The best advice that I can give anyone coming to Penn State is to get involved.  Life is more than work, and Penn State is more than academics.  At Penn State, there are many different ways to get involved, so there is a club or organization for anyone.

I stay involved on campus by volunteering for various community service organizations, being an assistant manager for the Penn State men's volleyball team, and serving as the Academic Chair for the IST student government.  However, the most rewarding experience I have had at Penn State has been as a THON captain for the OPPerations (OPP) committee my junior year.  THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world and raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund, which helps conquer pediatric cancer by funding the work of the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital.  The OPP committee within THON is responsible for the logistics of all THON events.  I was a committee member my freshman and sophomore years, and I was fortunate to be selected as a captain my junior year.  Being a captain of THON meant that I was responsible for the THON experience of 30 committee members.  My committee was named Mr. Dodger's Neighborhood and participated in many events leading up to and including THON weekend.  I learned that as a leader my actions set the tone for my committee.  I cannot wait until this fall when another THON adventure begins again.

To get involved in THON, check out THON's website at thon.org!

The third book on the summer reading list for SHO TIME 2010 is entitled Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.  The book chronicles the journey of Greg Mortenson to honor his sister's memory.  As a mountain climber, he began his journey to honor his sister's memory by attempting to place her amber necklace on the top of the K2 mountain.  However, Greg was unable to reach the top of the mountain but found Korphe, a small impoverished town at the base of the mountain.  While there, he recognized that he could honor his sister's memory better by building a school for the children of this town.  Overcoming many financial obstacles, Greg was able to build a school and then many more through the Central Asia Institute.  In all, the CAI has built 141 schools including primary schools, high schools, and colleges.  Greg has continued his work in Central Asia even in the post 9-11 world believing more than ever that books and not bombs will win the war on terror.

The beginning of the book referenced Article 26 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  I found this article online and reproduced the article below:

Article 26.

• (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
• (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
• (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children

What strikes me this article is part 2.  Education makes global empathy possible through understanding not only the cultural differences between different nations but also the fundamental similarities that bind humanity together.  Greg Mortenson put himself into danger by working in Central Asia because he is an American.  However, he was able to succeed due to his commitment to education and his respect for the culture and customs of the people he served.  Greg Mortenson is an excellent example of what it takes to become a global leader in the modern world.

Another book on the reading list for SHO TIME 2010 is a book entitled Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan.  This book is a collection of five stories told from the perspective of five different African children.  These stories illustrate how persuasive violence, cruelty, and evil is in the lives of these children and society.

All of these stories can be defined as being tragic.  I am reminded of an article written in the Huffington Post by songwriter Jon Foreman who wrote an article entitled What's in a Word?.  In the article, Foreman defines the word tragedy in the following way:

Hans Urs von Balthasar says that tragedy is dependent upon a belief system. "The meeting of these two words,'tragedy' and 'faith' is deeply significant, for what is broken in the tragic presupposes a faith in the unbroken totality."² Hope is believing in a world that does not exist yet, a concession towards the kingdom of the heavens. To hope is to believe that life could be better. It is ultimately our belief in this "unbroken totality" that allows for the potential of tragedy. For without this hope, tragedy is no longer tragedy -- it's simply expected. Without a belief that allows for a better world, the tragic is fact.

This passage reminded me of the battling perspectives in each of the five stories between the perception of the children in the story versus the perception of the adults in the story.  The children in each of these stories had hope that their futures would be bright and all of their problems would be solved because the children did not know of any obstacles or limitations that cold hinder their dreams.  However, the adults in these stories were not as optimistic due to their own experiences, temptations, and perceptions of the world and saw the tragedy around them as an inescapable fact.  While the adults in these stories such as Fofo Kpee hoped for a better future, their choices to secure a better future for themselves often extinguished the hope of the children around them.  In four of these stories - An Ex-mas Feast, Fattening for Gabon, Luxurious Hearses, and My Parents' Bedroom, the initial hope that the children had was tempered through their experiences.

Only the ending of the story What Language is That?, which is the shortest story in the book, ends with hope being restored after tragedy occurs with the Muslim Selam and the Christian narrator reuniting through mimicking "hugzee, hugzee."   While this story does not have exactly a happy ending with the narrator moving away from her friend due to the religious violence in the region, this story serves the purpose of showing that love and peace can still exist.  Only with the innocence of a child can a man enter the kingdom of God, and only with the hope of a child can a society end tragedy.

One of the books for the SHO TIME this year is entitled The Color of Water - A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride.  The book talks about the author's childhood growing up with eleven brothers and sisters and the author's discovery of his mother's (Rachel Shilsky's) past.  The book takes turns telling both stories until the two stories meet at the conclusion of the book.

Rachel Deborah Shilsky was born in Poland in 1921, and her family immigrated to Suffolk, Virginia.  Rachel's family was Jewish, which was a part of a separate community in Suffolk.  Suffolk consisted of a white community, black community, and Jewish community.  Rachel wanted to fit in with the white community and even changed her name to Ruth to be more Americanized, but the white community and her peers in school were not accepting of her.  Ruth found acceptance in the arms of a young black man, but she later had to escape to New York due to her pregnancy which she later aborted.  After graduating high school in Suffolk, Ruth left Virginia to escape her past in Virgina including her abusive and cheating father and went to New York.  However, she left behind her loving crippled mother, her younger sister Dee-Dee, and her high school friend Frances.  In New York, a new chapter of her life began with twelve children and two African American husbands.  Having faced many difficulties and challenges, Ruth is able to preserve by moving forward and keeping her momentum at all times.  All twelve of her children have gone on to graduate from college.

James McBride is the eighth child in the family and is the son of Reverend Andrew McBride.  James is a smart and observant boy, but he gets mixed in with the wrong crowd.  However, he is able to emerge from his self induced drug and alcohol haze to become a successful journalist and musician.  It is through James and his effort to write a book chronicling his family's past that Ruth is able to confront her past again.  It is also through the book that James is able to understand his mother and his own interracial background.

The part that I connected to the most in the book was Ruth's doctrine for her children to have a relationship with Jesus and to get a good education.  Love and knowledge have the ability to conquer all obstacles - including those social barriers constructed by mankind such as race.  Instilling her children with these values helped her children become successful, but even more so, these values defined who Ruth was a person.  Ruth's life was guided by a search for love, which she had found with her two husbands, her twelve children, and her relationship with the Lord.  Ruth's commitment to education not only pushed her children to academic success but also pushed herself to obtain a college degree at the age of 65.

What's the best honors class to take at Penn State?  As an Information Sciences and Technology major, there are not a lot of honors classes to choose from without having to honors option or taking honors classes outside of my major.  In a previous entry written last year, I had stated that IST 110H with Professor Tapia was my favorite honors class, and I stand by my opinion.  Therefore, I will talk about the second best honors class that I have ever taken at PSU - LA 498H.

LA 498H is a one credit honors course that encapsulates the experience of being a mentor for SHO TIME.  To get into LA 498H, you have to submit an application via the honors college's website.  For me, SHO TIME has always been a great opportunity to get the new academic year started right.  As a freshman participant and sophomore and junior mentor, SHO TIME has helped me grow as a scholar and as a leader.  For the class, you are required to attend two training sessions during the spring semester where you learn about leadership and how to tackle potential issues you may encounter as a mentor.  You are also required to maintain a blog talking about your experiences in the honors college as well as read summer reading for SHO TIME to prepare for book discussions.  During SHO TIME, you will be responsible along with another SHO TIME mentor for showing a group of freshmen or gateway scholars what the Schreyer Honors College is all about.  LA 498H is by far the most rewarding one credit course I have ever taken.  I have had a lot of fun being involved with SHO TIME for four years and can't wait for SHO TIME 2010.  

After reading the information compiled by Dr. Robert Orndoff about emotional intelligence and leadership, the concepts presented seem to be common sense principles.  To me, there is nothing revolutionary in the concepts of self-control, conscientiousness, trustworthiness, social skills, building bonds, and leveraging diversity.  What is revolutionary is the practice of these concepts in modern leadership.

Emotional intelligence to me is the direct application of the Golden Rule which Jesus states in the Book of Matthew as: "so in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."  The Golden Rule also mirrors very closely the greatest commandment of all: to love your neighbor as yourself.  To expect self-control, conscientiousness, and trustworthiness in others, leaders have to apply this concepts in their everyday interactions.

Emotional intelligence is not a new way to be human but is one of the ways that defines us as human beings.  The best leaders of all are those who lead by example.

 

Another SHO TIME has come and gone, and the fall 2009 semester is ready to begin.  Being involved in the first SHO TIME as a freshman and then as a mentor for the past two years, I have experienced all that SHO TIME has to offer.  While SHO TIME is a chance to learn more about the academic requirements and enrichment opportunities of the Schreyer Honors College, SHO TIME serves a much more important role of bringing the honors college community together.  SHO TIME helps break the ice not by spelling your name with your butt nor hiding a mysterious truth amongst two lies but by providing all Schreyer honors scholars with a common experience which they can share and build upon.  SHO TIME 2009 was a great experience for me as a mentor and as a honors scholar, and I can't wait to help out next year.   

At the beginning, everything is difficult. This saying is especially true when deciding what to do during the first week of the fall semester. Here are some of things to look forward to:

SHO TIME - a very busy three day event where the Schreyer Honors College prepares for the beginning of the new school year.  "Late Night with the Dean" (Dean Brady becomes David Letterman), Broomball (kind of like ice hockey with sneakers and 100 people), PLAYFAIR (elementary school gym class activities geared towards having you meet as many people as possible), and the finale.

Fresh START - a community service event geared for freshman.  I am a team mentor for this event.

Involvement Fair - get involved by learning about the various clubs and student organizations

First Late Night - fun, food, and free t-shirts after the President's Convocation in the BJC

Rally in the Valley - learn the Penn State fight songs, get free stuff, and get pumped up for the football season

Any many more - keep your ears and eyes wide open.  You never know what you might find.

One of the books on the SHO TIME 2009 book list that I have read this summer was The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.  The Namesake follows the adventures of Gogol or Nikhil Ganguli from when his family first comes to the United States of America to the day when Gogol's mother moves out of his childhood home.  One of the central themes in the story is the tension that exists between Gogol's hertiage and the social expectations of Gogol in the United States of America.  This conflict is evident early on as it is traditional in a Bengali family to give a child an official birth name that is symbolic and powerful and then later in life give a nickname that reflects the child's true personality in the family.  However, because this type of nomenclature is not a common practice in the United States, Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli name their first son Gogol, which both serves as his birth name and nickname.  The parents named their son Gogol after the famous writer Nikolai Gogol because this writer was his father's favorite and played a significant role when the father was involved in a horrific train crash.

As Gogol grows up, he comes to resent his name and believes that it will hurt his chances with the ladies.  Therefore, he changes his name to Nikolai.  However, I believe that this decision is representative of the entire novel as no matter how hard Gogol tries to leave his hertiage behind him, his hertiage will always define him.  Even though he hated the name of Gogol, he still allowed his hertiage to define him by calling himself by the first name of his father's favorite author instead of the last name.  As a result, The Namesake provoked for me many questions such as what is the relationship between one's hertiage and one's current life - does one define the other or do they both influence each other?

Overall, I enjoyed reading The Namesake.  I found the author's writing style to be very fluid.  At times, I did not feel as though I was reading but that I was watching a movie instead.  In fact, a movie based on The Namesake has been made.  The trailer can be seen below (coming soon):   

When I was in high school, the Schreyer Honors College never factored into my decision to attend the Pennsylvania State University.  I had always wanted to go Penn State ever since my family took trips up to Happy Valley in elementary school.  In high school, I knew Penn State was the right decision for me because of the opportunities it could offer me.  I was never afraid that at Penn State I would just be treated as a number or I would get lost in the sea of 40,000 students.  Penn State was a place of great opportunity.  After learning about the honors college at an information session, I decided to apply in order to increase the number of opportunities available to me at Penn State.

After two years of being in the Schreyer Honors College, the best part about being a Schreyer scholar is the fact that I am also a Penn State student.  The Schreyer Honors College has helped challenge me academically, but Penn State University has helped me grow as a leader and as a person.  At Penn State, I have been able to grow as a leader through becoming the webmaster of Science Lions, a team leader at FreshSTART, and a teaching intern in my college of Information Sciences and Technology.  I have been able to serve the community through participating in various days of service and serving as a committee member for a THON operations committee.  I have been able to experience my favorite sport of volleyball through becoming an assistant manager of the men's volleyball team and playing with my friends in the IM building.

While being a Schreyer scholar has many opportunities such as being able to schedule early and be a part of great events such as SHO TIME, being a Schreyer scholar is even better because we are a part of the Penn State community.