Life Decisions

With course selections just finishing up for the Spring Semester I began pondering my future here at Virginia Tech, and how long it would take me to complete my degree.  There are many contributing factors in the length of my stay here on campus.  Many of them have to do with the hours of coursework at semester and my participation in extracurriculur activities.

I believe that all facets of the college experience contribute to your overall education throughout your time spent at an institution.  These include, in class lectures, out of class assignments, extracurriculur campus activities, and off campus festivities.  These contributions must be weighed against the high cost of living expenses and tuition with each semester that passes while in school.

Now, that careful measurement must be made to see how long I can survive in Blacksburg while a student and achieve all that I have set out to achieve in my student career.  Should I take an extra semester to make sure I can fully focus on my classroom activities?  Or try to take summer classes and stay in town without being able to work full time over the summer to compensate for tuition?  All these decisions must be carefully weighed...

Relay all year!

Relay For Life at Virginia Tech isn't until April 22nd, 2011.  But that doesn't mean Relayers on campus aren't already raising funds to battle against cancer.

The Relay For Life Fall Kickoff is scheduled for Wednesday, October 27th from 5-7 pm.  This will take place outside of the Graduate Learning Center, in between the building and Squires Student Center.

At this event there will be acts from students in campus organizations, such as the capella groups(mens and womens), as well as the Virginia Tech Dance Team!!!  We will also be outlining some plans we have for the Relay season.  Free pizza will be provided by PK's and Firehouse, so no need to go eat before you come, or leave early to grab a bite.

Teams can also sign up at the event, computers will be available for teams and individuals to sign up on the www.vtrelay.org website.

I hope to see everyone outside of Squires on Wednesday evening!

The Largest Event on Virginia Tech's Campus

What is the largest non-profit event on campus every year?  The Big Event?  nope!  Try, Relay For Life!!!!!!

Over the past 2 years Relay at Virginia Tech has raised over $1 Million dollars collectively.  All of those dollars raised have allowed Tech to become the largest collegiate Relay in the World!  And, largest by far, the next closest collegiate Relay has only raised $600,000 over that same period.

This year we are going for even bigger things.  With a goal of $750,000, 750 teams, and 7,500 participants, Relay is going to take VT's campus and the Blacksburg community by storm this year!!!  All of this money will go toward cancer research to eliminate this deadly and catastrophic disease that has stricken so many people and families over the years.  Such research is being conducted right here at Virginia Tech.  Many breakthroughs like these have the ability to be found with the technology that exists today, all that is needed is the funds to pay for the research.

With the lofty goals that have been set this year so much can be done to help with the cancer research that is being performed.  But it can only happen with the help of every VT student/faculty/staff and Blacksburg resident help.  People can sign up at vtrelay.org and create and team to start fundraising!

Strengths Based Leadership

A few weeks ago I took a self-assessment of my strengths through Strengths Finder.  This assessment is run by Gallup Polls and presents you with your top 5 strengths that make you the leader you are today.  My personal top 5 include: Includer, Arranger, Restorative, Consistency, and Activator.

I love including EVERYONE!

Upon reflection of these signature strengths I have come to realize that they truly do embody who I am as a person, and how I influence others while I am participating in a leadership role.  I am truly a go getter!  When something needs to be done, I am the one to put that first step forward and get the ball rolling, this calls upon my Activator strength to accomplish this.  A few other examples include; my Includer strength always making me want to invite everyone to events and to make them feel welcome, and the Restorative strength allows me to solve problems by seeing things from an outward perspective.


Be realizing my strengths I can now feed off of that awareness and push myself to incorporate those strengths into my everyday life more.  Those top 5 strengths are going to help me become a better leader and a better person.  All I have to do is embrace them and the horizon is endless.

I Hate Midterms!!!!!

To start things off this week, I would just like to say that I HATE Midterms!!!!!!!!

Everyone has been freaking out over these little tests that can throw your grade into a tizzy.  I will go as far as to constitute that midterms are more stressful, and should not be included in a final grade.  Even more so than the final exam. 

Granted it is nice to have a halfway checkpoint during a class.  But to have anywhere from 10-20 percent of your grade be effected from this check up is simply ubsurd!

To find a solution to this problem causing college students all across America to lose countless hours of sleep this week we need to figure out why the midterm was assessed at all in the 1st place.  And since we do not have the resources here to figure out  why they were first given (although I predict that it dates back to European universities, whose rigid structure and academia would put to shame even the most intellectual universities of today's time) I propose to digress from the history lesson. 

And, to sum up my original point, those midterms are still lingering in the back of mine, and every other college student in America at this point.  How will we pass them, and what sort of impact will they have on our college career?

stress

The other week I mentioned all the activities that were piling up onto each other, and about the best way to manage all those was to prioritize based off of importance.  I'm taking my advice to heart this weekend!  I got to spend 3 lovely days at Virginia's State Fair this past week, and because of my absence from class and Blacksburg I have neglected my studies.

Me facing my task's in the face!!! 

Now it's time to play catch-up!  I finished as much of my work before I left to help serve BBQ with Block and Bridle, a club on campus, but I still have soooo much work to do it's daunting.  With a paper to write, a few quizzes to study for, and a slew of email's to respond to make for a very busy Saturday, one which I would much rather be watching college football.

Now it's time to buckle down and get the job done.  All I have to accomplish are small task's, and if I stare them in the face one at a time I'll have no trouble accomplishing them.  Just one step at a time...