It's Been a Great Semester, Carolina!

           Three themes that have really played a big part of my semester here at USC are: Involvement, Diversity, and Spirituality/Religion. All of the friends I have made are the whole reason I am involved here at the university. At first, it started out with my roommate, Alicia. She and I made our first friends at Game Night our first day here. Then, I made friends with the whole sixth floor, and I am so very glad I did. They are always active and up for something to do around campus. Together, we have gone to so many university functions which we have all benefitted from.

            Thinking about all of the friends I have made, I can’t help but think about how diversely different they all are. I have made friends of different religions and different race. None of that matters to us, which is why we are able to get along so well. We all accept the facts that we are not all the same and there are going to be some things we do not agree on, but that does not mean we have to argue about them. That is one thing I like about my friends. We all respect each other on that level, so we have a strong bond between each of us individually and as a group.

            Lastly, regarding religion, I find that staying active in my faith and my religion has helped me a lot throughout the semester. Whenever I am stressed out or just need a break from school, I look to my faith and religion to help me out. I stay active with my church’s youth group and do a lot of volunteer work with them. That is always a lot of fun and rewarding to see all the differences we can make. Together, these three themes have helped me learn and grow as a person.

Capstone Service

            Mentoring at Hand Middle School was such a great experience. I not only got a good walk out of it, I also got to know Nicole better. She is a pretty cool person to hang out with, and it was such a relief knowing someone else when I went to my first mentoring session.

            I was so nervous because I had no clue what I was doing. I did not even know if the student I was mentoring would like me, or even need any help with anything. It turns out that I did not need to worry about anything, because not only did my student like me, he was also already interested in college.

            I distinctly remember how shocked I was when he first came in and right when he sits down he starts firing questions at me. It was such a relief to me, because that told me he was not shy and would not be awkward. However, I was so shocked that it was a little overwhelming how curious that boy was.

            He did not need any help academically, but he had told me that he just wanted to be involved in the program. He originally had wanted to be in Big Brothers, Big Sisters. However, the process was taking so long, so he settled for the mentoring program with Hand.

            We had a pretty relaxed relationship and did not have a problem talking about anything. We mostly traded stories after running through the checklist for the day. We also played a lot of Scattergories. He loved playing, because he was so good at it. He beat me every time, which was a little embarrassing for me, but worth it to see him having a good time. It was good experience just getting to know each other and learning from each other.

Capstone Social

            Of the two social events I went to, I liked the last social event of the semester the best. I thought it was a more fun than Rave to the Grave. I went with my friends Miranda and Erin so that they could get a Capstone Social point. At first, it did not seem like it was going to be that fun. Then we saw our floor mates Dustin, Cody and Blaze there. For a while we just sat at a table, talking and eating cookies. Then we started playing Apples to Apples with my ambassador and our RM. We ended up playing for an hour and a half, because it was so amusing.

            It was pretty interesting, because every few rounds someone would leave and someone else would sit down and take their spot. We had a pretty good conversation going about how much we have changed this semester too. At first, mostly the guys on the floor hung out with each other and the girls hung out with the girls. The whole first week was spent going to each other’s rooms and staying up until two in the morning just talking. It was a little awkward at first, but then a month had gone by and we were all comfortable with each other. Our RM commented on how she thought that she was lucky to have such an awesome floor, because we all got along so well.

            It was so amusing playing with my friends Tyler and Rob, because they have a distinct sense of humor. Every card they played was comical and more often than not was not even relatable to the topic card. I thought overall, that it was a great way to wind down and wrap up the semester social events. It had a pretty good turn-out, and even gave us ideas for floor activities.

Capstone Conversation

           One of the most memorable Capstone Conversations I attended was the Off Campus Housing Conversation. I, along with one of my best friends, Miranda, were interested in rooming together next school year, and we were not opposed to considering off campus housing. We decided to attend, along with most of the people on our floor, to see what options we had. I liked how they had representatives from each off campus housing option associated with the university. It was really helpful hearing the pros and cons of each housing option from people who live there and have experienced everything first hand. After discussing our options, Miranda and I decided that we would try and go for an apartment. Our favorite place that we talked about was The Woodlands. We received a pamphlet for the area and we really liked everything about it.­

            Another thing that I liked about the conversations was how friendly the representatives were. They were very accommodating and friendly, so it was not hard to talk to them. No one seemed to have problems asking them questions, so none of us really felt too intimidated or shy. There was such a nice, relaxed vibe in the room, so I did not mind sitting there and did not feel restless like I often do after sitting for longer than ten minutes at a time. They gave us a lot of tips and hints for living off campus, along with personal likes and dislikes. Along with the information, they gave us pamphlets and leaflets about each living facility so that we could compare all of the options available to us.

            What I really liked the most about the off campus housing options, was that most of them allowed pets. Miranda and I decided that if we got a pet, we would get a cat because we think they are adorable. Plus, we think they are a little easier than dogs to take care of, especially in an off campus apartment.

It's a Wrap!

This semester has gone by so fast. It has been so much fun though, which I am so glad for. It is definitely different than what I expected it to be. I came to college not really looking for a relationship, and half thinking that none of the guys I met would like me or think of me like that. But now I have some great friends and the sweetest boyfriend I could ever ask for.

There have been a few times where I have had to step up and take charge of situations, which I did not really mind. I helped take charge of decorating the hall with decorations for both Halloween and Christmas. I also plan out group activities for our hall outside of the activities that our RM plans for us. It is pretty rewarding when it is successful and everyone has a good time. However, I prefer to hang back and let others lead unless they need help.

I enjoyed making friends with other mentors and my mentee. It was a lot of fun getting to know them and just talking to each other about anything and everything. I loved hearing about my mentee’s day, everything that he liked and disliked. It reminded me of when I talk to my little brother back home.

I think that service is a part of this course so that we have that experience. We can put it on our resumes, but it is a great opportunity to step up and lead. It is such a learning experience, and it is a lot of fun working with the kids at the middle school. They are so excited about you being there and look up to you like you’re the coolest person they have ever met. It is a great feeling to be depended on like and being rewarded with that satisfaction.

I don’t plan on mentoring again next semester, but I do plan on staying active with my church and their volunteering services. I always find it to be a fun experience and I want to continue on with that.