I thought the growth mindset was really interesting. I have
never heard of Carol Dweck before. I can really relate to what she talked
about. Usually when I get test grades back and they aren’t great, it really
just knocks down my confidence and makes me want to give up, especially if I
studied really hard for that exam. If I grew up with that growth mindset I feel
like I would enjoy challenges more. Challenges usually scare me because I am
afraid of failing and I hate how it makes me feel. One class that I am taking
this year is Intro to Neurobiology and I am kind of nervous. I really hope I
enjoy the class and not just be worried about grades the whole semester because
there are only two exams.
(Meme created by Laura Gibbs: photo from Cheeseburger)
One of my favorite organizational tips for starting the
semester strong is keeping everything in a planner of some sort. Writing down assignments
and due dates are important and can be really helpful because it has helped me
a lot in the past. As the semester starts, you will probably get really busy
with other classes so I think it is important to designate certain days or
times for this class. Keeping a list of items to do each week somewhere in your
room or in your laptop can really help remind you also.
For week 2, I have chosen Alice in Wonderland. This caught
my attention because I loved the novel and the movies! I thought they were
really interesting so I think I will enjoy reading more about it. Another unit
that caught my attention was Nursery Rhymes. I have a lot of nieces of nephews
that watch the nursery rhyme videos so the songs always get stuck in my head
for many days. Some day I will catch myself singing to them when I’m alone
which I think is kind of funny. I think it will be interesting to learn more
about the background of each nursery rhyme.
The first thing I read was a storybook called Characters of Christmas. I first picked this storybook because it was about Christmas.
Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. As I read the introduction, I was
surprised at what the storybook was actually about. It was about how Christmas
Characters go through Post-Christmas Stress Disorder. The introduction does a
really great job at explaining what the storybook will be about and what
characters go through this disorder.I
really liked the design that they choose, it is really pretty and had a
Christmas vibe to it.
I read another storybook called The Unanswered Questions of Pooh and Friends. The title does a great job at letting the readers know what
it will be about. It caught my attention because I loved Pooh when I was
younger. This story talks about struggles or issues that Pooh has. I really
like it because it tells us that even though someone may seem like they are
fine or their life is perfect they may be go going through hard times. I also
liked the design for this storybook. It was orange and red just like Pooh.
Lastly, I read Mean Girls Morals. It is a storybook. I first
picked this because I loved the movie Mean Girls. I have watched this movie so
many times and I can watch it some more! The introduction of this storybook
does a great job at telling the readers what it is about. I liked how they used
fables as well. The design matches with the movie and the pictures are a great
way to help the reader visualize each character. Overall, they did a great job
at picking the design and pictures. This gives me a hint about what I will do
and what kinds of things I will add to my own storybook.
Hi everyone! My name is Iab Vang and my major is Biology.
Biology is really interesting because you get to learn about living things
whether it is plants, animals, or humans!
The best class that I have taken is Field Herpetology at the
OU Bio-station this summer. I signed up for this class not knowing what it was.
It was only 2 weeks and would count as a 3-credit lab so I said why not? Also,
I met the professor at a biology club meeting so I was sold. I would have to
say that this was the best experience I’ve ever had. Herpetology is the study of
amphibians and reptiles so we were exposed to a lot of snakes, turtles, frogs,
and many more! (I am definitely not a reptile or amphibian girl!!!) Some animals we caught were Timber Rattlesnakes, Copperheads,
Leopard Frogs, Green Treefrogs, Red-eared sliders, a Stinkpot, Mississippi Box
turtles, and many more! The night the copperhead was caught, the class
celebrated with ice cream and it was great! We went out to different fields
like creeks and swamps to collect these animals. At first I was really scared
to touch them, but the last couple of days I finally got to catch some. We
collected these animals to test them for the disease Chytrid, which is an
infectious disease that is currently affecting amphibians. Overall, I did not
want this class to end. I enjoyed it so much that I am currently volunteering
at the Sam Noble Museum, helping with my professor’s current research. I highly
recommend taking a course at the OU bio-station because it will be an unforgettable
experience!
(Catching a Copperhead: Photo taken by Joshua Kouri; photo from OU biostation July 2016)
(Alligator snapping turtle: Photo taken by Joshua Kouri; photo from August 2016)
One thing that I love doing most is traveling. This past year I was fortunate enough to go to Miami, Los Angeles, and Clearwater. I got to go Miami for the Orange Bowl game and it was so much fun! Although we lost, I had a great time and experience there. It was very diverse and I met people from different countries.
During spring
break my sister and I took a trip to Los Angeles. I have two friends currently
living there so I thought it would be awesome to visit them and explore a city
that I’ve never been to. Los Angeles is a great city and I had such an awesome time.
We went to the Santa Monica pier one day and it was super packed but I had fun.
We also went to Venice beach and it was beautiful. On another day, we walked
down the Hollywood boulevard. There is just so much to do In LA and I will
definitely go back.
(Personal photo of Venice Beach: photo taken March 2016)
Another trip was in May, my family and I went to Clearwater
beach for a summer vacation. We met up with other family members and just spent
a nice week at the beach. As I mentioned before, I love the beach so I
definitely had a great time!
(personal photo of my sister and I parasailing: photo taken in May 2016)
I would say one thing that I have accomplished this past
year is logging in a lot of volunteer hours at the Norman Regional Hospital. I
volunteered in the recovery room so I was exposed to many patients and also
interacted with a lot of nurses and doctors. It has been such a great
experience!
