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The Finals Countdown!

It is the Endddddd!!!!

Not quite, but it is the end of Honor’s forums talks (until next semester).

Dr. Vince Brewton spoke about the year end review and, as you can image, it was Earth shattering. Instead of speaking about the year in detail, Dr. Brewton called upon students to share how they engaged in the community this semester and how that impacted them personally. Since I didn’t share during the forum I will detail my service project here.

This semester I had the opportunity to work with the Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama to make a video describing the different programs in the agency and how they were making an impact in the community. I got an inside look at each of the programs the agency involves itself in, and got to interact with the some of the people on the Meals on Wheels route. A couple volunteers and I went to people who could not afford or were physically unable to get groceries and gave them some food and a newspaper.

There’s really nothing like giving to people who really need and appreciate help. I know there are people who are forced to get help from organizations like CAANWA and people who take advantage of organizations because of their self induced circumstances. Now more than ever some people agree that we should take away these entitlement programs because they have too many loopholes for people to take advantage. And while the loopholes must be abolished, helping the ones who are sincerely trying to make a better life for their family is still worth having on organization they can trust pour their life into the community.

Mrs. Johnette Davis

Mrs. Johnette Davis and her daughter came to speak at the forum Monday night about money management and how civic engagement can help you help yourself.

Mrs. Davis works for the Office of Advancement at UNA which I had always assumed meant it was an office dedicated to new, innovative ideas for the forward progression of the university. Bluntly put, Mrs. Davis described it as an office for “fundraising.” This gave Mrs. Davis and insurmountable platform when speaking to us about non-profits work.

While Mrs. Davis talked about most of the high points everyone else who has spoken at the forum have also spoken about; Anna-Catherine her daughter made the statement that while we should be volunteering to help others we should also volunteer to “benefit [ourselves].” I don’t necessarily agree with doing anything simply to benefit one person, wether it be yourself or someone else, because when anyone becomes too focus on another human being they will lose a sense of reality.

I wholeheartedly agree with the underlying sentiment of the statement, being intentional. Intentionality is a lost art, and people truly do need to get back to being more intentional about what they involve themselves in instead of jumping on a political bandwagon.

St. Vincent

This time at the forum Dr. Vince Brewton spoke about civic engagement (what else?)

Ok, technically we didn’t have a speaker, but I think Dr. Brewton will qualify since he spoke about civic engagement as it relates to the Honor’s program (as a requirement), and managed to speak for the entire class time, woah.

The forum really consisted of a review of the requirements for this semester and to stay in the Honors program long-term. I know the time is nigh for me to contract some courses because I really have no other chance to take honor’s classes before I graduate, but this is the least of my concern, promise. The topic of internships came up and I got that sinking stomach feeling as I sincerely wish I had better opportunities to intern within my degree program. There are really only a few local companies and governments at which the GIS program really has influence to get students to intern. The other programs are dominated by elite universities with a large sphere of influence.

I really share the same feeling for internships that Dr. Brewton does, and really hope I can intern somewhere outside of the state in the coming future.

Ms. Mary Hardie Lord

Ms. Lord spoke to the Honors Forum about non-profits in the Shoals area, the change of volunteerism, and how we should volunteer.

Ms. Lord made the statement “Our world is not about us.” Which could not be a more true and probing thought. The first step in wrapping one’s mind around the impact they can have is to realize the world is not contingent on their success, but their focus. One person may not be able to change the entire world at once, but they can certainly affect a part of the world (which if anyone has seen the movie Pay it Forward you know everything is connected anyways). It’s the realization that no one in of theirs self can change things on a large scale without changing things first on a small scale. When you live a life focused on improving the community your life is focused on always giving back.

The change of volunteerism is another topic that came up in the forum. Ms. Lord gave us three things to focus on when engaging civically.

Don’t volunteer...If you don’t like it. Always do something that you are interested in because the world needs people who genuinely care and not someone who volunteers by obligation.

Start Small, Start Slowly. You don’t have to conquer the world, just do what you can with what you have.

Learn time management, compartmentalize. This I for sure need some help on, but again this shows the need for time management when you are trying to make an impact locally.

Ms. Lauren Winters McCutcheon

At the Honors Forum Ms. McCutcheon spoke about the various organizations we were able to volunteer with and how to run a non-profit event.

Ms. McCutcheon informed the Honors Forum about the different organizations and their outreach to the community such as the Salvation Army empty bowl drive, which was my personal favorite. The Salvation Army gets volunteers to make clay bowls to sell to raise money for the elimination of starvation in the Shoals area. Any one who wants to can make a bowl which is given as a reminder that somewhere in the world someone has an empty bowl for a meal. I thought this was a great way to utilize the artistic talents of the community to help provide for those who can’t afford to buy food.

Ms. McCutcheon also spoke about her personal experience running the Heart Ball a non-profit event that raises money for the Heart Association. She told us if we ever were in a place to run a non-profit event to make sure we had the time and energy to complete the task. Running any event is no joke, and organizing loads of people to accomplish one task is grueling. Still it is extremely encouraging to have accomplished a small thing for a large impact.

Generations

Mr. Jerry Groce spoke at the Honor's Forum about the defining characteristics for a generation.

Mr. Groce ran for the city council because he wanted to help people in his city. Mr. Groce was elected to the city council because he wanted to help people in his city. Mr. Groce helped people in his city because he was elected to the city council.

Leadership is single-handedly one of the most important characteristics a person can possess when it comes to changing a culture for the better. Even deeper inside of the characteristic of leadership lays the heart of true pivotal influence, integrity. Integrity is part of leadership and, as Mr. Groce stated during the forum, is worth much more than power. This forum was undoubtedly one of the most inspirational speeches, instead of being straight forward. Mr. Jerry emphasized the importance of leadership in a generation and how each generation had to make sacrifices for the greater good of the world.

"When you don't have clear and concise leadership, division results."

Mr. Groce implored the forum to follow their personal convictions rather than give in to the special interests of a few people. To always employ compassion for cooperation, and to value honor more than friendship.

Success by Six

Ms. Emily Rhodes and the former director of the Success by Six program spoke at the honor's forum about their organization and how it effects the community.

The Success by Six program is geared towards helping children who are disadvantaged at home to become ready for school structure and routine by the age of six. Studies show the decline in a child's life if he or she is not properly prepared for kindergarten. They have to overcome many disadvantages due to their poor upbringing. The Success by Six program hopes to establish a connection with the child's family and train/help them to focus on providing an environment conducive to the child's growth and development. By focusing and providing for a child during their first six years on Earth, statisticians estimate that a child will live a much more productive life.

As for my opinion on this concept, I totally agree with focusing on a child's education and development. Do I believe that we should force young children to adhere to new demanding standards we place on them? No, I'm not really sure it's best idea to mold someone else's child to society's standards. That being said, I believe this program at the core wants to help the families create a better future for their child. Treating the root problem will always produce better results than dealing with symptoms. Not only do we need a non-profit that focuses on education, but also on the restoration of family, where the values of education stem.

Leaders Do

Mr. John Rusevlyan spoke at the forum Monday about Service (of course) and Leadership.

Mr. Rusevlyan and I are both from Virginia, so I feel like I got his vibe pretty well. I was extremely glad he said what he did about college not being the lifeblood of success. Many people feel if they can just get a degree life will magically improve for them, and while education has enormous implications on the success of achieving one’s goals. A college degree is not the definition of learning ability.

“No matter what you do, you can make a difference.”

Mr. Rusevlyan followed this statement up with a discourse on leadership and the different characteristics real leaders possess. I’m not going to disclose every bullet point here because the commentary would quickly become boring and superfluous. However, it should be noted that leadership is the real key ingredient in successful people, and obtain those characteristics is how one maintains a life that benefits those around them.

Leaders do what it takes, and leaders are humble. Humility is a character trait I just don’t possess as much as I would like to. A book I’m currently reading called Humilitus details the virtue in depth as well as discussing the many advantages humble people have in leadership. It’s a good read.

Homelessness

Ms. Krista Manchester and Dr. Callie Plunket-Brewton spoke about homelessness in conjunction with Room in the Inn at the forum.

“I was very interested in doing something I thought would change things.”

Ms. Manchester spoke about her motivation for helping the homeless citing her natural tendency to proactively seek to make an impact on social issues. This goes very well with what the other speakers of the forum have spoken on and highlights the main issue communities remain in need of assistance. The main issue people are not getting help is because there are not people willing to give them help. I was astonished to find out not only is the millennial generation the least likely to volunteer they are the fastest growing homeless population. The idea that people my age could be homeless should not be strange or new to me, but I’ve learned through Ms. Manchester and Dr. Plunket-Brewton’s talk that homeless people are simply normal people and largely misunderstood.

Room in Inn is a incredible organization. I am encouraged to know there are people who aren’t passionately focused on enacting a new law so other people can fix the problem, but are set on using their resources to better the community. This topic is actually in a documentary I’m helping shoot currently, which is another story.

Mr. John Lane

Mr. John Lane brought the heat to the oven.

That first statement isn’t necessarily a well used metaphor, but I stand with my convictions. Mr. Lane spoke on civic responsibility, and to be honest I really enjoyed his point of view. An admitted “one percenter” Mr. Lane told the forum the truth, if you have the means to do something for the community then you have the responsibility to the community to do it. This was eye opening do to the fact that most wealth folks seem to be content with getting other people to work for them as their part in the community.

I also was glad Mr. Lane summarised some basics of civic duty. It is important to simply be a part of the community; something that is the basic foundation of a democratic system of statehood. I actually have the book by Dave Ramsey Mr. Lane talked about, so I now plan on reading it through this year.

Honor’s Forum week Three

Mr. Jim Green came to speak about the North Alabama Reading Aid tonight.

My mother made sure all of her children could read at a young age, and it was the gift of being able to read I am so grateful to have. Being able to read, especially now, doesn’t seem to be something absolutely necessary for life, but to me it is extremely important for anyone who wants to be mentally and physically free.

I’m glad the North Alabama Reading Aid volunteers are working to change the awful illiteracy rate the state is experiencing, and I plan on helping out (as soon as I can balance my schedule). The opportunity to work with native Spanish speakers in the English language acquisition is something I really would like to do. If I went to live in a Spanish country I would hope there would be a place I could go to get help with my second rate Spanish!

The Great Society

The second night of the forum Mr. Larry Softley, the president of the UNA alumni association, spoke on the intrinsic value of community service and how anyone can go about involving themselves in the community.

This subject proves to be quite pertinent to the forum since we are required to collect ten to fifteen hours of service. Mr. Softley wanted to make it apparent to the forum anyone can serve and anyone can and should involve themselves in the community.

“Everybody can be great because everyone can serve.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

MLK Jr.’s quote remains just as true today as it was when it was voiced. Greatness is not determined by power, talent, or charisma. Greatness is born out of service. Service is extremely essential to leadership, and without service no beneficial movement would ever thrive.

Mr. Softley’s presentation of questions about service helped to clarify the relevance of community service to the audience. Why should you get involved? How do you get involved? These questions no doubt have been asked, but not voiced by many college students wishing to make a noticeable difference in the community. Mr. Softley answered those questions and encouraged students to involve themselves and work to change lives while they work on their education.

The Forum Commences

Tonight Dr. Vincent Brewton gave a stirring speech on the importance of Civic Leadership and its impact on the community. Dr. Brewton reviewed the Honors Forum requirements as well, stating with effervescence the three keys to maintaining a scholarship from the Honors college: Show up, Keep a Blog, and Log Service Hours.

Showing up can be one of the most important things of the three in my opinion. By showing up not only does one express their support of the event he or she is involved in, but also shows his or her reliability as pertaining to that event. For example: If someone doesn’t show up to the Honor’s Forum they will never experience what happens at the forum, but more importantly the forum will never experience what it is like for that one individual to be there.

Likewise, keeping a blog helps establish the speakers and their message in one’s own mind as well as give experience for conveying an opinion publicly. Service hours are the application of the Honor’s Forum and one of the most stressed points of the curriculum amidst the importance of knowing the latin roots of words. Service projects are some of the most important things people can do for their community; they help the community in so many different ways. It becomes apparent to most that a flourishing community is made up of involved people willing to take the risk of service.

“[When] you step outside of yourself you will always take a risk.” -Dr. Vince Brewton.

Honors Forum Week Thirteen

Woah, college first semester is finally (almost) over! The big wrap up happening at the forum. I've learned a lot in the past few months about personal values, good study habits, perseverance, and what college is all about.

The Forum has helped prepare me for college life by giving me a connection with other students on campus, and also giving me valuable resources for succeeding in school. The things I've learned in the Forum will help to shape a sculpt the student I will be while at UNA and the professional I will be after UNA.

Glad for the Honors program, and hope that it continues to thrive and become more competitive. Have yourself a Merry Christmas people.

#done #maybe #almost #UNAallday

Honors Forum Week Twelve

Jeffery Reynolds headlined at the twelfth (day of Christmas) week of the Honors Forum talking about success in your career and how to maintain that success to the bittersweet end.

He spoke about how a lasting career is better than trying to adapt i.e. job hop along. The world is ever changing and you need to make sure the career you've chosen is a career the world is going to still need in the future.

The way you stay on top of this ever shifting sand of culture is by always learning. Never be satisfied with being wrong. Reynolds encouraged the forum to develop the attitude of a life-long learner never settling for ignorance. "Knowledge is half the battle" is a quote from my long time mentor Benjamin Burrows. I'll never forget that the pursuit of knowledge is the defeat of deception and ignorance. Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power.

One of Mr. Reynolds points I don't necessarily agree with, when he said to go into a career that makes a living. The world may not value your passion as much as you do, but you can still make your passion invaluable enough for people to pay you to do it. All you need is enough innovation to make your talents marketable. However, he is right; life is expensive and you should always plan on stability.

#bittersweetcandy #halfbattle #halfknowledge #UNAallday

Honors Forum Week Eleven

Before anything else is said, I probably need to take back my statement about being able to become a fashion designer. It's hard.

Katy McNeill spoke to this very thing at the Honors Forum November 11, and upon closer research of the Billy Reid company I have come to the conclusion that Katy McNeill is a phenom.

Katy McNeill is the COO of Billy Reid Inc. and cofounder with William Reid in 1997. Mrs. McNeill talked about the importance of finding something that you enjoy doing as a career over something that will quickly become a burden to you. If you start doing something you love more than likely you will start doing it more, which means you will start improving at it, which means you will become an exclusive valuable to the world, which means people will pay you for your talents, which means you are able to focus on getting better at what you love, which means your purpose in life has become fulfilled, which means you can make an impact on the world that will change all of history!!!

That may be excessive, but if you choose something you love you will definitely stick to it even through the tough times and that is the major theme of life.

#designmind #UNAallday

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