Global Brigade Trip to Honduras

Flying into Tegucigalpa, Honduras

 

March 2nd-12th, 2017 I had the opportunity to travel to Honduras with forty-seven other students from Central Michigan University on a Medical/Dental/Public Health Global Brigade. Global Brigades in a non-profit organization stationed in Honduras, Nicaragua, Ghana, and Panama. The organization focuses on improving communities in a holistic manner. They have different areas that brigade groups focus on in their time in country. The brigades that they offer are: medical, dental, water, business, micro finance, engineering, public health, human rights, and environmental. Through implementing the wide variety of brigades in each community the organization’s goal is to create sustainable communities that no longer need support from Global Brigades and are able to thrive on their own.

As the trip approached, I was so excited to get to travel to another country for my first time,
and get to give back to the individuals of this country. I went there with an open mind and ready to serve. Traveling to and from the country was an adventure in itself. We traveled from CMU to Chicago on a bus, flew Chicago to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Houston, and then Houston to Tegucigalpa. After arriving to the country, I instantly noticed how different their living conditions and way of life were. Their houses were very small and what we might call “shacks” in America. These houses were very close together and located on the sides of a mountain. Trash lined the streets from all directions that I could see. Local vendors had shops set up along the streets. I could tell that poverty was very prevalent throughout all the communities. I did know what to expect in the days to come, but was ready to love on the people of this country through my actions and kindness.

Three of the days in country were spent putting on a medical clinic for the village of Cuyali, Honduras. Members of this community would travel to this clinic stationed at a local school

Two girls that braided my hair and wrote me a letter at the end of the week 

and wait in line for hours to be able to see a physician free of charge. When individuals would enter the clinic, community members would gather the individuals basic information and write it down on a piece of paper. The paper was then handed over to a volunteer from our group to be entered into a computer so that patients records can be kept. From there individuals traveled to triage where medical history, current medications, and allergies were recorded. At this time blood pressure, weight, and height were recorded based on the age of the individual. After they were finished with this station they headed over to see a physician. There was two physicians that were available to see patients. They were also stations for dental, optometry, OBGYN, and a pharmacy if the patient was in need of that service. The last station available was called a charla. There was both a child and adult charla were health education was taught to the people of this community. We helped run the charla for the children in which they learned how to brush their teeth, sang a song about brushing their teeth, did health exercises, played true and false about general health questions such as how much water they should drink a day, and so much more. We also had the ability to give each child a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss when they arrived to the session. Though this may not be a big deal to us, majority of them had never had a toothbrush so this meant the world to them. They liked them so much that they actually tried scamming us saying that they had not received one yet, so they could get another one to give to their sibling or a friend who did not get to attend the clinic.

One day was spent in a different community surveying about the living conditions and accessibility to healthcare in this area. These surveys are used by Global Brigades as a way to see where to focus their efforts and which type of brigade this community needs most.

Another three days was spent in public health working with four different families to create a bathroom/sanitation station and laying concrete flooring. We hand mixed the concrete my combining sand, a bag of concrete mix, and water. We learned how the process was to be done to evenly mix this combination with a shovel. Brick laying and smoothing concrete were also apart of these days. The end product is something that will improve living conditions immensely for this family keeping them healthier for years to come.

What I learned from this experience has been life changing for me personally. Below are some of the key take aways that I was able to be reminded of or learn from this trip.

• Smiles, love, and laughter are universal
  • Going into the trip I was very nervous because I knew very little Spanish and knew that communicating with the people of Honduras would be a challenge. Working with the children in the charla though taught me that I could still make an impact in their lives through the actions and love that I showed them. A couple of girls at the end of the three days at the clinic wrote me a letter saying how much they enjoyed hanging out with me. This was such a powerful moment for me because I realized that simply making time for them to laugh and play cam truly can make a difference. One of the days during lunch I had a tickle war game with a couple of the little boys and they were smiling from ear to ear. Adults in this culture do not play with their children, so to have adults playing with them and making them laugh and smile was extremely special.
• You choose your attitude
  • The people of this country did not have many resources in comparison to what we have in America. One of the boys I met on the clinic days had shoes that had holes in them and were falling apart. He was the happiest boy you ever met though. All of the individuals I got to meet in my time in this country had a joy for life they carried with them. They did not focus on what they did not have, but instead chose to be thankful for what they did. You choose your attitude, so you get a choice in what perspective you are going to look at life. Choose to look at it from the angle of what you have, instead of what you do not.
• Thankfulness
  • We in America are so extremely blessed. We do not have to worry about having safe water to drink, where as they do. A college education is something that is almost expected these days, but in this country I met a teen who wanted to be a doctor so bad but did not know if it was possible. The cost to attend was only 200 dollars a semester which seems like nothing compared to the normal 10,000 a semester here, but this amount is ton to the individuals in this country. Even if he had the money to attend classes, to get to the university is another issue in itself. The university was stationed 2 hours away and cars are not a norm in this country. This boy would give anything to get an education, so I remind myself of him when I am sitting in the library complaining that I have too much homework to do and do not have the motivation to complete it.
• Be present
  • I had the opportunity to turn my phone on airplane mode for nine days straight. I only used my phone to take pictures and see what time it was. This was a beautiful thing because it allowed me to really live in the moment and be present with the individuals around me.
• Use your resources wisely
  • To see how a little bit of money can go a long ways to these people was very powerful. I have struggled with being back in America and spending money on materialistic objects. I have a ton of clothes and to spend 25 dollars on a shirt just seems pointless to me now. I know that this is not a need, and 25 dollars to people in Honduras would help satisfy a need not just a want.

This experience has been so impactful on the way that I carry myself on a day-to-day basis and reminded me of what truly matters in life. I now have a desire to travel to other third world countries were the need is so high. I believe that after I graduate in December of this year, I will be dedicating a chunk of time to going to other nations and sharing God’s word. I want to bring hope and help in any way possible to individuals that truly need it. I am extremely grateful for this experience and am excited for the adventure that awaits.

 

COM 461 Reflection

“Communication is the real work of leadership.”     – Nitin Nohria

feliciardavis.com

This semester, I have been enrolled in the class COM 461L taught by professor Elizabeth Carlson. Through this class, we have explored the connection between leadership and communication. In the very first class we completed a venn diagram that had leadership on one side, communication on the other side, and qualities that applied to both in the middle. The more you thought about a specific quality the more you thought it was connected to both communication and leadership.

To be an effective leader your communication skills have to be proficient. Can you imagine if the president of the United States went up to do a State of Union Address and spoke softly, in a monotone, and slouched his shoulders in shy manner. People would not associate this way of communication with the leadership position that the president holds. Often effective communicators are leaders in one way or another, and leaders usually used effective communication to become a leader.

Throughout the duration of this class we have explored how to enhance both your communication and your leadership skills through your actions. We explored how different styles of leadership (authoritarian, democratic, laissez-faire) can each be beneficial or harmful depending on the nature of the task. A situation that is calls for immediate, quick action may not be best handled in a democratic way. All the opinions of the individuals involved would come together and would make choosing a decision quickly more difficult. On the other hand, when time is sufficient and you are looking for a creative, well-thought out idea a democratic leadership style may work best. This goes along with the idea that leaders should be adaptable. To be able to adapt your leadership style depending on the task at hand and the followers involved is termed situational leadership. After reading the chapter on Arlene Blum in the book Leadership Moment, I wrote a paper on her ability to use situational leadership effectively. This assignment seemed to very helpful in evaluating my own approach to leadership. To me leadership was always about leading through your actions and doing the right thing, but I realized that this alone is not enough to be the best leader I can be in all situations. The ability to adapt and be flexible based on my follower’s need is an area that I will strive to work on as I grow in my leadership skills.

 

Pre-Occupational Therapy Club

Prior to this last semester, I was unsure if I wanted to attend graduate school for Occupational Therapy or stop after my undergraduate is achieved in Therapeutic Recreation. After joining the Pre-Occupational Therapy Club, I am confident that the pathway that would best suit for me is to get a Master’s in Occupational Therapy after achieving my undergraduate degree.

The Pre-OT Club has been very eye-opening for me. I often walk out of our bi-weekly meetings feeling a little overwhelmed. I realized how much there is to do to get prepared for the process of applying to graduate school for Occupational Therapy. I am very thankful that I got a head start on volunteering, shadowing, and gaining leadership roles now rather than later. The Pre-OT Club has shown me the necessary steps I need to take now to be a competitive applicant when it comes time for me to apply in less than two years (nine months if I do early admission). It has also made me realize the variations each school requires for application to their program. Some universities that I am considering require specific classes that I had not planned on completing in my time here at Central Michigan University. Figuring this out this early, allowed me to change my four-year plan to accommodate for the extra classes needed.

There are two activities that I am very excited for coming up through my involvement in the Pre-OT Club. The first of those two is Relay for Life. At the event on April 9th, our club is selling milkshakes to help raise money. In addition to this we also made multiple tie blankets and collected spare change to add to our contribution to Relay for Life. To get to volunteer for such a good cause and grow in community with individuals with similar passions will make for a great experience. The second event that I am looking forward to is our visit to Grand Valley State University on April 15th. We will get a tour of their Occupational Therapy Program on this day. This will be very beneficial to know whether I want to try to apply for early admission through Grand Valley State University this coming up December.

Grad Ball 2016 Lead Team

My roommates and me on the day of Grad Ball

One of the Leader Advancement Scholarship protocol requirements, is to be on a Lead Team. I had the privilege to not only be on the Grad Ball Lead Team for the second year in a row, but to co-lead it this time around.

Grad Ball is a formal event that the Leader Institute puts on every spring in celebration of members of the senior and/or other class that will be graduating. This is a special day for the senior class, because it is the last time all of their cohort will be in the same place. After four years, these classmates become like family. This event allows those individuals one more night of memories, laughs, and hugs from their peers.

Since this was my second time on this specific Lead Team and I was in charge of school dances in high school, I felt very confident in my role of co-chair. It has been a lot more difficult than I thought though. First of all, communication has to go through more people and is a longer process to get everything approved. The struggles that came with communication eventually led to us almost losing the venue that we were planning on. Another problem that was evident through my leadership on this team was the rest of the team members lack of participation. For this Lead Team we had meetings around once a month except for the last month we had them more frequently. It was very frustrating when only four of our twelve members would show up to our meetings. Their were even some members that would fail to even tell us why they couldn’t come to the meetings. Not having followers that share in passion and commitment makes leading very difficult.

Come the day of the event, I felt confident that the event would run smoothly and people would enjoy themselves at the event. There were a few minors set backs like more people coming than had filled out a RSVP, but we added a table and were able to accommodate and adapt to the situation. I was asked to speak at the event, which was outside my comfort zone because public speaking is not a strong suit of mine. Though I was nervous and tripped on my words a couple of times, I was able to use the experience to grow in my leadership skills.

Quad Rugby Clinic

Being a Therapeutic Recreation major student at CMU, I had the ability to attend the adaptive sport quad rugby clinic. An individual named Nick Long put on the program. Nick is quadriplegic due to a spinal cord injury through a motor vehicle accident. He has a C-6 level of injury.

At the program, Nick instructed a group of around 40 individuals on the basic rules and strategies to the game of quad rugby. We all then got an opportunity to get in the adaptive wheelchair ourselves and play 4 on 4 of the game for a limited amount of time. It was a blast!

Below is a reflection of this experience

On February 11th, 2016 Nick Long came in to teach Central’s Therapeutic Recreation majors and Saginaw Valley’s Occupational Therapy students about the adaptive sport of quad rugby. Through his instruction and actually getting to try the game out myself, I learned a lot about the game in a limited amount of time.

For the game of quad rugby the specific adaptive equipment that is required is a special kind of wheelchair. This wheelchair has angled wheels, a front bumper to protect your feet, and an anti-tip device to prevent tipping backwards. These wheelchairs are thousands of dollars, but are necessary to play the game to its fullest potential.

Quad rugby is a sport that is limited to play for individuals that have lost some to all function in at least three of their limbs. Due to this strict criterion, the population that would benefit most from this activity would be individuals with a spinal cord injury. Individuals that meet the criteria are then ranked on a scale between 0 and 3 based on their functional abilities. This is strongly correlated with the level of injury (most individuals playing sport have cervical level). Your number then gives a good idea as to if you will be an offensive or defensive player. The lower numbers are typically defensive players where as the higher numbers are more often offensive players.

This intervention is so beneficial because it allows individuals with so much loss of function in their limbs to still be able to perform in leisure activities. Prior to quad rugby there was wheelchair basketball, but individuals that were quadriplegic could not play this. Quad rugby allows individuals that feel so limited and restricted in their leisure activities, to be able to experience a competitive, intense sport.

As a future CTRS, I see many areas that would see improvement through quad rugby as an intervention. There would be physical benefits such as increasing strength in upper extremities as well as creating a larger range of motion in the upper extremities. This also could be really helpful in improving self-esteem, social network, communication skills, and anger management. The problem with this as an intervention though, is that there are limited locations in Michigan that actually have teams. This means that a long commute may be required to even engage in the activity. On top of that, you would have to use someone else’s equipment to even try out the sport. Since the equipment is so costly for individuals to purchase, they may be tentative to letting someone use their wheelchair. Another concern of mine is that because the wheelchair necessary is so specific and expensive that it would greatly limit the individuals that would be able to engage in this sport. This would not be anything that insurance would cover and so it would take a long time to save up to be able to purchase the necessary equipment.

Overall, I loved the experience of learning how to engage in quad rugby. I see many benefits for individuals that are quadriplegic through participation in this. The population that would be able to perform in this activity is very limited, but once an individual can overcome the start-up cost their quality of life could greatly improve through this intervention.

Theory Application Reflection

Through the completion of LDR 200L, I have had the opportunity to learn about a wide range of leadership theories and styles. Though there has been times throughout my first year at CMU where I have put all the different styles to use, the one that is most evident in practice through my Leader Advancement Scholar protocol and lifestyle is servant leadership.

LAS group picture after serving with Blight Busters on our service-learning trip to Detroit

First of all, servant leadership is focused on how the leader can care for the needs of their followers, show empathy towards them, and nurture them in the process. Servant leaders also find ways to the help the organization, community, and society. I have been able to fulfill LAS protocol through the style of servant leadership in numerous ways.The first of these is through the service-learning trip to Detroit. Through this we were able to give of our time, effort, and knowledge to help others in the process. Two specific times we displayed servant leadership on trip this were working with the students of Jalen Rose Leadership Academy and when volunteering with Blight Busters. By helping a group of students at Jalen Rose Academy with their leadership skills, we were able to provide them knowledge that they then would transfer to their peers and community. Our time spent at JRLA was solely focused on them and their growth not on our own. Blight Busters is an organization that works on bringing up a community that has been through some rough patches. By teaming up with them and giving of our time, we were able to work on building up the community and lives of others.

Another way that I was able to be a servant leader and hit the requirement of LAS protocol was through my thirty hours of community service or volunteer activity. One of the areas that would be included in this was my involvement with Sibs Weekend 2015. I volunteered to be on the Special Events Coordinating Committee. Through this I set up various special events for the sibs to attend such as a basketball clinic, ice skating, and a pottery class. I then went on to work these events on  Sibs Weekend. To be able to see the siblings having fun and the smiles on their faces made all my time spent well worth it!

Servant leadership is also very important to me in other aspects of my life as well. My involvement as a kindergarten and first grade sunday school teacher at HIs House Christian church is an example of this. Through my volunteering of time bi-weekly, I can show children how much God loves them. This is a combination of servant and transformational leadership, which are the two styles of leadership I personally embody the most.

Year in Review

imgarcade.com

---

When you take life one day at time, it is hard to notice the grow and change that occurs in your life. Suddenly, you realize that your first year of college is over and notice how much you have changed in the process. Over my first year at Central Michigan University, I have immensely grown in my mindset, leadership, and faith.

Looking back at the goals I set for myself back at the start of 2015, I couldn’t help but smile. All my goals and hopes for this year are definitely making progress. One of my first goals was to embrace each day as it is my last. In my first semester, stress was high, my social life was low, and my happiness was not evident. Second semester, I learned how to manage the social and academic aspects of college so that I could have fun, but yet get good grades at the same time. By taking time to workout, go to church, hang with friends, and craft I have found ways to bring happiness to my life daily.

In my New Year, New Me blog I also spoke of the need to discover myself. This semester I have truly discovered who I am, and my goals for the future. The main reason I was able to do this was through my increased involvement with His House Christian Church. Through my faith growing, I learned how to manage my stress and lean on God for my strength. Instead of trying to have everything down the last detail in my future figured out, I have released the control over to God. I am just trusting in His perfect plan for my life.

Surprised Abby at her Pewamo Westphalia Track and Field Invitational.

I chose to talk about being a mentor in my what I would be successful at in 2015 through my New Year, New Me blog. This also brings me much excitement, as I actually have Abby Wirth as my mentee. I knew going in that I would strive to be the best mentor I could be, due to my disappointment with mine. I would say I am doing pretty well at this, as we text almost daily and have a very strong friendship started. I actually just recently got to surprise her and see her at her track and field invitational. To see the smile and excitement on her face was very rewarding. It made me feel like I was doing a good job at my role of being a mentor.

Since arriving to college, my leadership skills have grown drastically. I had no previous knowledge of the various leadership styles, or what is meant to be a leader. Leadership to me came with a title, but now I realize it is so much more than that. Through learning these various philosophies I was able to critically think of my goal as a leader. I realized that I am a leader that is focused on the needs of the followers rather than myself. There is power in seeing the growth of individuals. I also have come to the conclusion that a leader does not have a specific set of qualities. Everyone is unique, therefore every leader is different as well. Each style of leader can be most effective in different situations and atmospheres.

Personally, it the last year as a leader, I have learned the importance of unity. When you can gain the opinion of a wide range of individuals rather than just your perspective on the topic or situation, you are creating a much more open mind. This open-mindedness allows for coming to a conclusion that would represent the majority rather than what you personally believe would work best. After going on the Service-Learning Trip, I also realized how important it is to broaden your horizons. I am a country girl, so to look the mindset and lifestyle of a different style of living was extremely interesting and eye-opening.

Though working with others can be extremely helpful, it also can be challenging. Through a variety of different requirements this year, I have had to work with a group. This is most frustrating when the busy schedules of the members in the group do not align, which leads to waiting until the last-minute to complete an assignment. This is not how I operate, and in turn leads to stress. Despite the struggle of this, it made me grow as a leader. It helped me learned to be a more go with the flow individual. Instead of trying to do everything myself, I split up the task and in turn learned on how to count on others.

This year has been a journey filled with memories that will last a lifetime. I am so thankful, that I chose to call CMU my home away from home. Though I have learned a lot through my academics, I have gained even more knowledge in terms of communicating with others, identity development, my faith, and being a giving individual. My freshmen year had minor mistakes and bumps, but I wouldn’t take anything back. Mistakes are ways to improve and realize that you are not perfect. I can’t wait to see what my next year will bring!

Grad Ball Lead Team

As part of your freshmen responsibilities of being a Leader Advancement Scholar, I was required to participate in a Lead Team. At the time of choosing our top picks, I really had no idea what each of the different teams were about. The team I ended up being placed on was an event called LAS Grad Ball. Through this Lead Team we planned a banquet in honor of the graduating seniors. We were involved in picking out a venue, the food, the decorations, and much more. Through this experience   my leadership was able to grow through delegation. Instead of everyone tackling every objective, each member had a specific job that they were in charge of. I was in charge of the Photo Booth along with one other peer. It was a blast!

My LAS Family at Grad Ball

Through this experience I learned how effective it is to break up a large task up. If everyone was involved in all aspects of the planning then the array of opinions could cause the task to take a longer duration of time. By separating the parts, the members of this team felt like their job was manageable. Other than the head of the committee, nobody seemed to be under an immense amount of stress over this. Through this, I also learned how important it is to step back and acknowledge hard work. The seniors that are graduating this May from CMU have truly made a difference to this campus and community. To not have a night to recognize their efforts would be sad to say the least. It was crazy to think that in just three short years, I will be in their shoes. I too want to look back on my years here at CMU with smiles, knowing that I inspired others to believe in themselves, smile more, and dream big.

From this experience my leadership was able to grow most, not through the planning process of the event, but through reflecting on the night itself. It made me realize that my time here at CMU is going to fly by. If I wait until I am ready to step up and fill leadership roles, my legacy left here at CMU will be minimal. I need to display fearlessness, courage, and confidence to take chances. It is okay to fail from time to time. At least you can say you tried. This night made me reflect on the true qualities of a leader. The individuals Dan Gaken, Director of CMU Leadership Institute, spoke of had developed their leadership style through their experience at CMU. It is very inspiring to know that I too through our time at CMU will find my passions, and discover my strengths and weaknesses as a leader. When you are able to reflect and analyze your own leadership, then you know better how to serve others. This is important to leadership. If I am not a leader focused on power but instead on being transformational, then I can better be able to find an avenue where this style of leadership is needed. LAS Grad Ball also made me realize how diverse the term leader can be. The individuals graduating had a range of majors, involvements, and experiences. There is no one mold to what the perfect leader looks like. I am excited to see how the next couple of years will help shape me as a leader.

The American Experience

http://www.cascobaymovers.com

---

One of the required classes to fulfill Leader Advancement Scholar protocol is to take HIST 110L WI. This was my first class I was taking with my LAS cohort, so I was excited despite the subject being History. In addition to the content being History, the fact that it was writing intensive made the class from the beginning a struggle. Even though it is not my favorite class to attend, I still have learned much through the duration of it. Throughout this course, we have evaluated American History back from the Indians to current times. While discussing major events in time, we determined how individuals leadership qualities or abilities helped or hindered such an event to occur. The project that has really made me dig deeper and think at a higher level has been my final research paper on Martin Luther King Jr.

This essay was a challenge in the best of ways. It made me learn how to be proficient at tasks that previously I was not. First involved in this is the style that Professor Tobin chose. I had used both MLA and APA, but not Turabian in my past. Trying to produce correct citations and footnotes has been a process, but leaders need to be challenged in order to grow. In addition to this, finding sources to back up my reasons was difficult. I was use to finding information on google, but to find creditable sources was a different story. Through this assignment, I had to find an array of both primary and secondary sources to support my question and reasons.

Though it was important to figure out the organization that I did from this assignment, to discover what I did on the content of the subject was even more significant. By analyzing Martin Luther King Jr. and his leadership style I was able to see why he was able to leave the legacy that he did. Seeing the traits he embodied, I can better know the areas in which I can work on to become a better leader. Some of the morals that I admire about MLK are his strength, respect, and his need to take action. His was a man who stood up for what he believed in. Instead of just following the norm, he did what he thought was right. This is a true quality of a leader.

As a nation today, we need more leaders that are willing to take bold steps such as Martin Luther King Jr. did. I will strive to be a leader that isn’t afraid of failure. I will realize that going against the crowd isn’t always a bad thing. I will be a leader with strength to take chances. I will be a leader with a mission. I will back up my words with action. I will be a leader that may not leave a legacy, but stands for integrity.

My Vision with Therapeutic Recreation

For my Introduction to Recreation, Parks, and Leisure class I had the opportunity to write a paper that really made me evaluate who I am as a person and where I want to be in the future. Though I knew the major I wished to earn through my time at CMU, to take it a step further helped immensely. Through the writing of this paper, I was able to gain that fire excitement for what my future can hold. Though it may seem far away, time is going to fly by.

---

Introduction

Eminem once pointed out that, “The truth is you don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed.” This quote is so true, and really makes me think. It puts into perspective what truly matters in life. I am determined that what life I am blessed with will not be spent on purposeless tasks. My passions will be put to use daily, and my happiness will be evident to all. With each day, I will give thanks, take risks, love unconditionally, inspire others, and dream big.

Personal Guiding Philosophy

            The world we live in is corrupt. Too easily people fall into the dangers of what society values and says is okay. In the process of this occurring, individuals are losing their sense of self. They know what their values and morals are, but instead of going with their gut they conform to “fit in”. This will not be me. Three morals and values I portray through all my actions are compassion, respect, and trust.

The first of these values, compassion, I would have to say is the most prominent. Nothing makes me more happy than bettering someone else’s day. If an individual is upset, I want to be the one to comfort him or her and offer advice that everything is going to be okay. Time can heal wounds. To see someone hurting breaks my heart, and I have the nurturing spirit that doesn’t just let it happen but instead does something about it.

My second major moral is respect. I strongly believe that nobody is better than anyone else. Everyone deserves to be treated the same no matter their race, religion, sexuality, or disability. My belief is that everyone is made in God’s image and is perfect just the way they are. The golden rule of always treating others you want to be treated correlates to this major value of mine. Respect is two ways. Even if I don’t receive respect from someone else, because of my high standard of respecting others, I will rise above and still treat him or her in a kind manner.

Trust is also a big deal for me. At an early age, I lost all trust in what I thought were my friends at the time. My so-called “friends” thought that it would be a good idea to make a list of all the things they hated about me. After this event, I put a wall up and didn’t let others into my life. Even my own family was unaware of how I was doing, because I didn’t feel comfortable sharing my feelings with them. Time has allowed me to heal and move on from happened. We were young and stupid, and I am not the same person I was when I was in seventh grade. From this though, I saw the value of being surrounded by friends, family, and a romantic partner that I can trust. I personally know what it feels like to have all trust lost, so I am committed to not putting anyone through that kind of hurt. I strive to be a person that everyone can both count on and trust.

Life would not be complete without my faith, family, and freedom. Faith is first because through everything I do, I try to honor God. I personally have no idea how I would have got through some of the obstacles life has thrown at without my Christian foundation. Family is also a must have in life. I grow up in a very small, country town so when I was not at school or doing a sporting activity I always was home relaxing with my family. Some of my favorite memories growing up were just the simple game and movie nights spent together. My parents are my biggest fans. They encourage me to chase my dreams and never to place limitations. I have always been a homebody and no matter where life takes, I know that my family will never be far. Freedom is the last non-negotiable that I need in my life to be happy. By this I mean that I must have free will to do as I please. Life has to involve choices and options. I can’t be constantly controlled by a schedule, but instead need that down time to relax, exercise, paint, read, or be with my family.

6 Word Memoirs

He used brokenness to strengthen me

Little things make a big difference

Your past doesn’t define your future

Recreation Philosophy

            Figuring out what love to do in life and then pursing this passion, I truly believe is the key to happiness. A huge passion of mine is working with children. I see kids as innocent little humans just waiting to be shaped and molded. I want to be that positive role model that I child can look up to and say, “I want to be like that when I am older.” Childhood is time of laughter, fun, and fearlessness and seeing this in action always brings a smile to my face. Another major passion of mine is giving back. I find the statement, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” very accurate. People are not superheroes and require help from time to time. Why not make their day a little brighter by easing their stress through a small amount of your time? Adventure is also something that brings me much joy. To just go exploring is very fun for me. At the beginning of my first semester at Central I went on journey to find the neatest spots and parks in this area. I discovered a bridge with graffiti everywhere, and just was in awe at the talent those individuals had displayed through their art. I never would have experienced this masterpiece without being a little adventurous.

Recreation to me is the beautiful opportunity to have time for activities that you love. For me, running has always been a major part of this. In seventh grade, I had to make the hard decision between volleyball and cross-country. I figured I would do one of them my seventh grade year, the other my eighth, and then decide my favorite to pursue in high school. This did not happen. After one season of cross-country, I was hooked. My love for running was only enhanced when I added track and field to my list of extracurricular activities. To be physically running it very well may hurt, but that pain is all worth it when you cross a finish line feeling both proud and accomplished. In addition to running, I enjoy recreating through longboarding, dancing, weightlifting, and swimming.

Recreation is amazing way to have fun and joy in your life, but unfortunately there are a couple of barriers that could stand in the way of my recreation. The biggest problem for me is simply time. For the longest time, I have always been a person on the go. From schoolwork, sports, student council, peer mentoring, National Honor Society, and 4-H I always had somewhere to go or be. To find time in such a hectic schedule is and always will be very hard, but I know it is a necessity to having joy in life. Money is also another major barrier. There is a lot of activities or experiences I that would try if money did not hold me back. Skydiving, jet-skiing, and swimming with dolphins are all events that I hope to be able to partake in at one point in my life, but as a college student money spent on such things would not be wise. A further obstacle to my choices for recreation came from my location growing up. I lived in a house surrounded by all cornfields. There were not a lot of options available for me to participant in during my free time in such a setting. Overall, time, money, and location can influence the kind of recreation you have available to you.

At this point in my life where I want to live in the future is so up in the air. I have to factor where I get a job, where my family is resided, and possibly where my spouse’s family or job is located. No matter I am located, I will be sure to have recreation be a main part of my life. Luckily I grew small town, so to not have access to the best recreation programs and opportunities would not crush my heart. It would be very cool to be bold and try new experiences in a big city, but I need to be realistic and go where it makes the most sense. Having state of the art recreation programs right down the road is not going to be a factor in where I settle down. No matter when I call home, I can run, dance, and live life to fullest and this is what matters to me.

Career Philosophy

            Here at Central Michigan University I am working to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation. Coming into college, I was so sure that I would be an Elementary teacher. I realized that there were other ways to better the lives of others, and decided Therapeutic Recreation would be the perfect fit for me. After gaining my undergraduate degree I have two different options in mind. The first of these is to go straight to Graduate School for Occupational Therapy. My guess would be that if I were selected to be apart of the Graduate OT program at Western Michigan University, this would be the next step in achieving my career dream. Though this is our revival school, it is closer to my hometown and by this point in my life I hope to be married and starting to settle down. The other option would be to find a job with my degree particularly working with Veterans. I would love the opportunity to help individual’s transition from where they were to living a normal life here in America. Veterans have given so much for us, and to help them in any way would be my way of saying thank you. With these plans I hope to stay in Michigan, but I am flexible in that wherever I feel God is leading me to go. Ideally I would live in a small town that is about thirty minutes away from a bigger town like Lansing, Grand Rapids, or Ann Arbor.

My just general dream for my life is touch the lives of the people I come into contact with. I want to encourage people to chase after their dreams, and just keep being a fighter. Hard work does pay off. My dream job would be to work at as an Occupational Therapist in a school setting. I have an extreme passion for children and to be able to improve their confidence and functioning of their day–to-day lives would be the most rewarding job out there.

My success is not going to be just handed to me. It will take a lot hard work and dedication to get to my desired career. A major action I can do now to help insure that my dream becomes a reality is to keep my GPA high. This will increase the likelihood of getting into a graduate program, and just show to future employers I am dedicated. Another way I can help make myself more marketable to graduate schools or an employer is by getting involved. This could range from joining the Therapeutic Recreation Club here at CMU or by volunteering at Special Olympics. By doing both of these steps, I will be better prepared for the required internship which then will give me the experience needed to be admitted into an Occupational Therapy Program. Simply put, I need to work hard and keep my eye on my end goal.

My career choice aligns with my values, morals, and non-negotiables immensely. To start off with, all three of my core values will be able to be practiced daily. The foundation of this job involves helping others make progress in one-way or another. This is how I will be able to display compassion. Through this job there is going to be quite a bit of people who have a disability. By treating these individuals with respect, fairly, and equally I will be putting my second moral to use. As a result of building this mutual respect for one another, the individuals that I am working with will know that they can trust me. Though on the outside this job my not look like it correlates with my non-negotiables it does. My faith will not be actively put in use at this job, but another part of my dream life includes being a youth group leader at my church. This is an activity that I could do on the side and still be fulfilling that non-negotiable. I would not be directly working with my family through my occupation, but I would be with others. Through improving an individual’s physical or mental state, I then could better the family relations he or she has. Freedom would also still be very much apart of my life through this job. This is not the type of occupation that has the varying, long hours like an event coordinator for example would. I still would have plenty of time to make choices on where to spend my down time. Nobody chose Therapeutic Recreation for me, so I am displaying my freedom and ability to choose right from the beginning.

Conclusion

Abraham Lincoln once stated, “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” This to me simply means to make each day worthwhile. I am committed to doing something I enjoy each day. This can be the littlest of things, but moments like these are what bring joy to your life. The future is so uncertain and no matter how much you think you have a plan of where you are heading, your pathway may take a different route from time to time. I am confident that through this journey called life, I will make a difference, bring an abundance of smiles to others, and live life to the fullest.

---