The END

U101 was actually pretty amazing.. I enjoyed the class more than I thought I would. I enjoy having a really chill class where I can just come and talk to my peers. I liked having a class where I could get to know everyone in the class. I enjoyed the conversations that we have in class everyday. I enjoy hearing everyone's opinion. Everyone in our class is so outgoing, so its fun seeing how different people are and their opinions on different subjects.

I like blogging for this course. It is a good way to reflect on the things we do in class and mull over the ideas we talk about. It allows me to think and further the ideas we talk about. The topics that we had to blog about corresponded perfectly to the things we did.

For U101, I loved mentoring. that was my favorite part of the class. Today was the last day of my mentoring experience, and it was super sad. She asked me if I would be coming back, and it was hard for me to tell her no. I really enjoyed being able to form a bond with her; it was definitely a highlight of my semester.

I also enjoyed going around to different organizations on campus and learning about the resources we have on campus. Without those days, I don't like I would fully know all about the resources South Carolina has to offer. I'm extremely thankful I took this class.
Its been fun, and I'll definitely miss it.

Thanksgiving!!

OMG I LOVE THANKSGIVING! I'm super excited to be home! It feels good just being with my brother and mom this week. I didn't realize how much I missed them. As soon as I saw them though, it just felt good. I typically didn't LOVE thanksgiving before. I mean, don't get me wrong, I liked it, but I think being away and coming home has made it ultimately AWESOME. I love thanksgiving.
When I was little, my brother, my mom, and I used to go to Chicago to see my family. We would leave school early to begin our 8 hour drive. We would get there sometime Tueday night, and go out for pizza with my step brothers. The next day, we typically spent with running errands, or just having a lazy day. Thursday, my entire family would go to our grandma tex's house. It was always a TON of food, with soo many options. Her little house would be packed, but it was always amazing. Friday, we would go Black Friday Shopping in downtown Chicago. That was always packed and crazy. Thinking back, I sometimes wonder why my parents took us there. It was a lot of hassle... but they knew I loved going, so they took me. The day after Thanksgiving is typically the day that they bring out the Christmas decorations. There is just something soo special about being downtown when the lights first turn on...
Now though, since I'm at USC we can't go to Chicago. But my mom's family is coming over to our house for Thanksgiving. I'm excited to see them again! I can't wait for Thanksgiving!

<3 Leadership <3

I've always thought of myself as a leader. The idea of letting someone else have control over me seriously drives me crazy. I've never really been a follower. I mean there are certain situations and scenarios where I'm willing to just hang out in the back seat, but for the most part, I tend to be the leader. I think honestly that a strength that all leaders should possess is knowing when to take a step back and let someone else take the reins. There are certain situations I know I can't handle so I'm more than willing to let someone else step up and conquer. Or there are situations when I see that someone who is less likely to step up is trying to, so I let them. I think a good leader recognizes that; if someone who is typically a "follower" is putting in the effort to lead, and you know its got to be hard for them to break out of that shell, then sometimes its better to just step aside. I guess what I'm trying to say is that a good leader recognizes that its not always important to be THE leader.
Another one of my strengths is that I'm super intuitive to people's feelings and body language. I can read just about anyone. If I spend about 15 minutes with someone, I can figure out what they're thinking, their strong points, and their weaknesses. I'm a people-reader; a trait that I think is super important in a leader. A leader should know who they are delegating to and the chances of that "issue" getting done.
WEAKNESS: STUBBORN
Ohhh mannn I'm stubborn about some things. More the most part, I would say I'm usually flexible, a very go with the flow type individual. But if theres something I've made up my mind about, thats it. I can be flexible about almost everything, but if I'm set on something happening a particular way, mann it takes a BIGGGGG force to change my mind. I just have this vision of how something should happen and I get sooo wrapped up in it that I have a hard time letting it go.

I plan to make a difference after my first semester, I plan on getting involved in college republicans. Because of a class I took this semester, I wasn't able to do it this semester. But I will next semester and hopefully I can gain some type of leadership position there. Or I was also thinking about being a U101 peer leader maybe? I think I could pull it off... :)

MENTORRRRINGGGG

My talks with Alexus about academic success are going beautifully. She has good grades, or at least thats what she tells me, and she tells me about her study strategies. We talk about tests and quizzes that she has upcoming that week and go over how she should go about studying for them. I think on the topic, we're okay.
Involvement is somewhat different. She is involved in chorus at Hand but I think that is about the extent to which she is involved. She did tell me that next year she wants to try out for cheer-leading, because sixth graders can't be on the team. I asked her if there was anything she could do in the mean time, but she said she wasn't really interested in anything else... so I guess I should work on finding something for her.
I think last week was a huge break through for us. She kept asking me questions and introducing me to her teachers and peers. Her comments were like "isn't my mentor nice?" or "isnt she sooo cool?". It was good to see that she's finally come around to accepting me. She even made me a "thank you for being my friend" card. AWWW :)

Saying goodbye.... ummm that's going to be hard. I don't know how I'll do it. maybe I make her like an inspirational card or something to hang in her locker... I don't know I'll think about it :)

Spirituality

According to Dictionary.com:
Religion: a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

Faith: belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion

Spirituality: predominantly spiritual character as shown in thought, life, etc.; spiritual tendency or tone.

To me, religion is the specific domination or practice that you believe. Your religion defines what you believe and how you live your life. Faith is your acknowledgement that there is a higher power and Spirituality is a connection to that higher power.

I don't necessarily define myself as a religious person. I'm a non-denominational Christian: I believe that Jesus was the son of God; that he died on the cross to forgive my sins and rose on the third day; I regularly pray. But, to me, a religious person is someone who devotes their life to God. And while I wish I could say that I have, at this point in my life, I haven't. For that reason, I define myself as a spiritual person. I think it would be hypocritical to compare myself to people like Mary Grace, who have clearly devoted their lives to serving God and living His word.

I do, however, feel like I have a connection with God. I pray when I'm scared and in need of strength. I pray when I'm sad and in need of uplifting. I pray when I'm angry or frustrated and in need of patience. I pray when I feel that someone else needs God's love in their life. I trust that God will show me the right way, in some form or another. For me, though, I seek to make that connection stronger. I want to WANT to live my life by His word; I want God to live through me.

USC is HUGEEE when it comes to religion. I feel like it's even bigger here than it is in Tennessee. Everytime you turn around, its there. Whether it is the nice ministers giving out those little green Bibles around campus, or that crazy man that stands in front of Thomas Cooper, yelling that we're all going to Hell, religion is something that is hard to escape. I think religion has had a HUGE influence on the culture of the South. But it doesn't bother me. I actually enjoy that fact that the society I'm living in follows God's word. It feels natural, and I don't know if I could get along in a place that wasn't so open to religion.

Relationships

While being at USC, I've had to form completely new relationships. I've left everything I've ever known behind in Tennessee, and while it's been an adjustment, I have had to form new bonds.

Probably the most important bond I have is the one with my roommate. Alexis and I are super close, both being from out of state and all. We really seem to get each other, which is good. Alexis is VITAL to my academic success. She doesn't let me skip classes, which not gonna lie, would certaintly happen every Tuesday and Thursday morning if not for her. She also makes me focus when I'm trying to do my work but get distracted. (FACEBOOK.... ) In return, I try to help her with her homework. I'm a pretty decent paper writer, so I help her with thesis statements and such. I'm her shoulder to lean on if she's having a hard week.

I've also made friendships with different people in my hall. It would be hard to imagine my life without Justin and Zack. They live across the hall and I'm basically their third roommate. There's a running joke that their room is my room. In fact when I introduce them to people, I typically call them my roommates without thinking. They play a huge part in my life. Then of course there's Natalie and Krystin :) They live down the hall. I basically spend every night with them. Whether we're in my room, their room, or Zack and Justin's, we're one big family. These relationships have come to make USC feel like home. Without them, I don't think I could be successful. They've made me truely happy and I think that is a very important part of success.

My sorority has also helped me form some relationships. My big is awesome!! I don't know if I would have stuck with my sorority if it weren't for her. She is basically the bomb. She's a helpful resource if I ever have questions, but also basically just awesome to be around.

USC has turned my life upside down. I can't think of anything that isn't different. But its a good different. And I'm excited to see what these new relationships have in store.

Capstone Personal Challenge--- Veganism

As my personal challenge, I decided to go Vegan for one entire week. Now, on the surface, this may seem like a simple task, but let me tell ya, Veganism is hard core. By being vegan, one can not only not eat meat, but also any other animal by products. Do you like milk? Well too bad, you can't have it if you're vegan. This includes yogurt, milk chocolate, some soups, creamers (so coffee's out), cheese (goldfish? I don't think so mister), and sooo much more. Do you like eggs? Whoops, can't have those either. Muffins? nope they gave eggs. Cookies? humm yep they have eggs too. Veganism is hard; it takes a lot of dedication, especially if you're a food lover like myself.

But I found that throughout the week, Veganism wasn't that hard. If you take yourself away from the food that you can't have, you're not tempted to cheat. As long as its not staring at you, tempting you with it's delish smells, veganism is tolerable. Heck, it's even somewhat enjoyable. There's something refreshing about putting natural food in your body. Your body responds differently; you have more energy, you feel lighter. And yes, if you don't take the necessary precautions, veganism can be quite unhealthy. But supplements and vitamins take care of that; I started taking a multi vitamin which can make up for some of the nutrients my diet may lack.

Now, I'm not gonna lie. I could have never done it without the support of my roommate and friends. 4 of us made the decision to go vegan together and throughout the week we relied on each other for support. Having that type of buddy system in place really helped me succeed in my goal. I'm also happy to report that all 4 of us made it through the entire week :)

Now that the week is over, we've all had different responses. Natalie decided to stay vegan; she loves it. Krystin is now a vegetarian, I think. My roommate Alexis went back to meat, but light meat only. I think she'll eventually cut down to just vegetarian. And myself? Not gonna lie, the day after I had the best patty melt I've ever eaten. I also enjoyed that Twix bar. And the Goldfish. Oh and the baked ziti. But after my day of gluttony, I realized that veganism wasn't all that bad. I felt sick after gorging my body with the things that I had deprived it of for a week. My body was used to the vegan way, so I went back to it. I'm now back to veganism, for the time being. I don't know how long it will last, I guess I'll just have to see where my vegan journey takes me :)