Reflection on Mission, Values, and Engagement

1) I believe that we should help anyone in need. Trying to help the environment by keeping it clean is important because if we did not have a clean place where we lived, went to school, etc. it would not be a pleasing place to live. I believe that if we help others, it would eventually come back and when we need help others would be there to help us when we need it.
2) On the first day of school at NDNU, I was shocked by the diversity in the classes that I was in. The previous schools I went to, I was surrounded by the majority which was asians. I was always considered the majority but it felt weird on how I was considered a minority in the school, I just was not used to it. I never considered myself racist and going into a diverse community made me believe that I was not because going into the school with the knowledge and learning that I really was not racist made me feel more content. This is important because everyone is shown as an equal no matter their skin color or what they identify as. I think it is important for everyone to know that even though someone may be different than you or may have a different view than you, they are still the same and deserve the same rights that you have.
3) When I first started NDNU, I told myself that I was going to attend all my classes and never ditch them. However, as the time passed, I found myself wanting to ditch because I kept telling myself that there was no point in going or because I saw my fellow peers ditch because they rather catch up on sleep. I thought if I did the same thing my grades would not suffer that bad if I skipped one or two classes whereas some people I knew skipped multiple weeks. However, I continued to have this debate with myself and told myself how expensive college was and that I should push through because it was going to be worth it in the end if I did not ditch any of my classes.
4) My class was on sustainability and honestly, I was never really one to recycle. I would just throw it in whatever bin it looked like the trash was supposed to go in. But after taking this sustainability class, I learned that it is important to recycle because everywhere is polluted and if we do not make a change, we will not be able to fix our damage and endangering ourselves. This did make the classroom experience more engaging because I got to know what the impact of all the trash and pollution it was doing to the place we live in, some countries having it worse than we do but eventually we would all end up in the same place if we do not do something to try and fix it.
5) I think diversity is knowing that someone is different than you. Knowing that someone is different than you but you still accept them for who they are because everyone should be treated equally and with respect. We should embrace diversity because if we did not have diversity there would only have one culture and we would never get to experience anything different if we were judgmental about everything we  thought was different than ours. Diversity is a gift because without it everyone would be the sam and have the same ideas and values and nothing would ever improve.
6) Because I commute, it is harder to find a community in which I belong but I think a community can be however large you want it andI am honestly fine with having a community with just a couple people who I became close to and could rely on. Through similar classes and just asking for help in those classes, I found people I can actually depend on no matter what.
7) Even before i came to this school, I was engaged on community service and how even if we volunteer in our community for a couple hours a week or even a month we can impact the community we live in. Also, even if we embrace everyone the same way we wanted to be treated no matter the race, ethnicity, or what people identify as, the community we live in would be more just to everyone.

Performance event

On Friday October 28, I went and saw "A Little Night Music." The performance and performers were wonderful and you could tell that they spent a lot of time and effort preparing for this day. There was also a lot of teamwork and sportsmanship needed to pull off this performance. The audience was very responsive and some parts of the performance were tear jerkers. You could see how the audience lean forward in their seats as a dramatic scene approached and wanting to see what happened in the next scene. I think this performance was significant because it shows how much time and effort was made to give us, the audience, entertainment. It brought together the school and community while we were watching the performance. 

Sporting Event

For the sporting event I went to, I went to a lacrosse game. This lacrosse game was the one against the alumni so I thought it was important. The current and the alumni team met in the middle of the field, with one member from each team standing in the middle, like a face off in hockey to determine who would have the ball first. The NDNU students won the face off against the alumni so they had the ball first, passing and rushing to get the ball towards the alumni goal. After the interception, it took a while before the first goal was made. In the first quarter, the goalie did an amazing job and only let two in out of about 20 shots. Each quarter was 15 minutes each and during the game, there was a lot of communications against the players from both teams such as, "next time", "up town", "three hundred", "good shot", etc. There was good sportsmanship between both teams and there was a sense of pride from crowd and the team players as well. This game was important because even though they were playing each other, it brought a unity for both past and present students at NDNU.

Call to Action Day

On Call to Action Day, I learned that helping those in need is super rewarding because knowing that we gave back to the community makes me think that we are helping the world as a whole in one way or another and that there is some faith in humanity that some people actually want to help out others not for their own benefit. We got to tour the facility (farm) before we were told what were supposed to do. Our job was to harvest the crops (i.e. pumpkins, butternut squashes, etc.) and since there were only two farmhand manager working they would have spent a lot more time if we had not came and volunteered. The organization taught me how to harvest crops and that everything was needed for a reason and that it should not go to waste. I thought it was cool how there was an eco-friendly bathroom that after you went to the bathroom, you threw in a little bit of sawdust to mask the smell and that there were no "flush" button in the toilet. We also saw the animals living on the farms, the chickens, the alpacas, and the dogs that lived on the farm. We got to feed the chickens and when one out of the three alpacas heard us, he popped his head out and that was super cute. The dog, named Bear, was humungous and he was adorable, he was with us most of our time there, watching over us. And then lunch came around the corner and there was fruit salad, macaroni and cheese, and sourdough bread. Overall, it was an enriching experience but I would have wanted it to be more hands on, for example, actually give the leftover produce to the shelters and help the kitchens serve them. 

Orientation Engagement Experience

          Even though I wasn't there the day of the Orientation Engagement Experience, I got my experience through Ashley who was there that day. I learned that in the OEE, our community supporter has a huge belief in helping others and giving back to the community. This is why I think that the hallmark that best represents the sustainability class is, "We commit ourselves to community service." Our partner dedicates and commits their time in helping the homeless in Half Moon Bay by providing food, shelter, and water. This is great for our economy because in this generation, there are plenty of homeless people who can't get a job because of their disability or because they are aliens. Without the help, many of the homeless can starve to death. What they are doing is good because they are giving back to the community and genuinely want to help others. They have helped the community in more ways than others, for example, they have created and built a sustainable farm in order to help the homeless. The farms excess food will be sent to the homeless shelters to help the homeless get back on their feet. They also built a half way house which houses families who don't have enough money to afford a place of their own. Even though the place is still small and can't house a lot of families, they are looking for ways to make the house bigger and better so more homeless families can get the help the need and help them get their lives started again. I think it will be a great experience for me along with my classmates to do hands on activities and give back to the community in which we were born in.

Orientation Engagement Experience

          Even though I wasn't there the day of the Orientation Engagement Experience, I got my experience through Ashley who was there that day. I learned that in the OEE, our community supporter has a huge belief in helping others and giving back to the community. This is why I think that the hallmark that best represents the sustainability class is, "We commit ourselves to community service." Our partner dedicates and commits their time in helping the homeless in Half Moon Bay by providing food, shelter, and water. This is great for our economy because in this generation, there are plenty of homeless people who can't get a job because of their disability or because they are aliens. Without the help, many of the homeless can starve to death. What they are doing is good because they are giving back to the community and genuinely want to help others. They have helped the community in more ways than others, for example, they have created and built a sustainable farm in order to help the homeless. The farms excess food will be sent to the homeless shelters to help the homeless get back on their feet. They also built a half way house which houses families who don't have enough money to afford a place of their own. Even though the place is still small and can't house a lot of families, they are looking for ways to make the house bigger and better so more homeless families can get the help the need and help them get their lives started again. I think it will be a great experience for me along with my classmates to do hands on activities and give back to the community in which we were born in.

Yay, I'm done!