Personal Experience: Montclair Unified Filipino American Student Association

I am currently a freshman at the College of Charleston and my life so far has been great! College life is quite a transition from high school, but I am definately enjoying it. The first few weeks of this semester were kind of a struggle for me because I was away from home and had to figure out how to do everything by myself. In addition to that I had to get in the routine of classes, network with new friends, and get familiar with the campus. I am also involved with our school’s Bonner Leader Program, which is a four-year civic leadership and development program highlighted by regular training and reflection activities, along with the requirement of 200 service hours per year. Through this program, I got the opportunity of interning with Coastal

However, with the help of my new friends and professors, I survived my first semester here. While it wasn’t perfect, I continue to improve myself as time passes.

As I start my journey of being a college student again, I will also learn and not to do the same mistakes I did in undergraduate years. I am eager to see the difference all of this will make, and with a positive mind set know that my time will all work out in the

Marie and I had just left her house and were walking to the tryouts. It was a really quick walk because she lives only 2 houses away from the studio. This was back in August 2017, a few days after dance camp ended for the summer. We hurried down the stairs to go inside and kept talking about how nervous and excited we were the whole way down. Once we got inside of Bleker’s, we started talking to the other girls. After just a few minutes we were all taken into the dance room and together we all learned a hip hop, jazz, and tap routine. We only had about 30 minutes to learn all of the routines so we were all feeling a little rushed. Before we knew it, the dance teachers put us into groups of 3-5 girls. These groups were the people we would perform our dance routines with. My group was Meghan S, Grace, and I.

The 1st semester was full of challenges as a full-time student here at Mohawk College, but I am thankful that it is over. Now, I am grateful that I will be starting my 2nd semester as a Practical Nursing and is determine to succeed.

This semester I was a lot more involved than the previous semester. After settling down and getting used to the college atmosphere. I found that there was a lot more to do and get involved with than I previously thought. Some of things things I got involved with range from sporting events, class snapchat, major spotlight, career service (job shadows), dome concerts, union trivia, art exhibition, and UNI research studies. While participating in these activities I gained friends, experience, and memorizes. These activities made freshman year fly by and also gave me a feeling of what it is like to be a Panther. Also just experience a few things that UNI has to offer.

I can’t believe my first college semester is almost over. Key word is “almost” because the weeks following thanksgiving break will be critical for me. Even though it’s almost over, I must finish strong. I wouldn’t want all my hard work to go to waste. All the A’s that I earned so far must remain A’s for me in order for me to be happy with my academic performance. These next 3 weeks are going to be hectic, but also relaxing.

Another big decision I made, was to move my Children of the American Revolution State project to the Museum of the Southeast American Indian, which means I will not be traveling for CAR, as I was doing in the Spring. This project being located somewhere on my campus means I will be able to check in on the project whenever I need be around my class and study schedule. Even though its hard to stay away from people you have been with friends with for several years, I have realized how important having the right friends are this semester. Which is why I chose roommates who have positive goals and they set their goals and work towards them. These are the people, I need to be around to keep myself positive and working towards my own goals. In the course of the semester I have weeded out friends that are no longer worth my attention because they don't support my goals. One of these goals is to graduate and eventually earn my Doctorate in Education. My career goals, really have made me realize that I have to put aside organizations and a social life to achieve what I have my mind set

Over the course of the semester I have crossed many boundaries that I never would have thought of. Whether that be domestically or culturally over the course of the year and with that it has changed my identity. This semester I found who I am more than anything and gave me an approach to how to live within a community that at first I do not know. With this being said I speak most likely for many that college started out scary as we knew no one and had never been away from home this long. I know personally I found my new identity that I never knew that I had because I crossed boundaries. As time goes on identity evolves when you cross domestic and international boundaries.

Time flies, the first term of my freshmen year is almost to the end. When I first got into college, I didn't know what to do as a college student. It was hard during the first two weeks of my freshmen year. Not to mention, It was right after a long summer's vacation. I was extremely lazy about everything and couldn't focus on school work. After almost failing my first mid-term, I realized I need to focus on studying. I began to get back on track and finished work before the deadline. As time passed, I could still remember when I first got into the Freshmen Inquiry class I was struggling and now my Freshmen Inquiry class is working on our last project of the term and our group is doing great. During Freshmen Inquiry class, I learned many things.

This semester has flew by a lot faster than I anticipated. The akron experience has taught me quite a bit that has helped me in many different areas. Being successful in college to me means to organize and manage all the parts of your life so that you are content. College is alot to keep track of and managing this and the rest of your life is the main thing that will keep you going so you are able to take breaks. Without breaks you will get burned out and I learned this pretty fast. I would say I was successful this semester even if my grades weren't exactly where I wanted them I am getting the feel for the whole experience.

My first semester as a college freshman is finally coming to an end. This semester has been the start to a new chapter in my life and I am glad to have finally finished my first semester on a high note. Coming into college I never knew what things would be like and how would I adjust. All I knew is that I wanted to succeed and eventually graduate college. The courses I have taken this semester have had big impact on my learning and my future. Assignments that taught skills and lessons to be used in the future. I have learned skills such as being able to collaborate in groups because of projects in ASU 150.

Starting the new semester will be a different experience as to the first semester. My first semester was a beginning to a new chapter, it was my first semester in college. Everything was so different compared to high school. Some things do not change when it comes to school instead, they need to improve, and in this case, it is being successful and not getting into bad habits. As the semester proceeds, there are things I hope I do not change, so they can help me succeed. There are also many obstacles that can get in my way, but with motivation I can overcome them. Some obstacles that might stand in my way of being successful this semester are laziness, distractions, and my social life.

What has my journey to graduation been like for me? My journey has been a crazy, fun-filled learning adventure. I met many goals and accomplishments I set for myself but I also faced some challenges on the way. For example, I finally met my goal of graduating with a 4.6 GPA and maintaining it. Also, I accomplished completing my last four years of grade school and now I am on the way to college. My last year has been interesting and there are many goals, accomplishments and challenges I can reflect on.

Coming into college, one major thing I was excited for was the week of homecoming. In high school, I always had the most spirit and this week was one of my favorites. That being said, I looked forward to participating in the homecoming events this past fall football season. I gained from this experience is that both high school and college homecomings are sociological events that can be compared in many ways.