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College lessons learned outside the classroom (5/19/11)I can't believe it's over. I'm back home for the summer, finished with my freshman year of college. It was hard but so good. The part that makes everything so sweet is that God has been beside me through it all, using every joyful or hard experience to gently transform me. Life is so good...
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Rediscovering the thrill of the stage (4/14/11)I forgot how much I love performing on the stage. During high school I was involved in choir, band and drama, where the goal was to work hard to make something come alive for an audience. At Truman, though, schoolwork is more intense so I haven't been able to keep up with all of these activities. I didn't realize how much I missed the journey from the first rehearsal to the final performance until this past weekend when I got to perform onstage again in Truman's dance recital...
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Learning teaching is the right path (3/17/11)I spent part of my spring break back at high school. While some people might inwardly (or outwardly) groan at that statement, I was really excited about being in the school because I got to observe high school teachers in their classrooms for my pre-master's of education classes. ...
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Snow brings trials, joy to campus (2/17/11)Winter in Kirksville, Mo., makes me feel like I'm living during the pioneer era. At least, that's what I like to imagine as I navigate my way through snowdrifts fighting the windy cold -- or in some cases, a blizzard -- on my way to class. ...
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Finding the courage to draw (1/20/11)This may not seem like a bold statement for someone who is actually good at drawing. But for me -- whose drawing skills do not exceed anything grander than notebook doodles -- is was a big deal. I hadn't taken an art class since the eighth grade, but because I am minoring in photography I had to take drawing I as a prerequisite to get into the actual photography classes. ...
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First semester brings many lessons (12/23/10)It's crazy the number of adventures that happen in a year. This time last year I was still undecided about where I was going to college, terrified about leaving home and wishing I could fly to Neverland. This December, my first semester at Truman State University is finished. There are so many amazing things that happened I just have to step back and be breathtakingly thankful for every part of it. Here are a few key parts of my journey in the last year:...
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Being home still feels right (10/28/10)This past week, I got to go home. Thanks to midterm break, I was gifted with two glorious class-free days in which I packed up my dirty laundry -- something I promised myself would never happen, but it turns out a few quarters a week for laundry adds up to expensive -- refused to think about homework and drove the four and a half hours home...
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Peeling back the layers to find yourself (9/23/10)College is not nearly as glamorous as I thought it would be. I guess when I pictured myself in college, I always pictured a when-everything-is-established moment, somewhere during the end of freshman or sophomore year or whatever year it finally feels like you actually belong at college...
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Summoning the courage to face the unknown (8/19/10)I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I realized this as I was thinking about leaving home, starting college and my inability to drive to Truman State University by myself. At first, I was excited. I probably congratulated myself a bit too pompously for my impressive, courageous spirit of adventure, unafraid to tackle the world -- or at least the far reaches of Kirksville, Mo. ...
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Disoriented: Scheduling classes can be an adventure (7/1/10)After Truman orientation last Friday, I am now an enrolled college student. It's so exciting to say that, even if scheduling classes was an otherworldly experience. Before we walked into the computer lab, the English adviser told us that classes would be filling up as we were scheduling them, so it was a race against our peers to get into the classes we wanted. ...
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Senior Moments: Saying hello and goodbye (6/3/10)Class of 2010, we did it. We are now alumni of our schools! On May 21, I graduated as salutatorian of my class at Perryville High School, and I want to share with you some of the words from my speech. Know that the same things I hope for the people I have grown up with, I hope for you, too...
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Senior Moments: Sometimes the easy choice is the right one (5/6/10)As I look back at my college hunt -- which actually seemed more like a safari -- the prominent lesson I learned is about bathing in a river. This has nothing to do with hygiene and making sure I clean behind my ears, but everything to do with the fact that I finally know where I am going to college...
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Getting ready for the next act (4/1/10)"Break a leg!" Those are the words I will be yelling for the last time April 10 as I eagerly await closing night of "The Three Musketeers" production. It will be my last preperformance handshake, and, as my fellow Silver Dagger Players and I circle the cast room, it will be my turn to make a senior speech. ...
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Senior Moments: Preparing for prom, including finding the perfect dress, is half the fun (3/4/10)The culminating experience of high school existence, the "and-they-all-lived-happily-ever-after" moment when, afterward, we all ride off happily into the sunset, is coming soon. No, I'm not talking about graduation. I'm talking about senior prom. It seems like just yesterday I was a freshman making a pact with one of my best friends to attend all 10 high school dances. ...
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Senior moments: You don't have to grow up to come alive (2/4/10)I wonder how many times throughout the past 13 of my 17 years I've been asked what I want to be "when I grow up." This question has been posed by family members, schedule requests and enough essays to turn into a short novel. I love discussing what I want to be when I get older and finding out what other people want to do with their lives, but I don't understand why our society pushes for children to "grow up" and get their lives planned out. ...
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Reflecting on the past, anticipating the future (1/7/10)New Year's Day is one of my favorite holidays -- the year is a clean slate, full of promise and expectant hope. One of my New Year's Day rituals is to journal about the things that happened in my life or things I learned in the past year. I love seeing how much I've grown as a person and remembering great times. This year I'll let you in on a few of the things that shaped my life in 2009...