Capstone Service

My Capstone Service project was volunteering at Cocky’s Reading Express. When we went for orientation I was so excited. The video they showed of all the site visits was so sweet and seeing how excited the kids were got me very anxious to start. The majority of my volunteer hours were spent at the library putting stickers on hundreds of books that were then going to be given away to the kids on the site visits. Over the course of the semester I probably stickered 500 books, if not more. I did not mind it at all. It was somewhat relaxing and gave me some down time during my day. When I finally got to go on a site visit, I was so excited! I went to the Hand Middle School reading night to help out. It was so cute seeing how enthusiastic all the kids were and so intrigued by Cocky.

Capstone Challenge

My Capstone Challenge was going to the Challenge Course. I was very nervous because I do not like heights and I do not have a lot of upper body strength. I went with my roommate and one of our suitemates. I was pleased when I got there and it was only girls that showed up; that made me feel more comfortable. I let my roommate go first so I could see how she did and if it was going to be super hard. She did fine but it still looked scary. When it was my turn I made sure I took the easier route. I was shaking most of the way up, but when I made it to the top it was a great feeling of accomplishment. The next part that I almost did not do was the free falling swing. I HATE roller coasters and the way they make my stomach feel. At first I said I wasn’t going to do it, then I said I would but I would not go all the way to the top, then once I was up there I decided to experience it fully. It was definitely scary and my stomach felt like it was in my throat, but the feeling of accomplishment I get from saying I did it is great.

Capstone Social Event

                   The Capstone social even I chose to go to was a Hot Cookie Friday. I had never been to the Study Shack before, so it was good for me to find it and become familiar with it. I loved that it was not too crowded so everyone got a chance to talk to one another and Dr. Hickey. The cookies were delicious and there were multiple activities for everyone to partake in. Some people were playing Apples to Apples (the card game) and a lot of people were playing Wii bowling. I just stood around and talked to people and ate cookies but it was a good experience. It gave me a chance to meet people I would normally not know and just broaden my horizons. I did feel more comfortable though because a few girls from my hall were there with me as well. I would definitely go to another!

Capstone Cinema

The Capstone Cinema I attended was one of the Japanese films during International Week. It was called “Spirited Away.” I was forced to pick one of the International films as my Capstone cinema because all of the other movies this semester conflicted with my sorority chapter meetings. I was really not looking forward to watching an international film. I was afraid it was going to have subtitles which I HATE! We (my roommate and I) got there and the theater was fairly empty. We then realized it was an animated movie, which I hate almost as much as subtitles. So I was ready for a long, horrible movie. It started and luckily it was in English. I was very hesitant at first, but at the movie progressed and actually got REALLY into it. I had to option of leaving early with my roommate who had to go to church, but I stayed and finished the whole movie. Surprisingly it was really good! My roommate who was just as hesitant as I, enjoyed it as well and actually finished watching it on the computer when she got home.

Capstone Conversation

I attended the Capstone Conversation by Harlan Cohen. It was put on my Carolina Productions, but counted as a Capstone Conversation. Harlan is the author of the well known book “The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into In College.” I had heard a little bit about the book before going to the conversation, but didn’t know much about Harlan. He started off the conversation by singing a funny song and playing the guitar. The plot of the book is about Harlan’s freshman year of college and how he walked in to meet his roommate for the first time and found out he was a nudist. He has family pictures of ALL his family members (even his grandma) naked! The book tells you how to cope with weird situations one may face in college. Harlan was hysterical and I really enjoyed the conversation. He interacted with the audience which made it even more enjoyable. 

Service-Learning Wrap-up

                What I enjoyed most about my service experience was my on site trip. I went and helped out at the Hand Middle School reading night. It was fun getting to see all the kids so excited and interacting with Cocky. I wish there were more site visits that I could have participated in, but they were all during the week when I had class. I found my service site somewhat beneficial, although all I did was sticker books. However, knowing that the books were going to be given away to kids for free was nice.

 I definitely want to try to go on some site visits in the future. Hopefully they will not conflict with my classes next semester, or sometime in the future. I also would not mind going in every once in a while to volunteer or sticker books if they need extra help. I will definitely keep Ellin’s email address.

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving break I found a ride back home to Atlanta, GA. I got home around 7:00 Tuesday night. My sister got home from Tulane University around midnight. The next day my grandparents (my mom’s parents) drove down from Knoxville, TN. On Thanksgiving day I had Thanksgiving lunch in Douglasville, GA with my boyfriend, his mom, uncle, grandparents and cousin. His grandma is such a good cook. Everything was delicious. I ate so much that I passed out for about a two hour nap. Later that night I then had Thanksgiving dinner with my family. I don’t think I have ever eaten so much food in one day. Today I went to the mall for Black Friday to go shopping and get good deals. I was supposed to get up at 3:00 this morning to go but ended up sleeping through my alarm. I have never been before and wanted to at least go once in my life. There were definitely a lot of people there! It was crazy!

Sustainability

I somewhat live a sustainable of a life, but not really. My roommate and I recycle aluminum, plastic, and cardboard, and turn off all the lights when we leave our room.  I consider a sustainable life to be healthy, caring about your body, others, and the environment. I am not very healthy and continue to work on it. I have started trying to eat healthier, but I still need to start going to the gym. I sleep too much and tend to be lazy. I do care about others but not really the environment. I do not litter and I recycle some, but when it comes to volunteering or doing stuff outside to help the environment, I never do anything. I will admit I do not really care about the environment, but I know I should. To be more sustainable I should try to do more walking and drive less to help the environment.

Career Center Presentation

For Thanksgiving I am going back home to Atlanta, GA. My mom’s parents are driving down from Knoxville, TN and my Aunt is flying in from California and my Uncle is driving from Albuquerque, NM. We’re having Thanksgiving dinner at my Aunt’s house who lives about five minutes away from me. Earlier on Thanksgiving day I will be in Douglasville, GA having Thanksgiving lunch with my boyfriend and his family. I have to make sure I don’t eat too much at his Thanksgiving so I have room left to eat at my family’s dinner.

When I grow up my dream job would be to own my own clothing boutique. I don’t plan on doing an internship this summer but I am required to do an internship before I graduate. Once we finished our presentation at the Career Center, I set up for me to job shadow and got a lot of helpful information. As of today I have changed my major from Business to Fashion Merchandising. I didn’t know I could job shadow as many times as I wanted to, so I found that extremely useful from the presentation.

Financial Responsibility

I see myself as financially responsible for the most part. I get $150 a month from my parents and then divide it into $37.50 a week. I keep an excel spreadsheet of all my expenses and add them up to see how much I have left to spend each week. I do tend to go over my budget sometimes and end up having little to no money left at the end of the month.

When I graduate I would like to be financially stable and not have to depend on my parents for ALL of my income. I want to get a well-paying job and be able to pay for my necessities and still have some left over to shop! I need to start being more careful on what I spend my money on and before I buy anything think “Do I really need this?” If I don’t, then I should put it down and save my money for something better.

Stress Management - Bert Medlin

A lot of work and homework assignments I do not understand stress me out. Also if I happen to have a busy day, planning it out so I get everything I need to get accomplished will stress me out. Sometimes I will get stressed just trying to decide what to do with my time, like if I should go out one night or not.

                If I get stressed out I either watch TV, do something fun on the computer, nap, or talk to my roommate to take my mind off of it. My roommate is also good at giving advice to sometimes help me with whatever is stressing me out.

                My service site has not been stressful at all. It is actually somewhat calming when I go. I just sit at the table, listen to music and sticker all the books. It give me time to relax and not do anything too “mind provoking.”

Brain Rules Chapter 11&12

               I have managed my time not amazingly. I tend to wait until the last minute to do homework and assignments. I am a very big procrastinator which I am still trying to work on. I also still have two more Capstone semester requirements I need to do (social event and Capstone cinema). I want to try to have them done before Thanksgiving break so I will not have to stress before/during exams.

                I do not really wish I had more time for anything. I have enough time to do homework, hang out with friends, nap, and participate in my sorority. I have too much time I think is what leads to my procrastination. I am very satisfied with my schedule and amount of free time this semester, but I am worried about next semester. I am afraid it might be much harder and stressful. I got lucky this semester and had it pretty easy.

Healthy Carolina

               I do not consider myself healthy at all. I do not watch what I eat, nor do I work out often. I am trying to work on this and within the past week have tried to stop eating as much junk food and snacking so much. I need to go to the gym more too. I have only been a few times. I think if I take some of the classes it will make working out more fun for me.

                I have made some really good friends here at USC, especially with the people on my floor. My roommate and I are best friends and we get along great! I am so glad I met her.  Jess (my roommate) is definitely a support to my success. She works out a lot and does very well in school. She is a good influence and I need to be healthier like her. She eats well, goes to the gym about every day, and is very studious. 

Spirituality and Religion

Religion, spirituality, and faith are not all the same. Religion to me is more organized and structured. Spirituality one can have without belonging to a certain religion. Someone can be spiritual but not go to church. Faith I consider to be just a set of someone’s beliefs and morals. I think of it as in between religion and spirituality. I relate the most to faith I guess. I’m not very spiritual nor do I go to church, but I do have a set of beliefs and morals that I like to follow.

                The culture of USC and the South reflect religion, spirituality, and faith. USC is definitely more religious than what I’m used to being around coming from a public school where you couldn’t discuss God or anything religious. People here seem very into their religion, spirituality, and faith and take pride in it. It is most definitely a change.

Study Abroad/National Student Exchange

                I am very interested in studying abroad and maybe the national student exchange. I don’t think I could do a whole semester abroad but I definitely want to consider a Maymester or a summer trip. It would be a great experience for me to get to experience another culture and travel. I have never been outside of the United States and college is the best time to do it. It is the cheapest opportunity I will ever have to travel so far. It also seems really easy to get help to study abroad. The process does not sound too hard or long.

                If I could go anywhere I would want to go to Australia. I have heard so many great things about it and it just seems like it was be so much fun! I would want to go to an English speaking country because I do not want to have to struggle with a language barrier. I would get too frustrated and I feel as if it would put a damper on my trip.

                I don’t have a favorite part of my service site yet because I haven’t gone on any location trips.

Brain Rules 7 & 8 - Emily- A student leader's perspective

                 I define leadership as a position help by someone who has initiative and others can look up to. This person has good decision making skills and can handle being in charge of a group of people and advising them what to do. This person can be assertive without being rude and can get tasks done on time.

                I have been a leader in sports and organizations. Also in class projects/activities. I was captain of one of my basketball teams and co-captain of one of my volleyball teams. In school organizations (such as FCCLA) I held leadership positions. I’m good at being in charge of groups of people and assigning different tasks. I am very assertive and want to get whatever needs to be done accomplished to the best of my ability and on time.

                I definitely want to have leadership roles within organizations on campus. I want to hold some position within my sorority and eventually be in charge of something in Carolina Productions.

Diversity

               Before coming to USC my definition of diversity was no different than what it is now. I still consider it as a variety in people depending on their race, culture, ethnicity, morals, and/or beliefs. My view of diversity has not changed, but I have seen a different type of diversity than when I was in high school. Here at USC there is more economical diversity. There are also more people at USC from many different countries and backgrounds than there were at my high school. At high school we would have a few foreign exchange students every once in a while but nothing compared to here at USC. At home there were definitely more African-Americans than there are here at USC and in Columbia, but here there are more races; before it was basically just white or black. I am also getting to experience “northern” culture. I’ve never met so many people from all over the United States and I get to see how different they are from me and other people raised in the South.

                I haven’t gone on any site trips for my service learning project yet so I have yet to experience diversity in it.

Brain Rules Chapters 5&6 - Diversity

The South Carolina traditions I have partaken in so far are the First Night Carolina and the First Year Reading Experience. I have yet to experience the Tiger Burn but I cannot wait for this! It sounds so exciting and something that the entire student body gets excited on and can share together. This year’s First Night Carolina was very interesting to say the least. It was pouring down rain so basically everything got ruined. We did not get to go to the stadium and we were all soaking wet sitting in the Russell House ballroom. The rain put a damper on the mood. Everyone was just cranky and bummed out so many people left which made it much less enjoyable. It was supposed to be a time where the entire freshman class came together and participated in something. The talent acts they chose to perform were very awkward and not interesting. I am guilty of leaving before it was over.

The First Year Reading Experience was very pointless. I didn’t read the book and I know a lot of other students didn’t either. There was no point in reading it other than us sitting through the long discussion about it and then not having an assignment or anything. I’m not complaining about not having an assignment about it, but there really was no point to us having to read the book.

Alcohol and Fall Break

              I wasn’t in class for Brent’s presentation on alcohol so I’m going to discuss alcohol.edu. Surprisingly I learned a lot more than I thought I would during alcohol.edu. I learned what the average drink size is and that a lot less college students drink than I thought. Only about 30 percent of college students drink alcohol. In the survey I put that I thought it was somewhere around 80 percent. Overall alcohol.edu was beneficial but it was quite redundant and was way longer than it needed. Part two was fine because it only took about 20 minutes, but part one took around two hours and repeated a lot of the same things twice. Another thing I didn’t like about it was the videos were made as if they were directed at a younger age group. The way the people spoke and explained things sounded as if they were talking to middle school kids.

                Next semester I am planning on taking Math 170, another women’s health class, anthropology, English 102, and then I’m not sure about the 5^th class yet.

                For Fall break I came home to Atlanta, GA to help take care of my mom. A week and a half ago she had a mastectomy and is recovering great! My sister came home for her fall break too from Tulane University.

Brain Rules Chapter 3&4-Undergraduate Research

                My time at my service site has been good. So far all I’ve done is put stickers on the inside of books that will later be given to children. I can’t wait to go on one of the trips to the schools so I can interact with the kids. I have a date I’m already signed up for on November 4^th at the Hand Middle School reading night.  I love kids and am so excited to see the looks on their faces when Cocky comes and we give them books. I’m really good at making kids excited about what they are doing which will especially be great in this situation since it will overall better their education. I have not volunteered anywhere else this semester but I am going to get more involved in Habitat for Humanities. You have to participate in a certain amount of meetings and activities in order to go on the builds.

Mid-Term Exam

                My favorite memory of the semester so far would definitely have to be Bid Day. It was just so exciting and fun getting to meet all my new “sisters.” If I could do anything over it would be studying harder and farther in advance for my first psychology test. I waited until the night before and after my first sorority function. Let’s just say I didn’t do too well on it.

                My goals from the beginning of the semester are pretty much the same. I still want to do well in all my classes and need to work out more and try to stay healthy. The only new goal I have added is to try to go to psychology every time. I have been finding it easy to miss class because he doesn’t take attendance and all he does it read us powerpoints that he posts online. Since I did so poorly on the first test I am making myself go to class and take notes. I am pretty much on track to complete my goals by the end of the semester, but I do need to start going to the gym more.

Brain Rules Overview/Midterm Review

              I am so glad I went to the Majors Fair. When I was applying to colleges I couldn’t decide if I wanted to put Business or Fashion Merchandising as my major. I ended up putting Business but when I got to USC and started talking to more and more people, I really wanted to look into changing to Fashion Merchandising. When I went to the fair Jimmie introduced me to the Head of Recruitment for the Hotel, Restaurant, and Sports Management College. He was unbelievably helpful and informative. He said we could set up a meeting and see what all I would have to do to change majors and what classes I would need to take next semester. He even offered to give me a private tour of the college.

                I am almost 100% going to change majors now. I had advisement for the Business school later that afternoon and it just didn’t seem as interesting to me. What I want to do when I graduate is exactly what Fashion Merchandising teaches and prepares for. I also love how many (great) internships the Fashion Merchandising program offers.

Campus Safety Presentation

              Most of my classes are going well! The only one I am slightly struggling with is psych 101. I’m having a hard time finding motivation to ALWAYS attend class because all the teacher does is present PowerPoint presentations that he then posts online I could read for myself. After I didn’t do so well on the first test, I am now making myself go to class every time and take notes. I am just going to have to put up with the boringness and suffer through to make sure I succeed and maintain my GPA.

                The two classes I am enjoying the most are my Calculus class and my Women’s Studies class. I like both of the teachers a lot and they make everything interesting. I’m doing well in both class which is always a good thing. I did well on my first calculus test and not that great on the second test but that’s ok. I’ll just study harder next time. On my first women’s studies test I got a B- which is not perfect, but I definitely have room for improvement. 

Service-Learning Site Visits

                After visiting my service site (Cocky’s Reading Express) I am so excited to go ahead and get started! I love kids and I can’t wait to be a part of something that will make them so happy and energetic, especially about something that will better their education.  I really liked the environment of the library we went to and the women in charge were very nice.

                I’m concerned I might not get to go on a site visit. The timings of all of them are very conflicting and they already have other volunteers. We will mostly be doing intern work in the offices at the library, which is fine, but I hope I get to go on at least one site visit so I can interact with the kids.

                I hope to gain more appreciation for the things I have and the fact that I have such a great availability to books and resources. I’m hoping that this experience will help me like reading more.

Patrick Hickey - Presentation

                So far my experience being a capstone scholar has been great! I love living here and being surrounded by academically driven students like myself. The requirements are not hard or time consuming at all and it will look really good on my resume that I was a part of the capstone scholars program. I haven’t completed any of my 5 requirements for the semester yet but I have planned out how I am going to. This Wednesday I am going to the Harlan Cohen discussion and my service through our University 101 class will count as my needed service.

                Surprisingly, my experience so far has been the exact same as my expectations. I have met great people, learned great skills, and been pushed to get involved. I love the atmosphere of capstone and all the teachers and advisors I have met have been incredible. Everyone wants each other to succeed and do well not just academically but personally.

Time Management, Goal Setting, Personal Challenge

             The goals I set for myself on my Student Engagement Plan were to do more community service, stay active, join a club(s), and learn more about my major and perhaps change it. The easiest one will probably be the community service just because I will get a good amount done through our University 101 class. The hardest for me will definitely be staying active. I do not like working out, so that will definitely be a struggle for me. Luckily my roommate is very active and likes working out so she will help push me.

                My personal challenge is to stay as healthy and fit as possible. I want to work out as much as I can and try to start eating healthier. I have NEVER eaten healthy in my life. I am a sucker for junk food and I hate vegetables. I just need to plan certain times during my week that I will set aside for going to the gym and I need to start being more conscious of what I eat.

Academic Success

             For the most part I agreed with my LASSI results. The main one that I found to be completely off was my attitude score. I scored a 1 which I thought was absolutely ridiculous. Luckily, Sam in class said that was the one score that most people agree with and find wrong so I wasn’t worried too much. Concentration I also scored a 1 on which I didn’t agree with. I agree that is low, but I don’t think it’s that low. My highest score was on anxiety where I got a 75, and I agree with that. I have been known to get pretty anxious about things, especially school.

                I scored well in information processing which I use in my everyday life. I am good at verbal elaboration and organization for sure. I keep all my things organized. I plan to change my scores just by working on my weaknesses over this semester. I would re-take the test next semester to see how my scores have changed and what I have improved upon.

Service-Learning Training

                I used to go to Catholic school where we had to have a certain amount of service hours per semester.  The main place I would go to do service was a shelter for homeless mothers and their children. I would bring dinner to them and provide child care. I have always loved babysitting and get along well with children so I enjoyed it a lot.

                I’ve never had service connected to a course so I’m excited to see how this semester with University 101 goes. It should be interesting to see how we connect what we do outside of the classroom with what we learn in the classroom.

                I want to be involved in Habitat for Humanities. I signed up for it at the Student Organization Fair and I’m really excited! I’ve always wanted to be involved with that organization, but never knew how to get connected. I’m glad it was so easy here to find out information about it and immediately get involved.

-Sorry for being late! =[

Labor Day-No Classes

                This past weekend for Labor Day I went back home to Atlanta, GA. A week before the holiday I decided I wanted to try to go home if at all possible and started looking for a ride. I wasn’t having any luck until my roommate found me a ride! Her best friend from high school (Dakota) and her roommate (Morgan, who is from a suburb of Atlanta) were driving over for the weekend to go to Morgan’s lake house. Luckily they had one more seat available in the car so I got to ride with. I decided not to tell my parents I was coming home so I could surprise them! I’m not very good at keeping surprises just because I get so excited and want to tell everyone, but I was good this time and kept it to myself.

                When I pulled up to my house on Friday, I called my house phone and my mom answered. I told her to go check the front door step because I had sent her a package and it had been delivered.  She opened the front door and freaked out! I surprised my dad about 15 minutes later when he got home from work. I stood so he didn’t see me when he walked in and then popped up and said “Hi Dad!” He was speechless.  I was so excited to be home and see my dogs. It was sort of weird being home though so soon after leaving for college. I caught myself calling South Carolina home which was definitely odd to me.  My parents were so excited to see me and spoiled me all weekend. They took me out to dinner and kept taking me to get ice cream. It definitely made me miss home, but I also missed South Carolina and couldn’t wait to get back to my dorm and all my new friends. Overall it was a successful weekend and I had lots of fun!

Involvement-Student Organization Fair

              Walking around the student organization fair was definitely overwhelming along with exciting. Having so many people close together talking about their clubs and trying to hand you their flyers was a little much. Having so many different options and ways to get involved was the exciting part. In high school I was never too involved other than cheerleading, but that’s because there weren’t too many options. Here at USC, there are so many different organizations and clubs that interest me that now I’m having a hard time choosing what I want to do with my free time!

                The two organizations that I will most likely join are Habitats for Humanities and the Belly Dancing Club. They are both so different, yet I am very interested in both. I have always wanted to do Habitats for Humanities but was never quite sure how to get involved or where to go back at home to get information about it. The Belly Dancing Club just sounds like so much fun and I am a pretty good dancer so it shouldn’t be too hard. In both clubs I will get to meet a diverse group of people that all share a similar interest with me which I find awesome.

                If I could start one organization here at USC it would definitely be the Coloring Club like we discussed in class yesterday. I think that sounds like an awesome idea and a great way to relive stress. Many people sounded interested in it, so I don’t think it would be hard to get people to participate and join. Whenever I get bored I always find myself doodling and coloring random stuff, so I think it’d be a great idea for a new club here on campus. 

Lifelines-History of Carolina and Carolinian

                My expectations here at USC are to find lifelong friends and get the best education possible. I want to take advantage of all the opportunities that arise and do everything to build my character and resume. I know while I am here I will meet some of the most interesting and nicest people imaginable. By the time graduation rolls around I hope I don’t even want to leave.

                My biggest adventure so far would definitely have to be rush. It was exciting, emotional, and overall and once in a lifetime experience. I met so many amazing people. I love the diversity among the student body here; personality wise and geographical. I am so intrigued with all the different locations people come to USC from. Their lifestyles and cultures are so different. During rush you definitely have to put yourself out there and not hold back. It made me step outside of my comfort zone and meet and talk to people I would normally not. In the end, I was VERY pleased with the results of me becoming an Alpha Delta Pi.

                The only unexpected things I have encountered were me being late to a few classes. It is very unlike me to be late to anything, especially a class! I have overslept a few times and I have to adjust to not having anyone there to wake me up (i.e. my parents) and make sure I go everywhere I’m supposed to on time.