Last time

So this is it, my very last blog for this semester.I have to say I have enjoyed blogging and writting about these topics you have given us because they all related to me somehow.  I guess I can say this whole college thing has been quite wonderful.  In high school your always on a schedule class after class one after another.  In college, well at the beginning with volleyball going on I had no idea what the heck this free time everyone was talking about was.  But now that seasons over I am loving being able to do relaxing things like being able to have time to take naps and do a little bit more studying.  I went to a high school where a group of our friends have grown up together since we were little. I was used to seeing them everyday for almost twelve years.  It has been over three months since I have seen a lot of my friends and I am so extremely excited to see them over the breaks coming up.  My friends went to colleges all over so we all went our separate ways.  My best friend who actually is going to college in Chicago comes home next Tuesday and lets just say Im so excited its marked on my calendar.  Being around people you haven't grown up with all your life is very different but you learn to make new friends and so far I have met some great ones at TLU.  Registration for next semester was this week and talk about stressful.I guess I was just nervous about how things were going to end up but thank goodness I ended up getting all the classes I wanted but it was still very scary because since I am a freshman we all know we get the last pick.  I guess that is something everything goes through though.  Classes lately have been hectic it seems like I have nothing but tests and projects.  But only two more days of class and then Thanksgiving break! Thank goodness!  I know I will spend this Thanksgiving break spending time with family, enjoying some wonderful food, sleeping and of course shopping.  Oh, and studying of course. 

Fun

I do believe ninety percent of the game for any sport or in everyday life is mental. I can't believe though that there were so few articles that mentioned the word "fun" when it comes to sports. If you aren't having fun when you play a sport then why do you do it? Okay I understand if you dont like it but you receive a full scholarship to play a sport at a university, but if you dont at least enjoy the sport a little why would you waste your time doing it.  In college sports you spend a lot of time out of the classroom, practicing, and you really have no social life so I dont see why you would give all that time up if you dont truly enjoy it. I know for me I cant even begin to describre the amount of fun I have when I play volleyball. Especially when your on a club team where we won 2 national qualifiers receiving national bids to the Junior Olympics and won 2nd place in the largest volleyball national qualifier in the whole nation. Not including winning several other tournaments. So I guess I can say we were very very successful. I look back on those times now and I can honestly say those were some of the best times of my life. And now today playing collegiate volleyball it was such an honor being a starter as a freshman.  Looking back and thinking about all the work I put in to get here today puts a smile on my face. Every time I was on the court it was so fun. I truly feel for any team or an individual to be successful you need to have fun when you play. Having fun definelty affects your mental game. When your having fun in the game it usually increases your confidence which allows you to play at your fullest potential. I absolutely feel when you study you can still have fun. I think I would drive myself crazy if every time I studied I never had fun. Studying in groups and conversing with people when you study is still efficient and at the same time your hanging and having fun with your friends. If you need to get things done in your study session study for an hour or so and then take a break for a little while. Talk with your friends, laugh a little. Its okay to laugh when your study, trust me if you don't you will be so bored and just get lonely. Its always good to be around people than being alone. Having fun is an important asset to life. Yes do your homework and study as much as you can, but don't get overwhelmed if you need a break just go have some fun. Its important.

Near the end

Seems like just yesterday I was super nervous walking around the TLU campus trying to find which room I was in for class at that time.  I remember feeling so scared about meeting my professors, classwork, and all sorts of things.  I had already met the volleyball team and was getting to know them at that time but I was also extremely nervous about meeting friends in my classes and just outside of volleyball.  The thing about TLU is that pretty much everyone is nice so I am so happy I made friends outside of volleyball.  Getting the hang of the whole college thing is scary and I still have a lot to get the hang of but, I feel I did a really good job changing from high school to college.  I can't begin to describe how excited I am that Thanksgiving break is coming up.  As busy as I have been I am extremely ready for a break from school for a couple of days and some much needed family time.  Oh and the black Friday shopping of course.  But, getting close to the end of the semester is kinda scary.  I am very nervous about my finals because I have never been in a situation where I have to study for several classes at one time.  I am definitely going to need to use my time management skills and make a schedule for times to study for each class.  I cannot believe my first semester of college is almost over.  I am also very excited for Christmas break because that is my favorite time of the year! I feel this time of the year my Professors are enjoying giving me a lot of work and test so I am beyond ready for a break. Registration for next semester is coming up and I am stressing out in the fact that I hope I get the classes I want.  It has been quite a relief that volleyball season is over and I get a little bit more relaxation time and more study time.  I have mentioned before that college is very different from high school and yes it took me awhile to get the hang of.  But I have realized that I love it here at TLU and I am very excited for what is ahead in my future.  Nearing the end of the semester is so exciting, nerve racking, scary and all sorts of things.  But, I am very proud of myself for getting this far and I know after Thanksgiving things will start getting very hectic but, all I can do is try my best at all I do.  It is so weird thinking that after Thanksgiving break there is only a week left till our classes are over.  When finals come around yes it will be a scary time but I will study very hard and try to do my best.  So far college has been great and I am very excited about my future.

Mistakes

I believe mistakes help make you into the person you will become in the future.  Mistakes are very common in everyday life for every individual.  Not one person on this earth is perfect so I guarantee if someone claims they have never made a mistake before they are surely lying.  Making mistakes and failing is okay... yes I mean it, it is okay!  I believe you learn from your mistakes. It may take only once to learn from your mistakes or it may take several repeats to finally learn from it.  I know making mistakes has helped me in school and in life in general.  In school it may take me several times to get an assignment right but at the end of the day after I learned from my failure, I finally get it correct.  Making mistakes in an academic environment has helped me today in school.  I know I have many mistakes ahead of me but all I can do is learn from them and try to make myself better.  To make peace with my imperfections I have to focus on my success in my life.  I graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA and am now a collegiate athlete full filling my dream.  I know I am not perfect but I try to be the best person I can be.  Volleyball is a game of mistakes.  I mean come on, in order to score a point somebody has to make a mistake right?  Right! It is the same for volleyball as it is for school.  When you make a mistake you have to shake it off and move on to the next play right away.  You have to learn not to dwell on the mistake you just made because well, you get a total of like 20 seconds before the next play.  If I make a mistake in practice I think about what I can fix and try to do better in the next play.  For your future,you can learn from failure and mistakes by learning how to think things through differently for a better outcome, If the outcome was negative then you can learn from the negative consequences that you experienced thus, knowing next time not to make that poor decision or mistake.  With short-term learning, mistakes could possibly help you to realize everyday assignments are important for overall success in a class whether the assignments are graded or not.  I strongly believe that thinking about consequences before making a decision or mistake is a vital importance for success both in everyday life and in the classroom. 

Relationships #2

I belong to a wonderful Catholic church in San Antonio called St. Jeromes.  It is where I have grown up going to church every Sunday.  The community that we have at our church is absolutely incredible.  When I was in the sixth grade I was in a terrible accident where I almost lost my life and the use of my right leg.  I was told I was never going to walk again.  It was that day on January 21, 2006 that I realized how amazing the congregation of St.Jeromes is.  I will never be able to thank everyone enough for the large amount of prayers and the help they gave my parents.  The love and support my community gave my parents during this tough time was so touching.  People I have never even met were sending me get well soon cards and telling me that they were praying for me.  I know the large amount of prayers from my community may have saved my life.  It truly is awesome that my family and I had such great support during this hard time.  Just recently a good friend of mine that I have grown up with was diagnosed with bone cancer.  It was such a shock since we had just graduated high school together.  When I heard the news I didn't know what to do.  A few weeks later I was told that we were going to say the rosary for my friend at the church one night.  I expected a small group but when I arrived that definitely was not the case.  The amount of people that arrived to pray for this boy was amazing to see.  We sat there that evening praying with my friend for quite awhile.  At the end of the night as I lay in bed I thought back to the scene of that evening.  It brought tears to my eyes thinking about how wonderful of a community I live in with such incredible people.  I guarantee that everybody in our community would go out of their way to help me or anybody at any time.  It is so nice knowing that I always have someone to call if needed.  I look back today thinking how wonderful of a relationship I have with all these people.  Some yes, I do need to get to know better.  But, today I realize that what I went through in 2006 and what my friend is going through right now may be very tough, but it is so much better to go through when you have so many people who care about you, and love you.  Relationships with people is such an important thing in life.  You never know when a time may come along when a friend, or just a classmate may need your help with a struggle they are having.  So my advice to you is, if you know of someone who is going through a hard time be there for them and help them because one day that could be you.

Transition

It has been awhile since I have written about my transition from high school to college so I thought I would go ahead and write about it since we are already halfway through the semester!  Like I have said before transitioning from high school to college was not easy for me.  I feel I am constantly doing homework or playing volleyball whenever I am not in class unlike in high school when I had tons of free time.  I do have to say though I think I am getting used to the way college works and the way my Professors do things in the classroom.  With volleyball season almost being over I am sad but I am very much looking forward to being able to have some relaxation time during the day and not always feeling on the go every second of the day. I always hear people saying how much free time they have and how they get to go do all sorts of things. I have absolutely no clue what they are talking about when it comes to free time in college because I haven't had that since August! In some of my classes I have started to learn different techniques for taking notes and for different things we do in class. In high school I only took notes on a simple piece of paper but I have learned that bringing my laptop to class and taking notes is a lot easier for me.  In high school I had a set of friends that I used to hang out with everyday that I was very close to.  Before college I worried about making friends and I was sad knowing I wasn't going to have my best friends with me everyday.  But when college started I became very close with my teammates and today I have even met lots of friends outside the volleyball life.  One thing I have to say is new to me in college is the large amount of communication I have with my Professors.  In high school I never had to tell my teachers when I had a game because usually they would always know because of an announcement that was made or because my coach told them, but in college I am constantly emailing my teachers letting them know that I will be gone and getting the work that I will have missed.  The Professors here at TLU really do a great job at being understanding on when we have to miss and I am so thankful that my professors have helped me so much this semester so far.   Although it is tough switching from high school to college I do have to say college is absolutely amazing and as much as I loved high school, that is in the past and it's time to focus on my future here at TLU!

Relationships

     First, I would like to thank you, Professor Barry, for your kind words about someone I didn't even know yet have a sense that they were an amazing person.  I am sorry for your loss.  I also feel I am blessed to have you for my teacher in that you care about me as an  individual not just a student.
     Like many of us, I too, have experienced loss of family and friends.  My great-grandparents passed away years ago when I was very young so I really didn't know them very well.  I hear stories from my parents and grandparents that make me feel proud of my ancestors.  Three years ago, seems like yesterday, on a cold night in November, the phone rang in the middle of night that my Aunt Cheryl passed away. I will never forget that night or the feeling I had hearing my mother cry and my parents deciding how it would be best to let my grandparents, my mothers mom and dad, gain knowledge of this sad news.  I can't even imagine the feeling of losing a child.  This is my mom's sister who was only in her thirties at the time of her death.  My aunt had Chrohn's Disease which is an autoimmune disorder that affects the way one metabolizes and absorbs their food intake.  My aunt was first diagnosed with this disease after the birth of her first baby which all started from an antibiotic that was given to her after she developed an infection after the birthing process.  My aunt experienced daily symptoms of her disease but never complained or felt sorry for herself.  She had to quit the one thing she loved, teaching, at a early age.  She was an amazing math and computer teacher and had this amazing ability to teach with success even the weakest students in this field.  I could call her day or night with a math problem and she could walk me through it without the slightest bit of difficulty even making sense to me, the "I HATE MATH" kind of student.  My Aunt Cheryl loved helping and teaching others.  She loved science projects and every year we would all go to her house and we would have science weekends and perform science experiments.  She loved the outdoors especially fishing which I often can see her doing as a comfort feeling when I think of her.  She was an amazing mom even through her weakest states and I truly miss her every day.  I am comforted to know she is in a better place and no longer in pain of suffers from her disease.
     Many of you know from my previous postings that I experienced a very life altering experience being involved in an accident in which I was seriously injured.  For me, not only does death but my love to live enlighten me every day to enjoy what matters to me the most of any given day.  My family is the most amazing group of people you would ever meet.  We cherish, support and love each other very much.  I am truly blessed.  My friends, teammates, coaches and supportive teachers are important in my life as well.  And for me, God, who gave me this extraordinary life is the highest on my list. 

Confidence

I personally found this blog assignment intriguing.  I truly believe as well that self confidence is an important component for success in school, sports and quite honestly in life.  I have been told by my parents that as a child I have had this special gift to face each day "head on" with optimism even under the most difficult, stressful situations.  It seems like I have always been a confident person in myself which I attribute to my upbringing and genetics.  My parents have raised me in a Christian home and allowed me to make decisions, sometimes not the best ones, to teach me the value of understanding outcomes to the decisions I rendered.  I also have a strong work ethic as most of my Polish family does which contributes to my strong will and determination to make the best of each day.  I can truly say that I frequently find myself telling myself "I've got this" almost on a daily basis.  This helps with my confidence level especially during difficult tests or situations that might require some extra effort.  I was involved in a horrendous accident several years ago that almost left me unable to walk when I severely cut my right upper leg.  It was my confidence in myself and my medical team that led to great results.  Here I am now playing college volleyball and starting as a freshman.  I am an athlete playing both softball and volleyball all four years of high school.  I also played select national volleyball and was elected captain of both my high school and national teams.  To be a team captain you must first believe in yourself and value every member of the team no matter what position or amount of play time that athlete possesses.  A positive attitude builds confidence and self esteem.  It's amazing what a compliment or kind word can do to boost anyone's level of confidence whether in the athletic arena or everyday situation.  If for some reason my outcome isn't what I would like it to be, I do not harp on the negative.  I tell myself, "I will do better on the next one or encourage my teammates the next game can only be better."  Right now I am not making an acceptable grade to me in one of my classes.  I never thought I would have this problem taking all honor courses in high school and graduating as one of the top in my class.  I hear many others here are going through the exact same scenerio.  However, I know I will pass this class and make a grade I can accept and continue with my studies.  As a person and student, we should not say we cannot do it.  Anything is possible when you put your mind to it and have confidence in yourself.  "Go get 'em".....

Concentration

Today was Homecoming here at TLU.  I sit here attempting to write this blog after a long day of events for me.  As many know, I play volleyball for our school and we had an amazing match this afternoon.  We dominated Sul Ross University defeating them three games to zero on our home court.  Many of my family members came to watch me play which made me feel really special.  I played well too so that added a tad of excitement for me personally.  I decided to come home where I am trying to get some homework done this evening so that tomorrow, Sunday, I can take a few hours off to relax which I haven’t had much time to do these past few weeks since school has started.  I personally think we all must take some time to engage in a fun activity for yourself to maintain some sense of sanity in this busy lifestyle we live in.  It’s a tad bit hard to concentrate as members of my family are all involved in different tasks around the house and the University of Texas football game is loudly playing in our living room.  While I miss the busy lifestyle of my family, I have quickly realized in these last few minutes that I need more of a quiet place to study and to do homework.  Wow, never thought I would miss my small dorm room for something. Although in my dorm room their can be many distractions, that small room is great for when you need a quiet area.  I honestly like to write but like always I have several other subjects that I have homework for plus several chapters of science to review and study for a test this upcoming Friday.   Not only due I have the stress to do well on an exam, I need to pack for our last out of town volleyball tournament that takes place next weekend.  I do like the advice taken from our last blog assignment to “stay in the moment” so I’m not going to stress tonight and finish one task at a time starting with this blog.  I then plan on completing my Write to Serve project.  I’m not a procrastinator so I will complete my FREX homework tonight even though it isn’t due until Tuesday.  I guess I am learning to concentrate a tad bit better than before I entered college and I certainly know for sure I am managing my time better.  Look at me tonight, a Saturday and I am home doing homework instead of going out.  WOW!

Focus and Concentration

I have always been the type of student who has to work hard in class and study very hard to achieve success in high school.  I am a goal setter and I reached my goal of graduating from high school with a one hundred plus average which took many long hours of hard school work and dedication to my studies.  Being an athlete here at TLU, leads to many hours on the road and many missed classes. Being on the volleyball team here at TLU, we travel many days during the week and also on many weekends.  Time management is very crucial in order to be successful.  I have been very lucky to have a roommate that is also an athlete and is school conscious and does her homework.  This means that we both are able to study in our room without conflict since we both do our assignments and study to prepare for tests.  My dorm room is at the end of a hallway so the noise level is low which also helps me to stay focused and concentrate.  However, to be truthful the toilet we share in our suite is quite loud so this has been a distraction to me when I am in deep thought or studying.  There really is no solution to this problem which breaks my concentration at times.  There are many quiet areas on campus that I find useful to stay when I need to concentrate such as the ASC, the library and the lounge area in our hall.  One thing that I have found to be a struggle within myself since starting college is letting go of the past if I have made a grade that isn’t to my standard especially if it is a low grade on a test.  While I realize that not one test can determine if you pass or fail a course, it makes the next test that much more stressful to take.  One way I could live in the moment is to study every day the materials covered in class to prepare for the future test.  Also, I need to tell myself that I am smart and I can master the next test and believe in myself.  I also need to not stress myself out preparing for tests especially if I have more than one in one week. I will take the advice of “living in the moment” by concentrating on one course at a time, completing the contents for that one course, then attack the next subject that work must be completed.  I will make every attempt to stay focused and concentrate on my studies in order to be successful as a student and person.

Playmaker

I can relate to Tamika Catchings and her willingness to work hard to become a better athlete and person after a health scare that could have ended her career.  I, too, could have given up several years ago when I was told I may not walk again after a traumatic accident which involved the use of my right leg.  The words, “We will just have to see how things advance in your recovery to see establish how well if at all you will walk again,” by my physician will never leave my memory but certainly provided the encouragement to work harder in life than I ever had before.  Today I am playing collegiate volleyball, proof that anything is possible in life when you set your mind to a positive outcome.   With that being said, I am certainly a playmaker myself.  One of my goals last week was to inform and make up academic work I would be missing by travelling with the volleyball team to Colorado.  This was done with success.  I also met my goal of meeting my biology lab partner before and after I left for volleyball play to work and establish what each of us needed to work on over the weekend.  Once again, success was established when we turned in our completed assignment on time thus proving I am a playmaker for myself and my lab partner.  My goal of remaining positive and having fun while I played volleyball at the tournament was met even though we only came home with one victory out of four.  This really wasn't bad considering we played to nationally ranked teams.  I am not so sure I am shying away from making plays in my academic life but I am not certain about what field I am truly interested in at this time.  I guess this could considered shying away to an extent or just me having to figure out what I am most interested in as I take my prerequisites here at TLU.   So far, my courses have been challenging yet I am trying my very best to keep up with the work and to study effectively to be successful.  I have spent endless hours devoted to my studies which I think is essential in being your own playmaker to succeed in college and in life as a whole…

My transition from high school to college #2

I'm sitting here after a long day of volleyball play hundreds of miles away from home and TLU.  I'm quite tired yet I know I have to push myself to work on homework that I have to finish for next week.  I'm "stressing" because I have several classes with things that are due and tests scheduled for next week.  This is so different than high school because while I always had tests and assignments due, my  teachers were very lenient and sometimes gave me extra time to complete assignments or allowed me to take tests on a separate day especially if I missed a day of instruction.  I know I am not the only incoming freshman feeling the same way.   Most of my teammates and roommate are feeling the same way.  While talking to my friends, we have all decided that we can be successful but it does take a toll on your body both mentally and physically.  There really is no true way in my opinion to prepare for how you feel when you enter and transition into college.  I knew my course load along with playing a sport was going to be tough.  TLU staff gave us valuable information as we entered college these past few weeks ago but you really don't know what to expect until all the work and tests start to take place.  My sister is a current graduate student in San Antonio, she is getting her Doctorate in Physical Therapy, and she said this is a normal feeling.  She tells me that the first round of tests will be tough but it takes time to learn how to effectively study and manage your time for all the course work.  She also tells me that the first test in a class will give you a "good feel" on how the professor wants you to study and how he or she tests.  She claims she did not always do very well on her first test but not to give up because she learned after the first test what key points the professor wants you to focus on for the next one.  She also tells me that each professor tests differently and this is all a learning experience in itself.  I have a Biology test this week and while I am preparing myself by reading the materials and studying the slides my professor has assigned the class, I'm just not that sure I will be fully prepared.  I'm not at TLU to get with a study buddy this weekend, being in Colorado, so I hope I am preparing myself to make a passing grade.  I have to honestly admit, and I am not bragging", but I have not been out partying and so far I have studied every day after each class.  I have been able to keep up with classwork so far and I pray I can continue to be so dedicated.  It's really all up to me but I hope God is watching down on me as I face many challenges this upcoming week with projects due and multiple first round tests. I certainly will give it my all as I work towards making the grades to fulfill my dreams...

My Goals

The blog assignment this week personally reflects my attitude about athletes and goals because I am an athlete and have achieved many successes in my life by goal setting.  This week is a bit unusual than most because our TLU volleyball team is flying to Colorado for four days of play in a tournament.  With that being said, my week goals are different than a normal week of TLU academics.  My first goal is to inform my professors that I am not skipping class for leisure but will be missing class due to athletic play.  I want to make sure my teachers are aware I’m serious about my studies and won’t miss class unless I’m really ill.  I also need to get assignments for the two days I will miss class.  My biology lab falls on Thursdays each week so I have already met one goal for making up this lab on Tuesday afternoon of this week.  I have a lab partner and assignment due next week so I must set a goal to meet with her before I leave to know what each of us needs to work on and set a place and time of meeting upon my return to complete the assignment.  I have set a short term goal of having a peer take notes for me in one class I am missing on Friday.  If this goal wouldn’t be met, I would not know what was being covered in class thus the potential for falling behind might occur.  Another goal I have set this week is to prepare my belonging for travel.  This is always stressful for me because I cannot forget to take my personal supplies and essentials like my jerseys, kneepads and shoes to play volleyball.  I started writing a list of things I must pack last weekend to lessen my stress of travelling.  Yes, as an aggressive athlete, I want to win.  So, a goal of mine is to play my hardest while having fun in the progress.  I always set this goal for myself and know it’s just a game.  The hardest goal this week is for me to remain positive no matter what happens on the court, classroom and in life.  This is a personal goal I have set for myself every day I wake up.  My parents have always told me to reach for the stars and with that goal setting is so important.