2017 REFLECTION

Hiya! As you all know by now that I love reflecting upon my life. It's another way to getting to know myself. Instead of my writing three separate reflections (sophomore year, last semester at community college, and this year), I'm just going to share an overall 2017 reflection.

 This year was the year that I live with purpose. This has been the best year yet. I'm going to miss it. 

Education

I love learning more than ever. Our world is filled with interesting ideas. Studying isn't that bad. It has helped me grow into a smart young hardworking lady that I have dreamed of becoming. It was hard. There were tears, breakdowns, and self doubts, but hey I'm still alive. I feel strong. I learned a lot from this and it's going to help me for my next challenge. I got this. Here are some exciting news, I finished community college with 3.82 GPA, got accepted to Florida State University, received a 2 year transfer student scholarship, and I'll be majoring in something that I am interested (health, community service, reflection) and will help me reach my dream healthcare profession, whatever that is! I am blessed and so far my hard work has paid off.

Classes I took:

SPRING 2017: Precalc Algebra, Intro to Humanities, Student Leadership Development, and Intro to Political Science

SUMMER 2017: Precalc Trig (my last math class ever), Human Development, and Intro to Statistics

FALL 2017: Biology 1 + Lab, Physics 1 + Lab, and Nutrition

I loved my professors! Let me share what some of them have taught and inspired me to do.

My math professor: Think positive, be zen, you are capable to do anything, and always ask questions.

My leadership professor: She was pretty much my mentor, always supporting me, guiding me to become a true leader and learning from my struggles and mistakes. She is the reason why I would want to be professor.

My political science professor: I didn't think I would have a connection with him mostly because his field is in social science. But oh my, he has opened my eyes to the world politics. Political science is everywhere. He has inspired me to express an interest in health policy and advocacy. It was cool to write about Planned Parenthood for his class. A piece of advice that he told me, Be bold and apply for jobs in health field. To elaborate on that, he said that I should just ask people if they would like to meet up with me to have a conversation about their career journey. Bribe them with coffee. It never hurt to ask because I would have nothing lose. Don't give up if I receive a decline four times in a row. The fifth time could be a delightful yes. So couple of months later (November), I had a conversation with a Physical Therapist. It was a time well spent. He has definitely helped me step out of my comfort zone and with his enthusiasm, I enjoyed taking his class. I am so pumped for the 2018 Midterm Election.

My biology professor: He gave me a speech about how failure is a good thing because you learn from it and it helps you become better than you were before. Always stay curious. He showed me a cool science related news website, Science Daily He may have been a hard lab report grader, but I learned a lot from him by asking him for help every week. Most importantly, if you keep on working hard, you will get to the place where you want to be.

My Nutrition professor: She has changed my life for the better. I am putting in more effort into taking care of myself. I loved how passionate and personal she was at teaching. She really cared about wanting us to pursue a healthier lifestyle. Eating healthier is a lot cheaper than medical bills. If I ever decide to teach, then it would be nutrition. I love classes that I can take with me for a lifetime.

Family

I love them so effing much. Living with them after high school has been a one true unforgettable experience. I have gotten closer to them more than ever before. They have provided me valuable life lessons, supported me so much, and always been there for me, such proud parents. Of course there have been some downs, but only because they care about me so much. It's what makes our relationship titanium. My family is straight up real. I'm going to miss them when I move out some day. I don't know how I can ever give back to them. I am forever and forever grateful for them.

Friends

Good people have come into my life. This is what happens when you focus on yourself. They have helped me with studying, personal statement essays, connections with health professionals, my self doubts/breakdowns, and so much more. It's crazy how close I've gotten with them. I am so grateful that I have these people in my life. The best part was that they came out of nowhere. Expect the unexpected. I am going to miss them while I'm at FSU, but I am going to make an effort to hangout them. Much love to them. Having a support system is a must and you will find yours someday. The best people in life are free.

On the other hand, somethings are still same, like fake people still exist and friends come and go. That's okay. They have made me stronger. 

Learning about myself

Besides living with purpose, this year was also the year of growth. I feel like Taylor. I can build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me. Anything can come at me and I will figure out a way to fix it while staying true to myself. I will continue to focus on myself with some improvement and surround myself with my type of people. I am so excited to share my vision for 2018 with you all.

I am so darn proud of myself. 

The Good Stuff in 2017

Hiya! This is the second part of my 2017 Reflection Series. Almost 3 years ago, I shared my best moments of 2015. I would like to do that again for 2017. This has been my best year yet.

Seventeen great things

1. Reputation album 

2. Volunteered with North Florida Planned Parenthood's Leadership Action Team for my service project

3. Attended the Women's March in my hometown.

4. Celebrated my 21st birthday with my family

5. Got accepted to Florida State University

6. Spent my last semester at community college with some good people

7. My biology study group

8. Received my CPR certification

9. Re-established PeaceJam, a student organization, on campus

10. Went bowling for the first time after 6 years

11. Took a nutrition course

12. Happy cried after listening to Taylor's Look What You Made Me Do

13. Bought a waffle-maker 

14. Celebrated Solar Eclipse Day on the first day of classes

15. Met Shirin Ebadi at the PeaceJam Conference. She took a picture with my group while holding my sign!!

16. Gave a Linked-in Presentation at the STEM's Career Development Series workshop

17. Took a student leadership development course in spring semester

I have realized that I have so much to learn and to look forward in 2018. Isn't crazy that it gets better than?!

So here is to 2018, where..

What were your 17 greatest moments?

Quote of the day: 
"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something." - Neil Giaman

GOOD MUSIC 2017

Hello everyone! I must admit that I miss posting my monthly favorite music posts. No worries, I still enjoy listening to music. Our friend Spotify did a really cool that thing where they collected all of the music that we listened to this year. I want to share that and my favorite songs of this year with you all. This will be my first part of my 2017 Reflection Series.

                                                        

                                                          Give it a listen! 2017 favorites

The songs that I supposedly LOVED the most this year:

 Spotify: Your Top Songs 2017

What were your favorite or top songs of this year?

                              Google Images

2017 was a good year for music. 

My Leadership Philosophy

Hello, All,

I would like to share an assignment that I had in my leadership class during spring semester. It shows the development of how I created my leadership philosophy. This was of my favorite assignments because I definitely learned more about my views of leadership and its aspects. There's so much more to leadership than holding a position. I hope you learn something from this. 

My Three Important Values

Stay you

Being open and your true self leads to honesty, high moral standards, and integrity. Authenticity leads to connecting with others, which can encourage diversity because of the accepting the idea of inclusiveness. I started living this value in high school when I became more true to myself. It was hard because I lost some friends. I learned that being truly who I am is important because only a few will stay true to me. Therefore, I stopped caring about people's thoughts and focused on myself and the people that care about me unconditionally. Authenticity will help me act upon my values and morals. It will play a role when I am figuring out the purpose of my actions towards a cause that I have a passion for. It will be the backbone of the "WHY". I believe that the "WHY” is suppose to be personal. When I am expressing my personal thoughts/feelings, I hope to be genuine.

If that person can do it, then I can do it too

Inspiration helps me guide to become the woman that I aspire to be and leads to new possibilities. It expands my horizons to see that I am capable of doing a lot more than just observing and jotting down ideas. It gives me the push to do something. I have role models that inspires me to be at my highest potential, chase my dreams, work hard, and stay humble. Be a good person. They have helped me and made a strong impact in my life. Inspiration will help me pay it forward. I aspire to inspire. By being guided by my role models, I want to follow their footsteps, but add a little twist of my own  (can't forget about authenticity) to inspire someone.

Stretch the circle wider

Inclusiveness brings people together to share ideas. No one should feel left out because of their background. It is important to be open-minded, recognize and understand other cultures and customs. The moment I joined PeaceJam was the moment I truly started living this value. This is an international organization collaborating with Nobel Peace Laureates from different backgrounds and all striving for the same purpose, which is creating young leaders of this generation to make a positive difference. Diversity will help me develop an appreciation for multiculturalism to build inclusiveness, collaboration, and a common purpose. I will have a deeper understanding of empathy and compassion. This will help me gain strength in cultural competence.

My Leadership Experience

Negative

During my senior year of high school, I held the position of Co-Historian for Latin Club. I was an awful Historian. I didn't for-fill my duties. I literally did nothing. The other Co-Historian ended up creating the annual scrapbook with the help of her friends. I didn't have the passion. The "WHY" was unethical.. It was random of me to run for this position in the first place. It was actually never the plan, but still what I did wasn't okay and bit humiliating. Because of my pathetic action, an amendment was added in the constitution, stating if one doesn't for fill their duty, he/she must step down from the position. This was a learning experience. I got so caught up on being involved with organizations because a leader position will look great on college applications and resume.

Positive

During my high school summers, I used to volunteer at Camp All That, an Arts and Science Camp for students below 9th grade. It was by hosted by the former Mary Brogan Museum. My role was Teacher's Assistant. I helped pass out materials to students and guided them to complete their weekly themed art/science projects. I was also with other assistants that were around my age. When it was lunch or snack time, we handed the children the daily snacks and their lunches. We also had the chance to play outside, eat snow cones, and go on mini adventures (walking around downtown area). This was a positive experience because I learned to interact with children from all ages, 4-14 years old. I also learned about children's safety, liability issues, and how you would have to fill out a form if a camper needed a Band-Aid. I was also in charge of making the name tags, since I was always the first assistant to arrive in the mornings.

My Definition of Leadership

An inclusive group of inspired and passionate people, who have a purpose to come together to serve others to create a positive change through an ethical and authentic process.

I first came to know my leadership definition through my values, the understanding of the relational leadership model, and my involvement. My involvement in PeaceJam during high school gave me an opportunity to experience with leadership for the very first time.

Who Influenced my Leadership Definition?

Barack Obama's Farewell Speech

Obama's speech focused on being an active American Citizen:

“Change only happens when people get involved, and they get engaged, and come together to demand it.”

“To believe you can make a difference, to hitch your wagon to do something bigger than yourselves.”

Michelle Obama

I admired how she used her “First Lady” position to stand up to what she thought was a problem, whether it was fighting for girls' education around the world or creating initiatives to strive children to eat healthier. Her true purpose was to create a positive change in United States of America. She also inspired people to come together to join her mission.

My experience through PeaceJam has made the biggest impact on my

 definition of leadership.

• Diversity
• Inspiration
• Authenticity
• Action
• Serve
• Collaboration
• Their motto: Change Starts Here

Leaders can be negative too: People, who have caused others harm can be leaders because they took action to use their influence and strengths to gather people for a common purpose. Their purpose to create change may have been negative, but they can be good at following their intentions and making it happen.

People with negative influence can be good leaders.

Leadership Qualities: Leaders don't always have certain qualities. One should use the quality or strength that they possess because it’s important to lead authentically than leading how society views a leader. It’s more open, honest, simple, and potentially powerful. However, to lead effectively, one should have purpose, passion, be open to learning/understanding, and appreciate diversity and the concept of followership.

Leaders should lead with qualities they have already and learn more qualities along their leadership journey.

Who Leads Who? If there are people who have shown interest to taking an action for a cause, then there should be an ethical group vote on who gets to lead the group. If a single person observes a problem and stands up to do something about it, then that person should take the lead.

The person who has the true passion towards the cause should lead.

Leader's Credibility: Leaders gain credibility through knowing, being, and doing. It express their view of leadership through their personality, service, and values/morals. It also shows the true purpose of leading.

Knowing: They share their wisdom about self-understanding, empathy, and their understanding of change.

Being: It’s important to be true to yourself and others. Open-mindedness and inclusiveness strongly connects with people. The concept of being shows your true colors.

Doing: Taking action and being consistent shows passion and commitment.

Leadership is good: Leadership is so broad and yet very empowering. I have learned that leadership is like a blank canvas because you get to create your idea of leadership. At the end, it’s about guiding and collaborating with all types of people to make a positive difference through authentic and ethical actions and inspiration from the people that also pursued the same mission before them.

Leadership is a good teacher that all must have in their lives.

The Purpose of Leadership: Leadership unites ALL types of ordinary people to come together to serve for a common purpose through inspiration and guidance.

Leadership behavior: Leadership Behavior is developed by personal experiences because it helps us learn and reflect from our mistakes and accomplishments. It guides us to become better leaders. It can also be developed through external power because inspiration is powerful thing. It can gives us that spark. Most of the time..“You can’t be what you can’t see.” Our leadership behavior teaches us all about who we are as a contributing citizen to society.

Disclaimer: Gifs and Images are from Google Images. 

20 Things I Have Learned in 20 Years

My freaking birthday is TOMORROW!! Can you believe that?! I'm still processing over the fact that I'm going to be an official legal adult. It can't get crazier than this. I still look like an 18/19 years old and I've been watching Good Luck, Charlie for the past few weeks now. I've always been the type of person who likes to reflect on life and myself. Today I'm going to reflect on what I have learned in the past twenty years.

ONE

I still live with my parents and this experience has made me appreciate them more than ever. It really does make up the time when I wasn't super close to them beginning of high school. I try to take in the moment because I know I'll be moving out pretty soon and won't be able to see them as frequent as right now. Since I'll be staying in town, I do plan on visiting on the weekends and of course calling and texting them at least once a day.

As for relatives.. There's going to be times where life gets busy and you won't see them as much as you used to and that's okay. I feel like I should make an effort to communicate with my cousins. There's also going to be times when they will push you to the side and "forget" about you. It will hurt, but you will move on.

Learn from your positive and negative family experiences to build on how you want to raise your family when the time comes.

TWO

You must learn how to live each day by yourself. This is a good thing because it's one of the best ways to learn about yourself. Being by yourself is a good thing. You can't always rely on others to have your version of fun. I'm so glad introvert time is becoming a popular concept, it's about time!! I started learning to be independent in the spring semester, but this past summer and fall semester has marked when I officially accepted that I like being independent. It will definitely help me prepare for next semester when I transfer to an university! Independence is key.

Danielle Carolan also explained that being by yourself is okay! 

THREE

 Change is good.

We evolve, it's who we are as humans. Do change when you want to improve yourself. It can be anything from becoming healthier to wanting to do better in school. However, it's never worth it to change yourself to gain approval from other people. Like, ew who cares what they think of you.. It's their problem and not yours. Walk away from those people and surround yourself with better people because they will truly love and accept (tolerate is okay) everything about you. Those are your people.

The way I have changed is through authenticity. Authenticity is the quality of being true or real. I strive to be like this everyday because there's no shame on being true to yourself. It can be hard and nerve-wrecking because being yourself doesn't always guarantee acceptance. Yeah.. I have no explanation for that except people can be mean and judgmental. That's just life and sadly normal. I find that being authentic has helped me grow as a person, make good friends, and connect with other people. I'm just so proud of myself for never changing who I am just so I can fit in with the crowd. Not to be dramatic or anything, but this was a learning experience for me. I never thought that I would lose friends over this, but it's okay. These weren't my true friends and better people will come along.

FOUR

People in your life are most likely temporary.

When graduating high school, you're going to realize that you were friends with certain people because you saw them five days a week and you won't know your true friends until start college. This concept still applies in college. If you want to maintain a friendship, then you must put in the effort. However, don't put in the effort if the other friend isn't doing anything. It's too much work and you're not going to be happy. You deserve better.

It's normal to drift apart from friends. Personally, I drifted apart from my friends because we are all super busy and I guess it's about priorities. It's a good thing that I live in the era, where social media exist, so I can still connect with the friends that I used to be close with in the past. The only reason I would stop being friends with someone is if they don't accept me for who I am or acted fake towards me. I'm not the type of person who would get into drama. I'm too busy to get involved in that situation. Helloo, I'm trying to get into an awesome Public Health Masters Program and a health profession school in the city of somewhere that's probably competitive.

FIVE 

It's okay to be undecided about your career.

I'm in my third year of college and I'm not too sure how I want to give quality care to patients someday. It's been kind of scary to not know because I'm halfway done with college. However, I have figured out my interests; public health, traveling, and patient advocacy. To be honest, there's one more interest, but I prefer not to share it right now. Thanks for understanding :). As I mentioned before, I want to get a Masters in Public Health because that's what I like now and hopefully it will help guide me to figure out what I want to do in the medical or healthcare field.

What I can advise you is, figure out what you like and dislike and let that create a path for you to know what you want to do in life. You're not alone. Make a visit to the career and advising center your college campus or the guidance counselor's office if you're in high school. They will help you. If you're not in school, I bet there are plenty of career resource websites and books at the local library and there are always career fairs held around town.

Remember what Obama said,"Worry less about what you want to be, and think more about what you want to do."

Read more:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/24/barack-obama-returns-fray-chicago-first-speech-since-stepping/

SIX

I'm terrible at this. I hope to say yes more because it will help me grow out of my comfort zone and hopefully have less regrets. I want to be more content my life. I need to put myself out there and be social. I shouldn't let the little things to hold me back. I deserve some fun! I've always noticed whenever I do say, I find myself feeling good and I need to like that more often.

WATCH FOR MORE ENCOURAGEMENT

                                      

SEVEN

One of the coolest thing I did in the spring semester was re-establishing my favorite organization that I was apart of in high school, PeaceJam. It took time and dedication to get it running. I'm so glad I had people (my leadership professor and people from leadership and involvement center) to support me in this process. I'm not even for sure if it would even happen if wasn't for their help.  If you want to start something, then do it. Ask for help. I wish I had started PeaceJam way back when I started freshman year, but I was somewhat lost and too nervous/lazy.

EIGHT

Smart studying, asking for help when needed, effective productivity will lead you to become successful in school. It's okay to slack-off, but remind yourself WHY you want to aim high/achieve your goals. It's always lovely to have that satisfaction of achievement. Remember to give yourself a break every now and then because you deserve it.

NINE

It times to find your person or people. 

When in college, you're not sure if you'll see the people that you once met ever again. It may seem hard to make friends, but it will happen because you will make an effort to get out there to meet people. It's okay if it takes a little longer you meet your gal pals. I'm going through the same thing. I have learned that you shouldn't rush in something like this,it takes time. I like to focus on myself and let the people come into my life, like a surprise gift from God, and then just go with the flow. Trust me, you want good quality friends. I think I'll be okay if I don't find my people until grad school. Look at Meredith Grey, for example, it seems like she didn't find her people until she start her internship/residency and way back when, she cutoff her friend from medical school. Be patient.

TEN

I don't mean like go on a search, but you could start by talking to your professors. Professors can do more than just helping you with a concept. If they feel comfortable enough, they can share their story of why they become a professor. You would be surprise at their journey. You want a mentor that can understand and connect with you, whether that's also wanting to be professor/educator or having the same interests as them. Your mentor doesn't have to be a professor. It can also be your old middle or high school teacher (don't forget about your favorites) or someone that you volunteer with from an organization. Sometimes a mentor can simply be a role model that you probably will never meet and that's okay. Reading their memoir or following them on social media can be enough

ELEVEN

The 2016 Presidential Election was my first time voting. It's something that I will never forget. It was an experience to witness a woman to be nominated to represent a major political party as the presidential candidate. History was made. I was part of history by casting my vote. It's important to exercise your rights. Speak out, get involved, be aware of what's going on. Keep in mind that some people from other countries are not able to this. The next election, the midterms, is on November 6, 2018. This is election is very important because it's our chance to end Trump's term through voting for the candidates that are against him. It's important to know your state legislatures, u.s. senators and u.s house of representatives.

TWELVE AND THIRTEEN

It's okay if your study methods changes almost every semester. What's really important is that you're doing what works best for you. Even medical students are realizing that the methods they used during college are no longer effective while studying for their exams.

Be productive during the summer by taking classes, volunteering, intern/working, or traveling. It's a great time to explore,catch up with course credits, gain experiences and community service hours, and possibly to make some money. Don't forget to take pictures, try to have fun, and rest. Summers are going to end before you know it.

FOURTEEN

Learn a skill. 

Last week or so I've been learning about photography! I've been wanting to do it for a long time and now's really the time to learn something new while the equipment is available to use. I got the chance to edit some of the pictures that I took on campus. Other than that, I also want to learn about video editing. Apparently it goes hand and hand with photography. As a health/science related major, it's nice to take a break and get into my creative side. I was told that it's important to have a hobby to cope with stress from classes.

FIFTEEN

Don't be afraid to ask questions. 

Repeat after me, "There is no such thing as dumb questions." Asking questions is a sign that you're curious about something. Your curiosity is what going to motivate you to read or study more. Expand your horizon, be open to ideas that you never heard of, challenge yourself. Being stuck sucks, trust me. I wish I have spoken more to my U.S History teacher from high school. He was always open to conversations with his student about literally anything. Stay hungry. Be the nerd of something.

SIXTEEN

I understand that the person who you look up to is perfect, but what about you? You deserve some credit. You don't want to rely on someone for your happiness or try to be like them. It always lead to disappointments. I got really annoyed when my favorite vlog/bloggers, who are always speaking up for equality, attended Coachella.. Anyways, surprise yourself.

SEVENTEEN

YOU have to make time for self-care.

No matter how many times I ask people for advice on working out or being healthy, it's pretty much useless until I start applying the advice I receive to myself. I'm currently taking a Nutrition class and yet I still haven't made much change to my diet and lifestyle..whoops. Honestly, my problem is not being consistent and making the time to plan meal preps. I really like my how professor even encourages us to eat healthier. If you're struggling like me, YOU GOT THIS. We should never give up. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle now will pay off when we are older, causing be less stress and more energy to live life to the fullest.

EIGHTEEN

Less screen time isn't boring. Try it. I haven't been on my phone or watching tv as much as I used to and I've been lovin' it. I've been able to get more stuff done. It's important to not to get suck up on social media because you just might miss out on something that's currently happening in your surroundings. As Taylor Swift once said, "I hope you witness something so amazing that you weren't able to take a picture of it." I can't find the exact quote, but I remember she said something along those lines.

NINETEEN 

Take your time when creating your own path. Don't quit unless you really have to. Life is short and too precious to just live with no purpose/impact. As always your impact does not have to be worldwide. Simply focus on how you can create a positive difference in your community. The day after my birthday, I start teaching elementary school students about leadership and service. I get to introduce them to the world and how it has improved by the actions of 13 heroes of peace (Noble Peace Laureates).

TWENTY

Live each day with giggles and awkwardness. Go through all types of emotions. That's how you live. Definitely a story I would want to know about. Write about it when you get the chance.