Dana

Well, I am back in the Northwest. I traded in my Mickey ears for a plane ticket back to cold weather and mountain country. I flew back Thursday to Washington State for my college graduation at The Evergreen State College. I stepped off the airplane and was immersed into the world of Priuses and Starbucks. My mom and I spent the afternoon tinkering around Seattle. We went to the mall and did a little shopping. She helped me buy my very first suit. I recently acquired a new job working for the Admissions staff at Evergreen, which will begin late this July. So I will literally go from one job to another, and exactly one day in between. But I am so excited about this new job, and all the opportunities I will have to preach the gospel of Evergreen to others.

Graduation was on Friday. My family and I drove onto the Evergreen campus early in the morning to stake our seats. I was back in the world of dreadlocks and patchouli. It felt eerily nice to be back on my campus. It was a sight for sore eyes. And to see some of my friends again was a real delight. I graduated sitting next to some good friends and feeling more confident than ever. I was a graduate. I was going to enter the working world sooner than I anticipated with a fun and fulfilling job with the college I had been enjoying so much over the years. Graduation was practically perfect.

And now I’m back in Wenatchee for a couple of days, spending time with my family and enjoying Father’s Day. I feel lucky to have such a loving family who has supported me in all my endeavors over the years. I had 11 family members at my graduation cheering me on. And 16 total for the evening dinner. I feel blessed.

So here I go, off to work and be an adult. But who knows what might be next in line for me. I certainty wasn’t expecting to play a 12-year-old British girl at The Happiest Place on Earth. From this experience I have learned that I should always stay flexible. I never know what new and exciting opportunity might be around the corner. So the you all I say:
Omnia Extares “Let it all hang out!”

Posted by Dana at 09:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is a picture of Alice with her friends Pooh bear, Tigger, and Eeyore. What sweet characters!

This is a big time in my life. I have been enjoying my internship at Disney more than I thought I would, and now I have another opportunity to represent the Evergreen State College next year, which will be amazing.

I am very excited that I will be coming back to Washington state, because I am seriously missing the mountains and the dry climate, but I am sad that I will have to leave Disney. This has been such an amazing experience and my plan if I didn't receive the Evergreen job was to continue with the corporation. But as many friends here have told me; Disney will always be here for me. I can come back sometime later if I want to.

I also wanted to let you all know that I will be graduating in just a few short weeks. I'm flying back to Seattle on the 12th of June to participate in the graduation ceremony on the 13th at Evergreen. I will be in Washington through the 20th, and I'm hoping to make a quick stop back in Wenatchee. I'm very excited to be walking with the class of 2008. Doing college in three years is big stuff, and I'm very proud of my accomplishments.

I miss you all so very much, but I will be back in Washington for good starting August.

Posted by Dana at 02:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oh man, what a long week it has been for me. I’ve been getting up at 4:30am the last three days for work, and I feel like it is starting to take a toll on my body and energy. So tonight I’ve decided to lay low and just hang out with some friends at my apartment. There is always so much to do and see at Disney, and I feel like I am constantly on the move, even when I’m not at work. So it will be good for me to stay home tonight.

Today I had the privilege to work with my buddy Jessie, from the movie “Toy Story 2”. She was so much fun to spend the day with. I really like her spunky personality. It was also fun seeing Woody today, he’s such a gentleman.

Woody and Jessie, the best of friends!

I know I’ve been writing a lot about my work experience here at Disney, but I would also like to mention that Disney allows an academic experience for those who need it in the college program. Some people (my roommate included) take part in the academic classes at Disney, and once a week they have class. My roommate has about 8-10 hours of homework a week and about 8 hours of in-school time. I think this is a wonderful opportunity for students to gain college credit while they are a part of the program. My roommate is taking a course titled ‘Marketing: You” where she learns about how to network and sale her talents and abilities to companies and work environments. I just think that having the option of taking classes while in the college program is really nice to have.

Posted by Dana at 05:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think it is so neat that I have the opportunity to gain college credit for my internship at Disney World. Contracts are such a neat component to Evergreen, and I hope everyone who attends Evergreen takes advantage of them at one point. I'm not sure I would be here in Florida right now if Evergreen didn't have their contract system.

So in case anyone is wondering, my contract here at Disney World is an internship contract through Evergreen. In an internship contract you must have one faculty sponsor from the school and one field supervisor from the internship in order to qualify for internship credits. My faculty sponsor contacts me once a week and we discuss what I am learning and doing here in Florida. My field supervisor overseas that I am staying on task, and at the end of the quarter they will write up a narrative evaluation on my performance.

Since the Disney College Program is world wide I have met a ton of people from other colleges. Most of the interns here are not getting college credit for this experience. This is just another reason why I think Evergreen is so unique. They welcome people's interests and are happy to award they appropriate credit for their passions.

Posted by Dana at 05:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wow, this week has gone by unbelievable fast. In fact, this whole school year has been whizzing by! I feel like there is still so much I want to do at Evergreen, but my education there is coming to an end. For the last three years I have taken 20 credits each quarter, as well as summer school, and as a result I am graduating a year early. For my final quarter at Evergreen I am participating in the Disney College internship

in Florida, and now I leave in 12 days. I am so excited for this opportunity with Disney, and everyone will have a chance to read about my adventures because I will continue blogging my journey.

This week I had so many loose ends to tie up, and projects to complete. I finished all of my homework, including that fiction piece I was having so much trouble on, and I completed all of my self-evaluations. I also finished my internship contract this afternoon and turned that in to Registration and Records. And the rest of the day I’ve spent packing up my things in my house. Wow, it’s been a productive day for me. I only have one more evaluation meeting this evening and then I’m finished with all my work for winter quarter. To treat myself for all my hard work I’m going to watch LOST at 9pm. So excited!

This has been a wonderful year for me. I feel like I have really grown into a much more confident and competent young woman. I have always been on top of my studies and worked hard, but this year I feel like I have really accomplished a lot. I also have enjoyed working for admissions as a Student Ambassador. This job has enhanced my love for this college even more, and it has brought me such joy to share that enthusiasm with other people.

I feel so fortunate to have been a Geoduck these last three years. Through all my experiences, academic and social, I know I have gained so much knowledge and have confidence in myself that I can make the most out of any place my life will take me. I look forward to seeing what the next years have in store for me, and I anticipate many challenges and memories ahead. I hope all of you prospective students find Evergreen to be as fulfilling as I have. I know it can change lives; I’m a perfect example.

Posted by Dana at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just finished a tour this afternoon with a bunch of high school students. It was a group of about 10 kids from a high school, with one of their school counselors. While I was giving the tour it got me thinking about how wonderful it is to NOT be in high school anymore. Now don’t get me wrong, high school wasn’t all that bad, but when I look at my experiences from high school and compare them to my college experience I realize how great it is to be in college.

For the most part I enjoyed high school. I performed in the school musicals and was in ASB, as well as ran for roles of ambassador programs in the community. I had a pretty active four years of high school. But during that time I was only worried about grades, friends, and looks.

College is like a restart. When I began at Evergreen I realized that I could be whoever I wanted to be; none of these people knew my past. If I wanted to be the smelly kid there was nothing stopping me (don’t worry, I continued to shower in college). I think having that freedom to express myself in the way I wanted was a very freeing experience. No longer did I feel like I had to fit a mold to be accepted into social circles.

I’ve also immensely enjoyed the independence I’ve received in college. My parents are cool, but it was nice to have the freedom of doing things when I wanted to do them. If I wanted to stay up all night and eat ice cream for dinner, I could (never have though). Again, it was a freeing thought to know that I was entirely responsible for me. This helped me become a much more confident person in my academic and social lives.

With the independence came a lot more responsibility too. This was also good for me, because now that I was in college I didn’t have a mother sitting on me to make sure I got all of my homework done. I was the one to have to make sure I did everything. It taught me work ethic and I learned real quickly how to prioritize.

Whoever said “high school is the best years of your life” were sorely mistaken. I don’t necessarily consider college my best years yet, but I sure know they rock a lot more than high school.

Posted by Dana at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here’s a little something I’ve discovered during my time at Evergreen. This college works with your strengths, and helps you become more confident with your weaknesses. I have been amazed with everything I have taken in here at Evergreen, and I’ve impressed myself with giving certain subjects a second chance.

Back in high school I steered far away from anything science or math related. I took only the required classes in those subjects, and kept to English and the arts. Math and science terrified me, mainly because I hated memorizing facts that had no meaning to me. Math in particular was my sore subject, but science was just as frightening. I took a biology class my freshman year of high school, and squeaked by with a C- (this was hard for someone whose report card mostly held B’s and A’s).

When I came to Evergreen I thought this would be wonderful; a school where a person can design their own academic pathway. I already had in mind what my academic pathway was going to look like, and it never touch math or science.

But soon I realized that Evergreen has a unique approach to learning; one where teachers care about how much you LEARN and not just about your grades. Plus, I was looking into becoming an elementary school teacher, and in order to receive an endorsement I would need to have taken some math and science. So I enrolled into an Algebra class at Evergreen last winter. It was amazing! A complete turn-around for me! I was the kid in high school who sat in the back row and could care less about math. Now I found myself asking questions and sitting up front. I wanted to understand algebra this time because the pressure had been eliminated. In high school I worried about what my peers might say about my grades. But since Evergreen doesn’t have grades I didn’t have the distraction to my learning environment. By the end of the course I had become passionate about mathematics, and even enrolled in another math course the following quarter.

Same goes for science. My biology course I am currently taking has opened my eyes in so many ways. I have learned a ton about biology through this two-quarter class, and I have become more confident in the subject.

I write about this because I want you all to know that sometimes it’s important to face our fears. I was so worried about taking math and science at Evergreen, but it turned out to be such a great experience for me. I discovered that Evergreen’s unique approach to learning is just what I needed when attempting to tackle a subject I feared. So this is for all of you prospective students out there who are coming to Evergreen to get away from math and science. I recommend just trying it out, you never know what you might discover about yourself.

Posted by Dana at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One unique trait I love about Evergreen is the contracts. For a student, contracts are awesome! Get this: If there is something you want to study, something you are itching to learn about and there are no programs about that subject being offered, you are allowed to design your own program for yourself in order to learn more about that subject you are interested in. Pretty sweet deal, if you ask me.

But a lot of people (mostly non-Greeners) do not understand the entire concept of a contract. So I am here to explain a bit about them, and give you an inside scoop on my experience with contracts.

First, it is important to understand that there are two types of contracts a student can do. There is an Internship Contract for students who are taking part in an internship, and then there is an Individual Leaning Contract for students who would just like to study and learn about a subject.

So far I have done two contracts during my three years at Evergreen, and I’m about to take part in an Internship Contract with the Walt Disney Company. The first contract I did was an Individual Learning Contract about literature. It was a full 16-credits and I designed it so that I was reading a new piece of classic literature a week. I read from various different literature subjects. I read everything from “Sophie’s Choice” to “Catcher and the Rye”. It was a very cool thing to do, because it was a time where I could read what I have always wanted to read, and I was getting credit for it. I kept a journal of my readings and jotted down notes about each book. At the end of the quarter I wrote a 10-page paper comparing themes and characters.

My second contract was over this summer. It was a 4-credit Individual Learning Contract on Geology of Yellowstone. So last spring my parents were planning a trip to visit Yellowstone National Park. I decided to go with them since I love nature and I love learning about natural wonders. Before the spring quarter ended I found out that a geology faculty member was taking on geology contracts for people who were traveling this summer. Perfect! I talked to him about a geology contract about the Yellowstone area, focusing on the Yellowstone Caldera, and “bam”, I had myself another contract. For this one I spent a week at the Park and took extensive notes and read books about the area. Then I came home and wrote another 10-page paper on the geology of Yellowstone.

Both of these contracts were great for me because I needed those specific credits for a teaching certificate. But also I found both subject fascinating, and there really wasn’t anything being offered at the school on those subjects at the time. It was such a great solution for me.

I highly recommend taking part in a contract or two during your time at Evergreen because they are so enriching. A contract is for a person who is ready and willing to take their education completely in their own hands. How many of my friends back home can say that they got to design their own curriculum while in college? If you do deicide to go to Evergreen, allow yourself some time to do a contract at some point!

If you would like to learn more here is the academic advising link to contracts:
http://www.evergreen.edu/advising/Indiestudy/individualstudy.htm

Here are some pictures from my geology contract.

This is a hot spring close to Norris Geyser basin.

I thought this was a cool picture I took while at Yellowstone. It is of a rock in the middle of a river with a small tree growing out of it.

That's me behind a waterfall at Yellowstone National Park.

Posted by Dana at 03:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, I am definitely feeling the middle-of-the-quarter stress this week. I seem to have everything due on the same day. For my entire time at Evergreen I have noticed a pattern in the stress levels through out each quarter. The first two weeks aren’t too bad’ you are still mostly reading and listening to lectures. Then week three there’s something fairly big and important due; sometimes it is a draft for an even larger assignment, or sometimes it might be a quiz or essay on what you have so far been learning. Then a couple more weeks of “down time” where you are back to reading and lecture notes, and come week 6-7 there is an even larger assignment due. For me it was my 20-page fiction piece in my Writer’s Workshop. If you read my last blog you know that I struggled a bit with this one, but I did complete it and I felt really good about it. Now I’m in the revision stages of my work, which I find far less stressful because at least I have the whole story written.

I can hardly believe that this is the end of week 6. We only have about 3 weeks left to the quarter, and that hardly seems like enough time for me to get everything done. But of course I know I will, because I’m just that kind of person. I love the quarter system because you have the opportunity to try a lot of different classes/programs, and just when you’re getting tired of that subject you signed up for it’s the end of the quarter and time to try something new! Too bad more colleges and universities aren’t on the quarter system, I really think it’s the way to go.

Posted by Dana at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Writer’s Block. That’s what I had all day yesterday, and believe me, it was horrible! Every other week I have to turn in a 15-20 page fiction piece for my Evening and Weekend class called Writer’s Workshop. My last piece I wrote turned out to be pretty decent, a lot better than I was expecting. But yesterday I began work on my second piece, which is due this Wednesday.

We had all day Saturday class and I figured after a lecture or something maybe I would come out with some more ideas for the new piece I was about to embark on. Wrong. Since it was Washington State’s caucus my teacher let us all out early to either go to our caucus or go home and write some more, and come back 5 hours for a guest lecturer. I went home and stared at my computer screen. Then I checked my Facebook. Then Myspace. Then Netflix. And Facebook once again. An hour went by and I still had nothing on my word document. So I thought maybe pulling out a pen and paper would help inspire a story out of me. Nope. I wrote two pages of complete crap. I became even more frustrate with the fact that after two hours I had absolutely nothing to show for it. I had 30 minutes to go, when my dad called me. We talked about one of his brother’s who had the flu. My dad told me some stories about my uncle from his younger years, which I thought were quite amusing. I got off the phone with him, and sat back down at my computer and began to write. My uncle’s story inspired me, and I kept writing and writing. Then I looked at my clock and realized I had to be back at the school again.

The guest lecturer went on for a few hours and I didn’t catch a single word she said. I spent the whole time playing out the story in my mind, waiting anxiously to get back home and type it up. Finally, my writer’s block was cured!

The one thing I did catch from this guest lecturer was a good piece of advise about writing: When there is a break in your piece (i.e.- a chapter or scene ending) do not get up and walk away from your writing. Write a few intro scenes, because that will help you get back into your writing when you come to sit back down again. So many times I have felt stuck in my writing when I’m at a scene break, and I thought this was a very good point. I just wanted to share it with you all.

Posted by Dana at 05:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Phew! What an intense week it has been for me, homework wise! I can’t believe how much work I had, and it’s only week three. I love taking Evening and Weekend classes, but the one poor thing about taking multiple ones is that sometimes you get bogged down with homework from both teachers at the same time. That was definitely the case for me this week. I had three major projects due all on the same day!

Over the weekend I wrote a 20-page fiction piece for my Writer’s Workshop. I wish I had started earlier on it, because by the last night of working on it I was really struggling to finish it. Every five minutes I was taking breaks from the computer to stretch, surf the web, or watch a bit of television. Finally I sat myself down and pumped out the last eight pages, but it was killer. Next time I will have to start working much sooner! Okay, lesson learned.

My other two assignments were from my biology class. I had to turn in a lab and study for a quiz (yes, tests and quizzes do exist at Evergreen, they just aren’t that prevalent). This wasn’t as tough as what I had to turn in the following day. My teacher wants us to find science articles that pertain to some of the subjects covered in class, and write up a summary, as well as find citations for every person or institution mentioned in the article. Easier than it sounds when you only give yourself two days to do any research. I found myself scrambling to find citations, and I was having absolutely no luck with some of the people. So I learned my lesson one more time; make more time to do you homework!

Fortunately I was able to turn everything in on time. I got my quiz back yesterday: 100%! Yeah, I felt pretty good about that one, so I just had to brag to y’all.

Posted by Dana at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The ballet bug has bitten me. It’s true. I have never been a big dancer type. I took jazz and tap when I was younger, but I never felt the passion and enthusiasm that dancers talk about. But the last year I have been taking a 2-credit ballet class at Evergreen that meets once a week for a couple of hours. Our instructor, Jehrin, is a wonderful teacher who explains ballet technique and movement with joy and fun. She has given the confidence in this form of dance that I never knew I could possible have.

Ballet is hard. Seriously, it’s not as easy as it looks. I mean, I’ve seen a few ballet productions in my day and I always thought, “So the girl can leap in the air, but what’s the big deal?” But now I understand all the hard work that ballerina has gone though to get her leg up in the air in that exact position. It’s tough stuff, she has her foot turned in an exact angle to her inside of her foot is facing out, and she keeps them pointed at a certain angle as to not create a sickle foot look. Then there are her arms; she must have them in fourth position that frame her face without making them look too boxy or too round. She must tuck in her butt and puff out her chest. And she must do all these things seamlessly in a span of five seconds. It’s intense.

I have discovered over the year of my ballet training that I have become more aware of my body presence. My instructor made a good point during one class that we as humans move our bodies with our heads. We are thinking when we walk or stand, but rarely do we pay attention to how we are walking or standing. After her lecture of body presence I began to notice that I also moved with my head and did not pay attention to the rest of my body. Since this talk I have stood up more straight, watched how I walked and corrected my slump. Through all of this I’ve noticed that my body has felt healthier and I feel more confident in my body appearance.

This is a class that I highly recommend to any Greeners. I think there is so much we can learn about movement and dance that Jehrin is willing to teach. Plus it’s a great way of getting a few extra performing arts credits. Go ahead; sign yourself up, I know you won’t regret it!

Posted by Dana at 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, Evergreen is back in full swing after almost a whole month off for winter break. I am always surprised how long of a break Evergreen gives their students, considering it’s a public school. Private schools are notorious for having long winter breaks, but it seems like the Evergreen breaks are almost just as long. I love it!

So far we have one week down. I’ve decided to keep my same schedule of Evening and Weekend classes for the winter quarter. So here’s what I’ve got:

Tuesday: Principles of Biology 6-9pm
Wednesday: Beginning Ballet 12-2pm, Writer’s Workshop 5-9pm (plus it meets every other Saturday from 9am-4pm)
Thursday: Principles of Biology 6-9pm

This is a pretty sweet schedule considering I am enrolled for 20 credits and I only have class three days a week. Of course, those three days can be quite grueling. I really learned last quarter how to prioritize. It’s something I have always been okay in, but since this schedule I have really perfected the art of prioritizing. I have also come to understand the beauty of planners. Now, I’ve always been a “planner girl” since middle school, but this is the year where I have begun to utilize this school calendar as more of a tool and less as a decorative notebook. In middle school and high school the schools always provided planners, and I had my fun using gel pens to create elaborate pages of artwork, but hardly did they display anything academic. Now, my planner is quite dull, when you open it up all you see are the lists of homework and meetings and work times.

After that very long winter break I can actually say that I am glad to be back at school. I’ve rested and now I’m ready for another quarter (albeit a rainy one).

Posted by Dana at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)