As I blew out the candles to celebrate my eighteenth birthday, fear suddenly gripped my eyes and I ran to my room to scramble for my laptop. I completely forgot about my first day of “class”. An online class was new to me; however, knowing myself, I would not want to miss out on earning college credits before officially beginning my first semester. So, here I was with a piece of cake on one side of me and a classroom on the other. This course was the only cost-free course which Stockton would offer to incoming freshman and although the course did not seem all too appealing, I later found it to be extremely insightful. Without further stalling, on June 29^th, I began the course, “GoGlobal: GSS 1236 393” with Professor Rodriguez who later turned out to be my instructor for my freshman seminar. This online class focused on instructing the class on the world and discussed different aspects of it from economics to population to information.  The class was split into three different classrooms with a different professor to monitor each one to look over the assignments and discussion board. The course was approximately one month and a half long and assignments were due daily from Monday to Friday.

The topics covered were: Introduction, Population, Resources, Technology, Information, Economies, Conflict, Governance, Globally Citizenship, and Summary/ Integration. The purpose was to transform the students into globally informed and moreover globally involved citizens; a goal which I am positive was achieved based on my education from the course. For each topic, there was a lecture with videos and articles to supplement the information and three types of assignments: New York Times Blog Posts, Discussion Posts, and Global Villager Blogs. Following each topic was a quiz and after five topics, there was an examination that consisted of all open-ended questions. My favorite assignment was the Global Villager Blog since it involved researching a particular area of the globe and seeing how certain economic or health factors would affect an imaginary character which was created by you. The perspective was added when this character was compared to other characters or even the average college student. The assignment truly helped build on research skills and writing performance in my opinion, since a well-constructed response reflected on both the character and the writer.

All in all, the course was very informational and useful to take, although this was only a one-time opportunity since incoming freshman are the only ones who have a chance to enroll. Best of all, in the comfort of one’s home and in their own manageable time, an individual was able to complete their assignments with no worry. I would recommend this to anyone, regardless of their major, since it expands their mind on ongoing global issues and allows them the chance to contribute with political action; this begins with writing a letter to the senator. Finally, since my villager was from Madagascar, I even felt like I was able to visit the country by stepping in her shoes.

On January 23, in USC 221, I began my first day in the NAMS laboratory as a chemical lab assistant where my job was to prepare chemicals and prep for the chemistry labs as well as their finals. Upon walking into the lab, I was shocked at all the appliances and intense organization for all the chemicals and supplies. I was provided with lab googles and a lab coat (LAB COAT!!) and set off with simple tasks at first. However, as the weeks led on, I was given more complex tasks such as preparing 24 L of NaOH and cutting 500 strips of Magnesium. This job has taught me so much about chemistry as well as time management since I go straight from class to work and back to class. The amount of information I have learned hands-on and introductions to all the chemistry professors has definitely allowed me to place my foot in the door for which I am grateful.

I am still working at these facilities and would recommend any student to take a small-time job in their current major to truly experience it.

On the evening of September 15^th, 2016, I attended a discussion panel held by Stockton’s Political Science Department.  The Stockton Delegation is comprised of nine students who were acquired internships for either the Democratic National Convention or the Republican National Convention for a 12 day seminar.  Seven students were in attendance at the DNC leaving the remaining two at the RNC.   Overall, each convention discussed policy issues and highlighted the heightened emotions that have been and are continued to be brought up about this year’s cacophonous election.

The discussion began with students expressing their designated roles appointed at the convention.  The internships and experiences each student encountered differed from one another which made this discussion board worthwhile as well as educational for me.  Myriam, the President of the Student Senate, had a role in the DNC that stood out to me the most.  Her internship was through Free Speech TV where she acted as a media intern.  Not only did she work on the convention floor, she was able to go out in the streets and have interviews with people for and against the party.  Myriam interviewed many people in opposition to the Democratic Party such as those who participated in protests and walkouts.  I find this take on the election to be thought-provoking because I do not find that protests are covered as much by media outlets.  Yes, demonstrations are shown on the TV but the viewer is not exposed to the individual beliefs and reasons why the protestors are in opposition to the candidates.

As the discussion was concluding, questions were offered to the panelist by both Professor Rodriguez and Professor Abernathy.  One questions posed asked what the reason for the convention is in general and with regards to this election in specific.  For those who attended the DNC, they found that the convention served as an advertising ground for platforms and policies of both candidates, Sanders and Clinton.  Some spoke of the heightened tensions between Sanders and Clinton supporters such as pushing and cursing.  However, the students who attended the RNC felt as if the convention unified the party.  Similar to the DNC, the RNC experienced tension, yet there was ultimate realization and backing for the party as a whole despite different candidate beliefs.  A question was also posed by a student in the audience with regards to the chance of a third-party candidate being elected.  In this particular election, many people do not wish for either party nominee to be chosen, so, they cast their vote to the third-party candidate.  However, it was suggested that it was highly unlikely for a third-party candidate to receive enough votes to win the election.  They did stress that some votes cast in favor of the third-party could affect the votes of one of the third-party candidates, as evident in Florida.

Overall, I believed this discussion panel to be educational with regards to politics and this election as a whole.  Events such as this lead me towards being more politically engaged in my community and at Stockton.

Do you suffer from homesickness? Are you leaving behind a beloved pet upon coming to college? No worries! Stockton University has decided that a miniscule goldfish is the proper replacement for a dog or a cat, and hundreds of students came to pick up their new dorm fish in the Campus Center!
All sarcasm aside, Stockton had to utilize a significant amount of consideration in order to even think of giving us this opportunity. Having a dorm pet made college living less lonely. It gave us simultaneous responsibility and partnership with an animal that – though it’s no dog – we have the opportunity to love. The event itself involved a massive tank filled with hundreds – maybe a thousand – goldfish. We got to catch the goldfish ourselves in a small net, and we were able to design the tanks however we wanted.
Through this we gained responsibility that only owning a pet would entail.

The Stockton Honors College took a day trip to Philadelphia early in the 2016 school year to see a political satire. We loaded the bus at an ungodly hour for a weekend morning, and we set off.
Upon arriving at the theater, we noticed a two main things: the interior design was quaint enough to have been put together by my grandparents, and we were the only attendants under the age of 65 by the looks of the audience. By these observations, we initially concluded that this time would be interesting at the least.
Despite our preconceived notions, the political satire was enjoyable for our age group as well as the older age group. The actors and actresses showcased the possibilities of each candidate taking the presidential election, and they incorporated impersonations of modern public figures. They made a point to engage the audience and used dry humor and sarcasm to keep us interested. Traveling to Philadelphia was a small price to pay for a good quality political satire.

In October of 2016, Stockton held a suicide awareness walk, during which participants walked from Lakeside Lodge to the Campus Center. Though it was a phenomenal event, and it served its purpose at raising awareness, I’m not writing about the walk itself, because I did not attend.
The walk started at 6 o’clock, and I was just returning from a Philly trip with the honors college. At around 6:40, I received a call from my close friend, Michelle. Unable to decipher her words in between her sobs, I asked for her location and ran to that point. She had been attending the suicide walk, and her memories had flooded in to haunt her at the worst time possible. In the middle of the suicide walk, Michelle broke down in my arms and shared a story about her cousin who, at a young age, took his own life.
The festivities the walk entailed were no match for Michelle’s emotional breakdown, and why should they be? No amount of activity and loud noises can remedy the heartbreak caused by losing a loved one, especially by such means.
The suicide walk benefited me even though I didn’t attend. It gave me insight into the mind of someone who is now one of my best friends. I would not have achieved that level of our friendship by any other means. Stockton University’s main goal of the suicide walk was to raise awareness of a global problem that is too often overlooked. Well, it surely affected me in the best way possible.

I have great news – I made Student Ambassadors!
I also have not-so-great news – I lost my voice the morning of my first day on the job.
I woke up at 7 AM, ready to be the most enthusiastic new ambassador at the open house. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, put on my black polo and dress pants, and shook out the nerves. After a final check of my reflection in the mirror, I turned to mutter a goodbye to my half-asleep roommate.
No sound escaped my mouth.
I froze in disbelief and sprinted across the hall into the bathroom. I tried to speak into the mirror. “Hi, my name is Destiny! Welcome to Stockton!” But what came out of my mouth sounded like the rustling of the dead leaves I crush on my Sunday long runs. I whipped out my phone and proceeded to wake up every single current ambassador whose number I had saved. I received the same advice from almost every single one – don’t lead a trolley tour. That sounds easy enough, right?
Except that, upon arrival at the open house, I find out my job is to lead a trolley tour for the day. With no voice, I was in charge of grabbing the microphone and talking over a roaring engine about the wonderful sights to be seen around Stockton.
Thankfully, my mentor for the day took charge and led the tours for me, allowing me a minute each ride to whisper into the mic my name, my major, and a brief apology for not being able to say as much as I’d wanted. Admittedly, I was relieved that I had enough of a voice to even say that, but I have so many needless facts to spill about Stockton that it physically pained me to stay quiet for 15 minute intervals.
So, if you are ever wondering what not to do the night before a trolley tour: DO NOT listen to the first Hannah Montana album on blast and scream-sing the words. It will royally hinder your chances at spewing your eternal knowledge of Stockton facts to your captive audience.

In mid-September, Stockton University invited a lecturer to come in and lead a dialogue session on genocide. Being a school that prides itself on its plethora of resources on the topic of genocide, Stockton had many interested students.
It was one of the first dialogue sessions of the year, and so as expected there were many genocide studies students who expressed their interest by going up to the lecturer before he spoke to share common likes and dislikes. I, the Health Sciences major, of course had no idea where to start when it came to genocide studies. Like most others, I’d touched on the Holocaust in grammar school and have since then rarely thought of the topic.
Ignorantly so, I thought the lecture would be solely about the Holocaust, because that was the only act of genocide I knew existed. It turns out, there have been multiple attempts at mass elimination of specific populations over time. I also learned that concentration camps weren’t the only methods used to enact genocide. Most importantly, I learned that, when going to watch a scholar giving a passionate lecture, wearing running clothes is not the best choice to make. It is a small school; the lecturer will see you.
I rushed out of the room as soon as the lecture ended without congratulating the lecturer on his insightful talk, and surely without getting my participation paper signed for honors. I wish I had worn something worthier of that man’s advanced knowledge. I also wish I could tell him that he did an amazing job, and that – I’m sorry – I cannot for the life of me remember his name because all I could think about was the fact that my hooded sweatshirt stood out like a sore thumb in a sea of blazers and polos.
I highly encourage you, good readers, to attend as many holocaust-related dialogue sessions as you can, because you will learn so much more than you had already known. However, please, for your sake and the sake of your self-confidence, dress like you are at a college lecture, not like you’re going to run a marathon.

Jonathan Pier
11/30/2016
Professor Lenard
Freshmen Blog Assignment Three
The event that I volunteered for was Stockton University’s first annual Rudolph Run, which took place on Saturday, November 19th. This event was sponsored by Stockton University’s honors program students. The run is an annual event for all students that took place in and around freshmen housing. The intent of this event was to raise money in order to help support a local family over the holidays. This involved buying clothing, toys, cards, food, and cards for them. Additionally, the goal was to fundraise for both the honors program and For The Run Of It. The volunteer activities included tabling prior to the run in order to collect donations and help to promote awareness for the run, guiding participants during the run, and even partaking in the race itself. By the end of the event, the Rudolph Run was able to successfully raise $211.37. Despite this not being enough to support an entire family over the holidays, it was sufficient funding to buy a number of toys and board games for the Stockton police department’s Toys for Tots program. The event raised awareness towards those who are not as fortunate over the holiday period and inspired many to do even the slightest thing to help someone in need, while at the same time providing an interactive and fun way for participants to stay in shape and meet new people. Overall, I found Stockton’s first annual Rudolph Run to be a success with loads of potential for the future. Given the opportunity, I would partake in the event again and would even spread the word to my friends having first-hand experience with how enjoyable the event was.

Jonathan Pier

10/24/2016

Professor Lenard

Freshmen Blog Assignment Two

The event that I attended was Stockton’s event to create cards and miniature gifts for homeless children, which took place on September 14th, 2016. The event was a one-time event for freshmen that took place on campus with the intention of providing incoming freshmen with a fun and interactive way to create cards and gifts for homeless children for their birthdays and the upcoming holidays. This event consisted of multiple different activities with the intention of making little knickknacks such as cards and  foam toys. Led by the guidance of volunteering upperclassmen, attendees were allowed to pick which item they wanted to create, and used items such as foam, scissors, stickers, and cardboard paper to create cute and happy-looking presents. This service event was beneficial because it offered students a chance to help and put a smile on the faces of these children, who otherwise would not have had much of a reason to think anybody cared about them, or even enjoy the holidays or their birthday. The event was followed by a dialogue that expanded on the purpose of the event, with students discussing their feelings on how lucky they are to have a roof over their heads in the coming cold months, as well as providing a perspective that made everyone thankful for what they had in life. The event was overall very enjoyable and made me want to spend more time helping homeless children find a reason to smile during a period that I want to be smiling as well.