The Survival List for Virginia Tech

As freshman, there are some things that you need to know if you are a Virginia Tech Student. After my first sememester here, this is the list I have compiled:

10)  Be sure to remember that on any other campus, weight gain in the first year of college is called the Freshman 15. At Tech, it should be the Freshman 50.Virginia Tech's food has been ranked number one in the country, so be sure to use those free gyms around campus.

9) Waiting until the last minute to start a paper, project, or reading is a bad idea. Time seems to speed up the closer you get to a dead line, so don't procrastinate!

8) Utilize your resources. There are offices all over campus, like Career Services, that want to help you succeed! Help them help you by asking for advice!

7) Keep some quarters in stock! When you need clean clothes and all you have is nickles and dimes, you'll wish you had some to do laundry with!

6) Say hello! The only way that you're going to get to know new people is to introduce yourself and to put yourself out there. Leaving your dorm room door open is a great way to meet people passing by.

5)Talk to your professors. They genuinely want to know who you are, where you are from, and help you whenever they can. Catch them after class or during their office hours so they can put a face with your name.

4) Respect your roommate. You are sharing a living space, so work out a schedule for study, sleep and fun that won't disturb your roomie.

3) Don't miss hall meeting! Your RA wants to provide you with important information during these meetings, especially when you leave for break or when you're done at the end of the year that you don't want to miss. If you do, you might get penalized later for misconduct.

2) Get involved. Find something that interests you and join that club or organization. There are over 600 at Virginia Tech, I'm sure you'll find something. If not, start your own by stopping by Student Affairs and picking up some paperwork and convince at least two of your friends to join!

1) Have fun! You're only in college for a short amount of time. Live it up. Find out who you are and find out how you can impact the world around you!

These are only a few of the helpful hints that I've picked up the way. The everyday things, like working out and ending my bad habit of procrastination, are things that I will need to keep working on in semesters to come. I hope to continue to use these tips as I advance through college and continue into my professional life, especially number one. I want to make an impact on the people and situations around me and to make a difference to someone. I can begin to do that through the clubs and organizations I am apart of, and by utilizing my strengths both in and out of the class room. That is my goal for the future, in whatever I do, and my challenge to others along the way.

Diversity vs. Integration

Anywhere you could think to look on Virginia Tech’s Campus, you can find diversity. From dorm to dorm, to the hallways between classes, diversity seems to be woven into the very being of the campus. Every student has a different story and a different reason for being here.

The first time I actually encountered the word on campus was during my class familiarizing students with the Ag. Sciences major. The main focus of the class is to not only help students find their interests within the major, but also to find their place on campus. It was during one of these in depth class discussions that Keyana Ellis, the Teaching Assistant, disputed the meaning of diversity in context of campus life. She reasoned that diversity was simply recognizing differences from people to people. It wasn’t necessarily a word that meant bringing those different people together. She suggested that when referring to a group or community of varied citizens, we should use words like “integration.” All this meant was that an action was being taken in order to bring these people together.

I had never thought of that before: that a word like diversity, which was normally associated with many different aspects of people in one place, was in all actuality, a stagnant word. It doesn’t have any movement behind it. Unlike diversity, integration has a force behind it, propelling it from just recognizing difference to an action to an acceptance of difference.

Granted, if you were reading both of these words on paper, we might skim over them, using them for synonyms for each other in the same context. Words might be words on paper, but I think what Keyana meant was that once those same words leave the paper, the contrast between the dormancy of diversity and the association linked with integration is noticeably different.

As my first semester on campus is beginning to wind down, I've realized the difference between diversity and integration and have learned to appreciate both in a new way. The people around me are diverse in the sense of location, race, background and many more aspects, however it is because we have integrated our lives together that we can function as a true university and community.

Some hallmates and I getting ready for a Thursday night game. 

Celebrating 50 Years

This weekend my grandparents, Lynn and Audrey Slaven, were celebrating their 50^th wedding anniversary. Several weeks ago, my grandmother asked me to say a few words at their reception on behalf of all of the grandchildren, because I was the oldest. At first, I did not know what to say, not because I did not know what to say about my grandparents, because they have been a great support system for my entire life, but because I have only been alive for two-fifths of their marriage.

Because of that I was not sure how I was going to be able to correctly summarize their past 50 years together. To me 50 years seems like forever; a time period that almost seems unattainable to be married considering the obstacles in today’s society.

So as I began to write my speech I tried to think about all of the things they have accomplished in the past five decades. As I began, totaling up all of the occasions and events that they had been a part of I was highly impressed with all that they had successfully undertaken together as a team. Being valuable members of the community, a huge asset to our church family, a strong think that has continued time and time again to hold our family together, even when the times got hard, and loving grandparents to top it all has shown me what love can do. It amazes me to think that after all of that, their relationship is still going strong.

I think about the impact they have made on countless lives because of their strong relationship and that made me start to ponder what kind of impact I could make in the next 50 years.

Will it be a positive impact, or a negative one? Will I affect anyone or no one at all? Will somebody look at my life 50 years from now and see that same amount of accomplishments I see in my grandparents? Will they see that I did not just live and survive life, but that I lived well and made the most of every opportunity? 

My siblings and I with our grandparents, Audrey and Lynn.

As these thoughts crossed my mind, I realized that you cannot get anywhere in life without relying on other people at some point and how important it is to see value in other people, especially when people see value in you. So my plan for the future, by 2060, is to live a life that my grandparents have lived: a life full of laughter, compassion, and love for others.

If I could look into the future...

Now that I am in college, reality is beginning to set in that one dayI will need to find a job.
But as a young person entering the work force, what do I have to offer?

Background
I want to be an agricultural educator, working with middle or high school students in a classroom and shop setting to teach about the agriculture industry. This position also requires my time to be utilized as an FFA advisor, following the FFA mission statement as a coach and mentor to FFA members.
I want to teach in one of the 180 schools that have an established agriculture department, particularly in my home county of Augusta.

Utilizing My Strengths
Adaptability - Students that come through this program are very diverse and I feel that my strength with adaptability will allow me to reach students across differences in background, and learning styles to best suit their needs.

Communication - In a position that requires a lot of talking, communication will serve me well. Hopefully by incorporating an interactive learning environment with my communication skills, my students will walk away from my class with a better understanding and appreciation for agriculture.

Positivity – I will have a close relationship with agriculture students, because many of them will take agriculture all 3 or 4 years they are in school. Remaining a positive role model for students may shape their outlook on life.

Harmony - Personalities can clash and the harmony strength smooths over any confrontations that may arise with the student body, or with faculty and staff.

Context - My history of agriculture and working with students will allow me to reflect on what I have learned in the past, remold it, and use my experiences in my future classroom.

Educational and Training Requirements
By the time I graduate, I hope to have a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences, with focuses on animal and poultry science and horticulture and a minor in Leadership and Social Change.
I will also need to receive my Master’s degree in Agriculture and Extension Education in order to teach.

Essential Knowledge
To be an agriculture teacher, you should be as diverse as the industry itself. I’ll need to know everything from production livestock, horticulture, mechanics and woodworking, welding, farm business management, food science, and emerging technology in the industry. This knowledge will carry over to the FFA side as I prepare teams for different contests, in addition to the leadership and teambuilding traits that I need to pass on to my students.

Key Challenges
Job security is one area that may be a potential challenge because of state funding and the county’s view of importance of the program.
The challenge of being denied travel opportunities with students to different events due to budget cuts is another area of concern.

Betty Bender says "When people go to work, they shouldn't have to leave their hearts at home.” I hope this quote proves true for me in my future career!

My own high school agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, Eric Stogdale.



Opportunity Cost

At the beginning of the year, my Ag. Econ. professor, Kurt Stevenson, told his class of 150 students that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Everything has a cost attached to it. For whatever choice or decision we make, something has to be given up. This is Opportunity Cost.

Kurt stressed that this doesn't necessarily have a monetary form, it could also mean time, effort, or other opportunities lost for each path we chose. This got me thinking about the choices and opportunities I've had in my life and where I might be if I had gone another route.

If I hadn't ran for a State FFA Office:
There was one point during my senior year that I thought about not running for a State FFA Office. There were several reasons why I almost didn't: I didn't want to get behind in school if I took the year off, my insurance company wouldn't cover me if I wasn't a full time student, and it was yearlong commitment that I had already dedicated my entire high school career to. However, if I hadn't ran for a State Office, I would never have had the chance to travel abroad to China, to network with students and industry personnel alike, or to know the feeling of representing something larger than just myself.

If I hadn't decided to attend Virginia Tech:
As the time was nearing for me to make decisions about my educational future, this deliberation arose: To attend Blue Ridge or not to attend Blue Ridge, that is the question. My father was strongly pushing for me to attend the local community college. I could see why: the tuition is less, I would have more one on one time with my teachers, and it was close to home. But it was the last benefit, being close to home, which gave me the incentive to NOT attend Blue Ridge. As I'm sure many graduating students must feel, I needed to have some space from my family. I've always been super close to them and I knew that another two years at Blue Ridge would make it harder for both me and them when the time came to move on to a 4 year university. Since I have been at Virginia Tech, I might have spent more of my savings, but I have met some wonderful people, experienced all sorts of diversity, and have enjoyed living on my own while still staying close to my family through phone calls and cards.

If I had continued to play piano:
The one path that I chose not to go down, and truly regret, is the decision to not continue with my piano education. I started taking piano lessons in the 3rd grade, and after 8 years I was totally burnt out. It wasn't until I sat down last spring to play my last recital piece that I learned that I have retrogressed. All the money that my parents spent on my learning timing, rhythm, and practicing scales was almost a complete waste. While I can still read the music, my ability to sit down and play almost anything is now gone. If I had continued to play piano, who knows what level I might be at today?

In an email that my stepmother, Dana, sent me, she gave me this advice: "Every path we take or choice we make teaches us something. Keep learning - that is what life is about."

Even as I write this week's blog, I think of other things I could have done differently, but also look forward to the opportunities coming up. Yesterday I delivered pumpkins to the White House, today I received a job offer, and in June, I'll be in route to Costa Rica on a free agricultural tour.

Who knows what tomorrow holds, as long as we take the opportunity to find out.

Austin and I delivering pumpkins to the Whitehouse on behalf of the Virginia Pumpkin Growers Association, Carrol County, and Virginia FFA Association.

National FFA Convention - An End and A Beginning

I remember the first time that I attended National FFA Convention. It was held in Louisville, KY and I was 14 and had never seen a city besides Richmond. I was slightly overwhelmed.

(A picture taken in the 8th grade)

Over the week, I learned to appreciate the diversity around me. I saw people walking by, and for the first time, I couldn't guess what someone did for a living, or where they might live, or make any accurate assumptions about them at all like I did at home. There was life outside the town limits of Weyers Cave.

And as I am preparing to leave for Convention this weekend, I can feel myself having that same feeling, but about college. Virginia Tech has definately opened my eyes to different types of people, and I truly appreciate the values I've learned thus far about the Hokie Spirit. But it feels good to be going back to the place where that awareness of diversity began.

However, the bittersweet part about this trip to Indianapolis, the location of convention has changed since I've started attending, is that it will be my last as a competing FFA member.

I've had the wonderful opportunity to be selected as one of the top four National Finalists in the Agriculture Education Profeciency Award Area. It is the perfect transition from former FFA member to future FFA advisor, because the next time I will probably come to convention will be with students of my own.

In fact, during this time of change, I try to think of National Convention as a metaphor for my future career.

Just as National FFA Convention has given me the opportunity to branch out of my comfort zone, meet new people, and experience new places, I hope to be that type of agriculture teacher, encouraging my students to try new things and to appreciate the diversity of agriculture.

It truly is amazing to walk down the streets of Indianapolis with 50,000 other blue jackets and realize that you represent something much larger than yourself. I made this discovery through the FFA and I hope to be able to pass that on to my future students.

So even though I am sad to see this time in my life coming to a close, I am excited about embarking on a new journey in my life, one that will one day be leading a group of students much like my 14 year old self down the street of their potential.

Little Annoyances... A Lot of Patience.

In the short time that I've been at Virginia Tech, I've begun to pick up on small things that annoy me.
Here is the list that I've created so far:

Leggings: Who created the trend of wearing leggings and ONLY leggings with just a tee shirt or sweatshirt? What a horrible, unflattering fashion statement.

The Math Emporium: A learning environment that is has the same wall decor as a hospital does not stimulate the students' minds.

Last, but certainly not least:
Skateboarders/Bicyclist/Unicyclists (Yes, unicyclists are more popular than you might think): The sidewalks are not your own personal race track. If you have a need for speed, please look into the Indy 500, not the pedestrian cross walks.

Now don't get me wrong, I love most everything about Virginia Tech, but it is just these few annoyances that sometimes get under my skin.

I've realized that this situation can be compared with working around people. Just because there may be a few annoyances in a relationship or friendship doesn't mean that it's destined to come to a screeching halt, it just means that you have to take the time to work on your problems in order to become more efficient.

I also realize that to someone, I might be that slight annoyance that I see in other people. I know that I try to not be annoying, but maybe it's part of my personality and I don't even know that it's annoying to other people. I would want to know if I was!

So I try to take that same approach with people, especially living in close proximately to so many students in my dorm.  I feel like being direct, in a a kind manner, is beneficial for all!

However, for these other annoyances, leggings with tee shirts, the bland colors of the math empo, and the skateboarders who continually try to see how close they can get to me before swerving, I guess I will just have to implement a little bit of patience.

Midterms... In More Than One Form.

The leaves are starting turn colors and drift lazily to the ground. Student outfits have morphed from breezy sundresses to scarves and sleeves. These changes could only mean one thing:
Midterms are approaching.

The actual thought of Midterms it not really that intimidating for me. I have enjoyed all my classes so far, in fact, I haven't been late or tardy to any of them... yet.
(I heard that its approximately $80 per class that you skip so I don't plan on missing any more than I have to.)
Another reason Midterms are not that scary is because I only have two of them. Most of my classes are pretty laid back. My Music in America class in one of two classes that I will have a Midterm in, and I love the professor! Mr. Cole reminds me of a retired Santa Clause turned orchestra director.
A Midterm I have already taken was in my Leadership class for the Residential Leadership Community. While I haven't heard  the results, I feel pretty confident with how I did.

However, I think that reaching the middle of my first semester also means I should do a Midterm Evaluation of my goals that I've set for myself, mainly on self discipline and personal focus . Here is my own personal Midterm:

Successes :

I’ve been doing well on my first learning objective: stop procrastination. 
While I don’t always begin the assignments on the day that they are assigned, I am sometimes completing them a day or two in advance, which is a brand new for me.  I am also making progress in my learning objective three area: following the deadlines I set for myself. Sometimes I finish assignments on Sunday night, but for the most part I don’t work on the weekends because I get the majority of my work done by Friday at 5:00pm.

Struggles:

 The greatest struggle that I’ve had so far with my action plan is to take the time to learn materials thoroughly. There are so many distractions that my original plan of working in one hour study blocks is not getting done. There have also been several times during the week where I have stayed up past 1:00am trying to get assignments done, which is not very efficient.

Suggestions from some friends:

Just keep working on time management, but instead of an hour long block of study time make a half of an hour block instead and see if that is more efficient. Don’t shut out weekend study breaks: maybe an hour or two over the weekend for study will help me work ahead even more.

Hopefully, with the help of my friends and my own self discipline, I can continue to grow in my personal goals. Wish me luck on this Midterm!

You Don't Know What You're Missing Until Its Gone

One of the main reasons that I decided to come to Virginia Tech was because I have always been under the impression that it was one of the, if not the best, agriculture school in the state. I love the fact that I can make a right hand turn off of Rt.460 onto Tech's campus, and see a cornfield on the left and the dairy complex on the right. The core values of agriculture life (hard work, perseverance, and sense of community) are ones that are instilled into every aspect of campus. They seep out of the classrooms, flow through the halls of the dorms, and even rise up out of the cracks in the drill field sidewalk and hover over the campus just like the early morning fog. It is almost as if the heart of my life at home has the same beat as my new life at Virginia Tech.
And people thought I was crazy when Tech was the only college I applied for. I might have put my chance of admittance on the line, but for me, it was Virginia Tech or bust.

Now that I’ve begun the process of attending classes, participating in school functions, and doing all the things that a normal freshman should do, I rarely get to experience the part of Virginia Tech that I enrolled for. I realize that as a first year student I need to get all my general education classes out of the way, and I like my classes a lot. Well, except for the Math Emporium. I hate that place. Why is it that the super-smart math students learn in a classroom, while the not-so-great-at-math students, who actually need the one on one help, have to learn it online in a huge, bland, hollowed out old J.C. Penny’s building jam packed with Mac computers? I also hate Mac computers.

Anyway…

So, I’m doing all the things I need to do, but I haven’t reached the point of doing what I want to do. I feel slightly disconnected to what I came here for: agriculture.

I know, I’m complaining, but this is a blog after all.

So, what do you do when you feel like something’s missing?

Stay as busy as possible.

I’m now working in the State FFA Office, joined Collegiate FFA and am interested in being on the executive board, keeping an eye on auditions for A Capella groups and musicals, and, even after 5 years of complaining about it, I have even contacted the VT Livestock Judging Coach to get a schedule of practice dates.

I might be missing my agriculture roots now, but I think that if I can stay busy (which I don’t think will be hard to do), time will fly and before I know it, I’ll be on my way to identifying breeds of cattle in an animal and poultry science class instead of solving a function for the variable X in Math 1015.

A Picture I Took During My First VT Football Game at Halftime

It was obviously the Orange Effect Game.

Self Discipline... or Lack Thereof.

This past week, we had an assignment in my Residential Leadership Community class to focus on an area that we would like to improve on over our first semester at Virginia Tech. We are to create an action plan, which is a detailed description of how we want to accomplish our goal, and we need to meet with our peer groups once a week to evaluate our progress.

After careful evaluation of my first few weeks of school, I have come to realize that I have almost zero self discipline.

My whole life I’ve been told what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. I’ve been told when I need to be somewhere, and how I should prepare for it. Even during my year as a state FFA officer, my main duty was serving the needs of others, so my actions centered on what others wanted me to do.

Now, I’m not saying this is a bad thing at all.  By being dedicated to the needs of others, I’ve learned the importance of service and working for the greater good of all.  However, now that I’m on my own, making my own schedule, my own deadlines, and my own rules, I’m having a hard time following them because I don’t have motivation to, because my main drive to do well in the past has been to either please others or to work with a team on a common goal.

What I work for now is just for me.

(Presiding over the 84th Annual State FFA Convention this past June as the 2009-2010 President.)

So now, I’m re-evaluating my attack. My three main points of focus will be to stop procrastinating, taking the time to learn things right the first time, and to begin following the deadlines I set for myself. I have several methods to complete these goals, but my primary objective is to treat school like a job, so starting tomorrow (there’s my procrastination flaring up again) I’m going to wake up and be ready to start learning at 8:00 a.m. and not stop until 5:00 p.m.

Except for meals, of course. A girl’s got to eat. Especially when D2 has those Chocolate Days.

Also, my peer group will begin meeting at 8:00 p.m. tomorrow and continue every Monday night through the semester as a checks system to keep each other motivated and focused.

I’m pretty excited because I’m taking this on as more than just a class project for Leadership 1015. This is the beginning of the end for my procrastination and lack of self discipline.

Well, at least I’d like to think so. Wish me luck.

Animal, Vegetable, Sustainable?

The other night I was sitting in my room, working in the blue glow of my computer screen, when my ears began focusing on a conversation in my shared living room.
"Hey, everyone should start boycotting the potatoes in D2," I heard a girl's voice say.
A few people laughed, and then asked why they should do such a thing.
"Well, I've been reading the freshman common book for a class I'm taking, and it talks about how you should only eat locally grown food instead of food from the other side of the country. So, I asked the serving lady in D2 where the potatoes came from and she said they were from Idaho. So, now I'm boycotting them."

A craze has been sweeping across campus, sparked by this year's freshman common book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. And honestly, I'm not really sure how I feel about it.

The book, which highlights a year of the Kingsolver-Hopp family as they attempt to eat nothing but locally grown food in an effort to improve their health, decrease the miles that food must travel, and emphasizes that local food will make a more sustainable world.

While I am only a few chapters into the book, here are my observations thus far:

My feelings on locally grown food - Honestly, I like the concept of locally grown food. Being able to put a face to the person that grows your food not only increases consumer's confidence in their food supply, but also promotes job security of the local farmer. Plus, its nice that neighbors can support each other in that sense. However, you can't always find what you want that’s grown within a 100 mile radius.  For the "potato-boycotting" girl, potatoes may not be a big deal to give up in the "go local" movement. But I bet that if you suggested that she would have to give up her daily mocha-frappa-coffee-latte (because I don't think coffee beans are a local commodity in Southwest Virginia), you would have to clear the way for a near mental breakdown. It’s a nice idea, buying locally grown food, but it wouldn't be able to support people's demand. Plus, I'm not quite ready to give up sugar.


My feelings on locally grown food sustaining the world - In my humble opinion, I don't think that's going to happen. It is easy for Americans to say "Oh, I could easily do that!" because there are so many food venues to choose from: organic, natural, local, conventional, and many other markets.  As I said before, locally grown food would not be able to support the world's growing population: the current population is 6.8 billion people and it's expected to rise to over 9 billion by 2050. These approximate 2.2 billion people entering the world will need a place to live, turning potential farming land in to residential homes. Today, between 1-2 billion people are malnourished due to insufficient food, low incomes, and inadequate food distribution.

Facing the challenge to feed these numbers is intimidating and the way we need to tackle it, is through efficiency. It shouldn't be about what's trendy or popular, but about whats productive.

There is a balance for all these food markets, but at the end of the day, the most important task to accomplish is making sure as many people as possible get fed.

Home is Where the Heart is...

When people ask me where I'm from, they are normally amused by my answer:


"I'm from a teeny-tiny town you've never heard of called Weyers Cave, which is in Augusta County, right smack dab in between Harrisonburg and Staunton, up in the Valley."



I even have synchronized hand gestures to describe the location even further, according to the guys who live across the hall from me, because every time a new person wanders into the hallway between our suites, the inevitable occurs: "So, where are you from?"



It always makes me smile to see the guys jump at the chance to tell our guest before I can. I think they do this partly to pick on me, and partly because I come from a novelty town. Most of the people that live in my dorm are from Richmond, major cities near the coast, or, the highest percentage by far, NoVa (Northern Virginia). I, however, live in a town that is practically invisible on a map, unless, of course, you were specifically looking for it.



Many of my peers that I graduated with hated small town life. The kids I went to school with could not wait to get away, and as the countdown to graduation began my senior year, everyone wanted to broadcast their desperate need to leave Augusta County and move on to bigger and better things.



I was part of the minority, however. I never had this burning desire to leave and never come back. There are sometimes quirks about a small town community, like how EVERYONE knows either your dad or grandparents or even how the old ladies of the church know EVERYTHING about your life, whether you want them to or not. But many of my family friends have been close to the Slaven and Craun side of the family for the six generations that we've been here. We look out after each other like family.



After moving in to Virginia Tech, which seems like a long time ago, but in actuality, is not, I said I would walk my parents back out to the car when it was time for them to go. As we were walking, my dad, whom I am especially close with, gave me a really good piece of advice:

"There's a lot of people that go to this school, Morgan, from a lot of different places and backgrounds. You're a good kid, so don't try to be like the majority of people, make them want to be a little more like you. Just remember where you came from."



Just last night I had an in-depth discussion with my suitemate, who is originally from Nepal and now lives in Fairfax, about people's back grounds and culture. She was telling me what it was like to live in Northern Virginia and how people just regularly ignored the world outside of their own little bubble of friends and family. No one had any personal contact with the rest of people they lived and worked around every day, and she hates that.



I was proud to be able to tell her about my home town, even with its small population and quirks. I told her about it's history, and the sites, and the character of its people. I was proud to say that's where I came from.

(View from my front porch of the Valley)

The Quest for Strength

 As part of my Introduction to Agricultural Sciences and Leadership class requirements, I had to take the Strength Quest Survey, a 30 minute questionnaire that determines your own personal strengths combination from a list of 34 themes.

My top five dominate themes were the following:
1) Adaptability
2) Communication
3) Positivity
4) Harmony
5) Context

People find strength from many different sources whether its from the company they keep, experiences that they've had, or just their own personal drive.

For me, the main power source of my strength comes from my family. 


( Above: My immediate family on my Dad and Dana's wedding day. My sister, Madison, is seated to the far left, I am in the middle, my brother, Marshall, is seated on the right. My father, Jeff, and stepmother, Dana, are the happy couple kneeling behind.)
  It's because of my family's constant support and encouragement that I'm the person that I am today. I am not surprised to see these 5 themes as my top strengths, because I can see where I picked them up from family members.

Adaptability, my number one strength, is one that my brother also has. Marshall, almost 17, possesses many of the traits that describe adaptability: living in the moment, adjusting plans around unseen detours, and being generally flexible. Not many things upset Marshall and he has a "go with the flow" type of attitude, whether its letting me drive his truck, his new pride and joy, or letting us girls pick what to eat for supper (as long as he gets to eat at least half of his body weight in good food).

While communication is my second place characteristic, it is by far my father's number one.  Daddy, or Jeff, depending on who you are, has the gift of gab.  He likes to tell colorful stories, speak at community events, and gives instructions with extreme details. Many people have told me that I,too, share these traits. When I get picked on about my stories getting long winded, I just remind my audience that I am my father's daughter.

Positivity is definitely something that I picked up from my stepmother, Dana. As an Emergency Licensed Veterinary Technician, Dana works nights in a high stress environment at a local clinic .  However, she always has a radiant smile on her face when she walks in the door after a 16 hour long shift.  I admire Dana's personal perseverance and the many things that she has had to over come in her own life. Her constant reminder to me is to always find the silver lining in every situation.

Harmony is a trait of my sister. Madison is 15, going on 30.  Even though my sister is almost five years younger than I am, I admire her for her people skills. At such a young age she is able to create a sense of serenity out of any inclination of tension. She can direct a divided group toward common ground, and is so down-to-earth that meetings of any kind go smoothly with her at the helm.

Finally, my grandparents bring in the aspect of context.  Both my grandmother, Meme, and my grandfather, Pappy, remind me of the rich heritage that my family has.  I am the sixth generation to live on my family's farm and my grandparents have instilled in me a sense of pride because of this. They always give me advice based on their own personal experiences, but also encourage me to be my own individual.

Your family helps shape who you are as a person.  With these traits I am who I am, and I continue to grow with the support of those closest to me.

"Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?"
- Benjamin Franklin

Vision Without Focus

Several weeks ago, before coming to Blacksburg to start my freshman year at Virginia Tech, one of my best friends from home asked me to attend a Friday night service with her at Grace Covenant Church (http://www.gcch.org/). I didn't have any other plans for the evening and so I decided to tag along with her.
The service was full of music and meditation, but the most interesting part of the evening was when the worship leader left the piano for a few minutes to give the message. Now normally when you think of sermons, you think of long, drawn-out monologues about fire and brimstone. However, that evening's message consisted of one simple question: What is vision without focus?

The speaker described his rationality behind this question like this: He could have the outlook and vision to drive to church on Sunday morning, but if he didn't put on his glasses to focus on where he was going, things would turn out horribly, horribly wrong... and he probably would not make it to church without causing mass chaos.

What is vision without focus? It's a question that I can apply to many facets of my life, particularly with my new adventure attending Virginia Tech.

Well, my main vision is majoring in Agricultural Sciences (http://www.admiss.vt.edu/majors/index.php?major=AGSC) . From the latter part of my high school years, and especially after deferring a year of college to be involved with the State FFA Officer Team (http://www.vaffa.org/), I have found that I am truly passionate about Agriculture Education.

Vision? Check.

However, it will take me an estimated five years of college to get to the point where I can go after my passion. So, how can I stay motivated until graduation? What is my focus?

When asking myself this question, I think of my favorite quote of all time by Dr. Rick Rigsby (http://www.rickrigsby.com/), "Make an impact, not just an impression."

I think this quote is special to me because it reminds me to not to just do something half-heartedly, but to do something with a purpose, with the "go big or go home," type of attitude. I can have that same approach to my vision of teaching agriculture. I will have the opportunity to influence a lot of young minds, but it will be up to me whether I leave an impression, or make an impact.

Why leave just an impression when I could make an impact?
Why have a vision if I'm not going to focus on it?

So as I continue throughout my first semester at Virginia Tech, and the years that come after this one, my focus will be to create a positive impact on the world around me now, so that I can make a difference in the lives of my future students... just like my agriculture teachers did for me.