A Different Kind of Thursday

This morning, I woke up at 6:20 AM in order to head to the Recreation Center again.  I didn't think about going, until the very last minute last night, but I'm glad I put in some exercise today, because for some reason, I feel like I've gained weight at VSA! Perhaps I'm just "eating too good" here, and it's just my imagination--hopefully it is. I'd like to say that when I was in the gym there, I played much better basketball this time, and I feel like that I emulated--if you know this famous break-out star--Jeremy Lin. I also had the chance to play a little bit of beach volleyball! That didn't work out too well, but it was still nice to play around with a volleyball with friends when I haven't since May (the end of Boy's Volleyball Season).

Lived Religion's first hour today was dedicated to difficult reading about prayer in the Jewish and Christian practices.  However, although it was difficult reading, I know that the more I'm challenging myself with these difficult readings, the better that I'm getting at analyzing them. And it's working.

The rest of class time was devoted to three guest speakers: a Methodist reverend, a Catholic priest (and professor at Vanderbilt), and a converted rabbi. They taught and answered our questions about prayer and the body in the Judea-Christian faiths. Although the guest speakers were very informative about their religious practices dealing with prayer and the body, I found that I was getting lectured a little too much. I thought the speakers gave us a little too many history lessons. Now I know they only told us history in order to show why that religion practices the way they do today, but still, the lecturing was just a little too much. I can tell, now, that history is extremely important in Judea-Christian beliefs and practices. Now don't get me wrong; it was a pleasure to have them teach us more about the Judea-Christian practices.  It's just that this day made me realize just how much more beneficial experiencing an actual religious service is compared to simply lectures and readings. Now of course you still need the lecturing and the reading, but actually experiencing a different culture is much more insightful.

The rabbi's morning prayer tallit

We're also now reading this book called An Act of Faith by Eboo Patel. It's about a Muslim American who struggles with his religion and the culture in and around him. I've only just recently begun the reading the book, but more into the book deals with inter-faith, which will be the basis of our course next week. The book is an autobiography, and the book is very easy to get "in to it".

In Arete, we practiced our stage combat scenes for tomorrow's presentation. I'm very excited about this, because I didn't get to watch nor perform last week, because of a site visit to a synagogue. It should be interesting, and I'm definitely going to bring my stage combat skills back home and show them to my friends.

A few friends (Hannah, Alexa, and Elizabeth) and I decided to eat at a sushi place called GoGo Sushi. It was a very interesting sushi place--almost like a fast food restaurant. The sushi was very tasty, and I also got one of my favorite sodas, Ramune! It's a Japanese soda, and the best part about the soda is popping a marble in the drink to start the carbonation--very fascinating and entertaining.

Alexa

I also had the chance to go to see Ayla Brown, an American Idol Finalist from a few years ago. She was much taller than I thought, but it doesn't matter because she had a beautiful voice. I hope she becomes more well-known soon; she deserves it. She's a very nice and friendly person. This is random but--on the spot--I was forced by one of my friends to do a Simon Cowell impression for Ayla. I guess it wasn't too bad, but I was pretty embarrassed for a while.

Anyway, the rest of the night just zoomed by like it was nothing; now it's curfew. Tomorrow there's going to be a pool party. It should be a great Friday. Good night.

The American Idol Girl

Class was mostly focused on Amphetamines today. We learned how it affects our body and how we become addicted to it. Basically, the drug enters your body and goes to your brain where it blocks the pathways to certain receptors. After it blocks the pathway, it leaves the dopamine (a feel-good chemical) to forever hit the receptors, releasing that feeling of a high.

Silly Pictures Are Always Fun

Although the idea of feeling good for an extended amount of time does sound appealing, the overall effect of this drug is extremely negative. For example, using this drug a couple times can actually permanently lower your dopamine level, making you need methamphetamine all the time. Also, meth can really cause psychological problems and give addicts wild hallucinations and visions. Amphetamines also cause huge hospital problems in our country; in fact 49% of all hospital admissions are because of Amphetamines. Unfortunately, drugs will almost always be a problem in some way, shape, or form.

After class, I went to my glee class where we finally finished the video we are making. I had this little solo and I had to have camera time for about 5 seconds. I really hate any form of camera time, even if it’s just for 5 seconds. Regardless, I am still curious about the final product that will be showcased tomorrow. I hope it’s not too embarrassing…

Once I finished Arete, I head to see a performance by former American Idol participant, Ayla Brown. She was a basketball star who made it to the top 24 in Idol’s 5^th season. At first, I wasn’t too excited for the show since I was feeling a little tired; however, her singing was really, really good. She told us all about her experience with American Idol, and didn’t leave anything out. I really enjoyed how down to earth she was and I had a great time for the whole show. Other people also got a chance to sing up stage, which was really funny. Chris also “volunteered” to go up to do his famous Simon Cowell accent, which received a ton of applause. I really had a blast at the performance.



Ayla singin'



One of the proctors!

Me and Ayla!

From Health To Harmony

Humidity was at its best today. After my regular morning routine, which includes breakfast, I walked across campus with my proctor, Tessa. I decided to get my eye checked at the Student Health Clinic, and it turned out just as I thought it would be. The nurse practitioner told me I had a stye in my eye, and it’s usually treated with hot compress. I’m thankful it wasn’t anything too serious, and I hope it’ll be gone within the next few days.

The tie-dye shirts we made!

Playing foosball after meals!

Afterwards, I headed straight to class, and jumped into a movie about amphetamines and other drugs. It was interesting to hear the stories of those who were addicted to drugs, but have now stopped. I learned a lot about how the feel good chemical, dopamine, works. It creates a chain reaction to give you the feeling of pleasure. Unfortunately, meth addicts will never be able to feel pleasure again, because the drug creates a permanent change in your body. During the Vietnam War and World War II, armed forces used amphetamines as stimulants to keep themselves awake for long periods of time. The results of getting no sleep are horrific. Many people go crazy, hallucinate wildly, get paranoia, and enter in a psychotic state. Consumption of meth or amphetamine causes cell death in the frontal cortex of the brain.  Moral of the story is to not take these highly addictive drugs. You don’t want to be added to the 49% of all hospital admissions of meth. It’s just astounding to know that many people still make the decision to become addicted to the most physically damaging drug.

The second session of Pharmacology began with research in the computer lab. I think it is awesome that Macs can either have Apple or PC software. For my part of our final research project, I have been researching the question: Is the use of ADD/ADHD medications more of a placebo effect for both prescribed and non-prescribed college student users? Through much research, I have learned 1 in every 5 college students use this drug as a “study drug”, “academic steroid”, or even as “Ivy League crack.” You would be amazed to know that many non-prescribed students buy it illegally from their prescribed friends, so they can perform better on tests. As part of our project, I plan to branch off the completed studies of University of Pennsylvania, University of Rhode Island, and Lehigh University. Each of these institutions has done a study with ADD/ADHD medications with non-prescribed and/or prescribed college students, using also a placebo. So far our research project is progressing, but we still have much more to do.

We ended class today with a movie about the crisis of meth in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Meth has grown to be a large part of this city, affecting many lives. Those who are addicted may be awake for 5 days without food. Many addicted parents are not capable of taking care of their children; so many kids have to be taken under the care of their grandparents. It’s disheartening to see those traumatized children, knowing their lives are changed forever. Did you know that 12.3 million Americans over the age of 12 use meth? It’s a very scary fact to know. Yessenia and I want to find a way to inform the students at our school about the effects of all the different kinds of drugs. I believe everyone should be informed about the important factors that come along with taking drugs.

I enjoyed our last session of fencing this afternoon. If you watch me, I’ll be the little girl who screams once she gets hit. I’m getting a little better at it, and hopefully everything goes well and safe at the showcase tomorrow! I’m glad I got to step out of my comfort zone, and take a stab at a different sport.

                                                                                                    

Sushi with my friend, Elizabeth!

I ate a small dinner, because some of my friends planned to go out for sushi for SOFT night. The sushi place was pretty cool, because you got to make your own. It wasn’t too bad, and I enjoyed the company and laughs with my friends. We then went for a quick stop at Ben and Jerry’s. I ordered a delicious frozen latte. With time to spare, we headed to the Rotunda to watch Ayla Brown, an American Idol season 5 finalist. She has an amazing voice, and it was nice to get a chance to listen to her.

Ayla Brown!

I ended this day watching a scary movie with my proctor group. The loud thunder, scary lightning, and rain outside added to the dark mood. More bonding time, more fun! Good night, guys!

A Day of Self-Reflection

My energy level was much higher today. It was probably the most productive day since last week.

Today's class was very "chill" and relaxing but still very productive and insightful. A guest speaker arrived who was the director of the American Center for Outreach. Her name is Remziya Suleyman, and she was born in Kurdistan, but has lived in Nashville ever since she was five. She is Muslim, a political activist, and a feminist. She is only in her mid-20s. I really admire her and what she does. Being all these characteristics, she's obviously in danger all the time; the risks she takes to do what she stands for is inspirational to me.

However, I didn't just admire what she stood for. I also liked how informative she was about the misconceptions people have about Islam. She answered many of our prepared questions about women in Islam, and I learned a lot. She's taught me that Muslim women actually get a lot of privileges that men don't get, and to some, they might actually have more privileges than the men do. Many people think that the veil that covers a women's head (called a hijab) oppresses women, when actually in fact, it's meant to do the exact opposite. Muslim women have a choice if they want to wear the veil; Remziya didn't start wearing it until four years ago. The hijab is meant for being modest and having a stronger "bond"--submission with God. She also told us something that many people think is a simple tip, yet many don't do it. She told us that we should always ask and not assume. The world has so many misconceptions about Islam and its practices, and if people just asked Muslims about their practices, Muslims wouldn't mind answering and having a discussion about it. These are the main things of the many things that I learned in this discussion with Remziya today.

Before lunch, we had "Quiet Time", which was a self-reflection period in which we answered four questions about how we were feeling about the class so far. I wish I could tell you more about what I wrote, but I turned in the paper after class. Let me just say, however, that the way I'm learning is very different than what I'm used to. I think that because there is no real "grade" in this course, students in my class actually want to learn--not just for the good grade. The class is also very small (12 students), so we can get very personal--especially in discussions. I'm used to having 32+, sometimes even 38 students, in my high school classes, so it's nice to experience a new learning environment--especially with students who are so intelligent, hardworking, and insightful. This class hasn't changed me too much as a person yet, but I'll tell you more about my self-reflection another day. I know by the end of this class, however, I will definitely have something changed about me--academically, mentally, or spiritually.

The rest of class was devoted to discussion about how we were feeling about the class so far (of course) and watching a documentary about Muslim active feminists. The video was pretty much to reinforce what we were learning about Muslim women. When our T.A., Eli, saw that we had some time left over, the class watched The Big Bang Theory. It was a great way to end class.

VSA's evening activity was a bit more of a serious one. We were having dinner with the Dean of Hank Ingram House, Dean Wcislo, and some admissions officers. The dinner was surprisingly quick, and we had Mexican food that reminded me of Chipotle, which made me a bit nostalgic because I always eat at the Chipotle in Pinole. Anyway, here's some pictures of some of my friends!



Elizabeth

Alexa, Eric, and Anna

Kelsey

Some of "the guys" and Avery

After dinner, the students, along with an admissions officer, got into groups of about twenty. We, the students, were pretending to be an admissions committee. We had four applications and were only allowed to accept one, deny one, and wait-list two. Being in an admissions officer's shoes and seeing what it's like to actually go over an application and make a decision of who to accept was very helpful for me. I already knew mostly how they accept you, but it made me realize that every single thing on one's application matters, because that packet is the only thing the admissions officers know about a student. Even one's email could mean something. For example, a student named "Juan", had an email ID called "iamnumberjuan". This really doesn't matter, but perhaps this shows something about the person. This is because it was obvious in Juan's application that he was lazy. Even his teacher recommendation said something bad about Juan, that he turned in late homework. And Juan being lazy reflected in his average grades. His test scores, although high, meant nothing if he couldn't work in a classroom and turn in work on time. This is why although he had extremely high SAT scores, most of the committees denied Juan. This goes to show that the person who is more well-rounded will get in. I pretty much knew this already, but it's just nice to be in the admissions officer's shoes.

One thing that frightened me a bit, however, was the realization that I had to raise up my standardized testing scores. Although colleges look at an applicant's application holistically, test scores still do play a big part, because many of the applicants will have high test scores already. Well, I still have time to study and practice, so I can raise my SAT and ACT scores. I shouldn't worry too much, but this is the only part of my application that I'm afraid of. When I come back from this trip, I'm definitely going to practice and study for these standardized tests.

Today was a great day for self-reflection. I looked back at my faith and what I believe in, and I started to think more and more about my college applications. I am not frightened; I just know that this school year will be an intense and exciting one.

Wow, tomorrow's already Thursday. Good night!

Dinner And A Workshop

Class today was the complete opposite of class yesterday. The day before, we did a whole ton of walking around and looking around different research places; however, today we just sat and had a lecture for the whole school day. Lectures are never too bad, in fact, they are pretty interesting. I think I learned a lot about Cancer and a bunch of random facts that pretty much blew my mind.

Apparently a babies’ placenta is used in about 135 medical and scientific uses including: body lotions, “protein-rich” face creams, and shampoos. Placenta even treats gum disease, arthritis, and eye problems. Just imagine, something you use at home can have baby placenta in it. Yes, I know the stuff we use every day has even weirder stuff in it, but just finding out about specific things like this creep me out a little.

Anyway, today’s topic was mainly about one of the leading causes of death: Cancer. Cancer is caused by some malfunction in a normal cell – basically the cell’s DNA is mutated in a way that it makes the cell multiply infinitely and become harmful to the body. There are four types of cancer which include carcinoma (skin, lung, and breast), lymphoma (immune system), leukemia (bone marrow), and sarcoma (tissue, muscle). As everyone knows, cancer is extremely difficult to get rid of; however, there are some ways to fight it. The typical ways to combat cancer is through Chemotherapy, surgical removal, and bone marrow transplant.

There are many different drugs to use to against cancer. One I found that was interesting was Taxol. Taxol comes from the Pacific Yew Tree and is found to be extremely effective against ovarian cancer. It targets malignant tumors by interfering with the microtubules that are responsible for dividing chromosomes during cell division. The problem is, it takes about 20,000 pounds of bark to make only 1 kg of Taxol. As you can imagine, many trees will have to be cut down, which isn’t good for the environment. Also, it is expensive, with 1 kg of Taxol costing about 600,000 dollars. I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t have that kind of money lying around. Regardless, scientists have made a semi-synthetic material that is almost exactly like Taxol, so hopefully one day it can be used to effectively treat this cancer.

Once we finished with the lectures, Dr. Sulikowski informed us about our final projects. We will basically come up with our own research ideas and how we plan to use it and also present them in front of college grad students. Yes, college grads, and yes, I am a little nervous. Nevertheless, these challenges are what make this class unlike any high school class out there, and I really want to do my best with this and prove my abilities.

After class, we all got dressed up for the dinner with the Dean. The dinner was supposed to be outside, but due to the storms rolling in, the dinner was moved inside the Commons. The Tex-Mex food wasn’t too bad, but in all honesty, I am not a big fan of Tex-Mex.

My roomate and I :)

After dinner, we had this activity called, “You Decide: An Admissions Case Study” which involved 4 kids that we had to either accept, waitlist, or deny to this fictional university. We were all separated into groups to decide the fate of these four students. I, along with a few others, was put in a room with Ricky Thrash, who was an admissions officer at Vanderbilt. He was really relaxed and humorous, which made it really easy for everyone to express their opinions on this admissions case study.

The applicants were 4 totally different people named, Michelle (who had a recently deceased father, Christina (a girl who turned her life around), Stephen (a quirky, creative applicant), and Juan (a bright but lazy boy). After about a whole hour of discussing, weighing options, and voting, we finally came to a conclusion. We admit Stephen, waitlisted Michelle and Christina, and denied poor Juan. In the end, this case study really showed me how hard it was to be an admissions officer; I really don’t know how they do this every year – it really is painstaking work. Also, it gave me more of an in-depth view of the whole admissions process. Things like these are really helpful to anyone who wants to apply to college soon and even the curious student. It would be really beneficial if there were more workshops like these. Maybe one day they can be more widespread, and in turn everyone can benefit from it.

My proctor group!

A Little More Insight

Tonight I gained a little more insight on the admissions process that happens here at Vanderbilt University. A dinner was held this evening with the dean of the Commons; all the VSA students dressed in their best "snappy casual" clothing and reported to the Commons for dinner and a brief introduction. After the dean introduced himself and some admissions officers (none of whom were the admissions officer for California), he gave a succinct speech. We chewed our food slowly and respectfully listened to his speech before heading to the Rotunda, where we were divided into groups of fifteen. Our job in those groups were to evaluate the applications of four different students and deliberate which one of those students should be accepted, which should be wait-listed, and which should just be denied.  

It was interesting reading some faux admissions applications to " Redbrick University"( which is a fictitious college). The four students who's applications we read were very different. Each of them had specific skills and weaknesses, so it took a while to decide who earned what. I realized that a strong application has everything:exceptional grades, leadership and commitment in extracurricular activities, recommendations, and your personal essay. Therefore, we chose the candidate who best fit this description. 

This activity really gave me some insight on what I need to do to have a strong application. I have to admit, I wasn't feeling too confident about college when I looked at some of those example applications because I have not done nearly as much as those sample students have. I returned to my room despondent after that activity. I picked up a pen and paper and began listing every significant achievement  of my academic life and realized that I may not have done as much as some students, but I have done a good amount. 

Everyday at Vanderbilt is like an adventure. I am learning new things and meeting new people everyday. I am discovering more about myself and who I am personally and academically. I am no longer an ignorant little kid; I have evolved into a mature young adult, with a more thoughtful curiosity about the world. I can now recognize mistakes and things I am doing wrong and fix them. I am finally starting to grow up now. 

More Challenges=More Confidence

Unfortunately, I woke up this morning with a swollen eye. I’m glad it’s not too bad, but I hope it gets better soon. I'm not exactly sure where it came from, but hopefully I'll find a way to get rid of it as soon as possible.

Our proctor group picture!

Our professor brought us Dunkin' Donuts!
It was my first time eating it and it was the best! 

I tried something different for breakfast, so instead of eating eggs, bacon, and hash browns, I ate Captain Crunch cereal with milk. It was not too heavy, but I was satisfied. It was only 9 AM in the morning, but it was extremely humid outside.  As soon as we entered class, we went straight to a lecture on cancer drugs. Did you know that one in four people in the United States under the age of 80 die of cancer? Everyone has cancer cells in their body, but since most of our immune systems are working properly, our cancer cells are not active; therefore, nothing is uncontrollably multiplying our cells. One interesting fact I learned was that: if you had a CAT scan already, you have fulfilled the amount of radiation exposure you can have in your lifetime. I took in so much information about cancer; this blog would end up being pages and pages long. I’ve come to realize how fast pace this Pharmacology class is, and although I may not understand every single thing, I am able to grasp the concepts as a whole. My professor doesn’t expect us to know every single fact, because she understands it’s a rigorous course load designed for undergraduate students.

This guy always gives you a good laugh!

On our second half of the class session, we began discussing our final project. In groups of three, we are to pick a drug, form three research questions about the drug, research the questions, and come about a way to actually start researching. Now you may think this will be a simple class presentation, but it’s not; we will be presenting to a panel of graduate students! VSA is a summer program where they do challenge you and push you over and beyond what you thought you would be doing at a summer camp. We can’t just sit there and begin forming simple questions; my group literally sat for 45 minutes, with our minds boggling, forming three complex research questions on ADHD/ADD medications. It will require a lot of hard work and confidence to present it in front of highly intelligent group of graduate students, but I know we have the capability to do so.

Fencing is getting more and more challenging each day. New moves, new tricks, and let’s say I’m not the best at it.

Fencing with Narges!

Some awesome people I've met here!

 We had a special dinner tonight with Dean Wcislo, the dean of the Commons building. We dressed to impress to show our appreciation for letting the VSA sessions use this part of campus. We ended the night with an opportunity to read and discuss real accepted, waitlisted, and rejected college applications with Vanderbilt college admissions officers. This for me was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see how college admissions officers think and decide. We were divided into groups and as a group we acted as a college admission committee. In the end, I learned there is not one way to get into college and being a college admissions officer is a tough job. Each individual has his/her own strengths and weaknesses, and there is not one perfect student. With all the college information sessions, meetings with college admission officers, tours, and talks with students I’ve been to these past 3 weeks, the one thing I will always remember is, “Take your passions and run with it.” Each person is different, but colleges are looking for how you will impact their institution, their community.

The sweetest people!

So to all college applicants out there, "Do your best and be yourself!"