Serving and Learning Together

Working with my partner Lauren Brown and my student LaShawn Sweet was fun. We were initially working with a girl named Paige, but because we were not able to work with her on the days we had planned, we decided to work with LaShawn so that would be able to complete the projects for the program. LaShawn was very interested in the project. She had great ideas for all of the projects. She's a very bright young girl. I have no doubt that she will do great things in the future.

Making the dream collage with LaShawn was fun. She chose the careers: Actress, doctor, and president. I was very fascinated with the president career choice. Although her first choice is to be an actress, I have faith in her to be president. I wouldn't be surprised if she became the first African American woman to become president of the United States. She's very smart and would do an awesome job.

Writing the career essay with her was cool. She knew exactly what she wanted to say, but wasn't afraid to get help. I helped her organize the outline and from there we were able to write a great essay about being an actress.

The action plan was a little tough. She had to think towards the future focusing on specific things. It frustrated her at first, but once we got going it was a piece of cake. I'm pretty sure that the action plan will keep her motivated in school.

The exploring your dream careers assignment was fun. She mainly focused on the actress career. She learned a lot, as did i, about what it takes to be an actress. She read so many things about being an actress, which made her want to be one even more.

The most encouraging part about working with her was her motivation. She was very willing to learn which made it more fun. While learning about careers, we also learned about each other. I learned so much about her, like how smart she is and how polite she is. She was very respectful, which made her easy to work with.

I loved every minute I spent working with her and I will never forget it. I hope I have made a difference in her just like she has made a difference in me. :)

Personal Statement

She's smart, she's beautiful, she's Augusta Whitaker! I must say that this woman is amazing. She's the most successful woman in my family that I know of. She has been working hard ever since she was young and it has payed off by far. She has a wonderful home, a great husband, and a well-paying job.

She posses the following qualities: honesty, intelligence, and leadership. She has way more qualities than that, but those are ones I really like.

She is very honest about everything. She lets me know the things I need to work on to be successful, but she does it in a respectful manner. She lets people know what is on her mind and is very opinionated.

Augusta graduated from Bellevue University, majoring in Criminal Justice, the same thing I hope to major in. She has a great job as a security manager at UPS in Michigan. Working hard in her studies has brought her to this great achievement.

She is an awesome leader. She researched Harvard for me because she wants me to get the best education possible. Although I do not believe that Harvard is the best choice for me, the fact that she believes I will make it there is a great feeling.

This woman is one of the most important people in my life. She has showed me that with hard work and dedication I will be successful one day too. She has impacted my life by making me believe that I will make it in the world. Augusta Whitaker is my aunt and I admire her so much for what she does.

Week in residence

The week in residence was amazing! I didn't know anyone in my room which made it more fun. I got to know all of my room mates and became very good friends with them. We hung out all the time and studied together. It was awesome.

I learned a lot about time management. I had to work out time for me to study and for me to do the activities. It was easy at first but as I started to have more fun it got harder because I wanted to be with my friends all the time. In the end I was able to get my work done and still have fun with my new friends. I learned so much about everyone: for example my friends Kory and Alex are amazing dancers, Ebony is literally the funniest girl I have ever met, and Hong-Yen is a genius on the piano. One of the activities I really enjoyed was making a flag with students that I barely talked to. We got to know each other a lot better and now I love them. :) Go Team Bass Jam!!!

I loved movie night! I watched Freedom Writers. It was so amazing. It was a very emotional movie. I loved watching it with my new friends and hearing everyones thoughts about it. My friend Kory said a lot of deep things about the movie that I had never even thought of. It's amazing how someone's views on something can change a person. Freedom Writers is one of my favorite movies.

I loved our resident advisers. They were so cool. It was easy for them to relate to us because they are in college themselves and not too long ago they were high school seniors just like us. They made our campus experience very fun. They were always there when we wanted to talk or when we wanted someone to play games with. They were awesome and I will never forget them.

1st week

I am enrolled in English. My professors name is Helen Fountain. I absolutely love this class and Ms. Fountain. I love the discussions that we have. In my high school English class I didn't like discussing because I wasn't comfortable with the people in my class, but in this English class I love it. Everyone is so cool to be around and Ms. Fountain makes it very interesting.



College 101 is very cool. It is really helping me decide what college I would like to attend. I have chosen UNO of course. I can't wait to keep going in this class because it is so helpful. Next Monday I start my service learning project with my partner Lauren Brown. We are going to be working at the Boys and Girls Club (south) with a girl named Paige. I am really excited to get to know Paige and find out all of her interests.



My study group is very helpful. My facilitator is very cool and he helps up with anything that we need help with. He reads our papers before we hand them in so that we can make corrections and get a better grade. In the group we discuss the book Dreams Of My Father by Barack Obama. Everyone's opinion on the book is very interesting.



I love the campus. It's fun. The college students that I see walking around look like they are enjoying themselves but they also look serious. I like walking around the campus and looking at the buildings. So far my favorite place is the library. I love to read and the library has many many books. When I first walked in I could not believe my eyes. I got excited and couldn't wait to start reading. It is by far the best library that i have seen in my life so far.



Being in a group of people that I don't know was kind of intimidating at first, but as I started to talk to them I became more comfortable and started being myself. Everyone here is so amazing and I am excited to get to know them more.



I like listening to everyones opinion and comparing it to my own. It shows how different people are but also how similar. At my school people didn't really take me seriously but my peers here listen to me and encourage me to speak out more.



This program has made a positive impact on my life by allowing me to be myself and and discover new things about me. I have made many friends and I can't wait to see how I will be at the end of the program.