Videos You Need to Watch

It's been about ten years since I started watching youtube videos. Since then I've been on that website every year watching who knows what, whether it's a cover of a Taylor Swift song or an episode of Victorious. Today, I would like to share some of my favorites videos from the past few years.

Fun fact: I didn't start incorporating the phrase "staying true to yourself" into my life until I watched Lauren's video. It has changed my perspective on life and helped me to look forward to my senior year of high school.

Send me a link to your favorite videos that you find inspiring!

Reflection: My First Semester at FSU

I wrote this post earlier of this month. I'm just now publishing this. I hope you enjoy reading my reflection.

July 3, 2018

I'm halfway finished with my first summer at FSU. I'm currently dealing with my summer rut since summer classes have affected my mental health. I'm glad that I've been able to open up about my feelings to receive help. Now that I'm progressing, I can finally share my first-semester experience at FSU. It's been almost two months and it has been full of reflective experiences. Even though I decided to stay in my hometown for another two years, there has been growth since TCC. First, I feel the need to express about being the native at FSU. It's interesting because I have appreciated the town even more, so therefore I created a challenge to fully explore the town before I graduate. Honestly, when I'm on campus, it doesn't even feel like I'm in Tallahassee. FSU is its own little world. I love how it's filled with different types of people! It may be one of the predominately white schools, but you just have to make the first move to find your people. However, it's totally okay to be friends with people who are different from you. I mean how else are you going to grow if you are surrounded by people who think and act just like you. It's not high school anymore and cliques are annoying in college. It was dull to observe and meet people who still care about their reputation/social status so much that they don't open their eyes to things that are different to them. I can't imagine how they are going to deal with post-grad life. I don't ever want to feel stuck like them.

PeaceJam was one of the biggest things that I was so excited for because it's literally my life. It's crazy to believe that it's been six years since the beginning. This organization has helped me to grow, love, and become the woman I am today. However, I can't always rely on it for my pure happiness. I must be patient and to unconditionally love myself to obtain that emotion. I'm still working on it since it is a journey. Wow!! The idea of loving myself is another topic that I can go on and on about my ups and downs of my experiences. PeaceJam FSU may have been rocky since it's technically new to me. I've never been surrounded by so many peers who have so much love for PeaceJam. Being a mentor for the spring conference was a whole new level for me that it deserves its own reflection post. It was amazing and little anxious, but hey what's growth without feeling uncomfortable?! I'm so excited about the upcoming year because I'm going to do something bigger within this organization..taking on the role of the service chair position. It's been two months since I found out about this and it's wild to think about it. I am so proud of myself to come this far with PeaceJam. This is definitely my true passion. It has inspired me to develop the interest to apply social science theories to current public health issues. Sociomedicine is a real concept, you guys.

I made new friends!! These people are probably the coolest people in the world. I don't deserve them at all. They are the rays of sunshine that I never thought I needed to help brighten my perspective on life. Being around them contains nothing but genuine support and full of laughter. I can't wait to get to know them more. It's so hard to elaborate on this because I love them so much. I learned that you're going to be friends with the types of people that you weren't friends with in high school. Be as open as possible. The world is filled with people with endless personalities so why stick to only one certain group who is the same as you? I'm grateful to attend a university that makes an effort to promote diversity and inclusivity, even though they have a long way ahead to end the gap. I also love my current friends. Life can be hectic and busy and we have our own personal things to deal with, so that being said, I don't always see them. Thank goodness for the advancement of communication. We have each other through texts and emails. It's nice to know that when we do meet up, we're going back to where we left off. The only change there is in our friendship is our strong growth and vulnerability. Friendships have changed me for the good. It has helped me to know my worth and the value of people that I need in my life. Always --> High quality over quantity

My relationship with my parents has gotten stronger. There are my biggest supporters and they just care for me no matter what. I am grateful for them. They have taught me so much about being a good person and the appreciation of simplicity. Since I still live with them, I do admit that it can be aggravating sometimes to feel like a child. However, there's no other way I would rather spend the majority of my college experience with because why would I even want to rent an apartment in a town that I don't even like that much. It's nice to know that I am saving so much money, which will be worth it in the long run. I sometimes think that if I were to do something completely different like moving out of town, my relationship with them wouldn't be as close as it is right now. I am one of those people who believe that things happen for a reason. I think I was supposed to be with them a bit longer so I wouldn't have regretted not spending more with them during high school. I am glad everything turned out the way it was meant to be.

As a tally native student, I didn't think that I would have grown this much. I will always grow where ever I am. It's about how you create your experience and learn from it. Your attitude is going to play a huge part in your experience and growth. Always aim high and be yourself. I developed self-growth because I stepped out of my comfort zone. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable. I tried new things and met people who are different from me. Yet, I still have so much to learn. I want to continue to live a life where I am always learning, growing, and helping. That is truly the life worth living for.

30 Reasons to Study

School has been back in session for almost a month now and you probably need that boost of motivation to refuel your study groove that you had last semester. I'm going to tell you why you should study!! I hope this helps to get through spring semester. We are in this together!

1. The work ethic that you gain while studying will help you in the real world.

2. To receive the feeling of confidence

3. To make a positive change

4. It will help you to reach to the next level of school.

5. You get to draw colorful concept maps.

6. To get that grade you want on that test/quiz/exam

7. To increase productivity

8. To discover your passion

9. To be independent

10. To get accepted and to stay in your major 

11. It could lead to big opportunities.

12. To maintain your required GPA

13. To be an inspiration

14. To make new friends

15. To fix something that's currently broken

                                       

16. To live up to your full potential

17. So you will never have to say that you didn't try your best.

18. Because you truly love learning

19. To improve your studying skills

20. To feel empowered

21. To prove yourself and others that you are capable of pursuing your dream career.

22. Because it's an investment for your future.

23. To raise awareness about what you learned

24. To apply the knowledge to the real world

25. To connect with others

26. To help others that are in need 

27. To become a superhero 

28. To lead

29. To be grateful for education 

30. To feel the struggle because that's how you truly learn.

                                                 

My First Two Weeks at FSU

Hello all!! I hope everyone has been adjusting well to the spring semester! As you can tell by the title, I'm now a student at FSU!! I can't believe it's been two weeks since classes started. Let me tell you, it's been surreal. I know it hasn't been that long, but I feel kind of different in a good way, like there has been so much growth since then. I feel happier. Now of course there have been some downs.. Classes are harder and adjusting to the change can be difficult. However, with the help of classmates and putting in a lot more effort than ever before, I should be fine. One of those efforts consist of constantly going to tutoring. It's not as bad as it seems because it can motivating and oh so worth it in the long. The classes I am taking right now are, the second part of Biology and Physics, Clinical Psychology, and Introduction to Medical Sciences (seminar class). It's a good load to start with for this first semester.

I'm becoming more open to saying hi and starting a conversation with people. Yes, you all have read that right!! A point goes to me for stepping out of my comfort zone. As always I love how the campus is diverse and open to helping random people with directions. Seriously, if you need help, just ask. Besides classes, I'm still involved with PeaceJam! Today was the coaching retreat for spring. It was fun, informative, and good tiring. I met some really cool inspiring people. To end on that note, I'm looking forward to the rest of my time at FSU!! Staying stoked!!

"Look for something positive in each day, even if some days you have to look a little harder."

Stoked // My Goals for 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR, FRIENDS.

 I feel so refreshed and just ready to conquer the world. I am just excited for what's to come. Due to my overall excitement for wanting to take action to improve myself, this year's word is going to be STOKED. It means excited or euphoric. 2018 will be the year of experiencing new things, taking care of myself, and improving my lifestyle. I want to truly be in a joyful state of mind. I deserve some love for myself. I understand that life isn't perfect and I won't be happy 24/7. Whatever caution comes at me, I don't want that affecting me more than it should. I also want the feeling of my best to be the new normal. It's about time that I feel confident. To get to this content, I'm going to set some goals by sorting them into categories that draws out my life. These goals aren't big, but just small steps to reach where I've been wanting to stand for a very long time. I am so excited for this journey!