MBTI

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator evaluation is something that I had done in the past, but it was a very long time ago in middle school. It was awesome to have the opportunity to re-do the evaluation and see how my personality has changed since I was younger. My type was Extraversion, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging, or ESFJ. I liked how we got the statistics of each type so I was able to see that I am similar to 12.3% of the total population and 16.9% of the female population. My personality type is also fairly common when compared to the other 2012 Hixson Scholars. 14 of us are ESFJ’s!

The first letter in my personality type combination is the one that surprised me the most. I am a self-determined Introversion for the sole reason that I love to be alone because that is when I do my best work and get the most done. However, as I thought about it, I think I am more of an Extraversion when I am around others. I’ve always been the type of person who starts conversations with strangers and is the leader of a group. This trait is something that I must have been developing throughout these years and has definitely emerged more now that I am interacting with new people every day.

The Sensing and Feeling types did not surprise me as much because I have always been methodical and considerate. I’m happier with learning facts in chronological order rather than hearing ideas that are just thrown out. I can think of a particular example of this. In high school, my chemistry teacher would lecture for most of the class period on stuff that we had never worked with before and that was very advanced. Then, he would always end the class by saying, it’s okay if you don’t understand this because it’s very abstract and it will all come together in the end. I hated that class. I would rather learn key facts first and build off of that so that I always feel like I know what is going on. As for the way I make decisions, it has always been the Feeling type for me. I care a lot about other people and how I affect them, so even though they may not be the most logical decisions sometimes, I would rather sacrifice the “smart” decision for the more thoughtful one.

Finally, I am a Judging person, but according to the Preference Clarity Index, I am not a very strong Judging person. However, I would say I am. I love making to-do lists and getting stuff done. I plan out my days and know what I will get done each day. I guess I could see how I am sometimes a more Perceiving person because while I know what I am doing tomorrow or the day after that, I am terrible at making plans for the weekend or month ahead. Sometimes going with the flow is more convenient for me.

Overall, I think my ESFJ type is accurate. The snapshot that we received for our types said that I am helpful, personable, loyal and stable, organized, and focused on the present. It’s almost scary how well that fits me. I know a lot of all people have said it scares them, but I think it’s amazing how someone came up with this. It’s very helpful because it gives you a sense of what your strengths and weaknesses are so you are able to improve yourself and in our case, our learning abilities while we are at Iowa State.  

Before It's Over, I Will..

"Don't blink, life goes faster than you think." --Kenny Chesney

I think of any age group, we are told the most how fast time goes and how we're going to miss what we have at the moment. I don't know about any of you, but I heard "Senior year goes by so fast" about eight hundred times last year. At the time, I took it as a grain of salt because as far as I was concerned, college was going to be the time of  my life and high school was worthless. Looking back, there are tons of things that I do miss about high school, but don't get me wrong, college is great. With that said, here is a list of things I will make sure I do before my time here at Iowa State is gone in order to make unforgettable memories!

The Iowa State Bucket List
-Take a picture with Cy
-Lose my voice at Jack Trice and Hilton
-Participate in intramurals
-Eat a Superdog
-Get kissed under the Campanile
-VEISHEA
-Pull an all-nighter
-Graduate

Alright, so the first couple of things are something all ISU students will do at some point, but they're a little difficult for me because I am a born and raised, proud Hawkeye fan and Cy creeps me out! I have yet to go to Jack Trice for a game so this weekend's game will be my first time and I will be wearing cardinal and gold, the forbidden colors of my past. I can only hope that I will be at a game like last year's Oklahoma State upset where I get to rush the field and feel like a true Cyclone.

The next few are all fun stuff. I played sports all throughout high school, so naturally I want to continue to compete and make new friends through intramurals. It wouldn't hurt if I got a coveted champion t-shirt to show off around campus, too. Normally, I would say no to all hot dogs offered, but all of my friends that grew up around here told me that I have to a Superdog so I guess I'll have to trust them so I can say I've had one. Getting kissed under the Campanile at midnight is something that I'm sure every Iowa State girl will have on their Bucket List because like they say, you're not a true Iowa Stater until you've done it, plus it's really romantic! Finally, I want to experience VEISHEA. At this point, I have no idea what it is except for a huge party, but I have heard there are a ton of things to do that week so I'm excited to find out what they all are.

My last two have to do with why I'm here, school. Pulling an all-nighter doesn't sound at all fun to me, but the idea of pulling a necessary all-nighter to get an A on an exam sounds fine. I'm sure an all-nighter will be easy to accomplish because I've already noticed the homework and studying piles up fast. Of course, most importantly, I want to graduate from Iowa State with a Bachelor's Degree in Dietetics in four years. I want to leave this place with a huge amount of new friends, contacts, and an all important dietetic internship so I can continue on into my career path of being a registered dietitian.

As we all know, after college is the daunting "real world", where we have to get jobs and officially be on our own. Being a girl who loves her independence, this excites me a lot more than it scares me. There is so much to do, but we seemingly have so little time when you factor in your job, family, and other commitments. With that said, there are a few things I want to make sure I squeeze in wherever possible.


The Life Bucket List
-Travel
-Go to the Olympics
-Meet someone famous
-Attend a major sporting event
-Fall in love and have a family
-Love my career
-Be happy and make a difference

Starting off my list is the fun stuff. I've always loved traveling, but I've only been to other states, never out of the country. Another fun fact: I've never been on an airplane! Of all places, I want to go to London. I think it's a beautiful city and I'm obsessed with the royal family. Recently, I was hit with Olympic fever so I would love to see some of those events and maybe meet someone famous there. Or I could meet them at a major sporting event, whether it's a Super Bowl where I'm cheering on my favorite team, the New Orleans Saints, or some kind of NCAA championship, hopefully for the Hawkeyes! I apologize to all you true Cyclones out there, but once a Hawkeye, always a Hawkeye!

My last things on my list are more serious. First, I want to fall in love and have a family. I grew up in a big family, three brothers and sisters and about fifty cousins, so I want about four kids. I also want to love my career. Right now, that would be as a dietitian, but a stay-at-home mom wouldn't be bad either! If it's not either of those, I just want to end up somewhere where I am happy and do not dread going to work everyday. It would also be a bonus if I was in a career where I can make a difference in at least one person's life.

 Most importantly, in college and for the rest of my life, I want to love my life and live every day like it is my last because some people aren't able to do all things I can. I'm sure I will be crossing off things on these lists and adding some too, but I just want to be able to look back on my life and know time was not wasted!

A Lot More Than A Game

"To succeed...You need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you." --Tony Dorsett

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you would do almost anything to achieve it? Have you ever failed at reaching this goal, but ended up feeling like it was one of the best days you could think of? If I had to pick one time where I felt like I was at my best, it would be during my last high school basketball game. The odd thing about that is that we ended up losing the game. It probably doesn't make a lot of sense to you so I will explain.

I began to play basketball during the fourth grade, when I just wanted to be with my friends and maybe make a couple baskets, nothing more. Fast forward to high school, where I found myself in the gym every summer three times a week for hours at a time. At some point between fourth grade and high school, I found the one place that I felt like I really belonged and fell in love with a sport that eventually would mean so much more to me.

Two games into my junior season, my teammate, classmate, and close friend, Emily, was killed in a car accident just a few miles from her house and from our high school. Devastated and in disbelief are the only ways to describe how I felt for weeks after the tragedy. My one saving grace was basketball and my other teammates. Although we had a pretty tough time getting through our first practice without Emily, our first game without her, away at West Liberty, was an emotional roller coaster. It started off sad, each of us had a #35 patch sewn onto the hearts of our jerseys and we all teared up as we surrounded her jersey during a moment of silence. As tip-off drew near, all of us Wildcats had one mission, win it for Emily and we did. The best part? We scored 35 points that game; maybe it was a coincidence, but we took it as a sign that she was still with us. We went on with the rest of the season and into my senior year. We continued to bring her jersey with us and work toward the goal of winning a post season game in her honor, something a Durant girls basketball team hadn't accomplished in five seasons. 

Fast forward to February 20th, 2012, in Camanche, Iowa, where my team, who really had nothing to prove, was preparing to fight for a win. A quarter and a half into the game, things were not looking good and half time wasn't much better. I'm not one hundred percent sure of this, but I would say we were down at least fifteen points and it was looking like my eight year run of basketball had sixteen minutes left. A little disappointed, we pulled ourselves together and started the third quarter. I don't know if I just wasn't paying attention to the score because I thought we were done for, but before I knew it we were only down seven, then five.  Until late into the fourth quarter, it was a tie game going back in forth between Camanche and us. Suddenly, the senior captain role and friend of Emily really came out in me. At that point, I wanted nothing more in the world than to win and I think everyone else sensed that and got the mindset, too. Camanche didn't just back down and roll over for us, though. We took them into three overtimes. We all had adrenaline rushing through our veins and although we would have normally been exhausted after running down the court so many times, we all wanted to play and not be sitting on the sidelines, me in particular. This is what the hours upon hours in the gym and heartbreak of previous years had led up to. It was a scary, yet incredible feeling knowing what was at stake and I felt like the perfect scenario was about to play out: we come from behind and take the game in three overtimes to end our post season losing streak, all for Emily.

Except for it didn't. We came up short and that was the end. I never got to win a post season game and I would never compete as a Wildcat again. To say the least, it was a teary eyed locker room as our coach thanked the seniors for the hard work over the past four years despite everything we had been through, namely losing Emily. 

I bet you're all still a little confused on how this was a time I was at my best. Well, on the bus ride home, I finally realized what all these years had really been about. Basketball is supposed to be a game, someone wins and someone loses, but basketball meant so much more to me. I learned from it. I created memories. I overcame hardships. My teammates and I left an example that we are all proud of, regardless of the fact that we weren't the best team out there. So it's not just a game to me, it's the place that I learned lessons that carried into the real world and made me, me. Without basketball, I wouldn't be at my personal best everyday. I would probably find it easier to give up, take the easy way out of things. Instead, I've learned to put the work in, persevere in all circumstances, and do my absolute best so that I can be at my best at all times.