March 2009 Archives

Reflection: Thank You

As I promised from my last blog post I would continue with my reflection piece. Well here it is............

Sometimes when I look back I feel so blessed, honored, thankful, gracious, at times very lucky. Recently I was announced as one of the TOP 100 students here at IUPUI and when I was sending out invitations to the dinner for the TOP 100 ceremony I realized how much IUPUI and the Kelley School of Business is like a leap pad. A lead pad, in that the opportunities are boundless. There are so many opportunities in college many students don't know where to begin. I know all of us here it over and over again, get involved, get involved, get involved.

But, this is a true statement some of my best experiences and greatest memories have come from mentoring, community service, organization outings, baseball games with the Kelley Student Government, trips to Chicago with the investment club, Kelley House and the residents on campus, the list can go on and on. I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing professors; it is truly amazing if you take the time to reflect how much you actually learn over a semester. I have had the opportunity to work at a local bank during my college years with a flexible work schedule.  I have had the opportunity to work on campus with Housing and Residence Life while creating the Kelley House and serving as a Residential Assistant for two years. I have had the opportunity to volunteer on countless occasions. I have had the opportunity to work closely with the staff of Kelley while planning programs. I will be participating in a Study Aboard experience in Strasbourg France this summer. I will also hold an internship at a local accounting firm this summer in downtown Indianapolis. Through all of these experiences I have made remarkable contacts and lifelong friends. I have truly had an amazing college experience and just to think I still have one more full year.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE get involved and take advantage of the opportunities that are in front of you. You may never have these opportunities again, once you are out of college. Always work to your full potential, take advantage and cease every opportunity that comes your way, you will never know where that opportunity may take you. These are a few of the reason why I feel blessed, honored, thankful, gracious, and at times lucky. I struggle at times letting people know how thankful I am for these opportunities, for the scholarships that have come my way, for the flexibility given to me at work, for the mentors that have helped me, for the faculty and staff here at IUPUI, for my family and especially my mom. Thank You is just two words but the meaning behind it can be so much more powerful in how you present the 'Thank You' and the sincerity you put behind it.

Remember to thank people for the opportunities that have came your way, a simple thank you can mean so much and down the road you never know what may happen. I will end this blog with two quotes that fit this blog well:

"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." Thomas Jefferson

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" Seneca (Roman Philosopher)

 

David Lane

Hello America! 

Well, looks like I am officially a blogger now.  I know I'm a little late, but better late than never is what I always say.  I guess it's only right that I give a formal introduction. My name is Derrick, and I am a senior in the Kelley School of Business for business marketing.  I am an out-of-state student from New York City.  I always get the question: "Why did you come all the way from New York to Indiana?"  Then, I always respond: "Have you ever lived in New York City?"  The ones that answer "yes" know why I chose to be in a nice, clean city for college. 

This school year has been a tough but rewarding experience for me.  I survived I-Core last semester and even managed to boost my GPA some.  It took a great deal of hard work though.  At least I had the best professors: Smith (hard as nails but extremely smart), Donahue (always has jokes and entertaining), and Ippolito (a real character and avid Star Trek fan).  I have to add too that my group's final project involved the most delicious Cajun food I've ever had: Yats!  Mmmmm.

Well, I have to go now but I will be posting more recent updates on my life.  Believe me, there's soooo much I have to tell you all.

Yours truly,

Derrick a.k.a D-Money

Spring Break

Yes, it is finally here!!!! Many students during spring break find their way to Florida or Cancun while others spend their time with family while relaxing and catching up on sleep. Others catch up on the dreaded homework while others use the time to prepare and get ahead for the coming weeks. Some students use the time to work, to make the money all poor college students need. These are a few of the main spring break activities students will participate in over this week long break, that really feels like just a few days.

I decided to spend my spring break working the first half, spend some time with family and then go to Chicago for the second half. I worked 12 hrs. on Monday,  11 hrs. on Tuesday, 9hrs. on Wednesday and then I used two vacation days for Thursday and Friday. A full 40hr. week finally!!!!! It is now Thursday morning and I am on my way to Chicago for three days with my girlfriend and two other couples. Four of us attend IUPUI and the other two attend University of Indianapolis. I always enjoy vacations or trips with friends that I am never able to spend time with because of the busy life. So, I am really looking forward to this trip. We are all 21 yrs. of age now, not to say you cannot have fun before your 21 but this trip should be fun J  We have plans to attend two museums, visit the Lake Shore, take the red line to China Town and Viet Town. My girlfriend is Vietnamese so we like to visit Viet Town to eat the authentic food, well as close as we can get to authentic J We might check out the night life and of course walk downtown in and out of all the stores and shops while window shopping J The last thing I plan to do is visit a friend of mine who graduated from Kelley last year and found a job in the finance industry in Chicago. Of course spend time to relax!!!!!!

I also took time this morning to stop and reflect while I was packing and doing laundry. I somehow found two hours to study because when I come back I have a HUGE accounting midterm on the Tuesday I return to school. Midterm after spring break suck L But, its part of life what are you going to do about it. So, I have found time here and there to study and I will also study all day Monday and Tuesday morning. Wish me luck. Stay continued to read about the reflection piece...............

Ahhhhh, 1 week before, arguably, the greatest week in the spring semester: Spring Break. Even if you are not going on a vacation, you can still find joy in this amazing holiday. Even if you are picking up more hours with work, you do not have to go to class. Everyone recharges their batteriest to make that last charge for summer. Luckily, I only have one test this week so these final days will not be too demanding. Aside from reading and studying for the test Tuesday, I plan on taking it easy this week, going to soccer practice, which we recently started outside, and watching the 7pm Seinfeld re-runs. Here are my plans for SB 09:

I am heading down to Houston to visit my oldest brother. I leave Saturday and on Sunday we are planning on running from Houston to Austin. Originally we planned on having 2 and 1/2 days to accomplish this 170 mile task, we will only have one day, so we are going to try and get in around 70 miles and do some other cool things along the way. On Monday and Tuesday, my brother has to work, so I will probably go in with him and try to get ahead a bit for classes. Now I usually do not do homework over Spring Break, however, with old age, comes boring-ness, that or wisdom :), and I felt it was a good idea to get ahead a bit. On Wednesday, my other brother and parents are flying in and we will head to Austin to attend South By Southwest, a music festival with tons of bands. This will be an amazing event that I am really looking forward to. Additionally, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournment starts Thursday which will consume my life for the next month. We leave Sunday and that will give me some time to get ready mentally for what awaits in the final days of the spring semester.

 

Hope everyone has an enjoyable Spring Break.