Angelica's World

Aside from the fact that I barely got any sleep this week and felt like homework was consuming my life, I had some great experiences. I finally learned what it's REALLY like to be a teacher...and it was awesome!
Monday I taught my own math lesson that I created last week. I made Number Story Books with my 2nd graders and when they found out they got to draw pictures and use colored pencils, they were thrilled! The lesson went well and seeing what the students could come up with was really interesting. I learned a lot about my students during that lesson from seeing which students finished first, what kind of stories they created, etc.
Wednesday was even better though. I walked out in such a good mood and so excited to be a teacher. My cooperating teacher let me do the Read Aloud and Word Work lesson in the afternoon. I read a chapter from Judy Blume's Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and asked questions, had discussions, and implemented some things we spoke about in my education class the day prior. Afterwards we reviewed their math, social studies, and "Super Duper Fancy" vocabulary words. I called on students to give me a definition and an example of the word and then let them put them up on the designated wall.
It sounds pretty boring and ridiculous in this entry but it was really fun and I'm so glad I got to be the teacher for the afternoon. Next week I'm getting observed by my supervisor...definitely a little nervous for that one! I've definitely lucked out this semester with such a good placement and a great cooperating teacher who lets me do as much as I feel comfortable with.

Last weekend my roommate's dad came into town and we all had a really fun weekend. Saturday night was spent in the West Village. A few of us went out to dinner at Sushi Samba...if you're into sushi even the slightest bit you HAVE to check it out (there's one a little bit north of Union Square too). They have such a wide variety of unique sushi--ingredients you wouldn't ordinarily think to put together but that taste incredible! We tried some really interesting things.

We then went to Rocco's Pastry Shop for dessert...WOW! I had been there multiple times freshman year when I lived at Hayden because for each person's birthday on my floor we bought a cake and celebrated all together and Rocco's supplied the cakes. My roommate had a peanut butter mousse cake/pie with Reeces Pieces on top that was absolutely delicious. I'm a big peanut butter fan but regardless, this was a must! I ordered a cheesecake that had Reeces Pieces around the outside and a layer of peanut butter on top. If you want a heavy but great dessert, definitely try this one--it was really good!

Sunday we took a trip to Broadway. For one of my education classes (Integrated Arts in Childhood Education) we have to see a show that we could take our elementary-aged students to see so I decided to go see The Lion King with my roommate and her dad. I would recommend this show to ANYONE! The puppeteering was phenomenal and the fact that actors could do that while singing and dancing blew us away. It was really fun to go back to my elementary school days when I saw The Lion King in movie theaters!

So basically, check out Sushi Samba, endulge at Rocco's and have fun at The Lion King--it makes for a great weekend combination!

I've grown up being a community service enthusiast. I'm not exactly sure how or why I became interested in it but for as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed doing community service and have tried to make it a part of my life, even when I came to college.

Once accepted to NYU, I began rummaging through all the materials I had collected at info. sessions and open houses and came across a postcard advertising this program called OutReach. I went to the website and poked around, quickly becoming eager to apply...even though that meant waiting a few more months for the application to be created and made available. So being the overenthusiastic person that I am, I emailed NYU to find out more about it and waited, probably not so patiently, for the application to go live. I applied and was later accepted into a program that would change my entire college experience!

So just a quick summary of what OutReach is all about:
It's a 3.5 day "orientation" to community service in NYC for new NYU students (freshmen and transfers) that happens the week preceding Welcome Week (University-wide orientation). Students move in to their residence halls on Wednesday, meet up with the group at 4 or 5pm and quickly become involved in NYC life. We do 3 community service projects throughout all 5 boroughs and we venture out into NYC each night to fun events going on. This group of new students is chaperoned by returning OutReachers who have volunteered to come back and serve as leaders.

So, after an incredible experience my freshman year, I was sure to apply to become a leader--and I was accepted. A few weeks later another email was sent out to all accepted leaders that there was a coordinator position available and they'd be accepting applications. So, again, I applied...and was accepted! I spent a significant amount of that summer planning the program with 3 other coordinators and returned to NYU in late August to serve as leader and coordinator and have a great time and make more friends who I am still in close contact with!

For OutReach '07 I served as coordinator again, this time with 3 new co-coordinators. It was the most successful OutReach. We had a great group of students and some of the best student leaders at NYU serving as our leaders. I couldn't have asked for anything more at this summer's program. By the last night I was crying when I got up in front of all 100+ people to speak. It was a phenomenal experience.

Anyway, the reason I'm bringing all of this up is because last Friday we had our OutReach reunion. Since I'm such a busy person, as is the rest of the OutReach community, it is often difficult for us to arrange get togethers to just catch up so we all always look forward to the reunion. It was a success and getting to spend a few hours over delicious food while getting filled in on what's going on in my friends' lives was so much fun. I really treasure all of my OutReach memories, the friends I have made, and I often speak of the experiences I have had through the program and the things I have learned from them.

NYU also has the Office of Community Service which is an amazing resource for anyone even remotely interested in volunteering and doing any type of community service. The staff in that department is extremely nice and helpful and coordinates great events for all NYU students.

I also have the Steinhardt Day of Service event coming up this weekend which, as Vice President, I am responsible for coordinating. I have arranged two on site projects (making SurgiDolls and PB&J sandwiches to be delivered to the Bowery Mission). I am also working with two local soup kitchens (St. Joseph's and Nativity Church) to have volunteers help out for a few hours, along with one other program coordinated through the Office of Community Service. I am looking forward to Saturday and helping to get Steinhardt students more involved in the community--even if it is only for a few hours once a semester!

Saturday was Steinhardt's Day of Service and it was a HUGE success! I'm still really excited about how well everything went and I'm even looking forward to the one we're having next semester. We had people volunteering at two different soup kitchens for a total of three shifts, people were volunteering downtown in Battery Park at a NYC-wide event, and we had a great turn out here on campus to make 300 PB&J sandwiches as well as many SurgiDolls to be donated. After the event I went down to the Bowery Mission with another Executive Board member to donate the sandwiches--they were so appreciative!

I have been receiving such positive feedback from all the volunteers--people who want to make their service at a soup kitchen a regular part of their schedule, and people who are looking for more opportunities to do community service. Because of the great turnout we have had, the Student Government is looking to create a Community Service Club under it's umbrella called 'Hardt to Heart to host monthly service projects. I hope this pans out as I think it will be a great asset to the Steinhardt community--both undergraduate and graduate. I'm really glad I made community service a part of my college experience!

I'll try to make this brief but I just HAVE to tell everyone about a book I just finished.

For my Spanish class about the Caribbean and Latinos (focusing on the Dominican Republic, Cuba, etc) we had to read Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

I'm so not a history person but this book was phenomenal. Regardless of the fact that I was pressed for time in reading this book, I seriously could NOT put it down. I stayed up until 3:30am the other night reading it because it's so good. Then, in class yesterday we discussed it and watched the beginning of the film. I think I learned more about Latino/Spanish history in that 2.5 hours than I have in most of my education because of the use of a great book rather than a textbook.

Also, since I carried the book with me everywhere, it became a conversation starter. Multiple people told me that they had read this book or another one of Alvarez's and it got us to talking. I really enjoyed the overall experience that I got from having to read this book. Check it out and let me know what you think!

There's so much to say about senior year of high school and preparing to enter a completely different world--COLLEGE! I guess I'll begin by giving a brief overview of my experiences and then perhaps some words of "wisdom" to those embarking on a similar journey.

NYU was my #1 choice university since my freshman year of high school. Being a dancer, I originally found out about NYU Tisch. Later deciding that professional dance was not the route for me, I reverted back to my childhood dream of education, and again found NYU--but this time it was Steinhardt. Well, as my indecisiveness continued throughout high school and multiple other journeys were proposed, NYU continued to pop up because it offered each possibility--psychology, social work, you name it--NYU has it! Then the idea of living in NYC just couldn't be beat. Ultimately, that was the primary reason for my application to NYU (and the fact that it has an incredible education program quickly became more than an added bonus).

Having been through the college hunt twice before, my parents (particularly my dad) weren't too thrilled with going through the process all over again, especially since my heart was already set on NYU. Dad's mentality: if you don't get into NYU, we'll deal with it then! As much as I wanted my dream to come true, I had to be realistic. So mom and I visited a few Manhattan schools and I planned out an overly-anal and organized trip to visit some Philly schools (I wouldn't settle for anything but urban). Dad agreed and we were off to Philly for a few days.

Lo and behold, I applied to NYU Early Decision as was the plan for quite some time. But, nervous about not being accepted and not wanting to wait until April for more results, I looked at the rest of my list and any school that used the Common App and had Early Action received an application! Well fortunately for me, I was accepted to NYU and here I am. And now, three years later, I'm helping my cousins go through the same process--giving input & editing essays (and I'm happy to do the same for anyone else who would like that).

But, not only am I advising soon-to-be college students, I also had the opportunity recently to speak to parents of NYU Steinhardt's Freshman Class! This past Saturday was Parent's Day at NYU which is an opportunity for parents of NYU students to learn more about what this university has to offer, particularly the specific school which students are enrolled in. I was asked by Dean Carey (Associate Dean of Student Affairs at Steinhardt) to be on a student panel comprised of one representative from each undergraduate class.

Saturday morning I shared with parents my experiences thus far--the challenges I've faced and the support I have received time and time again from Steinhardt. While NYU is a huge school, Steinhardt has given me a sense of belonging and community (my participation in Student Government has certainly helped develop this feeling). Just as I was indecisive about a career choice before college, multiple options ran through my mind over the past two years and each time I found an interest I was able to take a class in Steinhardt in that field to help guide my future.

My advice for high school seniors or any prospective students:
-research & weigh all your options thoroughly
-visit as many schools as possible
-don't apply to more than (approximately) 7 schools (and that's still a lot)--if you have a long list now, narrow it down before you spend tons of money and time on applications...you're going to have to make a decision sooner or later & chances are, you're really not in love with 20 schools no matter how different and appealing they all are--BUT keep the final list varied (apply to your reach school even if you think it's impossible, and don't be completely idealistic and not apply to a safety---unfortunately, competition is ridiculous these days!
-be honest with yourself and think about what's right for you--not what you and your parents ideally want to be right for you (and there's more out there than just big name schools--CONSIDER THEM!)
-spend quality time on your essay--write it, set it aside, and revisit it a few days later...who you present in your essay is how the admissions boards are going to envision you BUT, don't forget to be genuine and honest--writing about what you think they want to hear isn't going to up your chances
-talk to people at the school's you're thinking about applying to
-don't do your applications last minute
-Early Action is your friend (and so is the Common App)!!! I'm a very patient person but if I had the opportunity to find out in January versus April, why wait? Especially if you haven't had the opportunity to visit schools and you'll need to do that if you're accepted--you have a month to decide once the acceptance letters come in April so try to relieve some stress early on.

Feel free to post comments and ask questions--I'm ALWAYS willing to help out and chat! While the actual application process can be nerve-racking and overwhelming at times, I love researching different options and looking into new schools (dorky, I know).

GOOD LUCK AND STAY POSITIVE!
(and keep fighting the dreaded senioritis--enjoy the last few months of high school)

Last night I went to my 4th (maybe 5th?) Mass Transit concert at Kimmel. Mass Transit is "NYU's Coincidentally All-Male A Cappella Group" who sings a variety of songs that everyone knows and loves (and if they don't know or love them before the show, they certainly do after). I began going to their concerts freshman year to support one of my floormates. I loved the show and made sure I went to each one after that--I even turned down visiting a friend at another school this weekend just to go to the show!

I became friends with some of the guys over the past 2 years and last semester one of my friends from freshman year joined and was elected Musical Director this year! He did an incredible job getting the guys prepared for the show and even had almost a completely new set list for this year which definitely takes A LOT of work. My favorite part about the concerts however is how well the group performs. Yes, they all have good voices and compliment one another with their skills, but they are so much fun to watch--they truly know how to entertain their audience which is why last night's show was SOLD OUT!!! Ticket Central (a great resource) had to stop selling tickets because every last one was claimed. That's what I call impressive!

Please check out their website, order a CD, and come to a show--you don't have to be an NYU student to enjoy their performances! (And no, they didn't ask me to plug them; they actually don't even know I'm writing this right now but they will once it's up!)