Scholarship Accruement: What colleges really look for

As I sit and reminisce about my time at Summer Scholars I am repeatedly reminded and see the tangible benefits of helping others. The fellow members of our group bring different dynamics to our group that edify and strengthen the others, and realizing this the importance of volunteering is further impressed upon me. I feel that these attributes are the true desires of the providers of scholarships. Nothing extravagant or too extensive, just the run of the mill American value of service and cooperation.
For the past year and half I have volunteered at Goodwill industries on sunday afternoons for three hours, and with it has come a sense of complacency that I know isn't how the true feeling of helping others is supposed to feel. As I look into this disturbing phenomenon, I am reminded that it is I who made it this way. Not taking my efforts seriously and only doing it out of habit and perfunctory dedication. A remedy to this problem, as I see it, is to find that sensational feeling of belonging and purpose from the first day I volunteered and bringing that sense of duty with me everyday.
I feel as though the people of our genereation are too caught up in the trappings of accruing massive numbers of hours when a few moments of whole-hearted dedication would suffice. This, I gather simply means that quality and not quanitity is more pertinent to scholarship acquirement, and more importantly life as a whole. It is the sensations and feelings we gain from life not necessarily the wealth we amassed. This is where society has gone awry, and shifted our public sentiment.
Through this learning opportunity,this epiphany if you will, I think I would be a welcomed candidate to any scholarship board because of my experience. I have the hours but, also the experience to attest to the healing and rejuvinative powers of volunteering.
At Goodwill cleaning the bathrooms, hanging up and putting away clothes, and taking donations, I have met people that I wouldn't have had the chance to meet otherwise, and by this alone I would reccomend volunteering for the feeling and not for the accolades, because a wise man once said, " You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give".
- Winston Churchhill

There are two people in the world that have made it possible for you to be the person you are today because without these two people, your existence wouldn’t be possible. They have taken care of you through sickness and health and have made every effort possible for your well-being. These people are your parents and no matter how disrespectful you are they will love you because they created you and instilled in them is an ever burning passion for you to succeed. This passion for you to succeed comes in many forms mostly for what you desire and also, you academic endeavors.
My parents are James and Sharon Barnes, and they are the best parents that a person can receive. They push me to do my best and they give me the will to succeed and the opportunities to do so. The parents I have help me to be a well-rounded student and to be an integral part of my community through volunteering and other public service opportunities. This will serve me well in college because I will have had practice with helping and serving people. My dad was born in Texas and my mom was born in Louisiana and they met when my dad attended graduate school at USL. My dad is a very driven man and has been a jack of all trades he has, at one time or another, been a writer, professor, speechwriter, journalist, and also a great father. His tenacity and dedication will be an asset to me in college because i will understand the art of perseverance and the importance of pursuing education after a bachelor's degree.
My mother is a very strong woman who knows when and how to get things done. She is an at-home mom which does not mean that she does not do any work but, quite the opposite. Mom shuttles kids around all over Omaha to various sports events and team get-togethers just so that her children, who don’t show an ounce of gratitude mind you, can feel a part of something bigger than themselves. She keeps the house spotless, cooks dinner, and takes care of all her children both here and abroad so that they are not in need of anything. My mother"s punctuality and cleanliness will aid me in my college experience by reminding me that the maxim, " if you are on time, you are late" and cleaning my dorm room are important and a necessary part of college life.
My parents mean the world to me and are my biggest supporters. Sometimes it seems to me and to others that they are being too strict i am reminded that the qualities that they are trying to instill in me are the very ones that a successful college experience requires. Since I know they are my biggest fans I will revere them and strive to make them happy and proud.
Having parents like mine are the reason my life is so worth living, an d why i learn so much. Everyone needs a support system of individuals they trust implicitly and contrary to popular belief these are mine. Sometimes we do not find or appreciate the special people in our lives until later in life but, I was fortunate to find mine relatively early and appreciate their contributions to my success and future prosperity.

Everyday we are faced with the various moral, political and social issues of the day. Everyone has their own opinion about issues that concern us such as gun control, our welfare system, the death penalty, abortion, euthanasia, legal drinking ages, legalizing marijuana or local curfew laws. Although I know that everyone may not always agree with me, these are my opinions on abortion. Men, not just women are affected by this issue because during the beautiful and sanctioned process of procreation chemicals are released, by nature that chemically bond the man and woman but, also the child inside of the woman even though it is still an infinitesimal speck of tissue. This topic is important to me because I have many friends who are faced with this choice because of choices they have made. They all understand and respect what I have to say, yet they still make their own decisions because it is ultimately their life. Abortion is the spontaneous or induced expulsion from the womb of a non-viable human fetus. In theory and by law humans should and are able to kill their unborn. To this I cannot argue because if someone is raped or otherwise abused and a child is conceived, who am I to tell that victim to carry that baby full-term? I think that if the act of intercourse was mutual then the woman (since it is her body) should either be able to give the child up for adoption or keep the child. Seeing that when to people prematurely make a decision to have intercourse and a baby is born, the baby is not at fault and thus should not be terminated because of the incompetence of the parents. The baby did not asked to be born then and on this premise most would say then, " Send the baby back into nothingness". When we abort babies, we are eliminating our chances for a mature work force that would help bear the burden of Social Security and other aspects of government policy. Our future, the lawyers, social workers, and doctors who might be the ones to accomplish the greatest feats of any generation, are being mindlessly slaughtered daily through planned parenthood practices. Until the time comes and I am personally faced with this I cannot attest to what I might do, I will firmly state that abortion is wrong and in my opinion should not be a viable option unless the female involved was raped or otherwise forcibly impregnated in which case the victim should have the sole responsibility to choose.

In Retrospect of My First College Student Week

One cannot begin to define the phrase "college student" until they are able to fully experience it. It is a full time job that requires commitment, dedication, and balance, for you cannot have too much work and no fun nor too much fun and no work. I was able to experience these truths first hand during my first hand during my first full week of college. I am in History 1120 with Mr. Mike Sherer. He is an awesome teacher! he explains in detail the events and occurrences that he finds pertinent to our education and gives us an outline that shows in what order his lecture will go. I love this class and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in history and would like a great professor to study under. My College 101 class has helped me substantially. I am by nature an unorganized person, and this class has given me structure and helped me to objectify my goals and quantify a time frame for accomplishing my goals. The service learning project that we are required to fulfill is still in its rudimentary stages, and will be further elaborated upon in the coming weeks. My RTA and study group leader is a prime example of self-controlled assertiveness, motherly redirection and exceptional intelligence. Caitlin Shelley is a future teacher to be who has the patience and fortitude to redirect the most rambunctious of students (me :D). I have learned more from her silence than from words that I have heard spoken from others. The campus life that I have participated in has been an eye-opening experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. From working out with the guys to lunch with the "Squad" I am always entertained and am able to learn more about my peers. It is apparent to me that in all earnestness that we are not learning individually, but as one unit and that is seen though the way we learn from each other. As we continue on this journey together, I hope that you all enjoy the journey as much, if not more than the destination. This is Garyth Barnes over and out.

Residential Life at Scott Residence Hall Uno Summer Scholars

Words are supposed to be able to describe the feelings of the individual and those ideas which they are trying to convey. On the contrary, I find that mere words do not adequately portray my experiences nor do they shed even the slightest light on the feelings and emotions I felt during this time away from home. Freedom, giddy elation, and responsibility are three words that I think might be the best at trying to pinpoint and elucidate my actual sentiments. Seeing as I lead a stricter life than most, freedom to do what I wanted when I wanted (within reason, of course) was almost too much too bear. It is similar to trying to understand the birth of a child or counting the stars, it is a feeling too immense to understand. I was finally in my element, and able to let loose and relax. Although I think that I might have over done it, I regret nothing and would do it over (even with the sleep deprivation). Since I immensely enjoy meeting new people, I feel as though connecting to people on a deeper level will be my sole contribution to this world I want to use this as often and as outrageously as I can. I guess this is my mantra to life and can be summed up by the quote I made up while talking to Caitlin Sheley, one of the RTA's. "When you are born, the doctor cuts your umbilical cord therefore you should live no strings attached."
- Garyth Barnes
I felt that the residential component enabled me to live this out to an excess. I roomed with 3 guys that I didn't know previously, they were hilarious although I would have rather roomed with everyone in summer scholars, I had an awesome time. We made memories that will be sure to outlive us, a legacy of source passed down to our children. As far as outside commitments and juggling school and fun I failed epically. I tried my best and am doing fine but, I am still trying to get my sleep back :). I loved interacting with the other students, they all have such unique personalities and I am still trying to figure them out which is a mos enjoyable endeavor. I feel as if I have known these people my entire life! yet for only a week. I threw myself with reckless abandon into each activity, because an activity is only as good as you make it :) so I took that as a personal challenge to guarantee that everyone had an excellent time. The different flavors of the menagerie of people in this program is awesome, different backgrounds, customs, and races coming together toward a common goal of advanced education. Some feel that they do not deserve to be here but, I would speculate that they bring so much more to the table than they think and that they are apt and able to accomplish their goals for this program and in life in general. We all share the same traits though such as, tenacity, determination, and the will to excel which is half of the struggle of life already solved. I thoroughly enjoyed being around everyone and look forward to spending more time with the "Goon Squad" more often! :) until next time, Garyth Barnes over and out.