Assignment 4- Doug Vaughan

A belief that I challenged was the belief of messiness is bad. As a teenage boy my room is messy and I do my homework in my room. My parents would always get on me about it, they would say,  "How can you think in such a messy room, oh my gosh clean it up now!" At first I did clean it up but when I noticed I got distracted easier in cleaner rooms so I started responding to them, "But, I focus better in messier rooms." They would still be mad at me and make me clean up my room but only a little bit so its just a little messy. My beliefs were strengthened even more when I saw a survey in the PSAT say people are more creative in messier environments.  I've been standing up for what I believe in to the anger but respect from my parents

Assignment 1- Conner Holt

My name is Conner Holt

For this school year, my goal is just to keep up. I struggle with time management and judgement based upon time, so keeping up with my assignments this year would be a huge milestone for me personally. 

The most meaningful, and really only interesting thing I did this summer was band camp. Three weeks, 112 people, and nothing but a plan and a goal. Band in general is a huge part of my life, with marching band being one of the most important things to me during first semester. Yes, its a huge commitment, both time and physicality wise, but the payout is definitely worth it. Performing a show run under the lights of whatever football stadium we're at is again one of the best feelings I've ever experienced.

I'm also a huge nerd. During the summer of 2014, I was fortunate enough to work at a car wash, and using the money I made, I built the computer I'm typing this blog post on right now. I use this computer primarily to play PC games, the likes of which consist of League of Legends, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft mainly, with a few other smaller games on the side. 

Included is a link to my favorite website, https://www.reddit.com/ , and a picture of my favorite Disney character, Bernie Kropp

 

Assignment 6- Doug Vaughan

There are a few things that interest me academically and leisurely. What academically interests me is architecture and engineering, I'm really fascinated with how things are built and designed as well as what went into making them. Leisurely I love sports and TV because it is entertaining. A few assignments I've enjoyed have been making a movie and the assignment you assigned to me over the summer. I liked making the movie because I like how my friends and I created the story and props to make (what I believe) a good quality movie. For my annotated bibliography over the summer I chose the topic of pulling the 2022 world cup out of Qatar. Me being a soccer fan this was a topic I found myself to be passionate about which has been hard for me.

Assignment 5- Doug Vaughan

I watch TV because it is entertaining to me. I just love the visuals and the stories of TV, and now Netflix makes TV is much easier and enjoyable. Some of the shows that I've seen and I loved are The Office, Lost, Burn Notice, Prison Break, Sherlock, and Daredevil. Some of the shows I'm watching now are Narcos, Jessica Jones, House of Cards, Mad Men, and The Good Place. I also watch TV to see sports I follow many sports and leagues. I watch soccer, football, basketball, and sometimes lacrosse. If I didn't have TV in my life I don't know what I do or how I could live without it.

Assignment 3- Doug Vaughan

I've traveled all over america, stepping foot in 43 out of the 50 states. It started when I was young and my family went to places like Disney World, Myrtle Beach, and my aunt in Chicago. However my extensive travels are recent. It all started in 2014 we stayed with a family and their in their cabin in Wisconsin. It was during this retreat they asked us to come with them to Yellowstone next year. We accepted their request and the next summer in 2015 we were packing our car. We decided to make this trip not just about meeting friends in yellow stone but also seeing some great sights of western america. We started our trip by going through Missouri, Kansas, and then turned north at Denver, CO then through the southern part of Wyoming towards South Dakota. In South Dakota we meet our friends and saw Mount. Rushmore. Our next stop was Yellowstone, which was in north west Wyoming. We stayed there for four days with our friends. We then left them and went to the Grand Tetons in Idaho. From there we went to Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota where we saw the mall of america, Iowa where we saw the worlds biggest truck stop, and then back home through Illinois. We were inspired by that vacation so much the next year we went through the south west through the states of Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Las Vegas In Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri. This past summer as I stated in a recent blog I've traveled across the north east. Through Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Philadelphia Pennsylvaina, New Jersey, New York City, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, northern New York, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, and finally Ohio. If you have read this far I just want to thank you for your interest in me. In order to not make this a novel I left out many details about out excursions, but never the less I've traveled far. 

Assignment 9: What is it good for?

Genocide in Sudan

North Korea testing nuclear weapons

Iran creating nuclear weapons

Egypt

Syria

Terrorism

Injustices and threats surround so many lives in this world. When injustices or threats progress to dangerous and harmful levels though, it seems logical for war to come into play as a way to combat the situation. . .or is it?  The conservative Christian group known as the Mennonites believes that war (violence) is never appropriate.

Is there a time for war?

If there is a time, is it morally right and just or is is it the lesser of two evils?

If there isn't a time, why not?

Are there certain times when countries have a responsibility to go to war?

Are there any alternatives? Could they be more effective or less effective?

Due Sunday, October 22nd at 11:59 pm

December 3th is the last day to make up blogs 9-15

Assignment 2- Doug Vaughan

These are the books I've read in the past twelve months.

The Teenage Brian and WWS- These books were my summer reading assignments obviously. WWS helped with my writing and I found the teenage brain interesting.

The YMCA Lifeguard Handbook- I had to read this when I took my lifeguard certification class, which I passed as I now have a job as a lifeguard.

The Ugly American- I was required to read this book a few weeks into the school year but only given a weeks time to read it. I was unable to finish this book as I ran out of time before the due date and also found it boring.

The Great Gatsby- I was required to read the book in class I thought it was an interesting read.

I'm sorry I don't have many books on here, I don't really like heavy reading as I just find myself getting distracted to easily. I do read some articles or webpages mostly about stuff I'm interested in like sports and movies.

Assignment 1- Doug Vaughan

Hello my name is Doug and I love you.

If you are reading this that means you are alive. I believe life is precious as it is so beautiful. I love all things precious to me. I love precious things, life is precious, you are alive, so I love you.

Speaking of life I had quite a bit of that over the summer when my family and I went on a vacation across the northeast United States going through Virginia up to Maine and down past Ohio back to Kentucky. This trip was exhausting but school was approaching, which I made goals for, to learn and to survive. If I had a super power it would be to be smart. I'd make glasses that help me in school (of course I wouldn't use them on a test that would break the honor code). These glasses would be similar to those in the movie Kingsman: Secret Service. Also if I had the power of being smart maybe school wouldn't be so hard.

Stuff that geeks me out is large movie or TV franchises. I love star wars, marvel, and Netflix. I'm not a die hard fan of these that would know crazy trivia like the exact issue and vol. of comic book that Captain America drooped his shield into the Potomac, but my knowledge and geek-ism come from the movies or shows and what I stumble upon on YouTube. I am passionate about these things thus I love them. I love a lot of things thus my love might not be unique but it is genuine.

My favorite website: www.netflix.com

This is Dug from the movie up, which I also love. This is what inspired my first sentence.

Assignment Five – Jessica Ewing

Television, while not the primary grandeur of the film industry, has certainly stepped up its game in its competition against large movies and films. Arguably, television has surpassed movies in certain aspects, such as its ability to tell a story. Especially with streaming services such as Netflix containing the ability to push out what is essentially an 8-hour movie, just in 1-hour pieces, all at once is quite telling of how advanced television has become.

Personally, I watch TV shows for their story. The characters, the plot, the development and overarching storylines of individual people and places in the TV show all can be far more developed than in a movie. That's why shows like Game of Thrones and Stranger Things are considered two of my all-time favorite television series, and why The Walking Dead is at the bottom of that list.

While Game of Thrones has a reputation of not-so-subtly pandering to an adult male audience, this is a far-outdated rumor. Especially since its third season, the show has really settled into itself, developing and becoming my favorite TV show just due to its phenomenal storytelling and ability to keep its audience waiting to see what happens next. (And can we talk about the season finales of seasons 6 and 7? So much theory confirmation, I couldn't handle it.)

Other the other half of that coin falls The Walking Dead. While a decent show up through its fourth season, it quickly turned into a wheel of plot and storytelling. Character development abruptly halted, with characters doing thing entirely out of their moral or personal boundaries, with no qualms or worries from any other character. The repetitive nature of the show's plot lines began halfway through season 4 and continued through 5, 6, and 7, with only different relationship dramas and minor character deaths to allow the audience to vaguely tell them apart.

When I watch a TV show, I want to escape to a different world. That's why enticing stories and realistically diverse and developed characters appeal to me. They help to create this new world that hopefully I'm going to become invested in.

Assignment Four – Jessica Ewing

I was raised in a Christian household. In fact, my mother may be the most religious person that I've ever known. I'd been going to church since I was born, and I'd loved it, at least up until middle school.

Not only was middle school that strange point of my life where I was discovering just how awkward and socially inept I am, it was also a point in time where I found I wasn't fitting in with the other middle-schoolers there. I was challenging what my ministers were telling me, which didn't make me popular among my peers. I wasn't an obedient follower, blindly agreeing with whatever the preacher told me to believe. I was too curious for my own good; I wanted to know why I was supposed to believe what this guy was telling me, and I wasn't receiving the answers I wanted from anyone.

There was no specific moment where I realized those answers didn't exist. It was at some point during the early months of sophomore year, though, when I truly decided that I wasn't going to ignorantly follow the preaching of a man based off of a book of relative fiction. I knew the Bible, and I knew its contradictions, and I was frustrated and tired of dealing with the blatant disregard of the accusations of hypocrisy thrown its way. I refused to get up for church, and told my parents I didn't believe in or agree with this idea of Christianity anymore.

Of course, my parents weren't ecstatic about this new revolution of mine. My mother went on a screaming tirade, ranting on how as long as I was in her house, I was going to follow by her beliefs. The reaction my personal decision had on her was enough to permanently damage our relationship; now the topic of religion no longer shows up at our dinner table conversations.

I stand by my decision, though. In the Bible, there's an analogy: we are sheep, and Jesus is our shepherd. But literature says sheep follow along blindly, and if that's the case, I am no sheep.

Luke Taylor Assignment 6

I have so many interests it's actually ridiculous, but here are the top three

Art

Drawing is a relatively new obsession for me. I've always drawn since I was kid, but it was just recently when I realized that I might actually be good. Art has become a part of my everyday life. Any day where I don't create something I feel like I wasted it, so I do a lot of drawing. I also enjoy looking at other people's art work. Going to art museums and galleries are staple to every road trip I go on.

Music

I listen to a lot of music, as I'm typing the blog post I'm listening to my "Awesome Playlist" on spotify filled with my favorite songs of all time. Music and art play hand in hand. Most of the time when I draw I listen to music. I don't just listen to music, But I play some too. I've been playing trumpet since 5th grade and I recently just started playing piano

TV shows and Movies

This is actually a no brainer because it's actually a combination of both art and music with the addition of good writing and plot. The movies with great visuals and soundtracks get me more excited than ones with everyone's favorite actors in it. I have a great appreciation for the work that goes into creating a quality movie or TV show.

Assignment 5 Luke Taylor

I don't actually watch TV as much as I used to; it used to be a part of my everyday routine. I watched a lot of TV from ages 6-13 and after that I found better methods of entertainment. Cartoons like Ben 10, Avatar: The last airbender, and the original Teen Titans made up a lot of my childhood. I wasn't into live action television shows as much of cartoon, but i did watch my fair share of shows like The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, Drake and Josh, and Corey in the House. But now I don't watch TV anymore, and it's not that I hate all new shows, but it's not convenient. Now I watch shows on my phone or computer using streaming services like netflix. So now some of my favorite shows to watch are Rick and Morty, most of the shows on the CW, and the marvel netflix originals. Youtube now takes some time from those shows because it's free and I can directly relate more with the youtubers I watch.

Assignment 7: Katie Chen

Honestly I still don't know where I want to go to college. Adults put so much pressure on choosing the right college, it starts to sound like a life or death scenario. This one decision affects not just the next four years, but my entire life. There's literally hundreds of options, so how am I supposed to just pick one?
I do have some requirements for choosing a college however: I want to go out of state, I want to do something creative with my life, and I don't want a mountain of debt at the end of this.
I've lived in Lexington in my entire life, and I'm ready to get out of Kentucky. I like to think of myself as a worldly person, wanting to constantly travel and explore the world.
As far as choosing a major, I'm not quite sure. All I know is that I have to do something creative. I need to be doing something that excites me at every turn. I don't see myself going into accounting and having a traditional office job. I need to be constantly creating, whether it be through art or something else.
At the end of the day, I might just choose whatever college gives me the most money.

Assignment 6: Katie Chen

A list of my interests could go on forever, but I've managed to narrow it down to just a few for the sake of this blog post.

1. Comedy

I've always been intrigued and entertained by comedy, especially stand up and improv. The art of crafting jokes either in advance or on the spot interests me to point of wanting to try it myself. And as it turns out, I'm terrible at it. I don't think I'm funny to the point of doing to stand up but I think my jokes have a place on twitter. Hearing such clever jokes and puns interests me because I want to know how that comedian's mind works, how they're able craft stories and jokes just on the spot.

2. Art

Ever since fourth grade when I visited the Metropolitan Museum for the first time, I fell in love with art. Impressionism, to be more specific. I was always intrigued how artists created a beautiful piece of art out of almost nothing. As I began creating art myself, I found myself asking questions about composition, lighting, and subject matter. The amount of artistic liberty you get when painting can be exhilarating. This might seem a little weird, but the way a brush flows across a canvas excites me. Just the motion of brushing paint back and forth and creating something on a canvas is just so satisfying.

3. Conspiracy Theories

This one might be the weirdest. Although I don't believe in most of them, the concept of conspiracy theories interests me. It makes people question the world around them, and what they know to be true. For example, the theory that the moon landing was staged is one of the most interesting to me. Even though I don't believe it, the amount of evidence and theories that other people have collected to prove their theory not only intrigues me but also blows my mind.

Assignment 6: Maggie Anderson

      Over fall break, I went to University of Cincinnati. On Thursday, I took a general tour of the campus, then went to a short talk about the engineering school, because I thought I might want to go into that field.
      I don't.
     The student presenters talked a great deal about the classes and knowledge they get at UC, which gave me a better picture of what engineering is. It involves a great deal of problem solving and thinking outside the box, while I am good at math and enjoy math and merely want to sit in a room doing equations in the least creative way possible. Engineering just isn't quite for me, though I could still enjoy it.
       The real problems came from everything else, specifically the lack of anything else. The students had explained Breadth of Knowledge courses, which were their required non-engineering courses, of which there are four.  I later, during the question segment, asked how the engineering schedule allowed for taking many other classes. Their answer amounted roughly to "those four courses plus any other you want to and can squeeze in". Based on their co-op system (mandatory 5 semesters) and course load the rest of the time, there wasn't many opportunities for extra courses.
      I found this very off-putting. While I intend to major in something math-based, a well rounded education is very important to me. Though people say you never stop learning, college is the last learning-based stage of your life. After that, knowledge takes a secondary role to work and money and life. There are so many thing I want to do. I have always planned to continue my classical education, I enjoy history, and I want to try learning a skill, such as working with wood, metal or glass. I want these things to supplement my major, not to be crammed in around it.
        I thought engineering might still be possible at another school, perhaps one where co-op was less of a thing. My parents warned me that all engineering programs would be like that to some degree. My mother even told me about a friend of theirs at UK, who double majored in engineering and Russian. He was very smart and succeeded, but the engineering school gave him crap for it every day.
        Even had I not already realized that engineering might not be right for me, this would have convinced me. My major should not come at the expense of all other opportunities, not to mention my personal happiness and satisfaction.

Assignment 4 Luke Taylor

My parents and I are very similar and extremely different at the same time. Both me and my dad are both die hard Louisville basketball friends, and both me and my mom enjoy art.While it may seem that we see eye to eye all the time we have quite a few different opinions. For instance, my parents have always been on me for being a messy person. In my opinion, I'm not that messy, I am just more tolerant than my parents who are neat freaks. And now after taking the PSAT, I have scientific evidence that being surrounded by a mess increases creativity, which what I need because I like drawing in my free time.

Assignment Eight: Sam Clark

Fears: The Red Terror, the Blue Terror, the Green Terror

Annoyances: The Red Terror, eating corn on the cob unevenly, dirt

Accomplishments: The maintenance of American democracy, freedom, and equality

Confusions: Confucius

Sorrows: The death of farming, the decline of the earth

Dreams: The life of farming, the rise of the earth

Idiosyncrasies: Classified

Risks: Life, death

Beloved Possessions, Now and Then: My sanity

Problems: The death of farming, the decline of the earth

Zookeeping can be a Dangerous Profession

A poem by Sam Clark

The Second Red Terror gripped Bolikchan, driving life, and with it, death.

As long as he stood, the Terror would fall.

Confucius.

Leaning against the wall of the hotel, unevenly eating his corn on the cob,

(always leaving kernels)

Confucius.

The dirt underneath his fingernails rife with bacteria,

Confucius.

A smile playing upon his lips as he welcomes you into the Astor Hotel,

Confucius.

This man,

Bastion of strength,

Pinnacle of human emotion,

Free fell into the fickle fingers of fate, freed from freedom itself.  

Such was Confucius as we knew him.

Such was Confucius as we loved him.

Nobody knew who bestowed the name.

Parents dead after his birth, trampled by trumpeting fame.

(Zookeeping, you know, can be a dangerous profession)
The issue wasn’t pressed

Like an unopened book
We judged it (the name) by its cover

The triteness of the metaphor tired by its trueness

Flown away on wings of fantasy

Zookeeping, you know, can be a dangerous profession.

Assignment 7- Andrew Rogers

To be completely honest, I've never panicked about going to college. Ever since I was young, I figured I was going to Freed-Hardeman University. You've probably never heard of it before. Well, if you go to Nashville and travel southwest towards Memphis for about two and a half hours, you run into a tiny town in the middle of nowhere called Henderson. When I say tiny, I mean, the campus of the school is twice as large as downtown, tiny. Anyway, it's a Christian liberal arts college, small and incredibly welcoming. My Dad went there back in the early 80's. It has been around my life for as long as I can remember. I've never really considered going anywhere else.

As the time draws near, I look around at my peers who seem to panic when they look for colleges to attend. I sit there listening to them list the pros and cons of each chose, while in the back of my head not worrying about where I'm going to college. I've always known where I want to go. I will concede that I don't have a definite idea of what I want to major in and with the day fast approaching I have sometimes questioned my confidence in my decision. Should I go to Freed? Should I travel all those miles to a small town in the middle of nowhere, just for a college? Is it worth it? Although I still grapple with these questions, I find resolution in my experiences at Freed, silencing my doubts.

Assignment 3 Luke Taylor

I've never been out of the country but traveling to a new locations has changed my perspectives and given me new cultural awareness. One major cultural experience that was when my family and I visited Los Angles, California for a week. Just seeing the creative and so many people chasing their dreams was inspirational to me. Growing up in Kentucky, I've never seen anything like it before. For example, here if I told someone I wanted to make a movie I would probably be laughed at. But there, saying that around the right people would kick start an idea. The life style there is a lot different there than it is where I grew up. Learning about new cultures is something that fascinates me, and traveling around the globe in something I plan on doing when I'm older.

Assignment 4- Andrew Rogers

It is the summer of 2014. Height of the World Cup. As a sports fan I was thrilled, because its the greatest sports tournament second only to maybe the Olympics. However,...... my family thought differently. They questioned why I wanted to watch it, citing, "You don't even like soccer." I watched anyway with my family becoming somewhat interested. But the world cup ended, and soccer faded once again back into the background. However I began to watch Premier League Soccer, found a team that I chose to support, Liverpool, and my obsession with the beautiful game began. I thought to  myself, "I have long suffered the oppression of the American football culture in the south! It is my duty as a soccer fan to change the beliefs held by my family and my community!" And so I began. I explained rules to friends and family, I bought jerseys and watched games, all the while trying to advocate for the game. Slowly things have changed and I have been able to motivate my family towards the light. As next summer's World Cup approaches I will see how fruitful my attempts have be. Wish me luck.

Assignment 5- Andrew Rogers

I don't watch a lot of TV. I don't own any services like Netflix(*audible gasp*), HBO, Hulu, Showtime, etc. I've never waited eagerly for the newest episode of (insert popular tv show here). But that doesn't mean I don't watch TV. I do eagerly wait for the Saturday mornings where I can watch Premier League soccer and College Gameday, then spend the rest of the day watching college football games. I love watching my favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons, on Sundays and hockey throughout the week. I'm passionate about all of these things, so I watch and support these teams. It's the whole reason why I watch TV. When sports are not on, I'm usually watching SportsCenter and/or varied programming from ESPN. I do watch other things but it usually consists of Food Network on Friday nights where I binge watch Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and sing myself to sleep with "Chicken Base and Garlic Salt".

Assignment 6- Andrew Rogers

Potatoes. A simple word and food on the surface, but much much more when you look at its impact on the world. I personally love history. Last year, I read the book 1493 which talks about how the Columbian exchange has changed the way we live and the enormity that it has had on our world and society. It was this that made me fall in love with the Columbian Exchange. The idea that one event shaped the entire world as we know it is fascinating to me, so I love learning more about certain aspects of this exchange.

That brings me back to potatoes. In 1493, there are multiple sections that speak of the influence these menial roots have had on the world. These roots originated in the new world making them foreign to Europe, Asia, and Africa. Potatoes are very resilient plants, growing in almost every condition, and they reproduce quickly, which makes them fantastic to support communities for long periods of time. They quickly changed the face of the world, supported almost the entirety of the Irish population, and sweet potatoes saved the rural Asian population.

The Columbian Exchange shifted my whole worldview because I never thought that something so small like the potato could have such a massive impact on the entire world. It has allowed me to look at things differently, becoming more aware of my world around me. It's insane for me to think that the world that I know with all its food items and so many other products didn't exist around 500 years ago. It's enlightening to realize no matter what happens you what you do, even if it seems menial and useless, will have lasting effects.

Assignment Three – Jessica Ewing

Lexington, Kentucky. A city not considered too big but also not too small. A college town. I've had the (un)fortunate pleasure of being able to call this city my home for the entirety of my life.

Sure, Lexington may be an "okay" city. It's certainly not the worst place in the world, in terms of crime or poverty or government corruption. At the same time, it's definitely not the best. Lexington, all in all, scores pretty mediocre across the board in terms of cities.

Well, okay. Maybe I'm just biased. Maybe I'm just tired of being stuck here. Maybe I just crave travel and the ability to learn about new cultures and discover new experiences across the world, and I create this negative view of my hometown as an excuse to give me further reason to get out of here. In any case, I want to travel the world. I always have, ever since I was little.

The farthest I think I've ever been from home was the week-long mission trip I took to New Orleans, Louisiana, over this past summer. It's not outside of the country, unfortunately, but the experience was still very different from anything I've ever seen here.

Most of the week was spent in the Ninth Ward, the district of New Orleans that was hit most devastatingly by Hurricane Katrina back in 2005, though I did spend the first day in the French Quarter. I remember the first thing I noticed when I arrived was the lasting destruction still left on so many of the buildings there, even in the French Quarter, the tourist district of the city. It's been 12 years since that hurricane plowed through, and yet there were still significant chunks of the city that just...weren't there anymore.

Entering the Ninth Ward only furthered this feeling. Entire plots of land in neighborhoods were just empty, where a house or a store once stood was now nothing but grass and the concrete rectangle of a driveway.

I talked with several local residents of the area, some who had moved there in the last decade, and some who had grown up there, fascinated in their stories and experiences. What they'd gone through, and what they learned themselves from living there.

I learned that through all the devastation, through the lasting effects of the hurricane, the people there had grown together. There was an unfamiliar sense of camaraderie among everyone there in the district, one I never see back here at home. People who didn't even know each other found familiarity. It was amazing. It's always said that at the end of the day, we're all just people on the same team, just trying to make our ways in the world, but to see it before my eyes was something that culturally I'd never witnessed.

Assignment 8: Olivia Klee

Fears: being alone, being buried alive, being trafficked

Annoyances: pop music, lazy people, computer problems, close-talkers, chewing with open mouth

Accomplishments: good grades, being a good sister (I think), starting a club

Confusions: sympathy vs empathy, The Holy Spirit vs human conscience, electronics, apple sharing

Sorrows: babies die, kids don't get education, orphans

Dreams: be a doctor, ride horses, save a life

Idiosyncrasies: unknown, outliers, probability

Risks: drugs, finances, dreams

Beloved Possessions, Now and Then: stuffed animals, phone, Wii

Problems: disease, power, money

Risks:
How long does it take for someone to become addicted to drugs?
How many of them know they are addicted?
How do you actually smoke weed? 
How does vaping work?
How should we punish people with mental disorders that "self-medicate" with street drugs?
How does the criminalization of drugs lead to a viscous cycle?
How far is too far gone?
How to save a life. 

Assignment 7: Olivia Klee

         Weird. That's how I feel about college. Does anyone else find it a little strange that we're entrusted with an incredibly expensive decision that will strongly affect, if not define, four years of our life, while at the same time we still have to ask permission to go to the bathroom? (And shout-out to Mr. Logsdon for being the exception to that rule.)
  
         Emotions aside, three things are set in stone: I want to major in Neuroscience (because that's just a no-brainer), I want to be involved in scientific research, and I do not want to go into debt.
        
         I've thought about going to Ohio. The Ohio State University has an impressive undergraduate research program, but without a scholarship, my family cannot afford it. And besides, do I really want to go to a school called THE Ohio State University? That just screams spoiled brat in my mind. University of Cincinnati offers an elaborate, three-part Neuroscience program and close to in-state tuition for Kentucky residents, but rumor has it that the surrounding area is unsafe. And of course, there's University of Kentucky...twenty minutes from home.
   
        So I'm still undecided.  But really, college is what you make it. I think with a positive attitude and a lot of hard work, anyone will succeed at almost any college they choose. But what do I know? I still have to ask to take the pass.

         
        

Assignment 6: Olivia Klee

     If you ask me what interests me, you're signing up for an hour long conversation, but for the sake of this blog post I will list my top three.
   
1. Neuroplasticity: 
      Did you know that your brain is literally shaped by experience? Your brain fires tiny electrical signals from cell to cell. These cells, called neurons, actually organize themselves according to how they are used. For example, as you are reading this blog post, the neurons in your visual cortex are firing, reinforcing the connections that process sight. If you suddenly go blind, those unnecessary visual connections will be "pruned" and replaced by an enlarged sensory cortex, the part of the brain that processes touch.
     The brain's ability to adapt excites me because right now, an estimated 5.3 million people in America live with a disability stemming from a traumatic brain injury. They are cooped up in assisted living facilities, on ventilators, and in shelters, drooling and babbling, many by no fault of their own. And I'm hoping that by harnessing the brain's amazing ability to adapt, we can help these people.


2. Music:
    There are two types of people in this world; those who listen to music and those who really listen to music. When creating my "school work" playlist, I purposely limit myself to songs that are good, but not too good, because I can easily waste time engrossed in the harmonies of a Stevie Nicks song or the baselines of The Main Squeeze. For me, the intense complexity of a well-produced song is like cold lemonade in hell's kitchen.
     (And I just want to hug all those truly talented people that still strum their own licks and sing new harmonies because I feel like they are all dying out!)


3. Religion:
     The only thing that got me through AP World was religion. I could care less who ruled Rome in what time period, but something about Indian women throwing themselves into fire as an act of worship intrigued me. The fact that they died for their religion left me mind-boggled.
      Then history barged into the present like a wrecking ball when I learned that two exceptionally different religions, Christianity and Islam, actually worship the exact same god. I remember thinking "Wow. Many of my closest friends are Muslim, and I just now realized that?"
     Even my own religion was just a dainty routine until I started reading the Bible for myself. No matter how many seminars, leadership conferences, or team building activities I attended, nothing compared to reading The Word, attempting to figure out why I'm alive. And no, I haven't completely answered that tiny little question yet, but the study has made all the difference.

Assignment 8: "I never had to choose my subject- my subject rather chose me"

Writing territories are a range of ideas that one generates to spark their writing. In general, it is just one of the many ways one can brainstorm for different types of writing.

This week's blog is more undefined than others because it depends so much on your unique personal experiences. Below, is a list of 10 writing territories and you'll begin by answering them. Your answers do not have to be lengthy, they only need to be definitive enough so that you, the writer, could look back at it weeks from now and it could trigger what you were thinking about.

Writing Territories

Fears

Annoyances

Accomplishments

Confusions

Sorrows

Dreams

Idiosyncrasies

Risks

Beloved Possessions, Now and Then

Problems

For instance, my list looks like:

Fears: drowning, loosing family in catastrophe, living in pain

Annoyances: rudeness, expecting fairness in this world

Accomplishments: still being married, being a dad my children want to be around

Confusions: inequity (different than fairness)

Sorrows: anger management, weight, (totally working on both but to be honest "weight" is harder than "anger" 'cause food is goooooooood)

Dreams: retirement, travel,

Idiosyncrasies: nerd, paper/pencil RPG (redundant?)

Risks: pilot's license (want), jumped out of an airplane (did)

Beloved Possessions: comic books (then), friendships (now- i know, cheesy)

Problems: Organization

Simple, right?

Now, once you have your list, choose one topic to expand upon in-depth (or at least 150 words). This may be as simple as an explanation of this topic (e.g. I discovered I had an anger management problem when I realized that I was taking out my frustrations on my family. . . .). It may turn into to a short-story or a beginning of a short story. It may turn into a narrative of a memory. It may turn into a  social commentary. It may turn into 150 words of freewrite. It may turn into something all together different and weird and delightful. Whatever you wrote down in your list, reflect upon it and allow it to guide your entry for the week.

"There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it's like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges." -Ernest Hemingway

Due Sunday, October 15th at 11:59 pm

October 15 is last day to make up Blogs 1-8

Assignment Five: Katie Chen

I love TV. More specifically, I love Netflix. All your favorite TV shows are just there, waiting for you to binge watch them.
I've loved TV ever since I was a little kid, wanting to spend hours watching Wizards of Waverly Place and Drake & Josh. Disney Channel and Nickelodeon were basically my entire childhood. As I grew up and entered middle school, I began to lose interest in watching television shows. Then I got Netflix.
Well, I say I got Netflix, but I really didn't. My neighbor got Netflix and they had an unoccupied profile on their account and asked me if I wanted it. So currently, I'm bandwagon-ing on someone else's account. And thus began my adventure down the TV series rabbit hole.
Today, my free time is spent sitting in bed binge watching shows on Netflix. Currently, my time is being consumed by New Girl, more recently, it was Parks and Recreation. I'm the kind of person to only watch one show at a time, I can't start another show until I'm completely done with the one I'm currently on. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy re watching shows. Sometimes I like to play The Office in the background just to have some white noise on while I'm doing homework. I'll occasionally go back and re watch my favorite episodes of Supernatural.
I watch TV to escape from the world. I become absorbed into the storylines and the characters of the show, envisioning myself if that world. If it's a comedy, I watch it when I'm in a bad mood and I need a laugh.

Assignment Seven- Sam Clark

Filled with lush jungle, exotic cultures, and culinary masterpieces, no place struck me with its majesty as did the Orient. It seems as if it were only yesterday that my hands brushed the sides of Her Majesty’s Illustrious Jewels, the train which conveyed me across most of the east. Commanded by Sir Edward Hillendale, Her Majesty’s Illustrious Jewels resided in an era long past, with Victorian tea rooms, minimal stops, and ample servants. Though the Orient impressed me immensely, without the beautiful accommodations provided by my train, I fear its charm would’ve been lost, swallowed by that sensory overload accompanying every foreign travel. Off topic it may appear, but my description of Her Majesty’s Illustrious Jewels serves an important metaphor when discussing secondary education. My ideal college would be much like my adored train, serving as a point of view from which to survey creation. Whenever the world’s immensity overwhelms, college should provide a respite, an eye in the hurricane. College doesn’t excite me, it merely provides a convenient vehicle to retire from real, wild learning. So it is. So it evermore shall be.

Assignment 3 - Andrew Rogers

Although I have only lived in one place my entire life and have never left this country, I have been blessed with opportunities to travel to many other states.  My family loves to travel together. One of my favorite places we have visited several times is San Diego, California. San Diego has a unique combination of weather, people and culture. We stayed on an island off the coast, more specifically, Coronado Island. So it is more the culture of the city of Coronado that I have developed a fondness for. In contrast to the large metropolitan city of San Diego, the small size of the island allows for a close knit community that blends together the small town lifestyle with the hustle and bustle of the city. It contains many individually owned shops and restaurants which creates a genuine and unique experience for those who live there. There are no tall buildings, no taxis, no urban feel. Its all homegrown and authentic, an escape from the city. In fact you travel over a large bridge to reach the island that descends as you reach the island, gently sloping towards welcoming you to the uniqueness of its streets.

I have also been lucky to travel to Charleston, South Carolina. This trip was similar to Coronado but had much different feel to it. Charleston had many cool experiences from Fort Sumter and the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point to amazing restaurants (Coast- best restaurant out there, get the Spicy Adobo Shrimp, total perfection of a dish). But, what made this specific trip unique was the circumstances we visited during. We arrived three days after the shooting at the Emanuel AME Church. The church was located about a block from our hotel, so the mood around our area was at times very somber. We walked past the church multiple times and saw the huge vigils placed along the facade of the building. However, there were no riots as there had been in Baltimore that year and even when the Black Panthers rallied outside our hotel, only about 50 people showed up. There was a feeling of unity that was pulling the city together. That response spoke volumes about the city as a whole and the culture fostered in it.

Look at it............bbfe59ea8e1a606edd7144ef8e277ad29416cd3a.jpg.

Assignment 6 - Rachel Burns

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I rise.

This is the first stanza of one of Maya Angelou's most famous poems, Still I Rise. When I was smaller, I had a book by Maya Angelou titled, Angelina of Italy; and from the moment I read it, I was fascinated with Maya Angelou's work. I started reading her other books and her poems and this one has always stuck with me. I didn't know what it meant when I first read it in elementary school, but now that I know what it means, it resonates with me even more.

The message of the poem is loud and clear- no matter the the cruelty, regardless of method and circumstance, the victim will rise up. Although it was written with African slavery and the Civil Rights Movement in mind, I believe that Still I Rise can be universally applied. Anybody, whether that be an individual or even a country, that is subject to oppression, abuse, or mistreatment, can understand from this poem that they should not give in to the torture, the bullying, the injustice that is being placed upon them.

When I hear this poem, I think of my mom. My amazing mother. The woman who spent the first 18 years of her life living below the poverty line. The woman who had to face discrimination from her peers, her teachers, and even her own family because of her race. The woman who was told that she could never go to college because she simply wasn't smart enough. However, this is also the woman that went to college, not only obtaining her Bachelor's degree, but also her Master's and her Doctorate. The woman who bought her own house at age 23 with her own money. The woman who raised three children and has always supported them.

My mom rose up. And I will still rise because of her.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise. 

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise 

Assignment 2--Eli Wrinn

Book One: The Sports Gene by David Epstein. It is a book on how genetics as well as training and conditioning affect human athleticism. It explores common conceptions as well as misconceptions pertaining to these concepts. It gives advice on how you can be the best athlete possible based on your body of work and what you were born with.

Book Two: American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It is a book of the adventures of Shadow Moon, an ex-convict who lost his wife and the rest of his life until he meets Mr. Wednesday (Wednesday is derived from Odin's Day). The book entails the fight between the old gods such as Odin and the new gods such as the internet, technology, and drugs in an Americana setting. I am very interested in world history as well as synthesizing into continuities that apply today. I also heard that Norse Myths and Legends are very cool. I failed to finish this book because it slowed down a little bit and I ran out of time in the middle of last school year, yet I plan to try again at some point.

Book Three: Cosmos by Carl Sagan. This book is very hard to read. It is basically a textbook filled with stuff I am interested in. In seventh and eighth grade, I watched Neil DeGrasse Tyson's "Cosmos" (my favorite TV show, see blog post #1) and this inspired me to try to read some of Sagan's book. This summer, I rewatched the series and tried to read some more of the book. I also knew that I would be diving into more complex science the year on school, so I thought it might help. (Both the series and the book are epic summaries of the field of astrophysics through a less complex and more philosophical lens) It turns out,  I was able to understand a lot more, yet there is still a lot I did not. Maybe I will try again after senior year.

Book Four: The Teenage Brain by Frances E. Jensen. Of course I read this book, but I felt it was worth mentioning. I have not had the opportunity to take Psychology in High School due to my commitment to band class, however it is something I am interested in. This provided an insight into how it applies to me. The one problem I have with the book is that it does not seem like I am the intended audience. It seems like the intended audience is parents who need to seek comfort because for one reason or another they cannot deal with their teenage children and their struggles need to be justified by scientific evidence given in an argument style by Jensen. Despite this, my favorite thing about this book as well as psychology in general is that feelings and instincts that one takes for granted actually have an intricate scientific explanation. It feels like it gives me control over these feelings, like I can manage any pain or other negative feeling because I think of it as an electric signal sent up my spine to my brain rather than an integral part of my life.

Assignment 1--Eli Wrinn

Hello, this is Eli Stephen Wrinn. I play basketball and baseball for Henry Clay and play trombone in the Henry Clay Symphonic Band. I love watching sports including basketball and baseball as well as football. In fact, if you look up and name any Major League Baseball player that has played at all the last three years, odds are I could name his team and position. The teams I root for are the Washington Wizards (NBA), Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL), and the Baltimore Orioles (MLB). My top five favorite TV shows are, in ascending order, Family Guy (5), Rick and Morty, The Office, Impractical Jokers, Cosmos with Neil DeGrasse Tyson (1). My current top 5 musicians in the same order are fun., Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Logic, and J. Cole. As you can see, I also like to rank things, I have many other lists including TV characters (Joe Gatto Impractical Jokers, Peter Griffin Family Guy, John Graves Simcow TURN, Rick Sanchez Rick and Morty, and Michael Scott The Office), NBA players (James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James), and foods (New England Style Pizza, Philly Cheesesteaks, Nashville Hot Chicken, Cincinnati Cheese Coneys, and Mashed Potatoes). My goal for this year is to somehow maintain a 4.0 GPA along with my other activities and Junior Year being the hardest one.

(Rick and Morty/Logic)

 (Cosmos with Neil DeGrasse Tyson)
www.espn.com
 (I don't have a favorite website per say, however I am constantly on espn.com checking scores, so I put it as my website)
 

Assignment Six: Sam Clark

The helicopter took off from the landing pad like a majestic pterodactyl, ascending over the verdant forest filled with the enemy. Given by the United States to the people of Sarkhan, our transportation was an aging beast, rust in every corner, twentysome years old. My legs dangled out of the door, vulnerable to enemy fire. But I didn’t care. I was a young medical engineer, first day out on duty, my conscious as clear as the pristine, white scrubs resting upon my back. Soon, however, my scrubs, and with them my conscious, would be stained forever. The first few men the helicopter took up were easy; tonsils, meningitis, the things they taught us in medical school. Later though, my charges grew ever more difficult. The frequency of amputations, psychological counseling, and the like grew as steadily as the attacks upon our helicopter. For every man I saved, twenty others died attacking us. And yet I was happy. I saved lives, magnificently completing surgeries I bombed in medical school. You haven’t performed surgery until you perfect a triple heart bicomplexity on a helicopter hit by grenades. Before all other experiences, my first day performing surgery under enemy fire was perhaps the most intellectually stimulating. For the first time in my life I knew what it felt like to live, to look at the world and say “this is mine.”

Assignment 5 - Rachel Burns

February 15, 2014. The day I got Netflix. The day that changed my life forever.

When I was a small child, TV was my life. I remember in the lunch line in fourth grade, my best friend at the time, Zaria, and I, were discussing the final episodes of Hannah Montana and whether she would pick Jake or Jesse (Jesse all the way, just saying). I remember having my best friend Connor come over for a sleepover in 1st grade so we could watch the premiere of High School Musical 2 on Disney Channel. And the day I got Netflix, I immediately started watching Pretty Little Liars and watched all the 4 seasons (as many there were at the time) in about a month and a half.

Today, my life is consumed with waiting for when How to Get Away With Murder and This Is Us is coming back on TV, crying because Teen Wolf ended a week ago, and finishing up The Get Down on Netflix so that I can start a new show. TV is still a big part of my life. But I believe that as I've gotten older, the reason I watch a show is for the message, the good feeling I get after watching an episode, something I can think about the next day and smile over.

Unfortunately, that's not what a lot of people want to see. A great example of this was the show Red Band Society which aired for only 13 episodes, one season, in 2014. The show centered around teenagers who lived together in the pediatric ward of a hospital. The show had some dramatic moments here and there, but the stories of the kids and the genuine feeling you got after watching it made you want to watch more. But not enough people liked that, and the show was cancelled after only 13 episodes. People watch TV for the drama; the chance to look at someone or something and say, "I'm glad I'm not in that situation" or "I wish that was me, I want a relationship like Chuck and Blair!" But, the events in TV shows will never happen to us so watching them happen to other people is the next best thing.

Assignment 4 - Rachel Burns

Is peaceful protesting bad?

This question has always had me stumped for as long as I can remember. I remember learning about the Civil Rights Movement in elementary school. Everyone was talking about how revolutionary it was for these four men to sit down in a Greensboro diner, or how amazing it was for this group of people to walk across the Edmund Pettus bridge with their arms locked, singing We Shall Overcome. But then as I got older, the Black Lives Matter movement started kicking in and everyone was telling me how bad it was to protest and how people were only doing it for attention. For the first time ever, I was seeing the act of protesting in a negative light. I started to think protesting was bad. But once again, here comes Michigan giving me the heads up.

The day before the Fourth of July, we, as a group of 15/16 year olds, watched the documentary 13th on Netflix (I totally recommend for everyone to watch this). It really made us rethink everything that is going on in this country in terms of African American's lives and how they are being treated. We had a discussion immediately following the viewing and half of the room was crying. We all wanted to see a change in the way we are treated in America and we just didn't know how. The only thing we could think of doing is educate the people around the town and peacefully protest the next day during the Fourth of July parade.

It was risky. But most of us wanted to do it. I, on the other hand, was very reluctant. I was scared of protesting. I was afraid someone was going to shoot me down or try to run me over with their car. I was so terrified that I didn't even tell my mom I was going to protest because I thought she was going to come up to Michigan and take me home. But the next morning, we got up really early, dressed in all black, made signs, and marched across campus and tagged along to the end of the parade with our signs and started chanting. It was the most surreal experience of my life but it was great. Sure, we had people who opposed us, but we also had people who completely supported us and was cheering us on and that made me want to continue. The mayor of Ann Arbor even came up to us and said he'd love for us to be back in the parade next year.

That night, I talked to my mom on the phone about it and she went off on me. She didn't like that I went out and protested without telling her. But I explained to her why we did what we did and how it made us feel and I think I was able to get my message through to her. I know that she still doesn't agree with a lot of my thoughts and beliefs on things, but I think she should know where I stand on these topics. To this day, I am ready for another protest, whether that's for African Americans lives, women's lives, Hispanic lives, against Donald Trump, you name it. I'm ready.

Peaceful protesting isn't bad. It's a way of expressing your ideas and educating the people around you and taking advantage of your first amendment right to do so.

Assignment 3 - Rachel Burns

I've never been out of this country and I have never been west of Kentucky. I've lived within a 1 mile radius of Jacobson Park my whole life and my family doesn't like to travel. Nevertheless, I have been other places besides good ol' Lexington, Kentucky. My dad is from New York so we, as a family, take a trip up there about once or twice a year. We don't have a lot of money, but occasionally, we find ourselves able to take a trip to Disney World or Washington, DC or Gatlinburg. But this summer, I found a way to end up in Michigan for six weeks over the summer without my family and it really opened my eyes to different cultural identities.

This past summer, I went to Ann Arbor, Michigan and stayed 6 weeks at the University of Michigan with 26 other rising juniors in a huge house on campus. After a long and stressful application process that took writing 4 essays (that I somehow completed in 1 night) and an even more stressful interview (that I ended up crying at in front of my interviewer), I (somehow) was selected out of 1000 applicants across the world to take part in this program. We took classes with professors learning about African American history and issues facing the African American community today.

I always felt like because I was mixed, I could never relate to the black side of me. I was always shot down for saying that I was black. I felt like I had to act a certain way and talk a certain way and dress a certain way to fit in. And I thought no one understood that; until I went to Michigan.

When I got to Michigan, I was very shy. I didn't talk to anybody, I mostly stayed by myself, and I was the one person in the back just laughing at the jokes other people made. I was just there. But 2 weeks in, I had to give a speech about any topic I wanted and I chose bullying. I was bullied very heavily in middle school and it led me to do some stupid things later on. I shared this very personal story with a group of 26 strangers and by the end of it, half the room was crying along with me. I realized that other people shared this same experience I had because of their skin color and because of who they were and it made me think differently about who I was. We were all scared of being black. We were all scared of acting the way we wanted, talking the way we wanted, dressing the way we wanted, because we didn't want others to fit us into a negative stereotype that isn't true. My speech then turned into a forum where everyone was talking about their experiences and by the end, everyone in the room was crying. It was the most moving event of my whole life and I finally felt like I had found a group I belonged in.

To this day, I still think about that moment in Michigan and it makes me look at everyone different now; not as a certain race or a certain religion or particular feature on your body, but as a person who has had struggles, a person who has had trouble fitting in at one point or another, a person who has a had a lifetime of hardships but hides it behind a simple smile. It makes me want to know more people and travel to more places to hear these stories. I will never forget that day in Michigan where, for once, I was proud of who I am.

Assignment 2 - Rachel Burns

I read too many books voluntarily. It gets to the point where I am not doing homework because I am too caught up inside my book. That does not turn out well nine times out of ten. But, with that being said, here is a condensed version of the books I've read over the past 12 months (most of which I read in two days or less). I hope I inspire you to read one of them because these have really changed my life (or just simply made me smile).

1. The Hate U Give. This title comes from a famous quote that Tupac Shakur once said and it is also the first part of the acronym for his famous "THUG LIFE" tattoo (the full acronym is, "The Hate U Give Little Infants F**** Everybody," meaning when children suffer from neglect it impacts not only the child, but it also has longstanding and immeasurable ramifications for our community as a whole). It's about a young black teenager who is brought to activism after witnessing the fatal police shooting of her unarmed black friend. It really made me think differently about a lot of the social and political issues going on in our world today and it's probably my favorite book right now.
2. The Sun is Also a Star. The events that happen in this fictional novel are one of the many things that inspired me to want to be an immigration lawyer. It focuses on Natasha, a Jamaican teenager who is being deported in less than 24 hours. Natasha is doing everything she can to stop her family from being deported. (There's also a whole romantic story line which is actually what the novel is about but I decided to focus mostly on the whole deportation plot because that was cooler).
3. One of Us Is Lying. This book had me messed up from the moment I started reading it. Pretty Little Liars meets the Breakfast Club. I read the book jacket and immediately put it down because I was convinced this was a Walmart version of the Breakfast Club. But once I got home, I found it online and kept reading and it was legitimately such a good decision. I'm not even going to explain what it's about because I can not put justice to the actual book.

Assignment 1 - Rachel Burns

Yo, my homies, what's good in the hood? It's ya girl R.I.B. comin' atcha live from the comfort of my laptop. Y'all ready for this? LET'S GO!

My full name is Rachel Irene Burns. My mom had this thing where she named me (and my two siblings) a name from the Bible and also a family name. Rachel is my biblical name and Irene is my family name. I've always hated my middle name, solely for the reason that throughout my life, people have told me it's ugly and I shouldn't be proud of it. But as I'm coming to be more confident in who I am, Irene is becoming a part of me. I'm actually starting to like it.

I'm allergic to chlorine. Well, I guess I'm not necessarily "allergic" to it, my skin is just super sensitive to it. I really don't know why, though. I took swim lessons for 12 years continuously at the YMCA and was on a swim team for 4 of those 12 years and I never had a problem. Going into high school, I took a break from pools and didn't get near one for about a year. After that, I started getting hives every time I went in, even up to this day. So, I don't get in. Ever. Just kidding, I actually do get in because I'm sad that all of my friends are having fun in the pool without me and then we all freak out because I shouldn't be in the pool. But, I'm here for a good time, not a long time, so the hives that I get 3-4 hours later don't bother me probably as much as they should.

I drink hot chocolate too much. It could be 105 degrees outside and I'll still drink hot chocolate. I don't know exactly why that is; it just is. I love hot chocolate. If you ever see me with a coffee cup in hand, I'll bet you a million bucks it's actually hot chocolate and I just told you it was coffee so I'd look cooler.

I play 8 instruments. I don't like telling people that because I always seem to accidentally one-up someone and I didn't intend on doing it and then I end up looking like a jerk. However, I really do play 8 instruments (piano, cello, violin, bass guitar, guitar, ukulele, saxophone, drums). I really love music. And Chance the Rapper. I could listen to that man all day.

So, that's a sneak peek into my life. Here's a picture of when I visited the Motown Museum in Detroit this past summer with my best friend, Yasmin. Unfortunately, Yasmin lives in New York City so I don't get to see her very often. But this was one of the best days of my life.

And with that, I will leave you with a link to my favorite website, bn.com

Assignment 7: In One very Short year (College)

October 15^th 2018 you will be hitting “enter” on the keyboard sending your application across the country silently speaking “pick me, pick me, pick me.”  I’d like to know how you hope to use your ideal college education:  This is an opportunity to discuss why your ideal College is the perfect place for you to achieve your goals. It also allows you to discuss your motivations, passions, values, and perspectives on learning. Discuss what excites you about the overall experience at your College. Look toward the future and how your college’s educational experience will support you. Can you articulate the value of an education from your ideal college? Your response will convey your aspirations, temperament, leadership, and potential to succeed at your College.

Due Sunday, October 8th at 11:59 pm

October 15 is last day to make up Blogs 1-8