Friday, July 11, 2008

English 1200

The English 1200 class was a tremendous experience. I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Being able to express my feelings through writing was remarkable. I related with many of the students in the class as well. We all had fun and enjoyed writing our autobiographies.

Workshopping was quite interesting. I never pictured all the students in the class reading my work. I was very nervous because I feared of being judged. I didn't know if they would enjoy my writing or be bored. After that experience, I learned to be confident and feel comfortable in my writing.

I learned a lot about different writing techniques and grammer skills. I have really blossomed in my writing I would have to say. I can now write at a college level thanks to my english teacher Sheila Rocha. She has really been great to work with. She helped me learn how to think "out of the box." I have new perspectives on the world and the way I write.

Being able to take this course was a great experience. I thank the University of Nebraska at Omaha for letting me have this opportunity to take a great college class. I have learned many things from this class that I can, and will, still use in life. I really enjoyed being in this english class with Sheila, and I hope to see her again to show her how I really improved my writing and critical thinking skills.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Job Shadowing

The major I am hoping to pursue is Business. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to job shadow someone who has already majored in Business. Her name is Karen Smith, and she is the advisor for undergraduates who are going to become freshman at The University of Nebraska at Omaha. It was a great experience for me because I learned a lot about the requirements needed to be taken notice of in order to become accepted at The College of Business Administration as well as The University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Karen Smyth was a great advisor. She helped me, as well as four other students, understand how the process of becoming a freshman works. She also discussed the various classes required to take in order to actually begin taking business classes. I learned about the basic requirements as well such as GPA and ACT scores. I also learned about getting involved with the community and outside of the university. I discovered that it is great to get involved with outside business courses because many companies look to see if you set yourself out there.

Job shadowing Karen helped me understand the process of taking business classes in order to become more experienced in business and prepare me for the future. She made it seem very simple and easy to follow. There are many classes to take and various extra classes needed too. I am getting closer and closer in figuring out how my future will be. I am very excited to become a freshman and learn about the many opportunities that will be open to me. If I take this path in majoring in Business, I will definitely be prepared for the real world and I will have shaped myself into a mature, young person. There is a lot to go through and much to know, but overall job shadowing has helped me what I want to do and figure out if I really want to major in business.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

An Issue That Matters

I take a look back at my life, and ever since the 19th Century, I have noticed a drastic change in the economy. I can’t imagine what peoples lives will be like in the next ten years. Now that the prices are rising, who knows how everyone’s lives will be currently, and from then on.

It seems as if the economy is going down the drain. And honestly, I believe it is. The cause of food and gas prices going up has affected my family’s life immensely. I remember when gasoline only used to be 99 cents. As I take a look at what it is now, I am absolutely speechless.

There are many problems that are going on today dealing with this economic crisis. I was reading USA Today’s newspaper, and there was an article that caught my eye. This article was describing the struggle families are dealing with today. Many families are unable to pay their bills due to the skyrocketing prices of food and gasoline. And the cause of this happening is that these families’ utilities are being cut off.

Electricity and natural gas shutoffs are up at least 15% in several states compared with last year. Totals for some utilities have more than doubled. Another serious problem going on today is cancer patients are skipping their radiation treatments because they can’t afford the gas to get there. Now shocking gas prices, high food costs and a generally tight economy are making it even more difficult for some people to see a doctor or pay medical bills.

A problem that really disappoints me is that the 2008-2009 University of Nebraska Annual Budget has just been released. Because of the economy dropping, hundreds and thousands of dollars have been cut. And one of the programs to be cut due to this budget is the Summer Scholars Program.

This upsets me because many other juniors will not get the opportunity to take a part in this excellent program, and this program has been around since 1989. Summer Scholars has always been very successful at attracting students of different races to UNO’s campus, and to think that no one will ever get this opportunity again is very upsetting, and I think everyone should get the chance of joining Summer Scholars.

To me, this is an issue that matters the most and needs to be taken care of immediately. This is a very serious issue that is causing problems in all areas. I hope in the future things will gradually change because the economy is really affecting families from all over the world. There absolutely needs to be a stop in these terrible rising prices and a definite fix to this economic crisis.

Why UNL?

I would like to attend the University of Nebraska at Lincoln because they have so much to offer. I have searched their websites and gone through their letters they sent through the mail, but thats not all. UNL seems like a really laid back school. It also seems like a terrific school to attend.

UNL's academics is outstanding and they have the major that I wish to pursue. I recently talked to my sister, who now attends UNL, and she has told me about the many opportunities they have to offer involving clubs, sports, classes and so much more.

I learned about their diversity programs and I am interested in learning more as well as joining them. A program that caught my eye the most is called Inroads. I am very excited to try and be a part of this program. I have found that this program is provided to students of different races, and if selected, you get the opportunity to be involved and interact outside of class with other students and are offered many great opportunities.

UNL would be a perfect school to attend for me. UNL is not that far away from my home, but it is still a good enough distance for me. I have recently visited UNL, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Visiting UNL gave me a great feeling of joy and right then and there, I new UNL would be the perfect school to go to.

UNL would be a great school to attend not only for the amazing sights and surroundings, and academics, but for their endless possibilities they have to offer the students.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Who Has Influenced Me

It is difficult to say who has been influential to me because there are many people who have influenced me in different ways. But someone who has influenced me in a way that no one else has was my music teacher.

Not only did she teach me to sing and dance, but she taught me to never give up no matter how hard life may get. Because of her, my family and I are where we are today. She helped us as much as she could when times were rough in our family. I remember her telling me that I should never feel upset or angry because of where I lived, or because of what others thought of me.

She taught me to be strong at all times and to keep my head held high no matter what. Most importantly, she taught me not to feel pity for others as well as for myself. I can definitely say that pity is the worst feeling, and to me, pity will not take you far in life.

I thank her for not feeling sorry for my family, and for helping us in a way that has made my family stronger than ever. Her words of wisdom really touched our hearts and we were so lucky to have met someone like her. She always tried to make us feel better and has made an immense impact on our lives.

She has definitely influenced me to help others the way she did. I will look up to her always and remember how great of a teacher and guider she was to my family and I. She has showed me to never put myself down no matter how hard life may get. I wish I could see her again and tell her how much we appreciate what she has done for my family, and how she has influenced and impacted my life. She is a wonderful person and I give her much gratitude for what she has done.

My Achievements

It is not the many great things you have accomplished that matters the most, it is how you have improved after achieving those things that matters the most.

Throughout the years of my life, I can definitely say that I have shaped into a better person. It is crazy to think of how much I have changed over the years. I used to be a very shy person. I didn't really talk much and I was mostly at home doing my homework or watching television. I was always afraid of becoming independent and of trying new things.

In eighth grade I was offered a volunteering opportunity to join a camp for a week. This camp involved being active while helping the disabled. Knowing that I was very shy and quiet, I wasn't sure if the was the right thing for me to do. I was definitely wrong. At first, for the first couple of days, I was super shy and uncomfortable. I wasn't used to being around people I didn't know and interacting with them. But as I continued to go on with the program, I slowly broke out of my shell. After joining that program, I was a new and improved person. I was so proud of myself for trying something I wasn't really comfortable doing.

Ever since that experience, I have always been involved in the community and at school. I always try to set myself out there from the rest of the group by becoming involved in as much as I can that will make me a better person. Being involved has truly shaped my character. I have also gained a strong leadership skill that will carry me on throughout the rest of my life. Now I know for sure that I am no longer afraid of meeting new people or trying new things. I like to take chances and take as many opportunities that are open to me.

Achieving one thing has truly broadened my horizon and has made a huge impact in my life. I now try to achieve as many things as possible. I have changed in a way that had made me a better, brighter person.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Life at UNO

Being able to stay a week at UNO was a tremendous experience. I learned a lot about myself and had a great time meeting new people from different schools. I even made close relationships with many students. And now, I have already started my network friends as well as teachers.

Going to Ashland was my favorite part. We all got the opportunity to go rock climbing and do various of obstacle courses. These obstacle courses dealt a lot with teamwork, as well as being independent and facing your fears.

Going on the zip line was the most encouraging and motivating to me. I have never done that in my life before, and being able to go on it was incredible. When it was my turn to go, I thought to myself, "Am I crazy?" and "Am I really doing this?" But overall I absolutely enjoyed it. People were encouraging me to go on it and experience the great feeling. I also encouraged people to go and I told them, "When are you ever going to get an opportunity like this again?"

I discovered that anyone should take as many opportunities as they can, especially if they are right in front of them. And even if you fear them the most, never hold back because you will regret not taking those opportunities later in life.

The most challenging event to me was doing the obstacle courses with a group. Everyone has their own pace of doing things, and especially they have their own fears. This was challenging to me because everyone had to work as a team. And working as a team can be difficult if you don't know how to help eachother, and if you dont know how to communicate with eachother.

It was challenging because everyone finished each obstacle in their own way, and all of the obstacles involved teamwork. If someone is slower, than that means we have to wait because we are a team; we all must finish together. If we don't know how to start or finish, we need to communicate; communication is the key. We all need to work as a team and help eachother out as best as we can. To me, that is how people can finish or achieve goals if they are in a group, simply by working as a team.

Having the chance to spend a week at UNO and go to Ashland made me learn a lot about myself. I learned to try new things and never give up. I also learned to be patient and take opportunties that are right in front of me. The environment of living in dorms and living the college life has had a positive impact on me. I see college from a different point of view now.