Hi everyone, my name is Jonathan Muñoz and I was part of the first ever graduating class of Hialeah Gardens High School, Class of 2011 (which no matter what anyone says about being the best or not, no other class will ever have that title). ANYWAYS!
College is an interesting conundrum, you will never have so much yet so little time in any other time of your life. It's a paradox that only college brings you. Yes you get to pick your schedule and get to only take four classes if you want, but you'll soon see that with everything you end up doing while you're in college you'll have even less time than you did in high school.
Before I talk about what I'm doing now, let's start from after graduation 3 years ago (wow, it's really been that long already). After I was handed my diploma I started the next fall at the Honors College at Miami Dade College. Personally it was the best decision ever, because I wasn't too sure what I wanted to do and I didn't want to start at a more expensive school for nothing. When I graduated I initially wanted to be a lawyer before deciding that before law school I would get a degree in Public Relations.
And that was my plan until I had this amazing experience to go one week to Washington, D.C. as part of a program of the Honors College. There I spent a week seeing how media and politics coexisted. Now, you have to remember this was 2012 , the start of the primary season and me not wanting to seem ignorant I started watching cable news in order to not sound like I was completely out of it. That along with a week in D.C. changed me. All throughout high school I was waiting for something to hit me and let me know this is what I want to do with my life. Safe to say it never came until that time.
The week I got back, I went to my advisor and told her I wanted to change my track to Journalism (which since it was all under the umbrella of Mass Communication, it really didn't matter on paper). I joined The Reporter, Miami Dade College's Student newspaper and began writing briefs. I worked my way up to Forum Section Editor where I had the chance to spend five days in New York City as part of a conference. Literally 5 minute walk one way to Central Park, and five minute walk the opposite way to Time Square, where I toured the CNN building, saw the ABC headquarters and got to see Rockefeller Plaza.
And so, the time came to transfer from Miami Dade, and I applied to schools I never saw myself. Emerson College (Boston), Northwestern (Chicago), NYU (New York City), USC (Los Angeles), UNC (Chapel Hill) American University (Washington, D.C) and UF (Gainesville) were just some of the colleges that I applied to and got in. Financial and personal reason lead me to the University of Florida, but regardless I had the chance to go anywhere.
So that brings us to this past year, my first year up here at the University of Florida, on track to complete my Bachelors in Telecommunications. Through the school of Communication I've been able to get real world experience as a radio reporter for WUFT-FM the NPR affiliate on North Central Florida and even got a few chances to anchor their hourly newscasts and their weekday 30 minute news program Front Page as part of NPR's All Things Considered.
As a part time job, I freelance for a website called VOXXI, and have written over 100 stories for them (and gotten paid for them, most importantly). Some of my work has even been featured on the Latino Voices section of the Huffington Post (yes THE Huffington Post!). I've had the chance to interview an actress from Fruitvale Station, teen pop singer Matt Hunter, and had a phone interview with Mario Lopez about his new show on NUVOtv.
This summer I'm interning here in Miami, at Fusion, the ABC/Univision joint venture cable new channel, aimed at the millennial generation. I've even written some things for THEIR website already.
Next fall? I'd hoping to become one of the producers and anchors of Front Page (the radio news show I filled in for once or twice, this spring) where this time I'll be the one running the shows with a team of radio reporters. I'll begin with television stories and producing packages for the TV station, whereby the spring I'll be a TV reporter for the PBS affiliate. And lastly, I'll be producing new cut ins for TV and for the web called 'News in 90' where I hope to anchor them by spring.
Career goals? Help with the change in news media, and be at the forefront of the changing media landscape. While others will cling to the past, I want to be the future.
So here's the moral of the story: If you'd told me three years ago I'd be on my way to becoming a multimedia journalist, working with radio, TV, and online content, interning at a channel owned by Disney and Univision, and having my work featured on the largest Internet newspaper out there --- I would have thought there's no way!
If you don't have it all figured out, it's fine. Actually it's expected. You're not the same person you're going to be when you get to college, and college will change you. Opportunities will present themselves to you when you least expect it.
Put it this way. When I was a senior at HGHS, there was one major Florida university I didn't apply to saying to myself "even if I get in I'm not going to go." That university was UF, the one I'm a year from graduating. Life's funny ain't it!
You guys are free to ask me anything, and if you have questions feel free to ask, about whatever. You can follow me on Twitter @JonathanMNews
Website
GO GLADIATORS!
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Friday, May 30, 2014
Roxana Secas, Class of 2012
Hey guys!
My name is Roxanna Secas, and I was part of the awesomeness that was the class of 2012 (best class to graduate HGHS, btw)! I am currently an English major on the creative writing track at the University of Central Florida. After I graduate, I hope to become a book publisher. And, hopefully, get some of my own work published too.
Like most people in my class, I started off my journey in college through Miami-Dade College. I took the opportunity that Miami Dade was offering: to pay my entire tuition for my first two years of college. Along with the scholarships I received from working hard in high school, I was also able to get money back from financial aid, which served as a resource for books and other college expenses. After a year at Miami Dade College, I realized that by taking all the dual enrollment classes that I had taken in high school along with the summer classes I had taken at Miami Dade, I only had one semester left before I could transfer to my dream school: UCF. So, the gears in my head started turning and, with the help of my wonderful parents, I decided to move out to Orlando, transfer to Valencia, finish my AA there, and transfer to UCF.
The real fun began when I first moved and I had to get a job to help pay for my rent. Although mommy and daddy were helping me out, there were just some things they couldn’t do. So, there I was, living alone for the first time ever, balancing my last 6 classes for my AA, and dealing with my first job. I barely had time to catch my breath! However, my hard work paid off, because in the spring of 2014, I started my first semester at my dream school, which is the biggest success I’ve had. I’ve started writing more and more stories, which I hope I can come back soon and tell you all that they’ve been published! I work for a before and after care program in an elementary school, watching kindergarten children, as well as babysitting on the weekends.
Now, I’m going on to my third year in college, while being one of the first students in my class to have her AA in the fall of 2013 instead of at the end of the spring of 2014, and about to get promoted at work (fingers crossed)!
I’m sure most of you have heard it before, but living on your own really does give you a different perspective on life. I’ve come to realize all the things I can do, (like cooking, I can probably make pasta a hundred different ways!) as long as I work hard and believe in myself. That’s the biggest thing I probably won’t be able to stress enough: BELIEVE IN YOURSELVES. No matter what anyone will tell you, no matter the people who doubt your abilities, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. You can do it. Change is hard; I know it is. I used to sit in that very desk you’re sitting, thinking to myself, “I don’t want to go to college, it’s not like high school, it’s going to be weird and hard and I’m not going to be good at it,” but you can do it! Life is about changes, and everything changes. DO NOT FEAR CHANGE. Change is good. Life is good! Enjoy yourselves. Be happy. Work hard. The best things in life aren’t handed to you on a silver platter; you’ve got to work hard to buy the silver platter.
The next thing to tackle on starting in the fall is my savings account for future travels, as well as joining a couple of clubs at UCF; all while still juggling my 4 classes, working at my job, AND babysitting on the weekends. As the great Augustus Waters would say, “I’m on a rollercoaster that only goes up, my friend!”
If you need/want any more advice on moving and tips about college and such, don’t be afraid to message me!
Good luck!
Roxanna Secas
My name is Roxanna Secas, and I was part of the awesomeness that was the class of 2012 (best class to graduate HGHS, btw)! I am currently an English major on the creative writing track at the University of Central Florida. After I graduate, I hope to become a book publisher. And, hopefully, get some of my own work published too.
Like most people in my class, I started off my journey in college through Miami-Dade College. I took the opportunity that Miami Dade was offering: to pay my entire tuition for my first two years of college. Along with the scholarships I received from working hard in high school, I was also able to get money back from financial aid, which served as a resource for books and other college expenses. After a year at Miami Dade College, I realized that by taking all the dual enrollment classes that I had taken in high school along with the summer classes I had taken at Miami Dade, I only had one semester left before I could transfer to my dream school: UCF. So, the gears in my head started turning and, with the help of my wonderful parents, I decided to move out to Orlando, transfer to Valencia, finish my AA there, and transfer to UCF.
The real fun began when I first moved and I had to get a job to help pay for my rent. Although mommy and daddy were helping me out, there were just some things they couldn’t do. So, there I was, living alone for the first time ever, balancing my last 6 classes for my AA, and dealing with my first job. I barely had time to catch my breath! However, my hard work paid off, because in the spring of 2014, I started my first semester at my dream school, which is the biggest success I’ve had. I’ve started writing more and more stories, which I hope I can come back soon and tell you all that they’ve been published! I work for a before and after care program in an elementary school, watching kindergarten children, as well as babysitting on the weekends.
Now, I’m going on to my third year in college, while being one of the first students in my class to have her AA in the fall of 2013 instead of at the end of the spring of 2014, and about to get promoted at work (fingers crossed)!
The next thing to tackle on starting in the fall is my savings account for future travels, as well as joining a couple of clubs at UCF; all while still juggling my 4 classes, working at my job, AND babysitting on the weekends. As the great Augustus Waters would say, “I’m on a rollercoaster that only goes up, my friend!”
If you need/want any more advice on moving and tips about college and such, don’t be afraid to message me!
Good luck!
Roxanna Secas
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Amanda Trompeta, Class of 2012
Hi everyone!
My name is Amanda Trompeta and I was a part of the amazing class of 2012. I’ve been meaning to put together this update for a while, but as many of you will soon see in college you have less free time then you did in high school, A LOT LESS free time! Mainly because graduating isn’t just about the next step in your life it’s also about growing up and learning even more about yourself.
I had the wonderful opportunity to be accepted into my first choice college the University of Central Florida. Not only was I accepted but about 90% of it was covered through scholarships that I earned through my hard work in high school. I was one of the few students of my class who “went away” to college and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. It’s kind of corny but you really do find yourself. Especially when you’ve gotten yourself in sticky situations, like the one time I couldn’t find my car in the parking lot for 3 hours straight hours, it was past midnight and I was all alone. You start to learn how you react to difficult situations when no one else is around to help and how you work under pressure.
To summarize: Throughout the majority of college you will find yourself juggling a million things and trying not to drop any of the balls. I once heard someone say that you can’t have all 3 things in college “good grades, healthy social life and sleep.” Unfortunately, I am going into my third year now at UCF and that is very very true. As far as the course work itself, I really do feel like the reason I wasn’t pulling out my hair the first semester was because I never slacked off in high school (yes not even in my senior year haha thanks Dr. Louis!). I kept a decent study pace and that stayed with me when I first started college. That is why having some honor classes, AP, dual enrollment and/or whatever else is around today is so helpful.
As far as me, I am currently a Biology major on a Pre-Vet track and I will be applying to the only veterinary school in Florida (UF) within a year as well as some other out of state schools (I’m super nervous)! I finally got hired as an Animal Technician at one of the nicest hospitals in Oviedo and I’m getting a lot of one on one training in the vet field. I also have been interning with the extraordinary Dr. Randolph for over a year now and been learning everything from how to treat a cougar at the local wildlife sanctuary to how to spay an animal in under five minutes (the average is about 20 minutes). I seriously hope one day I can be as amazing as she is at surgeries.
Also, something that I’ve always been passionate about besides curing animals is SAVING them! For example, you’d be surprise how many kittens are put to sleep every day in every county you can think of, especially in the summer! After I moved into my own place I started testing the waters with fostering kittens (I had never been able before because my mom would have never had that lol). Now I can proudly say I’m addicted for life. I’ve personally fostered up to 15 kittens and 3 adult cats that were all on death row. It was while I was doing this and volunteering at the local kill shelter that I got inspired to look for people like me. So I started a whole new organization on campus called “Don’t Shop, Adopt” and in two semesters we’ve grown from 10 members to 103! Not to mention that as a club we’ve saved over 50 animals in two semesters, something I could have never done by myself.
If there is one thing that I have regretted is the fact that I haven’t been able to travel as much as I would like to because of work and my summer classes. Nonetheless, that’s the beautiful thing about being in control of your future. You get to say “No! I WILL travel to _______ location by ______ date.” I already started saving up and next summer I’m planning on going to Bali for 2 weeks to volunteer at an animal sanctuary and explore the countryside.
If you’re interested in doing something similar feel free to email me or even if you have any questions about UCF or college itself, feel free to message me. :D
Best wishes,
Amanda Trompeta
My name is Amanda Trompeta and I was a part of the amazing class of 2012. I’ve been meaning to put together this update for a while, but as many of you will soon see in college you have less free time then you did in high school, A LOT LESS free time! Mainly because graduating isn’t just about the next step in your life it’s also about growing up and learning even more about yourself.
I had the wonderful opportunity to be accepted into my first choice college the University of Central Florida. Not only was I accepted but about 90% of it was covered through scholarships that I earned through my hard work in high school. I was one of the few students of my class who “went away” to college and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. It’s kind of corny but you really do find yourself. Especially when you’ve gotten yourself in sticky situations, like the one time I couldn’t find my car in the parking lot for 3 hours straight hours, it was past midnight and I was all alone. You start to learn how you react to difficult situations when no one else is around to help and how you work under pressure.
To summarize: Throughout the majority of college you will find yourself juggling a million things and trying not to drop any of the balls. I once heard someone say that you can’t have all 3 things in college “good grades, healthy social life and sleep.” Unfortunately, I am going into my third year now at UCF and that is very very true. As far as the course work itself, I really do feel like the reason I wasn’t pulling out my hair the first semester was because I never slacked off in high school (yes not even in my senior year haha thanks Dr. Louis!). I kept a decent study pace and that stayed with me when I first started college. That is why having some honor classes, AP, dual enrollment and/or whatever else is around today is so helpful.
As far as me, I am currently a Biology major on a Pre-Vet track and I will be applying to the only veterinary school in Florida (UF) within a year as well as some other out of state schools (I’m super nervous)! I finally got hired as an Animal Technician at one of the nicest hospitals in Oviedo and I’m getting a lot of one on one training in the vet field. I also have been interning with the extraordinary Dr. Randolph for over a year now and been learning everything from how to treat a cougar at the local wildlife sanctuary to how to spay an animal in under five minutes (the average is about 20 minutes). I seriously hope one day I can be as amazing as she is at surgeries.
Also, something that I’ve always been passionate about besides curing animals is SAVING them! For example, you’d be surprise how many kittens are put to sleep every day in every county you can think of, especially in the summer! After I moved into my own place I started testing the waters with fostering kittens (I had never been able before because my mom would have never had that lol). Now I can proudly say I’m addicted for life. I’ve personally fostered up to 15 kittens and 3 adult cats that were all on death row. It was while I was doing this and volunteering at the local kill shelter that I got inspired to look for people like me. So I started a whole new organization on campus called “Don’t Shop, Adopt” and in two semesters we’ve grown from 10 members to 103! Not to mention that as a club we’ve saved over 50 animals in two semesters, something I could have never done by myself.
If there is one thing that I have regretted is the fact that I haven’t been able to travel as much as I would like to because of work and my summer classes. Nonetheless, that’s the beautiful thing about being in control of your future. You get to say “No! I WILL travel to _______ location by ______ date.” I already started saving up and next summer I’m planning on going to Bali for 2 weeks to volunteer at an animal sanctuary and explore the countryside.
If you’re interested in doing something similar feel free to email me or even if you have any questions about UCF or college itself, feel free to message me. :D
Best wishes,
Amanda Trompeta
Friday, May 16, 2014
Natalie Obregon, Class of 2012
A note from a fellow GladiGator:
Hello Everyone! My name is Natalie Obregon. As a disclaimer, Class of 2012 HGHS was and will indeed always be the best. No doubt. Now, let’s get to the good stuff.
As of right now, I am in my third year of college at the University of Florida. I am studying Animal Science and I am currently on the Pre-Vet track (subject to change, but still same field). I LOVE animals. Obviously. But as I have come to find out about myself here in college is that I love animals AND people together. So that has opened up my heart and my mind to endless opportunities in my college experience.
Let me start of by answering some questions for prospective college students (which should be all of you): yes, it most definitely is okay to have multiple passions. Yes, it’s okay to be confused about what you want to amount to in your life. And it definitely IS okay to be a little (or very!) lost and confused upon getting to college. If you don’t feel overwhelmed as soon as you get to college then either you have it made or you’re not doing college right. Let’s be real, the second case is probably the real one.
I want you to understand that I really mean the aforementioned things. You get to college and truth may be, you don’t know where you belong. All I can say is, give it time and take opportunities given to you. That’s it. It’s that cliché and simple, trust me.
Leaving my home in Hialeah to move to Gainesville for college was written in the stars for me, I just know it. I think to how different my life could have been even now if I would have lived with my parents just a little bit more time and spent just a little longer under their roof. But coming to college, it really hit home (no pun intended) how much growing up sucks and just how fantastic it is all at once. Freedom is something we all yearn for. Some maybe more than others (me included), but we all thrive on the idea of following our dreams. And we should feed into that passion.
Looking back at these past three summers and the semesters in between at UF, man oh man have I been challenged. Academically, physically and most definitely emotionally. And guess what? I don’t regret a single thing and I wouldn’t take back a single day. I was so damn close to going back to South Florida when I realized that I might have to pay for my education through loans and that was so hard for me. Most of us on this blog know what it’s like to face financial hardships. We know it because we’ve grown up seeing our guardians, our incredible parental figures juggling putting us through grade school and sending us to college to become “The Future” along with working like dogs day in and day out. Long story short, I stayed at UF and was granted the scholarship that made me believe that things do happen for a reason. That I was meant to be there, experience crappy dorms and stale meal plan foods and bad and awesome roommates with no experience with Latinas. A First Generation student, like me, could not give up the dream of going to such an incredible academic institution.
Because of this scholarship that I earned through my academic achievements and the Hispanic background that I am incredibly proud to have, I have been granted the opportunity to grow here in college. Just this Spring Break I traveled to Nicaragua with a group of incredibly altruistic and compassionate girls on a Marine Conservation Trip through an organization I found out about on campus. I had gone to Nicaragua before to visit family but I had never seen it like this. And they were taken back by the way that some families lived so poorly, below their means. Needless to say, gratification overcame them and me on this amazing trip we were so fortunate to take.
Like these wonderful ladies I met through this trip, I have met fantastic, lifetime friends because I took the risk to put myself out there and meet others different from me. Hence why college is so great!
High school was a little bit like the nagging our parents give us for years, about things that we just can’t understand and advice we just cannot grasp because we haven’t gone through hardships that test our character. College and growing up is the wise Grandma that knows better than to say “I told you so.” Even though she told you so.
What I am trying to say is, expect to be incredibly shocked some days when your 6.7 GPA (is that even possible?) in high school seems like a joke when you take a class in college and realize that your exams aren’t as straightforward as you remembered them being. Failure is expected. Failure is good. Trust me. And whatever you do, you don’t give up on your dreams. You owe it to yourself, just like I owed it to myself to flourish.
Keep that chin up, kid.
Hello Everyone! My name is Natalie Obregon. As a disclaimer, Class of 2012 HGHS was and will indeed always be the best. No doubt. Now, let’s get to the good stuff.
As of right now, I am in my third year of college at the University of Florida. I am studying Animal Science and I am currently on the Pre-Vet track (subject to change, but still same field). I LOVE animals. Obviously. But as I have come to find out about myself here in college is that I love animals AND people together. So that has opened up my heart and my mind to endless opportunities in my college experience.
Let me start of by answering some questions for prospective college students (which should be all of you): yes, it most definitely is okay to have multiple passions. Yes, it’s okay to be confused about what you want to amount to in your life. And it definitely IS okay to be a little (or very!) lost and confused upon getting to college. If you don’t feel overwhelmed as soon as you get to college then either you have it made or you’re not doing college right. Let’s be real, the second case is probably the real one.
I want you to understand that I really mean the aforementioned things. You get to college and truth may be, you don’t know where you belong. All I can say is, give it time and take opportunities given to you. That’s it. It’s that cliché and simple, trust me.
Leaving my home in Hialeah to move to Gainesville for college was written in the stars for me, I just know it. I think to how different my life could have been even now if I would have lived with my parents just a little bit more time and spent just a little longer under their roof. But coming to college, it really hit home (no pun intended) how much growing up sucks and just how fantastic it is all at once. Freedom is something we all yearn for. Some maybe more than others (me included), but we all thrive on the idea of following our dreams. And we should feed into that passion.
Looking back at these past three summers and the semesters in between at UF, man oh man have I been challenged. Academically, physically and most definitely emotionally. And guess what? I don’t regret a single thing and I wouldn’t take back a single day. I was so damn close to going back to South Florida when I realized that I might have to pay for my education through loans and that was so hard for me. Most of us on this blog know what it’s like to face financial hardships. We know it because we’ve grown up seeing our guardians, our incredible parental figures juggling putting us through grade school and sending us to college to become “The Future” along with working like dogs day in and day out. Long story short, I stayed at UF and was granted the scholarship that made me believe that things do happen for a reason. That I was meant to be there, experience crappy dorms and stale meal plan foods and bad and awesome roommates with no experience with Latinas. A First Generation student, like me, could not give up the dream of going to such an incredible academic institution.
Because of this scholarship that I earned through my academic achievements and the Hispanic background that I am incredibly proud to have, I have been granted the opportunity to grow here in college. Just this Spring Break I traveled to Nicaragua with a group of incredibly altruistic and compassionate girls on a Marine Conservation Trip through an organization I found out about on campus. I had gone to Nicaragua before to visit family but I had never seen it like this. And they were taken back by the way that some families lived so poorly, below their means. Needless to say, gratification overcame them and me on this amazing trip we were so fortunate to take.
Like these wonderful ladies I met through this trip, I have met fantastic, lifetime friends because I took the risk to put myself out there and meet others different from me. Hence why college is so great!
High school was a little bit like the nagging our parents give us for years, about things that we just can’t understand and advice we just cannot grasp because we haven’t gone through hardships that test our character. College and growing up is the wise Grandma that knows better than to say “I told you so.” Even though she told you so.
What I am trying to say is, expect to be incredibly shocked some days when your 6.7 GPA (is that even possible?) in high school seems like a joke when you take a class in college and realize that your exams aren’t as straightforward as you remembered them being. Failure is expected. Failure is good. Trust me. And whatever you do, you don’t give up on your dreams. You owe it to yourself, just like I owed it to myself to flourish.
Keep that chin up, kid.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Lisaimy Mallo, Class of 2012
Lizzy is one of the many students who keeps in contact with me long after the papers are no longer due. She recently contacted me on FB to let me know about her wonderful journeys since graduating. In her opening lines to me, she writes: "Dr. Louis! I miss you and hope all is well. I'm studying abroad in Rome Italy and experiencing the beautiful Baroque, Medieval, and Imperial architectures, history, and art. I love it here." She has documented her experience on her tumblr page. Check it out by clicking here. Congrats Lizzy! Keep doing a great job. 
Monday, January 6, 2014
Laiyen Suarez, Class of 2011
Greetings to the HGHS Family!
My name is Laiyen Suarez. I graduated from HGHS in 2011. Directly after graduation (and after my trip to China with fellow HGHS Chinese students), I attended Miami Dade Honors College because I wanted to have a strong, holistic foundation. I majored in International Relations. While at Miami Dade College, I participated in so many activities and organizations that I couldn't possibly fit them all in one post. The organizations that most influenced my time at Miami Dade College were MDC Model United Nations (I participated as a delegate of Ukraine in NMUN's 2012 New York Conference) and MDC Confucius Institute. I've also published a few literary works in MDC North Campus' creative arts magazine, AXIS.
I applied to several transfer universities after MDC Honors. I was accepted in John Cabot University (Rome, Italy), Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA), Florida International University (Miami, FL), American University (Washington DC), University of Florida (Gainesville, FL), Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL), Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, FL), and Georgetown University (Washington DC).
As of 2013, I attend FIU. I major in Geography and minor in International Relations. I chose geography because I'm very interested in studying regional and world populations. I am also pursuing a certificate in Asian Globalization and Latin America. I plan to take some classes to familiarize myself with Japanese culture and a basic class of Japanese language. I know some Mandarin Chinese. I'm very grateful to Ms. Liu and HGHS for sparking my interest in Mandarin. I took three years of Chinese at HGHS and a short summer class at MDC. This summer, I once again traveled to China and studied at Beijing International Chinese College (BICC) for two weeks (BICC is just one of the things I owe thanks to MDC Confucius Institute). While I don't intend to take Chinese classes at FIU because of credit restraints, I do actively seek out to practice and study it on my own as much as I can (I still have a very long way to go until I can speak Mandarin at an intermediate/expert level) because I really enjoy learning Mandarin. This past semester, I joined FIU's club, "Let's Talk Mandarin" to to review basic Chinese phrases and words I've learned. I currently work as a tutor at ISPROOF Foundation, a reading program for young students (usually low income) in South Florida.
By mid-2014, I'll apply to the JET (The Japan Exchange and Teaching) program. If I get accepted, I'll be teaching English to Japanese students for a year. Once I return to the US, I plan to pursue my graduate degree. Most likely, I'll engage my graduate studies in a private, out-of-state university. My biggest dream is to continue globetrotting (I've visited a few countries thus far, such as Austria, Germany, and China) and find a career in geography that fully satisfies my need to teach, analyze, and create projections about our society.
----
Thank you and I wish you a happy new year.
Best,
Laiyen Suarez
My name is Laiyen Suarez. I graduated from HGHS in 2011. Directly after graduation (and after my trip to China with fellow HGHS Chinese students), I attended Miami Dade Honors College because I wanted to have a strong, holistic foundation. I majored in International Relations. While at Miami Dade College, I participated in so many activities and organizations that I couldn't possibly fit them all in one post. The organizations that most influenced my time at Miami Dade College were MDC Model United Nations (I participated as a delegate of Ukraine in NMUN's 2012 New York Conference) and MDC Confucius Institute. I've also published a few literary works in MDC North Campus' creative arts magazine, AXIS.
I applied to several transfer universities after MDC Honors. I was accepted in John Cabot University (Rome, Italy), Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA), Florida International University (Miami, FL), American University (Washington DC), University of Florida (Gainesville, FL), Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL), Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, FL), and Georgetown University (Washington DC).
As of 2013, I attend FIU. I major in Geography and minor in International Relations. I chose geography because I'm very interested in studying regional and world populations. I am also pursuing a certificate in Asian Globalization and Latin America. I plan to take some classes to familiarize myself with Japanese culture and a basic class of Japanese language. I know some Mandarin Chinese. I'm very grateful to Ms. Liu and HGHS for sparking my interest in Mandarin. I took three years of Chinese at HGHS and a short summer class at MDC. This summer, I once again traveled to China and studied at Beijing International Chinese College (BICC) for two weeks (BICC is just one of the things I owe thanks to MDC Confucius Institute). While I don't intend to take Chinese classes at FIU because of credit restraints, I do actively seek out to practice and study it on my own as much as I can (I still have a very long way to go until I can speak Mandarin at an intermediate/expert level) because I really enjoy learning Mandarin. This past semester, I joined FIU's club, "Let's Talk Mandarin" to to review basic Chinese phrases and words I've learned. I currently work as a tutor at ISPROOF Foundation, a reading program for young students (usually low income) in South Florida.
By mid-2014, I'll apply to the JET (The Japan Exchange and Teaching) program. If I get accepted, I'll be teaching English to Japanese students for a year. Once I return to the US, I plan to pursue my graduate degree. Most likely, I'll engage my graduate studies in a private, out-of-state university. My biggest dream is to continue globetrotting (I've visited a few countries thus far, such as Austria, Germany, and China) and find a career in geography that fully satisfies my need to teach, analyze, and create projections about our society.
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Thank you and I wish you a happy new year.
Best,
Laiyen Suarez
Jasmine Gonzalez, Class of 2013
Hello HGHS students,
My name is Jasmine Gonzalez and I’m currently a freshman pursuing a Biochemistry major at the University of Florida. I am certain that everyone’s experience entering college will be different, but here I’ll be sharing snippets of what my time at UF has been for the past four months. Being a first generation student I had no prior knowledge as to what college would be like. However, I was ready to take on any challenge that I’d be faced with.
Leaving high school I felt decently prepared for college. I thought to myself: "I’ve taken various AP courses, I’ve always worked hard, so no problem, I’ve got this." I was wrong. Now that I look back at my first few months of college I realize that I was still with the high school mindset. I thought I knew the material being taught in lecture and if I studied just a few days before I’d be fine. Then reality struck. After my first exam, I began to reevaluate almost every single little thing I was doing in school. How I was using up my time, my form of studying for different classes, and most importantly what and how I had to change to improve.
Thankfully I met a few people along the way who were able to guide me and I soon learned what the right way of studying would be for me. Students I just want to give you a little heads up and I’m probably sounding like a teacher right now, trying to tell you what to do and such, but it’s only the very truth. I’ll give you an example of how hard I had to work to achieve an A in my Chemistry or Calculus 2 exam. Apart from working out many practice questions every day, doing my written and online homework (yes homework still exists), I’d start studying a week before my exams. I’d review all of the material, make sure I’d understand it, and then came the most essential and helpful art of studying. Doing past practice exams. I’m not lying, but I’d usually do 6 or 7 past practice exams before taking my actually exam, and that way when the real thing came around once I saw a question, I’d easily recognize how I’d have to work it out. (I was not the only person who had to study this much to do well on exams, but actually the majority of people who did well followed a similar studying pattern). I’m not here to scare you, but I just wanted to share with you the idea that college IS hard, but not impossible.
Like a quote that I like says, “ Of course it’s hard. It’s supposed to be hard. If it’s easy, everyone would do it. Hard is what makes it great.” In my case I see my first semester as a time where I was able to really learn and grow from my mistakes. There were also times when I met new people (some who transferred with about 80 AP credits, had been President of this and that society, or spoke 5 to 6 languages) and I’d begin to think that I was underprepared for college, but I was wrong. From that I learned everyone’s case is different. Everyone comes from a different situation and it’s not right to compare yourself to anyone else.
That it’s better to focus on yourself, learn about yourself, and work to improve yourself. As you can probably tell my first semester was challenging at first, but I slowly began to overcome the difficulties and ended up passing all of my finals with As. Now I don’t want to make you think college is all about studying only. I definitely had to learn how to really balance out my time in order to fit in some fun times and activities, but luckily UF has so much to offer and I didn’t only have to do school work all semester long. Apart from attending the really fun football games, I’d go to comedy stand up shows (by a student formed group called Theatre Strike Force) and they’d be great! Not only that, but some of my favorite moments were when I was able to attend events where Vince Gilligan (creator of the t.v. series Breaking Bad) or Bill Nye (The Science Guy) came to UF to speak to a group of students. Or when I was able to go to a One Republic or The Fray concert at UF (and they were free :) I’m now excited to continue with my second semester of college and feel better prepared for what is to come! Well this was a bit of how my first college semester was. Students I sincerely hope you were able to at least take a little bit out of my experience and good luck for the remainder of your school year!
P.S. (I thought I should let you know this as well)- Dr. Louis is and will forever continue to be one of the BEST teachers you’ll ever have. Trust me when I say this! Even though, her class can be tough at times, it is one of the only ones that will really prepare you for the future .
My name is Jasmine Gonzalez and I’m currently a freshman pursuing a Biochemistry major at the University of Florida. I am certain that everyone’s experience entering college will be different, but here I’ll be sharing snippets of what my time at UF has been for the past four months. Being a first generation student I had no prior knowledge as to what college would be like. However, I was ready to take on any challenge that I’d be faced with.
Leaving high school I felt decently prepared for college. I thought to myself: "I’ve taken various AP courses, I’ve always worked hard, so no problem, I’ve got this." I was wrong. Now that I look back at my first few months of college I realize that I was still with the high school mindset. I thought I knew the material being taught in lecture and if I studied just a few days before I’d be fine. Then reality struck. After my first exam, I began to reevaluate almost every single little thing I was doing in school. How I was using up my time, my form of studying for different classes, and most importantly what and how I had to change to improve.
Thankfully I met a few people along the way who were able to guide me and I soon learned what the right way of studying would be for me. Students I just want to give you a little heads up and I’m probably sounding like a teacher right now, trying to tell you what to do and such, but it’s only the very truth. I’ll give you an example of how hard I had to work to achieve an A in my Chemistry or Calculus 2 exam. Apart from working out many practice questions every day, doing my written and online homework (yes homework still exists), I’d start studying a week before my exams. I’d review all of the material, make sure I’d understand it, and then came the most essential and helpful art of studying. Doing past practice exams. I’m not lying, but I’d usually do 6 or 7 past practice exams before taking my actually exam, and that way when the real thing came around once I saw a question, I’d easily recognize how I’d have to work it out. (I was not the only person who had to study this much to do well on exams, but actually the majority of people who did well followed a similar studying pattern). I’m not here to scare you, but I just wanted to share with you the idea that college IS hard, but not impossible.
Like a quote that I like says, “ Of course it’s hard. It’s supposed to be hard. If it’s easy, everyone would do it. Hard is what makes it great.” In my case I see my first semester as a time where I was able to really learn and grow from my mistakes. There were also times when I met new people (some who transferred with about 80 AP credits, had been President of this and that society, or spoke 5 to 6 languages) and I’d begin to think that I was underprepared for college, but I was wrong. From that I learned everyone’s case is different. Everyone comes from a different situation and it’s not right to compare yourself to anyone else.
That it’s better to focus on yourself, learn about yourself, and work to improve yourself. As you can probably tell my first semester was challenging at first, but I slowly began to overcome the difficulties and ended up passing all of my finals with As. Now I don’t want to make you think college is all about studying only. I definitely had to learn how to really balance out my time in order to fit in some fun times and activities, but luckily UF has so much to offer and I didn’t only have to do school work all semester long. Apart from attending the really fun football games, I’d go to comedy stand up shows (by a student formed group called Theatre Strike Force) and they’d be great! Not only that, but some of my favorite moments were when I was able to attend events where Vince Gilligan (creator of the t.v. series Breaking Bad) or Bill Nye (The Science Guy) came to UF to speak to a group of students. Or when I was able to go to a One Republic or The Fray concert at UF (and they were free :) I’m now excited to continue with my second semester of college and feel better prepared for what is to come! Well this was a bit of how my first college semester was. Students I sincerely hope you were able to at least take a little bit out of my experience and good luck for the remainder of your school year!
P.S. (I thought I should let you know this as well)- Dr. Louis is and will forever continue to be one of the BEST teachers you’ll ever have. Trust me when I say this! Even though, her class can be tough at times, it is one of the only ones that will really prepare you for the future .
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