As the Year Ends

            As freshman year comes to a close it is difficult to look back and recognize all of the things I accomplished and everything I have done in just one year. Going off to college is about gaining a sense of self as well as, of course, an education. Here at Penn State in the second semester I accomplished both of those things. I have always been one to take in my surroundings and do my best not to take things for granted. These qualities allowed me to really embrace the semester by learning a lot, trying new things, and wearing my heart on my sleeve in order to really find a home here at Penn State. This second semester through the English 15 course I was exposed to the arts and learned about visual elements as well as arguments and many other things. Little did I know all of these elements would help me in day-to-day experience here at school.

            When coming to Penn State I was worried about being such a small character at such a large school. In attempt to minimize the size of the school I joined Greek life. Although I do not regret my decision for a second it was still a hard adjustment… as going to college should be. Not being with the friends I had grown up with all of my life was a reality check and being placed in a group of girls who were similar to me but didn’t know me was shocking. As time went on I found myself starting to become more comfortable. This started to happen due to the things I was learning in my classes on campus. Through psychology and human development courses I was exposed to the science of building relationships. Then in English 15 I was exposed to the arts which is something I have always been in touch with and gave me a sense of self and confidence. Through the courses I took in the second semester I find myself applying myself differently as well as expressing myself differently. The most recent instance of all of this is connecting with an old professor from high school for a letter of recommendation. With the skills from English I knew the proper formality of the letter, I was able to write persuasively and efficiently, and with skills from other courses I was knew the proper relationship to be in note of. Simple skills of the sort have helped me grow and develop as an individual and really find my place here at Penn State.

http://welcome2myworld-2015.blogspot.com/2012/03/we-party-hard-but-study-harder.html#comment-form

http://kevinbeebie.blogspot.com/2012/04/babys-fifth-blog-post.html#comment-form 

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I completed my SRTEs!

It Gets Better

            In late March I attended the LGBTA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Ally) Club’s “Straight Talk” with a group of friends in order to expose us to different groups on campus and learn something new. The “Straight Talk” consisted of three speakers, whose names remained anonymous, telling their stories of recognizing their sexuality, coping with it, and making it a part of their everyday lives by being a part of the LGBTA community here on campus. Following the stories the speakers stayed around to have a question and answer session. The speakers were all very open and accepting to all questions. The “Straight Talk” came to a close, but I was so intrigued I couldn’t leave right away.

            Listening to a group of individuals who were so confident and proud of their sexuality and place in life when there are people fighting against them everyday was empowering to my companions and me. As we discussed their situation and asked more questions we knew we wanted to help if it was possible. It was. Soon after the “Straight Talk” my sorority and I agreed to participate in an “It Gets Better” video being made on Penn State campus by the club and the gay fraternity on campus Delta Lambda Phi. These videos are a national movement to stand up against discrimination towards to LGBTA community and prevent suicide within the community by ensuring those who struggle that it gets better. Although many don’t consider how their actions may affect others, many struggle with being discriminated against. Here on campus we have a no tolerance policy in support of no bullying and no discrimination against minorities.

            The “Straight Talk” taught me so much about the LGBTA community and the support they receive here on the Penn State campus.  Inspired by the speakers at the event my sorority felt encouraged to stand up for a cause that we support. The LGBTA club is accepting to anyone interested in being a part of the community and has events throughout the year. They often times have a table promoting the club in the HUB and are always welcoming to questions and guests. So, be on the look out for the Penn State “It Gets Better” video on YouTube! Hopefully it will come around soon!

Here is a link to the on campus club: http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/lgbta/

The Thrill of a Dragon Tattoo

With a murder mystery surrounded by a family of secrets, being led by a convicted journalist, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a thrilling page-turner written by author Stieg Larsson. When a popular journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, is found guilty in a libel case, he is summoned by a wealthy businessman Henrik Vanger to investigate the murder of his favorite niece Harriet. Blomkvist took the opportunity knowing that Vanger had information on the man who had him convicted of libel. As time goes on Blomkvist finds himself needing an assistant due to the complexity of the case. That assistant is Lisbeth, a punk-haired girl with a dragon tattoo who turns things around.

            The novel exposes a world of Nazism, family secrets, hidden ways of business and journalism and the world of criminal investigations. It is a novel that can please any reader with all of the subject matter and ideas brought together to form such an empowering piece. Lisbeth and Blomkvist work together to uncover secrets from a family’s past in order to learn more information to help Blomkvist in his case of the present. As Patrick Anderson of the Washington Post reviewed “[A] huge bestseller in Europe and will be one here if readers are looking for an intelligent, ingeniously plotted, utterly engrossing thriller that is variously a serial-killer saga, a search for a missing person and an informed glimpse into the worlds of journalism and business.”

            Giving a sense of thrill to the reader Larsson writes with energy and attention to detail that has anyone reading from cover to cover. With a twist at the end of each chapter the book will end keeping the reader wanting more. Lucky for all the fans, Larsson has two novels to follow the first. Although at times the writing of the novel is somewhat amateur at times the story line is powerful and intriguing. With the novel earning the title of number one bestseller in multiple countries as well as several awards in its original country of Sweden, calling the novel a success is an understatement. 

Dove Real Beauty Campaign : Cultural Event

  On April 2, 2012 Panhellenic Council of Penn State invited a speaker from the Dove campaign for real beauty. Dove is a company who back in 2004 wanted to kickoff a campaign that would gain the attention and respect of real people with real beauty. Stacy Nadeau, who was the speaker at the event, was able to present her story of the campaign, for she was one of the selected dove models. The presentation gave the background of the campaign and beauty in today’s society.

            The idea of the Dove beauty campaign is to show women with various body types who are naturally beautiful in order to inspire others to be confident and comfortable with their own bodies. Stacy discussed the ups and downs of the experiences including getting the modeling position and then being insulted in city papers for the ads at the bus stops through area. While at first many were confused by the advertisements of curvy and unedited women across the nation, the ads soon were recognized for their powerful meaning and goal. Stacey and her fellow models were soon receiving fan mail and interviews for their success.

            The Dove campaign for real beauty is an inspirational concept that I had the pleasure of learning about and hearing first hand experiences of. Today’s industry is all about editing and manipulating images to make individuals look like something they are not. The Dove campaign took a stand and altered this mind set for thousands if not millions of men and women in society. The link below is to a video that was shown in the presentation to show the manipulation of pictures in today’s industry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHqzlxGGJFo

What We Are

       The podcast by This American Life reflects on the #1 Party School in America from 2009, Penn State. As a student at this school who experiences the descriptions of the podcast first hand, I honestly found it hysterical. I do believe alcohol is an issue at times in State College but this same issue can be found in hundreds of schools in the world. The stories that were presented in the podcast aren’t hard to believe or confusing if you have been out for a night at this school. Is it wild and absurd? Yes. Is that going to stop the students who are convinced it is their time in life to let loose and have a good time? Not at all.

      The podcast exposes Penn State and explains the average on campus occurrences of a weekend night. Although sometimes the reality of it is somewhat harsh, as I always say “that’s college for ya.” From a personal view, I enjoyed the podcast; I did however feel the podcast seemed like somewhat of an attack on my school and Greek life, a part of the school that I participate in. Since the passing of Penn State student Joe Dado Penn State Greek life has been asked to make changes in the way that they drink. Does Greek life argue? No, everyone has changed their ways and tried to put safer drinking habits into action. Although frat parties tend to be wild and filled with drunken students, they take extra precautions that many do not notice. So, the small 12% of students who participate in Greek life and have arrangements made for their individual sororities and fraternities for safety purposes, there is another 88% of the students on campus who do not have arrangements made and are not following new guidelines on campus to prevent the high risk of fatal situations while drinking,

     Greek life is looked at as a social scene to many who are not involved. We are often mocked for things such as frackets and party traditions or rules we have, but Greek life is more than a party. The one thing Penn State should be recognized for and is recognized for across the country is Thon. Thon is an amazing student run philanthropy started by the Greeks who are additionally the largest student contributors to the yearly funds raised. Thon is changing the lives of hundreds of families. That one weekend of the year, whether your Greek or not, all the shot glasses, beer cans, and red solo cups are put away and everyone gets together to make a difference in the world.

    So, although The American Life does prove a point about Penn State and alcohol being an issue, it is an issue on many other campuses. If the people who run the school on a day to day basis want to change that, they will need to do a lot more than solely change Greek life, and in the mean time, they should focus on the amazing things this school does. We are a party school, we are putting an end to pediatric cancer, we are the most spirited school in the country, and we are Penn State.