It's nice to post again with this semester proving to be one of the most important series of months I've experienced yet. As vaguely described in my previous post, I am focusing more on developing technical skills related-to but expanding outside the typical range of capabilities of someone on my previously-defined academic and professional path. To give a simple explanation of my shifting focus impacting my career trajectory, I am no longer planning to directly enter a graduate program for I/O Psychology, and I may not ever choose to formally study in that field. On my new journey to practice data science wherever the adventure takes me, I am looking for opportunities to translate my continually developing programming skills to problems in the spaces that I find interesting. I would like to primarily focus, for now, on opportunities relating broadly to Training and Development and Human Resources Management, but I only say this because I feel as though the work would provide familiar ground on which I can continue to build my capabilities and transition into more technical roles involving Business Intelligence or Data Science Training/Education. That is my shortened version of my intended direction post-graduation, and the blurry image of my future is shifting focus to be a bit less of a blur.
As I work through this semester, I am enjoying using my involvement in various organizations to connect with the community on campus. Through sponsored presentations in the Psychology Department supported by Psi Chi and the Psychology Club, as well as local re-broadcasts of keynote presentations hosted by The NSLS National Office, I've maintained a presence that I was afraid would be partially lost with greater focus on completing my undergraduate thesis. I am looking forward to participating in the few events planned throughout the rest of the semester: a final speaker broadcast with NSLS, a MBTI workshop with Psi Chi, and a service collaboration with my three organizations and a few others on campus. My Colloquium project was described in my last post as studying to obtain a high-level understanding of a range of machine learning principles that I will practice in simple projects through this semester and next. Because of the growing complexity of my current projects, I have been spending much of my time on what would be better described as a continuation of my project from last semester, with a bit of this semester's intended project mixed in. I am very happy with this outcome and will better benefit professionally from this outcome. I am learning many of the typical approaches to data wrangling used by practitioners that favor RStudio's Tidyverse suite, and I am working to develop an understanding of more advanced R programming principles, especially complex manipulation operations and reactive web development (still just R Shiny; JS to come after Python). Many of the resources I have found very useful are well-structured books authored by experienced members of the RStudio team, and I hope to update next semester on an idea I have for this blog related to one of the topics that I am beginning to research in greater depth. Stay tuned for those updates, and feel free to ask me questions about the specifics of my work! I wish to everyone a happy Thanksgiving holiday and safety for those that dare risk Black Friday brawls. Should the location of these posts change, this site will have a post with a link for redirection. Stay happy, my friends. -JD
0 Comments
I have started my final year of undergraduate studies, and this semester has already provided a fantastic view through the window to the world beyond school. As I solidify more plans for my near-future, I will consider incorporating information into these updates; for now, I will simply focus on life here at my university.
This is my lightest semester in terms of course-load, yet I've never been more busy. The busyness of my schedule can be attribute to holding the position of Treasurer for the ETSU Psychology Club and my university's chapter of Psi Chi, as well as President for my chapter of The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS). Especially with the NSLS role, I am committing considerable time to planning events and communicating with the organization's national office. All of my campus organization involvements are incredibly enjoyable, and I am looking forward to use opportunities to facilitate events to better my professional communication and presentation skills. All of my organizations are currently planning community service events, so I look forward to discussing those in further detail later in the semester. It is at this point that I can look back on my experiences with these groups and see how formational they have been, guiding not only my career trajectory, but efforts to connect with students and faculty to try bringing beneficial information to others while continuing to learn. There is no doubt that I will have even more of these impactful moments over the course of the next year. My Colloquium project this semester will be similar to - somewhat of a continuation, in a way - my project from last semester. In the spring, I was able to learn a considerable amount in the space of R programming; more details about this can be found in the April 2019 post. Over the summer, I worked on multiple research projects that helped me develop my R skills through exposure to a multilevel modeling project prior to the course I am now in mentioned last semester. Originally, I considered making my goal for the semester to use the little R knowledge I have to learn Python and practice with simple task automation projects. It became clear as I heard more recommendations from successful data scientists and began dabbling in resources for teaching myself about machine learning that I should focus with R and more fully develop a range of capability in the one language prior to expanding. That is why my project this semester is to officially start, in a more structured manner than my previous ventures, exploring machine learning at a conceptual level and use online courses that I have been perusing over many months to connect this knowledge to my R console. Any major product that comes out of this project will definitely have to be shared in posts for next semester, as I will mainly be working on my undergraduate thesis and a research paper in ETSU's Department of Management and Marketing. This would be an opportune time to describe my thesis because, as many of you may have guessed, it is a creative idea focused mainly around R coding while tying in my interest of helping people learn. I have chosen to keep this idea from most eyes or ears until I get the main project up on GitHub, links for which will be provided in a later post. I have lots in the works for the second half of this semester, and I promise not to ramble on about the list of ideas. Check back in around Thanksgiving to get the latest updates on life in the world of Jonah. As always, stay happy, my friends. -JD My semester will finish tomorrow morning, and I can officially say that I did not expect this term to be so busy. I entered knowing that I would be taking fewer credit hours than normal with fewer physical class meetings to attend, and I incorrectly assumed that I would have more free time than ever before. It became clear very quickly that I will never fail to fill all of the time I can with my activities of interest. In the past couple of months, these activities have been more related to preparation for graduate school and my career. As my summer begins, I am excited to keep from calling it a break. I will be working with a smile on my face as I continue to develop the skills I have learned so much about this semester. Before we hit May, however, I'd like to mention some highlights from the end of my semester.
Many of you know that I take great pride in my involvement with the Psi Chi and NSLS chapters on my campus. Although my time in Washington required me to step away from the Psi Chi executive board this semester, I was happy to still attend meetings and make an appearance as a presenter at the induction ceremony a few short weeks ago. I've taken over the treasurer position for the upcoming year, so expect a bit more engagement on the Psi Chi front to be explained in future posts. With that extra bit of time, I was able to dedicate myself even more fully to the NSLS. We were able to have one of the most enjoyable social events that I've been a part of through the organization at a local bowling alley. This semester's volunteering opportunity with the blood drive on campus was a great success, and we hope to support the cause again in future semesters. With our fantastic co-Presidents and Vice President graduating, I was presented with the opportunity to take on a bit more responsibility in meetings and at events to prepare for future semesters. Out of these circumstances, I have been chosen to serve as the President of ETSU's chapter of the NSLS for my senior year. I hope to continue the success of the organization and show new members how helpful a commitment to the principles of the society can be in one's quest for professional development. My Collo project has led to some important developments in way of my plans for the next couple of months. I was able to dive deeper into learning R than I expected, and I will continue learning increasingly advanced processes under my lab director. To give a brief summary, I jumped almost immediately into coding an application with a dynamic interface, learned enough about one of the most popular graphing packages for R users to begin planning the design of a unique application, and started discussing potential projects in the I-O space involving some interesting analyses. I hope to see through the completion of these projects while learning more about machine learning models and applications of such in my field, R package development, and using the language to teach myself Python. I will not be taking the previously mentioned Statistical Methods course in the fall, as I will be learning the material along with information from our graduate Regression course in preparation for the Hierarchical Linear Modeling class. I am very excited to grow more comfortable with these topics and continue expanding a base of knowledge that will be so helpful in years to come. Only time will tell how this will factor into my direction for graduate school. I hope everyone has enjoyed the first few months of 2019! Feel free to share your summer adventures, and I wish you luck in all that you encounter. Stay happy, my friends. -JD I have learned that it is in the sixth semester that the looming end of undergrad begins to strike fear in the hearts of lowly research assistants. Words like thesis and conference send most running, and few push onward with their sights set on further education. I am proud to be part of the few, and, in the past months, I've found myself discussing graduate schools and research opportunities with my peers and professors. My decision to pursue an interesting topic (to be discussed later) as the direction for my undergraduate thesis is setting the stage for a summer of learning and strategic positioning for the years ahead.
With a schedule more packed than ever before, I've been able to enjoy interesting activities both on and off campus. The NSLS continues to be a favorite organization, and our series of Speaker Broadcast events starts up this week now that orientation and leadership training meetings have been completed. Our executive team is looking forward to having our members, as well as others from the community, join us in hearing successful leaders provide useful advice. We also have a few fundraising, volunteering, and social events lined up, so expect more on my NSLS activities in the coming months. Since returning from Washington, I have been happy to see a strong sense of professionalism displayed by our executive members. In a later post, I will detail some changes in my involvement with the organization that are currently in the works. Taking that DC professionalism to heart has helped me properly represent the ETSU Honors College once again as an HC Student Ambassador at our last open house. The events for this term provide the chance to assist HC faculty in the more formal information sessions in addition to the typical table conversations as in the past, which I've already participated in and plan to do again later this month. The extracurriculars I discuss here have usually involved student organizations or my own running. This semester, inspiration was provided through a class I'm currently taking that is based on the literary examination of American communitarian experiments in the 19th century. Two classmates and I visited an intentional community called Earthaven established high in mountains outside of Asheville, NC. This was an experience like no other, and the information we shared with the class was compelling enough to convince our professor and the department to organize and fund a class field trip to tour the community. Sharing about the community also served as excellent lecturing experience, because the majority of the class period was unintentionally hijacked in speaking about the community's structure, mission, etc. My Collo project is going incredibly well. I have been able to attend a weekly programming seminar guided by the member of our department that teaches other faculty to use R. Going beyond simple data analysis, I have already dabbled in application development through a well-known R -> HTML translation package, and I hope to start using R to write my research papers (If this is interesting to you, ask me about it. I don't want to bore any readers that are only interested in the cult field trip). Because of my interest, I have been offered the opportunity to take one of our graduate-level Psychological Statistics courses that uses R for teaching and analyses. If the scheduling works out in the upcoming fall term, I may be able to pair this with a special topics Multilevel Modeling course. This experience will hopefully make me a strong candidate for a graduate assistant position in a lab focusing on complex, quantitative I/O research. I think I've talked enough for today. It's rather rainy, and I need to leave this coffee shop. Stay happy, my friends. -JD It's been a while, my friends. I'm glad to be back on this wonderful campus, but I now have the perspective to set my sights beyond. Perhaps I'll share a bit about my journey as I settle back into writing these posts. For now, I'll keep things simple and highlight my proposed Collo project for the semester.
My intended line of work is quite interesting. As many of you know, I was able to gain hands-on experience inside a consulting firm and develop a network including many I/O Psych professionals while living in Washington, D.C. Conversation after conversation, I learned from established, successful individuals just as much as young, innovative people barely older than me. Every person spoke of how crucial analytical capability is in finding success within my field. While I am very analytical, which I found to be supported by Gallup's Clifton Strengths assessment (I recommend checking it out here), I have directed focus to developing skills using relevant analytics tools. The best way to establish this base of new capability is to learn R, a programming language intended for use in statistical computing. I was first exposed to R by a professor at my university nearly two years ago, and, over these past couple of years, I have found more and more opportunities to apply skills that I do not yet have. I have decided that now is the time to fully commit to learning this programming language, which will be done with direction from a current professor, working with graduate students familiar with R, sitting in on graduate classes that incorporate R, online supplemental courses, using R to complete work related to my current involvements (classes, lab, etc.), and personal practice time. I won't bore anyone with the technicalities for now, but I look forward to what I am considering a worthwhile personal development project. I hope everyone is having a great start to 2019! Stay happy, my friends. -JD The title of this post is a testament to reaching the milestone of "halfway through my undergraduate experience." I cannot believe I have spent two years here already. At the same time, I cannot believe it has just been two years. It feels as though half my life has been lived in the past four semesters. So much can be learned in these wonderful places called universities, and I hope to continue my growth in the years to come. A common phrase used in runner culture is that the last six miles is half the race when referring to marathons. After working for so long, it is both psychologically and physically strenuous pushing onward. I know my undergraduate career will be more challenging as I near graduation, and I welcome that excitement. I also happily accept that, as I pass the halfway point, more stands ahead than behind.
This semester has been rather busy. As I've detailed in earlier posts, I took on a number of commitments while juggling a pretty heavy course load. As I finish my exams, I am happy to say that I am one test away from having a semester GPA of 4.0 across nine classes (don't worry, a few were 1-hour courses) while serving as an officer of three organizations on ETSU's campus. These involvements have been described before, so please refer to past posts if you would like to know more. I was still able to be inspired by more than a few people to appreciate as much as I can while I work and make time to enjoy life away from the books. That leads me to talking about what I often call "the things we should be doing anyway but are part of collo to ensure us honors students are truly being honorsy" (inspried by Daniel Hedden). I was able to relieve some stress prior to the start of finals season by volunteering one weekend at the Johnson City Animal Shelter. A favorite service location for many campus groups, I was able to spend quality time with some friends while caring for some wonderfully furry creatures. Having a severe allergy to cats, I did my best to work with those that bark rather than meow. This was a great way to bond with some my fellow NSLS executives prior to our induction ceremony. That induction, which happened a few short weeks ago, was quite successful and allowed for a few neat opportunities. Of course, I got to work closely with my friends in planning and setting up for the event. I was also able to speak in part of the ceremony and see one of my favorite professors, Dr. Lindsey King, receive an award for her excellence in teaching. Even with all of this excitement, that event was not quite as impressive to me as the first Psi Chi induction under the reestablished ETSU chapter. With the help of our incredible advisor, Dr. Matt McBee, the officers of this term were able to put on a formal candlelight ceremony. I sat in the front of the room along with two of my best friends, all of us completely overdressed, looking at a smiling crowd of new inductees. As I read from the script that I'm assuming predates me by at least fifty years, I was reminded that I am truly making the most of my time in college. This isn't done by mindlessly participating in activities to build up a resume. Only part of being successful is taking the initiative to use the resources presented. Truly making the most of this incredible experience requires looking at the people sitting to the left and to the right, finding those that are inspired to better themselves, working with and through them to find personal fulfillment, and striving to bring those same opportunities to others. This was made possible by taking part in meaningful activities with organizations that share my values. Take that as encouragement, you first-years from the collo site, to actively search for your place no matter how many you find. Wrapping up my personal development project this semester, I have to admit that the results were very interesting. I believe it is possible to perform tasks on a level unimaginable to most, combining speed and accuracy to produce incredible efficiency. While my memory is not jaw-dropping, the efficiency strategies that I employed in studying worked absolute wonders. I did not develop a rigid schedule in which I used my habit patterns to encourage productivity. With all of my responsibilities, I still indulged in entertainment and spending time with friends. Rather than becoming the sort of high-performing machine of a human being that I could have theoretically designed and worked toward becoming, I realized my potential, more fully at least, as a successful student. This allowed me to perform well in classes and take every opportunity to love the people and environment around me. With this result, I am happy, and I am a better person because of it. Next semester will involve a change of scenery. No, I am not transferring. My fall will be spent in Washington, D.C., as I have been accepted to the Academic Internship Program offered by The Washington Center. Details about this endeavor will follow as I learn more throughout the summer. It's been a fantastic year, and I hope you all stick around for those to come. Stay happy, my friends. -JD Hey, folks. It's been a rather busy semester, so I hope to hit the highlights in this post. Before I get to that, I just want to wish a happy birthday to an aforeunmentioned friend. May your Monday be groovy and your Tuesday be even better.
I've already explained my project for the semester, and that is going quite well. I now have two planners, and my life has truly been changed. Productivity is often a matter of being creative enough to effectively self-motivate. My Motivation & Emotion class has been of great help, as well as my books, in changing my approaches to completing various tasks. I will discuss a topic that I am currently learning more about (habit formation) in a later post so that I can tie my explanation of its importance into my mindful study strategies. The temperature has been oddly warm, and I'm afraid plants will start getting happy just as another cold spell happens. This happened last year, and it ruined a lot of Biology II labs. Students, I wish you luck in identifying trees with no leaves. My sprained ankle is healing well, so it seems I'm getting back to running right as multiple layers aren't necessary. It's most definitely a plus for someone of my physique. Last semester I talked quite a bit about health and activity, only briefly mentioning involvement in campus organizations. Being hindered by a slight injury, the spotlight has been taken by my efforts to make my name known throughout my department and beyond. I have dedicated what some may consider a ridiculous amount of time to various groups at ETSU this semester. Currently, I am the Vice President of the ETSU Psychology Club, Secretary of ETSU's chapter of Psi Chi, and Success Networking Team Coordinator for our local NSLS chapter. This semester has presented me with numerous opportunities to learn how to balance responsibilities while enjoying every minute of my duties. I look forward to being a positive impact on these groups and encouraging more students to get involved across campus. Something that has been on my mind lately is friendship. I have met many people here, and I try to be a smiling, approachable face for anyone I pass. It is that time, however, that my close friends are breaking away to explore their interests. I cannot be happier for these wonderful people, but it is a bit sad to grow apart. Over this semester, I have developed a greater appreciation for my friends. The time I spend with those important to me is cherished more than ever before, and I have found great joy in trying to maintain relationships, no matter the difficulties. This especially applies to my interactions with far-off friends at various schools. Life is ever-changing, and these people have helped me see that every moment is a beginning, but the past should not be forgotten. This time, we'll end with a little participation. Everyone, raise a glass, bottle, imaginary goblet, real goblet, or even just the corners of your mouth so as to form a smile. To the experience of life in every moment of the past, present, and future. Stay happy, my friends. -JD I'm not writing because it's Valentine's Day. I am writing because I live for Collo. There may be a few other things, but Collo is what it's all about. In case that special someone is out there reading, please proceed cautiously. This blog will probably send you running for the hills, where you will see me on the trail up and begin to wonder what madness you have gotten yourself into. Just in case, Happy Valentine's Day: (Insert Name Here).
I want to talk a bit about what I'm doing this semester to better myself as a Collo student. I'll keep it brief, and we can pretend that's for the reader's pleasure. My interest in I/O psychology has led me to read quite a few books on interacting with other people. I have found them to be very interesting and helpful in my quest to learn effective communication. For my project this semester, I want to take a similar approach to learning something more broadly applicable. Thanks to my roommate and a local used book store, I own two books that talk about habit formation and productivity. These books will teach me skills that I can begin using immediately, and I hope to have an excellent semester because of them. Spoiler Alert: I'm started reading them, and they have already proven helpful. I will be sure to note the most effective strategies I learn and how I found them most useful for my activities and studying this semester. Update: I have some interesting books on memory techniques and how they can be incorporated into effective studying. In later posts, I may mention my use of some learning strategies should they contribute to increased productivity and studying efficiency. There isn't much else to say in this post, but I will include more about the happenings of ETSU in the coming weeks. Stay happy, my friends. -JD How can this semester already be over? I'll tell you. The time passed. I suppose I stayed busy enough for that time to seem to fly. I thought that I would have too much free time this semester, as my class load was much lighter than in previous semesters. That was only true for a few weeks.
As you may have read, I found many fun activities and new responsibilities to fill my time with. One on my favorites, serving as an officer of the ETSU Psychology Club, proved to be a productive experience and will lead into later involvement with Psi Chi, which will be discussed in the reports to come. I had the opportunity this semester to take part in a panel discussion and share information about psychology professors, classes, and the department in general. It was around this time that I was voted in as the new VP for the Psych Club. Speaking of changes in organizations, I was recently inducted as a full member into the National Society of Leadership and Success. This required attending a leadership training, watching three speaker broadcast presentations, and participating in three Success Networking Team (SNT) meetings. These meetings were actually very helpful in making progress toward my goal of applying the Washington Center for the fall semester of 2018. I really enjoy being a part of this organization, and I discovered after the induction ceremony that I have the opportunity to apply for the position of Success Networking Team Coordinator. I believe this could be an excellent opportunity to get some needed experience in taking on leadership involving team coordination. This is a promising opportunity and I will share the outcome in a post next semester. This has been a lighter semester for service, as most of my time has gone to studies, club involvement, and exercise. I will hopefully get some hours next semester as part of various clubs, but I tried to incorporate helping a community into another activity I quite enjoy. The unmentioned portion of my time dedicated to service involved picking up trash wherever I ran. I have spent much time this semester thinking about how our planet is so carelessly mistreated, and such a simple act of maintaining environments I love is a small part of how I have been contributing to a happier, healthier existence for both me and the trees. My own health has been a great focus this semester, and that has been clear in previous posts. I already mentioned my switch to a vegetarian diet, and I have never been happier with my food intake. I believe it has made me much more conscious of what I consume, and this has helped me both in exercising and daily living. I see a possible upgrade to veganism coming over the next year, and I look forward to sharing some interesting meal experiences with you all. I suppose I will start now by recommending sweet potato and black bean quesadillas. My, oh my. Yum yum, yum. Yum yum. I will definitely have fun trying out different consumables for endurance sports as I train for a longer race in the spring. There will be one exception to this lifestyle, and it will only happen once per year. Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes will be eaten during the weekend before fall semester finals week every year for the purpose of completing a Christmas Tree Cake Mile (think beer mile or donut mile, just with the tree cakes). The first was done just two short days ago. I discovered two things during this event: 1) I can run an easy-effort sub-6 mile with disgustingly sugary food freshly introduced to my stomach, and 2) I cannot eat very fast, especially disgustingly sugary food. John, my roommate that I mention in many posts, showed his true talents by setting a Tweetsie Trail FWCTCM FKT. Feel free to try this on your own and tell me how it goes. Also, anyone is welcome to join us next year. I attended a talk on forensic psychology just last week, and I enjoyed finding that, while I have much respect for the field, I will continue happily pursuing I-O. I have really been enjoying my psychology classes this semester, and I was even encouraged by a professor to visit her Behavior Analysis class next semester and share about some of my favorite topics. Thanks to Great Ideas in Science, taught by the spectacular Dr. Frank Hagelberg, I have confidence in my ability to give a satisfactory presentation. To improve my psychological knowledge related to my career interest, I plan to read about mentor-mentee relationships this winter and make progress in developing the test that my thesis may be centered around. So much has happened that I may be leaving some out, but I promise to continue making these posts as interesting as possible. I hope everyone has had an enjoyable close to the year, and I look forward to sharing about the many to come. Stay happy, my friends. -JD What a month it has been since I last checked in. I have learned much about the person I hope to become. Before sharing some interesting non-honorsy details about life, I will cover some topics that will be of great interest to my fellow Colloquians and Daniel Hedden. I have completed approximately four more hours of volunteer work. This involved helping with a popular race in my hometown. I have spent three hours working toward being inducted in the National Society of Leadership and Success, which will be an excellent resource as I get closer to networking for future employment. I have spent four hours outside of regularly dedicated time to helping with Psychology Club maintenance and meetings, as well as bringing back Psi Chi as a recognized organization on ETSU's campus. I had the opportunity to go to an excellent concert in Knoxville with my roommate, UHS freshmen, and a PH freshman. This was an excellent friendship building event, and I was happy to get to know fellow Honors students a bit better.
I have come to realize that dedicating time specifically to studying body language in settings with frequent student interaction could be considered a bit creepy. I have also realized that I could count any time spent with other people as practice toward being able to recognize various cues. Attempting to find a happy medium in counting hours for my project, I believe it is fair to say that I am around 75% done. I have read back through important sections of the book that started this journey, and I will be slowly progressing through another book on enhancing environmental awareness. Finishing that book will be a successful end to a very interesting project. My life outside of school has taken some exciting turns over the past few months, and I am happy to officially share these. It has been well over a month now since I became a vegetarian, and I could not be more pleased. While a vegetarian diet is not necessarily healthier, it has led me to be more conscious of the foods I choose to consume, and, for me, encourages healthy eating. There is also the ethical aspect that is very appealing to me, and I believe time and adjustment could lead to a vegan lifestyle. Another part of this healthier lifestyle is my gradual return to consistently exercising. For those that know me well, you know this is at least 90% running. I started back at the end of September to begin training for the Pinnacle Tower 25k that was held on October 28th. School had me unexpectedly busy leading up to the race, and I went into event weekend having run twice in two weeks. Yes, to prepare for a race, I had two solid weeks of training after the better part of a year off. Somehow, I managed to survive. Not only did I survive, I placed third overall. It was a surprisingly successful and motivating return to the sport. As of now, I am paying careful attention to some irritated tendons in my foot, but when things are back in order, I will resume training for my first 50k in the early months of next year. You all will be kept informed as my life progresses, and I thank you for the continued interest and support. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving season, and may you find happiness in the ordinary. -JD The semester is definitely in full swing, but nothing will stop me from having a spectacular Collo experience. The past month has involved many events, and I am happy to share those experiences with you all. Disclaimer: I am on top of my work; "cramming" was just convenient for a creative title.
My project for this semester, essentially learning to have an awareness of others' emotions and using that knowledge to most effectively interact, is quite exciting. I have finished one book so far on body language and have started the second. My experience with sitting in front of the library has been very positive, as I find my ability to pick up on behavioral cues growing stronger. My total time so far spent reading or that I have dedicated to specifically observing body language is only at six hours, as I am trying to spread my efforts across the semester and put in adequate time doing work for other classes. Overall, the project is fun, and I am excited to be learning such an important skill. I have spent two hours in HLLC meetings up to now, and we have been discussing some potential group volunteering events as well as simple tips on surviving the semester. The ETSU Psychology Club has been meeting every so often, and the officers (I am one) have been periodically discussing plans for the year and some organizational structure changes. Hedden, this involvement has totalled approximately three and one half hours. I attended the presentation by Shawn Johnson this past week (on Sept. 29th). She discussed her training and Olympic success, but also the pressure she felt in her experiences competing and what led her to retire as a gymnast. This truly inspirational speech encouraged embracing individuality and finding happiness in one's pursuit of purpose. Thank you for the wise words. That same evening, I went to a concert in beautiful Asheville, NC. While I love to go just to visit my favorite tea shop, my time was well spent listening to some groovy tunes. A few friends and I bought the tickets just because the opening band, Mt. Joy, is one of our favorite growing groups. The Lone Bellow, another excellent group, put on a unique performance that I can confidently say contributed to my favorite concert yet. While all of this has been going on, I've been getting back to a regular running schedule. I am looking forward to running a local 25k at the end of the month, which will hopefully go well considering I'll have been back into scheduled training for barely a month. The leaves are falling along with the temperatures, so the weather will only get better as I begin training for a 50k or marathon (haven't picked a race yet) early next year. I will continue to update along the way and hopefully get to include some adventure pictures in the near future. Stay happy, my friends. -JD Hey there, folks! No major events have occurred outside of living a good life and moving back to Johnson City. The fall semester has begun after too long of a break, and I look forward to sharing more experiences here. After an excellent Collo session last night, I decided on two things. One is to continue this blog rather than fill out seemingly boring forms to document hours for required activities. The second is my project for this semester. As many know, my project last semester was quite the task, and I am happy to report that results were amazing. There is much room for simplifying, but I am leaving that for spring. For this semester, I plan to study body language. Much can be learned from nonverbal cues, and a better understanding of unspoken language will be tremendously helpful in my everyday life. I also hope to learn about recognizing and understanding the feelings these cues indicate and how greater emotional awareness may assist me in both professional and casual interactions.
The days may be hot, but the nights are now cool; it feels so good to be back here at school. Stay happy, my friends. -JD Yesterday was the B.I.O. orientation, and it was far more hectic than I had anticipated. I registered 5 students and was so happy to meet all of the incoming freshmen that attended. As my project grew to include interaction with the new class and the encouragement of interaction between them, I took on a heavy role in orientation. With a bit of help, I decorated the house for parental viewing pleasure and student stress reduction. I coordinated with Claire to help students register that needed to leave early for prom, and the system was quite successful, getting 4 students out the door by 12:45. As part of my communication encouragement, I composed an email a few weeks ago introducing myself and inviting the members of the class of '21 to a GroupMe, where they can talk amongst each other and ask me questions about anything and everything a University Honors student may want to know. Answering emails and group questions instantly became the most busy portion of my project. With such time constraints and so many people having either not attended or left early, I decided the compatibility test would have to be sent through email, as I will be calculating results over the summer. Overall, this has been a rather busy project with more and more components arising that had me work nearly double the required amount of time. I look forward to seeing how well pairing results match our predictions!
I won't be posting anymore in the foreseeable future, so enjoy the warm months and keep an eye out for any unexpected updates. -JD The Spring concert, headlined by Moon Taxi, was definitely different from Billy Currington's show in the fall. Instead of having a stage set up on the intramural fields, the concert took place in Freedom Hall. This was a good change, as the arena was a fantastic setting. I had to buy a floor ticket off of a stranger to get in with my other friends. The floor was supposedly sold out, but only half of the space was filled. I arrived a bit late and caught a good portion of the opening performance by Elliot Root. I wouldn't have even known the name of the group if a guy next to me hadn't said, "Who are these guys?" Someone in the crowd answered, and proper recognition was given. Rock on, crowd guy. I wasn't too familiar with either group, but the atmosphere was very exciting. My night was made when I saw Dr. Dula on the middle level balcony dancing his heart out. I am proud to say I made it onto his Instagram. The lights, the smoke, the people; everything made for an exciting experience in seeing a very cool concert. Let's hope for a similar experience this fall.
-JD This is my mid-month update on my semester project. The test is almost complete, and I look forward to the incoming freshmen visiting for the B.I.O. orientation. I have contacted them all in an attempt to connect the students prior to the fall semester through the use of the delightful application GroupMe. My excitement grows as I get to answer questions to better prepare the students for some of the most exciting years of their lives. There isn't much else to discuss in this post, as the next on this project will be discussing the events of B.I.O. Check back at the end of the month for a final update on my project.
-JD Today, I did a bit of volunteering. An excellent event took place in the Mini Dome called Relay for Life, which raises money for the American Cancer Society (ACS). This was not a typical charity event, as there is a strong symbolic component with the "relay." All participating organizations have fun games and activities set up for members of other organizations to participate in at the cost of tickets, which are purchased with all proceeds going to ACS. Also available for purchase were foods of varying countries around the world, with each group having been designated a country to choose a food from. While all of the groups have tents set up in a perimeter, members of each "team" (organization) must have a person walking around a loop to continue the relay that represents the ongoing fight against cancer that so many individuals are constantly facing. I was connected through my involvement in my residence hall council to the ETSU Residence Hall Association (RHA), and I had the opportunity to volunteer with RHA as a part of their team. We set up a canopy tent, like the other groups, but we also had an enclosed camping tent that served as a "jail" in which people could be thrown in and taken out of at the cost of tickets. I'm pretty sure between walking around the loop, going to get food for the team, and packing up supplies in people's cars, I covered a fair number of miles in my six hours. All was done with a smile knowing how much the support means to the survivors and fighters. I have definitely found my favorite charity event, and I look forward to helping out again next year.
-JD Through my Psychology Speaker Series course, I attended many excellent presentations, and my favorite has definitely been the appearance by Dr. Terrell Strayhorn at the end of civility month. He is a professor of higher education at Ohio State University and is involved in many programs that study race, sexuality, and gender. His presentation addressed the stereotypes and stigmas that define social interactions, often without notice. Dr. Strayhorn discussed his TEDx talk and how to give a proper presentation by using what he was taught to give a proper presentation, which I very much enjoyed. He used the power of stories to make his points, and his charismatic attitude made for an absolutely incredible experience. Dr. Strayhorn talked about the time that he called out a board of rather important individuals at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville for racism and sexism in the hiring process and how that fostered a friendship with Mrs. Dee Haslam. He also demonstrated his talents as an incredible vocalist, all while encouraging civility in everyday life. Dr. Strayhorn is such a unique individual and has inspired me to be a difference and make change in a society that is in desperate need of it. This post highlights my experience with the presentation, but if anyone is interested in the presentation itself, it was being recorded, and Dr. Strayhorn's TEDx talk is easily accessible through YouTube.
I am so happy to have attended the presentation, and I look forward to seeing what civility week/month next year will bring. -JD Honors Colloquium, for the spring 2017 semester, is requiring us (the students of the UHS Class of 2020) to complete a project in which each student invests a minimum of twenty hours towards achieving some goal or creating a physical product. This post is being made to announce my project and to hold me accountable so that I succeed in completing it.
My project involves creating a big-little compatibility test to pair incoming freshmen with rising sophomores in the UHS program. The existing system is far from perfect and results in many pairings in which the students are on similar paths academically but remain mere acquaintances. I am creating a test that factors in academics interests, hobbies/non-academic interests, and personality traits to provide not only one, but a short list of potential pairings. My ultimate goal is to bring the classes of the UHS program closer together. In my efforts to achieve this goal, I am not only creating the compatibility test, but staying heavily involved in communicating with members of the incoming class to develop the connections that I am looking to establish. I will post again as time goes on. Until then, stay happy. -JD I attended what I thought was simply going to be a presentation on suicide prevention. What this might entail, I was unsure of, but what did happen, I did not expect at all. A talented young actor and activist for mental health awareness and suicide prevention named Joshua Rivedal performed a very entertaining one-man play including 15 different characters. It was the story of him growing up, the hardships he's faced, and the tragic events that have made him who he is today. Joshua started the i'Mpossible Project to allow people to share their stories with others that need the encouragement, showing people struggling with suicidal thoughts and depression that the days can and will get better. After the performance, Josh gave more information on his personal battle with depression, showing how he brought himself out of a dark place to become successful and help others who are in the position he has once been. Questions from the audience were then answered by staff from the Counseling Center, Dr. Dula from the Psychology Department, and Joshua himself. The presentation was both informative and encouraging. If you are interested in his work, check out iampossibleproject.com.
Check back next semester for more adventures! -JD There is a hidden gem on North Roan Street in Johnson City called Washington County Animal Control Center. Here, loving families and college students needing volunteer hours alike can assist the wonderful workers in taking care of majestic, domestic fur-creatures. Being careful with my severe allergy to feline friends, I stayed in the large section of the shelter dedicated to what appeared to be 90% pit bulls and 10% dogs that are scared of pit bulls. Volunteers are expected to clean up any misplaced excrement, spilled food, and dog-less sweaters (yes, the dogs there have sweaters). Other than basic cleaning, we were to walk the dogs and show them the beautiful world outside those cold walls and cage doors. Most of these canine companions were very lovable and enjoyed the attention. Some expressed great interest in the taste of human flesh, so I tried to stay clear of those interesting few. The experience was very fun, as hours flew by. Below is the dog that I am certain my friend Alicia and I will end up adopting and secretly keeping in her apartment. That is all on the animal adventure. Stay tuned.
-JD One of the perks of going to ETSU is that they host big-name concerts every semester, and students can take advantage of the opportunity to see some great live music in an exciting environment close to "home." This fall, we were lucky enough to have Billy Currington come perform, and I, along with some friends, had an excellent time. We did not push our way through the sweaty crowd, so I could not get a good quality photo, but I was able to capture the stage from a distance and the people around it, showing what the experience was like from my point of view. As someone who grew up out in the country outside of a small town, I listened to country music frequently. I noticed over the years, while attending a school closer to the large city of Chattanooga, TN, that the area was filled with many transplants, people who were moved from all over the United States to fill positions in growing companies. Because of this, the crowd hardly consisted of the happy, humble country folk I had called my neighbors for so many years. The people had diverse interests in many things that I was not used to, and one difference that stood out to me was a strong opposition to country music. I was happy to see, after moving up to Johnson City, that people here are in touch with their local culture as Appalachian-southern people, and the concert was an absolute success. I also attended another performance to support a good friend of mine, Jonathan Ferret. He is part of a trombone ensemble here at ETSU, and they had an excellent performance, playing very moving songs and showing the talents of many young Bucs. Following the recital, a band played, and all of them were using brass instruments of some type. This was very entertaining, as these unique individuals put on a one-of-a-kind show. The photo below is from the middle of one song. Yes, that is a man on the ground. He was quite enthusiastic. Overall, I enjoyed seeing all of these performances, and I look forward to seeing many more in my time here at ETSU.
I will add more as the adventures happen. -JD I went with my friend Jonathan to the Reece Museum to look at some of the art exhibits they have here on the ETSU campus this semester. Much attention was drawn to the Fletcher Exhibit, which had many pieces concerning controversial social and political topics. War, gender equality, and suicide were such topics inspiring many creations with meaning far beyond a simple view of the piece. Thankfully, descriptions of the artists and the meaning behind their works were provided by kind and knowledgeable museum staff members. With a relatively neutral position on all things even remotely controversial, the Fletcher Exhibit was not my favorite part of the museum. The other section was an exhibit I thoroughly enjoyed called The Best of Tennessee Craft. Included in this display are paintings, furniture, and sculptures, all masterfully created by local artists. I was mesmerized by the textured style used in two paintings of beautiful mountainous scenery that I would not hesitate to put in my home, should I come across enough money to purchase them. A curious looking chair and a beautifully crafted box containing drinking glasses, all hand crafted from local materials, added an antique feel to the array of displays. My favorite part, however, was a pair of reflective sculptures that brought a contrasting, modern element to the exhibit. The Reece Museum is a place I highly suggest visiting when on the ETSU campus if you are looking to see incredible art.
I will post more about campus activities activities in the future. -JD In the finale of this three part series, we, the Colloquians of UHS '20, gathered once more to discuss an important question. This question decides our major, what school we attend, what we will do in four years. After we all finish our undergraduate degrees here in the University Honors Program at ETSU, us students can go many places. Hedden, the supreme leader of the Colloverse, posed the question, "Where Are You Going?"
I had recently discovered my true interests, and I was very prepared for the question (mostly because it was on the syllabus, and I did some pre-Colloquium navel-gazing). I discovered, and I do not remember how, the basics behind the science of reading and interpreting micro-expressions. This practice can be performed anywhere with human interaction, and I was (and still am) amazed with what one can learn without the observed person speaking a word. I bought two books by Dr. Paul Ekman, the psychologist who discovered the ability and potential of reading micro-expressions. This science is very useful in reading deception, and it has become more commonly seen in law enforcement. This is where I started considering different occupations relating to my interests. I thought to myself, "What is a career that involves behavioral and psychoanalysis, reading deception, and would never get old?" After doing some research, I discovered that I wish to pursue the position of a profiler in the Behavior Analysis Unit of the FBI. To do this, I will finish my undergraduate degree in Psychology, then apply for graduate school to pursue a Masters/PhD in Experimental Psychology. I will need a few years of professional work experience, so I plan to get involved with research while getting my PhD, and once I am eligible, I will apply for the FBI as any agent would. After years in a local field office, I could be selected to work in the BAU, my end as far as changing positions. If I don't die in any sort of fiasco over the years, I would like to finish my career by teaching at Quantico. That, my friends, is where I am going. -JD In my last post, I asked talked about the question "Who Are You?" and I am now certain that Colloquium is designed to make us ask ourselves questions that will get answers. Of course, to almost every question, there is an answer, but these answers are things about every one of us, the students, that we most likely had never even considered thinking about in this way. Today, there was a new question.
What Do You Value? It's an interesting question. There are many things one may value. Like the changing interests discussed previously, the place in life one is at when asked this question can heavily influence the answer given. What we, the students, needed to determine was what things we always value, and how these values define us. Once again, the all-knowing Hedden assisted us. As a group, we created a list of things we value, and then we individually narrowed the list down, determining what we valued most. I went a little off-script and chose some things not on the list. I decided that the things I value most are understanding and the haecceity of all people. I learned the word haecceity when stumbling across Hedden's twitter bio. Haecceity is essentially the property that makes something unique. I value this, because, as you may have read before, I am becoming me, and I cannot be me without uniqueness. Understanding also plays a big role in my life. I have always been an over-thinker, looking for answers, looking to understand. In considering the many possibilities of what I can do with my life, I realized that in combining understanding and the haecceity of people, I would be looking at understanding why people are who they are and what makes them do what they do. Who better to do this than a psychologist? More on these questions of life to come. -JD A question that many may find very hard to answer is simply "Who Are You?" and, because of the complexity of one's personality, he or she will tend to pick and choose admirable accolades from long ago, or interests at that particular time, as those can change more often than many may think, especially in college. Without details of one's life, it can be difficult to understand who someone truly is, and thankfully, the mysterious, knowledgeable Professor Hedden (whom I will refer to throughout this blog simply as "Hedden") guided us, the UHS Class of 2020, in our journey to learn more about who we really are.
The email us students received before going to class said to prepare for some navel-gazing, which, as someone who spends too much time in his own head, I was quite excited about. Of course, Hedden asked us, "Who Are You?" and we were then instructed to write about something we brought from home, what it means to us, and what we think that means about us. Of course, I wrote an entire page. I was not surprised to hear many people brought pictures, and that they have strong connections with their families. A few people opened up more than I expected, sharing very difficult moments in their lives. I am not a picture person, and I have had a pretty easy life. I wanted to bring a new idea to the table. What I brought with me is (and this is my writing from class, word for word) "a desire to have the responsibility of successfully functioning independently." Being more independent is just a part of what I am looking to accomplish here. I came to college looking to change, not like the typical person wanting to go by a different name, not the one that no longer wants to listen to his parents. The changes I am looking for are simply things that will ultimately define who I become. I want to become more responsible, take the initiative to do things I previously wouldn't. I want to develop stronger work ethic. I want to find out what I want to do with my career. I want to be a positive influence to those around me, in any way that I can. I want to be the small difference that makes great change. I want to become me. Sitting in class, I looked deep within myself, asking who I want to become. I will talk about this, who I want to become, again in another post, but one thing that went through my mind at this moment, I want to share. I decided, right then, that I was only pursuing a career in medicine because I simply had no opposition to it. That career is not one that I desire to have for the rest of my life. And then, the question turned from "Who Are You?" to "What To Do ?" More on this will follow. -JD |