I haven’t been very good about updating my blog lately, but who really wants to read about my life lately? Its been a very boring rotation of going to the library, class, and work. I thoroughly enjoyed my time away from school for internships and work, but I am paying the price now! My math classes this semester have consumed way too much of my time and I am ready to be done with them. December 16th can not come soon enough!
I probably shouldn’t allow myself to get too excited for winter break, since a significant proportion of my time will probably be spent studying for the GRE and LSAT. I am not exactly sure what I want to do, but I know it is best to take those tests while the information is fresh in my mind. I have many older friends who are considering going back to school to pursue their postgraduate degrees and they are spending a lot of time preparing for those tests outside of their full-time jobs. I want to keep my options open and get it out of the way! I get stressed out thinking about the future, so for now I am just going to focus on finishing this semester! One more week!
Just one pint of donated blood can help save the lives of several people?
Every 3 seconds someone needs blood.
Approximately 32,000 pints of blood are used each day in the U.S.
One out of every ten people entering the hospital needs blood.
Shortages of all blood types occur year round, particularly during the summer and winter holidays.
If all blood donors gave at least twice a year, it would strengthen the nation’s blood supply.
It doesn’t take long to give blood, less than an hour from registration to refreshment.
People who have been in car accidents and have suffered massive blood loss may require transfusions of 50 pints or more of blood (All stats are from the DeGowin Blood Center)
The first time I gave blood was my junior year in high school. The blood drive coming to my school meant two things: one,I would be helping someone in need and two, I would get out of track practice for the day! I was pretty excited to have a day off from running, but two minutes into giving blood my vein collapsed and I ended up not being able to donate. My plan backfired and I ended up running.
Free T-Shirt!
Donating blood is an easy and rewarding way to help someone in need. If you really need a reason to donate check out the list above! It is a painless, simple and safe procedure. Just remember to take proper care of yourself before and after giving blood! I just recently gave blood at FryFest and made a silly mistake. After donating I went to pick up some new Iowa gear. It was a pretty busy day and we had parked on the top of the parking ramp. Forgetting that I had just given blood, I walked up the five flights of stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. As soon as I got to the top I started feeling dizzy, sweaty and faint. It’s a good thing I had a friend with me because I ended up on the ground in the middle of the parking ramp!
It is very rare that people experience any symptoms after giving blood and I assure you it will not stop me from donating in the future! I challenge everyone to find a blood drive and donate this month!
Here is a list of the September blood drives on campus:
Thursday, September 15 (Get a FREE “I Bleed Black & Gold” t-shirt) UIHC
10 am to 3 pm
1st Floor Pappajohn Pavilion (Elevator 1)
Monday, September 26
Currier/Stanley
6 pm to 10 pm
Multi-Purpose Room
Thursday, September 29
Dance Marathon
11 am to 3 pm
IMU-Iowa Room
Friday, September 30
Dance Marathon
11 am to 3 pm
IMU-Iowa Room
In the summer of 2009, I had the privilege of working as an intern in the Office of the Chief of Staff. I wanted to use this blog post to share my experience and encourage anyone interested to apply now. The deadline for the Spring 2012 White House Internship Program is September 11th!
The office I was interning for, the Office of the Chief of Staff, is responsible for the oversight of White House staff and working with others to develop and carry out the President’s initiatives and priorities. The assignments given to the interns vary from day to day and office to office. I worked alongside staff members in matters concerning policy and research. Some of my daily tasks included conducting research, attending meetings, writing memos, and performing general administrative work. I worked on projects ranging from the Recovery Act outlay analysis – to investigating the impact of congressional redistricting. While I was able to work on some fascinating projects, there were also days were I spent hours sorting through Rahm Emanuel’s mail and working on monotonous spreadsheets. Sorting mail was actually entertaining at times; you would be surprised by some of the stuff people sent him!
In addition to the daily work, every week the internship class participated in a weekly speaker series and a service-learning project. The projects were a meaningful way to give back to the community and build leadership skills. Throughout the speaker series, we heard from senior members of the Obama Administration including President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Senior Advisor David Axelrod, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and many others. These were usually the highlight of my week. I was surprised by the personal stories they shared with us and their openness they exhibited when answering questions. I always left the room feeling inspired.
Another unique opportunity we had was participating in special events at the White House: the congressional luau, the Independence Day celebration on the South Lawn, and the staff picnic. I think we all were a little star-struck at these events; we were surrounded by some of the greatest minds and most powerful people in the country.
As much fun as it was attending those events and seeing all those people, my favorite moment of the internship happened every day. Rahm Emanuel told us if there was ever a day that you walk through those gates and don’t feel proud and honored to work there, then you should turn in your badge and go home. That was my favorite part of the internship, the moment I arrived at work and walked past all the tourists and through the gates. My internship was an invaluable experience. So much of what I learned can not be taught in a classroom and it has helped me to better understand the inner workings of federal government. I encourage anyone that is interested to apply here and please check out the website for more information!
David Axelrod addressing the interns
Introducing Jim Messina
A friend (who happens to be an Iowa Alum) and I at the staff picnic
First Lady Michelle Obama with my service-learning group
Vice President Joe Biden
President and First Lady at the staff picnic
With Mona Sutphen (Deputy Chief of Staff from 2009-2011)
Outside the West Wing doors
With Rahm Emanuel (of course it had to be blurry!)
I am happy to report that my sister and I made it through our first RAGBRAI experience! I realize I am about two and a half weeks late with this post, but as the saying goes… better late than never!
A few notes from the ride:
It was HOT! Our first day started off rather pleasant. We made it to the first meeting town and my confidence was at an all time high. We were making good time, cruising past people and I wasn’t feeling sore at all. That all changed at about one o’clock when the sun came out of hiding and was beating down on us with full intensity. For the next few days I was sure the 100+ degree heat was going to get the best of me. There was one incident where I became slightly lightheaded, but it was nothing a refreshing smoothie (I had more smoothies on this ride than I have in my entire life) and a little H2O couldn’t cure. I made it through the ride without taking the support van. Success!
Iowans are awesome. I would have never made it through this ride without the gracious support of all the small town Iowans along the way. After peddling for miles in the blazing sun, the mouth-watering food, the water, the encouraging cheering, the giant speakers with music playing at every intersection (courtesy of the state patrol officers), the sprinklers and children with their squirt-guns, and of course the 200 ft homemade slip-n-slide are what kept me riding!
Mini Kinnick Stadium! When I was told we were nine miles from Coralville I rode as fast as I could up and down all those hills! Arriving in Coralville was my favorite. They built a mini replica of Kinnick for us to ride through! People in the stands clad with black and gold pom-poms cheered as we rode in to town. They even had a statue of Herky and the mascot out to greet us! It was a great way to end our 75 mile “college spirit day” and the perfect place to end our RAGBRAI adventure!
I should be sleeping right now since I will be getting up at 6am to ride 70 miles on a bicycle, but instead I am staying up and writing my first blog post!
My little sister and I decided back in January that we were going to participate in RAGRBAI (The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) this year. This is the first time either of us will be riding in RAGBRAI and we will be riding from Carroll to Coralville. Saying that I am an amateur cyclist is a HUGE understatement. I realize I had six months to prepare myself for this little venture, but the truth is I haven’t ridden a non-stationary bicycle for approximately one year. Woops! I sure hope I can rely on those express cycling classes I took back in January!
While I am a little nervous about making it through the next four days alive, I am also VERY excited! When I get back I am sure I will have plenty of pictures and stories to share!
