Diversity Experience

During VEISHEA I went to the Race Machine in the Memorial Union and was able to watch RACE-Power of an Illusion. It's interesting how there are very very very very minute genetic differences (far less than 1 percent) between different races, so little that it really doesn't make any difference at all. Amongst animals, we really aren't that genetically diverse at all, since we really haven't been around for that long. The whole idea of race really is a recent invention in the history of man..it wasn't even considered in ancient times, and has been exploited recently for the purpose of slavery. The Race Machine was kind of fun to play with to see how you would look as different races...although I was really sunburnt when I tried it so some of the images were really distorted unfortunately. :(

One Week More...

It's sad to think that we only have one more week left of class. This class is actually one of my favorite, although I am happy knowing that we will have class together again for U ST. 312. It's been a really amazing experience...getting to know people I already knew a bit better, and getting to know people I had never really talked to before this class. I'm glad I got Amber as a partner instead of Jenna (J/K Jenna! Love you!). Looking at the pairings, it seems like the Hixson peeps did a good job at pairing us all up together, especially with scheduling conflicts involved. I'm glad we finally know our partners and can get prepared for next fall.
It's hard to believe another week has gone by. The week after VEISHEA was a good week for me. After our final IRHA meeting Tyler, Mandy, and I stayed out on Central Campus and went to Jeff's pizza and just stayed up talking until 3 a.m. It was kind of nice just to hang out with them in a non-formal context and just get to know each other a bit more, although I did say some pretty embarassing things about campaniling without really thinking about what I was saying before I said it. That's still something I'll have to work on. Then Friday night Tyler and I went all around Friley trying to convince people to go to the dance party downstairs (I was very dissapointed you didn't come Taylor....grrr.). Last night I went to the Dub H show at Ames High to watch Bia and Jordan perform...they did absolutely amazing! I'm kind of sad that I won't get to see all of my wonderful fellow peer mentors and a lot of my friends over the summer, but I look forward to reuniting with everybody back in the fall. It's going to be an amazing fall semester!
I hope everybody has a good last weekend before dead week. (Dead Week sound so morbid doesn't it?) I look forward to one last class together on Wednesday, so I'll see you all then!

Wrapping Up

So we're approaching the end of the semester (I think I've started most of my entry's with "So") and I am SO excited for next fall. We filled out the Mentoring Confidence sheets and I was pretty confident in everything. Our small group didn't like the way some of the questions were asked though, like "I feel confident in ending a mentoring relationship successfully." We were thinking "Why end it? Just because the class is over with doesn't mean we completely abandon them or cease contact with them. I think it's important for us to still maintain contact with our students even after the class is over with. We should be a resource to them throughout their time at Iowa State. I look forward to the panel this upcoming Wednesday and hearing about the experience of past Peer Mentors.
This past week has been pretty much amazing! Last year during VEISHEA I got the opportunity to see a lot of the entertainment options, but I didn't really get to be a part of highlighting the campus to visitors. This year was much different though. I gave tours during VEISHEA week which excited lots of people visiting campus during the day, I got to perform twice with Dance Marathon on the Central Campus stage, and got to represent IRHA in the VEISHEA parade. I thought the parade was really fun because I got to talk with the Geoffreys beforehand and met Coach Paul Rhoads. Throwing candy at people (sorry...I mean "to" people) was a lot of fun and the little kids were really excited during the parade. It was definitely a really memorable experience. The only downside to our balloon in the parade was after we got done and had to deflate it, Amanda convinced some of us to suck helium out of it. That's kind of a bad idea to do after running around/dancing for about half an hour straight. Just so you know...
Anyway, hope all of you had a fun and safe VEISHEA! I'll see you all on Wednesday!

Campus Resources and VEISHEA Week!

So this week's class we covered campus resources. I already knew about all of them pretty much due to past training, but the sheet with a list of all the office locations and phone numbers is very convenient to have. It's going to be important to not only be aware of all of the resources available for students on campus, but also to be able to communicate exactly what they are for the incoming class of Hixson Scholars. I think it would be really beneficial to give personal experiences with resources if we have used them, as opposed to just talking about something we may not necessarily ever have used.
I met one of the workers at Taco Bell earlier who pretty much perfectly embodies the FISH philosophy. Normally when I go to fast-food restaurants (rarely), the workers there just seem really depressed and don't want to be there at all. The guy working today was really happy to see everybody, kept checking up on people to see how they were doing, and told jokes to pretty much everybody that walked in. It's amazing what just being happy and actually having a conversation with people can do.
Next week we have our Portfolios due...pretty much a compilation of all of the work we've done this semester and everything we've learned. I actually look forward to completing it just to see how much I've benefited from this semester, and using the material in the Portfolio for the actual class next fall. I REALLY want to get started on Orientation this summer, planning and executing Destination Iowa State, and helping to acclimate the new Hixson Scholars to Iowa State. Another reason I look forward to next fall...is I found out my room in Helser next year is the largest CA room, it's the only one with air conditioning, a private restroom, plus the current CA is including an extra storage unit and futon for me...for free! It's pretty much the best room in the building, besides the HD apartment obviously!
This past week has been a pretty fun week. We performed twice for Dance Marathon, once at Greek's Got Talent, and then for the Lip-Sync finals at Scheman auditorium. It made me miss performing like I used to in high school and my first year here before I became too busy. Next week it's going to be VEISHEA though which is going to be a really interesting week! Two exams, Transfer Orientation, Portfolio's due, Leadership Recognition Ceremony, DM performances, and marching in the VEISHEA Parade for IRHA. I remember VEISHEA being one of my favorite weeks last year, and I intend on that being the same for this year. I hope everybody has a fun, safe VEISHEA, and I'll see everybody in class Wednesday!

Teamwork

So this week's class was probably one of my favorites...since we were semi-outside and the weather on Wednesday was absolutely amazing. The activity that Matt and Chelsee planned was very interactive and is definitely something I'd consider trying with my students next semester, since it really did a lot to engage learning. I also liked the perspective the Decision-Making Assessment brought to us. Like I said in class, I scored highest on Intuitive and Spontaneous equally, and then second highest on Rational, which actually does make a lot of sense for me. I like to live in the moment and oftentimes make quick decisions just based off of my feelings, but I don't entirely disregard the facts and I do consider situational factors as well that may influence my decision. So while I do make quick decisions, I do have some rationality behind them most of the time. My lowest were Dependent and Avoidant. Like I said in class, I don't really rely on others for help much and I'm fairly independent. I will provide support and guidance to others and like to spend time with lots of people pretty much all of the time, but when it comes to making personal decisions, I like to be very independent. I guess it comes from never really looking up to too many people when I was young. My second lowest was Avoidant, even though there are some things (like a five page research paper that's due tomorrow...that I started and finished today) I will wait a while before doing. Although I don't consider myself a procrastinator...I don't necessarily put it off, I just need pressure before I can do certain things, such as writing a paper.
The two questions we were asked for accountability were in what positive ways do we contribute to groups we are a part of, and what's a way we can improve. I believe the best way I contribute to a group is through enthusiasm and positive attitude. During my Cyclone Aide overnight retreat when we were writing positive qualities on everybody's back, my most consistent feedback was stuff like "Great energy" "Love the enthusiasm" "Your positivity and enthusiasm are contagious". I always try to be enthusiastic about everything (although it can be a bit overbearing for some people). One way I could improve is by allowing others to contribute or share their ideas. As I've shared before, oftentimes I have a tendency to take charge and overshadow people who may not be as dominant or might not be as willing to verbalize their ideas. I know as a Peer Mentor next year I'll have to make extra effort to include students who might not necassarily want to speak up right away.
Yay! I actually did my entry before Sunday ended. VEISHEA's coming up next week. Who's excited? The semester's nearly over. I can't wait for this summer and then next fall when we get to welcome the 2010 class of Hixsons!