As another birthday passed, I began to reevaluate my life and where I stand as a person. When I look back to a year ago, I was wondering where I would be attending college, what my major would be, what classes would I take, would I fit in, would I be home wick…well, you guys (and girls) get the picture. Essentially, my future felt unknown. Fast forward to a year later, here I am at George Mason, an illustrious university, where I have declared my major and know where I want to go (for the most part at least), but with that said, so much happens in such a short time frame. I have experienced many different situations over the past year, many of which I never thought I would experience. I thought I was independent in high school because I had a job to buy things I needed and a car to drive around in. Coming to college, I’ve realized independence means so much more. Independence means acknowledging and meeting deadlines, handling personal affairs, being efficient in daily tasks, balancing different aspects of one’s life, etc. College has really changed me, definitely changed me for the better. I feel that I am amble to manage my own affairs better now. I can make intelligent decisions on my own, decisions that do not involve parental consent, and I am perfectly fine with that. In addition, I have learned to appreciate my parents so much more as a result of coming to college. So with that being said, as time progresses, don’t forget to reflect and check to see where you are in life. Questions I often ask myself are…
Where am I going?
What am I doing to get there?
Am I on the right track to get to where I want to be?
Am I surrounding myself with like-minded individuals?
What can i do to improve?
I have found that a checklist sorts out my life and helps me to analyze where I am and helps me arrive at where I want to be. I really hope this helps you all, too!!
Of what you could consider last week one of the worst weeks that America has dealt with, I’d like to take the lead (teehee) and bring some lighter news with a few stories that can warm your heart a little. Read the rest of this entry »
(short little disclaimer…I am so proud of Mason for offering such a course which gives students an oppurtunity to learn about social engagment and context!) So, if you have visited the Mason website recently, I am sure youhave seen the news headline about Psych 427. In this class, students get to learn about social contexts and the complexities of a situation(e.g. homlessness). Read the rest of this entry »
Over the last week America their has been alot of unexpected mass deaths. When tragedies like the Boston Marathon and the explosion in West, Texas, American’s from all different back ground and believes come together with the common interest of finding a way to get to the next step. It almost like automatic communities engagement. Right when 9/11 happened it didn’t matter what gender,race,or sexuality you were we came together to find who attacked us. If only America could keep this mindset everyday and not just when their is tragedy. I feel that we could truly take our nation to the next level.
The ideas connected to this collage is that you have to come together and work as a team in order to complete a task. It is the main objective of every group.It is just like like walking. If all of the muscles didn’t work together then you would fall and not be able to get up. When your muscles work together amazing things can happen. Just like in real life…If you can’t work together at all then you will not be able to complete anything. Teamwork is truly the key to all success.
When ever I go back home to visit, people are always interested in how my studies are going. They ask the questions that we as college students always get, “What’s your major?”, “What do you want to do with that?”, “How are your grades?”; which is fine its just that people don’t ask the right questions. College isn’t just about grades and what we’re studying all the time. It’s also about the experiences we have and the skills we develop.
Earlier in the year we had a guest speaker come to our LLC class and she was telling us about her experience and how she came to working here. Towards the end of her talk she mentioned that grades and degrees don’t really matter we’re done with school. When we start looking for jobs that actually relate to our field of study they won’t be asking us about what grade we received in our introductory chemistry class (thankfully); what they will be looking for is a well rounded student: good grades – of course, but most importantly for someone who is adaptable to their environment, who can speak their mind and can get the job done efficiently, quickly and envolve all team members.
I don’t know if you noticed, but these are all qualities that make a good leader. Leaders are those who stand out and after spending two semesters together we’ve learned that each of us have the capability and skills to be a good leader. All that’s missing is our will to do what we think should be done, and to actually see it through.
Before I use to believe that being a leader was the person that was always telling someone what to do, or had to do it. No, a leader can be anybody at any given time of the day. Taking that first step to help someone that is struggling or asking a question about information that you do not understand are some example of leaders. Everyday you could be influencing a persons’ life and not ever realize it. Leadership is not a something that you learn but a trait that comes with time and experience. Setting an example, improving from your mistakes, and learning from them help you as a person but can influence someone else with out even realizing you did. Everyone is a leader in his or her own little way.
“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”
Now that my first year of college is now dwindling down to its last couple weeks, its kind of bittersweet. I have made some great friends and a lot of memories to hold on too. Being away from home and having to do thing everything on my own has made me mature a lot. Leaving my comfort zone and coming to Virginia was a huge deal, I was excited to get away from home and learn what it’s like to become an adult. Over those months that I’ve been at Mason I have learned a lot about myself, and the type of leader that I am or becoming. I was always the one to just go with the flow and not really same much. Being apart of this Living Learning Community has really brought me out of my comfort zone and made me realize or go about situations differently. I am glad that I was able to experience being apart of such a wonderful organization.
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”
We’re at the point in our lives where we’re making more decisions now more than ever before. We’re faced with a million decisions a day ranging from whether or not we decide to get out of bed, go to class – which aren’t always the easiest – to what we want to do for the rest of our lives. These choices, regardless of how easy or difficult some of them may be, are all dictating our future in one way or another. It’s hard to see 10 years down the road when we can hardly see past the end of the week.
But that’s probably enough discouragement for one blog post.
There’s two sides to every coin. The weight of each of these choices also gives us the ability to decide who we want to be. Never have we ever had so much independence to be exactly who we want to be. Why not go after it? Why not start right now? Why wouldn’t you be the person you’ve always wanted to be?
If Kid President wasn’t inspirational enough, I suggest you take a listen to this song.
“If you’re loved by someone you’re never rejected, decide what to be and go be it”
“Every person you will ever meet knows something that you don’t” – Bill Nye
I read this quote about a month ago and it seemed to really strike a chord with me. This past semester we’ve talked a lot of using our differences as an instrument of social change and engaging our community more effectively. Being at Mason, surrounded by people who call so many different places home, has caused me to open my eyes a little bigger and hold my arms a little wider. I felt so convicted and compelled by the simple truth that we have so much to learn from one another.
This idea has changed the way I see people, interact with people, and further encouraged me to continue to step out of my comfort zone. What greater perspective could we have toward one another? College is one of the few times we’ll be surrounded by so many people our own age, why not capitalize on these opportunities?
So take this thought for what you will, whether garbage or maybe some food for thought, I hope this can serve as an encouragement for each of you throughout these last couple weeks left in the school year.
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