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
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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 |