Meet me in Montauk

 IF YOU KNOW WHAT MY TITLE IS FROM: COMMENT BELOW! :)

                                As the last day of bridge is quickly arriving, I want to take some time to reflect about my experience here so far.  I came here with an open mind, but unsure about the future. I was terrified of being kicked out because I had heard it was extremely challenging. The first day I walked into a room full of students who were here for the same reason I was. All the seats were taken, and I was immediately reminded of my freshman year of high school.

My beautiful mommy <3

                                When we were split into individual classes I felt a lot more confident about how I would succeed here at bridge. All of my class mates were very supportive of each other and all wanted to get into Columbia just as bad as I did. The writing assignments we would get every night opened my eyes to a lot of things. I began to appreciate all of my opportunities, and I went home the first week and thanked my parents. Not for just helping me pay my college, but for believing in me.

                                I have few people in my life that have always believed in me with everything I do. The one person that has never let me down is my mother. She has always supported me through my acting career, and through my struggles in high school. Just yesterday morning, I was bragging to her about Columbia, and how perfect it is for me. She didn’t say much during the conversation, but a few minutes later she looked at me, smiled and said “You’re going to do great in college, Sommer.” At that very moment I was so proud of myself. I knew that I couldn’t have succeeded without failure.

                                My experience here has been tremendously rewarding. I was lucky enough to have amazing teachers; Brad and Caitlynn. It was refreshing to have teachers who actually care about their students in college. I felt comfortable right way because they each reminded me of two very influential teachers I had in high school. Bridge has warmed me up for college, and I feel that my writing class in college won’t be as difficult because of this program. I have also learned that I am in DESPERATE need to get organized.

                                I have met the greatest people here.  These are the type of people that you see in the halls and won’t hesitate to say hi, or give a hug to. I know that some people here will be my friends throughout college. In a lot of ways I feel more fortunate than people who did not need to go through bridge. I have gained knowledge about Columbia, and am very aware of the campus. I am prepared to be a student, and I am prepared to go beyond expectations. 

Dunkin Donuts

I did a smart thing by waiting till today for my free response blog, because it’s better to get the hard task done before the easy one. Other people have to actually think of a topic and worry about it where I get my open and free blog. With that, I am going to talk about my breakfast today. In high school, I don’t think I ever ever ate breakfast, because I would always be rushing to get out of the house. But I have to take the train every day to come here, because I live in the suburbs and the train is semi close. I did not want to get a dorm here early because I did not want to leave my friends yet. But every day, I’ve been downtown at 9ish, giving me an hour or so for breakfast.

         

         My favorite place I went to so far was Dunkin Donuts. I have been there before many times and is my favorite doughnut place, but I don’t usually get it as often as I have been getting it. Every day I go in and get two chocolate doughnuts (with sprinkles), a vanilla long john and chocolate milk. This might actually be why I am in good moods and awake this early, where in high school I was tired and grumpy all the time. I used to love strawberry doughnuts though; I had always liked them ever since my dad would bring them home from work from time to time. I started getting the chocolate doughnuts recently however, and they are now my favorite breakfast. 

            Something that has stuck out while I have been there are two things. One is that they have an AWESOME radio station playing. From Led Zeppelin to Pink Floyd to AC/DC to Jimi Hendrix, they have played countless classic hits. Another thing is some poor guy is always asking people to buy him breakfast. Everyday he’s in their telling people “hey buy me something”. Seems like a bad approach for a beggar, even though you knew he’s getting food and not drugs or anything.

            They always say you need a good breakfast to start off the day. I would never have the time to get it before school, and as a result I was not in a good learning mode. I also found my new favorite type of doughnut. In order to be alert and ready for the day, you need to have something good in your stomach. I had always thought I didn’t need the breakfast, but now I couldn’t even think about not having it.

Bridge Life!

I’ve had so much fun being in Chicago and in bridge at Columbia College Chicago. I feel like I’ve learned a lot and have grown into a different person. I’ve met some great people while being out here. It has really been a learning experience. I’ve learned things about myself that I never would’ve realized. This has been one of the greatest times in my life that I am so proud of. I am so proud of myself for doing this. I mean, of course I knew it would be rewarding to take this risk but I didn’t know it would feel this rewarding. I came out here got an apartment, a job, enrolled in school and now I am finishing my last days of bridge. I could cry honestly. This experience means so much to me, because although I had the ultimate confidence I still didn’t know what this would be like. I am glad that I honestly can say that I love my new life!

Professors’ Brad and Caitlynn, wow. You guys are truly amazing at what you do. I remember the first day being so nervous about who are instructors would be. I felt like this would hurt all of our self-esteems and make us feel like we weren’t good enough because we had to go through this program before being admitted. I was completely wrong! This experience has done nothing short of motivating us and has actually made us feel better about ourselves. You two are truly amazing people, and you made it easy for us to learn. I can definitely see why you two are so successful! Thank you for helping us to understand that college is a fun, but serious experience. You have given us all advice, and helped us develop skills that we will definitely need to succeed in the duration of our college experience.

Thank You!

Empire

One of my favorite things I've seen during our field trips here at bridge is our visit to MoCP here at Columbia. We were lucky enough to see the modern photgraphy donated to Columbia from thousands of photographers. People from all over the country come to see this exhibit, and all we had to do was walk across the street!
The piece that stuck out to me the most was Empire. This piece was a series of portraits that one can find in an every day household. The images included uniforms, meat at a market, alcohol, flowers and many more. The purpose of the compilation of images was to show the American culture and show what it's like behind closed doors. Our society paints a picture that it's necessary to sugar coat things that are major issues that are present today. Empire made you think about things in a different way.
In tribute to Empire, I thought I'd create my own personal version.

Leave Your Mark - World Humanitarian Day

Beyoncé wants to know....How will you leave your mark on World Humanitarian Day?

Pop star and new mom Beyoncé teams up with the United Nations for a campaign in which she will release her 2011 Diane Warren penned song on August 19^th 2012.

The single I Was Here is featured on Beyoncé’s fourth album ‘4’. In the heartfelt ballad Beyoncé brings her powerhouse vocals to force singing the word – “I wanna leave my mark so everyone will know I was here.”

Bey first heard the song after songstress Diane Warren played the song for her hip-hop mogul husband Jay-z. Jay then played the song for his wife, and she ended up recording the song within days for her album, which at the time was complete.

After the releasing the hits – Run the World (Girls), Best Thing I Never Had, 1+1, Love on Top, Bey is back to leave her mark along with the rest of the world on World Humanitarian Day. The pop-star and Diane Warren are donating the song for the cause in hopes to reach 1 billion supporters on August 19^th.

Beyoncé performed the song live at the U.N.’s General Assembly Hall, for what will be released as a music video for the single. She sang the song in front of hundreds including Anderson Cooper, the songwriter Diane Warren, and R&B singer The-Dream.

Before singing the beautiful song, Bey addressed the hundreds in attendance saying- “We all see the headlines and think, what can I really do to help? World Humanitarian Day is an opportunity for all of us to work together to make a difference.”

After the amazing performance she said- “I'd like to ask everyone to make sure they're a part of August 19^th, it’s such a beautiful, beautiful day, and I'd like to honor the 22 people who lost their lives. God bless you all. Thank you so much for having me”

The new mom, who gave birth to daughter Blue Ivy on January 7^th, is encouraging everyone to do one thing for another human being. So what will you do?

No matter how big or small. Take the opportunity to do something for someone else. This is a chance for everyone as a whole to stand up and make a statement, and make a difference. I know I’ll be joining Beyoncé! Will you?

Click on the link below to find out how you can be a part of such a beautiful day!

http://whd-iwashere.org/

Just The Beginning

Over the past week or so, during blog posting time and one-on-one conferencing, I’ve been encouraging you all to think about the way you learn.  It is my hope, that the realizations you draw from my prompting, will help you in your college career here at Columbia.  I believe that students who don’t understand their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning often struggle more than those who do.  For instance, some of you know you struggle with organization.  This is a difficulty you’ll have to overcome in college, but not an impossible one.  If you understand this about yourself, you’ll be more apt to consciously work at adjusting your methods, which will hopefully lead to success.  Understanding my strengths and weaknesses as a bridge instructor is a rather similar idea.

As I’ve hopefully helped you discover a little about the way you learn and your strengths and weaknesses, I’ve learned a little about myself as well.  I’ve discovered a lot about the kind of teacher I am, and the kind I hope to be.  You’ve given me insight into the kind of speakers you enjoy and the ones that make you fall asleep, the kind of trips and activities that excite and/or bore you, and the kind of topics you find most engaging to write about.  A good teacher is constantly morphing his or her teaching style to fit the learning styles of his or her students.  Teaching, in my opinion, is always a bit of an experiment or a puzzle.  We’re trying to figure out what piece fits where, or what variables bring about the desired results. 

This is my first time working with the bridge program and it has been an extremely rewarding experience.  I don’t think Brad and I could have asked for a better group of students, and I’ve met some of the most creative and inspiring young men and women here this summer.  You all have such great potential, and such large ideas.  I’ve been so impressed by the questions you’ve asked, the observations you’ve made, and the connections you’ve drawn.  If you keep this up, your future Writing and Rhetoric teachers will be just as impressed.

When the fall semester starts, it isn’t going to be easy.  You are going to be asked to do a lot and may occasionally feel overwhelmed.  However, I feel you are all capable of rising to the occasion.  Graduation is within reach if you continue to put the kind of efforts into your classes as you have into bridge.   After Thursday, once you’ve presented the artistic interpretations of your papers and eaten your delicious cupcakes, I hope you can feel a sense of pride in all that you’ve accomplished these past four weeks.  However, I also encourage you to stay humble, and remember that the road ahead will not be easy.  Bridge is just the beginning.     

the college dream

                Attending college is a great experience that everybody don’t have the chance to do.  While looking for other colleges to apply to, Columbia seems like the right fit. It’s a different than the regular college campus. Everything is everywhere. It’s not the tradition campus which is awesome. The faulty here has good connection with working in the field of your major. It does seem like the right fit for me. I’m more of a city girl and I don’t want to be three hours away just for school. College is where you find yourself and meet other people. Even though schooling now is extremely expensive, it’s all worth it in the end.

The bridge program is a wonderful asset to figure out if you’re ready for college. I think that more colleges or universities should do the same program. It’s great to meet the faulty, and understand what this school is about. If you’re having second thoughts on college, this is the program to see what you can do. The lecture has seemed to be everyone favorites, including mines as well. It’s a good way to introduce new major if you haven’t found your area. It’s a good thing to see what the teachers have to say about their experiences here at Columbia. So far, all the teachers seem to love what they do. Yes, the pass couple of lectures have been boring; yet it is still something they are passionate about.  The teachers all seem excited about helping their students succeeded in there major. This school is also extremely diverts.

With the bridge program “message” everyone took from this experience is passion. Everyone wants that with their careers. Yet why don’t we seem that way about life? Why isn’t our younger generation pro-active about this upcoming election?  There are going to be TONS of changes that most people aren’t going to be happy with in the end. We are all glad that we have our first African-American president, yet it seems like this turnout will be not as good as four years ago. Yes, we can make a difference by watching CNN and other news station to see what’s going on in the world. I don’t like people complaining if they didn’t attempt to try and vote. I feel like if people want passion with their careers than they need to be passionate about other things in world.