My Favorite is the Old Man Cactus

Week in Review: A Reflection of June 10 – 16

I saw a sausage tree, a chocolate pudding tree, an old man cactus (it looks like it has a beard), and a soap tree on Saturday when my friends and I went to the Mitchell Park Domes. I had no idea there were so many plants with funny names. And why are so many of them named after food they don’t produce?

Somebody at The Domes told us that the Milwaukee Art Museum had free admission that day, so we headed over there to look at the paintings, photographs, and other works of art. After that, we went to the Cheesecake Factory. It was my first time there so I spent a long time looking at the menu. It was a pretty awesome day.

I was talking to a friend from high school this past week. He was asking me some questions about the Moraine Park bookstore. I found out he’s taking some summer classes there and needed to pick up a few supplies. It got me thinking about how I’ve seen so many familiar faces while on campus. I have run into people that I haven’t seen in a long time. Matter of fact, I was friends with someone who moved to Florida at the end of our eighth grade year. She came back to Wisconsin after high school and we ended up at MPTC at the same time. She has since graduated from MPTC and is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree at UWM. It’s nice that we were able to get back in touch, and I’m really happy that she’s doing so well.

My jogging challenge is going well; although, I did have to take a break for a few days while I recovered from a cold. I improve every time I run. My friend is trying to convince me to participate in some events in the fall. We’ll see how I’m doing by the end of August. Wish me luck!

My Summer Goal

Week in Review: A Reflection of June 3 – 9

My legs are sore right now, but it’ll be worth it. Since I sit for three-fourths of the time at my new job, I decided I would take up jogging. My friend was on track teams growing up and she’s also coached some teams as well. She’s teaching me how to do it the proper way so I don’t get injured or push myself too hard. It’s my goal to run a mile in a reasonable amount of time by the end of the summer.

The first couple of weeks at my new job have included a lot of hands-on training. It’s really cool to be able to take what I’ve learned in my classes and apply it on the job (and they pay me to do it!). I was able to create a newsletter, update the company’s website, create Facebook posts, write tweets, and design ads. I do some clerical work as well, entering inventory data into the database and filing invoices. I’ve set up a file structure on the computer for myself based on what I’ve learned in my Document Management class. Using Excel, I’ve made spreadsheets for myself to keep track of things such as new contacts.

I saw a tweet on Twitter encouraging people to pursue something this summer. It can be anything; pick up a guitar, take up painting, learn a sport, teach yourself how to bake something that doesn’t come out of a box, or learn something new you’ve always wanted to learn but keep putting off. Or maybe even try something you didn’t think you’d ever be able to do. By challenging yourself, you challenge the limitations you’ve put on yourself as well as your self-perception. I’ve never been what you would call an athlete, so I’m challenging myself with running. What are your summer goals?

It’s Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Summer

Week in Review: A Reflection of May 27 – June 1

These storm clouds were definitely not invited to the party

It’s technically still spring, but it’s starting to feel a lot like summer. It’s so nice to be outdoors again. I spend every chance I get outside, even taking my lunch to the picnic tables at work so I can enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

I was officially accepted into the Audio-Video certificate program this past week, so I went to myMPTC and registered for class. I’m so looking forward to taking the Video Camera and Lighting Techniques class that I can hardly wait for August 26! I also can’t wait to get a new laptop at the end of the summer. It’ll have Windows 8, so that will be something new for me to learn.

Because the Web club is a large group and so many members are interested in seeing a movie at the theater, I set up a SurveyMonkey poll so we can choose what times and dates work best for everyone. I learned about this website, where you can create surveys, in class at MPTC. It’s a pretty helpful tool that can be used for lot of different purposes.

I celebrated my birthday a few days early on Saturday with my friends. We tried to have a fire and roast s’mores, but we didn’t get to stay outside too long. It started raining and lightning. Oh well.

When the weather gets bad, what’s your favorite indoor summer activity?

Life After Graduation

Week in Review: A Reflection of May 20 – 26

Two days before graduation I received an email from someone who saw my resume on the Wisconsin Technical College System’s job site. Three days after graduation I had a job interview with them, and the day after that I was hired to fill the position. I can’t believe how fortunate I am to be employed so soon and to be able to start working ten days after graduation.

Even though the semester is over, the Web Developer Club members are still in contact with each other. We’re planning on seeing The Internship, a comedy about two men who become interns at Google. We’re always talking about Google and what it would be like to work at a place like that. If you haven’t seen the clip from the Travel Channel about working at Google, look it up on YouTube.

As I mentioned in my earlier posts, I was seriously thinking about enrolling in the Audio-Video certificate at MPTC in the fall. Since I’m starting work right away, I’ll have enough time to save up money to take some classes next semester. I’ve already filled out an application for the certificate program and turned it in to Student Services. I contacted someone to get more information about what I’ll need for those classes. I won’t need to worry about getting my own camera since the college has ones for the students to use. I will, however, be getting a new laptop to bring to class. Using some of the techniques I learned in my Computer Essentials class, I fixed up my old laptop and gave it to my parents. They really needed it. Their desktop computer was so old it still had a floppy disk drive.

Besides all of those things, my summer will include a lot of wedding-related events. I went to a Brewers game last Saturday for a bachelorette party, and I’ve got another bachelorette party in two weeks at the Mitchell Park Domes. My godson has his first birthday in June, and my sister’s baby shower will be in July. This is going to be my busiest summer yet!

What are your plans for the summer?

The End is the Beginning

Week in Review: A Reflection of May 13 – 19

There were a lot of “lasts” this past week. I had my last class and my last Web Developer Club meeting. The club has some exciting news. It looks like we will be having a prominent individual in the mobile application development industry as a speaker on campus. I’m not sure if it’ll be in the fall, but definitely keep an eye out for this opportunity if you’re in that field.

As secretary of the club, I was in charge of getting our paperwork together. Clubs have validation forms to fill out at the end of the academic year to confirm that we are an active club. We listed the activities we were involved with on campus, our community service projects, any fundraising activities we did, and any field trips we attended.

After the meeting many of us went out to dinner at a local pizza place. I called ahead for tables to be reserved so we had enough space for everybody to sit together. A couple of us were graduating, so it was going to probably be the last time we were all together; although, some are coming back to complete other programs. Speaking of future plans, my original plan was to be finished with my education this semester; however, I came across something on Moraine Park’s website.

I was given the opportunity to film and edit my own videos for a few classes and for this blog. By doing so, I have found out that I really enjoy video editing, and I would like to pursue it further. I know the basics of creating videos, but I don’t know about lighting or sound mixing. I would really like to learn from a professional and make high quality videos.

So, while I was on MPTC’s website, I found that the college has a new Audio-Video Certificate program. This is great news because this certificate means I can learn exactly what I want to learn in a short amount of time. But first I need to see whether it is plausible for me to pursue this certificate right away or to wait a semester or two. I’ve been going on interviews lately and I think one of them will pan out soon. My last interview went very well. If I can fit them into my schedule, I will start those classes this fall.

No matter what the future brings, I know that I’m a life-long learner. Whether I earn another degree, take a few enrichment classes, attend seminars or conferences, learn on my own, or learn from others, my life and my future will always include some form of education. You are never truly done learning. The end is just the beginning.

My MPTC Graduation

Lisa and me after graduation

Step 1: Bring your cap and gown.

Step 2: Leave your house early.

Thank goodness I followed step 2, because I forgot step 1 and had to turn around half way to Fond du Lac to get my cap and gown on the morning of my graduation. Other than that, the day went on without a hitch. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect; not too hot, not too cold; just nice and sunny.

When I got into the building, I checked in at the table where I picked up my white Student Senate cord. They directed to me to my “pod,” which is another check-in table in the building. Sam and Lisa, the student life advisors from Fond du Lac and Beaver Dam campuses, greeted me there, found my name on an index card, and gave it to me. I lined up alphabetically with other graduates from my program.

We entered the gymnasium filled with family and friends. There were too many people to locate my party, but I knew they were in the crowd somewhere. The college president, Dr. Sheila Ruhland, and the commencement speaker James A. Wessing of the Kondex Corporation spoke to us before we walked across the stage.

After the ceremony there was time to socialize with family, friends, other graduates, and the instructors. I introduced my parents to some of the instructors I was fortunate enough to have during my time at Moraine Park. They were also my brother’s instructors when he attended MPTC. I hugged the friends I had made over the past couple of semesters and made tentative plans to meet up with them soon. I spotted Lee, MPTC’s Fond du Lac student blogger, and congratulated him.

Congratulations to Mary, Sarah, Tami, Paul, John, Hannah, Lee, Rochelle, Jenny, Juan, Stephanie, and all the other 2013 Moraine Park Technical College graduates!

My Last Class

Last Wednesday was my last day of class at MPTC. Since we did our presentations the week before, we were able to do a fun activity in my Team Building and Problem Solving class. My instructor used PowerPoint to create an interactive Jeopardy game board (complete with music).

There were different categories to select from all related to our class. There were team building terms, tools (such as charts), class activities, and problem solving tools. The last category was called Who’s Who, and the questions pertained to individuals in the class. These questions were derived from what we learned about each other during the many class icebreakers. My team was in third place up until Double Jeopardy where we moved up to second place.

It was a really fun way to review what we learned, and we were all pretty amused when we saw that the questions in the last category were about us. After the game, we reflected on what we would be taking away from this class. Some of class said they analyze other groups they’re in now. If they pick their own teammates, they choose people who are different from them so they have a balanced team.

What I think I will take away from the class most importantly is using critical thinking to solve problems and finding the root cause. I’m amazed that this class ended up being my favorite class of the semester, especially since it was a general required class. It is definitely a useful class that I will never forget.

Happy Mother’s Day

Week in Review: A Reflection of May 6 – 12

First of all, Happy belated Mother’s Day to all the moms, soon-to-be moms, the Mr. Moms who take on the role as both parents, and the surrogate moms who provide the same love, support, and advice to others. I spent my Mother’s Day with my extended family. Twenty of us, including the two babies in the family, went out for brunch. When did our family get so big?

I was looking through emails in my old email account I rarely use anymore, and one of them caught my attention. It was an email from one of my friends, and in the subject line it said, “It’s Last Blast here.” It jumped out at me because when I think of the words, “Last Blast,” I think about the end-of-semester parties we have at MPTC. I opened it up and sure enough, she was talking about MPTC’s Last Blast all the way back in 2006. They had free cappuccinos, caricature drawings, massages, henna tattoos, a DJ, and a grill out. It sounded like a lot of fun. She’s a graduate from MPTC, but she was a student way before I was a student here. Who knew that a few years later I’d be going to those kinds of events? I caught up with her recently and she just got an award at her work. Congratulations, Diana!

During the last week of class, we’re having a Jeopardy day in my Team Building and Problem Solving class. I’ll be going to the bookstore for the book buyback to see if I can get some cash back on books I no longer need. Our last Web Developer Club meeting is this week, and we’re going out for dinner afterword. Saturday is graduation, and then I’m officially done with my education at MPTC. How bittersweet it is to leave a place I’ve spent so much time learning, growing, meeting people, and enjoying new experiences.