverse school!
Have a wonderful week everyone!
In the class activity, I chose sister, low middle class, daughter, white, student, friend, Hixson scholar, female, actor and vegetarian as the dimensions of my identity. I'm sure people make judgments based on these dimensions. I get judged for being a Hixson scholar, because people don't understand what we have been through to get this award. I'm also judged for being female, because of the sexism that still exists today, and also for being a vegetarian, because everyone just assumes I'm a weirdo :).
I'd assume that I share a lot of these dimensions with people from our group, such as sister, daughter, white, student, friend, low middle class and of course Hixson scholar! I don't think any one else is an actor or vegetarian from Teal Team Six, so I'm unique there!
Although it wasn't a stereotype, I loved Eva's story about how she didn't know she was black! It just proves that color and other differences are just taught, and that we are born without judgment towards those types of differences. Sylvester's story about how he doesn't have to take precautions at night walking by himself really made me think. Because of my gender, I have to be careful and think twice because I don't have all the privileges that men do.
One thing that I will do to support what I've learned in class is to try and attend a diversity event this week, and hopefully more in the future. I think it is very important to learn more about others and their culture and ways because this is a very diverse school!
Have a wonderful week everyone!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Blog Post #4: Social Media Week
Hello everyone! As you are all aware, we just had social media week, which seems very fitting for our society and culture today. Our generation, younger generations and even the attempting older generations are being run by their fascination for social media. While there are both pros and cons for social media, there is no denying that it has made a huge impact on our world today.
Our generation already seems to know the basic insight behind social media, but there is still a lot to learn. It is important for one to know how to go about using social media for professional, business means to help build networks, make a good impression and get an edge on the competition. For this social media week project, I first started out with Linkedln. I soon found out it was more difficult for me to figure out than I imagined (keep in mind, I have a very good grasp on social media and the web!). I decided to switch to Twitter, because I already had one and I knew every in and out to the site. Because I am a performing arts (and soon to be journalism/communications as well) major, I already had a lot of connections or people I follow who were related to my field of study, mainly because they are actors. Ten connections I have on twitter are Theatre Kid Problems (it's funny, but everything they tweet is so relatable to me!), Skylar Astin, Larry Peterson (a writer for my local newspaper back home), CNN News, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anna Kendrick, TMZ, Elvis Duran (because I'm interested in radio/broadcasting), Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.
I found the articles for the assignment to be very interesting, and very true as well! I related to the "How Twitter Can Benefit You In College" the most. It mentions that you could meet people from your school, and that's how I met a lot of people from ISU! It also mentions that Twitter provides news the fastest, which I find to be very true. If something is going on, that's the first place I find out information about it. I know I'll sound like a half-witted hermit, but Twitter is where I found out about the recent government shutdown! I also found the "8 Reasons Why Twitter Can Boost Your Happiness" quite accurate as well. Whenever I don't feel my best, I always go to Twitter to take my mind off things. I also love getting the random thoughts out of my head and out there on Twitter. It's even better when I get retweets and favorites, I'm basically a celebrity for that moment. :)
Just remember to play it cool on social media, and don't post anything you wouldn't want your future employers, children or your sweet ol' grandma to see! Happy posting everyone! :)
Our generation already seems to know the basic insight behind social media, but there is still a lot to learn. It is important for one to know how to go about using social media for professional, business means to help build networks, make a good impression and get an edge on the competition. For this social media week project, I first started out with Linkedln. I soon found out it was more difficult for me to figure out than I imagined (keep in mind, I have a very good grasp on social media and the web!). I decided to switch to Twitter, because I already had one and I knew every in and out to the site. Because I am a performing arts (and soon to be journalism/communications as well) major, I already had a lot of connections or people I follow who were related to my field of study, mainly because they are actors. Ten connections I have on twitter are Theatre Kid Problems (it's funny, but everything they tweet is so relatable to me!), Skylar Astin, Larry Peterson (a writer for my local newspaper back home), CNN News, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anna Kendrick, TMZ, Elvis Duran (because I'm interested in radio/broadcasting), Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.
I found the articles for the assignment to be very interesting, and very true as well! I related to the "How Twitter Can Benefit You In College" the most. It mentions that you could meet people from your school, and that's how I met a lot of people from ISU! It also mentions that Twitter provides news the fastest, which I find to be very true. If something is going on, that's the first place I find out information about it. I know I'll sound like a half-witted hermit, but Twitter is where I found out about the recent government shutdown! I also found the "8 Reasons Why Twitter Can Boost Your Happiness" quite accurate as well. Whenever I don't feel my best, I always go to Twitter to take my mind off things. I also love getting the random thoughts out of my head and out there on Twitter. It's even better when I get retweets and favorites, I'm basically a celebrity for that moment. :)
Just remember to play it cool on social media, and don't post anything you wouldn't want your future employers, children or your sweet ol' grandma to see! Happy posting everyone! :)
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Blog Post #3: My Goals/Bucket List
Hey Teal Team! As you all know, our current blog post is over our bucket lists, which I'm so excited for! I love having a bucket list and I've already completed many of my goals throughout my short 18 years! Though on this post and on my powerpoint for Thursday I only include a few of my goals, my bucket list is quite lengthy!
There are several things I hope to accomplish here at ISU (I mean, it IS college! This is when you need to get out and live!). Here's a few things on my ISU bucket list:
There are several things I hope to accomplish here at ISU (I mean, it IS college! This is when you need to get out and live!). Here's a few things on my ISU bucket list:
- Be in an ISU theatre production. This one seems obvious, as I am a performing arts major! I have my fingers crossed that I'll get a main lead, but the competition here is not like it was in high school!
- Graduate with a bachelor's degree in both performing arts and journalism. Acting is my passion, but I hope to have journalism to fall back on!
- Attend VEISHEA. Okay, this is seems like a must for all ISU students. It's like a giant party with 33,000 of your friends! :)
- Attend an ISU football game where they actually win the game. I was born and raised a cyclone and I support the team no matter what...but I mean, they're not giving us a very exciting season so far.
- Study abroad. This is what I'm most excited for! I've dreamed of traveling around the world for years! My top choices are England, Australia, and Ireland. It'd be amazing to experience the college life in another country! (Plus, I'm a sucker for accents... hello cute foreign boys!)
There's plenty of goals that I want to accomplish outside of ISU as well! Some of these goals are extremely important and others may be seen as unnecessary to other people, but I hope to accomplish every one of them! Here's some of the goals on my life bucket list:
- Meet someone famous. Okay, I've technically already done this already (some chick on the Today show, stood by Matt Lauer, saw the back of Nicolas Cage's head which I think should count!, Catelynn and Tyler from Teen Mom). I'd really like to meet the celebrities I admire most! My top person to meet is Paul McCartney. I LOVE The Beatles and I would literally cry if I met him. My others are Ed Sheeran (my second love, behind Paul), the boys of One Direction, and Ellen!
- Marry the love of my life. The typical sappy girl response for her bucket list. I think everyone really wants this though! You want to be with someone who can make you happy for the rest of your life!
- Start a family. This won't be until way in the future, considering I can barely take care of just myself at the moment! I hope to have 3 kids...and pets. Lots of pets!
- Be in a Broadway show. I've had this dream since I was a kid. It's the biggest aspiration of mine, and it's what I really want to do with my life. It's a long shot but hey, dreams don't work unless you do, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes!
- Attend a Patriots game. The Pats are my team. Enough said.
- Volunteer in a third world country and make a difference. One of the most rewarding things you can do with your life is to make a difference in the lives of those in need. I would love to help those who need it the most and truly change someone's life for the better.
These are just a few of my bucket list goals. I tried to narrow it down for you all (I have an entire board of pinterest for my bucket list :) ) I hope you learned a little more about me and I can't wait to read everyone else's goals! Have a great week! :)
Monday, September 16, 2013
Blog Post #2: What I Learned About Myself Through MBTI
Hello again, fellow Hixsons! Time for another blog post! Before we got our MBTI, I thought I was an ESFJ/ENFJ. My results show that I actually am an ENFJ! I know myself better than I though! :) Being a ENFJ, I focus my attention/get my energy by extraversion, take in information with intuition, make decisions with feelings, and deal with the world by judging. I didn't really surprise myself too much looking at my results, but looking at the values made me realize that the MBTI is pretty accurate! Some examples of my values are having a positive, enthusiastic view of life and working on several projects at once, which I found to be very true!
Knowing myself and my MBTI type, I would have to say my strengths are being extremely outgoing and caring, and I try to see the best in people. I think these skills help me in leadership positions and with making friends/maintaining relationships. Just like all the other personality types, mine definitely has its weak points! I feel like the areas/situations that would be difficult for my ENFJ personality would be in a very unorganized situation where I don't know what is going on, or being around people who are not accepting of me or others. I personally think some of my weaknesses are being too caring, and people tend to take advantage of that. I'm also very sensitive and have terrible self-esteem, which is usually common for ENFJ personalities.
Knowing my type will definitely give me some insight on ways to make my transition into college and my first year great! I've already made so many friends because of my outgoing personality, and I hope to make even more this year! I am very organized and goal-oriented, so I think that will definitely come in handy with projects and assignments.
I can't wait to read all your blogs and learn all about your MBTI and personalities! I think this is all fascinating, and I hope I'm not the only one! :) Hope everyone has a great rest of their week! I will see you all Thursday!
Knowing myself and my MBTI type, I would have to say my strengths are being extremely outgoing and caring, and I try to see the best in people. I think these skills help me in leadership positions and with making friends/maintaining relationships. Just like all the other personality types, mine definitely has its weak points! I feel like the areas/situations that would be difficult for my ENFJ personality would be in a very unorganized situation where I don't know what is going on, or being around people who are not accepting of me or others. I personally think some of my weaknesses are being too caring, and people tend to take advantage of that. I'm also very sensitive and have terrible self-esteem, which is usually common for ENFJ personalities.
Knowing my type will definitely give me some insight on ways to make my transition into college and my first year great! I've already made so many friends because of my outgoing personality, and I hope to make even more this year! I am very organized and goal-oriented, so I think that will definitely come in handy with projects and assignments.
I can't wait to read all your blogs and learn all about your MBTI and personalities! I think this is all fascinating, and I hope I'm not the only one! :) Hope everyone has a great rest of their week! I will see you all Thursday!
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