week 5 =[

I enjoyed my class for some part. It was HARD and required intense LONG reading almost everyday. The best thing that happened in class was when the teacher canceled class twice! There is a huge difference between college life and high school. In high school almost anyone could get away with not doing the homework for one night, then just jumping in the next day acting like you understand. It does not work that way here! It's tons more work and expectations than high school offers in one course. The most challenging part of my philosophy class was fighting myself to stay up and finish the reading, then the next day again battling myself to stay up in class. Some topics were just uninteresting or just plain confusing, and that was where my mind begins to drift. I would definitely recommend Summer Scholars to others, but not philosophy as a first class.

Job shadowing

UNMC

Who knows, I just might change schools. Today I shadowed Sherman P. He informed me about the SMDEP program offered at UNMC. The Summer Medical and Dental Education Program is a 6-week summer enrichment program that offers intensive and personalized medical and dental school preparation. In my opinion, UNMC offers better dental program than Creighton. This program starts June 2, 2009-July 11, 2009. The ones that are eligible are disadvantaged background students who have just completed freshman or sophomore undergraduate years. The required GPA is a 3.0 and SAT at least 950 or ACT at least 20. When we lived on campus for the first week, we shared a building with pre-med students in this program two floors above us.



Today our group also received the Davis-Chambers Scholarship application- only through the Universities of Nebraska. He also shared with us the benefits of the NU-Path (Nebraska University Pre-Admission to the Health Sciences). It pays full tuition scholarship support at and University of Nebraska Campus and allows you for Guaranteed admission to the selected UNMC program upon successful timely completion of their undergraduate paraprofessional program of study. Priority for selection goes first to Nebraska residents and first generation college students.





If I decide to pursue my career in dentistry I will earn my DDS after 4 years. If I happen to drift off to another field of medicine, I will be in luck because UNMC offers 18 different medical programs. Creighton doesn't have that!

Thee 4 Main questions

What are your achievements?

One of my major achievements I’ve completed took me 12 years to complete. I was 7 when I joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands, not even knowing it would ever take Keely and I this far. Our friendship is the most solid one can get. Although she is 36, a married mother of two, we share plenty of likes and dislikes. We are so much alike but very opposite. We enjoy similar activities such as volunteering, artwork, shopping, swimming, going out to eat, watching movies, or participating in “little moments, big magic.” Our appearances are not everything or even anything to us, but it is noticeable by others.
Keely is about 5’4, a Caucasian woman. I am Cuban and African American, I stand about 5’6 and I am only 16. I think it is our differences that support our loyal friendship throughout these years. Just having her as a friend, close enough to be considered family, one who provided a lasting honest friendship is 1st and foremost my biggest achievement.
I found one of my life long passions when I gladly accepted the role of being a volunteer for a local hospital. I started in December of 2005. My goal is to continue my duty as a hospital volunteer until I am physically unable to walk. Through the years of hard work, I’ve come to realize how hospitals and other organizations would crumble without volunteers. I consider this as an achievement currently and on going until I reach my goal. In my free time when volunteering at the hospital is not open on weekends you are sure to find me at work or volunteering for another organization such as Bridge to Success, Student Council, or Big Brothers, Big Sisters. To me helping others doesn’t come with a price tag.


What issues matter to me?

Laundry should be the only thing separated by color. Racism is strongly prevalent in today’s society. I hope everyone is aware that discrimination is not only between whites and blacks but also between others from varying ethnicities, and it doesn’t always start with one general race. The root of racism starts by being taught. Adults, guardians, and caregivers ‘teach’ their children to follow their views to keep the spirit of racism alive. Children do not see hate, they see color which links motivates to hate due from past instances.

I believe racism is still expressed in peoples actions, we may not hear tons of it on the news or in newspapers, simply because man has perfected it to be silent. No one ever give a reasonable argument for their racism and I find it a shame that these people still exists. In such a nation that still has this issue, my parents always preached, not to let ANYONE get in your way. I understand exactly what that means now. Accomplishments don’t have a color, but there are some that don’t think that way.











Who has been an influence on you?





The person who's had the greatest influence on me is Keely Greenlee. I have grown up with her the majority of my life. She taught me life long lessons I apply to life til this day. Keely has helped me develop my talents, and has worked with me on subjects i didn't enjoy in school, such as English. She isn't my parent, nor God- Mother, but she's a well-educated teacher and my best friend. I don't know too many people that have best friends in their 30ths whom influenced them to become a better person, but i do. And i am very grateful for her.



Why do you want to become a Creighton blue jay?

I would look at it as an honor to be accepted at Creighton. I have visited campus a few times, it's definitely number 1 on my list. I hope to peruse a career in dentistry. I have done research on the dental program, considering things change, the class size is an excellent size and the ratings are very high for over excellence. I hope to join the American Student Dental Association program. Starting college, I don't want to leave my home, Creighton is only a 10 minute drive away. This provides the perfect distance away from home and my community. Any other school in Omaha that offers a dental program is not what I am looking for. Being in the medical field is a huge goal, I feel I have no choice but to accomplish. Living with just my mother my whole life, I have seen her struggle to make ends meet. It's not a picture perfect deal either. She's worked 2 jobs, day and night for the last 17 years, and at one point she held down a third job for a year or so. I hardly ever see her because she works around the clock all the time, my sisters and I accept it because we are teenagers now, so we can take care of ourselves. I don't want to be that way, I need higher education to fall back on. My mother didn't go to college, neither did my father, but I am sure if they did life would not be such a struggle. Who am i to say life is easy without struggles? I am not, but the less there are thrown at you left in right, the less stressed you can be.

week1 =]

There's SATERA!!!





































1. I have a terrible fear of heights. Before doing the ropes course in Ashland, I would take up the offer to be chased by a furious dog rather than bungee jump or go on a roller coaster. When we arrived in Ashland, I had NO idea what was coming. It was almost like a trap. My friend kept reminding me, "You're here now. The bus is probably gone. You can't sit out and no one's ever died here." I was convinced that I can NOT do this. Everyone [[except Mr. Freeman!!]] got in harness and helmets and began by climbing a net up to the first level. I had to keep myself calm, repeating "You aren't going to die La'Risa!" My jitters finally got calmed when our instructor demonstrated how to hang in mid-air then grasp a wire or board with the feet if ever in trouble. My whole team was encouraging too. Everyone was yelling, "come on, you can do it," they offered to go back and help anyone who needed it. We used a lot of strange techniques, even some requiring to back step. In the end, it was all team work, no one was left behind dangling and everyone worked together. When we finally made it to the last course of the second level, my biggest motivation was to get back on land as soon as possible!! I actually skipped the zip line at the end. My team needed everyone to work together and corporate, the last section was not required to work as a team. My guts had enough time being in the air that high. There was no way I could even push my feet to the zip line area. I climbed down the pole using a bole and staples instead. Technically that was the hard way down. I was just happy to see and feel the grass!!






















2. The most challenging part of the ropes course was the floating island and the zip line. My team and I completed the floating island, but I was the only one who climbed down. My mind and guts were screaming "NO, there's no way you are going down that way at that speed!"





3. I learned that sometimes a mission can seem impossible at the first sight, and you might keep telling yourself that it is impossible, but i may never know if I can achieve it unless you take at least 1 baby step onto the platform and go from there. My fear is not totally over, but in a way lessen. This activity wasn't an everyday thing. Until this day, you will never find my bungee jumping or loosing my mind on a roller coaster. I am not to that point yet!