Angels in America

      I decided to do my blog post this week about the Otterbein production Angels in America. Last night, I went to see the show not knowing anything about it. I knew it had something to do with AIDS or HIV but still was not sure what I would be watching. It is a small cast of six or seven people tops and they all did a phenomenal job! It was roughly around three hours long with two intermissions and no one messed up or forgot lines!!! The lighting was perfect and the drama in each of their lives was brought to life on stage. The show was not what I expected it to be but it was still an amazing performance. I love that Otterbein offers productions to the students to go to for free! I love having the opportunity of seeing my friends become someone else on stage. My advice to all of the students at Otterbein would be to take advantage of those opportunities and enjoy any experience offered here!

The City of Refuge

   As everyone knows, Tom Piazza came to Otterbein to talk to everyone and answer any questions we had about the book. I cannot speak for everyone when I said I enjoyed reading The City of Refuge but I did. Even though some parts were a little dry and hard to get through, other sections I couldn't read quick enough. The detail of what the characters felt, saw, and smelled was phenomenal. Getting to meet the author of such a heartbreaking story of Hurricane Katrina was an amazing experience. I love to read and before I came to college, I read non-stop. Now I don't have as much time to sit down and read a mystery or almost any other book but when I go home for winter break I will definitely cuddle with my dog and read a good book!

Filling the Shoes of Leaders Before Us

      The speakers who have taken time out of their busy lives to come speak to us on leadership have influenced how I now look at myself as a leader. I know that I was not a natural born leader, like some people are thought to be. I was incredibly shy until freshman year in High School. Many of the women leaders who have spoken to us found themselves in similar situations. Reading the material and listening to what these power women have to say about leadership has opened my eyes to the kind of leader I was, the kind I am now, and what kind of leader I could become. Coming to college, I took it as a challenge to come out of my shell. I make sure to talk to at least one stranger a day. I am also currently pledging a sorority which has taught me a lot about leadership these last five weeks. Communication has been the most important lesson I have learned here at Otterbein. If something needs to get done and I need specifics on it, I have to communicate with other people who can offer assistance. A few weeks ago, I was not happy with my grade on my first math exam. So instead of just complaining about it and shoving it to the recess of my brain, I took the iniative to contact my professor and have a meeting with her about it. Speaking up is so important. Without a voice, nothing will ever be heard. God gave everyone a voice. Use it. If we are going to make the women who opened the door for us proud, we need to use our strengths and be aware of our weaknesses. Always be prepared for anything. It is our time to fill the shoes of the women who lead before us.

It's All Fun & Games

This past weekend, I played capture the flag for the first time. If any of you have played this game before, you understand the rules of the game. For any of you who have not, the basic rules are:
  1. Both teams have designated areas of their turf.
  2. The more of your inner ninja that comes out, the better.
  3. If caught on opposing team's turf and tagged (not tackled), you must return to your own side and start over.
  4. Find the flag, grab it and run back to your home base!
This game took amazing leadership skills. We had to communicate with other members of our team in order to cover the entire area of our turf. We also had to communicate with the opposing team when we chased them away from our side. We also had to decide who would play defense and who would play offense. This is an example of how leadership is used during a Friday night filled with fun and games!!!!

Importance of a Healthy Sleep Cycle

Okay, many of you will read this and become confused on how it ties in with leadership and our class. Well I have recently stretched myself out very thin, trying to accomplish several things at the same time, meanwhile I lost a lot of sleep in the process. I am pledging Theta Nu sorority which takes a lot of time and energy. I am trying to stay active in my other organizations and trying to study really hard in order to raise my grade in biology. I am sorry if I am going off on a rant but I promise this will tie in very shortly! I am only in college and trying to do a little of this and a little of that has exhausted me. However, I am taking this as a lesson learned. I know how much I can handle and when I need to step aside and let someone else volunteer. I have also learned that sleep is very important to remain a decent leader. If you stay up late studying or other things, the next day you aren't well rested and not as open to other people as you should be. Lack of sleep takes away important leadership skills such as enthusiasm and communication. Therefore, my conclusion to this tiny rant is, sleep ladies because we all need it and it will make being a leadership a tiny bit easier to handle!

Oprah! (the post that didn't save)

      Apparently my post did not upload last week. So I will just tell you about it! I have been reading a book about Oprah Winfrey. Starting it I thought that it was going to bore me to death because everyone knows something about Oprah. However, I have yet to be bored! I have learned many things about Oprah's past and how her past influences how she is today. Many times I have caught myself laughing out loud at something she said or did as a child. I am not even half way through the book but so far I have learned many leadership strategies she applies in her life on a daily basis. I am searching for interesting facts about her to share with everyone when reports are due! Don't worry, this book is filled with interesting thoughts about Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah Winfrey

     Today I read about Oprah Winfrey and found out very interesting facts. For one, did any of you guys know that Oprah's first name was actually "Orpah", named after a biblical character in the Book of Ruth! I have seen her biography on tv but do not recall that fun fact. I also read more about the Oprah Winfrey Foundation she started a few years ago. This is the main reason why I chose Oprah. She started from poverty and look at her now!! She is worth around 2.9 billion dollars! She wants to inspire young women from similar backgrounds to do great things in their life in turn inspires me.

Girl Scouts

This last Sunday, the 25th of September, I went to my first session with the girls scouts troop!! Elizabeth and I talked to them about the media and how it impacts our lives. While discussing the different types of media, we covered body image, cyber bullying, and how to balance electronics. In the end, we made s'mores!!! The troop leader loves us and we love the girls. I am very excited to continue working with them over the next few weeks!

Importance of Health & Fitness

     On Wednesday, September 14, 2011, my favorite speakers by far came to speak to us. I could literally feel the energy in the room. I wasn't sleepy nor did I yawn once. I like to see speakers who are just as excited to speak to us as we are to listen to them! I may be biased because many of the speakers that Wednesday were in my field of Allied Health, but I thoroughly enjoyed each of their presentations. In order to be a strong woman, the body needs to be in good health. Yes, many of us have very busy schedules which limit our availability for the gym, but come on guys! We live on a campus which gives us access to many fitness options. No, not all of us are runners or even like vegetables. However, if each and every one of us want to be strong women, we have to take one for the team at least twice a week. I am not the ideal role model when it comes to health but I love the feeling after a hard work out. Tonight my roommate and I went to Zumba. For those of you who do not know what Zumba is... you need to go to it! It is a great way to exercise but in a fun way! Zumba is every Monday night from 4:30-5:30 p.m.! Wear comfortable clothes and hope to see you there! Having a group of friends or supporters is the best way to get stuff done!

Powerful Women

        On Wednesday, September 7th, 2011, we had four guest speakers come into our class. The first three were women of different occupations and the fourth was a man who came to speak of all the powerful women of Otterbein University. Each person had something significant to talk about. Each speaker gives inspiration to young women of Otterbein.
        The first guest speaker of the night was our reference librarian, Judy Nevin. She informed us of several areas of the library. She reviewed steps on our E-Portfolios. Judy also even made us laugh once or twice. By taking our class into the library, she showed us that everyone there wants to help and not to be afraid to ask questions.
        The second guest speaker of the night is our group project coordinator, Melissa Gilbert. Melissa was my favorite speaker of the night. I agreed with everything that she had to say. Women are faced with several difficulties that hold them back from the success that they strive for. Melissa made every girl in our class realize that we are not alone! We all go through difficult times in our lives and with each others' help, we can achieve anything.
        The third guest speaker of the night was the Seventh District Court of Appeals Judge, Mary DeGenaro. She is an incredibly passionate successful woman. Although I do wish I was more passionate about politics so that I could have enjoyed her presentation more. Politics or not, she is an incredible example of a woman who was career and family minded.
        The fourth and final guest speaker of the night was Otterbein's Archivist, Steven Grinch. He informed us on the history of women here at Otterbein. Everything he had to tell us was extremely interesting. I wish he would have had started off the night instead of finishing the class. I was very interested but after three long hours of class, I was exhausted and ready to go back to my dorm.
        Overall our first four speakers we very interesting to talk to. Melissa was my favorite speaker because she spoke of many topics that interested me as well as relate to. Mary was my least favorite speaker only because I am not as interested in politics as other students may be.