What Have I Learned?

I would say I've learned quite a bit throughout this semester in the Hixson class.  Before this class I never thought about how people view our internet profiles. It made me think more about what's on facebook or twitter or sites like them. This class also helped me to get to know the different significant places on campus. As Far as growing as an individual i would say I have become more motivated and a lot more independent since starting college. I handle my own stuff now and don't look for help as much. This class also helped to prove the point that its not what you know but who you know. Its good to network with people and get your name out there in a good way.

What Does the Hixson Award Mean To Me?

    The Hixson award means a lot to me because without it college would be much more of a burden. It has been a kind of stress reliever. It made my life so much easier the day I got the letter in the mail about receiving the award. I'm very aware of where i am financially most of the time and I try to stay on top of my finances. Receiving the award gave me a feeling of financial security to go along with college. I wasn't sure of my strategy to pay for my education before i got this award and now I have way less to worry about.
    This award is more then just money. I try to live my life reminding myself that its not always about the money. When i received the notification in the mail that I would be given the Christina Hixson Award I felt like working to fill out all those scholarship applications in high school was finally starting to pay off. For once it felt like someone was actually reading all the applications and the fact that mine was chosen felt great.

Social Media

     Social media is becoming something that people use everyday or different reasons. People can use it to make connections or network with other people. They can use it to keep track of their company as well as others, they can hold meetings with five people in five different countries, they can keep up with family and friends without having to go see them. Social media has grown rapidly and nearly become a necessity in the past decade.
    In the assignment we were asked to post things that related to our major. During a normal week i rarely use my facebook account but i decided to use that for my assignment. I read through lots of articles from many different companies and learned lots of interesting things going on in the Ag world.
     This assignment helped me realize how easy it is to connect with people, companies, businesses, etc. I noticed that i was taking in a lot of facts about different companies without even noticing it.
     I used to think facebook was a waste of time. After social media week I can see where it can be useful. That doesn't mean everyone uses it that way.
   In my opinion social media is both negative and positive. It is positive because it is so easy to bring people together. It can be negative when you lose the desire to connect with people face to face or when you become addicted to checking your facebook to see what others are doing.

Blog 3 MBTI

By using the MBTI profile i have a better understanding of my preferences when it comes to taking in information and the way i retain knowledge. MBTI said i was introverted, sensing, thinking, and perceiving. All of those categories seem to fit me at one time or another. I think that this is a good way to find out your preferences but that at different times in your life you will act in different ways. I think it depends on your environment which way you feel. For instance if I'm around good friends and people i know i can be very extroverted but when i am around people i don't know and are just meeting I tend to be more quiet and just sit back and take it in. One thing that i don't think changes about me is that i don't make plans and I do things on the fly. I don't think i could ever be categorized in the judging category because i don't like to be totally organised or planned. I like being spontaneous and flexible and keep all of my options open. As far as my goals i believe my categories will definitely help me because I like to do things by myself to get them done, I like to take in information in more then one way, I like to be logical, and I like to be flexible about accomplishing my goals especially if there isn't a set due date on them. The MBTI assessment didn't really teach me anything new about myself as much as it confirmed the way i tend to view myself.

Inuit Culture of North Canada (Diversity Event)

The speaker, Peter Irniq, was born and raised in the Inuit way of life in northern Canada. He spoke of how the people lived an older way of life. He described the people as being very religious, most of them being Christian. He said that they were very respectful of the land and relied on it to survive. He spoke of the way the family was structured in this culture. The men would go hunt and the women would cook and clean and raise the children. His purpose in this speech was to talk about the differences between the way he grew up and the way things are now. Peter spoke of being taken from his family when he was a teenager so he could go to school. He spoke of how the Inuit religion has changed because they were accused of having a satanic form of worshiping. He talked of the many technologies that even the Inuit people had adapted into their way of life. One way he described it was he went from cooking over a fire as a boy to using microwaves and internet when he grew older. He changed from living in tents made of caribou skin to living in houses that could keep themselves warm. The pictures he brought to display were beautiful images of the scenery from Northern Canada.

My Bucket List

My bucket list at Iowa State:
Become a true Iowa stater
Maitain a high GPA
Get a degree in something to do with Agriculture
Graduate

My bucket list for the rest of my life:
Sky dive- I've always wanted to!
Make a difference to someone
Go on a motorcycle vacation with friends
Buy a brand new pickup
Get married
Own a house
Have kids
Own a dog all my life
Invent something
Give a motivational talk
Live in the country
Be remembered for something great
Farm
Become a grandpa
Make my parents proud
Look back and feel satisfaction
Travel the world

Blog One

     It was a cool evening late in the fall but all of us were sweating horribly. It was football Friday and it was game time. We waited all week for this moment during the fall. Everyone got into football and we liked putting on a good show.

     We were lined up against the other team. The coach told us to get on the field to return the opening kickoff.  I was lined up on our 10 yard line waiting for the the ball. The ball was kicked and it was on its way. I got ready to catch it. As the ball gets closer my heart beats faster. Then it gets to me and of course I drop it. Every players nightmare.

     I had to spin around and pick it up as it bounced along the ground. When I picked it up I just took off running without even thinking for their end zone. All of a sudden I was through all of them and on my way to score. I ran as fast as I could fearing someone would catch me. There was no better feeling then the one I got when I crossed there goal line and scored that touchdown.

    This had to be my favorite moment of playing football as well as high school. I probably liked it most because things didn't go exactly as planned but everything still worked out. It showed that sometimes you have to do what you can with what you have and its not always going to be given to you.