SAIL

David Orr brought up a lot of interesting topics in his climate change lecture, “Designing Resilience in a Black Swan World,” earlier this month on April 4th, but one point has still stuck with me: in order to get people to join the fight against climate change, we have to make sustainability one big party! By this, Orr meant that we have to make it fun and exciting, new and innovative. People have to want to get involved and have a great time doing so. And it’s very well possible! Read the rest of this entry »

In order to make a cohesive group, there needs to be at least some level of happiness.  Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever been asked how important you think your service work is? Well, I have.

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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…

1. Where am I going?
2. What am I doing to get there?
3. Am I on the right track to get to where I want to be?
4. Am I surrounding myself with like-minded individuals?
5. 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!!

-Re’Necia Coda

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.

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.”

–       John C. Maxwell