What's done is done.
Many of us realize this but we still don't take advantage of what we have at the moment. My parents always say the best inheritance is not money, but knowledge instead.
I chose to come to the University of North Carolina because I knew I would have the most well-rounded education at this institution. We are living in a city of promise and growth with such a rich culture. The diverse atmosphere allows for all types of learning experiences be it culturally or academically. At UNCC a liberal arts education is offered to all students. Some people question the value of a curriculum not leading directly to a specific career. The outside world tells us we must be completely focused on studies leading up to the career we have in mind. Classes pertinent to the career we have in mind are in important, however, a liberal arts education allows us to broaden our horizons and become greater leaders and thinkers.
Some people mistake the word liberal for something it's not because of the perceptions given to us by society which are tied to the idea of a lack of structure. This is a mistake. Liberal studies allow individuals to free their minds from restrictions that keep us from connecting the dots in this world. And just because a person has an open mind, it doesn't mean that that person lacks structure in their lives, what it is is that people with a broader understanding of the world around us can be more versatile in their thinking. We become more tolerant of other people's differences when we know more about them.
My father always said knowing a little bit about everything is always a good thing. With a broader range of knowledge you can associate with more people. Gaining knowledge is not only about becoming more tolerant, it's also about expanding your thinking and being able to think outside of the box. At the moment I am on a science based career path and yet I will be taking communications classes as well as human geography courses. The thing about any career is that it involves more than just yourself and the work at hand. In life we all need written and verbal skills to adapt the ever changing workplace. Knowing about more than just science will let me bridge the gap between the people around me. It will give me the chance to come up with more creative ideas and accept challenges outside of my box.
I always enjoy a challenge because I know that stepping out of my comfort zone makes me grow as a person. This is how leaders are made. When people are pushed, whether it be by themselves, an event, or the people around them, they achieve great things. In the next four years I will let myself simmer into this pool of knowledge. I hope to continue to achieve newer and greater things so that I can not only become a productive member of society, but also an exemplary leader.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Each day has been filled with new experiences. With no surprise, none of my experiences have been bad. My week has only escalated on a trail of highs. One of the most rewarding things to happen to me this week happened in my English class. I am such a huge procrastinator so I honestly, end up putting in a lot of late nights. I have been improving though in these last few days. A few days ago, as I wrote my rough draft, I struggled to meet my time limit. I felt extremely restless but I kept right on. It took me forever to finish my essay but through it I found delayed gratitude. When I got to class on Monday, I was a little nervous to have my peers read my final draft because although I had confidence in my second draft, I had exposed a lot more of the emotional aspects. After receiving the written feedback, I saw only positive praises. It was definitely unexpected but gladly accepted it.
Overall UTOP has been great, I only have one complaint. I miss my car! SO much. I want to be able to go wherever I want to when I want to but that will have to wait until the Fall.
College has not met my expectations. Yet. But that is because the regular school year has not begun. I expected to be able to do a lot more independently but I totally get why that's not possible right now. We're in a transitioning process and school is supposed to be our primary focus during this Summer session. In a way, it's a good thing that the program is being run this way. The importance of time-management has surprised me. I didn't think it would be as difficult as it has been.
Over the last few days I have been working to improve my productivity. I have been improving my pre-planning more when writing my essays for English and magazine class, as well as my study habits for my Chem class. It was a little refreshing to walk into my Chemistry class and understand what the teacher was talking about (especially since we were all scared to death about our chem classes.) I still have been keeping up with my notes, studying at night, to stay on track. I know I can still improve the amount of time I put into each thing I do. Time management is the first thing I need to improve one. I know I can do this with a little practice.
Time.
Time is life and life is time.
Sometimes our decisions make time hard to find.
Procrastination gets the best of us.
We fall behind, no minutes are enough.
It's bitter,
It's sweet,
It's whatever we make it to be.
Time is of the essence.
Always in our presence.
In it are our memories.
In it are our life stories.
Our nights out with our friends,
as we watched the colors in the sky begin to blend.
As we watched the sun fade away,
and walked into a brand new day,
time was there,
with none to share.
We meet time again and again,
And even in our end,
we meet time in a new life,
but what we have in the present never seems to suffice.
But If we grasp what we are given each day,
we won't have to ask time to stay.
Time.
Time is life and life is time.
Overall UTOP has been great, I only have one complaint. I miss my car! SO much. I want to be able to go wherever I want to when I want to but that will have to wait until the Fall.
College has not met my expectations. Yet. But that is because the regular school year has not begun. I expected to be able to do a lot more independently but I totally get why that's not possible right now. We're in a transitioning process and school is supposed to be our primary focus during this Summer session. In a way, it's a good thing that the program is being run this way. The importance of time-management has surprised me. I didn't think it would be as difficult as it has been.
Over the last few days I have been working to improve my productivity. I have been improving my pre-planning more when writing my essays for English and magazine class, as well as my study habits for my Chem class. It was a little refreshing to walk into my Chemistry class and understand what the teacher was talking about (especially since we were all scared to death about our chem classes.) I still have been keeping up with my notes, studying at night, to stay on track. I know I can still improve the amount of time I put into each thing I do. Time management is the first thing I need to improve one. I know I can do this with a little practice.
Time.
Time is life and life is time.
Sometimes our decisions make time hard to find.
Procrastination gets the best of us.
We fall behind, no minutes are enough.
It's bitter,
It's sweet,
It's whatever we make it to be.
Time is of the essence.
Always in our presence.
In it are our memories.
In it are our life stories.
Our nights out with our friends,
as we watched the colors in the sky begin to blend.
As we watched the sun fade away,
and walked into a brand new day,
time was there,
with none to share.
We meet time again and again,
And even in our end,
we meet time in a new life,
but what we have in the present never seems to suffice.
But If we grasp what we are given each day,
we won't have to ask time to stay.
Time.
Time is life and life is time.
Monday, July 9, 2012
2
Expect the unexpected. Everyone said college work would be different than that of high school. Although I had already been advised of this, I did not expect such a heavy change...but boy were they right. College work is no joke at all. The work has proven itself as challenging in that the expectation levels are much higher. I am still having a little trouble adjusting to the responsibilities attatched to being a college student however I know that I will eventually learn the ropes the way those who came before me did.
I am honestly a little mindblown. Never did I imagine I would find such a challenge in subjects I had such familiarity with. Even though English literacy remains as one of my strengths, the assignments of English 1101 have been very demanding.
Despite the trials paired with the assignments given, I have found the tasks from our English class, rewarding. I used to compose personal writings all of the time. In my most recent years, most of the writings I have completed have been informative research papers. Mrs. Igram has pushed me to challenge myself and go back to the more creative roots of writing. Planning my literary narration was not all that difficult. The word webs and timelines we worked on out of the English books served as crucial tools in my writing process. Through them, I was able to expand the details of literary events throughout my life. With more ideas, come better angles. Once our papers were written, we were able to have our first workshop session. It was pretty great to receive honest feedback from my peers. My group members and I worked really well together, complimenting each other's abilities. I felt genuine support from my classmates. We did our best to follow the advice given to us in the book. Having gone through my first workshop, I plan to make revisions for myself as well, and take the criticisms given to me by my peers into account through my editing process. I feel that it is important to make several revisions prior to editing in order to produce an improved piece of writing.
As we further our writing, I see our college reading assignments coming in handy. So far, the passages we have read have allowed me to improve my writing process. I have been able to plan in a more organized manner as well as take the right provisions to make revisions and edits. Thinking ahead to a semester when I will be taking full course load, I predict I will get my reading done well in segments. In order to do that I will have to manage my time efficiently.
I still feel anxious about planning my time on my own but as of now I don't have any questions about that.
I am honestly a little mindblown. Never did I imagine I would find such a challenge in subjects I had such familiarity with. Even though English literacy remains as one of my strengths, the assignments of English 1101 have been very demanding.
Despite the trials paired with the assignments given, I have found the tasks from our English class, rewarding. I used to compose personal writings all of the time. In my most recent years, most of the writings I have completed have been informative research papers. Mrs. Igram has pushed me to challenge myself and go back to the more creative roots of writing. Planning my literary narration was not all that difficult. The word webs and timelines we worked on out of the English books served as crucial tools in my writing process. Through them, I was able to expand the details of literary events throughout my life. With more ideas, come better angles. Once our papers were written, we were able to have our first workshop session. It was pretty great to receive honest feedback from my peers. My group members and I worked really well together, complimenting each other's abilities. I felt genuine support from my classmates. We did our best to follow the advice given to us in the book. Having gone through my first workshop, I plan to make revisions for myself as well, and take the criticisms given to me by my peers into account through my editing process. I feel that it is important to make several revisions prior to editing in order to produce an improved piece of writing.
As we further our writing, I see our college reading assignments coming in handy. So far, the passages we have read have allowed me to improve my writing process. I have been able to plan in a more organized manner as well as take the right provisions to make revisions and edits. Thinking ahead to a semester when I will be taking full course load, I predict I will get my reading done well in segments. In order to do that I will have to manage my time efficiently.
I still feel anxious about planning my time on my own but as of now I don't have any questions about that.
Friday, July 6, 2012
#1
No parents, no teachers to hassle you, school for a few hours, and my own place (almost).
Absolute FREEDOM.
As my high school graduation approached, I found myself wanting to turn back the clock, if only for a few more minutes. I grew up in New Jersey and moved to NC my sophomore year of high school. At first, I hated being here. It was so different from everything I had ever known and I'd left all of my friends and family behind, but I after a little while I found myself loving my school and everyone around me. I ending up living three amazing years alongside amazing people, and near the end, I didn't want to leave all of the friends I made, the seniority I'd established, nor our Friday nights out together. Graduating was definitely bittersweet because I was so excited for college but at the same time, a little sad about leaving my high school life. I knew though that there was a lot more waiting out there for me. Soon I'd be trading my parent's place, for my own (sort of because they are still paying my rent haha), and instead of Friday nights, I'd have Thursday nights! Still, while looking forward, I kept looking back. I thought I was ready to leave home, but the quicker my leave approached, the more I worried about the transition.
Two days ago, those worries disappeared. I am so glad that I came across the UTOP program. Like many other first generation students, I didn't have anyone to really guide me through the college process. Like many other immigrants in the U.S, my parents came to this country to work and provide for their families. They didn't have the opportunities or the means to attend a university and it's just the way the cards of life were handed to them. They have however, throughout my entire life, done everything possible to give my sisters and I the means necessary to take that opportunity. Since my older sister didn't take advantage of that, when my Senior year came around it was up to me to get everything done to get into the school I wanted to go to. It was a pretty difficult situation since it was the first time anyone in my family had gone through that process. I am so thankful that I have the members and mentors of UTOP on my side the rest of the way. As minority students, most of us come from pretty similar backgrounds so we can relate and help each other up the ladder to success. In the last two days I have felt and experienced a ton of support from everyone around me; the mentors, my friends, and the instructors working with us. Even though we don't always remember each other's names, we always remember the name of our family. It's kind of weird to me that I find myself already calling people I've known for two days my family because it usually takes a while before I really let people in to that extent but in this group I already feel all of the support that I feel from my family back home. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world.
Writing has always been a forte of mine but there is always room to grow. During my summer session English class I hope to gain knowledge on new methods of writing and pre-writing. I have always been pretty good with the creative aspects of my writing. In general, I am a pretty creative person so coming up with ideas for new topics isn't a very difficult thing to do, however, when it comes to organizing my thoughts beforehand I have always struggled. It always comes together at the end but my lack of organization makes for a long writing process. I know that through this class and the help of my mentors I will be able to make improvements.
UTOP will not only serve as an educational resources but also as a support group. With the support I hope to always have from my brothers and sisters of UTOP, I know that I can succeed in anything that I do. Right now I am really excited to go through the rest of my UTOP experience. I am a little nervous though about my classes, just because it is very different than high school. I know that I need to up my levels of responsibility to leave the summer with the 4.0 GPA that I want. It is a little nerve wracking to think of the work I have ahead of me but I'm anxious to see the results.
As I embark on my college journey I find myself asking a lot of questions. I don't like to think too far ahead into the future because I'm one of those people who doesn't like to jump into the unknown with both feet. I'm still a little unsure of what is exactly that I am doing. I was accepted into UNC Charlotte in the Fall, and have changed my major four different times already. As of right now, my intended major is pre-biology which I have decided is the best route for me to go since the studies are general and I am sure I want to go into the medical field.
My goal in life is to use my education as a tool to help others. People in our country are very fortunate to have the things that we have. I am very guilty of not always appreciating the things God has blessed me with. I hope to someday go on mission trips, forget about myself for a while, and give to those who are need.
-Giselle Hernandez
Absolute FREEDOM.
As my high school graduation approached, I found myself wanting to turn back the clock, if only for a few more minutes. I grew up in New Jersey and moved to NC my sophomore year of high school. At first, I hated being here. It was so different from everything I had ever known and I'd left all of my friends and family behind, but I after a little while I found myself loving my school and everyone around me. I ending up living three amazing years alongside amazing people, and near the end, I didn't want to leave all of the friends I made, the seniority I'd established, nor our Friday nights out together. Graduating was definitely bittersweet because I was so excited for college but at the same time, a little sad about leaving my high school life. I knew though that there was a lot more waiting out there for me. Soon I'd be trading my parent's place, for my own (sort of because they are still paying my rent haha), and instead of Friday nights, I'd have Thursday nights! Still, while looking forward, I kept looking back. I thought I was ready to leave home, but the quicker my leave approached, the more I worried about the transition.
Two days ago, those worries disappeared. I am so glad that I came across the UTOP program. Like many other first generation students, I didn't have anyone to really guide me through the college process. Like many other immigrants in the U.S, my parents came to this country to work and provide for their families. They didn't have the opportunities or the means to attend a university and it's just the way the cards of life were handed to them. They have however, throughout my entire life, done everything possible to give my sisters and I the means necessary to take that opportunity. Since my older sister didn't take advantage of that, when my Senior year came around it was up to me to get everything done to get into the school I wanted to go to. It was a pretty difficult situation since it was the first time anyone in my family had gone through that process. I am so thankful that I have the members and mentors of UTOP on my side the rest of the way. As minority students, most of us come from pretty similar backgrounds so we can relate and help each other up the ladder to success. In the last two days I have felt and experienced a ton of support from everyone around me; the mentors, my friends, and the instructors working with us. Even though we don't always remember each other's names, we always remember the name of our family. It's kind of weird to me that I find myself already calling people I've known for two days my family because it usually takes a while before I really let people in to that extent but in this group I already feel all of the support that I feel from my family back home. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world.
Writing has always been a forte of mine but there is always room to grow. During my summer session English class I hope to gain knowledge on new methods of writing and pre-writing. I have always been pretty good with the creative aspects of my writing. In general, I am a pretty creative person so coming up with ideas for new topics isn't a very difficult thing to do, however, when it comes to organizing my thoughts beforehand I have always struggled. It always comes together at the end but my lack of organization makes for a long writing process. I know that through this class and the help of my mentors I will be able to make improvements.
UTOP will not only serve as an educational resources but also as a support group. With the support I hope to always have from my brothers and sisters of UTOP, I know that I can succeed in anything that I do. Right now I am really excited to go through the rest of my UTOP experience. I am a little nervous though about my classes, just because it is very different than high school. I know that I need to up my levels of responsibility to leave the summer with the 4.0 GPA that I want. It is a little nerve wracking to think of the work I have ahead of me but I'm anxious to see the results.
As I embark on my college journey I find myself asking a lot of questions. I don't like to think too far ahead into the future because I'm one of those people who doesn't like to jump into the unknown with both feet. I'm still a little unsure of what is exactly that I am doing. I was accepted into UNC Charlotte in the Fall, and have changed my major four different times already. As of right now, my intended major is pre-biology which I have decided is the best route for me to go since the studies are general and I am sure I want to go into the medical field.
My goal in life is to use my education as a tool to help others. People in our country are very fortunate to have the things that we have. I am very guilty of not always appreciating the things God has blessed me with. I hope to someday go on mission trips, forget about myself for a while, and give to those who are need.
-Giselle Hernandez
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