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February 03, 2010
January 19, 2010
Student Activities Blog: Filipino Students Association
It all started with two warm smiles and one bowl of dried mangoes in September 2006. Being the type of person with multiple interests, I was genuinely torn among several of the student organizations who had tables at the Student Activities Commission (SAC) Fair (now known simply as the Student Activities Fair). The Filipino Students Association was among the few that left a lasting impression by the time I stepped out of the recreation center because of those smiles--and, of course, those oh-so-delicious dried mangoes.
Joining the Filipino Students Association was already in my mind even before I stepped foot at Hopkins, since I was craving interaction with people my age who went through the same cultural experiences. I'm not saying that I wasn't aware of my Filipino heritage when I started college; I definitely was! My Filipino immigrant parents had made sure of that; still, I didn't meet many people my age of Filipino descent in southwestern Connecticut, where I was born and raised.
Nonetheless, I was hesitant to approach the FSA table at the SAC Fair. I thought that its members might look down on me: I was fluent only in English, I couldn't name more than five Filipino celebrities on the spot if I was lucky, I couldn't cook Filipino food (although I could eat it with gusto), and I couldn't dance one Filipino folk dance. I couldn't even dance hip-hop, which many Filipino-Americans in the U.S. dance well; I was a classical ballet dancer. When I started talking to two friendly upperclassmen who had a bowl of dried mangoes at the FSA table and encouraged me to sign up for the FSA mailing list, however, I had a feeling that my fears were unnecessary. I was correct.
Fast forward to the present, in which I'm now a second-semester senior at Hopkins. After that fateful event known as the SAC Fair, I became a very active member of FSA as a freshman, then a secretary as a sophomore, then a co-vice president as a junior, and now a co-president as a senior. I've also improved my understanding of Tagalog, I've become more aware of Filipino pop culture and current affairs, I've learned how to cook some Filipino dishes, and I've learned how to dance four Filipino folk dances (and choreographed routines in them).
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Student Organization Name: Filipino Students Association
Category of Group: Cultural
Founded: 1980 (unofficially); 2004 (officially)
Your Name: Kate F.
Your Hometown: Stamford, Connecticut
Your Year: Class of 2010
Your Position: Co-President (also: Co-Vice President [2008-2009], Secretary [2007-2008], and Regular Member [2006-2007])
Website: http://www.jhu.edu/fsa
1. Why did you choose to become involved with this student organization? As previously mentioned, I joined FSA to interact with other people my age of Filipino descent; I also wanted to learn Filipino folk dances (especially the tinikling, in which two six-foot-long bamboo poles are clapped together and people jump in and out of them) and perhaps other aspects of Filipino culture of which I wasn't aware before college.
2. What are the organization's membership requirements? To be considered an official active member, we require that one attends at least two general body meetings a year. Our regular events include about one general body a month, about one social event a month, and numerous practices for events such as Culture Show in the fall and Filipino Cultural Night in the spring. Most of our active members participate in more regular events than just attending the general body meetings.
3. What special events has this organization hosted? Starting my freshman year (the 2006-2007 school year), the then-president and one of the other officers coordinated a "Filipino Cultural Night" event in which Filipino food was served and traditional Filipino songs and dances were performed. It's become an annual event ever since, and we've been working on expanding the event ever year. During its first year, it was held in the fall, but now we hold it in the spring. FSA also regularly auditions for and performs in the Culture Show hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs. In the Fall 2009 semester, we also collaborated with TASA (the Taiwanese American Students Association) in organizing a fundraising banquet to raise funds for typhoon victims in the Philippines and Taiwan.
4. What makes your organization awesome? FSA is a very warm and welcoming group of people! The upperclassmen of FSA when I was a freshman made us feel very much at home, and all of us--upperclassmen and freshmen alike--bonded a lot that year. We've worked on doing the same thing the following years for every new batch of freshmen (and new upperclassmen members as well). You don't even need to have a drop of Filipino blood to join FSA; we've had a number of non-Filipino members in the organization over the past few years. Really, all you need to do to join is show an interest in some aspect of Filipino culture and come to our events! We'll welcome you with open arms.
5. What are some neat things about your organization (e.g., history, traditions, quirks, or prominent members)? Members come from all over the world! There are Filipino-Americans hailing from different parts of the United States, Filipinos who grew up in Manila and attended international schools there, Filipinos who grew up in parts of the Philippines that are very different from Manila, Filipinos who grew up in various countries abroad, non-Filipinos who grew up in the Philippines, and non-Filipinos who hail from different parts of the United States and other countries as well. People's interests are varied as well--and not just in academics. We have a former wrestler, a former gymnast, a former professional body builder, a few dancers, a few a cappella singers, many people who could play at least one instrument...and more. Even though all of us have an interest in Filipino culture and many of us grew up in Filipino households, we're still a diverse group in terms of what we enjoy doing.
Photo Captions: (1) This is a group photo of FSA members immediately after Culture Show in November 2006. (2) This is a group photo of FSA freshmen girls in a Culture Show after-party in November 2006. (3) This is a candid from a senior farewell dinner in April 2007. Underclassmen treated the graduating seniors to an evening picnic at a high-rise apartment's courtyard: the main dish consisted of many Baltimore-style steamed crabs! (There were side dishes, desserts, and drinks as well.) (4) This is a group photo of a few FSA members relaxing before they demonstrated the Filipino folk dance tinikling to Baltimore elementary school students participating in the JHU Tutorial Project in November 2007. (5) This is a photo from a Christmas party/gift exchange in December 2007. (6) This is a photo after Filipino Cultural Night in May 2009. (7) This is a group photo from the senior farewell dinner in May 2009, in which underclassmen treated graduating seniors to dinner at a Filipino restaurant in Montgomery County. (8) This is a photo of most of the girls who performed at Culture Show in November 2009. (9) This is a photo from a Christmas party/gift exchange in December 2009.
January 12, 2010
January 08, 2010
"Peter Pan" is just a fairy tale. That's why we grow up.
When I originally started brainstorming this blog entry almost two weeks ago, I initially was in a "looking back" mood for three reasons: (1) the Fall 2009 semester had just ended, (2) the year 2009--as well as a decade--was coming to a close, and (3) I had just finished writing a draft of my senior reflection for this year's "Insider's Guide." (Just so you know, the "Insider's Guide" is a publication that we student volunteers for Hopkins Interactive produce in the spring for admitted students who attend our admitted students open houses; the Spring 2010 publication will be our third annual one, so make sure you grab a copy if you end up getting admitted and visiting Hopkins!)
I'm still in a "looking back" mood for the three reasons--and now, there's also a fourth reason: a family emergency that led my family and me to fly across the country from Connecticut to California and visit our relatives there. I usually avoid discussing my personal life on this blog aside from social events that I experience with my friends, but I will say that I attended the funeral of my paternal grandmother on New Year's Eve. It was tough for many reasons that I won't discuss here. There also were other family issues (practical, emotional, and so on) that needed to be resolved, and those were difficult in their own right as well.
As I've already mentioned, I won't discuss the details; however, I will say that the series of events that I just mentioned made me quite contemplative. For one thing, I was thinking about the events themselves. I also ended up thinking about how this wasn't the first time that I've had to deal with a loss in the family--and how during every year in college, I've had to deal with a loss in the family, with each loss being tough. There also have been other downs that my family and I have experienced during my college years such as hospitalizations of loved ones, among other things on which I won't elaborate--and the funny thing is that before I went to college, I didn't experience these kinds of events. Family members had died before I started my college years, but they were distant relatives; family members have gotten injured or become sick, but not to the magnitude that I've witnessed during the past four years. I know that this timing is all a coincidence, since different families experience different milestones at different times; nonetheless, experiencing these kinds of occurrences with my loved ones all while I've been in college has been one major factor in why I've come to view college as a large learning experience for me.
When I attended the funeral of my maternal grandmother in the Philippines, I was a four-year-old toddler. The only memory I had of my grandmother was wishing her a happy birthday on the telephone. I still have that memory, but I don't even remember my maternal grandmother's voice anymore. Thus, I felt sad at her funeral more for the sake of my mother, my aunts and uncles, and the other adults around me who were sobbing profusely. I was a four-year-old--seeing sadness around me was enough to be overwhelming! Meanwhile, staying with my relatives during the days following the funeral were like one pleasant vacation. Everything was perfect in my eyes. I was on the other side of the world in a tropical climate with my family and many doting relatives; of course my little toddler self was happy!
Nearly two decades later, I attended the funeral of a grandmother with whom I'd had many years of interaction; I had seen and communicated with my paternal grandmother through visits, phone calls, letters, and greeting cards. While I certainly enjoyed the times I was able to spend bonding with my relatives after the funeral, I also was old enough to notice and understand that families aren't perfect and that mine was no exception. There were good times, and there were bad times during the days that followed. Instead of perfection, there was bittersweetness.
What happened over those two decades? Kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, and--of course--college. I know that the first four phases mentioned did do a lot to contribute to the metamorphosis from the small four-year-old girl I was to the not-as-small-but-still-somewhat-small 21-year-old young woman I am now; however, I think that college has been the most major maturation experience among all five of those phases. As an excerpt from my original draft of my aforementioned senior reflection says, "I stepped foot at Hopkins in late August '06 as a fresh-faced freshman (as cliché as it sounds, it's true--compare photos of college students when they’re freshmen versus when they're seniors) with a set idea of how my college years would go in my ideal world. Sure, some of the things I dreamed of happening did happen. Even more so, though, I had many highs and lows that I didn't even dream could happen, both inside and outside the classroom."
Whenever one looks back on the past, he or she ultimately returns to the present. That's the lesson that I learned in high school while slaving away through numerous practice--and actual--"DBQs" (document-based questions) for AP U.S. History and AP European History. That's the lesson that is repeated numerous times in the news, whenever current events are compared to famous--and obscure--moments from history. That's the lesson that I've come to appreciate as part of the even larger lesson called life.
In looking back on the Fall 2009 semester, I ultimately realized that I have one semester left as a college undergraduate. I may be planning to attend graduate school for a master's degree and medical school for a professional degree in the future, but those years will never be quite the same as these four years that have passed. In looking back on the past calendar year, I reflected on the mistakes and triumphs that I made as a second-semester college junior and first-semester college senior--which, once again, brought me back to the present, as I resolve to work on avoiding the mistakes I made in the past. In looking back on the past decade, I relived memories of middle school, high school, and college--including the painful and embarrassing ones, but also the wonderful ones. Those memories--both the good and the bad--have made me glad to be living in the present; while the "old days" were simpler, I like having the additional insight that I have now compared to previous years. (I hope I continue to have this opinion as I grow older!) In looking back over my college years because of my senior reflection, I had to think about my current status as a college senior. Last, but not least, in looking back at the recent events that I've shared with my immediate and extended family, I've done a lot of thinking about the interactions with the people whose flesh and blood I share--and, therefore, who are very much like me whether I like it or not. For better or for worse, they have played a large role in helping shape the person I am today.
I have a reputation among my family and my friends to be an energetic and peppy person, and I don't mind that reputation. At the same time, however, I also enjoy my fair share of contemplation. (After all, a scholar--even a fledgling scholar such as a Hopkins undergraduate--needs to have thinking abilities, eh?) I hope that if readers of this blog entry glean a lesson from this lengthy piece of writing, it's this: think! The 21st century is certainly a busy-busy-busy era in human history (and I'm pretty sure I'm a contributor to that trend), but set aside time to think about, meditate on, contemplate about, or chew on whatever suits your fancy. It could be a relatively trivial issue or a deeper matter. Draw connections. Exercise your mind. At the very least, it would only serve as an innocuous mental exercise; at most, taking time to think about matters that intrigue you can help you realize things about yourself. And yes, even if history isn't your favorite subject, there are merits to looking back on it and reflecting on it.
That is all for now.
N.B. Because of the reflective mood of this entry, I decided to upload photos of nature that I had taken. The top photo is of a flower from my family's backyard in Connecticut; the second and third photos are from a park in central New Jersey that my family, maternal relatives, family friends, and I have visited on several summers; and the fourth photo is from a trip to Lake Tahoe that I took with my family and paternal relatives.
December 29, 2009
December 19, 2009
December 08, 2009
December @ Hopkins
A few days ago, I joked to a friend that I know it's December whenever I hear Advent hymns at Mass, holiday songs in stores, and excerpts from The Nutcracker in the ballet studio--and yes, I've heard all of those kinds of music in those contexts ever since Thanksgiving break ended. Upon making that remark, I realized that quite a lot of things are happening at Hopkins around this time of the year that make this time of the year unique. Here are some (but not all) of them:
YOU KNOW IT'S DECEMBER AT HOPKINS WHEN...
1. The Lighting of the Quads occurs. The "Lighting of the Quads" is an annual Hopkins tradition that's relatively new; this year was the fifth time it was celebrated. Strands of small white lights are strung around the lampposts at the Upper Quad, Lower Quad, and Freshman Quad for the holiday season--and they're all lit during the "Lighting of the Quads" event, where there are performances by a cappella groups perform and the pep band plays, food and hot drinks are served, and people such as Dean Burger and President Daniels speak to the students gathered before the lights are lit.
2. An inordinate number of exams, papers, and projects seem to be due all at once for you and your friends. You're all stressed, but you all find comfort in knowing that you're not alone--and that you can help out each other if need be!
3. There are numerous holiday-themed study breaks being held by RAs as well as student organizations.
4. Graduate students who are your TAs talk about how they and their fellow graduate students now know it's the time of the year when they should avoid the MSE Library, because many undergraduates are studying there.
5. Evergreen wreaths adorn the glass panels above the doorways of the MSE Library's two main entrances (at Q-Level and at M-Level).
6. The first snowfall of the winter enchants almost everyone (if not everyone), no matter how minute or how massive the accumulation of snow is.
7. Scarves and boots are the norm--no more tank tops and flip-flops!
8. Conversation topics tend to include the following: (a) final exams/papers/projects, (b) what people's plans for celebrating Christmas this year (or what people plan to do instead of celebrating Christmas), (c) asking people if they'll return to Hopkins for Intersession and what their plans are if they will be around for Intersession, and (d) asking people whether they plan to study abroad next semester (if they're sophomores, juniors, or seniors) or graduate early this semester (if they're seniors).
9. Sweets abound because of study breaks, holiday-themed parties, fundraisers on campus, and even TAs feeling generous and bringing a bag of candy or chocolate to the last class of the semester.
10. The days are growing shorter and shorter--we're approaching December 21, which is the shortest day of the year in North America!
I could say a lot more, but I'll end this entry with an even number of 10 items on my list. As you could see, this time of the year can be pretty stressful, but it does have quite a few perks! Well, it's back to work for me. To those of you reading this entry who are high school seniors working on the last steps of your RD college applications, good luck! Also, good luck to those of you who are waiting to receive ED notifications!
N.B. I found the second and third images that illustrate this blog entry via Google Image Search; meanwhile, I found the first image via the website for the JHU Office of Student Life.
November 27, 2009
November in a Nutshell
Hi there, everyone! I'm sorry that it's been a whopping three weeks since I last posted a blog entry! Just to explain what's been going on, I first spent the beginning of this month navigating several assignment deadlines. I finally was about to work on posting a blog entry--only to get diagnosed with the H1N1 last week.
(On a side note, you may have noted from a blog entry of JHU_Jackie, a blog entry of JHU_Wafa, and even the Hopkins Interactive online forum topic on the H1N1 that I was far from the only Hopkins student to have some form of the influenza [whether it's a regular strain or the H1N1 virus]. It goes without saying that I'm pretty grateful that my professors have been understanding when it came to making arrangements as far as making up written assignments, presentations, and quizzes.)
I ended up spending last week sleeping and self-quarantining myself in my apartment. On Monday and Tuesday of this week, I practically scurried around the Homewood campus because I had to make a lot of errands regarding matters such as appointments with professors about making up assignments and asking questions about classes I've missed (as well as asking about potential classes for next semester, because it's that time of the semester to register for Spring 2010), picking up and depositing paychecks from my part-time jobs, and so on. Meanwhile, I spent Wednesday of this week traveling, yesterday celebrating Thanksgiving with my family at home, and today avoiding the madness of "Black Friday" by sleeping in and trying to get homework done.
With my lengthy explanation of my lengthy hiatus from blogging aside, I will say that I haven't spent all of November lying sick in bed or working on catching up on assignments! (Really!) Here's a summary of some of the things that I did outside of classes pre-H1N1 this month:
RESEARCH: As I've been doing since halfway through my sophomore year, I'm still working as an undergraduate research assistant at the Ryugo Lab of the medical school. Unlike previous semesters, though, I'm not doing research for credit, but I'm being paid as a part-time student employee. Because of that fact and also because of the fact that I've been a member of the research lab for almost two years now, the expectations as to how much and how well I should work are even higher than they already were in previous semesters. Both the Ph.D. who's the lab's P.I. ("primary investigator") and the postdoctoral fellow of the lab have been acting as my research supervisors, and both of them have been telling me that there's a possibility that I could be a co-author of a paper before I graduate in the spring--provided that I put in the requisite work, of course! Currently, I'm doing a lot of data analysis related to analyzing and comparing synapses of globular bushy cells in the auditory nerves of congenitally deaf kittens, congenitally deaf kittens who have received cochlear implants, and normal-hearing kittens.
WORK: Besides working part-time at the Ryugo Lab, I've also been working part-time as a teaching assistant at the Village Learning Place (which is a non-profit community library that's located a few blocks from the Homewood campus and has an after-school program for elementary school children), a monthly e-newsletter editor for the Center for Social Concern, and a house manager for the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra (a job that entails supervising numerous volunteer ushers, setting up a post-concert reception, and so on--basically, I have to act like a "hostess of the evening," including placating angry orchestra patrons). Three additional part-time jobs sounds like a handful, and it can be at times--however, the latter two jobs are mostly once-a-month engagements that don't take up much time overall in a given month. Still, the additional income helps!
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: I originally was planning on going straight to graduate school after my graduation in May to pursue a master's degree before applying to medical school. However, after re-thinking the matter and discussing it with the Office of Pre-Professional Advising and my parents, I'm now leaning towards working for a year as a research assistant (whether I'll continue with my current research lab or join another lab is something into which I'll need to look) following my graduation in May before I proceed to additional schooling.
DANCE: Because of the four aforementioned endeavors, I haven't been dancing as much as I have in previous semesters. Still, everyone needs to exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle (plus I love to dance), so I haven't completely abandoned it! I still try to squeeze in weekly ballet classes with the JHU Classical Ballet Company, and I've even been able to join rehearsals for a small number of student-choreographed pieces. Similarly, I've decreased my involvement with the OLÉ Dance Group and with the Filipino Students Association's dance team, but I've still attended some dance practices and learned new choreography with both groups as well--including a Filipino folk dance that involves balancing candles on one's head!
With all of that said, I'll return to my homework and enjoying my mom's cooking from last night's Thanksgiving dinner!
N.B. I found the images that illustrate this blog entry through Google Image Search.
November 03, 2009
Senioritis? Not really.
Things have been pretty hectic over the past approximately two weeks since I last posted a blog entry! The usual trilogy of schoolwork, jobs, and extracurricular activities is part of the reason, of course. Most of the reason why I've been feeling as though I have almost no free time (I say "almost" because, of course, I'm a human being and need to take breaks) probably has to stem from the fact that I'm a senior, though.
Looking up grad school programs at Hopkins and other schools? Yep. Debating whether to take the GRE or the MCAT or both (and studying for both just in case)? Yep. Planning the timeline of how I'll apply to medical school while I'm a grad student? Yep. Getting a lot more involved in my research lab because this might be my last year as an undergraduate researcher there (unless I end up staying in Baltimore for grad school)? Yep.
It's as though I'm reliving my high school senior year with a more mature reincarnation of the college application process!
As I've hinted in my last blog entry, however, a huge difference between being a high school senior and being a college senior is that there is a much wider variety of options for post-graduation plans. For instance, the other senior member of the Student Admissions Advisory Board, JHU_Jackie, has been searching for jobs. You can read my previous blog entry for my thoughts about how we college seniors have so many options for next year.
The funny thing is, though, that despite the busyness, I'm much calmer about everything that I had anticipated in August. (Back in August, I was a little afraid that I'd be feeling miserably overwhelmed this semester.) I'm not saying that I don't feel stressed out at all. I do. As I've mentioned in my previous blog entry, I even panic occasionally. However, those brief instances of panic occur much less often than they did in previous years, and I find it easier to calm myself down whenever I find myself fretting about something. In fact, I still think I've been finding ways to enjoy the semester so far! Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm "seasoned" as a senior, so I'm used to dealing with having a lot of things to do. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm growing closer and closer to my mid-twenties, which, according to the current psychological understanding, is the approximate age of cognitive maturity.
I'm also suspecting, though, that it's because I know that my days as an undergraduate are numbered, and that it won't be long until I'll find myself missing the nuances of being an undergrad. I'm not saying that I'm dreading the future! I'm saying that I know that a phase of my life is coming to a close soon, and I've just been trying to savor every little moment.
So, even though two thirds of my penultimate college semester have already passed, I must say that I'm far from infected with senioritis. Ohhhhh, no. I'm in no rush to leave just yet.
N.B. I wanted to illustrate this blog entry with a somewhat autumnal photo, so the photo at the top is of a latte from Carma's Cafe, a local café that's just a few blocks away from campus. The lighting of the photo and the leaf pattern formed by the milk make the photo look somewhat fall-like, no?
October 17, 2009
"Between now and later you do not know what may happen."
I mentioned in my previous blog entry that I was thinking of writing this entry about my classes, but I've decided to write this blog entry about a common theme that I've observed so far during this senior year: uncertainty about the future. The title of this blog entry is an English translation of the Ilocano proverb, "Ita ken dica pay laeng di ammo ti mapagpagteng."
It's so true.
As fall semester freshmen, my (then) newfound friends and I weren't sure about our futures, either; however, we had dreams about what we wanted to do during our four college years and in the years afterwards. Three years later, the events of most of our college days have already been set in stone, and the days until graduation are starting to tick down. For some of us, the dreams we had back then have been replaced by new ones; for others among us, we still have the same dreams, but we've realized that we might need to achieve them by different means than we once had envisioned.
On a more practical note, we're experiencing that dreadful feeling that many of us last experienced four years ago as high school seniors: not knowing what the answer to "Where will you be next year?" is. For three years, we knew that after the summer vacation, we'd spend the following autumn back at Hopkins as college students (or at a study abroad program, but still as college students from Hopkins). This year, however, we don't have the cozy certainty of having that kind of knowledge. Furthermore, not knowing where we'll be in one year might be an even more frightening idea for some of us than it was when we were high school seniors. Since we'll be armed with bachelor's degrees come May, we have many more options from which to choose for next year: jobs as careers, jobs as temporary stepping stones before graduate/law/medical school, graduate school, law school, medical school, volunteerism...
Personally, I find myself slightly panicking on some days. I know that I'm pre-med, and I know that I'd like to obtain a master's degree before matriculating into medical school; however, I find myself worrying about the graduate school application process like the way I did as a high school senior applying to colleges. How do I narrow down to which master's programs to apply? What are those programs' application requirements? Will I get into the ones to which I'll apply? Et cetera. (I wouldn't be surprised if those questions are also playing in the heads of seniors who are applying to jobs, law schools, or medical schools. Applications are innately stressful.)
Probably for the preservation of my own sanity, however, I find myself coolly thinking about what I need to do this year in preparation for determining where I'll be next year--and feeling confident that somehow, no matter what will happen, I'll figure out a way to make the most out of the circumstances.
Besides, I'm still a college senior--and I still have homework assignments to complete and exams for which to study. With that said, I'll end this blog entry and return to my books! Later.
N.B. In case you're not already familiar with it, the image at the top is of Auguste Rodin's statue The Thinker.
Kate - We've Moved!
- We've Moved!Our blogs have moved! Keep up with the newest updates and changes to the Hopkins Interactive blogs at our new blog central: http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/kate/.
