Natalie Hahs

Freshman Biology major at UK

[nataliehahs-blog]

I found this while looking at some of my volunteer options. This was one of upcoming events on the Lexington Humane Society’s website. Device Pitstop is donating 10% of 2 days of sales to the humane society and offering free puppuccinos (as read in the above image). Events like this offer a way to get people interested in visiting the humane society, as well as possibly adopting. Donations and events to organizations that help animals is always a plus. I wouldn’t mind doing research on organizations around Lexington that involve/protect/help animals. Just an idea post. 

Image is linked to the humane society website :)

[nataliehahs-blog]

A question I have had is what kind of jobs are available to people with disabilities. My first response is that any one can really do any job, it’s more about which jobs do these individuals prefer doing. I have met a lot of people who won’t do a job if they don’t want to - disability or not. My research on this topic has lead me to the story of Ryan. This is an example to my question of jobs that students can get once they are out of high school, so a 2-in-1 answer. Ryan is very interested in nature, math, and science. Jim Callendar, his job instructor said that “[Ryan] is really knowledgeable... because he wants to learn”. That is really the case with anyone, if you are interested in something that can be a future career why will you not learn more? Some skills Ryan will have to develope are followings directions and taking good care of the plants. Taking care of the plants is definitely what Ryan is interested in doing, but job coaches provide the resources for Ryan and other individuals like him to learn the necessary communication and life skills to manage their work. 

I found Ryan’s story on https://www.realworkstories.org/

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I know these posts aren’t specifically about the Lexington Special Olympics, but the r-word and any stereotypes definitely affect everyone in the SO community all over the world, including Lexington. This post is the same topic as the post before this one called “Spread the word to end the word”. But this is an open letter to a Ann Coulter, a political commentator who used the word “retard” IN A TWEET when referencing one of the politicians after a foreign policy debate debates (story about this found on CNN as reference). However, Mr. Stephens doesn’t attempt to question her use of the word too much. He does ask about why she doesn’t use another word, but continues by saying, “well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor”. There is honestly no better way to say that. Imagine if your name was used to insult other people. That’s not right, you are proud of your name and anyone who is compared to you must be pretty great, that’s exactly his idea. The individuals with disabilities are some of the most passionate, motivated, and kindhearted people you will ever meet. I have met so many athletes who are unapologetically them selves, who wouldn’t want to be so much as appreciated for a quality like that? People who seem to fall under the category of “retarded” are actually far from what societies understanding of that word it, why is it used to compare someones intelligence or ability?  

This is a follow up post of the “spread the word to end the word post”.

I have known about this story for a couple years, but looked at CNN to make sure I had a little understanding to the reason for the letter :) I know it’s not the best source, but for and overview it works.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/23/living/ann-coulter-obama-tweet/index.html

Image is linked to the website to find the full letter

[nataliehahs-blog]

Spread the word to end the Word

In 2009 there was a campaign started to end the “r-word” which happens the be the word “retard” or other things such “mentally retarded”. This campaign has people all across the world pledge to not use the r-word and to discourage its use from others. I have taken the pledge for many years now, and I will keep taking it and encouraging everyone to do the same until there is no need for the campaign any more. Something I learned while researching is that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act website says that the phrase “mental retardation” has actually been replaced with “intellectual disability” which is a major break through, since they have been campaigning the end of the word for the past 8 years. The website says that the IDEA is a law offering services to children with disabilities. Such things as early intervention of education in toddlers and special education for children with disabilities, I know many of the students stay in high school until they are 21, and take classes such as culinary to build some life skills before having to try and find a job. Although these are early education opportunities, what programs, post-high school, are out there for students who graduate and have a disability? What are some of the job opportunities these students have?

R-word campaign: http://www.r-word.org/

IDEA website: http://idea.ed.gov/

[nataliehahs-blog]

Presentation Reflection

Looking at it now, this presentation went a lot smoother than my first one. I was more prepared and comfortable with what I was talking about. I could have spent a little more time just making sure my thoughts were a little more organized, but practice time was fine. What I found most satisfying was not during the presentation itself, but the 15 minutes before class started when I did a little quick run through of my presentation with a few of my classmates and they continued to talk about the topic for the rest of the time before we actually went into the class room. I got to see how people organized their thoughts and it influenced how I changed my PowerPoint so that way it would flow a little better. My presentation was unique since my research so far was based one what I have learned through my time spent with SOKY (my topic). I think the class learned a little more about my passion/interest in making the city of Lexington a little better for these Special Olympics athletes who have to face so many struggles. For the next presentation, I can definitely have a more solid understanding of what I will do with my topic. If I could do this presentation again I may add a better story at the beginning that would really connect with my audience, even though with that discussion before class I knew it did connect with some of them.

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Unified - General Update

These photos were taken about a year apart. In my introductory post, I talked about my friend Chris and showed some pictures from SOKY Summer Games. I was a State Youth Activation Committee (YAC) member as well as the Vice President of YAC at my high school. The bottom picture is one of the very first events I went to involving SOKY, and I fell in love. I fell in love with the athletes, the message, and the atmosphere. Every day is exciting when you are around my friends (Andre, top left, and Hayden, bottom right). The top picture is of me coaching Chris at his very first swim meet, and I don’t think I have ever been so proud as when I was when he finished. So my update is is that now that I have gotten settled into the college life, I have finally reached out to the people I need to to get involved with SOKY here in Lexington. Being a coach for amazing athletes definitely made me feel proud, because watching them compete and excel. It really shows that any body can do anything.

Pictures were taken from my personal Instagram

Even though I have this as a general update, it will be used for my research presentation.

[nataliehahs-blog]

SOKY

For the past couple of years, I have been involved with the Special Olympics in Western Kentucky. Upon moving to Lexington, I have become a UCS College Ambassador. Unified Champion Schools (UCS) is a program designed to get the Special Olympic athletes involved with their high school sports through unified partners in each sport. Right now there is bowling, track & field, basketball, and cheer leading in some places. How does this program effect UK? I’m going to go ahead and answer that question since it is part of my requirements for being an ambassador. After high school, many of the athletes have nothing else to do. Many of them get part time jobs at fast food restaurants or grocery stores. So what this program is trying to do now is to somehow get these athletes involved with intramural sports at UK, UofL, and Murray State University as far as I am aware at this point. There are a lot of SO teams in the Lexington area, and of those teams many are getting ready to graduate from high school. This project will be a big thing for them.

facebook.com/sokentucky is where I found the picture after I signed up to volunteer for the Area 8 Bowling Tournament

[kentuckywrd110-blog]

On Friday, my friends and I attended the Festival Latino de Lexington, which is a cultural fair to share the culture and traditions of Central and South America. While there we were able to experience the food, performances and goods that are popular from these different countries. However, the festival is on the smaller side and this lead to the lack of representation of some South American countries. Also, the festival seemed to revolve around Central America and lacked in aspects from other countries. I wonder why there is such a unequal representation from other countries? 

[kentuckywrd110-blog]

Last Friday, I wondered why the Festival Latino de Lexington was so small and expressed unequal representation of all Spanish speaking countries. While I couldn’t find much information about individual country representation I was able to look up the latest census and gain information about the Hispanic/ Latino population in Kentucky. By looking at the census it showed that only 3.5% of Kentucky’s total population is Hispanic or Latino.This could help explain as to why the festival itself was so small and had limited representation. 

You can access the census for Kentucky at this link https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/KY

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This post from Morgan’s blog really interested me since it has the same idea of the blog I re-blogged from Katie. That idea that there are minorities around Lexington that aren’t adequately represented in the city and appreciated as much as they should be. Both of the topics from both posts can be tied together in one final project. My idea could ultimately be tied in since discrimination isn’t solely reliant on skin color or race, but it is based on the ability of these groups discriminated against. Each group, including the “disabled”,  is judged based on stereotypes on ability and what they can offer society. Each of these ideas could make a good overall final project, but I am not quite sure how right now.

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This is the University of Kentucky Arboretum.  It is actually the official State Botanical Garden for the Commonwealth of Kentucky which I didn’t know.  I think its so cool that this is so close to campus.  Even though is right in the heart of the city, it provides a little escape from city life I think.  I can relate this back to my post regarding the outdoor things around Lexington.  I want to check this out soon, when all of the leaves start to change for fall.

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I found this post on Maddie’s blog. I recently had a post on the UK Arboretum, and I think getting education outdoors is very important in today’s society. There is a lot of benefits in getting out and actively learning than just sitting in a class room listening to someone talk about the outside. It is far more interesting and fun to learn as you go, than to have ideas and facts forced into your brain. A lot more research can be done on this topic I think, and I would definitely be interested in it since I have already made a couple posts on it. I could also tie this into my Special Olympics topic, since the teams have their athletes getting involved in other activities outside of sports in order for them to live their best life. 

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East End

While volunteering at William-Wells Bryant Elementary school I have learned a lot about the community. The community mostly consists of kids who are coming from lower class families and are mostly POC. The problem that comes from this is almost a history issue. Lexington has one of the most well known slave trade posts, and in 2017 POC are still struggling. It has become an issue of how they are going to break this trend. In one of my earlier posts in discusses how the children living in that community know of all the terrible things happening in their community. so the real question is will be how is the city of Lexington going to break this trend of people of color living in well known poor areas, and how will they improve the lives of those future generations.

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After learning more about the east end I’m beginning to see how important it is to focus on this part of Lexington. These kids that attend this school are surrounded by an area filled with a history about African-Americans. These kids are learning about that history and seeing it still taking place around them. They are still considered underdogs or expected to fail in todays society. I think this ties in with the removal of the statues because Lexington claims to be removing them because they offend a community. Yet they are barley helping the community they are offending. I think the Lexington community needs to bring attention to the East End, and the people who live there.

[nataliehahs-blog]

I found this post on Katie’s blog, and it is very interesting to me how the trends of the past still show up in today’s society.  However this is not directly related to the research I have done, I have changed my point of interest to the Special Olympics who happens to be another group of people who have been underappreciated throughout many, many years. The athletes who are “still considered underdogs and expected to fail in today’s society” are actually much more capable and willing to do things then we give them credit for. I would be interested in doing more research on this topic and somehow incorporating it into the Special Olympics... that may be a stretch. 

[nataliehahs-blog]

General Update 3:

School has been great and all, but sometimes you just get lonely. After passing my common hour exams, it really sunk in how homesick I actually am. Luckily my sister lives here in Lexington, so “home” isn’t too far away. The best part is that she has a dog, since I definitely miss my dogs the most. A couple nights ago, I just got lonely and all of my friends were out of the dorm or studying. Like any reasonable person, I texted my sister to come pick me up and take me over. Who doesn’t need a puppy hug?

[nataliehahs-blog]

Red River Gorge

Although not physically, this system of canyons along the Red River is a popular spot for college students with hiking, climbing and camping opportunities. Many people will agree that exploring nature, or just being outside is a definitely boost to our well-being. Why does this canyon become popular than the other hiking spots? Compared to where I live, these hiking trails are far more intriguing, since all of the ones that are near my house happen to only be a mile or so long, nothing quite appetizing for an experienced hiker. It gets UK students out of their room and exploring the canyons and experiencing what Red River Gorge has to offer.

[nataliehahs-blog]

For this question I couldn’t find a direct answer, but I did find a website called “Becoming Minimalist”, with an article written by Joshua Becker called “Why Everyone Should Climb a Mountain”. He said “ Not all paths have been traveled. Just for fun, I try to build a rock sculpture somewhere during each hike. I look for unusual places where the balancing rocks will remain undisturbed but still noticed by observant hikers in the future. To accomplish that, I always pick a spot just off the beaten path. Each time, I am reminded there are always new paths to be found in life and new discovers to be made.” 

His idea of new paths being able to be found is bringing up the same idea in one of my other posts where the outdoors can improve imagination and creativity. There is never something you can’t learn from being outside.

https://www.becomingminimalist.com/climb-a-mountain/

[nataliehahs-blog]

Coffee on Campus

Coffee has become a necessity for many college students to make it through a long day of classes. What I noticed in one of our recent assignments was that people spend a large portion of their time between or before classes waiting in line for a drink that will keep them going the rest of the day. People can spend definitely over 30 minutes total waiting for a drink on a busy day. The problem is that people spend more time waiting for their drink than the time it actually takes to drink it. So why do people spend so much time from something so insignificant? I don’t really understand, since I am not a coffee drinker myself. Some people’s days are affected by whether they have had coffee or not, and what time they have the coffee. People will choose to be late to class than not having their little caffeine boost. That makes me wonder about when exactly did coffee become priority? A couple things at stake are definitely people becoming “coffee dependent”, as stated early, and the time spent waiting could be used towards something else. 

[nataliehahs-blog]

I found an article on CNN that a reporter wrote talking about the necessity of coffee. Barbara Starr was in Ethiopia on an assignment and had this to say:

“ When you are a CNN reporter out on the road, nothing is more important than the first task at hand every day -- securing the morning's first cup of coffee. After that, you can handle just about anything, from the war zone to the flood zone.”

That’s really interesting and brings up another question; does morning coffee before class make a student feel invisible?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/03/starr.afghanistan/index.html

[nataliehahs-blog]

These pictures are for an event coming up at Ashland, The Henry Clay estate. As you can read from the description, Henry Clay is the most well-known and significant person that is related to hemp production in Kentucky. Since hemp was banned in the 1930′s, its popularity has decrease. But with the next couple of years, hemp will be back to a useful crop grown in Kentucky. Hemp is beneficial to everyone essentially. It can be used in paper and rope, and is more commonly seen today in lotions and hair care. How is banning a product that is more beneficial than harmful? The US government has so many controversial topics, hemp is definitely part of it. Hemp is unfortunately lumped with the popular topic of marijuana legalization. The state could gain from hemp production since it used as a cash crop. That’s exactly what the people of this event believe. Hemp is a beneficial crop to the state and it’s peoples as a whole. Providing speakers that will talk about the current state of the hemp industry, as well as introducing the Heritage Hemp Trail will make people more aware of the benefits that come with the production of this misunderstood plant. How will people’s ideas change or not change after they become more informed? That is a question that can be asked about many topics. 

I have put the Facebook event link below, hopefully you can get to it.

https://www.facebook.com/events/135328733749942/

[nataliehahs-blog]

From Modern Farmer I found that  “There has never been a good reason for the ban on industrial hemp. It's no more harmful than industrial switchgrass, or industrial lumber for that matter. But at the same time, the claims of hemp activists are often overblown. It's a highly useful, highly versatile crop, but its utility is, for the most part, fairly marginal, at least going by the size of its existing markets and estimates for how big a domestic U.S. market could be.”

Although this article is about how hemp will not be a miracle crop, they did provide a good explanation on how the ban on hemp was unnecessary. But they have provided a good example of one of the benefits:

“ The one big benefit of hemp? Its environmental footprint is relatively small. It requires few pesticides and no herbicides. It’s an excellent rotation crop, often used to suppress weeds and loosen soil before the planting of winter cereals. On the other hand, it requires a relatively large amount of water, and its need for deep, humus-rich, nutrient-dense soil limits growing locales.”

 https://modernfarmer.com/2013/10/legal-industrial-hemp-wont-matter/

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The arboretum offers many wonders to the Lexington community. According to their website, “ began in 1991 as a joint effort between the University of Kentucky and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government”. It offers a place for people to experience nature in a convenient place. This not only affects the students, but the rest of the community as well. They put on events such as and “Insect Safari-Midnight Addition”. They offer a “kids garden”, which is very similar to outdoor class rooms, but better. How is learning in the environment benefit the education experience for kids? Does it help kids better understand the reasons we need to love our environment? If we don’t teach the younger generations about the wonders that nature has to offer, then the arboretum will have to find it’s support somewhere else.

https://arboretum.ca.uky.edu/home

[nataliehahs-blog]

To the questions I had in this blog, I found another blog that provides some answers. “Creative Education” is based in the U.K., the blog gives a few reasons why learning outdoors is beneficial. The first one is that it keeps students more engaged. Especially when you are dealing with a younger group they tend to be a little more rambunctious as they wait to go outside for recess. So keeping them learning while their outside already will keep their focus more on the activities that are planned. The next couple that the blog discusses are that it nurtures creativity and imagination, and develop learning through play and experiment. Both of these will benefit them especially as the students move up in their educational careers, still considering this is a young audience. Overall given these ideas, we need to keep the idea of love nature alive starting with the younger kids. 

http://www.creativeeducation.co.uk/blog/learning-outside-the-classroom/

[nataliehahs-blog]

General Update 2

From last week’s update, nothing much has changed. Except recently, when I decided to get involved with UK’s club swim team. It will give me an opportunity to make new friends and have a group of people that will be my family away from home. I think the thing I miss the most about home is my dogs. Seeing all of the service dogs and support animals (who knew a turtle can provide emotional support) really makes me miss mine even more. On the bright side, my grades are still looking good, but maybe not for long. Our first round of exams is next week, but I have been studying any chance I get. Good luck to all of us first time exam takers, and rest in peace.

[nataliehahs-blog]

Red River Gorge

Although not physically, this system of canyons along the Red River is a popular spot for college students with hiking, climbing and camping opportunities. Many people will agree that exploring nature, or just being outside is a definitely boost to our well-being. Why does this canyon become popular than the other hiking spots? Compared to where I live, these hiking trails are far more intriguing, since all of the ones that are near my house happen to only be a mile or so long, nothing quite appetizing for an experienced hiker. It gets UK students out of their room and exploring the canyons and experiencing what Red River Gorge has to offer.