Serving & Learning Together

Our service learning project with the future middle school students was a very interesting experience. Most of our kids were fun, happy, indecisive, and a bit shy to begin with. My first day meeting my pupil was pretty enjoyable. He seemed willing enough to do the collage project and he got quite comfortable talking about himself with my partner Mynesha and I. This seemed like a promising start so we found time on two more days to go work with him.

We managed to get the collage done, but it seemed like an impossible task to get the other three projects underway with just one day left. Unfortunately I found out that afternoon that he hadn't even tried to turn in his permission slip to his mom. We got her contact information and called and emailed her a number of times to tell her about the necessity of the permission slip. She never returned our calls or replied to the emails. We also can't just waltz on up the the middle school to work with them anymore, so we are now royally stuck in a pickle.

It was somewhat of a relief to hear that we only had to complete and turn in the first two projects, but it was also a bummer. The whole point of this project was to have a good time being a mentor and help the kids think about their futures. I guess this time around fortune just turned its back on us. I enjoyed working with my student while I was there, but in retrospect I see that none of them really appreciated what we were trying to do with them. The vibe that I picked up from most of the kids was that they just wanted to do what they had to do and get out of there. I understand that because those teachers/proctors were terrifying, but that is no excuse for not turning in the permission slips. I would have been a perfectly fun time to meet with them elsewhere, but I think they just pulled the wool over their parents' eyes because they could.

I was disappointed that the middle school teachers didn't try harder to enforce the right rules. All they did was yell at the kids about being quiet and getting in line for the bus. They did not seem interested in getting the parents informed about the projects and I felt like we were encroaching on their personal time because they never stopped glaring at all of us. It seemed that they just got into doing this project with us to boost their PR. Epic fail.

Another thing I thought was awkward was the amount of driving I had to do to get there. I spent more time driving down there and back home than I spent working with my kid. That was a total waste in my opinion. Couldn't they have been bused up to the university? Also I was personally NOT comfortable driving around down by Bryan because I had never been in that area and I didn't know my way around. When we got lost on the first day we called the office to ask for directions and no one knew what to tell us; very unhelpful! Then, when we finally got there everyone was mad at us. I'm sorry but that was just not fair.

On another, happier note, I have decided that I like helping people; at least, those who appreciate it. I will continue to tutor my classmates in math or whatever else they need help with next year. It is rewarding to see people succeed because of the work you invested in them. One positive thing that I will take away from our serving and learning experience together is that now I understand that there IS a huge need for tutors for all ages. I know that there is at least one niche I can fill in society now.

Is It A Crime To Want A Good Education?

It used to be that getting your high school diploma was enough to get you a steady job and a good life, but today this way of life is nearly dead. Getting a degree from a four-year college is more likely to be helpful, and a master's or doctorate degree would just be icing on the cake. It is necessary for me to attend an institution of higher learning so that I may move on in my life and become successful. The only part about college that worries me now is paying for it all. The classes, the atmosphere, and the independence are amazing, but the amount we all must pay for these things is not. To receive a full-ride scholarship to UNO would be a true blessing for me because it would mean that I could finally stop worrying about having a stressful and debt-filled life after graduation. With all of my tuition and book fees paid for I could focus on making the most of my classes, learning real life skills, and feeling secure about my financial situation.

Scholarship donors should feel assured that their investment in me would be worthwhile for several reasons. First, I will show my appreciation by keeping excellent grades. Second, I will participate in extracurricular activities to show my interest in the broader collegiate world, and third, I will take rigorous courses to make sure that I make the best use of my generous funding. I have worked as hard as possible to make the most of my high school career for the purpose of earning financial aid. The thought of having all of these opportunities waiting for me to seek out gives me huge motivation every day.

For four years I have studied hard and retaken the ACT to improve my score from a 20 to a 29. I have been involved in numerous after school activities and volunteer projects ranging from community musicals to calculus tutoring. I love to learn and help people overcome their problems, but one problem of my own is paying for college. My parents have never forced me to get a job because they said that my job was to be a good student. Having little money is scary for me but I understand now why my parents had me do it this way; working diligently for good grades and building strong relationships was the best way for me to succeed. Instead of wasting my time at a meaningless teenage job, I have found my true interests and made some great friends. I hope to apply these skills in college in order to earn a good start to the rest of my life.

It is my hope that this scholarship committee will see my ambition as a worthy exchange for a full-ride college investment. My life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness await at the university level and I don't want to let them get away. Wanting to experience lifelong learning is an inherited trait that I value highly. From the time I was very young I have loved to go to school, and all I can ask the bank now is: is it a crime to want a good education?

Wm. H. Durand

When you grow up in a family full of professors and engineers there is a certain constant pressure to achieve, achieve, achieve. One would think that this pressure would be an unpleasant reminder of all of the so-called standards that I must live up to, but I feel quite the contrary. I am very honored by my family's unrelenting encouragement and I look up to them every day. However, one member of my family has made the biggest impact of all; my grandfather. William Harris Durand was the first to show me that education is everything. He cultivated my love for learning by telling me stories of his school days during the depression, teaching me perfect penmanship, and supplying me with innumerable books and art supplies. Without all of his loving, teacher-like qualities, learning would have just been another non-appreciated aspect of my day.

I would have to say that my grandfather's storytelling capabilities were at the forefront of harvesting my interest in education. One of my favorite stories was about how he used to draw cartoon movie reels about cowboys and Indians for his history class projects. This story is my favorite because it sparked my interest in being creative. The day after I heard this story for the first time I found his colored pencils, markers, and some paper in my desk; I've been drawing ever since. Without this subtle encouragement I would never have thought I could be getting college credit by enrolling in an A.P. Art class.

Another of my grandfather's most memorable qualities was his attention to detail. If you ever looked at any of his architectural drawings you would see the immense amount of time he put into every single one of his projects. He encouraged me to build this habit from an early age. When I would get frustrated during my piano lessons with my grandma he would always tell me to keep going and listen to my grandma's instructions. He would say, "now Katie, if you want to learn something you've got to learn it right." and after some complaining on my part I would force myself to try again. I will always remember him saying these little things to me whenever I felt like giving up. I have learned since then from reading his autobiography that he must have inherited this quality from his mother. He fondly reminisces over all of the activities he became involved in due to his mother's little encouragements. Its mind-boggling to think how those little comments can make such a long-lasting impact.

I also have gained a vast knowledge of fairness from my grandfather. People don't always think to put fairness and learning in the same sentence, but I have discovered that they go hand in hand. Everyone has been tempted to cheat on a test or to copy someone else's homework at some time or other, but we all learn the same lesson; cheaters never prosper. Since I was too young to comprehend the language of politics and taxes in his daily lunchtime discussions with my father and grandmother, fairness was the only topic I could ever pick out. I learned that not only do you have to be fair to others, but that you must also be fair to yourself. His ideals of fairness have prompted me to create my own success and throughout my entire school career I am proud to say that all of my work has been my own. Every year of straight A's I earned
has come from teaching others, and in turn, letting them teach me.

In college I hope to apply all of the things my grandfather taught me so that I can continue my success. Now that I know how difficult college classes are and how much time it takes to get assignments done it will be more important than ever to pay attention to the details and to never give up. Even though my grandfather is gone I know that the impacts he made on me will always affect my life. My memories of him fuel my desire to learn something new every single day, and I hope that someday I can inspire my own children and grandchildren to do the same. In the words of Isaac Newton, I am truly "standing on the shoulders of Giants."

My First Week as a College Student

ACT Tomorrow

I know that some of us are taking the ACT tomorrow morning, but don't stress about it. Just break a pencil and get some sleep!!! :)

Residential Life

Living at Scott Residence Hall was so much better than I expected! I enjoyed the company of my three roommates: Quamesha, Eranti, and Vicky. I am so used to being an only child and having a lot of time and space to myself that sharing the fridge, bathroom, and sink space was a bit of a culture shock. I think I adapted well though. Before I got to Scott Hall on the first day I was TERRIFIED! Being a people person is not always my strong suit... but my roomies were great at getting me over it. I especially want to thank Vicky for making my first week excellent. She went to great lengths to get me involved in all of the games and activities, and she also listened to my problems and helped me figure out solutions. I didn't intend to get into this program to make friends; all I was interested in before was the free college credit, but I have made more friends in one week than I have for my entire life!

There is no way you can get me to neglect talking about the food... I have never had so much great-tasting food all at once! My stomach was never empty, and every time I started to get hungry, POOF it was magically mealtime. I felt nervous the first time I walked into the cafeteria because I don't usually like buffets; I'm always afraid I'm going to knock things over and break stuff, but it was very well organized and easy to navigate. There was no shortage of vegetarian choices and everything was prepared to perfection! I appreciate this experience because now I don't have to worry about what it's like to eat on campus.

Another thing that I noticed is that all the stresses of college work and the activities that were planned this week left me craving naps. I USUALLY HATE NAPS! In my mom's opinion, probably the best thing I learned on campus this week was how to wake up by myself and appreciate sleeping. Balancing schoolwork and other engagements was challenging, but after I figured out how to manage my time I felt really accomplished. The Summer Scholars Program has kept me from having yet another boring and unproductive summer. If you want proof, just look at my notebook. I took 24 pages of notes in four days and I have read 119 pages from the textbook. I have been really busy and I'm LOVING IT!

In all, my life on campus has made me realize some very important things. For one, it is critical to make friends in college. There will always be a time when you need notes from someone or need advice. I also learned through our activities this week that joining groups/clubs is a great way to meet people and to learn to work as a team. On the high ropes challenges at Camp Carol Joy Holling I discovered that I would not have tried half of the things I did without the support of my team. The only thing that I am sad to have realized is that living on campus for an entire school year just really isn't for me. As much as I loved my slumber parties and having company all the time, I know that I would get more things done if I had my own space. Also, the constantly opening and closing of doors was just too distracting for my O.C.D. self. But I greatly appreciated the experience anyway.

This week I conquered my fear of going off to college!