I suppose I have to give some shout-outs to the Lobos since I am studying at UNM this summer. I’m halfway through my second week of classes, and it’s proving to be interesting, though a bit more difficult than I expected.

I have hours of homework a night, because I try to do a minimum of 2 hours of German and do my math homework as well. German is proving to be a bit tricky, because it is so new, and still moving quickly. I feel like this class would be a lot of fun to take by its self in the summer, because then I could really delve into the language and culture. Nonetheless, I hope the classes go well. 

Well it’s a huge school so I can’t really generalize. I guess there are more hookups, especially for freshman because everyone is just packed into the dorms, getting drunk, and trying to have fun all of the time. I haven’t met too many people that just date, but then again I’ve probably only met like 1% of the school’s population.

Still listening to that Lana Del Rey.

This summer may prove to be a long one, but hopefully enjoyable nonetheless. After finishing finals and moving out of the dorms, the quality of my life drastically increased. The same night I moved out, I saw Aziz Ansari live. Then I partied for the next 3 days. Seeing all of my awesome friends after graduation was great, and saying goodbye wasn’t easy. 

After that few days, I spend a few days in Albuquerque with my grandparents that I will be living with during the summer while I take classes. Needless to say, it was quite lonely. I only know 1 person and the cousins I have that live here, so the time was pretty dull. The most exciting day was when I got to accompany my 6 year old cousin and his class to the zoo, which was pretty awesome. 20ish episodes of Lost later, I traveled back to Pinetop for 10ish days to celebrate Adela’s graduation.

Now Pinetop is really a place I don’t like. The people stay the same, there are preconceived notions, and there isn’t much to do. But to be honest, that week I spent there was probably the best Pinetop experience I will ever have. I was able to be laid back, and not have to worry about anything. On top of that, graduation festivities gave me a good opportunity to catch up with old friends, and enjoy their presence. I went to graduation parties, helped with the lock-in, and got myself out in the woods for some camping.

Now I am sitting back in my room in Albuquerque, spending the day to myself. I brought Jeremiah to the airport at 4 am, which wasn’t easy considering the last 3 nights totaled about 15 hours of sleep. I plan on going to the school and ensuring that everything administrative has been taken care of, then going to work out.

Needless to say, this week could be one of the most dull I ever experience. I almost went as low as emailing those poor souls posting ads for friendship on craigslist. I hope that I meet some awesome people in my classes, or at least do a lot of learning and growing this summer. 

Definitely. Well, I mean, it isn’t “hard” but like…you just make new friends. It’s not like you lose your old friends, you just make new ones. It’s up to you. Personally, I wanted to meet brand new people, so I loved doing it. Some people have friends they match up with perfectly and don’t separate, which is fine too. But you are going to meet awesome and new people wherever you go, so I would say as far as friends go there isn’t really a bad decision. 

I would also say even if you go to the same school as your friend, you will drift apart simply because of your dorm, the people you meet anyway, and your classes. So I would say in that regard don’t make a big part of you decision based on other people. Pick a place with a good program that you like, or a good location, or whatever those may be, but do it because you want to, not because of what those around you want. 

Program Council is the sickest. Well you can join Street Team, which is just like postering and advertising and then you can like work the booth at shows. You can work production, which is what I currently do, which is like setting up/taking down/helping with shows. There’s security, which go during the shows and help set up a little, stay for the show, and take down. Then there are office jobs. I also intern as the Graphic Design intern, so there’s that (though there aren’t too many intern spots). But the office jobs include like director, marketing director, Club 156 director…just jobs that run specific things within PC. Check out the website, it’s definitely a great club. I plan on being heavily involved the next years, and I recommend starting with street team for sure.

The Show

Welcome to the show. Freshman year is an interesting time in life. As it comes to a close, I look back at all of the great experiences I have had, the people I have met, and the lessons I have learned.

Never again in my life will I be forced to live in a giant house with 400 other kids my age who are desperately trying to drunkenly fondle as many people as possible. Not often does the chance arise to restart, and being who I am is quite refreshing. And rarely is one given the opportunity to meet brand new people and create new connections as I have this year. 

One of the most notable experiences has been Program Council. Without them, my college experience would be a lot less meaningful and a lot more dull. What began as me putting up posters for shows turned into an internship, production job, and more notable job offers. The people in it are not only good at what they do on the job, but also wonderful people who work well in a team. If there’s one thing I miss from home, it’s soccer, and Program Council is a similarly tight-knit team that entertains people through musical performance rather than sports. 

Putting on Macklemore with PC helped me realize that this is where I want to be, and that I’m meant to be with these people. The show went incredibly smoothly, and most people had an awesome time. As I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with my PC friends and looked across Balch from the balcony, an overwhelming sense of happiness rushed over me. Together, we had sold out a show in the biggest concert venue in Boulder, and made a lot of people ecstatic. There were 4,000 students, kids, parents, and cops raising their hands in the air, screaming Macklemore’s name, and I couldn’t help but be proud of everyone I work with and everything I’d done to help make that happen.  

Needless to say, as my freshman year winds to an end, I will look back upon the days with glee. I made mistakes, met people who I genuinely connect with, and, for one of the few times in my life, feel as though I belong and that I am doing something important. Thanks for a great first year CU, I’m sure the next will be just as incredible.

That show was fun. Lots of fun. 

“That which you manifest is before you”

-French auto racer named Gabriel Flouret

I first heard this quote from my high school soccer coach. He was telling me about how to be a good captain, and to not only expect the future you want, but to prepare for it and visualize it. It’s funny, because that time of my life I felt the least meaning. When I was a senior I was saturated with the idea that we live and die, simple as that. 

I received a phone call today that could potentially change my future forever. I was offered a job that could open many doors for me. I expected to apply for it maybe as a senior, but was told that I could have it today. What an interesting thought. I love the group it is with, and the money is the last thing on my mind. I haven’t accepted or denied the job, but it is interesting how it makes me feel as though I could actually make a difference for once in my life. Last week in one of my classes I was asked to discuss if I felt as though I was on an adventure, and if I feel I’ve had a call to adventure. I responded with saying I felt as though I was kind of just on this path, and that I didn’t exactly feel “called” to do anything in my life so far. 

I think it’s funny, because today I literally was called. I was called to do a job I would love, though it would be incredibly time-consuming and difficult, not to mention add a lot of pressure to my life. And yet this call gives me the opportunity to become something much more than myself, and impact large groups of people. 

I am still not sure if I will take the job, or even get it, but the idea that I have even been considered gives me a new hope for life. I guess the thought that I might apply as a senior manifested its self, and here I am. On an Adventure.

On Monday, March 11, 2013, Tyler, the Creator returned to his hometown of Boulder to receive a ceremonial key to the city, and give his fans a night to remember. Over 1,500 kids stood in line from as early as 10:00am to witness his first solo show ever, at the legendary Fox Theatre. Faced with a capacity of only 625 and an incredible turnout that included members of the Boulder police, Tyler decided to add a second show to please as many fans as possible. Both sets were equally awesome, and the fans were doubly stoked. Thank you, Tyler, for an amazing night. And big thanks to the Fox Theatre and staff for being the best hosts.

Such a great show.

As a kid, I was always taught to do the right thing and stand up for what I believe in. I was told my friends and peers would back me up, and that often standing up would create the positive change I was looking for. What they don’t tell you is that the negative repercussions will also have a serious impact.

In high school, I can think of 2 distinctive times when I was faced with an ethical dilemma, and I acted on it. The first was an attempt to remove a corrupt, power-hungry teacher from the position he was in, or at least influence him in a way to create a level playing field for my classmates. I attempted talking to him as well as the principal, but in the end my efforts were fruitless. He stayed in power, and I was essentially alienated on top of having to work that much harder to ensure my grade came out the way I wanted it to. I was disappointed by the school system that I had previously held up, at least regards to the fact that I could make positive change within it. 

A year or two passed, and the second opportunity arose. I was sitting in my AP Calculus class as my peers and I anxiously received the results of our first test. For most of us, they were worse than expected. For 2 kids in particular, though, they were talking up their successes gloatingly and disrespectfully. I was curious- not because they had gotten relatively better grades than everyone (the vast majority of the class was notably smart)-but because they were so eager to share their successes. The two students weren’t necessarily known for their humility, but their insistence on letting the class know they did so well was disconcerting.  After talking to them, I came to find out that they had stolen the answers to the test and cheated during the exam. I didn’t think their above-average grades combined with their haughty attitudes were something that should go unnoticed, so I let the teacher know. 

The social repercussions were potentially predictable, yet still devastating, at least to me personally. I began to be harassed during class, shunned outside of class, and was deserted by many of my so-called close friends. I was confused. Fortunately for me, I wasn’t expecting to remain in contact with many high school peers after graduation anyway, but I still didn’t quite understand. Why, after being told my whole life to stand up for what I believe in, was I getting such a negative response for what I had done?

Soon enough though, high school was over and such seemingly trivial things were in the past. I was going to CU, and I was going to be able to reset relationships, and I wouldn’t have to worry about ridiculous ethical issues involved with standing up for my personal education.

Recently, I am finding I was wrong.

Last week in my computing class, I was working on my lab early while another class was working on theirs. The lab was quite difficult, and there were many negative responses to the results of it. Instead of being told to turn their lab in, though, their TA instructed them that they would be given 2 extra days and a help sheet. “How interesting”, I thought. I was glad to know that our instructors backed us up if we were struggling. I proceeded to attend my lab and, like the previous lab, proceeded to become frustrated and unhappy with my lab results. But my TA instructed our lab to turn it in, as is. I was once again confused. I had to be at a meeting soon thereafter, so I didn’t hesitate; I simply turned in my code and left.

I was thought throughout the next few days that it wasn’t right that a particular set of students got 48 more hours than the rest of us to finish the same lab. All of us are paying exorbitant amounts of money to essentially compete against our peers, and such a blatant leg-up is clearly unfair. I proceeded to send the professor an email in which I explained that it was unethical for certain students to have an advantage, and that the lab should be dropped or the rest of the students were given extra time. The response I received summed to “CU doesn’t drop labs, they are not run that way”, but a few days later received an email that the entire class was given a few extra days to finish the lab. I was pleased with the result, but still concerned. I realized, what if I hadn’t said anything? What if I had not been to my lab early, or if I had simply decided to not speak up? How many blatantly unethical scenarios have disadvantaged a large group of students without them even knowing? 

I am faced with another issue. I am going to follow through with it, speak to the teacher, and hopefully insight a positive change within a different class of mine. But the question still remains- when does it end? How much can I help? I have been re-confused recently because I can only impact the instances that I see and decide to impact. I thought that because I was paying extreme amounts of money to attend these classes,  the teachers would all be top-notch and ethical decisions would not have to be dealt with. Unfortunately, I am faced with a blatantly different reality. 

I am constantly questioning how much wrong goes on, and why. Why do certain people not speak up? Why do these seemingly easily preventable ethical issues occur in the first place? And should I act if such negative consequences are a possibility? I suppose I will carry on doing what I think is right, but if it pays off…only time will tell.
 

CU Students Against Modern Day Slavery (CU SAMS)
F Word (The)
League for Life
Panhellenic

A good website to look for other clubs
http://sofo.colorado.edu/SOFOsdg.php  

The Best of the Worst

…and putting on the world’s largest paint party was exactly that.

Helping put on Life in Color was one of the best and worst experiences of my entire life.

I began work at 7 am Saturday, where we put together a heavy stage, unloaded the production truck, and laid down giant rolls of carpet.

My work ended at 7:20 am. Sunday. My legs were more sore than they have ever been. I felt 100 lbs heavier, and it felt as though my feet had been hit with sledgehammers. My hands were raw from washing and lifting things. I was hard of hearing and borderline collapsing from exhaustion. 

People left before they should’ve, didn’t come when they should’ve, and everyone hit a tipping point. The paint was everywhere, and impossible to clean all of it. The bathroom was destroyed, and the track floor was sprinkled with paint. 

So of course in those senses, it wasn’t what I would call fun. But I did have a lot of fun. I got paid to see Borgore and other artists, and got to experience some new and exciting things. I was part of something that people will remember as their best night ever. I learned that I can stay awake for 25 hours, and do hard labor for most of it. I pushed my limits and never quit- therefore I succeeded. 

And Program Council. Thank you all so much. Everyone worked extremely hard, and did all that they could to make the event incredible. I would never have seen the potential I have if I hadn’t been working alongside such incredible individuals. 

programcouncil:

What happens when Program Council closes at 5…

Program Council is the sickest. Naturally, this is just a normal day.

What an odd thought, a good Monday. It almost seems like filling Chinese food or military intelligence. But I’ve experienced what few have experienced before. The changes this semester are more intense, but certainly for the better. 

The classes, well, they’re harder. All of them. But with that comes more intense and deep discussions, new and intriguing assignments, and a new hurdle to challenge myself with. 

The friends are faster and harder to keep up with, but meeting someone new every day has been a fun new way to keep life interesting and socially challenging. 

And then there’s Keegan. Keegan is a friend of mine whom I lost contact with years ago. He stepped into my mind one day, and interestingly enough, the next day he contacted me. Then today I get a call from some random number I don’t know in the middle of my writing class, only to find out that it is long lost Keegan, and that he lives close by. I was filled with excitement, and encouraged by what else the future has to hold. I’m glad I get to enjoy this Monday, because midterms next week are going to be quite the challenge. 

Until then, here’s to Mondays. 

Somehow I knew you would say that. But neither was yours.