Serving & Learning Together

When Lina first gave us our service learning assignment, I'm not going to lie...I wasn't very thrilled. I didn't really see the point in selecting a random student to tell them about their dream career. Don't they learn that stuff in school? Fortunately, our student completely changed my view on this project. The student we were assigned was an 8th grade girl named Angelica. Angelica is an aspiring chef. The first assignment we completed with Angelica was a dream career collage. The collage was supposed to serve as an icebreaker, which was needed since we were all strangers to each other. We sat at a circular table while talking, cutting out pictures, laughing, and getting to know each other. Before we knew it, 2 hours had gone by! Our collage turned out to be a pretty neat masterpiece.

The second task we were assigned was to create a PowerPoint presentation that was filled with information about being a chef. The presentation should include average salary, top chef schools, what classes to take in high school, how long it will take to train, etc. It was challenging to create a PowerPoint with such complex information on the 8th grade level. Angelica appreciated the PowerPoint. I think it gave her a little more insight on what to expect as a chef. The third assignment we completed with Angelica was a short career essay. We sat down with Angelica and assisted her in writing an essay based on the information in PowerPoint and other research she had done outside of our meetings. The last activity we engaged in with Angelica was creating an action plan for Angelica's near future. The purpose of the action plan is to lay out all the steps that Angelica should take starting now in order to reach her goal of becoming a chef.

When reflecting back on this service learning project I realized how important of an opportunity this was for my partners and I. Knowing that I could potentially make a difference in this little girl's life was what motivated me. I think Angelica was blessed to have this opportunity whether she knows it or not because not all kids get this opportunity. The most challenging part of this project was getting Angelica to be comfortable around us. I didn't like the awkward atmosphere that surrounded us. I felt that it kept her from asking questions and engaging in conversation. Luckily, the dream collage activity took care of that.

Not only did I learn a lot about Angelica over the four weeks, I also learned a lot about myself. Before this, I thought that I could only work with little kids because every time I volunteer for something I always pick the young ones. This activity showed me that I can work with older kids too. I appreciate this activity because it broadened my horizons when it comes to working with youth. I almost like working with older kids better because it was easier to make a connection with Angelica than with a 5 year old.

In the end, what impacted me the most was Angelica's growing appreciation for the information we were presenting to her from week to week.

Why Do I Deserve A Full Ride?

Too much income for federal help…not enough income to do it by ourselves. Welcome to the world of middle-class families. As time advances and the economy fluctuates, the price of college tuition continues to rise. However, the income of parents of soon-to-be college students does not. As a high school senior, I have been pondering my college options more often than not. One of the major deciding factors is of course, cost. As much as I don’t want it to be, college cost makes a big difference in whether or not I apply. I think it’s unfair that some students don’t get to attend their first choice college because of cost. I don’t want to be one of those students. That is why it is important for me to receive of full ride scholarship.

As my parents went to through the financial aid process with my older sister, I started to notice how difficult it was for her to receive need based scholarships. What I couldn’t understand is that where there was a need; it was not available because the need was not great enough. From that moment I realized that income really does play a major role in financial aid. I want a full ride because even though my parents are stable, they’re not in a position to pay my whole way through college. Another reason I want a full ride is because I deserve it. I have worked way too hard throughout high school to not be able to go to the college of my choice because my parents can’t pay for it. I am more than just an income. I am an investment.

Ever since I was young, my parents always taught me to plan ahead. For this reason, not only I am thinking about college, but I’m also thinking about my post-college life. Chances are, after college graduation, I will have an entry level position at some company with an entry-level salary. If I am living on my own, I will have bills to pay and groceries to buy. Once all of that is taken care of, my paycheck will be a little bit of nothing. Now imagine if I had student loans to pay. What if I decided to start a family? Or what if there was a sudden emergency and I didn't have the extra money to take care of it? With a full ride, I would never have to worry about student loans. As I get older, I realize that there are certain types of debt that I'm not going to be able to avoid. Why would I add student loans onto debt that I'm already subject to? I want a full ride because I can't see myself still paying off my student loans when I'm 40.

Senior year is one of the most stressful times for a teenager. What would make it even more stressful is if you finally get the acceptance letter from your dream college, but later decline the acceptance because of cost. I don't want this to happen to me. A full ride is not only what I want, but what I need and what I deserve.

Residence Life with Summer Scholars

Getting a new schedule, finding a park, and being independent really made me feel like a college student. However, living at Scott Residence hall is what really iced the cake. I have never had so much fun with people I've only known for a week. When I first found out about my roomates, I didn't complain because I was hoping I got 3 people that were completely new to me. This would give me the oppotunity to get to know them better and make some new friends. I assumed that it would be extremely awkward living with 3 complete strangers. I wasn't all the way wrong. The first day or two was a little wierd just because none of us were comfortable. But, by the second day we were all laughing, dancing, and playing games together. As time went by, I got to know my roomates for who they really were...not just what I heard about them.

Another challenge I faced during my week on the dorm was time management. It just so happened that I had a history test scheduled for Thursday so I knew that I would have to set aside some time to study for that. Also, there were several activities scheduled for us and my friends were all inviting me to come to their rooms and hang out with them. It was hard for me to tell them no, but I had to learn how to prioritize: homework before friends. Luckily, I took off work this whole week so that was one less thing I had to juggle. I found out that the easiest way for me to keep my time straight is to write a daily schedule starting with what I do when I get out of class. In my schedule I included study time, sleeping time, lunch/dinner, my service learning project, and any other activities I wanted to participate in that day.

The last thing I would like to talk about is all the fun I had with the RAs. The RAs were very nice and easy going. Whenever we needed something, they were right there to help us. They also engaged in all of the actvities with us, such as sand volleyball, mojo hunt, etc., which was fun because it gave me a chance to get to know them better. They let us hang out, watch TV, and play games, but they also repeatedly reminded us that we were still in school.

Throughout the week, I have accomplished many things: I got closer to all of the summer scholars, got to know my RAs well, I practiced the difficult art of time management, and I made several memories that will last forever.

Signed,
Jasmine =]

My First Week as a College Student

My first week at Summer Scholars was very interesting. I've never felt so independent. When I first looked at the map and my class schedule, I was overwhelmed and became very nervous. I didn't think I would be able to figure out where to park and how to get to my classes on my own. I soon became fond of this challenge. After a couple of days, I got really comfortable and I really started to feel like a college student.

The class i am enrolled in is American History since 1865. The information is somewhat fresh in my mind being that I just took that class this year in high school. I am also pretty used to the lecture type classes because we have Large Groups at Westside. My professor is very nice and his voice is very dynamic. I think the most challenging part of this class is keeping up on the reading. Those assignments can get quite lengthy. Even though I like my history class, I must say that my favorite class is College 101. As time goes by, I realize how important this class is. The information about scholarships and college applications are all things I am going to be putting to use in the next few months. It's comforting to know that all of the multicultural affairs staff have our best interest at heart and that they will always be available for any questions we may have not just about UNO, but about college in general.

Throughout the first week, I've learned to give myself a little more credit when it comes to my independence. I've also learned that I am a little more prepared for the application process than I thought. My first week wasn't perfect, but it was defintely fun. I enjoyed meeting all of the other Summer Scholars. I am looking forward to getting to know them better. I am also looking forward to completing my service learning project with Marcela and Alex. Our student seems very interesting. I hope both her and I will benefit from the activities we do together.

Signed,

Jasmine