Assignment 22- Anne Douglas

My life revolves around illness. My entire life I have been the sibling to someone with Cystic Fibrosis. Thus, I know a little bit about being the sick kids sibling. Well, it might actually be the only thing I truly know. My sister's illness is the single greatest influence on who I am, and what makes me unique.
The un-spoken job of a sick-kid's sibling is to remain in the background, and be as little of a burden on your preoccupied parents. As a young child, I didn't understand why my mommy went away to a hospital for weeks at a time, and spent so much time with my sister instead of me. I had to learn to step into the background with compliance, allowing all the resources to be dedicated to making sure my sister was as happy and healthy as possible.
So I stepped. I became small in times of stress, and internalized most things as to not attract too much attention to myself and burden my family even more. Because my issues were never as serious as Cystic Fibrosis. And they never will be.

 

Assignment 21- Anne Douglas

I, like most of you (I'm assume), fall trap to the myth that there is a "perfect life." A life with no insecurities, plenty of money, no stress, the perfect family. Complete fulfillment. Although I know intellectually that no such lie exists, I often find myself unsatisfied with my many imperfections. I spend hours thinking about the things I wish I could change, and imagine what my perfect life would entail. I would excel in all school subjects, be content with my appearance and body, be effortless funny, and blah, blah, blah. This perfection amalgam I have cultivated is not real. 

I am not perfect. I will never be perfect. And that is okay. 

Overcoming the obstacle of a constant drive to be perfect is a difficult feat, and I deal with it everyday. Instead of sulking in the things I wish were different, I choose to be grateful for all the wonderful things I have. Overcoming any obstacle begins with acknowledging your problem, and implement small changes to improve your life. 

Assignment 22- Stone Poole

I'm your classic college applicant. All the pressure from my family, all the hopes from myself as a kid for my future. Just a dream, an ACT score and a GPA here. Oh yeah, not really.  I may have a good ACT score and GPA but your average highs school kid and I didn't get those the same way.  I had a family who made me get to bed before midnight so I would get sleep and I had swim practice every school night and I dealt with my extraordinary procrastination skills.  You hear stories of other student- athletes maintaining grades and performing well but not with the same amount of pressure from their family. I kept that pressure and have used it to move forward. My parents don't accept B's. They don't accept laziness and staying up too late on a school night. So I had to fight the procrastination of rather play video games, hang out with my friends, spend time with my family or go on a date with my girlfriend. But I had to focus on the future and change that pressure into drive to complete what I have to before I can relax. That drive is going to push me to succeed in college and afterwards and make me a dream student for your school. Most students don't know how to balance their lives in college and it leads to a rude awakening. I've always had to balance my life and I'm ready for the challenge that is college  and adulthood

Assignment 21- Stone Poole

My biggest obstacle is a challenge and pressure. I feel like everyone in my life expects me to do amazing in schools and in the pool. My parents won't allow less than an A in every class but I'm also expected to go to practice everyday and my family keeps asking me what college I'm going to swim at and what I'm going to study or what high up job I'm going to have. I feel like just because I'm a great student-athlete I have double the pressure and everyone is challenging me to be great at both. I'm supposed to find a way to maintain grades, continue to improve in the pool, get enough sleep, live life like a teen but also prepare myself for the future. I just don't know how to do it. I try to relax myself by playing cool and laughing and always trying to lighten the mood but then when I come face to face with that it's scary. Everyone in my life has a different idea of what I'm going to do in the future except for me. What if I don't meet the expectations? Thats my obstacle and I haven't gotten over it yet. It's with me every night when I go to sleep.

Assignment 20- Stone Poole

How to procrastinate by Stone Poole
1) Receive your assignment. Whether from a teacher, boss, parent or anyone else who tells you to do something, you have to have something to do in order to procrastinate from doing it.
2) Find something you would actually like to do. The reason you procrastinate is to avoid doing something dreadful with another activity you enjoy.
3)Enjoy the activity you are doing. The best and worst part of procrastination is participating in the activity you aren't supposed to be doing. But guess what you'd rather do it than your assignment so go for it and have fun.
4) Get chewed out by the person who assigned you your task. While you enjoyed your pass time activity, you finally have to face up and complete your task.
5) Last minute, right before it needs to be done you finish your assignment. It may not be your best but you got it done in time and adequately.
Congratulations, you've procrastinated just like me. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I do!

Assignment 22 - Lauren Chatfield

Ok so yes I did just write another post about moving but I am writing about moving again. So here's the rundown: I was born in Seattle, I moved to a city on the boarder of Illinois and Wisconsin, I moved to a suburb north of Chicago, I moved to Belgium, I moved back to that suburb of Chicago, I moved to Bowling Green, I moved to Lexington. With all of this, I don't have that feeling of "AHH I gotta get away from home!!!" Quite frankly, I'm not sure where home is. I lived in Chicago for the longest amount of time (10 years) but if my mom's not there is that home?

Also, my mom herself is another big part of it. I've lived with only her for over 5 years! I don't think I could leave her and go far away. She is my best friend (and kind of my only friend) and I don't think I'd be able to go without seeing her for months at a time.

ALSO, financially I'd like to stay close.

With that, my top schools are University of Cincy, UK, UofL, and Transy.

Assignment 21 - Lauren Chatfield

Obstacles. Where to begin?
The greatest obstacle I faced was moving to Lexington. Although it's been almost 5 years since we did, this move really changed me. It was not my first move by any means - my 7th big move if I'm counting correctly - but it certainly was the hardest. The year prior to the move, my mom was diagnosed with and battling cancer. She was working at a law firm in Bowling Green, KY at the time and having lived there for only 2 years, I was finally beginning to situate myself with my friends and my new town. We were in Lexington visiting family a week before she told me we were moving here and I looked at her and said "I could never live here, I'd be miserable with all of these rich people." Little did I know that "trip to visit family" was actually a job interview for her.

Moving to Lexington I felt I had to dress differently and act differently and that I couldn't be proud of having a single mom and moving around a lot. It took me a year here to realize there wasn't actually an expectation for me to be something. Not everyone in Lexington is rolling in money and if they are that doesn't mean they're bad people. I made friends and eventually learned to love it here.

Assignment 20 - Lauren Chatfield

How to make eggless cookie dough (for two):
Intro: My family is notorious for making chocolate chip cookie dough and to have that dough never make it in the oven. Once I spent all day cutting cookies to decorate for Christmas and my uncle ate every last one. Of course, you always here if you eat raw eggs you will get salmonella and although I've never met anyone (to my knowledge) that has experienced severe salmonella, I have begun to make eggless cookie dough to prevent the risk. Uncle Bracken, you're welcome.

Directions:
1. Combine 2 tbs of soften butter, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, a pinch of salt, and 1/8 tsp of vanilla in a small-medium sized bowl.
2. Mix in 1 tbs of milk.
3. Add in 5 tbs of flour one at a time. You should reach dough texture at this point.
6. Now, the fun part. Add anything. Sometimes I do peanut butter, sometimes chocolate chips, sometimes raisins (that's a lie I've never done raisins but I guess you could), the possibilities are endless!

If you have leftovers (which I doubt you will), cover them and put them in the fridge to save.

Assignment 22 - Gloria Dietz

          I grew up with two professors as parents, but it was not as daunting as it may seem.  They did hold high expectations for me and did try to explain advanced concepts to me before I was really ready for them (my dad for example tried to explain Calculus to me at least 10 times in elementary school alone, and he did it all with the same stupid car problem that you don't even need calculus to solve--but I digress), but these things also pushed me to be better.  The advanced concepts that they explained, though mostly unsuccessful endeavors, made me want to learn more to be able to understand those concepts.  That drive to understand those concepts later grew into a general thirst for knowledge and understanding of the world in general.  Now, I try as much I can to learn new things and understand the underlying principles of the world around me.  This thirst for knowledge makes me a good fit for college in general (though I'm not sure exactly where I want to go).  Today, college is seen as necessary to get a good job in any field, but the real purpose of college has always been for people, like me, who want to learn more, to be able to expand their knowledge and get higher-level education. And that's exactly what I want to do; some people aren't built for college and just go because they feel like I have to, but that's not me.  I want to go to college, and I know exactly why I'm going: to learn.

Assignment 22- Alex

I think one of the big things that provide context to my life is probably that I'm a triplet. Its a fact that's been there form the beginning and shapes quite a lot of things. For example, when I was really little, like 3 or something, my parents thought I couldn't talk. They took me to speech therapy expecting there to be something wrong with me but I could talk just fine. It was more the fact that the girls wouldn't shut up and ended up talking to me most of the time. I just never really had to talk so I didn't. Now it's more affecting things like shared birthday parties, them constantly needing rides everywhere, fighting for who gets to drive, not getting restricted licenses cause insurance, having to get up early cause one of them has jazz band (thanks Julia for stealing like 30 minutes of sleep every single day). It makes me always think of what other people have going on when I schedule stuff and has generally made me pretty good at taking care of my own problems so I don't just dump more on my parents. When I go to college, I wouldn't have that level of support anymore and I'll be just fine without it I think.

Assignment 21 - Gloria

Where classes are involved, I didn't have much trouble, till this year.  I've never been amazing at foreign language.  I can memorize the vocabulary and the grammar, but on-the-go speaking, comprehending fast accented speech, and trying to understand words used in different contexts are completely different stories.  I was virtually unexposed to all of the above when entering my Spanish 4 class.  Suddenly, there were millions of words and phrases I was expected to already know and no real way to learn them.  There wasn’t a list of words to memorize or a teacher gently guiding me through the shallows of Spanish.  I was dropped right into the deep and told that I should already know how to swim.  The beginning of first semester was a nightmare—I was getting the lowest grades of my life, and they were in my only non-AP class.  I needed to solve this problem and fast.  It was evident many people were having the same problem as seen by my slowly shrinking class (that started around 30 and is now at 12).  I seriously thought about switching out—I talked to my counselor, I emailed the principle, and next was the parent-teacher conference, but before the conference could occur, I cancelled it.  Now, it wasn’t because I thought the switching out was unjustified—because believe me it was—, but the real underlying issue was that switching out felt too much like giving up. 

I, instead, decided to view Spanish 4 as a challenge.  I went on Duolingo and I practiced constantly until I finished the course.  I tried to talk to my Hispanic friend in Spanish more to help improve my speaking.  I went over my quizzes with another Spanish teacher to try understand my mistakes and get more of an answer than “it’s the right answer because it’s the right answer,” which was often the summary of my Spanish teacher’s response when I asked why a certain thing was wrong.  I also always asked my Spanish teacher what was happening ahead of time and I always asked for more explanation when I didn’t understand.  As a result, I made myself a better Spanish student and I like to think, I made my teacher a better teacher.  I learned a lot more vocabulary, got a little better at conversation, and did a little better in class.  I finished first semester with an A, despite the odds.  As for my teacher, my incessant (and maybe sometimes a little over the line) criticism and questioning made him a better teacher.  My repeated questions about our test formats made him start to create some of our tests earlier than the night before (which has also reduced the mistakes in his tests) and now he’ll at least tell us the format the day before.  He also gives us outside print resources  about the grammar, because he knows I’ll ask about specific details.  I like to think I hold him accountable for his teaching.  Even though the class still has much missing, I’ve adjusted my expectations and caused some change.  I’ve made it a place where I am able to learn, even if my grades aren’t as good as I’d like them to be.  I now understand that I won’t always be able to have the exact learning environment I want, but at least I can learn to adjust to the one I have and maybe even cause some change.  If I had left that class and not taken the initiative I did, maybe I’d have a better grade, but struggling in my current class has taught me how to adapt and has given me more knowledge (through my self-study) than I would’ve learned in the other class.

Assignment 22: Sarah

            My experiences include some of the things I have started participating in, in high school.

           When I started going to a gym to powerlift my first year in high school, so I could compete in powerlifting competitions. I have competed in two competitions in high school and at both I won my age and weight class. At the beginning of my training I believed it was only about the strength of my muscles, but over time I learned it was also about the strength of my mind. I had to believe that I could lift the heavier weights; if I did not it was like I had already given up. It taught me the power of confidence.

           Freshman year I also started to compete in archery. In the beginning it is important to simply get the technique correct, but as you improve it becomes more and more of a mental game. Not only do you have to have the confidence to believe your arrow will be a 10 (the highest score for a single arrow), but you have to discipline your mind to focus on every single thing your body does to be as precise as possible, so you can shoot consistently.

          As drum major in the marching band this past year I have learned the value of disciplining my mind to not give up. When you are in front of a group of people you do not have the option to say something is too hard. You have to have confidence in your abilities, know the technique of conducting and leading, and persevere.

          I have wake boarded for about 10 years, however since high school I have set a new goal to “get air” on the wake board. I have now successfully gotten some air, but I have also learned how scary it is. I have had to trust my abilities, but also push my boundaries and comfort zone, while testing both my mind and physical ability.

         In college I will be on my own, which means I will be responsible for what I choose to do or not to do. Through my experiences I feel as though I am better prepared to be successful in college. Through powerlifting I have learned how to encourage myself and have confidence in my abilities, which will help me trust myself and not become overwhelmed as easily. I can be more disciplined in my studies through what I have learned in archery, to focus and block out distractions, and by being drum major, to preserve. Lastly, I will be able to step out of my comfort zone and try new things in college due to my experiences from wake boarding.

Assignment 22 – Dilni Abeyrathne

        Everyone has a core to their being, be it a personality trait or a particular emotion, something that makes them who they are. For me, that thing is my encompassing silence.

       To some, silence is seen as a problem, something that should be rid of as soon as possible and replaced with a bright, social disposition. Perhaps it stems from fear or from boredom, but I do not hold that notion to be true. Silence is as much as part of me as any of my limbs are. I do not see it as a problem because that is simply who I am. However, there are no end to people who would delightfully point out my silence, making it comparable to a blight on a soul.

        It hurts me deeply when my silence is just up and pointed out so markedly. It is as if it is some problem that I need to be rid of. Let me remind you firmly that it is not a problem to me, nor should it be to anyone else.

      Even as I child, I was always quiet, most often sitting somewhere playing with my dolls or drawing something. Perhaps I learned it from my babysitter, who was quite silent herself. But, the fact remains that I am silent. It is a part of me that cannot be replaced nor destroyed. For me, silence represents much more than something to be rid of.

      My silence allows me to observe and reflect on what is around me. Such observations and reflection allow me to form a deeper view of the world and life, providing me with new insights every day. As such, I tend to listen more than I talk, processing everything in my mind before I utter a word. With my love of contemplation and reflection, my silent disposition has afforded me the ability to observe and make connections, rather than talk and attempt to keep my mouth and mind in sync.

         Perhaps this makes me seem emotionless sometimes and that is something I cannot change. I do admit that I tend to express little emotion day to day. Even at home, I keep to myself, rarely speaking for extended periods of time with my family. However, this is not due to hatred on my part – I simply prefer staying silent. I love the moments of reflection is affords me, and these moments are what helped me become the individual I am today.

        Of course, I will talk when the need arises, but don’t expect me to start speaking every moment of the day. That, my friend, is an event that will probably never transpire. In addition, my silence also stems from a physical aspect, one that I have referred to in one of my earlier blog posts: getting winded. If I speak too much at one time, I tend to run out of breath quite quickly, leaving my mouth dry and my lungs somewhat taxed. However, this does not keep me from speaking when I need to nor speaking to my friends. They of course know how to keep me talking when they are with me, and when they have succeeded, I glimpse their delighted little smiles.

         Indeed, silence is the core of my being, affording me time for reflection and observation. It is an integral part of me, as most probably know, and is a part I dare not abandon.

         After all, sometimes silence speaks louder than words.                  

Assignment 21- Alex

So the first thing that comes to mind would be school projects. There's been a couple of times that deadlines pile up and my lazy ass doesn't do them in a timely manner and I suddenly have 5 projects to do in 2 days. A little exaggeration but close enough. So logically the only right answer here is to rush through them as fast as I can in 48 hours and just don't sleep and subsist off of soda and as many sugary substances as I can find, cinnamon rolls, candy, etc. The problem here is that you inevitably crash and at some point, you just sleep for 8 hours and panic. Time passes, and I somehow got them done, poorly but done. In the future, I should really not do that, but it happens time to time still. I usually get them at least partially done ahead of time now and turn them in when they are due but sometimes it gets to be a bit more of a time crunch then I would like.

Assignment 21: Sarah

             I am involved in many activities both in school and out of school. One of these activities is dance. I have danced since I was 2 years old and have changed studios many times throughout my life as a dancer. I have danced at Tracy Stones, Gotta Dance, and I have danced at Barbra Ann’s School of Dance since 2^nd grade. Pointe is my favorite type of dance, but I also participate in tap, ballet, jazz, contemporary, and hip hop.

             When I got to Barbra Ann’s we were placed in classes based on our dancing ability, schedules, and height and I was placed with girls that were 2 and 3 years older than me. Because of the age gap I was often left out of the cliques and was not very involved in the group. This was very hard on me because I had no real community at my dance studio. It was a group of girls who, although they weren’t mean to me, they weren’t particularly nice either. Once I got to middle school many of the other girls in my dance class were moving into high school and my mom believed it might be better for me to move down a group, so I would be with people closer to my age. I did not mind leaving the people in my class, but it was very hard for me to join a new group of girls I had never met and move down a level of difficulty in my classes. After many tears and arguments, I did move down a level. I struggled fitting in and was once again left of my group. However, one good thing came of it: through that group I met one of my closest dance friends Maddie Klumb whom I still take classes with.

             Through the difficulties of interacting with girls in my classes and moving down a level I have learned that I need to make a conscious effort to welcome everyone to our dance family and show everyone that they are a part of our group. It can be very hard to switch studios or groups, especially with judgmental girls everywhere you go, so I have now learned how to be more supportive to new girls at my studio. Now, having moved back to the top group at my studio I have been able to learn how much hard work it takes to get better and I intend to continue working my hardest to improve.

Assignment 21 – Dilni Abeyrathne

        No matter who we are, obstacles seem to step into view every step we take in life. Whether small or large, they are always there, always waiting. However, every person faces obstacles, there are simply the bumps in the fateful road of life. Indeed, it would be miraculous if the world bore a person who has not suffered from difficulties, who has lived a life free of problems. Although I cannot say that I have not faced difficulties in my lifetime, I can say that those obstacles have shaped who I am today. However, being introverted, I keep my private life just that, private. But, there is one instance that warrants sharing.

        It was in 7^th grade, on a bright Saturday morning, that I faced a major setback. I was in my second year of playing my violin, elated at having progressed as far as I had. That day, I was on my way to the KMEA Solo and Ensemble Festival, which is an event for young musicians to receive a rating on their performance, be it a solo, an ensemble, or both. I had prepared quite a lovely solo to play and was excited to perform yet again at the Festival. After my success the year before, I felt fairly confident in my skill as a violinist at that point. However, that day was not be one of elation, oh no, that day went downhill faster than a sled on a ski slope.

          It was the eve of the Festival and I was a bit nervous, as was to be expected. But, I swallowed my nerves and went into the respective room of my judge, ready to perform and be rated. Beforehand, I had practiced the solo quite often, working to perfect the notes and rhythms. As such, I thought my solo would go just fine.

           Oh, how wrong I was.

        As soon as I started playing, things started to go downhill quite quickly. I messed up notes, timing, the rhythms. I could not understand. How was I making so many mistakes? Especially after practicing the piece day after day? Eventually I finished my solo and stood nervously, my cheeks heating up and my eyes downcast, waiting for my judge’s comments on my playing. And I got them not soon after. Truth be told, I cannot remember much of what the judge told me, aside from being more cautious in my playing and to play louder (I tend to play on the soft side). With those words, I exited the room feeling as apprehensive as ever, afraid to find out my rating. As I was walking towards the warm-up area to pack my instrument, my apprehension and fear began hurriedly whispering to me, questioning what rating I was to receive. Try as I might, I could not put the fearful voices out of my head, and so my apprehension grew.

         The fear and apprehension on my mind weighed heavily, intertwining to weave an indestructible web around my consciousness. With those emotions driving my mind, I quickly packed my darling instrument up and rushed to the area where the ratings would be displayed. Though the fear and apprehension were still present in my mind, a new emotion began to form: excitement, excitement to find out my rating. However, that excitement would soon be crushed.  

           Once I reached the rating board, my entire world came tumbling down, at least it seemed to do so in my eyes. I had received a proficient on my solo, a proficient. Questions whirled around in my head: how could I have gotten a proficient? Did I really mess up so much? I was so close to a distinguished. How could I have let this happen?

            Oh, I felt like an absolute failure, a failure to everyone, but most especially to my dear Orchestra teacher, who has taught me much about playing a violin. Having started playing violin in 6^th grade, I was eager to prove my skill in the Festival. However, that was not to be. Instead, I received a proficient, a rating that made me wholeheartedly feel worthless inside. Now, I know proficient is not by any means a bad rating, but to my dismal 7^th grade self, it was the epitome of failure. I felt like I failed everyone who had faith in my playing. I felt frustrated, but most of all, angry at myself for allowing this to happen.

         In the first instances of my discovery, I was disappointed and it denial. However, once the realization sunk in, my distressed mind raged in silent fury as I glared at the rating board. Bitter tears began sliding down my cheeks, which I quickly wiped away, ashamed of showing such emotion in front of everyone in the lobby. I felt utterly terrible, like an ashamed failure. Try as I might, I could not keep my emotions in. Tears flowed down my cheeks like a dismal waterfall, refusing to stop even as I furiously wiped them away.

         Terrible, terrible, terrible, I told myself. I shouldn’t have let this happen. My parents and Orchestra teacher tried to comfort me, saying that the judge had been too hard on my playing, but I pushed them away. I didn’t believe them, because the answer was cruelly staring me in the face. I went home in tears that day, refusing to talk to anyone and wallowing in disappointment. I held onto that bitterness for a long time, even to the end-of-the-year concert. However, it was an important lesson to me.

             Even though the sting of failure burned painfully, I used it to fuel my determination to work harder at bettering my playing and making my teacher proud. Ever since then, I have never gotten any rating below distinguished in the Solo and Ensemble Festival. In addition, that single failure also served to push me to work harder in subjects other than music. Although the event was terrible in my eyes, it allowed me to realize the value of hard work and not letting failure drag me into the depths of despair.

               Without that fateful day, I would not be who I am now.                

Assignment 20 - Alex

How to go camping
Step 1) Pick a location
Step 2) Get permission for the location/reserve a campsite
Step 3) Get some people to go with you cause camping alone is actually kind of boring
Step 4) Pack a bag or tote with everything you'll need, stuff like a sleeping bag, a tent, clothes, food, flashlights, etc.
Step 5) Get in the car with your friends and get to the campsite
Step 6) Setup your tent in the inevitable rain that's pouring down cause the weather said it will be sunny all weekend. Welcome to camping ladies and gents
Step 7) Get stuck in your tent all weekend reading books or playing cards with friends
Step 8) Go home and clean all your stuff that's covered in sweat and mud despite not being even taken out of its bag
Step 9) Do it all again in a couple weeks

Alternative steps 6 and 7:
Step 6) Have plenty of time to set up your gear at base camp
Step 7) Have fun all weekend with a frisbee, football, and whatever is fun to do nearby

Assingment 22 - Trip Church

My family has never lived a life of luxury, but i still have fun.  Don't get me wrong, having money to put food on the table was never an issue.  But we didn't have money to buy toys whenever my sister or I wanted.  Growing up like this, I've come to learn how to save money, but more importantly: not to judge someone for their money.  I've met lots of great people, some had money, and one didn't.  The same applied for not-great people; although sometimes more of them were rich than not rich.  A lot of people with money can fall into the trap of thinking that their better than others because they have more wealth.  This has always bothered me, because often, those without money can make some of the most trustworthy and greatest friends.

Assignment 22 - Anna Baskin

It’s hard to define your personality traits, especially to brag about yourself to colleges, but I think you can at least judge yourself by what traits you aspire to have (only others can tell you whether you succeed or not). One of the traits I’ve always strove to portray is open-mindedness, especially to new cultures and experiences.
I’d like to think this began in elementary school. Going to a Spanish immersion school meant half of my teachers were from outside the US. We learned about the customs and traditions of Mexico, Argentina, Spain, and Chile before we were ten years old, and also had a different perspective on early American history (more teachers told us the unsettling truths of Christopher Columbus and the treatment of Native Americans).
Additionally, I grew up hearing stories from my grandparents, who made it a point of travel as far and as frequently as they could. My favorite stories are always of their time in Korea, where they were expats for multiple years. Their lessons as they navigated a foreign city with no knowledge of the local language or customs were priceless; they taught me to laugh in the face of confusion/awkwardness (expect miscommunications when you attempt to speak Korean in a rolling Southern accent), and to notice and appreciate cultural differences.
More recently, I’ve found that connecting with my mom’s grad students has drastically expanded my world view. As a chemical engineering professor at UK, my mom’s students come from across the globe, often leaving behind family and friends. To connect them, mom will host dinners and parties at our house. Just listening to discussions around the dinner table is astonishing as cultures clash, but with no animosity or defensiveness. Rather, the students love comparing their respective traditions. At the last dinner, I listened to someone from Minnesota, compare wedding traditions with a students from India, Iran, Ghana, and China. Listening to their open-minded, respectful conversation was truly amazing, and just cements open-mindedness as a trait I hope to cultivate.

Assignment 20- Kayla Conrad

How to: Tack a horse

1. Get the horse (duh)
2. Secure your horse so they may not run away
3. Start by brushing off mud with a rubber brush using circle motions
4. Go over with a soft brush to remove excess hair and fine mud particles
5. Brush out mane and tail with comb (this may take a while)
6. Give your horse a treat because they are being good for you (this step is optional)
7. Place on full saddle bad right behind the withers, each side evenly on the horse
8. Place on half saddle pad in the middle of the full pad
9. Not place on the saddle, untuck the stirrups and adjust if necessary by pulling down on the buckle, going Dow holes to lengthen and up holes to shorten
10. Attach girth to the saddle, making sure to tuck the straps from the saddle into the full saddle pad for extra stability 
11. Make girth as tight as possible while your horse bloats out their stomach as much as possible just o annoy you, you may need to tighten one you are on your horse
12. This step is important because it makes sure you stay on top of the horse, not under it’s belly
13. Now move onto the bridle
14.  Hold the top of the bridal in one hand and the mouthpiece in the other. 
15.  Place the reins over the horses head 
16.  First put the mouthpiece into the horses mouth by slightly pressing on the corners of his mouth 
17.  Once the bit is fully in his mouth now you can place the top part of the bridal over his ears making sure to only pull his ears forward 
18.  Finch secure the longest strap under his chin as tight as possible 
19.  Then middle strap which is the thickest and the shortest 
20.  And finally the one by his nose that goes over his mouth. 
21.  Now hop on and start riding! 

Assingment 21 - Trip Church

One time I overcame an obstacle.

Last year in marching band, it was my first year playing snare drum.  It is typically a spot reserved for upperclassmen and better players, because it is loud and important to the whole band staying together.  Me and my friend Josh were the two new players, Ryan and James were the more experienced returning players.  I had been looking forward to this for all of high school, but it turned out to be much harder than i expected.  Band camp started, and I was excited to finally have a drum to play.  As the first day dragged on, my back really started to ache from carrying the drum for many hours without break - thanks scoliosis.  My feet also grew tired of marking time in place, with the extra weight of the drum.  Then my hands grew tired, I had never played so much.  After three weeks of misery, and progress, camp ended and school begin.  That's when it got even harder.
  Now I had to balance homework with practice, and it just made it even harder.  Also at this point in the season, mistakes were becoming less acceptable, but I wasn't improving fast enough to keep up.  I was getting roasted by peers, and facing the shame of knowing I was holding the group back.  (Looking back, I realize I probably wasn't, but it felt that way at the time).  I started staying up late to practice, getting extremely frustrated with myself.  I had good days, but I also had many bad days.  It reached a peak one morning before a competition, I was playing particularly poorly.  I couldn't say why - I still can't - but I was. The percussion director threatened to take the guts out of my drum if I didn't clean it up.  Removing the guts means the drum makes no sound, which in our "culture" would have been shameful.  It sounds silly, but It hurt to have that possibility weighing down on me.
  After that, i began to focus on doing what I had practiced, and things began to improve.  By releasing my anxiety, I started playing better, and before long, I was playing clean with the line, and I had overcome my obstacle.

Assignment 21- Kayla Conrad

The biggest challenge I have faced in my life is actually physical. Last January, my dad and I set a goal to compete a Tough Mudder. Personally, I had seen my dad complete 5 of these in the past and I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to compete myself. Last year was the year, the year I turned 16, which meant I was finally old enough. My dad and I’s relationship has not always been the best. We’er Not good at communicating so that makes a relationship pretty tough but we had finally found our thing. We trained for months from January until September 4 times a week, running 6 miles straight but that wasn’t even close to what the actual tough mudder is. The real thing consists of 10-12 miles depending on the location, with 25+ obstacles to test you physical and mental strength, to push your body to the absolute limit, and keep pushing.
What I discovered in the training process was that not many people believed I could complete. My grandparents brother’s family members and even friends didn’t believe I could accomplish this daunting challenge. But the one person who did, my dad. He stuck with me through it all pushing me to my personal limits even before the big day came. We even made a shirt that said one more that included all the names of every single person  Who said that I couldn’t do it. Every time we trained I wore that shirt and every time I wanted to quit I do one more for one of the names on the shirts. When the day finally came we drove down to Tennessee to repair our selves for what weird face but I found of this journey is not just a challenge of my personal strike but a building up my relationship with my father we had been able to bond over something that no one else could well also pushing ourselves the limit . The actual challenge was just as bad as I had imagined I wanted to give up about 10 times from jumping into ice water to running through electrical wires I didn’t think I could do it but as I challenge myself and thought about the one more I kept pushing. The best feeling was crushing that finish line and getting my headband improving every single person on my shirt wrong that I could do this and I had conquered my biggest obstacle

Assignment 20 - Trip Church

How to: Play Fornite

Start up your game of Fortnite, be sure the audio of your game is loud enough to hear, sound is crucial in this game.  Go into the Solo game.  When the game begins, choose an area to jump to.  I recommend an area that doesn't have a name on the map, many players go to these locations, so it can be quite intimidating. Avoid opening your parachute right away, you want to get to the ground quickly, so free-fall until you can't. Once your're on the ground, use your pickaxe to break tress and rocks and buildings, whilst scavenging for weapons and ammo.  You ideally want to find an automatic assault rifle, a shotgun, and a sniper.  Be sure you are using weapons at their most effective range: don't try to shotgun someone who is very far away.  A major component of this game is building, practice quickly building staircases and walls to defend yourself.  If you see an enemy, wait to shoot until you have a good shot.  After you kill them, make sure its safe, then go grab all of their loot.  Continue doing this until you vanquish your final foe.  Congrats you have your first dub!

Assignment 21 - Anna Baskin

Last year, Mr. Wise introduced us to a program called NSLI-Y, a federally funded study abroad program for “critical languages” like Hindi, Mandarin, Arabic, and Turkish. I was hooked. I spent day, weeks, months, researching the language options, host countries, and career opportunities. I read every alumni blog, watched every YouTube video and religiously stalked the Facebook Q&A page. When I triumphantly submitted my application in the fall, I was certain that I knew what they were looking for – and that was me. Honestly, it was probably the first thing I had ever applied for, and I told myself I wouldn’t get it while deep down, hoping (expecting?) I would.

I didn’t. I was rejected in the first round of judgements, and looking back, it’s easy to see why. My essay were bland and unfocused, at best. They talked about loving cultures and using language skills to talk to people (duh). However, the rejection gave me a crucial reboot to my brain. I learned that I can’t just passively expect good things to happen to me; I have to work hard to obtain them. Over the course of the next year, I set goals for myself to improve my next application attempt: I would define why I wanted to learn Arabic, set career goals, research language opportunities, rededicate myself to Spanish (to prove my language retention skills). However, I’m happy to say now that my effort paid off in this year’s application and I will happily be studying abroad in Amman, Jordan this summer!

In the end, the rejection was for the best. I wasn’t ready to accept such a serious responsibility. Over the course of writing this year’s application I not only learned what it takes to create a good resume and write a good essay, but I learned about myself and what I want to do in life.

Assignment 22- Kristin

As you may or may not know, I am a twin.  Yes, my brother the older twin.  No, we are not identical.  I predict that your next question is most likely "What's it like to have a twin?", and I'm sorry to say that I cannot give you a satisfactory answer.  I do not know what it's like to not have a twin to compare, so to me, having a twin is normal.  I guess not everyone has to share a birthday with their sibling, and not everyone's families will pay two college tuitions at once, but that is just a part of my life.

Having a twin means that equality is an essential part of your relationship with your sibling.  When we were little, our parents would be sure to spend the same amount of time, money, and effort on each of us, because with two kids the same age, there's none of the older sibling priorities (despite how often he says that he's older) or the baby-of-the-family privileges (I promise I have never tried to pull the baby card).  We've grown up making sure that we get equal turns in games, chores, and anything else you could possibly imagine.  It stresses us out that we don't drive the same amount of times a week. 

I believe this affected my view of the world, because as a child, I could never comprehend why people didn't get the same opportunities.  While I saw my brother as my first friend and first teammate, he was also my first competition.  It was important that we were given the same shot, and when I saw that not everyone was given that privilege, if baffled me.  It makes me sad to this day that some people are treated unequally, and I believe that growing up with a twin has made me this way.

Having a twin also means that we have what many people call the "twin connection."  I don't know how scientifically possible it is, but I do believe that my brother and I have some sort of bond between our brains.  Now, we can't actually read each other's minds (although that would be really cool), but we do often have similar thoughts at the same time, and although we don't agree on everything (or anything, really), we do regularly find ourselves on the same wavelength.  This most likely came about through being raised together in the same environment and through the same experiences.  After almost seventeen years together, I have become good at reading my brother, and I know that he's just as good at reading me.

This skill has made me talented at reading other people, too.  I have surprised myself at how often I have guessed how people are feeling and who other people like or don't like.  If I know a person well enough, I can typically comprehend glances from them, and I can usually recreate their body language and facial expressions.  However, people-reading extends beyond those I know.  One of my favorite activities is people-watching; I love to observe humans in their natural habitats, and I like guessing what they're going to do or say.  Spending much of my life studying and spending time with one person has influenced my interest and ability in this (although, you never know; me and my brother could just have telekinesis).

Assignment 22- Kayla Conrad

The biggest experience that has impacted my life and who I am as a person is definitely my parents getting divorced. Now, I don’t have a sappy and sad story about my family being ripped apart, my parents just simply didn’t fit. Coming from a Christian background, divorce is usually frowned upon but I think even the church was okay with my parents splitting. They are both amazing, wonderful people who are great parents but they weren’t great together.
I wish I could tell you a sad story about how after my parents split, I was angry at the hw world and fostered that anger into something really meaningful to make me a genius, but I didn’t. I was really too young at the time and didn’t really understand what was happening. I have few memories of them actually being together so my whole life has been centered around my schedule. But it was all I knew, to me, it was normal for a 9 year old girl to switch houses every 3 nights and have two separate sets of, well, everything. This management of schedules has completely shaped me into the person I am today. If I didn’t have a uniform for school at my moms house, we simply drove to my dads house 30 minutes away to pick one up, no questions asked and vise versa. You can imagine my surprise when I first started going to sleepovers where all the others girls didn’t have flexible schedules or a “to-go” bag with all my daily necessities. I was never upset about my situation because I had become accostumeted to it. Now, my schedule is ever changing and is never set in stone until after something happens, you learn to live like that with two houses. I have learned to roll with the punches because you can’t control everything but you can take advantage of what you do have. I have learned to adjust on the fly while also making the most out of my time because, imagine; as a parent you only get to see your children half of their life so you really learn to make the best out of every single second. If you, as a parent, seems like time flies by with your children, try splitting that time with another parent. But once again, I am completely happy with my situation and I would have it no other way because I thrive in the chaos and I like to adjust on the go, it is not part of me and my personality!

Assignment 20: Sarah

How To Conduct

I have learned how to conduct over the past marching season through the instruction of our band instructors and our sectionals leader. It is one of my favorite things to do. 

I was struggling to attach my video so here is the link to my video on Youtube!

https://youtu.be/obaEOptR2nM

Assignment 21- Kristin

As an aspiring musician and writer, failure and rejection is something that I'm going to have to come to terms with.  There are so many other artists out there with insane talent and commitment, and it can be hard sometimes to compete, even just as a student.

I deal with this rejection and competition more often than you'd think in my daily life.  I find myself constantly comparing myself to other dancers and dance, to other musicians at orchestra events, to other writers when grading essays in class.  That voice in our heads (that I'm sure we're all familiar with) feels that need to remind me that I'm not as good as this person and that person, and it can be quite confidence-degrading.  It goes for the opposite, too.  I unfortunately also try to pick out the people I'm "better" than, to attempt to repair my wounded spirit.  This works about as well as placing a Band-Aid on a broken bone.

One recent feeling of rejection was finding out that I didn't make it into GSA, a summer music program I was really looking forward to and hoping I would get to experience.  For some reason, during the days leading up to the release of the people who made it in, I had a feeling that I wouldn't get in, but it hurt nonetheless.  For a fleeting moment, I felt as if my dream to be a musician would remain only that: a dream.

However, something I've learned from obstacles like these is that one failure does not define one's abilities.  If I do grow up to be a famous musician, will I really be introduced as "Kristin Earnest, who didn't make it into GSA her junior year"?  Of course not.  I will be recognized for my true accomplishments, for the wonderful things I got to be a part of, and that I'm actually proud of.  "Kristin Earnest, who was in the highest youth orchestra in the state."  "Kristin Earnest, who played professional Broadway music in high school without any other instruments in her section."  "Kristin Earnest, who put as much of her being as she could into her craft and who truly lived and breathed music."  That's who I want to be, and my failures will only push me farther in that direction.

There will always be other summer programs, other classes to take, other experiences to be a part of.  We must not let failures and obstacles keep us from pursuing what we ache to pursue.  After all, what's an obstacle that can't be climbed over, dug under, or circled around?

Assignment 22- Caili Harris

       Throughout my life, I have struggled with being a quieter personality. As a child, I was bullied from second through third grade, and as I entered the fourth grade I decided that I was sick of constant conflict and confrontation. To avoid this, I made myself into a quieter person. I felt that if I kept my head low and only used my voice when necessary I would be more likely to attract a nicer group and be less likely to anger or offend. In a way I was successful. Those three years were some of the nicest in my life; I connected with a really nice group, many of whom I am still friends with today. However, it became increasingly difficult to advocate for myself and voice my own opinions. What had in the beginning been my strategy to charmingly win people over, became somewhat of a self destruct button.  That’s when I decided I needed to make a change: I needed to speak up. When I made that one decision, everything changed for me. As I entered Henry Clay, I joined  many different communities, including soccer and theatre. But one thing I had never anticipated joining was speech and debate. And I cannot be more grateful that I did. Never before had I experienced that kind of community. Like me, these people had a world of different interests and loves, and each day everyone worked together to reach their goals and do what they love- whether that be a theatrical event, a speech event, or a debate event. With the help of the speech and debate community and other friends I made along the way, I became more confident in my voice and who I am as a person. Though I may be on the quieter side still, I now feel comfortable standing up for myself and for my beliefs. In addition, I have found new life through advocating for and supporting those around me. Therefore, I look for a college with the kind of community I found at Henry Clay. So far, Murray State has displayed the same type of community, and it is for these reasons that Murray State is my first choice at the moment.

Assignment 20 - Anna Baskin

How to: Vibrato on the Violin

What? You mean you don’t just jiggle your hand?

Apparently not. I recently realized I haven’t been doing vibrato on the violin correctly… ever. I was pushing up and down, like I was pressing a button, to take pressure on and off the string. It sounded right (to me at least) and it wasn’t very hard. I somehow managed to sneak by with my fake-vibrato until this year, when the correct method was finally demonstrated to me.

First of all, you don’t take pressure on and off the strings – that’s actually a huge no-no. Instead, you move your hand backwards to bring the sound slightly flat, then back up. The goal is to move the joint of your finger towards the scroll of the violin, so that your finger pad rolls parallel to the strings.

If you try it on an instrument slowly, it sounds like a screeching imitation of an ambulance (Weeee-woooo, weeee-woooo, weeee-woooo). To practice, you slowly speed up the movement until you’re vibrating your hand (very different than jiggling).

Some advice to help with the movement: keep your left hand loose and flexible, touch the strings with the tips of your fingers, prevent your thumb from clutching the fingerboard, and make sure to use your shoulder to hold up the instrument, not your left hand. Put it altogether and you suddenly gain the ability to play any note, no matter how high up the scale, with a warm, rich tone instead of the shrill pig squeal most violinists (including myself) usually produce.

Assignment 20- Kristin

How to Write a Story

Step One- Inspiration
We are surrounded by inspiration.  Every single person we talk to, sit near, and pass by every single day has a story, and it is the job of writers to make these stories our own.  Find something in your life that rings true to you, and expand on that.  It can be your own life, your friends, other stories or news, or even an event that occurred for a fleeting moment.  I've written stories based on my friends, based on a phrase I heard in history class, and based on the mashing of existing stories.  If nothing comes to you, just ask.  Prompts are anywhere and everywhere.  I've written a story about a fish after my friend asked me to write a story about a fish.

Step Two- Characters
Many writers begin with the protagonist, but this is not necessary.  Find one character in your idea to begin forming other events and characters around.  It can be the main character, a side character, the villain, or even someone who appears in one scene.  Find someone in your story that captivates you, and develop the main characters around them.  Find a character to be your anchor for the rest of your story.

Step Three- Setting
Figure out a general place and time at which your story takes place.  It can be an essential part of the story, or simply a backdrop that lets the story shine.  One major mistake of writers is to write scenes of dialogue and events without explaining when or where they take place.  The reader could be imagining a period piece in seventeenth century England and be quite distracted when they later discover that the book is a dystopian piece set on Mars.

Step Four- Plot
To be clear, plot does not at all mean plan.  You may have your entire story figured out before you write a single scene, or you may have no idea where the story goes until it's finished, but as long as the scenes you write have some sort of coherence or lay on some sort of timeline, your story will come together.  I have completely planned out stories with detailed plot and character descriptions, and I have also written random scenes until they start to come together.  It is all based on what you prefer and how your specific story works out.

Step Five- Meaning
Inject some sort of truth into your story.  Despite how fictional or completely ridiculous your story is, it must mean more than simple entertainment, or it will end up unsuccessful or nonsensical.  Make your leading character learn a significant lesson, or reveal to the audience a truth from the world that only you know.  Despite how fun it is to read fantastical, completely backwards tales, if they have no meaning, they will mean nothing to the world (sorry, but it's true).

Step Six- Confidence
Stand behind your story.  If you wrote what you believe is an excellent story without following any of these steps, then that's wonderful.  As long as YOU know it's good and that it matters, then it is good, and it does matter.  Don't doubt your abilities as a writer and a storyteller.  Everyone has something to say that means something, and it is our job to project those words to as many people as we can.

Assignment 22: Theodore

Scene: Dinner at my house, Friday night

My mother: “What do you think about this problem involving 

q-analogues?”

My father: “Isn’t that solvable using sign-reversing involutions?”

“Sure, but it can also be addressed directly.”

“Isn’t there an extra factor of 1+q?”

“Let me work it out. [She traces a diagram in the air.] No — it divides 

out.”

Obviously, I live with two mathematicians. As a result, not only am I 

interested in math, but my personality is affected as well.

Above all, mathematicians are playful. Despite the fact that math is closely

associated with numbers, mathematics is one of the least data-driven sciences.

Physicists know that the Higgs boson exists because of thousands of 

high-velocity experiments, but mathematicians don’t accept the Pythagorean 

Theorem based on examples of right triangles. Only a proof convinces us.

Therefore, mathematicians don’t carefully design experiments but rather

search for patterns and connections. The best way for us to stay open to new

ideas is to view math as fun. I use this philosophy for other subjects as well. 

It’s enjoyable to examine centuries-old politics, to learn another language, 

and to put my ideas on paper. Here, my perspective aligns with MIT’s:

learning should not be a chore.

If you’re not a scientist, you don’t care as much that mathematics relies 

less on data. But math is also distinctive for its age. Modern (read: correct)

physics did not exist before the Renaissance, and the first novel is only about

500 years old. By contrast, math, political science, and rhetoric date back to 

the Ancient Greeks. However, the latter two disciplines shift over time: Who

believes today that large-scale direct democracy is preferable to a republic? 

But mathematics is stability. Rumor has it that math began when Euclid 

noticed that the Egyptians were using incorrect formulas to calculate area.

To remedy this problem, he established the system that remains in place 

today: axioms support theorems through proof. To be clear, this system 

doesn’t hold imagination back, but rather frees it from the specter of faulty 

results built on shoddy reasoning.

But why does this matter? Does studying the inherent stability of math induce

a sense of emotional stability in me? No — that’s ridiculous. Do English 

teachers become murderous after reading Macbeth? Still, knowing that the 

theorems of the past will endure into the future encourages me to strive for the 

same permanence. If I blindly accept ideas, I am vulnerable to ephemeral 

falsehoods; if I reject all new ideas, I will lose the chance to learn. This mix of a

willingness to guess and a duty to check suits me for the academic environment 

of MIT. 

Note: If you want to see a real proof, look at this proof of the Pythagorean Theorem.

Strangely enough, President Garfield discovered this particular proof: 

www.maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/mathematical-treasure-james-a-

garfields-proof-of-the-pythagorean-theorem