Senior Year is AWESOME: Don't Waste it.

I know I've been sticking to tips and writing lately, but let's be honest, I've just been lazy and had nothing else to say. Posting something I've already written was an easy way around that. However, I will get back to writing tips later because I do think that's helpful, but this post is something that I think is really important.
Throughout school, we can't wait to get older. On drill team, there's a poem that's traditionally read on our last night of show, that I read this year. My favorite part of it is:
Now, we finally realize that we could have waited to get older. We realize that time has somehow slipped away and soon we will be saying goodbye.
You can read the whole poem here.
Anywho, it's so true that we spend our childhood wishing to be older. In elementary school, we want to be in middle school. In middle school, we want to be in high school. As freshman, we can't wait to be 16, so we can drive. When we're 16, we can't wait to be 17 to see R-rated movies. When we're 17, we can't wait to be 18 to be adults! At 18, we can't wait to be 21.

Pine Cove Christian Camps this year!

I'm 18, but for once, I'm not waiting to be older. I'm content with being 18. Senior year is the easiest life is going to be ever again. After 12 years of school, senior year is a year of school where I don't have to stress about grades and ranking anymore. After senior year, I go back to stressing about everything in college, and after graduation, it gets even more stressful with a full time career. It's never going to get any easier, so for once, I'm content with where I am in life, not looking to get any older or younger.
Students get so caught up in what's ahead, we fail to relish the blessings of each age. I don't want to miss out on what this year has to offer simply because I'm excited for next year. I have next year to get excited about next year. This year is all about this year!
The picture I included may not seem very relevant, but trust me, it is. I went to Pine Cove for 10 years, starting in the 3rd grade. This past summer was my last year going. I went for the two week option, which allowed me to go help on Friday night at the Towers (the elementary school camp). They do an event called buffalo hunt, which involves a large pit of mud. The high schoolers (like me) and the counselors all have rubber bands on each of their wrists and ankles (we are the buffalo). Then a bunch of elementary school kids run at you and try to take your rubber bands. They kill the buffalo by removing all four rubber bands. When I was in elementary school, I don't think I ever got a single rubber band from a counselor because I stuck to the sides during buffalo hunt, trying not to get too muddy. Going back and doing it again, I realize how much I missed out on. Buffalo hunt was so much fun. As a leader, I tried to get those young girls like me, sticking to the sides, involved and playing in the mud. I've learned with time how much each year of my life has to offer. I now work to be involved and excited about everything that life and focus on the present, instead of the future. I urge all of you to do the same. Each year has it's own things to offer, and we need to appreciate those things while we can, instead of simply looking ahead at what's to come. We can focus on those things when they come!

Only 104 more days... Until then, keep calm and boomer sooner!

My Tips for Essays: Number 1

Be yourself!

I have friends who always ask me to edit their papers, and I never can. I have to tell my friends simply that I can't edit. I always try to change their work to make it my own because I just simply dislike papers without any voice. Papers that don't have voice are boring, and I don't like reading them. I also don't think others really like reading boring papers. 

For application essays especially, I think people get so focused on pumping themselves up. People get so focused on making sure they sound intelligent and bragging about their resumes. The issue with this style of writing is that you lose yourself. In trying to make a reader want you, you give up yourself. No one wants a a block of wood, even if the wood is super talented and a genius. Colleges and scholarship committees will be more attracted to you if you have a personality. Being really smart and talented is obviously important, but the rest of the application is where the numbers go. They will speak for themselves. You need to sell yourself, not just your talent, that's why colleges have essays.

EXAMPLE: Why I Want to Be a Journalist

 I want to be a journalist. I decided this when I was in the 6^th grade. At that point I knew three things: 1. I like to write, 2. authors don't make any money, and 3. journalist is a job that involves writing. Since then, I've learned a bit more about journalism and a bit more about what I want for my future.

I still like to write, that much hasn't changed, but I've learned more about my writing style. I'm not a creative writer by any means. I get severe writer's block whenever I try to write anything fiction especially since, as a writer, it has to be perfect. Instead, I prefer to write about given topics. Research papers, articles, essays, etc. always come much easier since I'm given a topic, but I don't like to just inform you. I want to tell you about the topic. When I write, I want to make the reader feel like I'm telling them first hand. Since the fourth grade, my teachers have been telling me how much voice I have in my writing, and I've continued to develop that over time. When I write, I want people to feel like I'm with them, not like they're simply reading more words off a page.

Authors still don't make much money. I've always been very practical. Even at a young age, I knew that in order to be successful, I had to do something more than just be an author. Before journalism, I wanted to be a lawyer, simply because I knew they made a lot of money. I knew/know what society calls “success,” but today, I look it at it a bit differently. Journalists might make more than authors, but let's be honest, journalists don't make much. Over time, I've realized that money is not nearly as important to me now as it might've been back then. Often, you hear adults complaining about their jobs and how they hate what they do. They makes tons of money, but they spend all their time sitting in a cubicle working on something they hate. Obviously, I need money to live and pay for things, but I'd rather make just enough do something I enjoy than make a lot doing something that I hate.

Journalists still write, but they do so much more. Journalists have to research, interview, collaborate, write, rewrite, work on deadlines, edit, and more that I don't even know about yet. Furthermore, I hadn't even considered broadcast journalism when I first decided back in the sixth grade. Today, I am more interested in broadcast than print. Broadcast journalists do everything that print does and more. They have to plan, search, research, interview, film, collaborate, edit film, edit written parts, work on deadlines, and more. Still, it's hard for me to imagine myself doing anything else. I'm never going to be “the cubicle type,” and the rush of a work room just seems like the perfect place for me.

Today I have one more point to add to my list. I like to learn. Everyday journalists have to go out and find a story. Everyday, they go out to talk to people, organizations, businesses, etc. to research and discover their stories. Everyday they get to interact and work with new people and new things. Then they take everything they learn and teach the rest of the world. I want to spend everyday discovering and learning new things, so I can inform the rest of the world of the amazing things that I've found.

I want to be a journalist for four reasons:

1. I like to write
2. Authors don't make any money
3. Journalist is a job that involves writing
4. I like to learn

Hakuna Matata

I'm sorry for going MIA for a little while there. My schedule was super busy for a period of time, but I'm starting to make my way back. Anywho, I promise my next post will be my tips for writing essays for scholarships, applications, and just in general, so check back! Until then, here's what's probably the final of my example essays!
When I first started applying to college, I planned on applying to both the University of North Carolina and the University of Southern California, but I decided upon further investigation that these were not schools that I wanted to go to. However, I had already worked on the essays for the common application. One of the topics was "how a fictional character has influenced your life," so the following is my essay on how Timon and Pumba from The Lion King have impacted my view on life.

Timon and Pumba aren't regularly considered the most profound characters in The Lion King. I don't think people give them enough credit. With merely two words, Timon and Pumba created a way to solve all their problems. Humans have been working to come up with a universal solution like this for years. 

I have seen the movie The Lion King too many times to count, the musical once, and I have the soundtrack for both. If you look through my iPod, Hakuna Matata can be found on my list of "Top Twenty Five Most Played." Timon and Pumba have played a pretty big part in my life. 

"You gotta put your past behind ya, kid. Look, bad things happen, and you can't do anything about it..." Timon says to Simba before bursting into song, "Repeat after me, Hakuna Matata." In swahili, Hakuna Matata is a phrase meaning "There are no worries." For me, Hakuna Matata means that life moves on, and you have the choice to either move on with life or get stuck in the past. I choose to move on. 

Somewhat recently my car battery died in the school parking lot. I hadn't bothered to fix my poor parking job that morning, so for the next few days I was constantly getting complimented on my "amazing" parking ability. It would've been so simple for me to be upset about not being able to drive myself, the insults on my parking job, or how much replacing the battery would cost, but I wasn't. I couldn't change the situation. All I could change was my attitude. 

There's a well known prayer called The Serenity Prayer that begins with "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." Hakuna Matata perfectly sums up this prayer. Don't waste time dwelling on things that are unchangeable. When my car battery died, there were so many different things for me to be upset about, but I had places to go and people to see. There wasn't time to sit and pout. 

In today's world, too many people waste their time pouting about what's already happened. Timon and Pumba never fretted about their past. Pumba didn't have the best past. He struggled with some embarrassing bodily issues and lost a lot of friends because of it, but in the film, he doesn't dwell on it. He found Timon and moved on with his life. In the book Sun Dials and Roses of Yesterday, Alice Morse Earle writes, "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present." We can't change history. Timon and Pumba taught me that. They taught me to stop worrying about what's already happened and get on with my life. 

"It means no worries for the rest of your days. It's our problem free philosophy, Hakuna Matata."

Only 112 more days... Until then, keep calm and boomer sooner!

The Difference between Serving and Volunteering

Like I said before, for the next few posts I will be posting various essays that I've written for scholarships and college applications. The following essay is about community service and volunteering for a scholarship from my school. Soon I will post my tips for writing essays for applications, so check back!
In this essay, I mention a documentary that I put together for school. My group members and I are very proud of our work on this documentary, and if you have time to spare, I would really appreciate if you watched it. http://vimeo.com/43697508
Anyways... on to the essay!

Many organizations require their participants to volunteer. I've been volunteering for various organizations my entire life, but it wasn't until last year that I learned how to serve, not just volunteer. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”

The key part of this quote for me is the world “sincerely.” In order to truly serve, I can't just be there to get the hours that I need or to get moral brownie points. When I'm just volunteering it's so simple to get caught up in what I'm getting out of it, but when I'm serving, I am focused on what's best for the people that I'm serving rather than what I'm getting out of it. It's when I'm working to serve others than I am sincerely trying to help others.

In June, I volunteered at an event called Kid's University. I was a leader to a group of 2^nd and 3^rd grade kids who lived in shelters. To say they were a bit of a handful would be an understatement. I spent hours chasing rambunctious 7-9 year olds in circles around the room, but I never left a day unhappy. We took a class called “Crazy Critters” where a man came to teach the kids about different animals. I ended up holding a tree frog in my hand because one of the little girls wouldn't touch it unless I did. It was gross and slimy, but she lit up with giggles when the sticky feet wrapped around her finger. Later when we were learning about nutrition, the same little girl tried to give me her pasta because she saw that I didn't get any. This little girl and many kids like her are what taught me to be sincere in my serving, and not just volunteer for the hours.

Over this past year, I was assigned a project in American Studies at school. The project was to create a 12-15 minute, professional quality documentary on a nonprofit organization of our choice with a group of up to five people. With four of my closest friends, we started to work with an organization called Rainbow Days. A few weeks into the project, it was made optional. Too many groups were having problems working with and filming their organizations. Few groups continued on to finish the project, but we felt that we didn't have a choice. We were already emotionally invested in Rainbow Days, and this project was already bigger than ourselves.

Rainbow Days is a nonprofit organization in Dallas, TX. It works with homeless kids to try to break what's called the “cycle of homelessness” by teaching young children about the amazing things that life has to offer. Teaching kids how to make healthy choices, respond in various scenarios, and excel in life is Rainbow Days goal. Their mission statement is to “give kids a hope for a promising future,” and it was our job to catch all of this on film.

When you're trying to film for something like a documentary, you have to work to try to get certain emotions out of whoever you're working with, but at the same time, you're not working with actors. You can't look at a child and tell them to laugh or to look like they're having fun. You have to serve him/her and make sure that the child is having fun, so you can capture that delight on film. Working on this project, opened my eyes and showed me how to truly serve. Early on, it wasn't even about evoking the right emotions anymore: it was about making these kids smile.

There was this one little boy at Kid's University who was a real trouble maker. He wouldn't listen. He wouldn't participate. And he would run around the room when everyone was supposed to be sitting. I was getting quite flustered having to chase after him and reprimand him constantly. I hate to say it, but after dealing with this kid from 8-2 for 5 days, I was ready for him to “graduate.” At the end of the week, the kids get tiny graduation caps and gowns, so they can graduate from Kid's University. We were sitting in the auditorium where the graduation was held, and as my group of kids waited for their turn to walk across the stage, this little boy came up to me and asked to sit in my lap. Although I was confused, I let him, at least he was sitting.

After the ceremony, he introduced me to his mom. I noticed tears in her eyes, along with a lot of the other parents. They were so proud to see their little kids graduate even just from this summer camp. She thanked me for giving up my time, and as always I told her it was my pleasure. She then proceeded to share with me how tough his life at home has been recently. His dad left a few months ago, and she and her 3 sons were forced to go into a shelter. The transition to life in a shelter was hard for the whole family, and it was causing the older boys to act out. I was taken aback. I wasn't prepared for her to share her story with me, but I was so thankful that she did. This little boy's troublemaker nature started to make sense, and my heart went out to her and her family. Furthermore, she explained that he'd been coming home so happy and excited about his time at Kid's University. I was a bit confused. He spent much of the time having to sit alone or getting in trouble for his actions, but she told a very different story. She told me of how much he loved learning new things and how many new friends that he'd made. Before she left, she gave me a big hug and once again thanked me for all I'd done. Her son gave me a hug too, and he told me he'd miss me. As I watched she and her son drive away, the little boy waved from the backseat.

When the car left the parking lot, there was no “sigh of relief” like I had expected after dealing with him all week. I was sad to see him go. I wanted to love on him even more. This is when I first realized what Emerson meant when he said to be “sincere.” Every morning at 8 before the kids arrived at Kids University, I had to remind myself, “You're here to serve. This isn't about you.” I did whatever was needed of me, and I chose to be active. Although I had to give myself mini pep talks every morning, I worked to be sincere and wholehearted in serving. By the end of the week, I learned how true it is that when your whole heart is in serving, you get so much more out of it.

The little boy definitely left his mark on my heart, and when I thought that I was teaching him, whether it was how to behave or the lessons, he was teaching me how to be thankful and positive. The kids at Rainbow Days taught me so much more than I could've possibly taught them. They taught me how to praise God for the many blessings in my life, to have hope and positivity because we have been given everyday as a gift, and to serve.

One little girl was being bullied by the kids at school because she came from a homeless shelter. She rode the bus to school everyday, so they were able to see which stop she got on at. They would make fun of her and mock her, calling her poor. She was telling a member of Rainbow Days's staff about all of this, and she asked the staff member, “Am I poor?”

Trained to deal with these kinds of questions, the staff member asked her, “Well, what do you think?”

“No. I think God gives every person exactly what they need.”

I volunteered with tons of different people and organizations before I worked with Rainbow Days. I even worked with Rainbow Days before junior year, but this past year my whole outlook on community service was flipped upside down. Rainbow Days showed me how to be sincere in service, and if I could recommend anything to someone of any age about community serivice, I would tell him/her to work wholeheartedly and with sincerity because he/she can't help but be helped. If he/she is really serving, the impact goes far beyond what could possibly be expected. Working to put smiles on the kids' faces at Rainbow Days always puts a smile on my face. I don't think I can ever give them as much as they've given me. Since working with Rainbow Days, I try not to volunteer. Instead, I try to serve.

120 days until I move in... Until then, keep calm and boomer sooner!

Scholarship and College Application Essays

Scholarship and college applications often require you to write essays. Lucky for me, I love writing essays. Writing about personal experiences and lessons learned is where I thrive. However, most people aren't like me. For the next few posts, I'm going to share with y'all some of the essays that I had to write. This first one, I wanted to pick an essay that was short and sweet.
This was part of my application to the University of Oklahoma as well as for the President's Leaders' Class. It's very common for students to reuse old essays that they wrote for school or various other things for college applications. I first wrote this essay for my application for the Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership award in the 10th grade, which I ended up winning.

Here's a 100 word essay on leadership:


For some reason, people have developed the strange idea that a leader is "in charge," but in reality, a leader is no more in charge than anyone else. A leader simply sets the path for others to follow, but others must choose to follow the path on their own. It is only when people willingly follow that path that a leader begins to be "in charge." Compassion, assertiveness, dedication, and responsibility are the types of qualities that cause other people to follow a leader. A person does not choose to be a leader; rather, others choose to make him/her one.

My thoughts on that chick from the walls treat journal

http://on.wsj.com/YU6rF0

She ends by acknowledging the fact that she is "an underachieving selfish teenager making excuses for her own failures," and I'm glad she does. At least she knows that she's a brat.
I first heard about Suzy on the Today show this morning, and I laughed as I heard about internships and whatnot that have been offered to her since her article was published. She's getting praised for being an entitled brat, and for those who aren't insane and see her for the brat she is, I do not appreciate the fact that many are throwing my entire graduating class under the bus with her. What did I do?
I understand that it was a satire (according to Weiss), but she compared it to 30 Rock as a satire. 30 Rock is Horatian; Weiss's article is one of the most juvenilian and harsh satires that I have ever read. Furthermore, as a student myself, I know that there was obviously some true pent up anger that is reflected by her words.
If you were to watch the Today show you would learn that her GPA is a 4.5 (on who knows what scale), her SAT was a 2120, and she had something to do with the senate. She is obviously a good student. She's probably near the top of her class, but she is complaining about not getting into Yale, Princeton, Vanderbilt, and UPenn. She is smart, but she is not Ivy League. I have a 4.12 GPA on a 5.0 scale, ranked number 122 out of 1,106, a 2140 on my SAT, and I've managed all of this while holding a leadership position on drill team for 3 years, being editor of the yearbook, a member of national honor society, national charity league, and being an active member of my church. Plus, ive still maintained a pretty nice social life. I'm not trying to brag; I'm simply trying to explain how outlandish her expectations were. I could not get into Yale, Princeton, or UPenn, and although I looked at Vanderbilt before deciding not to apply, I think I would've been a bit of a longshot.
Not because I'm not diverse, but because I'm not good enough for their standards.
She's right though, diversity does play a role in the acceptance process, but if you work hard, you can beat it. One of my friends is ranked higher than me and is 50% Mexican, but she was rejected from the University of Southern California. And I don't think she misheard whoever it was who told her to "just be yourself." I think they meant "just be your best." Colleges look for well rounded students.
She was simply disrespectful and obnoxious. Now I'm done venting. I'm sorry.

125 more days... Until then keep calm and boomer sooner.

Extracurriculars: and I guess kind of life lessons I learned from them?

Extracurriculars should be required for all students. I've seen too many kids struggle in school and make poor life decisions, and I think that requiring extracurriculars could really help this problem.

Benefits of extracurriculars:

1. Incentive to keep grades up
In order to participate in any sport or team event, you have to pass your classes, so students will have a reason to keep their grades up and study.

2. Promotes school spirit
I understand that one of the biggest problems with extracurriculars is a lack of funding. Many extracurriculars have been cut over time because of this issue, but  schools with more spirit have been shown to also have better funding.

3. Helps students to get into college and furthermore get scholarships
College is no longer just about grades. You have to do more if you want to succeed. Colleges favor kids that are involved. Plus, having extra talents from extracurriculars would help students to get different scholarships.

4. Talent
Being good at something helps with attitude. Plus being talented is just more fun.

5. Gives students something to do
Students who aren't involved in things find other things to do with their time, and the other options that they find aren't always the best decisions. I've seen people who've quit their extracurriculars and have chosen to fill their time by drinking or even smoking weed, so extracurriculars give kids a positive way to fill their time.

6. Friendships
Extracurriculars bring people together and help to form lasting friendships.

7. Helps to develop character
Extracurriculars instill different characteristics that students otherwise wouldn't have. I've learned leadership, respect, responsibility, commitment, integrity, dedication, and that's just the beginning. I would not be the confident young woman that I am today if not for drill team.

8. Discipline
Having a good coach or teacher can do a lot. There are rules and guidelines that are enforced. Many students who struggle do not strict rules at home that must be followed, so being involved in an extracurricular gives them the discipline that they need.

There are so many options of extracurriculars for students. There's sports like basketball, lacrosse, volleyball, soccer, hockey, track, cross country, water polo, swimming, baseball, softball, football, and more. There's spirit groups like cheerleading and pom squad. There's drill team, band, orchestra, and choir. There's volunteer groups like KEYY club and support groups like AVID. If extracurriculars are required, old ones might be able to be funded again like car mechanics and other career oriented extracurriculars. Even volunteering at the local library everyday is better than nothing. Students should have to be involved in something. They can do recreational sports outside of school like dance, or they can get a job. There will be a waiver for students who are involved in outside of school activities, but otherwise, students need something to help them build a positive character and fill their time.
I don't think extracurriculars are going to be required anytime soon, but I know that a lot of parents read my blog. I think that you should get your children involved in school, and to the students who read my blog, you should get yourself involved.

127 more days.... Until then, keep calm and boomer sooner!