End of Semester Wrap Up

Well. That’s that. I’m halfway through with my second year of college. It’s so weird to think that next year I’ll begin visiting graduate schools and a year after that I’ll be applying. It’s funny how fast time seems to pass in a place like this.

It’s been a wonderful semester. It was my test-period before I declared my double major and minor to see if I really loved them as much as I thought I did, but today I picked up my sheet from the registrar’s office and happily filled in Psychology as my second major and History as my minor. Everything feels very official, now, and I couldn’t be happier.

It’s been a semester of accomplishment. I believe I may have managed to pull all As and A-s; I won my first grant; I have organized meetings and planned events for TERRA; My sorority elected me as their Scholarship Chairperson—I feel fortunate that the community at Transy has helped me balance all of these things in order to put another semester to be proud of under my belt.

It’s weird leaving this place, my home, but I know that after three weeks, it’ll be right here waiting! I can’t wait to share another semester with you! I’ll keep you posted about break, and I’ll see you next semester, where you’re sure to hear plenty about my new classes (which I’m so SO stoked for!): Latin American Civilization II, Motivation and Emotion, History of Psychology, and Literary Interpretation! It’s sure to be an interesting semester (if a little stressful). Happy holidays, and I’ll see ya around!

Going Home: Thanksgiving Break

I had a lot to be thankful for this long weekend. Though I have debated whether or not I like that Transy closes campus over this break, I am glad I went home. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I live just 15-20 minutes from campus, but Transy certainly keeps you busy, and sometimes, though I live so close, it’s hard to find time to go home.

Mom, My Nephews and some glorious Batman coloring sheets.

I love my family, and we are fairly close. I’ve grown up my whole life going to weekly family dinners at my Grandmother’s house, frequenting birthday parties for cousins, aunts, great­-aunts! Family, needless to say will always remain a top priority in my life. Interestingly, though, since I have come to college, my relationship with my family has only gotten better, and many of my friends have seen the same result among their own families! I chalk it up to my growing independence and my families growing acceptance of it—I make my own decisions, and they have learned to respect them, which makes me respect them more in turn, and our relationship reaps the benefits of that pattern!

Granddaddy with half of the Thanksgiving spread (which quickly disappeared, mind you.)

It was nice to go home and hang out with my dog, go out to eat with my mom, drive around with my dad, color with my nephews, chat with my brother and sister-in-law, and best of all, chow down on Granny’s Thanksgiving Feast with everyone.

Daddy and my Sister-in-law

I even had time to read for pleasure, as I had finished all of my pertinent assignments prior to break. With such a reading and writing-heavy course load, my eyes cross the minute I sit down with a book I want to read just for fun, so this break allowed me to finish a book I had been meaning to read forever! If anyone hasn’t read The Stranger, by the way, you owe it to yourself to do so! It’s wicked sweet!

My Brother!

For 4 days, I showered without shoes; I burned incense in my room; I slept until 11; I ate home-cooked food; I did everything you can’t really do at school, but tonight it’s back to Transy and back to the grind—and finals are coming up, too! Good thing I restocked my tea supply! I’ll keep you posted!

The Whole Crew (minus myself, a cousin and a nephew) slightly peeved at me for interrupting their food intake! Happy Thanksgiving!

Why I'm one of the only people at Transy awake at 9:00am on Saturdays:

When you’re in college, it’s easy to get caught up in studies and campus life and lose sight of the greater community. During my first year of college, I volunteered here and there, but definitely not like I normally would; the transition into university life hit me hard and I became too wrapped up in trying to maintain my grades for my scholarship and developing new friendships. Not to say those things aren’t super important, but you have more free time in college than you may think, making it an optimal time to donate some of your talents to those in the community that need it.

Going through that rocky first year of college developed my time management skills, so this year I have been able to take on several new commitments, including regular community service. At the beginning of the year, I heard some of my sorority sisters talking about the fulfillment they got from becoming a weekly volunteer tutor at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, and I absolutely jumped at the opportunity! It combined two of my biggest passions—education and literacy. To think that I would get to teach a young student how to read and write, and how to actually enjoy it made my heart flutter, so I walked (yes! It’s within walking distance!) right over to the Carnegie Center, signed some papers, went through a 30 minute talk/training/building tour and waited eagerly for my background check to go through. About three weeks later, after the arrival of my background check, the Volunteer Coordinator contacted me with the name of my student and said that I could start that Saturday!

While it’s sometimes hard to roll myself out of bed at 9:00am every Saturday morning, hearing my student say “Can we do that again next week?” or “I had fun,” or best of all “I GET IT NOW!” would make me consider getting up at even 6:00am—no, 5:00am—and staying forever!

In college, there are exciting dance parties, there are invigorating plays, there are action-packed sporting events, but knowing that I sacrifice a little of my free time to make just a small difference in this kid’s life and learning ability in a measly little hour is one of the highlights of my week every week, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Sickness and Artistic Enlightenment

Hello there! This week has taken its toll on me. I developed some mutant sickness last weekend that caused my throat to swell and feel as though someone had run razor blades repeatedly across my tonsils (not strep OR mono…thus mutant sickness). Since I have involved myself in so much here, though, I hardly had a moment to rest, which is probably why I woke up sick again on Friday after a day or two of feeling better. It’s tough around season changes at a small college—once one person gets sick, you can see it coming. I often call my dorm building a petri dish around this time because the sickness spreads so quickly (though, that’s probably just dorm life in general, no matter where you go). Luckily, our amazing campus nurse hooked me up with some wondrous throat lozenges that enabled me to survive going to class, though they didn’t do much for my voice, which must have dropped at least two full octaves.

Anyways, with so much going on around campus, I haven’t gotten to talk about one of the coolest things that I have experienced lately. As you may have gathered by now (or maybe not, but I forgive you), I’m kind of a poetry fanatic. My enjoyment of poetry started with Shel Silverstein’s silliness when I was a kid, then gradually developed as I read more and more throughout my school career and on my own. When I was a freshman in high school, I fell in love with Wendell Berry’s poetry, and it is a love that has persisted all these years. The first poem I ever read was “To my Children, Fearing for Them,” and it hooked me immediately. To know that someone from Kentucky could make this much of an impact as a writer gave me something to daydream about. I never imagined then that I would have the chance to hear him read his poetry, but that’s exactly what happened a couple of weeks ago—chalk another fulfilled wish up to Transy, specifically the Delcamp Visiting Writers Series, which brings prominent writers and poets like Berry to campus every year. I was completely star struck when Berry took to the podium and began reading. I leaned all the way forward in my chair (maybe the words would reach me just a little bit sooner?), and I drank in every syllable. I left that evening completely inspired and even scribbled a few lines of poetry myself afterward, something that I have unfortunately neglected this semester due to intense leadership and academic commitments.

This is another reason why Transy was just right for me—it’s location in the center of Lexington puts not only Transy’s, but also UK’s, the Lexington Opera House’s, the Lexington Children’s Theatre’s, and numerous private galleries’ and businesses’ artistic showcases and performances within walking distance. I value the arts and humanities greatly and it means a lot to me to have such an abundance of performances so close to me at all times. Though I may not have time to attend them all, I know that another one, probably one just as good if not better than the last, is always right around the corner.

Wicked Awesome Professor Numero Uno!

Wow. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks! I have been swamped. Papers and tests and meetings, OH MY! I have so much I could write about here, but I think I’ll save most of it for another day…

Since I tend to blog a lot about events and my life in general, I thought I’d start something new. Every now and again, I’ll try to highlight some of the outstanding professors we have on campus—the ones that have personally impacted my life, the ones who are doing amazing things on campus, and the ones who are just plain cool.

My first wicked awesome professor recognition goes to *obligatory drum roll here* Dr. Meg Upchurch! I’m in Dr. Upchurch’s Experimental Psychology of Learning class right now and she has quickly gained my respect as one of the best professors I have had so far. She’s engaging, clear, friendly, and she gives hilarious examples of key concepts that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. I enjoy going to her class every Tuesday and Thursday, and not just because I’m a psychology major, but because she has an uncanny ability to make any aspect of any of our topics interesting to anyone!

Dr. Upchurch isn’t just a wicked awesome professor because of her teaching style, but also because she’s doing amazing things on campus. Last Thursday night, I attended a screening of the frontline documentary, “The Medicated Child,” and participated in a discussion group where my fellow students and I, with the help of student discussion facilitators, reacted to the problems presented by the film and discussed possible solutions. This event was sponsored by Dr. Upchurch’s “Drugged America” program, which serves to educate our student body, over the course of 2 years, about the increasing reliance on drugs in America. Dr. Upchurch is getting most academic fields involved, so we get to learn about this issue from a number of different perspectives (now that’s liberal arts!) So far I have had the pleasure of attending a Lecture on the History of Drugs in America, The Medicated Child screening, and I am planning on attending future events, which will include a discussion on drug resistance led by the biology and chemistry departments, a showing of the movie Euphoria by the music department, and several others which are still in the planning process.

Transylvania’s extraordinary professors played one of the biggest roles in my decision to come here. Valuing my education and community involvement as I do, when I saw how invested professors become in their students’ success and how involved they are in Transy’s campus community, I knew I had found a special place. So cheers to Dr. Upchurch and all of the other wonderful Transy faculty members, a few of which I will continue to highlight here and there in my blog.

The Obligatory "What are you doing, why and what are you going to do with it?" post!

"...a person who wears himself out for money or honor or whatever else for someone else's sake, without its being his own passion, his own need, is always a fool."
-Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther

From the time I could say the word “doctor,” I knew that I had to become one. My favorite shows as a child were Rescue 911, Trauma Life in the ER, and anything that came on the discovery channel involving copious amounts of blood and guts. Lifesaving appealed to me; I was concerned with making a difference in the world, and I thought, what better way?

I was one of those children that planned their life and stuck to it, doing everything possible to attain my goals. My brain was given to science, or so I thought, and I, therefore, focused everything I did around it. I played with science kits, while my friends played with dolls; I nursed my own cuts and scrapes, while my friends ran to mom or dad, and, as mentioned previously, I watched graphic television shows, while my friends watched cartoons (not to say that I didn’t watch cartoons too, but, you get the point).

There was, however, something else I was given to—stories. Though my parents sometimes confused it with lying, it was clear that I was a story teller from the time I could speak in full sentences. My imagination flourished as a child (and, still!), and I derived immense pleasure from making up stories that entertained people. As I matured and my writing skills developed, this enjoyment of words and stories for sheer entertainment soon developed into my using them to figure out and cope with various situations that arose in my life. When my Grandfather died of lung cancer while I was in the 5^th grade, it secured my desire to become an oncologist that persisted into my first semester of college, but I was only able to cope with it using poetry—reading and writing it.

This conundrum, this battle between my left and right brain, if you will, persisted throughout my school career. In high school, I was that chemistry nerd who stayed after school twice a week to do special experiments to get lab experience; I was also president of my creative writing club. When I wrote these words for my final reflective paper in AP English my Senior year: “I am a politician, a poet, a philosopher, a lobbyist, an eccentric—a writer. I am unique. I am secure. I am myself, comfortable in my words, always,” I should have seen the impending college disaster (the best possible disaster, of course!) coming.

As planned since my early childhood, I came to Transy with my mind set on a Biochemistry major, in hopes of becoming a oncological researcher. But, I decided that I would break up my math and science heavy schedule with a small dose of my other passion—poetry. By the end of the semester, while I was doing great in my chemistry class, I found myself waking up on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, less than excited and trudging to class. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, though, when I had my poetry class, I woke up refreshed, ecstatic, brimming with passion. Immersed in language, I thrived. It was then that I realized the scariest thing I have ever realized—I belong to words, to literature, to English.

(This is the day I declared my English Major. Pointing at my Poetry book, of course! Also the day we rearranged our room, hints the mess.)

Changing my major meant changing my entire self-perception. It meant changing what I had planned for my life from the very beginning of it. It was by far the most troubling but exciting time in my entire life, but the most important thing was that I didn’t face it alone. I had numerous people who were there to encourage and facilitate my self-development, including my poetry professor and my academic advisor, who, through several chats, assured me that change was okay and that I could put my analytical mind to good use in the study of literature too.

(You know you're an English Major when you're this excited about getting books for your birthday!)

I have now picked up a second major (psychology) to appease my sciencey side, but the most important thing I learned from this experience was the value of a liberal arts education. If I had gone to a state school, some huge university, I would have been stuck in the college of science from the very beginning. Transy allowed me to explore my various passions and made the transition from one field of study to a completely different one easier than I could have ever imagined, and I am eternally grateful.

I love what I do now. I wake up every day, regardless of whether or not I had spent 7 hours the previous day reading in the library (such is the life of an English major!), looking forward to every class, looking forward to taking a different route to making a difference in the world. I now hope to pursue research in the field of literature or psychology and become a professor, but, I have learned to keep my life plans loose…so we’ll just have to see what happens!

Oh the Acronyms! KSEC and TERRA

One of the perks of becoming involved with groups on campus is the fact that not only do you get to know your fellow group members, but you also get the opportunity to meet and network with people outside your school who share your same interests and initiatives.

When the Transylvania Environmental Rights and Responsibilities Alliance attended Powershift—the first ever youth summit on climate change—last year in Washington DC, all the schools from Kentucky met up and decided to form a coalition to support and promote environmental initiatives as they pertain to Kentucky. We called the group KSEC—the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition.

This weekend my fellow TERRA members and I got to witness the beauty of an idea transforming into a tangible reality; we attended the first ever KSEC conference at Western Kentucky University. Though we sacrificed doing our homework for one weekend, we were able to network with likeminded people and collectively organize and plan for the future of our newly formed coalition. 7 schools from across the state were represented at the conference, so we were able to hear the cool environmental awareness events taking place on everyone’s campuses and discuss how we could go about implementing the same sorts of programs at our own school and how that would affect environmental policy in our state.

Speaking of cool environmental awareness events, TERRA just finished its 2 week PowerVote pledge campaign (www.powervote.org), a non-partisan national campaign to get one million students to pledge to keep clean and just energy a priority this election season. TERRA set up a table in Haupt Plaza, one of the most frequented spots on campus and the designated free speech zone, where students and faculty could come to get information on both presidential candidate’s stances and voting records on environmental issues. If the students then agreed that clean and just energy was important to them no matter who they were voting for, they could sign the Power Vote pledge. I saw the staunchest democrats and the most unwavering republicans, libertarians and undecideds all bending over my table scrawling their pledge willingly. It was a beautiful and empowering event, and WE GOT OVER 200 PLEDGES! Now…that doesn’t sound like a lot, but think about it in terms of percentages; at such a small school, that’s nearly 20% of our campus!

The student body’s increasing commitment to the issues I care about and their incredible support of my personal goals makes me prouder to be a Transylvania student every day (if that’s possible, as I was already pretty darn proud.)

And an update on my midterm: I got a B+…sometimes disappointments mysteriously reverse themselves =D.

College Disappointments

Everyone has moments when they face disappointment in themselves and their potential, and alas, that doesn't change in college:

Anyone who knows me will tell you—I’m a studier. My academic performance reigns as my top priority at this point in my life, and so I spend a hefty portion of my days in the library, in my sorority’s chapter room, or in my room behind a book, scrawling notes. As I mentioned before, Transylvania has helped cultivate that work ethic in me. Rarely, though, it seems to backfire.

Today, that happened. I had my midterm in British Literature, definitely one of my favorite classes this semester. I had studied for at least an hour on each of the 3 days prior to the exam and another good 3 hours the night before. I felt as though I had covered all I could, minus going back and rereading each work in full. I felt comfortable with each text and its conceptual implications, but I have always had a problem with on-demand writing.

I can write papers like it’s my job, and consequently that’s what I love to do. Time seems nearly unlimited when it comes to paper writing; I have all the time I feel like spending to figure out how to organize and how to articulate precisely my understanding and ideas regarding whatever topic my paper addresses. Today, when presented with 10 short answer questions and an essay to complete in 50 minutes…I was overwhelmed to say the least. I knew the answers to the questions, what I wanted to talk about, what examples from the texts I would use, but, I had no time to organize my thoughts. My essay ended up loosely organized and vague—a desperate attempt to fit in as much as possible in the limited amount of time. Needless to say, I was not proud. In fact, I felt pretty dejected after class knowing that I could have done better.

It’s hard to rectify the thought of grades as a label of intelligence or overall education. I know that many times that isn’t the case at all. That’s something you have to get used to in college. It’s hard, especially when shooting for graduate school like I am, but I know in the back of my mind that what really matters is the fact that I internalized most of what I had learned, enjoyed it and understood it’s importance and value. Plus, I know this will drive me to work even harder for the final.

For now, though, I think I'll drink a cup of tea and call it a week.

Fall "Break"

“Though these young men unhappily fail to understand that the sacrifice of life is, in many cases, the easiest of all sacrifices, and that to sacrifice, for instance, five or six years of their seething youth to hard and tedious study, if only to multiply tenfold their powers of serving the truth and the cause they set before them as their goal—such a sacrifice is utterly beyond the strength of many of them.”

-Fyodor Dostoevsky: The Brothers Karamazov

Today, I got some grief from some of my friends at UK about our Fall Break here at Transy, and while I have been taking it easier on myself than usual the past few days, I can tell you, this hasn’t been too much of a “break.” If there’s one thing you have to get used to at Transy, it’s having work on weekends, on breaks, and, well, always. Sound scary? Don’t worry. I came from a high school where I didn’t have to work, and I mean really work, for a whole lot. I could get away with not reading; I could start my papers the night before they were due, and I didn’t need to study much in order to do well. That changed the first day of class here at Transy. The professors have exceedingly high standards for our academic performance, but I feel like “that has made all the difference,” to quote Frost.

Because these professors have pushed me to what felt like my utter limits, I have learned not only to cope with a demanding schedule, but also to take pride in my academic achievements. No longer do I see school as something that comes easy, something just to get through. I now look forward to every class, to learning even more about fascinating subjects from professors whose passion for their subjects is unparalleled. Every grade is a personal challenge that I can be proud of when I meet my own academic standards. I no longer get inundated and burned out with the busy work that often haunts high school students. Instead, everything I have learned here, every class I have taken, has been incomparably valuable. It has significantly expanded the knowledge with which I can approach problems across the academic spectrum and in the “real world;” I knew the beauty of a Liberal Arts education when I brought up a concept from my Psychology class to explain something in my History class last semester.

I guess this is just to say that, as I lay here on the Monday of Fall Break with my British Literature spread before me dauntingly, I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else, even somewhere where I had an actual break. I know that not only will I probably enjoy this late 15^th century drama, Everyman (literature nerd, I know), but also I will most likely be able to use the knowledge I gain from it outside the realm of English, and even academia as a whole—and Transy is the reason I can do that.

Summer was a long enough break, anyhow. =)

I'm a TERRA Trooper!

Along with educating yourself, finding your passion, and learning to operate a washing machine, college is about learning how to become a better citizen of the community and of the world. During my first year at Transy I quickly discovered that I had more outlets for my development as a global citizen than I could possibly imagine! One stood out, though, that combined my passion for nature and environmental justice with a fun way to become active in finding solutions to campus, community and global issues—The Transylvania Environmental Rights and Responsibilities Alliance.

Whether it’s taking a trip to Washington D.C. to lobby for climate change legislation, hosting interactive environmental awareness events in Haupt Plaza, attending neighborhood cleanups, or making sustainable crafts, TERRA offers everyone a way to get involved. Since becoming the Head Representative of TERRA, I have witnessed the virility of the green initiative on our campus. At Transy’s annual involvement fair a few weeks ago, we had nearly 80 new members sign up for our mailing list! This proves that Transy students care about environmental issues, and truly think globally.

From “trash to treasures,” a sustainable craft series, to RecycleMania, from a Green Jobs Initiative to decorating a rain barrel for charity, I can’t wait to see what other exciting things our new members think up for this year, but one thing is for certain: Crimson is going green, and we’re never turning back!

Sustainability is one of those things that are constantly at the forefront of my mind, and I will, therefore, probably talk about it a lot in my blog. I hope to cover the various events held on campus to promote green issues, and I hope you’re just as excited as I am!

Reflections on Going Greek

Last Monday, I received 31 new sisters into my sorority—Phi Mu. While I screamed and cheered with excitement as our new members ran toward us, I also laughed thinking back to a little over a year ago when I was doing the running.

Let’s just say, I am NO sorority girl, and all signs pointed away from my donning Greek letters that day a year ago. I have always held myself to the ideals of self motivation, independence, and individuality, and, coming into college, Greek life seemed like the bane of all those traits. During the first few weeks on campus, however, I noticed something interesting—the strongest, most outspoken, independent female leaders on campus that I met all wore Greek letters. I then decided to give this whole Greek thing a shot.

I went through recruitment, and met amazing women--women who shared my ideals, whose actions were driven by a self-motivation to achieve greater goals not just for themselves, but for the betterment of the campus, the community and the world. Cheesy? Maybe. But, Greek life is honestly different here. It is constructive. It is academically focused, emphasizing leadership and service over partying and running around in togas, bunny costumes and what have you (though, we do have fun, don’t get me wrong).

When I ran to my sorority, like these girls were doing on Monday, I knew these women would not only encourage my free-spiritedness, but also enable it. I cannot count the number of times in the past year when these women, sometimes the most unlikely of them, have helped me achieve my individual goals, regardless of whether or not they personally agreed with them. I haven’t lost a shred of my individuality or independence. Instead, I am able to express those traits more openly with a solid support group, who not only accepts my peculiar quirks, assertive opinions, and hefty goals, but also encourages them, because all those things are so inherently Amanda.

Intro and a little Dali

Hello, friends! In my first post, I thought I would spend a few minutes describing a little more about who I am and how I ended up at a place like Transylvania University, and also why I have chosen this specific title for my blog. If you couldn’t tell, I hate about me sections and therefore find it hard to condense my history, my personality, and my values into a few sentences. That being said, let’s jump in, shall we?

I’m Amanda, as you probably have figured out at this point. I am from Versailles, KY, a small town just a spit away from Lexington and Transy. Seriously. I get aggravated when it takes me 20 minutes to get home. While this wouldn’t be so monumentally relevant under normal circumstances, I was one of those kids in high school. You know those kids--the ones who want to go to college as far away from home as possible in order to experience complete change. At the beginning of my college search, which started way before it probably should have, before I knew myself well enough to make such an important decision, my heart was set on UCLA, Johns Hopkins, anywhere out of the state of Kentucky. Quite obviously, something drastic must have changed for me to finally settle on Transy, right? Wrong. Actually, the simplest thing sold me on Transy—visiting here.

My parents dragged me kicking and screaming here for the fall open house in 2006. Okay, so I didn’t really kick and scream, but I didn’t want to come; that’s a fact. As soon as I arrived, however, one simple thing after another began to change my mind. The students opened doors for me. They smiled at me and said “hello” even when I had taken my name tag off. They cared about a well rounded education, leadership and service. The professors were enthusiastic and eager to talk to me about my academic as well as life goals—and this was just my first visit! Needless to say, I didn’t even fill out my applications to any of my out of state dream schools, because, it turned out my real dream school had been hiding in my backyard all along. In addition, it turns out that I didn’t have to go so far away from home to experience that complete change I had always craved, but more on that in a future post.

I have since completed my first year at Transy, and I have chosen to title my blog “One Second Before Awakening” to reflect how I view my college experience thus far. I have essentially snatched a piece of the title from Salvador Dali’s painting, “One Second Before Awakening from a Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate.” If you haven’t heard of it, take a look! http://www.virtualdali.com/44DreamCaused.html . I know what you must be thinking. How can THAT painting relate at all, even slightly, to the college experience? And I say this to you: in college, one is suspended between childhood and the “real world,” just as in a dream one is suspended between consciousness and unconsciousness. What we dream often can have profound impacts on the way we view and process the situations that arise in our conscious lives, and while I have yet to see any pomegranates eating fish eating tigers at Transy, as appears in the painting, I know that everything that has happened, is happening and will happen here will directly affect all of my decisions and values when I awaken into the “real world.”

So far, this has been and continues to be a fabulous, even sometimes fantastical journey, and I can’t wait to share that with you!