Category Archives: Education

School and studies

The Connection

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Possibilities are growing more visible, and so is my excitement. I have thought that my only path to interning abroad was a list of opportunities on some website. But, just like in other life applications, I’ve come to step back and re-imagine things.

Thanks to a conversation with a nice visitor at the Hallie Ford Center, I have realized that I should look into creating my own bridge to success. Why follow an internship option that so many others may participate in? Rather, I should strive to make my own way. I need to sit down and write what I want from an internship. Where do I really want to go and what do I want to do? I create a solid list of interests and desires and I take it to the experts and I say, “This is what I want. Can we make it work, and what are my next steps?”

College is fantastic. You’ve got advisors that know your academic path and what you need to do to accomplish it. You’ve got someone to aid you from the beginning to the end. But let’s push the envelope… Let’s build our own bridge — a unique one with just your name on it. And let it be that special, personal connection between what is the general pool of education, and the actual applied field that holds your passion.

I’m ready to make my own way. I’m ready to pull my resources together and see what I can construct. I have the university, Hallie Ford Center, a knowledgeable, helpful supervisor, and a slew of faculty core directors. There are opportunities awaiting creation, and I’m on my way to bringing them into actuality. Next week, my supervisor and I are sitting down and having coffee to “talk about my future”. I don’t know if this is in regards to work during the school year… Or something more. I think I’ll make it more — and I’ll have some research and notes together for when we meet.

The adventure begins.

Published from my iPad.

In the Community of Jabal Natheef

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I have been researching international internship opportunities for autumn 2012. One possibility that captures my interest is centered in Amman, Jordan, working with the under-developed community of Jabal Natheef. I would be an intern with Ruwwad, a community empowerment organization founded in 2005. Ruwwad works with partnerships in the private sector, civil society, government, and target communities of Jordan to address the critical needs of youth in densely populated East Amman. With a community population size of about 50,000, children and adults of Jabal Natheef are in need of help in the areas of health, safety, decent living, education, employment, and legal aid.

There are numerous ways I can help in Amman. I would work to improve literacy in children, inspire personal creativity and expression, and tutor those that need extracurricular help outside of the classroom. Another volunteer opportunity could be of an immersion experience within Jabal Natheef, working directly with the community through social services and the community help desk to aid families in need, revamp homes and shelters, and staff daily services. I may also mentor children in information technology literacy, working with computers and the internet to help flourish their educational experience.

Ruwwad has a mesh of networked community services. There are other areas of aid I may have the opportunity to look into, but one thing true about Ruwwad is that it fits my niche and passion — health and human services.

Heading

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As some of you know, I am particularly interested in traveling abroad. I originally had considered studying outside of the United States, but after an advising appointment today, I got an even better idea… International internship. There are little or no health and human social work internship opportunities available in Australia. This was my preferred destination of travel, but standing back I realize that I am excited about just being abroad in general — not just the bedazzlement of Oceania. There are many other options I am able to choose from and each I do find quite interesting. I look forward to researching them all and posting my favorites soon!

Spare Some Change

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The past 2 years have fostered so many beautiful, unforgettable changes in my life. I am thankful for the strength and support I have encountered along the way. In these 21 months, I have taken the image of who I want to be and have done my best to sculpt it into reality. There are some odds and ends, but they will resolve in time.

In the past couple of days something new and inspirational has harvested. I was daydreaming in the shower, like I usually do, when a provocative tagline came to the tip of my tongue.

Spare some change.

You may think of a street dweller asking for money — but dig a little deeper and you’ll find the meaning. We need to open up a little more to the idea of change. I sometimes believe we hang on to “the daily grind” because we fear what we cannot change. We are afraid in the things we cannot control or the fate we may face in time. But right now… Right now it wouldn’t do too much harm if we could just spare some change in our lives. Stop worrying, and start planning. Maybe this means you loosen up, or maybe this means you get down to business.

Why should we fear change? Every decision we make in our daily lives should be working towards a better, sustainable tomorrow. If we are afraid of tomorrow then we are not doing enough today to ensure our comfort, confidence, and success. We have such a large say in what tomorrow will look like. Like our physical health, we can take control and succeed because we are at the helm of control.

I have embarked on a fourth phase in my life. I am thrilled to be recently employed with Oregon State University as the only student assistant at The Hallie Ford Center. We moved into the brand new building last week and it’s not just a fresh start for the healthy children and family programs but for me as well. It’s an all new stage in my life and it feels incredibly invigorating to be working and engaging with others in the variety of ever-changing tasks I perform. I like going to work and I embrace the challenges I am dealt.

But I am also excited to be forecasting for a fifth phase of change to come in time. I enjoy my public health academic major and I am eager to see myself in a dedicated career. I am still uncertain about a primary focus, however. I am not sure Health Management and Policy is something I am cut out for. It feels extremely over my head right now and each term I just face a queue of more predestined classes. I’ve been sort of fishing for some inspiration, and while working at The Hallie Ford Center has already proven to be a great start, I’ve actually been acutely interested in taking my studies abroad.

Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia is on my front page. I am at the drawing board laying out blueprints for achievement and success. The schematics require some focus and extensive planning, but I really think it’s worth it — and thinking, reading, and researching about studying abroad fires me up and I get very excited. It feels right. I think I need to do this… I need to do it for myself. I can’t let it pass me by.

Studying abroad is normally seen in college sophomores and juniors… But I’m going to be a senior. I’ve thought about this and I’ve felt that my opportunity has been passed up. But then I think about what people have told me… College is your chance to explore and make your own way. Why do I have to follow the same path everyone takes? I already know I won’t be graduating the end of my senior year due to a late switch to public health and a reevaluated approach to the classes I’m taking. This has been somewhat discouraging, but I am living my own adventure so let’s live it up!

Some people get “senioritis”, an uncontrollable eagerness to finish school and graduate. But I’m experiencing the opposite. I’m on what seems like the last leg of college and I’m not ready for it to be done. I feel like I haven’t experienced all there is to be had. I’ve gone three years with the same routine of forecasting and attending classes. It feels a little stagnant, though. Studying abroad is not just a temporary fad I have. It’s a revelation that I need to act upon. During these last three years I have witnessed so many people travel to other countries as part of school, They post beautiful pictures and tell of engrossing stories. I have longed to be in their shoes — to sit in that classroom, to see the scenes, to meet the people, to truly live that dream. I will not get another chance if I don’t do it today.

I believe studying abroad at Deakin University is right for me because it is an outstanding opportunity to thrive. Life in Melbourne will be a fun and an academically enriching experience. I will enroll in a span of human development and family science courses taught by Australian education professors. I will meet new people, have incredible experiences in new activities, and explore an urban paradise. This is what I’ve always wanted. I want it so bad and I am ready to work for it. I am more than ready to spare some change.

Published from my iPad.

Grueling

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The midterm in week six. The midterm worth 25% of your grade. The midterm you know is going to be grueling. That’s the midterm I have tomorrow at noon… And with less than 18 hours until go-time, the helmet, boots, and armor are coming on. Heading to war… War with a textbook, notes, and a seemingly attention-deficit mind. I feel like I learn so much more from lecture and reviewing the notes I take during then… But when another 25% of your entire grade is based on creatively “synthesizing” text and lecture notes together, I am at no position to favor my own opinion and whine how I can’t focus to read a textbook. I love the content we are learning. Health policy is really fascinating and I have no complaints about the subject matter. I am at least confident I am on the right track to a career.

Sometimes I feel like I’m juggling a dangerous set of items — not always entirely confident in my progress in a class or two — and that I may drop one of those juggled items and ruin my entire act. And, often, I end up making miracles happen and I accomplish everything and life goes on. But that was last term. What do I need to do in order to return to this magical mindset — the one where I buckle down at the local Starbucks every other night and work through pages and pages of reading and notes and all is well? I want that back. I think I am still miffed at how my professor teaches — and it’s her overall attitude and the vibes I receive from her that always sets me in hesitation. If I am confident in my teacher I am confident in my work. But a student needs to learn to function in all types of situations, and so I feel, again, I have no right to hold my opinions high. I am heading back to the books. This will be one of those ugly nights.

Locking the door, the phone is on silent, and the TV is… Well… The TV is still on to Family Guy.

A Little Frosting on the Cake

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Dayumn it’s exciting out there! Corvallis got coated with a good dusting of nice, dry snow. However, beneath this bliss is a glazing of troublesome ice. It’s not impossible to commute with whatever car you may use, but those drivers not too familiar with the rules of frozen roadways have shown to get a little taste of their haphazard approach to riding on four wheels. Even bicyclists are facing spills… Maybe that’s because they are peddling on those thin-profiled bikes (someone help me out here with the name) that are designed to have least amount of traction. In 30 minutes I witnessed two rear-end vehicle bumps and three bicycle wipeouts. That doesn’t count the two cars that spun out with their overpowered right turns.

I think I plan on heading north to Portland area this afternoon. I believe that even if the ice does not improve, I am an aware driver that understands slick driving. I don’t want to be overconfident because I know ice has a mind of it’s own. With a front-wheel-drive Camry, even my overrated traction control system wouldn’t have much help. But I hope once I can get out of the busy heart of Corvallis, the straightaways and Interstate 5 will be easily manageable with care.

My H210 teacher emailed everyone, saying class is still on for today. I think he is being lame not because I don’t want class, but because I even see people slipping on foot. It’s not a good idea.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this white pre-Thanksgiving — and be extra safe out there.

Published from my iPhone.