February 24, 2013

February 24, 2013

What a Week/end!

Hey all!  I hope everyone had a great weekend! I know mine was pretty legen- wait for it -dary! :)

 

 

Brad and Sebastian did an excellent job in class discussing with their learning session.  All the activities were very good and I believe they did a great job with each of the activities they did!  I thought the scenarios were very good and the discussion on the difference between negative goals and positive goals was good as well.  I hadn't really thought about the difference before and I will certainly be more conscientious about how I state my goals from now on.

 

Social Media Week is half over already and I have to say, it's certainly been interesting.  The interactions between everyone is great and has made the week a lot of fun.

 

The Daytona 500 and the Oscars are on today.  I've never been a big NASCAR fan, watching cars go around in a circle at 200 MPH.  But it's something to distract me from my homework, so there you go.  I'll definitely watch the Oscars tonight, although I haven't seen a lot of the films nominated.  Additionally, how about the Cyclone win yesterday?  I hope Kansas is ready for Big Monday.

 

Have a great week!

Go State!

Katie



February 17, 2013

February 17, 2013

Retreats and Communication

This past week, Coreen and I led class and facilitated discussion over advice giving versus interpersonal communication and what a helping relationship is.  I firstly want to thank all of you for being really interactive and supportive with our lesson!  It certainly made it a lot easier to do the lesson when everyone was engaged and willing to cooperate!  I will most definately return the favor as each of you present your lessons in the upcoming weeks! :)

Today we had our retreat and I surprised myself by how much fun it was!  I was basically laughing the entire time.  To everyone who had an ice breaker, y'all did a great job and those were really good ones that I'll hopefully remember for my own section this fall!  As for the digital story telling project, I am super excited to be doing the Hunger Games because the Hunger Games are like my second favorite series after Harry Potter naturally.  I'm looking forward to seeing what the script will be like and the end product. 

The lesson that Coreen and I did was all about communication.  To answer question 1 on page 122 in the textbook, I believe that the major difference between normal day-to-day communication and interactions and the qualities of a helping relationship is the style and conductivity of the relationship.  With normal day-to-day interactions, most of the time, one is laid back and uses informal language.  With a helping relationship, there are defined boundaries and a centralized system of interaction that both parties adhere to. 

In honor of Michael Jordan's 50th birthday, I'll leave you with a few quotes from him:

"I can accept failure - everyone fails at something - but I cannot accept not trying."

"I have missed more the 9000 shots in my career.  I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot and I missed.  I have failed over and over again in my life.  And that's precisely why I succeed."

Have a great week everyone!
Go Cyclones!
Katie

February 10, 2013

February 10, 2013

Another Week, Another Blog Post

In sports news, the Iowa State men lost yesterday.  Needless to say, I was not a happy camper during that game.  The Ravens won the Super Bowl.  Old news, I know.  I thoroughly believe that the Buffalo Wild Wings button was pushed to give the 49ers a fighting chance.  Also, did anyone catch the Louisville/Notre Dame game last night?  5 Overtimes! Again, the Buffalo Wild Wings button had something to do with it.  The Irish won if you were wondering.

This past week in class we learned about cultural proficiency.  Easten did an excellent job of incorporating some really good tips regarding different kinds of culture and how we need to be emphatic rather than sympathetic.  For a clearer definition between the two, according to my dictionary.com app on my phone, empathy means the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attidues of another, while sympathy means: (1) harmony of or agreement in feeling, as between persons or on the the part of one person with respect to another; (2) the harmony of feeling naturally existing between persons of like tastes or opinion or of congenial dispositions; and (3) the fact or power of sharing the feelings of another, especially in sorrow or trouble; fellow feeling, compassion, or commiseration.

In simpler terms, empathy means to relate with a person's experiences while sympathy means to relate to a person's feelings.  It's easy to sympathize with someone, but to emphasize with someone is a bit harder.  It's something we as peer mentors need to be conscious of as we continue our course and lead our sections next fall.

In conclusion, I will remind everyone that Valentine's Day is Thursday, in case you need to get something for your significant other quickly before then.  As a history major, I will throw in this historical fact that has nothing to do with love about the holiday.  This Valentine's Day will mark the 84th anniversary of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, which was the murder of seven mob associates who were caught in a conflict between the Italian mob led by Al Capone and the Irish mob led by Bugs Moran, both based in Chicago.

And with that I will leave you with this quote:
"When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goals; you do not change your decision to get there." - Zig Ziglar

Have an excellent week everyone!
Go State!
Katie

 

February 3, 2013 #2

February 3, 2013

Iowa State Leadership Experience

On Saturday, February 2, I attended the Iowa State Leadership Experience, or ISLE.  It was a very good experience for me as a new peer mentor.  It made me think about a lot of things that I haven't thought about before. 

The opening keynote speaker Dr. Darin Eich was a good speaker.  His message, Innovate Yourself to Create Your Own Path, I thought tied in very well with Iowa State's "Choose your Adventure."  Dr. Eich gave us good advice that I thought related very well to what we as peer mentors will do.  We need to be creative and be innovative to collaborate, communicate, and create. 

Dr. Eich mentioned that employers look most for people who have critical thinking and problem solving skills, communication skills, collaboration skills, and creativity and innovation.  I remember in high school, my college English teacher told us the same things: that employers want creative and innovative individuals.  I believe that this is true.  In this day and age, anything that gives someone an edge can make one's career. 

The first session I went to was Creating the Team: Retreats and Team Builders for Student Leaders.  It was led by Kyle Holtman, who runs Destination Iowa State.  He gaves us good tips for team building exercises and how to plan retreats for individuals.  Holtman even offered to e-mail his tips, which I took full advantage of.  I hope to use some of these tips and incorporate them into my own recitation section this fall.

The second session I went to after lunch was The Importance of Group Dynamics for Student Leaders.  This session was led by Criss Salinas and Alissa Stoehr.  It was very informative and made me think about my actions as a leader.  They said we as leaders need to become self-aware of our actions and how our actions and words are perceived by others. 

All in all, I thought this was a good experience and I hope I can use some of the things I learned as I continue the path as a Hixson Peer Mentor.

Have a good week!
Katie

February 3, 2013 #1

February 3, 2013

MBTI

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!  I haven't really decided who I am going for yet, even though the game is tonight.  I've watched more 49ers games this season than I have the Ravens, but Kelechi Osemele, former ISU offensive lineman, plays for the Ravens.  Decisions, decisions.  However, I don't really care, because the Vikings aren't playing.

This past week in class we did the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Step II.  I am ISFJ.  I believe that this is an accurate assessment of my personality.  Upon reading the description about ISFJs, I found it to be incredibly descriptive to myself: "They focus on seeing the facts clearly and accurately, especially those related to people. Facts are also important to ISFJs in making practical decisions. They are sympathetic, tactful, and supportive of others in need. They often notice and do little things that help others feel good and also get the job done."

I am most definitely an introvert; according to the results, I scored approximately a 28 for introversion.  By nature, I am incredibly shy and quiet.  It takes me a while to warm up to people, especially people I've just met.  As for sensing, I did not score as high as I did as introversion; only about 10.  I scored highest in the sub-categories of realistic and experiential.  Feeling was the second highest section I scored in; scoring about 23.  I like to make sure all parties involved come to a coherent conclusion that all are happy with.  If something's not right, I try to make it better. 

As for judging, I like to get things done in a somewhat timely manner.  I need to be organized, although I sometimes classify it as an organized chaos.  I like to know what is coming and have plans at least a couple hours in advance.  When we were in class doing the activity where we stood against the wall to see when we would start and finish assignments, even though it was a fictional assignment, I could not imagine starting a huge midterm paper three days before it was due.  Just the thought of that was giving me anxiety and it wasn't even a real paper!  I try not to leave anything until the last minute, especially big assignments.

I really enjoyed learning and digging into our each of our personalities.  Our group dynamics are so different but I believe we get along very well as a group!

Again, Happy Super Bowl Sunday!  Enjoy the game, or the commercials, which ever you prefer!  As my history professor has said, (and I'm paraphrasing greatly here) "How dare they interrupt the commercials with a football game!"

Go Niners! Go Ravens! Go Cyclones!
Katie

January 27, 2013

January 27, 2013

Making Differences and Connections

"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee."
- Marian Wright Edelman

Being a Hixson Peer Mentor is about making a difference.  I thought that this quote by Marian Wright Edelman exemplified that.  We need to strive to make little differences one day at a time, whether by giving one a simple smile or a word of encouragement, which will eventually make all the difference in the world.

On Wednesday this past week, I happened upon a professor I had during fall 2011.  He remembered me and asked how I was doing.  We talked for a good five minutes and it was extremely reassuring that while I remember not doing the best in his class, that I still made some type of impression on him so that he would remember me over a year later.  Lesson of the week: Sit in the front row and talk to your professors.  It makes our big university feel that much smaller; that you're just not a number of 31,000+ students - you're an actual person.  It makes going to class more enjoyable, to me at least, because I know that the professor knows who I am and wants me to succeed.  It gives me more motivation to work on assignments that may be more tedious than others because I don't want to let the professor down by not doing well in their class.

Another good reason to talk to your professors, especially professors in your major content area, is that they will be potentially good references on your resume.  Set up those connections early: visit their office hours, ask for help on an assignment, discuss current events or historical events to see what their opinion is - maybe you'll find a perspective that you haven't seen before. 

Also, in light of the recent ice storm, there's good news: there are approximately 52 days until spring!
Keep warm!
Katie

January 20, 2013

January 20, 2013

Upon meeting this year's Hixson Peer Mentors, I am looking more forward to this semester and the upcoming fall semester.  There are a lot of things that are going on and it's reassuring to know there are several others in the exact same position as I am: ready to lead the 2013 Hixson Scholars in their transition into life at Iowa State.  I am most looking forward to getting to know the other peer mentors on a more personal level.  The current peer mentors, to me, seem like a good bunch of individuals and I believe that we will have a lot of fun these next two semesters.

In class this past week, we did a lot of icebreakers to get to know others.  I liked them for the simple reason that they help get to break that "awkward" phase of being unsure of what to do around the new people.  I am shy normally and these icebreakers are a good way for me to get out of that "shell" and become more extroverted to interact with the peer mentors.  The icebreakers will be a good tool to use in my future as a history teacher and during the upcoming fall semester with the 2013 Hixson Scholars.  As a future teacher, I believe it will be important to create a good learning atmosphere where the students feel engaged and connected to learn about American or world history, or American government.  As for the Hixson Scholars, getting to know new individuals as you first arrive on campus is incredibly important - for those connections last throughout the four (or more) years that one will spend at Iowa State.

In conclusion, I am looking forward to getting to know my fellow peer mentors.  I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to give back to the Hixson Program: to make a future Hixson Scholar feel welcome and connected to the Iowa State community. 

As always, Go Cyclones!
Katie