Into the Arts

As a student in ENGL 15, or in other words, Shakespeare, the Naked Shakes version of Macbeth was an event of great interest for me. Ever since the 8th grade, I've loved the work of Shakespeare and always felt content reading or watching plays in many different settings. It was great seeing phenomenal actresses play the masculine roles of Macduff, Banquo, Malcolm and many others. The director of the production, Irwin Appel, had a very interesting and original interpretation of the play. In the play written by Shakespeare, there are three "wyrd sisters" or witches who did the spells and interacted with the characters. Appel's production included a company of actors saying the lines and made the production unique and definitely captured my attention with the eery feeling it left on the stage. Regardless of Irwin's genius directing skills, the college advice from INT lecture earlier this week  he gave stuck with me as well. He specifically said to take the one college class that you never thought you would take and explore with it - the electives are sometimes the ones that inspire us the most. His second piece of advice was to go live in New York City for a while to gain a different perspective on life. And finally, his last piece of advice was to find a time in your life where you live as a gypsy and truly capture the romance of living on the road.

My favorite production of Macbeth! 

Activities 2-4

Even though I wasn't able to attend Zack's office hours, I made the effort to go to both my Shakespeare and Sociology office hours. For Shakespeare, I essentially went to visit the professor with questions about our essays (which is a bulk of our grade) and different concepts/themes we would read from the plays. The first time I went to both of the office hours, I wanted to introduce myself as an eager first year student who was ready to get an A in the class and be passionate about the subjects - but really! I genuinely love Shakespeare and the masterpieces he created - from his plays to his sonnets. As of now, I'm a pre-Sociology major so diving into the subject really helped me see if I wanted to pursue it as a major. Regardless of how easy or hard the material was that day, I tried to go at least once a week to each of the office hours. Not only did I develop personal connections with my professors but I was able to clarify concepts and figure out different methods of going about studying or taking notes during lecture with tips from my professors and TA's.

On August 19th, I attended my first CLAS workshop called Writing Papers. Coming from a college preparatory high school, I felt I was already very prepared writing college leveled papers. However, once I was assigned my first paper, I wanted to seek out all of the possible resources I had around me in order to do the best I could on the paper. The instructor, Paul, was pretty entertaining and rather sassy. He straight up asked anyone if they just attended the workshop so they could get class credit - one girl raised her hand and he said "Well, this is insulting", signed the paper, and told her to basically beat it. But hey! It's encouraging to see how he only wants to guide students that are motivated themselves. Moving on to the actual presentation later on, he used a Prezi to go through the important steps of writing and brainstorming. Even though the advice was a bit elementary for my level of writing, I was informed about the writing lab and how we could get our essays checked out by grad students and get some really awesome input. I'm really glad I went to the workshop - the perks of being a resourceful college student.

Just about three weeks ago, I attended one of the Health & Wellness presentations about the Science of Happiness. One of the health advisors introduced himself and created an interactive Prezi that helped organize the different steps and ways of becoming happier in and about life. At first, he showed a Ted Talk hosted by a professor from Harvard who developed actual science experiments in order to measure happiness from one person to another. His theory encompassed different methods in order to become happier: writing down what you're grateful for every day to writing a hand written letter to someone you haven't kept touch with for a while that use to be somewhat of a significant other. Not only did the advisor teach about the science of happiness but he also demonstrated  how we could avoid the stress of college. Although some of the methods seem a little too tedious for my taste, I know other ways to make and keep myself content. But I have every reason to be happy anyway since I'm at UCSB :)

Activity #1 - Rec Cen and Adventure Program Presentation

Part of the college experience is getting involved on campus. Being a high school athlete and a sports-lover since childhood, the Rec Cen was going to be my second home away from my dorm. When I came for orientation earlier in the summer, I took the tour of the Rec Cen and attended the same exact presentation about the Adventure Program and Intramurals and everything the Rec Cen has to offer – from sport positions to jobs. Going to the presentation for a second time during FSSP made me even more excited about not only hiking and kayaking with my peers but also working at the Rec Cen. I’ve had previous experience working at the gym of a country club back at home so working in the gym at the Rec Cen would be too perfect and familiar for me! Not only did the presentation remind me of my passion for sports and the outdoors, but also because it was scheduled in the first week of FSSP, I met a ton of kids who also had the same love for sports and the outdoors. Through icebreakers and even small side talks about how excited we are about getting equipment for hiking made me realize that anyone at UCSB can pursue their passion not only by studying a major of their interest but also getting involved in a club. I can’t wait to really dip my feet into the great amenities offered by the Rec Cen. Let’s hope you see me working in the gym this year!

Critically Thinking Takes Hard Work

Having intellectual independence. Asking questions. Being a skeptic.

These are just few of the qualities any critical thinker attains. The undergraduate dean and my favorite speaker thus far, Dr. Lubach, gave some advice that I know will truly stick with me for the next four years and in the future. Sure, he was a captivating speaker, but he was essentially trying to water the seed that all UCSB students have been planted with. We are all smart and talented; that’s a given. However, to stand out as an individual in this high-performance research institution, we must expand our minds down either end of the spectrum. Whether we want to study botany or become a master of the saxophone, if we ask questions and doubt the facts/truth, we’ve already made the first step in growing to be efficient critical thinkers. I loved his final note about having true balance in all aspects of our Gaucho life – ultimately, we have to work hard and play hard. It was inspiring and motivating for me to see current UCSB students and alumni being the ones that are asking questions, being skeptics, and declaring intellectual independence in our world today.

On Friday’s visit to the library, I learned about the hidden gems the library and its resources have to offer. I was surprised to hear about all the books, articles, and even music records we have at the tips of our fingers. Having subject and course searches online along with a 24 hour help service by a librarian make finding certain resources easier and more reliable because it efficiently narrows down the searches.  All in all, the visit made me feel more comfortable with my future in research and more confident in my school’s resources. 

Definitely wish our UCSB library catalog was this helpful!