Similar Classes

After taking my Human Sexuality class, I have noticed that The Changing Family class is very similar. We touch on the same topics, but they are a lot broader. Every week we now have a test in the class. Since it is an online class we have different materials to read such as PowerPoint’s, news articles, lecture notes and movies to watch, and of course our book. After we review all the materials we are instructed to take the online exam which is called the “Graded Homework Assignment.” It sounds a little scary that there are test every week, but it’s really easy as long as you review all the information ahead of time.

My internship is going well. This week I’m still working on the mini commercial clips for the company’s new service. I needed to take additional pictures and since my boyfriend is my model for the commercial I had to wait until the weekend to take them. This week I will also try to work on making a contest e-mail in the Constant Contact website. Constant Contact is a website that generates e-mails, newsletters, maintains contacts etc. It’s a very useful tool for a Marketing employee.

SGA is doing well so far. We got a new member on board Ameesha, who is working on a brochure for the library. She came up with the great idea to make a brochure and put it in the library for people to see. This way we can advertise, and inform people of our goals on campus. SGA is also planning a trip to Six Flags. Officers and anyone who attends more than 6 meetings will get a free pass to six flags. I think that’s a great deal! This is not planned for a while, but it will be fun either way. Hopefully we get to go during the week day so that there won’t be too many crowds!

Beautiful Campus

If you have never been to the Garret Mountain campus, you don’t know the beauty of it. The reason I am bringing this up is because spring is here, and everything is blooming so beautifully! Last spring the school started to build a new parking lot that knocked out a wonderful forest, and a gazebo. It was a very nice place to relax, but the school had a desperate need for parking with the large increase in students. Needless to say, the whole forest was knocked down and it made a lot of students unhappy.

Well, since Berkeley is making a lot of effort to become more “green”, they took a step to make a memorial for the lost forest. They planted a beautiful tree as a memorial to the old forest. Check out the tree…




In addition to this tree, the Garret Mountain campus looks beautiful in the spring. We have a bunch of wonderful trees everywhere that makes it so pleasant to walk around between classes and hang out with your friends. Check out some of them…

So I have realized that I have never posted any pictures from the Recycle Your Style Day! It was a great day and like I said before we got a great outcome. Check them out!

Graduation

Yesterday was the Berkeley graduation, and I had the pleasure to attend it and participate in it. We arrived there at 7:30am, and we started to direct traffic. Many students and parents arrived early, but there was no need because the doors to the IZOD center didn’t open till 8am anyway. The graduation started at 9am promptly. We started off with graduates coming in, then staff and then the presidential table.

I saw that all the professors were wearing their graduation gowns and caps. On the back of the graduation gowns you wear a hood that has different colors. For the longest time I was confused what each of the colors meant as well as the different types of caps and gowns. I asked someone what they meant because I was very curious. Apparently the different colors mean the school colors of where you have graduated from and the different gowns represent what degree you hold. Also, the type of cap that you have tells what degree you hold. It was very interesting.

There were a lot of graduates that were there! After all, Berkeley does have 7 different campuses. When it came to calling the names, they went by different degrees. It started off as Bachelors of Science, and it ended on Certificates. After they named all the students and handed them their pretend degrees they announced students of the year and different awards. It was really nice that they singled out specific students due to their achievements. I ran into some of the students that I have not seen for a while. I ran into Sarah, who was the original president of the International Business Club and also my friend Nicole who I went to the Leadership Retreat with in Baltimore.

After the graduation we went to Mt. Fuji as a thank you from the staff for helping out. It was really nice and it was cool watching someone cook for us. I got steak and lobster. After the meal we were so sleepy because we have all been up since 5am so went to sleep on the bus as we waited for everyone else to finish. It was a very nice day and I hope my graduation will be just as nice.

Recycle Your Style

Yesterday was the Recycle Your Style Day at the Garret Mountain campus, and it was the best turnout ever! I must say we had over 100 students come and tie dye with us. We had amazing weather, great people to work with and a lot of fun.

I arrived at 10 am to help Ms. Young prepare everything and set things up. A little after me showed up Ale and also helped us get everything done. We filled up bowls of water, set up the bags to tie dye, made sample shirts, mixed colors in, unpacked gloves and much more. We were selling two types of bags to students that did not bring anything to tie dye. We had smaller bags for a $1 and we had bigger bags for $2 that you can use over and over. The profits that we made will go to Diversity Stride Training.

What we did is started an assembly line. At every station we had an activity. In one we had pre soaking, then rubber banding and putting gloves on, then dipping your clothes in a dye, then decorating it and then putting it in a bag and labeling it. This way we would know who’s is what.

The event started at 11am, and it ended at noon but some people still stayed around. After the event I went to Ms. Smiley and got my cap and gown to wear during the graduation on Friday. I’m not graduating, but I am helping out with the graduation. I graduate in September, but I can’t walk graduation until April of 2009.

Reality Hits

Its week 4 and the time is flying by! Yesterday was the first day you can make your schedule and I jumped right at the chance. I noticed that a lot of classes that were online got reserved, and not that many were available. Lucky for me I was able to reserve two for myself including an internship. I decided to take one class online and one on campus. I wanted to take something on campus because I need the connection with people instead of always being cooped up at home.

I really had a reality check yesterday. When I got an e-mail back from an advisor that my schedule has been set and that my degree is now complete it really hit me. For the past 15 years all I have ever known is school and now it will be gone. I have always been under someone’s wing but now it’s time for me to be on my own. It’s sort of scary when I think about it. I have worried such as what if I can’t find a job, or what if things don’t work out, then what. I’m sure everything will be fine, I just worry sometimes. I have never had reality be so close to me until now.

On Friday I am helping with the graduation. It will be held at the old Continental Arena and my job is to carry a sash, and lead the graduating class into the arena. It’s a very important job and I’m very happy I was appointed it. Being there will make it even more of a reality that I will soon be graduating even though it’s not my graduation. I can’t walk graduating until next April. I will have my degree, but I won’t be able to walk. This is because I took advantage of the “Berkeley Advantage” and finished my degree in 3 years instead of 4. Graduations are run every April, but because I finish in September, I can’t walk until next year.

Tomorrow is the Recycle Your Style Day. I can’t wait, it’s very exciting. Ms. Young bought all the equipment necessary and all we have to provide is clothes. It will be nice to see everyone gather together to do things. I will make sure to post my art for your viewing pleasures! ;-)

Spring Activities

We just had our second meeting of SGA for this quarter and it was a lot of fun. We had soda, pizza and a good time. We were presented with t-shirts that were made for the officers which said President Kopec in the back and I’m in Garret Mountain SGA …and I’m celebrating EARTH DAY 2008! It was a very nice gesture and I will use this t-shirt for next weeks activity. Next week were doing a tie die event for Earth Day. We will be bringing in old clothing and tie dying it.



There are so many activities going on at the Garret Mountain campus this quarter. Some of the activities include die dye day, painting flower pots, picture collage and karaoke day, Habitat for Humanity, and the list goes on.

Another thing that the International Business Club is working on is to have a Family Day. Many times parents help students pay for school so we thought that it would be a good idea to involve parents and families in an activity. Ale, the club vice president, came up with the idea of a carnival. We thought it was a great idea. The event is planned to happen around May 10th but we will see how everything works out.

Its already that time of the quarter where we have to pick classes again. Right now we can only pick online classes because those fill up the fastest so they start them earlier. I’m still debating if I want to stick with online classes only or take on campus as well. I hope everything works out!

Weekly Update

I really can’t get used to this one time on campus deal. Since this quarter stated I’ve been feeling out of place not having to go anywhere. I think in the summer time event though I don’t have to take any on campus classes, I will do so anyway. I am the type of person that needs to get out and have that person to person contact.

One good thing about today was that today was my pay day! I can finally pay off the books I had to just buy. Today was the first activity period activity. Cesar Castro, who works in Career Services, presented a presentation about setting your personal goals and how to accomplish yours. I wasn’t able to attend because I was working on my internship, but I thought it was a great idea. Many students need a push and ideas on how to manage their time and follow through with what they do.

Tomorrow is our second SGA meeting. Last week we had good conversation and we got good input from students and other members. Ms. Young did not attend because she forgot about the meeting. We were surprised that she didn’t show up because she’s usually the first one there. When we found her after the meeting we found out that she was shopping for another event that night and the meeting totally slipped her mind. I hope she makes this meeting because we have a lot of questions for her.

If you’re interested in attending meet up tomorrow, Thursday at 4pm in the Multimedia Room.

Weekend Almost Never Ends

The weekend is almost over, but for me it always seems like the weekend goes on until Thursday. Thursday is my only class that I have on campus. For the past 15 years the weekend ended for me with school on Monday, but now it’s different. Even last quarter school sometimes started on Tuesday, but it was so close to Monday I almost never noticed the difference. Dont get me wrong, I still have a lot of work between all the work its just that it seems like I'm doing it over a long weekend!

I really enjoy my The Changing Family class. It’s really interesting and it brings up topics that people have very strong opinions on. Because of this, our discussions boards can get quite heated! Even though everyone keeps their cool, you can see how closed off people can be to other people’s opinions. When it comes to people’s cultures and ideas, some people are very ethnocentric. This really gives you an overview of how closed people can be in the world.

This week my integrated interview is due. We have to interview someone who is at least two decades older than us and get their views on race, sex, gender and sexuality. I have come up with my questions and already performed half of the interview. From doing so, I realized how different the world really was not too long ago. I never knew things have changed so much.

I am having an overall good experience with my classes so far. The assignments are hard, but fun and entertaining. It can sometimes get overwhelming trying to balance many things but it only makes me stronger.

Another Week Passing By

It’s already Wednesday, and the week is flying by. I have been driving myself crazy because I am not used to spending this much time home. Since for my internship I work from home, that’s 25 hours I spend at home extra! I’m used to running around, getting things done and seeing people. I only have one class on campus so that’s my only drive of the week besides work. It’s been hard being cooped up in the house, but I’m managing well.

With the weather getting nicer, I can do more outdoor activities. Today is the activity period. I am unable to make it because I have to work on my internship especially since we have switched gears to working on the business plan. I’m happy that they have a wonderful weather so that they can do it outside. I hope someone takes pictures for me!

Friday I have a meeting in Montclair for my internship. Ms. Ware is unable to attend, so it will be just me and Rebecca. It’s nice to have someone with me so that we can experience things together. We are getting so many opportunities to seminars it’s hard to keep track of them all. I already have another set up for April 22nd in NYC. It’s at 8:30 am, so I am dreading having to wake up that early! I’m sure it will be worth the effort.

Week 2 is Already Here

I must say I have the best internship! Not only do I work with great people, but it’s convenient. Get this, tomorrow morning I have a meeting at 8:30 that I can do from bed! Since everyone lives a good distance from each other, the best way for all of us to meet and discuss progress is online. Since it is early, I am SO working from my bed! I have even put in an order for a lap desk.

As comfortable as my internship is, it’s a lot of work. This week is week 2 and we are moving on to a new assignment. Last week I made two blogs for the company, created a template for newsletters, as well as e-mails. We had some issues with setting up the voicemails and e-mails but now it’s all fixed. I now have a new e-mail akopec@verify-ed.com and I have my own extension! I called it the other day to check it out and it says “You have reached the Marketing department, please leave a message”. It got me very excited! On Thursday I’m picking up my business cards which I need for Friday.

This week we are thinking of a new slogan for the new service as well as working on the business plan for the company. In order for the company to get investors, we need a business plan. This is hard work, but there is nothing we girls can’t do! Wish us luck! On Friday we have an opportunity to attend another workshop which is held in Montclair, NJ. The event is called “Women in Communication”. It will give us an opportunity to network and meet new connections. Ms. Ware cannot attend so it will be just Rebecca and me. Should be a great learning opportunity!

First Class on Campus

Yesterday was my first Advanced Spreadsheets class, which is my only class on campus. The class starts at 6pm, and it ends at 8:30. The professor is very friendly to the students. At the beginning of the class he explained the syllabus, and what is expected of us for the class.

We then began work! At first the class wasn’t very exciting because we went over the basics of Excel. I wish the beginning was more interactive. We sat in front of the computers and just watched the professor do the work on the projector. Even though I have taken a similar class to this one, everything was somewhat new for me since we have changed from Word 2003 to Work 2007. Many features are the same, just different location. Even though it is an advanced class, we did go over many basics of the program. I’m glad we did this because it can be very confusing if you originally learned on the old system.

As to my internship, things are moving on smoothly. I thought when you have an internship you only have to put in your 25 hours and that’s it. Come to find out there is a class to it too. Not only do you have to commit 25 hours a week to the internship, but you also have to post on discussion boards and do weekly journals like a normal online class.

Weekly journals are done in a strange way. We are supposed to write weekly journals, but we are not allowed to submit any of them until the last week of class. I’m not really sure of the reason, but I wish we could submit them weekly to keep up. In the end its going to cause everyone having to upload things all at once which will be quite time consuming. Spreading the work out over the course would be much more efficient.

I made my first post for the week on the discussion board yesterday. This was our introduction, and we got to read about what other people are doing. It’s really interesting to read what jobs other students have and what they are up to. It’s a good way to get ideas off of each other.

First Seminar

Yesterday was a very exciting, and educating day. As you know it was my first seminar for my internship. It was in Manhattan, in the Lehman Brothers building. As you know, Lehman Brothers is a HUGE investment company.

Ms. Ware and I met up together at her house at 7:30 and then drove together to the bus station. From there we caught a bus, which was packed, to drive through the Holland Tunnel and into Port Authority. We ended up getting there a little late because there was a lot of traffic as always. When we got to Port Authority we met up with Rebecca which took her own bus to meet up with us. We then took a cab to the Lehman Brothers building which was on 50th and 7th.

When we got there, there was a lot of networking going on. Rebecca felt a little out of her comfort zone, but quickly warmed up and felt ok. There were about 15 people that were there and we quickly started to network. The meeting was about ways to hire employees. We learned about different laws that employers have to watch out for and things to ask/not ask during an interview. They gave us a handout of questions that would be great for an interview. It was very helpful.

After the hiring presentation, it was Ms. Wares turn to do hers. I was excited because this was going to be the first time I would see her present. She explain to the audience what Verify-ED was all about, the new service we have called Verify-crED and different cases in the news that have affected small business owners not doing background checks.

After we were done Ms. Ware had a wonderful opportunity to meet some important people in the company. Unfortunately we could not all go, so Ms. Ware asked Rebecca and me if we would mind going out to lunch on our own. We didn’t mind at all so we took off and went to Applebee’s. We all then met back up Port Authority and went home. A really great day!