Service Learning Wrap Up

Looking back on my service experience at Cocky's Reading Express, I enjoyed going to Hand Middle School the most and seeing the kids picking up their books.  They were so excited to see Cocky, and seeing their smiles was really rewarding.  Going on this small trip made the other days of volunteering seem better because on the other days, all we did was put stickers in books or hung up flyers.  At the beginning, this work seemed kind of pointless and boring, but it was definitely worth it all to see the kids so excited about reading.  I plan to volunteer next semester, possibly at Cocky's Reading Express, or I was thinking about volunteering at a Family Homless shelter.  I found out about this when I attended the Homeless for the Homeless event through my church.  The flyer said the shelter needs help decorating for holidays, celebrating birthdays, painting, and doing yardwork.  I feel that this opportunity will also be very rewarding, and if I have time in my schedule next semester, hopefully I can participate in this and Cocky's Reading Express.

Personal Challenge

My personal challenge for this semester was participating in a Homeless for the Homeless event.  I attended this overnight event through my church, Midtown at Columbia.  The night began by splitting everyone into groups, and walking through a series of stations where they played videos of real homeless people explaining their situation and how difficult life was for them.  After that, our group sat down with a homeless man in person and heard his story.  We could ask him questions, and his story was so touching that we all gave him hugs afterward.  We also received a lot of information about volunteering at homeless shelters here in Columbia.  That night, everyone slept outside on the grass or pavement at the building we were at...but the program had picked the coldest weekend ever to do this event!!! It got down to 28 degrees!! (I didn't get much sleep, if any!)  In the morning, we got up, set up, and served breakfast to homeless people who came to the site.  We also sat down and talked to them and connected with them.  This was somewhat hard for me; growing up, my mom always saw homeless people as dangerous drug addicts, would lock the car doors when we drove past them, etc.  It was hard for me to get over my previous ideas, but now I know that not all homeless people are drug addicts--especially because of the economy today-- and that it's definitely worth talking to them, getting to know them, and helping them!!

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow I am flying home for Thanksgiving!! I am so excited to go home--I haven't seen my family or friends since August!! My best friend's birthday is tomorrow, so I will probably see her as soon as I can.  Most of my other friends at college are coming home Tuesday night or Wednesday, so we will probably have a lot of get-togethers.  Thursday is Thanksgiving, and my family is all going to my grandma's house; she just moved, so I can't wait to see her new house!  I have four cousins who are all six and younger, so they are always a silly handful.  I work at American Eagle back home, and Black Friday is the busiest day of the year, so I will be working for eight hours on Friday, and then my other best friend's birthday is on Saturday.  Sunday I'm going to drive back down to Columbia...it's about a ten hour drive, so that will take pretty much all day.

Sustainability

I think that sustainability is being able to uphold the values that you feel are right or moral, and to not give in to things that you do not thing are acceptable.  I feel that I do live a sustainable lifestyle, even here at college.  It is definitely more difficult to do here than at home with my family, but I still think I do a pretty good job.  My grades reflect that my work ethic has not changed; if anything, I work harder because I am paying for college, and I know I need to do well and take the initiative to do my work--no one else is going to make me do it.  I also know that if I still want to go to law school after I graduate, I need to be near the top of my class in order to get accepted into a good law school.  To be more sustainable, I could make a greater effort to make it to church every Sunday here.  I really like the church I have been going to, but there are so many other things to do or work I have to get done that sometimes I put off church.  It's also hard though because I don't have a car, so I need to get a ride from someone else who is going...so if a driver isn't going, then I can't. 

Career Center Presentation

For Thanksgiving, I am going home for the first time!  I can't wait!!  I'm flying out of Charlotte on Monday, and I'll be home Monday night.  We are having Thanksgiving dinner at my grandma's house, but I'm especially excited because she moved to a new house since I've been here and it was still not even built when I left, so I will get to see it!!
Growing up I changed my mind about what I wanted to be all the time.  I first wanted to be a cowgirl, then a teacher and a writer- when I was younger,I used to write stories and parts of novels and then I got tired of them and would start a new one. 
I would definitely like to do an internship, but it would be hard to get one this summer, because I planned on going home for the summer, so I'm not sure where I would live if I got one here in Columbia, or how that would work.
I found the website and all of the links on resume building, job shadowing, and career counseling the lady showed us from the career center website.  I had no idea that there is that much personal attention and help that you can get from the career center-and it's nice that the building is so close to capstone too!

Financial Responsibility

I see myself as pretty financially responsible.  I currently do not prepare a budget because I do not have an income right now.  I also don't get an allowance or any money from my parents regularly, so it's hard for me to make a plan to budget my money.  Right now I have money saved up from working in high school and over the summer that I use to buy things, but I try not to spend too much of it. I hope to get a job either next semester or next year here at the University so that I will have some more money to budget, spend, and save.  I might begin working on an undergraduate research project and apply for one of the scholarships you can pay yourself with, or tutor next year.  When I graduate, I know I will have college debt.  Right now I have a scholarship to come here, but I still pay a good amount of money since I am an out-of-state student.  Additionally, I want to go to law school, so that will be another three years of graduate school after my four years here as an undergraduate student.

Stress Management

I get stressed out when I have a lot of school work, tests or papers all due at the same time.  I also get stressed when my roommate or my family and I aren't getting along very well.  This might sound kind of weird, but when I get stressed, it helps me calm down if I clean or organize things.  I also calm down if I take a nap, go to yoga class, or just go for a run.  When I have a lot of homework to do, I make lists and cross things off as I get them done.  This makes me feel like I have accomplished something, and it encourages me to keep working on all of the things I have to do.  My service site has not been stressful at all.  Each Wednesday when we go to the library to volunteer, we simply listen to music and put stickers into books.  This past week, I got to go on a trip with Cocky's Reading Express to Hand Middle School, but it was not stressful either.  It was great to see all of the kids excited when they saw Cocky and when they got to pick out their books.

Time Management

I feel like I have effectively managed my time this semester.  I have A's in all of my classes, and I also attend yoga, go to the gym, attend church, am part of the mountaineering and whitewater club, and I still have time to travel on the weekends.  It's nice to be able to travel because I am from Pennsylvania, so I haven't been down here very much to see the south.  With either Alyssa or my roommate, I have been to Charleston twice, Rock Hill several times, and Florida for the weekend.  In Charleston, we went to the market, out to dinner, we walked along the battery, we got tattoos, went to a costume party and we went to the beach.  I had so much fun!  In Florida, we went to Universal Studios and the Haunted Horror Nights.  I have had time for everything that I wanted to do this semester.  Next semester, I also plan to get involved in Undergraduate Research, which will require a bit more time management, but I'm sure I will be able to make time for it.  I may travel less, or simply focus some of my travelling on whatever research project I will be doing.

Capstone Social Event

I went to several hot cookie Fridays so far this semester.  The cookies are so good!!!  Dr. Hickey is often there as well, and it's good to have a chance to talk to him.  I have also gone to several Hickey Bytes days in Gibbes, but he is often talking with someone else or isn't there.  Everybody's Birthday party is also a great thing to go to in the study shack.  The cake is pretty good, but they run out unless you get there early.  I also went to the Halloween Party in the Capstone room.  It was called Rave to the Grave, and Alyssa and I went as Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Suess because it was a costume party.  There were prizes for best costumes and best dressed up floor, but we were the only people who went from our floor.  It was fun to see what everyone was going to be dressed up as, and there was food, candy, and soda.  There was also music and some dancing as well.  The best costume went to a guy dressed up as a skeleton, the best pair was Mario and Luigi, and the floor that won had a bunch of people all dressed up really well. 

Capstone Cinema

I went to the Capstone Cinema when we watched Zombieland.  Insomnia cookies and milk were ordered, and it was really fun to just be there with everyone with their blankets and pillows in the capstone room.  It felt like a big slumber party, and it was just a great experience.  It felt like the living and learning community that capstone is supposed to be, and I think that we should do things like that more often.  The movie was pretty funny, too.  It was about a paranoid guy who found friends, and eventually love and practically a family in his world that had been taken over by zombies.  Even though it was kind of gruesome and graphic with the zombie part, it was still a great movie.  I really enjoy living in Capstone.  It's nice to live with other students that I see often and that are in my University 101 class.  Events like the Capstone Cinema help to make the transition to college easier and make the living and learning community here in Capstone successful.

Capstone Conversation

I attended the capstone conversation at the very beginning of school.  Gene Luna spoke, and he told his story of how he was doing very poorly in college and eventually changed his habits.  He was really funny, and I liked hearing him speak.  I also went to the capstone conversation about the Ecuador and Jordan trips, and Gene spoke there too as well as another lady.  Gene Luna is leading the Ecuador trip again this year, and he spoke about how excited he was to go on the trip.  He also spoke about the details of the trip this year, and I am planning on trying to go.  I am applying for the Passport Travel Grant that he talked about, and if I get that, then hopefully I will be able to go for sure.  Gene Luna seemed like he had so many stories, experiences, and wisdom to share, and he really has an obvious passion for students-especially Capstone students-here at the University of South Carolina.  I think the trip will be a great experience, and I really hope I can go and serve in Ecuador this Maymester.

Healthy Carolina

I consider myself to be very healthy.  My mom was really into eating right and getting exercise at home, so I have good habits that I developed from home.  I keep health food such as juice, grapes, and vegetables in my room so that I make sure that I am eating healthy here as well.  In addition, walking to classes, going to yoga class, and working out at the gym also help to keep me healthy.  It is great to have a friend like Alyssa who helps support me and encourages me to go to the gym, and I do the same for her.  Also, we go to the store together to get groceries because I do not have a car here at the University of South Carolina, so we help each other remember to get healthy food as well as our "junk" food.  It is also good to know my yoga instructor, and she knows Alyssa and me.  This also encourages me to continue to go to yoga classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays of every week.

Spirituality and Religion

I believe that spirituality, religion, and faith are all different.  However, I do believe that they are all connected to each other.  I was brought up a Protestant Christian, and that is pretty much the extent of my “religion.”  I was raised to believe that Christianity is not so much a religion as it is a relationship with Christ.  I believe that spirituality is how in tune you are with Christ, and faith is your actual trust and belief in God.  My belief is that church is not necessary, but it is important if you want to grow in your relationship with Christ, and it is a good way to have fellowship with others who believe the same as you.  At USC, I have been attending Midtown church, which I really enjoy going to; it is similar to the church I attend at home.  The atmosphere is really laid back, but I still feel the connection to God and I learn something every week.

Study Abroad

I am definitely interested in a study abroad or national exchange during my time here at the University of South Carolina.  In high school, my family hosted three German exchange students and one French student.  I also participated in the exchange program when I went to Germany in the summer of 2008 with several students from my high school and my german teacher, who was originally from Germany.  We lived with our host family for two weeks, and then travelled around the southern half of Germany for another week.  We went hiking, touring, and shopping.  It was one of the best trips of my life.  I still keep in touch with a German student who was part of hosting our trip, and he visited me the following summer.  I would love to go back to Germany to study, but I would also love to go to England or Ireland to experience something new. 
I don't really have a favorite part of my service site because we simply put stickers in the books for Cocky's Reading Express; it is the same thing every time we go.  I'm sure it will be more interesting when we actually get to go on trips with the program to visit schools.

Leadership

I think of leadership as having the confidence and the personal relations skills to take charge of a group of people and accomplish something.  It is helpful to have motivational skills as well as the ability to delegate responsibility.  I have been a leader in my high school clubs, a captain of my soccer team, and I was invited to attend the National Youth Leadership Conference my senior year of high school.  The conference was  based on law and crime scene investigation, but leaders from schools nationwide were chosen by their teachers to attend the conference in Washington D.C.  We toured government buildings, met with lawyers, and built relationships with peers who had originally been complete strangers.  It was a really great experience, and I would strongly recommend that everyone who has the opportunity should attend.  I may be interested in leadership roles in the activities here at USC once I have some more experience with the club--most of the leaders currently are upperclassmen who have been in the club for a while and know what they are doing.

Diversity

Prior to coming to USC, I didn't think very much about the definition of diversity.  I see more of a division between physical diversity in the south- according to race and ethnicity.  At home, there were still cliques, but they were not based on race at all.  Here in the south, I hear a lot more racial slurs and prejudice just in everyday conversation.  After our conversation in University 101, I realized that diversity is much more than race.  It is composed of culture, sex, race, ethnicity, sexual preference, and much much more.  I haven't really experienced diversity in my service site because each week we just go to the library and put stickers in the books that they will give to kids on the Friday trips with Cocky's Reading Express.  I will probably experience more diversity when we go to Hands Middle School at the beginning of November when I go with the program to the actual school.

Traditions

I was going to partake in the First Night Carolina tradition, but this year it was cancelled becuase of the rain. I also participated in the black-out at the football game against Alabama.  A big tradition that I do with my family or friends every Halloween is pumpkin carving.  We separate the pumpkin seeds and then roast them in the oven with butter and salt.  They are so good!!!  This year over fall break Alyssa, her friends, and I all carved pumpkins.  I carved a bat, Alyssa carved a cat face, and her friends carved a ghost.  Yesterday I carved another pumpkin with my friend, and we carved a face with two triangle eyes, a square nose, and a smiling face with one tooth.  It was really cute!!

Service Site

Today, Wednesday October 6th, was the first day I attended the Cocky's Reading Express site to actually volunteer.  Alyssa was assigned the same time as me (from 1pm to 2pm), so we went together (like always!) to the library to begin our first day.  Ellen was there when we arrived, and she intructed us on where to put the stickers inside the book for the Lauren's trip that Cocky's Reading Express is taking this Friday.  The stickers are to recognize the companies that donate to make Cocky's Reading Express possible.  Today, the stickers said "This book was brought to you by Cocky's Reading Express, thanks to BP."  I am really excited to go on an actual trip, but I can only go on one of them this semester; I have three classes on fridays, and one of them is my anthropology lab which I cannot miss.  However, it was fun simply putting the stickers in the books, and I know that I am helping with the program.

Reflection on the Semester Thus Far

My favorite memories so far are probably the home football games.  The first one of the year was one of the best, because it was my first Carolina football game ever, and I was just so excited to be there.  However, the other ones have been great too!!!  I do not think there is really anything that I would do over again if I could.  I am well on track to achieving my goals from the beginning of the semester.  Alyssa and I go to the gym very often, and we attend vini-yoga on Tuesdays and Thursdays regularly, which is really fun.  My academic goals are also going very well; I have A’s in all of my classes, and I have developed good study habits and am able to make time to get all of my work done.  I would like to become more involved in my clubs, but I feel like right now—the first semester especially—I spend a lot of time studying, and it is definitely paying off.

Brain Rules

My initial perception of Brain Rules is very interested.  I always knew that exercise helped the brain work better and made everybody feel better, but the book gives a lot of statistics that I hadn’t known.  It is interesting to hear about all of the studies on the middle aged people and the elderly, and I know it is the same basic principle for young adults as well—I have seen and felt the change in myself as well.  My mom is a strong believer in healthy organic foods and exercise.  She walks two miles with our neighbor lady every day, and my mom is one of the healthiest, energetic people you will ever meet.  I have a feeling that the older people in this book who have exercised and their minds are still working perfectly at that age is how my mom will be.  I hope to be the same way, and I exercise now and plan to continue in the future because I know that there is a huge positive effect.  

My Current Classes

My classes are going great!  My favorite class is anthropology 161, and I actually just emailed my professor to schedule either lunch or an appointment in his office to interview him for the paper we are writing for University 101.  This weekend I'm going to the Riverbank Zoo with some kids from my class; we have a project due next week where we have to observe the monkeys at the zoo.  I love that class because the professor is so passionate about what he does, and it's a very interesting/controversial subject for me, growing up in a very religious Christian home.  My other classes are going well too; I've gotten A's on several papers and exams so far, so that is exciting and rewarding for me. These past two weeks have been somewhat stressful though, because I feel like all the professors are giving their exams and assigning papers at the same time--it's quite a change from the beginning of the semester.

Service-Learning Site Visits

We visited the library today that sponsors and houses the Cocky's Reading Express Service.  Cocky's Reading Express goes around South Carolina to underprivileged elementary schools, gives the children books, and promotes the importance of reading.  I am excited to go and actually visit a school with the group, but I am disappointed that almost all of the trips are on Fridays; I have three classes Friday mornings, and one of them is a lab that I can't ever miss.  I am hoping that the volunteer work is still fun at the office, doing clerical duties, but I think that it will be.  I hope to establish relationships with the leaders in charge of the program, and hopefully I can continue volunteering all year, so that I can go on trips to schools in the spring.  I think it would be a really great experience to see all of the kids and help to get them excited about reading--the importance of reading is immense, and it is a great program to further educate all of South Carolina.

Experience as a Capstone Scholar

My experience as a capstone scholar so far has been really positive.  It is nice to be living with and surrounded by students who care about their academics at about the same level as I do.  It is also great to have the University 101 class with people who I see often, coming in or out of the building and seeing familiar faces--especially when I first came to the University of South Carolina.  I didn't have too many expectations when I first came here, not that I really specifically thought about anyway, but everything seems about how I had imagined it.  The southern culture is not very different, and other than seeing cochroaches and lizards, the hot weather and the southern accents, South Carolina is not that much different from Pennsylvania.  I had thought that living in a city would be really different from my rural town, but the USC campus makes it seem like you aren't even living in the middle of a city as major as Columbia. 

Time Management, goal setting, personal challenge

On my Student Engagement Plan, my goals were to work out 5 days a week, join the Flying Gamecock Club, join the Mountaineering and Whitewater Club, find a church to go to, and get A's or B's on all big papers and exams in my classes.  I expect that my hardest goal will be the last one, because it will require a lot of time studying, hard work, and paying attention in every class.  I expect joining the clubs will be easy, because I have already attended the meetings and taken the first step.  My work out goal is probably somewhere in the middle, but I have found a work out buddy (Alyssa) and we found a yoga class that we really like, so it shouldn't be too hard to accomplish.   My personal challenge is skydiving.  I selected this because it's always been something I have wanted to do, but I'm nervous enough about jumping out of a plane that it has not been top on my priority list so far in my life.  I will accomplish it by joining the Flying Gamecock Club and scheduling to jump on the October trip.

Academic Success

I feel that my LASSI results turned out pretty fair.  I had a high anxiety score, which I agree with because I don't worry very much about my classes--I know when I need to study, and I do a good job of studying the right things; on a test, there is never a main idea or point that I have missed entirely.  My study aids score was somewhat low, but I feel that although it is useful to get tutored or ask for help during the professor's office hours, I haven't been confused or overwhelmed at all to need the extra help.  In addition, none of my current classes offer supplemental instruction, so that is not an option for me.  If I begin to struggle in my classes, I am definitely not opposed to asking for help. My time management score was also low, which I do agree with.  I am a little bit of a procrastinator, but usually I put thought into a pre-write, or I begin the paper before it is due--I just save the majority of it for last.   I think I could definitely improve on this aspect of studying, and set aside time to push myself to be productive when I'm studying.

Service-Learning Training

In high school, over the summer, I helped out one of my middle school teachers with my school district's Summer Break program.  He had drama, math games, chess club, and bug class that I helped out with--teaching the kids, playing with them, and helping them put on a play at the end of the two week program.  I also helped out with a soccer camp at a local church every summer as a coach (it's for elementary school kids), and I was a coach at my school soccer program's camp over the summer.  As a member of NHS, we had several community service projects that we did together, such as a day cleaning up and doing gardening for a cemetary in the city, serving food at a homeless shelter, etc.  I also babysat for single mothers at a local shelter called the Milagro House.  We helped the kids with homework, played with them, and formed relationships.  I haven't ever done service connected to a course, and if I could provide service anywhere, it would be at a law firm.  I want to be a lawyer, and I shadowed a few of them in high school, and I loved the atmosphere.   I feel that it would be really beneficial to me as well.

Labor Day - no class

For Labor Day weekend, my friends and I went to my one friend's house who lives in Clemson.  We went to her high school's football game because she had to write for the newspaper about it..it was dragging on and on so we left my friend who lives in Clemson to go to the grocery store to get some food to take home and the gps had us going in the total opposite direction, it took us 2 hours to get home (what should have been 30 min) and it tried to take us down some scary-looking dirt roads!!  We finally got back though... Saturday we spent out on the lake, which was beautiful!!! For dinner we had this really good Mexican food...and two of us dyed our hair later...Sunday was a party with the parents we stayed with..it was really great--we got to meet the Clemson quarterback, who was there... and got lost AGAIN on the way home becuase of the crazy gps...and on Monday we drove back to Columbia!

Lifelines--History of Carolina and Carolinian

My expectations of my time here at USC are that I will really get involved in clubs and organizations and meet a lot of new people.  Coming from Pennsylvania, I don't know anyone here, so it will probably be a challenge to get started, but I love it so far!!!  An adventure I've had was going to my first Carolina football game against southern miss!!  It was so much fun!!!....except we beat them by so much that everyone started to leave..but it was still a good experience!  I haven't encountered anything really unexpected...but I was surprised by how easy my classes are this semester...everyone says college will be so much harder, but you really have a lot more time to do all the work, so it's not a big deal. Some new things that I have tried since coming here are the zumba and yoga classes that they hold at Strom—they are both so much fun!!!

Involvement - Student Organization Fair

The heat was stifling (remember, I'm from the north!), and every time you made eye contact-- you had better be prepared for the bombardment of flyers and clipboards eagerly shoved in your face.  Despite this annoyance, it didn't take me too long to find the tables I was looking for.  Six flyers (eventually I learned not to look directly at anyone holding them), two condoms (hidden between a folded flyer of the student health organization), and a lollipop (something good for once!) later, I finally reached the women's club soccer table and waited in a line to write my email and get the tryout times...and I saw at least a hundred other names signed up!  But I still plan to tryout next week, so we'll see how that goes.  I also found the flying gamecock table, which I plan to join and skydive as my personal challenge of the year.  I'm considering joining INK as well--since I am an english major, but I'm not sure if my schedule will allow it.  If I could start my own organization, it would be a beach soccer team/open gym type of thing in the sand courts at Strom.  My soccer girls back home would take a trip every summer to the beach and play a tournament in the sand!