It is hard to articulate what is on my mind during this season. It has been a whirlwind of a semester and I am beyond thankful for where I am at. I have met so many amazing people, made the greatest and truest friends, and learned so much about myself. With all of that being said, it does not mean that everything has been easy going and that there have been no speed bumps; because there have been. It is easy to make it seem like everything has been perfect my first semester and act like I have everything together. Yet, that is so not true. Finding a solid group of friends and a church is hard. It makes the transition even harder that know one truly knows me and will be able to recognize when something is up. It took me a month or so to realize that it just takes time. I truly have made the best friends I could have ever asked for and prayed for; but it was not easy at first. With finals around the corner it would be really easy to let myself become stressed and isolate myself. But, because of the friends that I have made they will not allow me to get to that point. They look out for me and are able to take breaks with me and have some time to get school off of my mind. I thank God every day for the journey He has me on and the people He has surrounded me with.

I have always been interested in health and how food affects the body, especially in the last few years. I found out in 2015 that I am allergic to wheat, dairy , and eggs. This impacted my life dramatically and has drastically affected how I eat. I now eat much healthier and eat lots of fruits and veggies. I would like to claim that I am a super healthy, all organic eater;  but that’s just not true. Unfortunately, there is still an abundance of junk food options that I can eat. So while I do eat healthy, I do have some junk food thrown in the mix. As I get older I hope to continue to broaden my spectrum of foods and find new healthy foods that I truly enjoy. The phrase “Hope is not a strategy” is meant to be an encouragement. Hope is something that has to be found truly in a persons heart and not something that can be manipulated. A schedule or strategy is an example of one person trying to control his or her life. Instead of over controlling your life, it is important to find hope in the Lord and His plans.

Here is a link to a website we refer to in my nutrition class on what a balance diet is supposed to look like. It shows the proportions of what grains and proteins a person is supposed to eat each day. I have found this to be very helpful!

https://www.choosemyplate.gov/

The 13 Essential Friendship Traits

1. I am trustworthy.
2. I am honest with others.
3. I am generally very dependable.
4. I am loyal to the people I care about.
5. I am easily able to trust others.
6. I experience and express empathy (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for others.
7. I am able to be non-judgmental.
8. I am a good listener.
9. I am supportive of others in their good times.
10. I am supportive of others in their bad times.
11. I am self-confident.
12. I am usually able to see the humor (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. in life.
13. I am fun to be around.

After going down the list of the traits to have in a friendship, I realized that I possess a lot of these qualities. I am not saying this to brag or boot my self-esteem, because I truly believe that most people possess multiple qualities in this list. One of my strengths on this list is being able to listen well to others. For example, my friend is having an especially hard week this week and I have been able to just listen to what she has going on and be there for her. Sometimes it is best to just listen to what is going on with a person instead of always trying to fix their problems. However, one of my weaknesses is being quick to judge someone. I often make assumptions about people without ever meeting them before. This is has been a struggle for me for a long time, but I have been working on not being so quick to judge. I learned this last week when people were quick to judge me and my roommate, and they had never spoken to me or met me before. I now know what it feels like to receive that judgement and I am more careful to cast judgement on others.

Coming into Samford I did not think the spiritual aspect on campus would be pushed as much as it is. I just thought that it was a University that had chapel every week and not much more. There is so much more that goes on and that is available to get involved with. There  are different campus ministries and home groups that dig deep into the gospel and really make an effort to get to know the students. I have been going to Campus outreach that meets on Wednesdays at Samford. I really enjoy going each week and get a lot out of it. Samford also mentions faith and scripture in classes and even at tables on Ben Brown Plaza. I have been pleasantly surprised by the spiritual aspect Samford puts into everything they do. Here is a picture of me at Campus Outreach one night!

The topic of whether or not a person is educated is a very broad topic with many different opinions. What defines a person being educated varies on who you ask. Some people think it is if a person graduated high school or college. However, there is much more to a person being educated than them just having a degree. To be educated also means that he or she carries themselves well and does not feel uncomfortable in situations often. It is also when a person is confident in who they are and their past education to carry them in the place they are now in.

My whole life I have always been terrified of the day I would step foot into a college class. It scared me because I had always heard that college was impossible and the professors were so scary. Yet, this has not been the case at all. To my surprise my school work has been a lot less than expected. The test and quizzes are different from what I am used to, but I am learning how different teachers grade and how they prefer work to be done. Because of that, my grades have been pretty high. I am still waiting on a couple grades on papers and exams, but I think that I did well. I am taking CP and expected it to be awful and a hard class, however, it has been my favorite class so far. I really enjoy my professor and the other student who are in the class. I think it is my ideal or dream class, as of right now. I also would love to study abroad with my major and learn from other cultures. So, I would have to meet with my advisor to figure out when and where would be the best time and place to go. I also need to meet with my advisor about switching my major. I am switching from Foods and Nutrition to Nutrition and Dietetics. I have already met with one advisor about it, but need to meet with my new one to make sure everything is secure. Here is a picture of my sister and I on the first day of class. I was so excited and not terrified, as I always thought I would be. It was a great day and having my sister on campus made it much better!

Since being at Samford, studying has been a lot different than studying in High School. In High School I would study the night before a test and do fine, however, in college you have to study at least 3 days in advance. I normally study by rewriting my notes and reading over them a couple of times. Yet, that is not nearly as efficient in college. In college there is much more material and takes more than rewriting the notes to do well. Now, I study a little bit each day so I am not cramming the information all into one night. I find it most helpful to first study on my own by making flash cards or Quizlets and then once I have done that I will study with friends. It is helpful to study with friends because everyone brings something different to the table. Everyone helps each other remember the information and not forget to study things that I may have forgotten on my own. When my dad was in college he learned to look at a Bible verse and pray before studying. He made a flash card of a Bible verse and every time he would study or work on homework he would pull it out and read it. He placed it in front of him while he studied to remind him that he is not in control, but God is. This year for my birthday he made me a card with a verse on it to place in front of me while I study. I would encourage others to do that as well because it brings peace and comfort knowing that we cannot do everything on are own. Of course, studying is hard and not fun but doing it with others and having a schedule of when to study has really helped me.

Here is a picture of a notecard I look at before studying that helps me focus on the Lord. It is a great reminder when I am feeling stressed or anxious during the week!

 

Since coming to Samford I have already learned so much about what the University has to offer the students and the community. I look forward to taking advantage of the CRC and free tutoring that is available. I think that those options are the ones that are most popular and most used by students. However, I also think that the free counseling is something that many of Samford students and employees do not take advantage of. Though I have never been to counseling, I am a firm believer that everyone should go at some point in their life. I have never gone because it was never an option for me to, but with it being free at Samford I am looking into going. I am also involved in the Student Dietetic Association on campus and we use that platform to reach Samford students but also the community. Through the organization we volunteer around the community and bring attention to the Dietetic community. After thinking of ways to improve the Samford and Birmingham community I think getting involved in a church and reaching out to the community with the church is the best way to make a difference. The church offers so many different avenues to get involved with the community while also sharing the Word with others. By just volunteering to do something simple in the community has such a big impact. It may not seem as if I am making a difference, but even if one person is touched that is all that matters.

After taking the Financial Identity quiz, I learned that I am a “trooper”. A trooper is someone who often follows their parents or a role model with financial decisions. I take my parent’s advice because I have seen them successfully manage and save their money. However, I do know that I will likely face different challenges than my parents have and what has worked for them may not work for me. It is important for me to start gaining my credit now and thinking about the financial decisions I need to make in order for me to have good credit. I also need to remember that debt is a real struggle many people face. I may not be in debt now, but if I do not make smart choices now I will be putting myself at risk later in my life. To better understand my finances I can go to the Smart About Money Website and learn what my options are. If I chose to be reckless with my money in college, I will not be financially stable when I graduate. I will not be able to get a place to live and would have to take out a loan. I tend to be a saver, so I am not too worried. Yet, it is still important for me to understand the consequences of not managing money well. To start plotting my financial course it is first good to know how I handle money. Right now, my job as a student is to focus on school and save as much money as I can.

For the most part, I am a very organized and love to plan ahead in my daily life. It is stressful to me when I do not have a plan or when something happens that is not according to my plan. However, when it comes to school work I am not the best planner. If it is little assignments I go ahead and tend to get those out of the way, but when I have bigger assignments I find myself putting them off until a day or two before it is due. Bigger assignments stress me out, so I push them off so I do not have to think about them. It has been a good experience when I start to work on an assignment and it is easier than I had originally expected. During my senior year in high school I had a 10 page Thesis due and, of course, I waited till the last night to edit and make changes. I ended up staying up almost all night. I learned that it is not worth putting things off because most of the time it is not that hard of an assignment. Now, I make sure that I do my homework before hanging out with my friends or going to work. I have a planner and write down when all my assignments are due and it has made my life so much easier!