Overall Impressions

Overall, I really enjoyed University 101! I learned about resources on campus, study abroad, and undergraduate research. I liked that we got to know everyone in the class right away. I feel that getting to know everyone so early in the semester really helped everyone open up in class discussions. The fact that everyone voiced their opinions so openly and received other opinions openly resulted in more meaningful discussions. I feel like I really got a lot out of the discussions. They really made me think about topics I had never considered and let me see differing opinions. Even though, overall, I didn't like "The World is Flat," I feel like I got a lot out of the group presentations. They were helpful because we got to hear the Flattners summed up by our classmates and discuss points that are important to us as students.

To be honest, however, the work load for the class turned out to be heavier than I expected. I also didn't like how the research paper was split up and dragged out and as I mentioned earlier I didn't like "The World is Flat." I thought it was the most boring texts I've ever attempted to read.

Blogging was very helpful by letting me reflect on my first semester. It helped me assess how I was doing throughout the semester and helped me make the most of the semester. Even though I have both positive and negative things to say about the course, overall University 101 was a positive experience.

Thanksgiving!!!

The one thing I am looking forward to most is Thanksgiving dinner. I love all of the food (except for the nasty yams with marshmellows). I love especially my mom's homemade mac and cheese and my very own chocolate pecan pie. I'm usually the dessert maker in the family. Last year I made both pecan pie and apple pie for Thanksgiving from scratch. I even homemade the pie crust from scratch. Both turned out great-not to brag or anything. :) Usually we have thanksgiving at our house. My mom and dad usually wake up early to start preparing. Us kids (my brother, sister, and me) wake up at our leisure. When we go downstairs the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is on TV. We sit and watch for a while, and when we get bored, help my parents prepare. My grandparents, my uncle. and my cousin come over to eat with us. My grandfather sits in front of the TV as he always does and watches the dog show that comes on TV after the parade every year without fail. My grandmother helps with preparing dinner. She always brings her homemade potato salad and my grandfather brings homemade roasted pecans (two more of my favorites). My sister and I set the table. I always find some fancy way to fold the napkins and my sister decorates place cards so everyone will know where to sit (even though they inevitably get moved around anyway). When it is time for dinner, my grandfather usually says the blessing. Then we dig in. Afterwards, we keep talking for a while then eat dessert. After eating, my brother, sister, my cousin, and me go outside and run around or throw a football. The adults talk and fall asleep on the couch. Before dark (since my grandpa can't drive in the dark), we say our goodbyes, knowing we probably won't see everyone again until Christmas, my grandma, grampa, uncle, and cousin leave. After everyone is gone we sometimes go out to see a movie. Sometimes we just stay at home and play a board game or something.

This Thanksgiving, however, will be different. For one thing, my brother won't be with us for the first time. He is spending this semester abroad in Ghana. So, we won't be seeing him until mid-December. But also, this year will be different because we are going to my aunt and uncle's house instead of staying at ours. There will be people there that I will not know from my aunt's side of the family. Though it will be different, I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year!

Extra Credit: International Dance Extravaganza

I've never been much into dancing but decided the International Dance Extravaganza might prove to be fun -- and it did! There was a bigger crowd there than I expected. We started by learning the steps to the samba, which is a brazilian dance. We all were facing a wall with a mirror and watching the instructor as she explained the dance. Once we all got the gist of it, we moved on to an Indian dance. This one was my favorite! I reminded me of the dance at the end of Slumdog Millionare, however, we danced to a different song than in the movie. I loved the beat and movements. Next, they showed us a video of a japanese dance. This one was quite unique. It was too long of a dance to learn the whole thing, so they showed us a part that repeats over and over. The fourth and final dance they taught us was the salsa. I really like this one too! I actually have salsa danced before because my cousin is really into salsa dancing and taught me the moves. So, I was glad to get a refresher on the basic salsa moves and learn some new ones. After they taught us those four dances, they repeated the favorites of the group, which were the indian dance and the salsa.

This was a very unique experience for me! I'm glad I went because I really love trying new things. If they did something like this again, I would not hesitate to go!

Leadership

So, what exactly is a leader? What qualities make a person suitable to be a good leader? For me, a leader is someone who can compel a group to willingly follow. A leader must have a goal in mind and a vision to attain that goal. A leader must be able to communicate exactly what the vision is and persuade followers to become passionate about it. There are numerous qualities that are necessary for becoming a good leader. One of my strengths as a leader is my openness to new ideas. Another strengh is my dedication. I will do whatever it takes to get a project done. Also, my inventiveness is a leadership strength. I can think outside of the box create new ways to get a job done. One of my weaknesses is my introvertedness. This is a weakness because leaders should be assertive and fearless. Also, due to my introvertedness, I don't feel like I connect well to other people. A good leader should be able to create good relationships.
This semester I havn't really made a difference at USC, but next semester, I hope to run for a minor leadership position in a student organization that I attend. I have also considered becoming an RM.

Mentee Conversations

My conversations about academic success and involvement went very well with my mentee. As far as academic success, she told me that she has all As and Bs. She determined that her goal is to make all As. I asked her how she thinks she can achieve her goal and she said she could study harder in the classes she is making Bs. We then went on to discussing several study strategies she could try.

As far as involvement, she has expressed to me that she would like to join the chorus next semester. This past meeting, however, she told me that she might be moving in January and might have to go to a different middle school. So, she may not be able to join the chorus. Currently, she is involved with the step team at a church and wants to join the step team at Hand.

Me and my mentee are connecting by playing computer games. Every time we meet, she leads me to the library and goes to a computer. She likes a website called funbrain.com where all of the games are educational. We play the games together and talk as we play.

I don't know how I will say goodbye to my mentee at our last meeting. I feel like I've barely had enough time to get to know her, and we already have to say goodbye. Maybe, I will bring her a gift or something. I will tell her how glad I am that I got to know her and I will wish her luck for the years to come.

Capstone Cinema

I went to see "The Sam Spady Story" to count as my Capstone Cinema. The presentation was quite moving. A speaker talked to us and then showed us a video about a college student named Sam Spady who died from alcohol poisoning. She had a very outgoing personality. She was class president in high school and prom queen her senior year. In college, she went partying at a sorority house with a group of friends and she was drinking all night. She was so drunk she couldn't walk. Her friends laid her down on a couch not realizing how wasted she actually was and left her there by herself. Her body was found dead the next morning while someone was giving a tour of the building. After her death, her parents created the Sam Spady foundation to make college students aware of the risks of drinking. The presentation was very effective. It explained the signs of alcohol poisioning and how to handle a situation if someone experienced those signs.

Capstone Conversation

This blog post is actually really delayed since I went to this event quite a few weeks ago. I went to the Capstone Conversation when President Pastedes spoke. He talked about making the most of your college experience and life. He told us to get involved as much as we can, to discover our passions, and to take risks. He recounted a story about a time he took a risk in life that I remember because I thought it was funny. Patrick Hickey asked him to go skydiving with the USC skydiving club last spring. He was very hesitant but eventually decided to do it. On the plane, the first tandem pair would jump out and yell "GAME." The next pair would jump out and yell "COCKS." The next would yell "GAME," and so forth. When it was Pastedes turn, he remembered hearing his tandem partner yell "COCKS" and before he knew it, he was falling from the sky. The funny part is after they landed, Pastedes said to his tandem partner as they parted, "Well, I guess I'll see you around campus." His partner replied, "You won't be seeing me around campus Mr. Pastedes, I go to Clemson."

Extra Credit: Truffles!

I had never seen a truffle in my life until I went to this presentation. The speaker, Chef Pernell, was very enthusiastic about truffles (obsessed may be a more appropriate word). He let us know right away that truffles have been a passion of his since he tryed his first one in the late 1980s. He went through a powerpoint presentation that included everything you would ever want to know about truffles. I learned that a truffle is a type of fungus that can only be found by a female pig because the scent triggers sex hormones. Lately, however, dogs have been trained to sniff out truffles. There are two main types of truffles. White truffles are quite rare and are found mostly in Italy and can be priced as high as $3,000 per pound. Dark truffles are found mostly in France and are cheaper than the white ones but are still priced in the hundreds. I was really surprised about the price. I also learned that truffles are found growing at the base of only certain types of trees (two of which were oak and hazelnut trees). The truffles and the trees have a symbiotic relationship (they both benefit from each other somehow). The presentation included two short videos. One showed how pigs and dogs scavenge the truffles. The other video showed some sort of church ceremony in France where they were passing a basket of truffles around and the people added money to the basket. French people take their truffles seriously. After the presentation, Chef Pernell took us to the kitchen where we all sampled a truffle soup that he prepared. I was impressed by how much I liked it. I am not a huge fan of mushrooms but the truffle soup had a more mild taste that I really enjoyed. He also had chocolate truffles for us to try. These were amazing as well (especially since chocolate is my weakness)! He told us that the name for chocolate truffles was derived from truffles since they look similar (same size and shape). I'm glad I went to the presentation and got to experience truffles!

Spirituality

Religion, faith, and spirituality are different. Religion is a set of beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's life by explaining the purpose and meaning of life. Faith is someone's individual belief in a religion's beliefs and practices. Spirituality can be an aspect of a religious experience but may also refer to one's individual belief (not necessarily affiliated with a religion). For me, religion and faith have played a major role in setting some of my values in life. I grew up in a Catholic family and we would always go to church together every Sunday. I've received baptism, first communion, reconciliation, and conformation in the Catholic church. These are the first four of the seven sacraments which are very important in Catholicism. My family also celebrates all of the Christian holidays. I personally, however, am not too spiritual. Over the past few years, I have been having opposing thoughts on some of the Catholic beliefs. Hoping to strengthen my faith, I continue to attend mass weekly at St. Thomas Moore here at USC. I also have joined the Newman Club, which is the Catholic student organization.

Relationships

Some new relationships I have formed here at USC include those with teachers/faculty, classmates, the people that live on my floor, my mentee at Hand, people I've met in student organizations, and other random people I've met. All of these relationships can potentially advocate my success at USC. Good relationships with teachers and faculty will allow me to ask for recommendations when looking for a job or applying for something. The relationships I've made with my classmates and the people on my floor has allowed me to have an open mind by showing me other viewpoints and opinions (especially during the discussions in U101). My relationship with my mentee at Hand has also allowed me to keep an opened mind, however, in a different way than with my relationship with my peers my age. With my mentee I get to see life from the perspective of a middle schooler which is clearly different from a college student's perspective. The relationships I've made with the people in the student organizations I go to favor my success too. These are people who share some of the same intersest as me. This group of people is very diverse since there are three very different student oragnization meetings that I attend weekly. Attending these meetings and meeting these people has helped me focus on what I really want and value in life.

Each of these relationships offers something different and makes me a stronger person in one way or another, which ultimately advocates my success.

Wellness

I feel like I am leading a balanced college student life. I probably spend most of my time studying. I sometimes go to the SI sessions for calculus and chemistry. I go to three student organization meetings per week. I fit in time to practice piano for my lesson each week, and I go to the gym several times per week. Sometimes I meet a friend for lunch or dinner. On weekends I either go to a football game, go on a trip with the mountaineering and whitewater club, or go home. On weekends I usually don't wake up until 11 AM. I wish I had more time during the week to practice piano and go to the gym. I honestly don't know how I can fit that into my current schedule. I've been thinking of signing up for a phys. ed. class next semester so I will be forced to get enough exercise.

First Mentoring Experience

My first mentoring experience went very well. She gave me a tour of the school. She showed me her classes, her locker, the cafeteria, the track outside, and the basketball courts where she has recess. She is a very sweet girl and is very close to her family. Her older brother sounds like a troublemaker. She told me that last year he managed to fail all of his classes. My mentee, however, is very smart. She is taking advanced classes and is making good grades in them. Her parents are separated and she lives with her mother. She told me that she likes to take care of her mother. Last weekend her mother was sick and she did whatever her mother asked of her until she felt better. Her mother works at one of the sorority kitchens at USC. From what I understand, her lack of involvement right now is due to her mother working late hours and not being able to pick her up from an after school activity. My mentee plans to join the choir at Hand next semester. I hope this works out for her.

Diversity

The word diversity is such a vague term. When I hear the word, the first thing that comes to mind is racial, cultural, and religious diversity. However, during my time at USC thus far, I've learned that on top of race, culture, and religion, there are so many more types of diversity. Diversity is defined by every aspect of humans: personality, beliefs, values, appearance, gender, backgrounds, family income level, etc. These are the things that set people apart from each other and make the world a more interesting place. Imagine a world where everyone was the same--it would be so dull. Thank goodness for diversity!

At Hand Middle School, there is a high level of diversity. The differences in age, maturity, and family income level among the students provides for a richly diverse school. I can't wait to see more diversity through further experience at Hand!

ACE

This week I failed to schedule an ACE appointment. I called to schedule one on Thursday, but I was told there are no available times on either Thursday or Friday. So, for this blog, I will write about a writing ACE appointment I had a few weeks ago.

English is my least favorite subject, and I needed desperate help with writing a paper for English. I had a rough draft for my paper but was having some organizational issues that I didn't know how to resolve. Also, I needed help with focusing my argument and deciding exactly what the argument was in my paper. I always have the worst time writing papers, so, hoping ACE could help, I scheduled an appointment. At the appointment, the writing coach sat down with me and read through my paper aloud so both of us could more easily hear the mistakes. This was really helpful because as she read aloud, she pointed out where revisions could be made. She helped me learn some organizational techniques that really helped me focus my argument. Also, she was very nice with explaining the flaws in my paper.

I would definitely recommend the writing ACE sessions. ACE isn't only for those of us who are bad writers (like me), but also for good writers that want to make their paper even better. A second opinion never hurts!

Advising/Major

I am a biology major and a music minor. At the moment, I really don't know what I want to do with my major. I chose it because I've always been interested in biology. I might want to go into genetic research, marine biology, or dentistry/orthodontisrty (all very different desires-I know). I almost majored in marine science because I have an interest in marine conservation. However, I wanted a broader major, so I chose biology hoping it would keep my options open and and hoping to be able to explore other branches of biology to find which one I am most passionate about. I chose my minor, because after 11 years of piano lessons, 8 years of playing clarinet, 4 years of marching band, learning a lot about music theory, etc, I could not bare to part with music. I don't think I could make a career out of music but I most definately want to keep it in my life and develop my piano playing abilities to their full potential. Perhaps I will teach piano lessons, play piano in church, or do something else low-key with music while pusuing my real career in biology.

If money and education were not factors, I would travel. I want to explore the world and experience different cultures (this desire is probably due to the fact that I've never left the country and that I love trying new things). After traveling, for a while, I would settle down somewhere. I want to learn Italian and live in Italy for some period of time in my life. (My mother is full-blood Italian and has lived in Italy. The way she describes it, the life-style there is so much more appealing than in America-not to mention to food is really good!) Since Italy is a penninsula in the Mediterranean Sea, I could definately pursue a marine biology career in Italy. Also, people in Italy need dental higene too in case I want to be a dentist/orthodontist. I'm sure I can work something out.

Mid-Term

So far, I'm really enjoying life at USC. There is so much that has been great-like my first USC football game. I've only experienced high school football games and I was a little surprised to see everyone so pumped up about the USC game. I felt like there was so much more energy in the student section at William's Brice than at my high school (probably since it is WAY bigger than my high school's student section). Other things that have been great are the clubs I've joined (Newman Club, Mountaineering and Whitewater Club, and SAFARI Club) and the people I've met. My classes aren't too bad either-I'm keeping up with the work and making good grades.

The only thing I can think of that has been hard is eating right and finding time to go to the gym. I am normally really good about eating healthy, but since I've been at USC, I've found it hard to resist eating the entire restauant portioned meals. And even though I feel like I'm walking more that I did at home since I have to walk everywhere, I still wish I could get some time in at the gym. I've only been a few times this semester. I think the gym's distance from Capstone is a turnoff for me sometimes, but also, I haven't taken the initiative to work it into my schedule. So, something I am going change is managing my time better so I can make it to the gym three or more times a week. Also, I will make a stronger effort to eat healthier.

Service Learning

The name "service learning" can be very misleading. At first you may think one person serves while the other one learns. This, however, is not the case because service learning is a learning experience for both participants. To better understand service learning, one must have a clear understanding of the words "service" and "learning."

Service, in the context of service learning, is volunteering your time to provide a helpful activity with clear goals to meet the needs of the community. In our case, the activity is mentoring and our goal is to aid at-risk sixth graders with their transition into middle school. We will provide advice to our mentees to help solve their problems and hopefull make the difficult transition into middle school a smooth one for them.

Learning, in terms of service learning, means to gain knowledge on a subject, in our case mentoring, and all of the elements that accompany it. With mentoring, I hope to gain knowledge and experience with communication, interaction with the community, collaboration, and diversity.

Through the mentoring program we will provide mentoring to sixth graders while learning what they think about middle school, we will give advice to help them through their transition.

Campus Safety

I was looking forward to hear about campus safety from this "Brotha Man" guy that I've heard is really funny, so I was a little disappointed when I walked in and saw we had a different speaker. Though it wasn't as exciting as I had expected, I still feel like I learned some things I didn't know before. I didn't know about all of the night shuttles and vans. Also, I learned that you could get a cop to watch you walk at night to make you feel more safe at night. Both of these could be useful to me because I've had to walk back to my dorm alone when it's dark and have been a little scared when I can't see what's around me well. I'm glad I already lock my dorm room at night because it would be easy for someone from outside to slip in through the stairs without anyone noticing. I'm also glad you have to swipe your card to get into the building at night, because one time I came back from a football game and this sketchy guy followed me and my friend in through the first door. Me and my friend were both hesitant to swipe our cards with him there. After he tried to open the second door and realized it was locked, he asked us if he could by drugs there. When we answered him "no" he finally left. Me and my friend thought he was an idiot to think you could by drugs at an on-campus dorm! If we had swiped in and opened the door, he could have easily walked in behind us and done who knows what. From the presentation, I also learned about the train track laws, and that if you stant too close to a train, it can suck you in. Overall, even though it wasn't as exciting as I expected, the presentation was very informative and I learned a lot.

Information Technology

I've joined three student organizations. First I joined the Newman Club. This is the Catholic student club. I was looking for an organization for Catholic students to enrich my faith in my religion. This organization was up to par. I really found what I was looking for because I can compare and discuss my own thoughts on the religion with other people's ideas and opinions. I plan to stay involved because I feel like I am learning a lot.

Another group I've joined is the Mountaineering and Whitewater Club. With this one, I was looking for a way to get away from the monotonous, busy city atmosphere and a way to be more active. I'm really excited about this one because they are planning on going on several really cool weekend trips this semester. Some of the things they do is hiking, rock climbing, caving, camping, and of course whitewater rafting. I've never done any of these things but have always wanted to. I plan to stay involved with this organization because I want to experience these things. I'm so excited for this weekend because I get to go on a whitewater rafting trip!

A third group I joined is SAFARI (students advocating for Africa's regional improvements). I only joined this one because a friend told me to. I didn't even know what it was. I'm really glad I joined because it is about devastating issue I'd never heard of. Apparently, in Uganda, there is a rebel army called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) led by a man named Joseph Kony. He started the army to rebel against the Ugandan leader in hopes of overthrowing him so Kony can become the leader. The army raids villages and kidnaps children to make them soldiers. The children are taught to terrorize and kill. Recently, LRA attacks have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The SAFARI club is about raising awareness about this issue and raising money for an organization called Invisible Children to stop this. At meetings, we discuss funraising ideas. I plan to stay involved with this organization as well, because I think I can contibute to raising awareness of the issue.

Meet Your Professor

I have never visited a professor during office hours, and probably never would have if it weren't for this assignment. I was a little nervous before I went to see him, but luckily the meeting went better than I expected. I met with my math professor, Dr. Androulakis. I prepared a few questions to get a conversation started and from there the conversation took off. I learned that he is from Greece, that he has taught in Texas and Missouri, that he really likes the friendliness between faculty in the math department, and that he is not a sports fan. He also seems to be a really affectionate husband and father.

I am really glad I made the visit with my professor. Now I will not hesitate to meet with my teachers during office hours if I have a question. If someone asked me for advice before meeting with a professor, I would say to be open-minded. Also, go in there having a general idea about what you want to discuss. This will make the meeting go smoother.

Hand Middle School Visit

After visiting Hand Middle School, I feel a little more confident about mentoring a student. The meetings seem like they will be more laid back than I had imagined. Before the visit, I pictured the meetings being in a classroom with the two of us sitting at desks staring at each other. I was relieved to hear that we have free roam of the campus. This should allow me to learn more about my mentee by varying the setting and let her personality shine through. I was also happy to fill out the interest form so that I can hopefully be paired with someone with similar interests. I hope I can get my 6th grader to be more involved and help with her transition from elementary to middle school.

I hope to gain a better understanding of diversity. The director explained to our group that Hand Middle School is made up of the "haves" and the "have nots." I was inspired when she went on to explain how the school works like a community. They put aside their differences and do whatever it takes to give every student an equal opportunity. I'm excited to witness this diversity with my own eyes.

Patrick Hickey

I am very excited about having the opportunity to mentor a 6th grader as he or she goes through the transition from elementary school to middle school. I still remember how much I hated the transition into middle school. I hope I can make my mentee feel more comfortable than I felt through this transition. I am anxious to hear what my mentee is experiencing. I don't really know what to expect. I always tend to think the worst: What if my mentee doesn't talk? I don't talk much myself, so I really hope the mentee has a lot to say. What if he or she doesn't like me? I'm scared I'm going to say the wrong thing. I feel like the handbook and in-class training helped calm my fears. I'm sure once I start talking with the mentee, I will know what to say. Even though I think of the worst, I hope for the best!

Academic Success - LASSI

I feel like many of my LASSI results are lower than they should be. For instance, I got a 10 for attitude. I think this score should be higher because I have a very positive attitude towards college. I want to do well in college because I know that good academic performance in college will help me get the job I want after I graduate, but I also want to have a fun college experience. One score that I think is well deserved is a 10 for time management. I am a procrastinator. When I know something is due the next week, I put it off until the day before it's due and am always overwhelmed with the amount of work. I sometimes plan to space the assignment out over the course of the week, but I still somehow always manage to procrastinate. To improve this I could make a to-do list. I already use a weekly planner, but a to-do list can help break up the tasks. Also, for a long assignment, I could to break it up and assign myself small portions of the big assignment each day until it's due. Another LASSI score I agree with is the motivation score. This is my highest score although it is only a 60. I am very motivated to do homework because I think it is dumb to do poorly in a class for not doing the homework. I am also motivated to study for the tests because I want to make good grades. If I do not understand the topic, I will seek help by going to the SI session.

Service Learning Experience

I regret that I have a limited amount of service experience. The only service I have done was for my economics and government classes and to fulfill my National Honors Society requirements. For economics and government, I volunteered at Harvest Hope Food Bank. I helped with sorting produce such as oranges and onions into separate bags for families. Also, I helped restock the shelves at the food pantry. This experience was very fulfilling because I knew it was for a good, needy cause. For the National Honors Society, I volunteered at Relay For Life. I chose this service oportunity since my grandfather was a cancer victim. I don't know whether to even consider Relay for Life as community service because all that was required was to show up. However, I did help with preparations. I decorated and wrote names of cancer victims on paper bags. These bags were later filled with sand and a candle, then they were placed around the track of our high school's stadium and lit. During the event, I walked around the track.

Accademic Success

I plan to stay organized by using my Mortarboard planner. I write all of my upcoming assignments and plans in it. I consult it every day to see what's due next. During most of highschool, I used a weekly planner as well and that method seemed to keep me more organized and less stressed. For a year, however, I didn't use a planner. This resulted in a much more stressful year. I relied on my memory and it was hard to keep everything straight. So, for college I will definately go with the planner.

My name is Candice Ellison. I was born in Richland Memorial Hospital, lived in Winnsboro, SC until I was three when I moved to Lexington, SC. I have lived in Lexington ever since. Me, my brother, and my sister are very close. We get along most of the time. I have an older brother, James (almost 21), who is a senior at Clemson. He never smiles normaly for pictures which explains his goofy smile in the picture above. This semester he is studying abroad in Ghana, Africa. He is a biosystems engineering major. He played trumpet in high school and continues to play at church at Clemson. I have a younger sister, Audrey (16), who is a sophmore at Lexington High School. She plays saxaphone in the band and is interested in fashion. She hopes to one day own a clothing store with her best friend. I am a biology major at USC and hope to pursue a music minor. I'm still not sure what my plans are after college.

Science has always been my favorite subject. Last summer I had the opportunity to volunteer with the sea turtle patrol group on Edisto Island. At the beginning of the summer, during "laying season," I helped them find turtle tracks early in the mornng and mark the turtle nests. Later in the summer, during "hatching season," I helped take inventory of the hatched nests and every once in a while there would still be a hatchling in the nest. On two occations, I got to lead the baby hatchlings to the water and watch them get washed away into the ocean. This was a truly incredible experience.

I play piano and clarinet; however, I like piano better. I've been playing piano since second grade (11 years). Throughout high school I've participated in numerous piano festivals and auditions. Also, all throughout high school, I participated in the marching band. This had a very positive impact on my life because I learned some valuable life skills and met many friends. The picture below is me with two of my friends at a marching band competition. I've known the one on the left for thirteen years! I've gone on numerous trips with the band. With the marcing band, I went to Oahu, Hawaii and got to play patriotic tunes at Pearl Harbor in front of the USS Arizona Memorial. With the wind ensemble, I went to Orlando and got to play with Bob McGrath from Sesame Street at a music teacher's convention. This year (again with the wind ensemble) I went to Coke World in Atlanta, GA and to the Chatenooga Aquarium in Chatenooga, TN. One of my proudest accomplishments was making it into AllState band. Every year in high school, I have made it into Region Band and have gotten call backs for AllState. This year, I finally made it into AllState! Some of my hobbies/interests include music (listening and playing), kayaking, tennis (even though I'm not good), and biology.

Before I came to USC I wasn't sure what to expect. I had mixed feelings. I was excited for a new venue but also nervous of how I would adjust. I was scared I wouldn't like my roomate, that I would have no friends, that I wouldn't be able to handle all of my classes, and that I wouldn't be able to find my way around campus. I actually had a dream before move-in day where my roomate didn't speak english!

Luckily, none of my preconcieved notions have come true. So far, during these first few weeks at USC, I am enjoying college. I have met so many new people and have learned about many of the opportunities available to me on campus. I have already joined the Newman Club (Catholic campus ministry) and plan to join some other organizations. The Student Organization Fair was very helpful. It had representatives from almost every club on campus. It was a great way to see what clubs are out there and to get more information about the clubs of interest. Two clubs I may potentially join are the mountaineering and whitewater club and the SEAS club.

The Carolinian Creed is a good creed to live by. The creed is something I would like to live by to make me a better person not only as a student, but for life. It outlines many of the values I already live by and wish to strive for to become the best person I can be.