Hey Friends,

I know it has been a while since my last blog post… but be sure that I am out doing interesting things that I will later blog about in the near future!

I love the commentary and feedback I received from the last few blogs.

Currently I am eating leftover subway, facebooking and writing a speech in Japanese.

My roommate Kristy is on her bed studying for her Chinese test tomorrow.

Recently, I was just crowned Miss Greater Des Moines! 🙂 Kind of Cool, ya?

 

Among the all of the prizes, I am most excited about the 1000$ scholarship! WOOT WOOT!

When students are looking for ways to help pay for college I want to encourage the ladies to not forget about pageant scholarships. It sounds weird but it is definitely a possibility and who knows, you might be surprised, have a lot of fun, and meet some really awesome people. I did.

For all of you who are interested in the many things that the University of Iowa has to offer, but there is just one concern that you have concerning being a minority.

As some would assume, I am African American plus a mixture of about 4 other races/ethnic backgrounds. However, African American is what I identify with in the quick scheme of things.

Q. Are there any black people there?

A. Yes, I am black, and I am here 🙂 There are other students of color that attend the University.

Q. Are there a lot?

A. In comparison to other races, no, not really. This is a really big university that is predominantly white. However, you shouldn’t let that discourage you, the black population here on campus is really involved and all over the place! 🙂 Check out this page on Fall 2010 Diversity Demographics.

For a comprehensive list of University diversity resources, please visit:
http://www.uiowa.edu/homepage/diversity/index.html

There is a website that is home to collective essays written by black students on campus. The focus of the essays are NOT college life, but just about educating people by using historical events to shed light on present and future events. Occasionally things will come up about college life here, so it is an interesting place to go for perspectives on the issue of diversity.

Here is the link:
http://www.youngblackeducated.com/2011/11/why-do-black-women-get-no-love-in-iowa.html

We at Young, Black & Educated wholeheartedly believe that knowing our
history is the only way we can navigate our future. By engaging and having those
conversations that many people are afraid to have we wish to promote a free and
equal society.

I think the website creates some very interesting dialogue, I also think that it discusses some very controversial topics, and gives everyone something to think harder about. For example; Q&A: “Black Men’s Obsession with White Women” is a topic of an article and so is, “Troy Davis Execution: Georgia Pardons Board Denies Plea for Clemency .”

These articles represent some of the very diverse thinking of a small group of students at Iowa and their opinions are definitely interesting and worth the read.

Also, for incoming students check out: http://iowaedge.uiowa.edu/

I just got an email sent to me by a current freshman at the University of Iowa. 🙂

Here is a quote with her concern.

“Hey Kyra!

 I stumbled upon your blog and I read about how happy you
were with your advisor, and couldn’t help thinking about mine. She’s nice
enough, and gives me helpful info when I ask, but I feel like we don’t really
connect much. So what should I do? I’d love to hear what you think!

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Current U of I Freshman”

Okay, well girl… HIGH FIVE for seeking out mentor-ship/guidance. I have to commend you for taking things a step forward and asking questions! As for your answer; I think you’ve come to the right place! Haha

Well, if your advisor is nice,  effectively helps you understand your career path options, and class registration I think that you should definitely continue working with her. Although your academic advisor is one of your first options for a mentor, he/she is not the only one. I think you should seek out someone on campus  (staff or faculty) that is successful  in an area you may have interest in or someone is just an all around cool person doing cool things! After you figure out who you would like to be your mentor you can send them an email sharing with them why you’d like for them to be your mentor and request that you guys could meet up every couple of weeks to just check in with each other. Or you can just build the relationship with out officially putting on the title.

What do you do with your mentor??

Well, you share an interest in what projects, research, & events they may be a part of. Hear their story and how they got to where they are now. Ask them for advice and let them know what is going on from a student prospective.

It seems like a kind of odd thing to do, and I know this tactic isn’t for everyone, however, I know I’ve learned a lot from my mentors and it is really cool to know I have a faculty level of support at the University. This helps out tremendously in many different ways.

As for your advisor, why don’t you try stopping in sometime during her walk in hours  and maybe seek her advice on a different area of your college experience other than classes, you may be surprised to see where this leads and this will allow her the opportunity to get to know you with out such a strict agenda such as registering you for next semester in an hour or less.

I know that was a lot to take in, but I hope it helped!

If you have any follow up questions please feel free to comment below or shoot me another email! 🙂

 

 

Tonight, it was game time.

We had been through a lot this year; the grueling hours of the member selection process, hours upon hours of late night practices, executive team meetings at wee hours of the morning, manager selection, team bonding events, media preparation, costume design and creation, music editing, and implementing changes at the last minute.

We went onto stage feeling confident and beautiful. I was more than excited!!

Were we ready to perform at the annual cultural ball? There was only one way to find out.

 

I am glad to announce that this was an amazing performance, and that we had tons of fun dancing the routine which is absolutely amazing all in its own. I fed off the energy of the other girls, which in turn increased my performance. It was an awesome night and it really made us feel as if we were a team!

Great Job Girls!

I am enjoying the stress of midterms, exams, papers, quizes, homework, and cold weather that October LOVES to bring! **Sarcastic Voice***

I am currently tucked away in the back of the 2nd floor library studying with a group of friends… well we are all studying different things but we are in a group studying in one room. All I can think about is pizza. Speaking of food, I had a bowl of cinnamon oatmeal for breakfast this morning after I found the package underneath my bed. Haha, which is really gross now that I think about it-but, OH WELL! I woke up early this morning to get my homework done, and I must say, the Papa John Business Building has tall-dark-n-handsome’s walking around all over the place. The PBB (Papajohn Business Bld), honestly has some really good looking men in they’re being all extra sexy and studious! (And if I may add, they are even cuter because they are studying). It’s a bittersweet situation. Because most of the time, the bldg is quiet, people are there to study, there is no horseplay or crazy loud meetings going on, and its a comfortable and modern place to study. On the other hand, all those beautiful people walking around can get kind of distracting.

Well I most definitely should get back to my Spanish!

Tonight I went to the Afro House to enjoy the free food, music, and chill environment with some friends before I started my homework. It was delicious, and did I mention it was free? This event happens once a month at the Afro Culture Center by Black Student Union. There was cornbread, beans, rolls, chicken, potato salad, and more! I had a great time catching up with my friends and relaxing in the home-like environment. 🙂

 

Raising money for a student organization, has never been so fun! Members of Students Abolishing Slavery and other volunteers came out to scoop ice cream with SAS! The employees at Coldstone were very nice and showed us the ropes, lets just say I’m nothing short of BIG DEAL when it comes to scoopin’ and mixin’ ice cream on the Coldstone. The most popular mix was the Birthday Cake Remix, I do not eat chocolate, but if I did; I am sure it would be amazing. A percentage of the all the proceeds were donated to SAS and all the tips also were given to the organization.

Me and the girls that I worked with were jammin’ out to the music that was playing on the speaker. I wish I had a video of when the song Circle of Life from the Lion King came on!!! We had such a hay day, dancing around, and attempting to sing the lyrics.

Talk about memories 🙂

Not to mention, that every time we received a tip, we got to sing also Coldstone Remixes to songs!

 

Rehab

They tried to make me go to DQ, but I said no, no, no

Yes they have shakes, but when it comes to taste you’ll know, know, know

That they ain’t got it right, and cold stone’s outta sight

Just try and make me go to DQ and I won’t go, go, go

Okay, so Mayflowerr (one of the University’s residence halls) is upgrading! Last year, I had to walk down four flights of stairs (or take the elevator) to the first floor, to go to the recycling room. Then sort all of my recycling according to the signs above these big bins. But this year, MAGICALLY, I no longer have to do that. In the recycling room along with all public areas of the residence hall are these cute little blue  bins that allow me to stuff my cardboard, plastic, and soda cans ALL IN ONE BIN! WOOT WOOT! Talk about progress! Go Hawks!

Attending Indian Student Alliance was not just rewarding because all of the great food, but I also got my CULTURE on! 🙂 I sent this photo to my grandma to show her how cool it was and she responded by text, “I hope that’s not permenent.” Haha, luckily for my grandmother it was not permanent. Sadly, it was gone in about 6 days. Having the tatto was a great conversation starter around campus. So if you are looking for a way to talk to more people….you now know what to do!

Studying late in the Mayflower lounge area has its benefits. When it is time for me to head back to my bedroom on the second floor, I can walk into the metal box alone, push number 2 and enjoy being lazy.

This is what happens when you wait over a month to do your laundry; color cordinated skyscrapers take over your study room area!