How I have grown, What I have learned

I have grown a lot since I moved up here to Iowa State University.  I have met so many people from different places that have so many different views on issues than I do.  It has opened my eyes to other types of people in the world.  I come from a small town that has the same type of people living there for as long as they have lived.  We are all used to each other and, for the most part, we have the same views and values because we were all raised together.  Coming to Iowa State, I have met people from states far away from Iowa that have different views than I do.  It has been interesting getting to know people that have different ideas on issues than me.  I have learned how different people’s cultures and languages are in just the United States.  Even though most of the people I have met speak English, we all still have a language barrier sometimes due to the fact that we have different way of saying things.  It has opened my eyes to how different Americans can be by where they live.

 

I believe I have grown as a more open person.  I don’t think that I am more social or that I hang out with people more than I did back in high school.  I feel that I can just talk to people easier.  It is easier for me to strike up a conversation with someone that I just met than I would have been able to in high school.  I still have a small little group of friends like I did back in high school and I get along with a lot of people that I already know but I can talk to people that I just met.  It has made me more of an open person that I am able to talk to people that I have never meet before but still able to strike up a conversation.

 

I have become a better student during this first semester.  I learned the proper way to study and how to not procrastinate.  I have never had to study in high school so studying here in college was a new concept.  I have been able to develop the skills to study for my classes.  I learned that reading is extremely important.  I learned that reading the chapter when it is assigned is extremely important because you can get really behind in the class.  It also helps you understand the lecture.

 

The most important thing I have learned is how to be responsible.  Because I am in college, I can spend my money or time as how I see fit.  That is until it runs out.  But I have had to learn to be responsible and use my money and time wisely.  As a college student, our money and time is limited and we need to know how to manage them wisely.  This has made us all responsible as we learn to manage time and money.

 

Being in college just for a semester has changed me more into the person that I hope I will be when I graduate from Iowa State University.

Hixson Award Means to Me

The Hixson award means a lot to me.  I come from a semi-poor family and because of that, I have to pay for college by myself.  Without the Hixson scholarship, I don’t think that I would be able to afford to go to college without taking out a lot of student loans.  It has taken a large part of the financial burden of college off of my shoulders which has stopped me from worrying about how I am going to pay for my next UBill.  This, in turn, has helped me be able to focus more on my studies and do better in my classes than I would be able to do with that stress on me.  I am so thankful that I am able to do that and it is because of the Hixson scholarship.

 

I am also thankful for the Hixson award because it has made me work with and meet some amazing people.  I have made some friends in my Hixson classes and I really enjoy hanging out with them inside and outside of the classroom.  I enjoy meeting people and this has just been another way for me to meet and become good friends with others that I may not have become friends with.  I have also met several people that are pre-business majors which will become useful in the future when any of us need help in a class.  We will most likely be in those classes together and we can have study groups if we want!

 

Having the award also means I can use the Hixson building when I want and I can have free printing.  This has become extremely useful to me as I work on homework or study for classes.  Some of my classes require a lot of printing and that would mean I would be using up a lot of my ink from my printer in my room.  I am able to save some money by going over to the Hixson building and printing from there for free.  I am also able to go into a quiet environment to study for tests that I have coming up.  It is a relaxing environment that I can actually get things done unlike I would in places like my room.

 

I have also enjoyed all of the other benefits the Hixson program has offered.  I love being able to get pizza in class or free tickets to things like Pride and Prejudice.  I would never have been able to afford to go see one of my favorite movies/books performed live here at Iowa State if the Hixson program did not offer to buy my ticket for me.  I also enjoyed playing broomball as an intermural sport for free this fall as well.  I don’t think I would have played otherwise because it cost a fee to play.  Hixson let me enjoy the sport without having to play the fee.  It was so much fun!  It has let me enjoy many things for free that I would not have been able to do otherwise.

 

I am extremely thankful for all that the Hixson award has offered me.  It has brought me a peace of mind as well as a good time with my newly made friends.  I hope that the fun continues!

The Real Dirt of Farmer John

I went tonight to see the lecture over The Real Dirt of Farmer John given by John Peterson.  For the most part, we watched a video over the life of Mr. Peterson that lasted an hour and a half long.  Afterwards, Peterson lead a discussion over the movie where he talked more in depth on what he had experienced.  The movie was an in depth video on how Peterson had bought his family farm and the trials that he had to go through.  Those trials consisted of losing his mentors, his grandfather and father, as well as going so far into depth that he had to sell most of his land and all of his farming equipment.

Peterson had been an outcast for most of his life due to the experiences he had during college as well as the people that he had coming around his farm.  He had let anyone that wanted to come and take refuge at his farm come.  This included artists, hippies, and radicals.  This caused many members of the farming community to look down on him and create rumors that caused him to have conflicts with law enforcment.  During this time, Peterson had help film several movies on his farm as well as write his own story line, act in it, and perform in for several different groups of people.  While he could have taken his show big, it was brought to an end when an agricultural group stated that he seemed to "homosexual" to star in the show.  Afterwards, Peterson took several years off by traveling and doing some soul searching.  However, Peterson was able to turn his life around and start farming again.  By doing this, he was able to creat one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture farms.  John Peterson created AngelicOrganics.  Here, he grows organic vegetables and his mother helps him sell them.

Even though he has started his farm back up and has turned out to be very successful, many people in Peterson's community still think that he is a little strange.  Peterson is known for farming and working in different style of costumes.  A clip in the video even showed him eatting dirt and stating that it seem to be really good that day.  While many people don't understand John Peterson, we all have to admit that he has gone through several challenges and has succeeded in turning his life around for the better.