Personal Challenge

My personal challenge was to never skip class. My friends and floor mates were shocked to hear that I only skipped class the few days I had a 104 degree temperature because of the flu. This continues to be a personal challenge for me because with everyone around me skipping classes, it is often tempting to do the same. Sticking to this goal with help to succeed in the class and not fall behind, along with getting the most out of my parents money.

Overall Impressions

At the beginning I didn't really see a point to the class, but after a while I started to enjoy the people and the class discussions. I'm overall glad I took this class even if the rest of my work load was crazy. I enjoy blogging because it did help me to reflect on my first semester because I've never owned a journal or diary so I don't get a lot of opportunities to write my thoughts down. I'm not sure the blogging helped me with the course content because a lot of it was just talking about our experiences in college and mentoring, rather than the world is flat or other specific educational topics.

Thanksgiving

My thanksgivings are very quiet and never the same as the time before. I have a small family so it tends to be just my parents, my sister, and myself. I'm really looking forward to going home over the break to spend the time with my family and friends. My favorite tradition is the food, naturally. I love corn pudding, it is my favorite dish in the entire world and a lot of people don't even know what it is. Recently my sister and I discovered that we both actually hate turkey, so my family switched to having honey baked ham for thanksgiving instead, which is definitely the way to go. A good tradition that I love is that my dad and I do the napkins in a cool design together. We have a book of napkin folding and pick a different one to do every year together.

Strengths and Weaknesses

I'm not afraid to take charge in a situation and I think I'm pretty good at making the right decision with all parties in mind. I don't really like to be the leader though and first look to see if anyone else will take the role before I offer myself. I don't really make a good leader in the classroom either. Whenever there are group projects I just end up doing everything myself. To be honest, I don't really aspire to make a difference at the University. I don't plan on forming my own club or getting into any leadership role at the University. Unless a person makes it their goal to make difference at the University and really works towards that, they won't. I don't think it;s a bad thing that this is not one of my goals, I just want to work hard to make good grades and get a job that I love outside of college. I want to get involved in the University but I doubt I'll change it in anyway. Wow, this is a pessimistic blog. I don't mean it to be that way. There are just followers and leaders. Without followers there would be no such thing as leaders, and if everyone tried to be a leader chaos would occur. I like to think of myself as a very good follower. I know when to disagree with the leader and when to step up and state my own opinions, but I also know when to step back and follow someone elses ideas.

Mentee, end of the semester

The conversation about academic success and involvement went well with my mentee. I would like to talk about it more next week and really talk about her strengths and weaknesses. She seems really on top of everything and I'm having trouble finding things to help her with. I don't know what I'm going to do with the few weeks we have left. I sort of want to find time next semester to keep doing it, but as it is I had trouble finding means to get to Hands and I don't know how i will next semester when it is pretty much just me. It will be sad to say goodbye to my mentee, she's really cool and It's sad that I only got to meet with her a few times. If it's allowed, i would like to give her my cell phone number so that whenever she has a problem and needs someone to talk to, she can talk to me about it and I can try to help her.

Spirituality

My beliefs, religion, faith, and spirituality are the same as they were at home. However, at home, the catholic religion was thrown at me everyday. I prayed with the school twice a day, went to religion class every other day, where I wrote papers on how "God" affects me everyday, and went to mass with the school at least once a month. Going to a public university? You don't hear a lot of people going around talking about their faith and I don't see a lot of college church goers on a sunday morning. The culture of the South seems very religious and firm on their beliefs, while many students on USC campus seem to have it low on their priorities.

Relationships

I have formed a lot of new bonds and relationships with people here at USC. I know some of them will last a long time and I've really enjoyed my semester. I've especially bonded with the people on my floor. These are the people I see everyday and who are like my family here. My suite mates and roommate will always have my back and I get along with them really well. My suite mates are also my soon to be sisters which is a new kind of relationship I haven't had (not counting my own sister, which is nothing like a sorority sister). While some of these relationships are going to help me grow and change who I am for the better, I'm not going to lie, some aren't. A lot of the people I've met here are a lot different from myself. This can be both a good and bad thing. The college atmosphere is partying every night, not going to class, and overall making some poor decisions. I'm trying to steer clear of this and always make sure my school work comes first. However, I can't help but feel that their slowly wearing me down and if I give in, this would not advocate my success at all.

Capstone Conversation

I went to the capstone conversation with the student body president, Meredith Ross. She seemed very nice and down to earth. She spoke using hardly any notes, making it seem more personal. She talked about all the aspects of Capstones theme and her position in office. We then had a discussion where people asked her about the struggles of her job. She was a capstone scholar so she talked about all the good times she had here and how you have to take every opportunity presented to you. It was a very good conversation overall and I think she did a very good job with it.

Academic Success with Mentee

I have sort of gone over involvement and academic success with my mentee. She seems to already be involved a lot in school, and plans to get more involved 7th and 8th grade when she gets to try out for basketball and od other activities not allowed by 6th graders. She also has talked to me about academic success and about how her family stresses it. We seemed to have really covered this and I'm not sure what else to say to her about it.
Three academic questions I can ask her are:
1. Are there any areas you struggle with?
2. What are you good at? What do you think you want to be when you grow up?
3. Do you have a planner? Do you write down goals ever?
Three Involvement questions I have/can ask are:
1. What are you involved in at school? What are your hobbies?
2. Are there any activities your hoping to get involved in but haven't yet?
3. Based on the academic classes your good at, are there any extracurricular activities that go along with them?

Study Abroad

I am very interested in Studying Abroad. I want to go sometime in junior year. Since I'm a marine Science major, the best places for me to visit are Australia and New Zealand. These places have a lot of unique experiences for marine science majors with the barrier reefs and schooling. I hear that it is pretty hard to apply for Study Abroad and I hated applying for colleges and don't really want to go through that process again. Financially, it is expensive, but i think it's worth it and I'm willing to take out loans if I have to. I also want to do a study abroad over the summer, although I can't do the capstone ones because my sister graduates from college during that time. The passport grants would be great for this and with the way classes arer going right now, I'm hoping I have a shot at getting one.

Capstone Cinema

I went to see the capstone cinema today. I didn't expect it to be that good because it was just a documentary done by a sophomore, but i was pleasantly surprised. It kept me engaged and wanting to learn more. It was all about the Burma soldiers terrorizing the natives, shooting them without listening and raping the women. It showed different stories from the three groups of natives and the things they had to personally go through. The only bad part was I was in the back and so I couldn't see the subtitles and only knew what was going on when they were speaking English. Unfortunately I had a required sorority event so I had to leave 45 minutes in because I would have really liked to hear the discussion that went with the documentary.

First Experience Mentoring

My first experience was a lot better than I thought it would be and ended up being a lot of fun. The 6th grader I'm mentoring is a really cool girl. She is involved in mock trial and plays baseball for a team. She seems to work really hard in school and her favorite subject is math like myself. I'm not sure what her needs are. She seems to have some good friends who she talked about a lot, and feel comfortable at the school. I'm just going to try to be there for her to talk to and listen to her rants when she feels like it. At this point I don't need any resources because we're just getting to know each other and building trust before going into any deeper conversations about academics and involvement.

Wellness

I spend a lot of my time doing school work. I have learned to balance out my schedule a lot more, and it is getting easier for me than it was at the beginning of the semester. I wish I had more time to work out and join other clubs. I hear the kids on my hall talking about their clubs all the time and they sound like a lot of fun. I don't think there is much I can do this semester but next semester when I have an easier academic schedule, I will have a more balanced overall. Discussing wellness, I wish I ate healthier. I ate very healthy back home, but got here and have not kept the nutritional diet in my life.

ACE appointment

My ACE appointment went really well. I really liked the girl I met with Katie, and she was helpful. I didn't have a lot or questions to ask her so I kind of felt bad and it only lasted about 20 minutes. We discussed the transition to college and what classes to take next semester. I liked hearing about how she has the same kind of procrastination as I do, where I'm always doing something, just not the things that are most important. I have no idea what we would talk about if I met with her again. I was hoping to discuss my courses next semester and what I should do about one of them and she really helped me out.

Diversity

Diversity means a difference in backgrounds, beliefs, values, and cultures. Coming from a catholic school makes it so I have little experience with diversity at home. At my high school we are all girls, mostly coming from the same middle class white suburban families who go to church on Sunday. Even when I admitted to some that I was not raised in any faith and that I had never been baptized, it was not taken well and I got a lot of puzzled looks. At a college campus, especially a huge public university, there are people from all backgrounds and different takes on life. It is part of the reason I chose South Carolina. I believe it is a great way to learn about my own beliefs and values by listening to the ideas of others and formulating my own opinion. Sure there are going to be the kids who don't take the idea of diversity as a good thing, but what they don't realize is there actually adding to the diversity of college. I like the idea of all the different, diverse students at USC co existing in a some what structured environment.

Resume

Christen Taylor Armstrong
4110 Lime Kiln Lane
Louisville, KY 40222
(502) 394-0228 (h)
(502) 418-7358 (c)
armstrct@mailbox.sc.edu
Education
2009 – Present University of South Carolina Columbia, SC
Major: Marine Science
Honors: McKissick Scholars Award, Capstone Scholar
2005 – 2009 Assumption High School Louisville, KY
GPA: 3.95 Class Rank: Top 20%/240 students SAT Score: 1360/1600
Athletic Teams: Track & Field (9, 10, 11, 12); Cross Country (9, 10, 11, 12)
Academic Teams: Math League (10, 11, 12); French Scrabble (9, 10, 11, 12); Governor’s Cup (12); Science Olympiad (9)
Academic Organizations: National Honor Society (11, 12); Beta Club (11, 12); Mu Alpha Theta (11, 12); Art Honor Society (11, 12); French Honor Society (12)
Awards: Track Varsity Letter (11, 12); Cross Country Varsity Letter (12); Commonwealth Honors Academy (12); Congressional Art Award (12); Assumption Outstanding 2-D Art Student (12); Principal’s List/First Honors (9, 10, 11, 12); French Scrabble League Champions (11, 12)
Scholarships Awarded: Miami of Ohio General Scholarship; St. Louis University Dean’s Scholarship; Tulane University Merit Scholarship; University of Kentucky Provost Scholarship; University of South Carolina McKissick Scholars Award
Leadership: French Scrabble Team Captain (12); Summer Seminar Leader (10)
Community Service
2007 – 2009 Kid’s Café (Dare-to-Care Organization) Louisville, KY
2006 – 2007 Shively Baptist Daycare Shively, KY
Employment
2007 – Present StarLight Custard Louisville, KY

I made a resume for college and added some to it. It really needs to fill up with more internships related to my major and something other than my high school activities. Also studying abroad would look great on my resume. I feel like if I turned in my resume for an internship right now though, they'd laugh in my face. It is not very good and isn't filled with substantial information and activities that would benefit the job. I'm hoping that everyone elses resume as of right now is like mine and I'm not already behind on getting more job experience and internships that matter to my major.

My major

My major is marine science. If money and education were not factors, I would want to be a dolphin trainer at sea world. Ever since I was little I have wanted to do this, However as I got older I am becoming more realistic about this. This is what everyone wants to do from a marine science major and therefore, the sea world people don't pay hardly anything for this job to be done. On top of this, it is a very competitive job. It would be a very fun job that definitely ties in with my major. I don't exactly know what I want to do in the future yet, however I find marine science interesting so I figure I'll remain in that major.

Campus Safety

I thought the presentation was actually very informative. I didn't understand about all the bus services we could take at night and I am now going to use the cocky's caravan. Some of the stories made me really nervous. I normally don't lock my door at night but I'm going to start now. I didn't realize we had so many policeman on campus. It really makes me feel safe on campus, especially since a lot of my classes aren't out until it's already dark outside. I had also never heard about not getting to close to trains because they can suck you under. It made me sick thinking about the guy who died last year. Over all I think the campus safety presentation was very informative.

Student Organization

My student organization is my sorority. We have meetings ever Monday and Wednesday and I have class on Tuesday and Thursday nights so I have trouble attending other meetings. The sorority is a lot different than I thought it would be. I was debating dropping at the beginning but I've met some really great people through it, so I am going to stick with it. The sorority also makes it so I get involved with other organizations such as Dance marathon, and community service. I was looking for a place I could meet people outside of my hall and classes and that's definitely what I got. Overall I think the sorority will be a positive experience for me.

Hot Cookie Friday

My friends on the floor and I had already attended a Happy Birthday Friday and were looking forward to our first hot cookie Friday. Unfortunately they only come once a month. Luckily we remembered last Friday to go and were there right at 2. The cookies were warm and delicious, who doesn't love to start off the weekends that way. It's a great way to get people from capstone together and they won't look at it like a chore and will actually want to go. I met a few new people and overall had a great time. Unfortunately I couldn't stay long because I had a lecture I had to go to. However I plan on attending this every friday they have it and continuing to get to know the people I live with.

Visit with Professor

My visit with my professor was great. I was having trouble in her class so i went to her office hours to get extra help. I found out that she bikes to school everyday and has a husband and kids. I found out that her favorite sport is soccer also. She explained everything really clearly to me and I'm going to start going every week for extra help. If I had to give advice to someone who was going to meet with his or her professor I would say just do it. It helps a lot. It's really good to get to know your professors personally especially in your major. Come with question ready about what you don't understand and they can practically be your own personal tutor. Usually the professors are happy to help any way they can and like to see that your putting in the effort to do well in their class.

First Experience at Hand Middle School

My first experience at Hand Middle School was great. When I saw the kids coming out of classes and we saw the classrooms and playground I got really excited. I wasn't looking forward to the volunteer experience before but now I think mentoring a kid will be fun. I think this opportunity will benefit not only the child I'm mentoring but myself also. I hope to get a better understanding at empathy out of the experience. I will be focused fully on just listening and not pouring on about my experiences and advice. I hope to build a relationship with whoever I'm with and that it's not completely awkward talking to them. Also I want to make some kind of difference in their lives and that my visits aren't completely pointless to them.

Expectations of Hand Middle School

One of my fears about going to Hand middle school is that I wont have anything to teach them. I am going through a huge transition in my life, I haven't overcome it yet. I don't know how I am going to teach a kid how to be successful in their transition when I am having difficulty myself. I am also not sure what I am actually supposed to do with him/her. Tell me to help them with their homework and tutor them? Yeah I'd be happy to, but mentoring? I've never mentored someone before. In grade school and high school, certain teachers would make us write out our goals and I hated it. I don't know what I'm going to say when they ask me the importance of writing down goals when I don't know the answer myself. I am really good with kids though and have done many volunteer jobs with kids and summer camps so I am glad I will be comfortable with some aspect of the volunteer job.

LASSI

I have taken many "learn more about yourself" quizzes through the years and have never...well... learned anything more about myself. What scared me about this test though, was coming into class on Monday and listening to everyone complain about their scores. They were complaining about the one area they were particularly low in while for me, everything was low except for my motivation. I thought my study skills and drive for being in school were pretty good. I had to study for practically every test in high school and I feel that I know what works and doesn't work for me. The main area I am going to work on in my study skills is not cramming. I am going to start a week before every test and study a little bit each day. The main area I agree with is my motivation. I am very motivated to get my work done and do not procrastinate (unless its on blogs :) ). This is a very good skill to have in college and keeps me a little less stressed.

Past Service Experience

Sophomore year we had an "ACTS" program at my school where we went out to volunteer at nursing homes, disability services, and grade schools every Wednesday. I chose to work in a classroom with 3 year olds and had a blast interacting with the kids. Then junior and senior year, I volunteered at a Dare to Care:Kid's Cafe, a food kitchen/afterschool program for kids in downtown louisville. I had a lot of fun there, helping the kids and getting to know the other volunteers. If we're not there to help others, no one will be there when we're in need of help. Volunteering is very important in uniting the world. I am very passionate about service that has to do with working with kids and the environment. I hope to continue doing service in these areas through the course of my life.

Time Management

I have always been good at managing my time in high school. I went to a pretty difficult school and all my friends had to pull all nighters to get work done while I always stayed a day ahead of schedule. That is until I arrived at South Carolina. It is very hard to get work done when I live with my friends who always seem to have something going on every night. Living somewhere with noise 24/7 is something I'm definitely going to have to adjust to. I plan to start going to the library to get my work done instead of doing it in the dorm room. I keep a planner and write down all the assignments, crossing them off as i finish them. The planner has always worked well in the past for keeping me organized. I also used to make short term goals for myself. For example "I need to finish the math homework and the english introduction before I watch my T.V. show". I always would follow my short term goals and they seemed to help a lot. I plan to make them in college also, making sure to put my school work before social time.

Involvement

I am looking to get involved in many of the activities at University of South Carolina. I have already taken my first step by joining a sorority. Sororities take up a lot more time than I had planned, having meetings twice a week and even more activities on top of those, but i still plan on joining more groups. I went to the Student Organization Fair on wednesday and that was very overwhelming. There were people at all angles throwing fliers at me and I had no idea what to sign up for. I decided to sign up for the scuba diving club, belly dancing, skydivers, SEAS, and I'm going to join the intramural bowling league with some kids on my floor. I am really going to have to figure out which activities I want to get involved in the most though because I don't think I have time for all of them. With the sorority I will be getting involved with dance marathon, volunteering, and other events. I am looking forward to getting involved with all that South Carolina has to offer me.

My first few weeks in Carolina

Up to the last week in April, I still had no idea where I was going to attend this fall. I had narrowed it down to USC or UK. One was eight hours away, the other only an hour. I would know no one at one school, and everyone at the other. I would be assigned a random roommate that could go terribly wrong or room with my best friend. Almost everyone was shocked when I chose South Carolina, myself included. Coming to South Carolina has been a huge change for me. I came from an all girls catholic school of 1,000 kids to a public university where I get weird stares when using the phrase "you guys" instead of "y'all" and when I ask "What are Rainbows? The thing in the sky?" I am so glad I took a chance and decided to leave my comfort zone . I have loved my experiences here thus far and all the new people I have come across. The classes are a lot different than what I'm used to but I have been able to keep up with them so far and actually find them more interesting than my classes in high school. There are so many more activities I can't wait to participate in at South Carolina and I am looking forward to the rest of my freshman year here.