Wrapping it all up

iQuest has been the best experience of my senior year. I'm in a class with students passionate about a number of different things, a teacher who actually cares about her students, and the gift of time to gain experience on a passion I have had since the seventh grade. My presentation made me realize what a memorable senior year I had, how lucky I am to have these opportunities, and be surrounded by people that truly care about me. There are so many people to thank; Matt Wollaston, Mrs. Myers, Mrs. Gagnon, and all my family and friends. Without them I would never of had this opportunity to fulfill something I am so passionate about. All of these people have taught me valuable life lessons that I will take with me forever. Now that I am wrapping up my high school career the best thing I can utilize is this blog. Having a blog allows me to reflect and grow on myself now and in the future. Going to an internship as a high school student puts me one step ahead of everyone else that wants to be a physical therapist. I already know the routine and some basic ideas to start me off in the right direction. What I will miss most about Cal High will be my friends and the few teachers that truly reached out to me to further my education. My friends have always had my back and encouraged me through thick and thin. We are all going to different colleges, it will be difficult not to see them at first, but I have no doubt in my mind they will really excell in college and grow as people. The teachers that took the time to really teach me, I will always remember. Having patience, as they did, is admirable and encouraged me to try my best to continue working. Those connections and relationships will be with me forever. Part of the reason my senior year was so memorable was my openness to new ideas and opportunities. If you asked me when I was a freshman where I see myself by senior year, I would have never said an MC, anchor, student intern, Starbucks barista, or incoming student to The University of Oregon. Everything changes, nothing is permanent. I have no idea where I'll be by the time the year 2020 comes around. All I can say right now is that I know I will be friendly, willing, hard working, but most of all happy.

Essential Question

My essential question was," How can we prevent injuries that could have been avoided by simply educating people on ergonomics?"
The major factors that lead to injuries like carpal tunnel and back pain stem from bad posture and a weak core. good posture is having your shoulder's relaxed, core tight, and sitting straight up. While sitting your posture should be the same but with feet flat on the ground, elbows relaxed at your sides, wrists straight,a nd the material you are typing should be eye level to prevent any neck strain. Abdominal muscles are connected to your back, hips, and pelvis. If it is weak it will lead to compensation on your other body parts which creates pain. To event these injuries it is important to take 3 minute beaks frequently while working and making sure you are practicing good posture. I learned a lot about how to prevent these injuries to make me healthier. It was cool to do a project that I might to in college. Now knowing that if I want a good project I need to research not only things based on my question but supporting evidence. Next time I do this I will try to find actual case studies and spend more time researching. I presented my information with a prezi and did exercises and stretches with my views to interact and make it a more personal project. I chose this subject because at my internship majority of the people that come in had some sort of back, neck, or shoulder pain. That can all be caused from having a weak core and poor posture. If people were educated about the damaging effects of sitting at a computer and over-working can have on the body, it might decrease the chances of one having those injuries.From watching other projects I learned how important stretching is and how technology is beginning to take over the nursing occupation. From my presentation to the ones I have seen I thought the project went very successfully. Being separated into our passion groups was good because I got to see questions that other people with my passion had, which interested me. Personally, I would've liked to present I front of the whole class just because it would've been fun to teach 30 beginning college students good tips to prevent carpal tunnel and back pain. We will all be glued to a computer soon to finish college homework so it would be good to know some quick exercises now so they can start to practice.

Personality Test: Accurate or Not?

Holland Code Quiz: SEC
Realistic: 6      Investigative: 2    Artistic: 1    Social: 12    Enterprising: 11    Conventional: 7
Job Titles: Educator Administrator, Preschool and Childcare Center/ Program, Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers, Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Officer.

Myers-Briggs Test: ESFJ
Extravert: 50%  Sensing: 9%   Feeling: 12%  Judging: 3%

"Warmhearted, conscientious, and cooperative. Want harmony in their environment, work with determination to establish it. Like to work with others to complete tasks accurately and on time. Loyal, follow through even in small matters. Notice what others need in their day-by-day lives and try to provide it. Want to be appreciated for who they are and for what they contribute."
More: 
http://www.typefinder.com/personality-type-tf/ESFJ

    Doing the personality tests are quite interesting. I probably wouldn't do them in my free time but they remind me of the tests that come in TigerBeat Magazine 'or other magazines I read when I was younger. It's hard to generalize personality types, it seems as if there are so many different combinations then the ones included in the descriptions.
     I did not think that the Holland Test was very accurate. I like kids but I feel I would excel better in an environment where I can socialize and educate young adults or older. All of the jobs they matched I could not see myself doing, maybe because I have been so passionate about physical therapy. The traits that the jobs required resemble somethings I would need to be a physical therapist, such as, patience for patients that need that extra explanation, problem solving to create an affective treatment plan or maybe find a diagnosis, organization so patient charts do not get mixed up and everything is documented correctly, and so much more.
     The Myers-Briggs test was pretty accurate. I have a ESFJ personality type which basically means I am easy to work with and very attentive to people around me. Everything that was described matched up to me pretty much perfectly. I aspire to help people and assist them in healing to improve their quality of life. Taking a test that actually resembled how I think I am as a person was very satisfying. At Starbucks and my internship I see these traits as I act with customers and patients. Even my mom says I'm a people pleaser, which at times can be bad. I put other people in front of myself and sometimes I'm the one that gets hurt from it.
     These tests should not determine the view you set for yourself. The only person that can tell you what kind of personality type you are is you. Even though they are fun to do and when you get the answers you want to hear, it feels good. Especially if you take the, "Which Jonas Brother will you pair well with?" test from Tigerbeat, and get Nick Jonas as your perfect match.

SuccYES

     Everyone has different goals they spend their life trying to reach to become, in their eyes, "successful". Success can be defined in a number of ways. To me success will be found when I'm sitting amongst a crowd of thousands of other proud family members, with my husband, watching my child or children graduate high school. As cheesy and cliché that may sound, to me it is a mile stone in my life knowing that my children worked hard to get to the next chapter of their lives with my help. It is known in order to be successful you have to work hard and excel in everything you do. Being a good example for my kids, I hope, will encourage them to pursue a career they are passionate in. I want to share my knowledge about life, education, and anything else that might help them become successful for themselves.
     My standards for success have come from the environment around me. Living in San Ramon it is a standard to go to college after high school. Seeing people in this valley drive nice cars and live in extravagant houses then traveling outside of this circle to a place to see a city not as "rich", is eye opening to how lucky we are to live in such a nice community. The life I live now is wonderful; I am safe in my house, my parents love and encourage me, I get a fantastic education, and so much more. I want my children to live a life that is similar. My parents work hard not only to keep a roof over our head but to teach me valuable life lessons about giving a 100% or not letting anyone step all over you. Success is more than money and materialist things, it's about how you use your time on earth to spread you knowledge with others, family or not. In order to live a life I see is successful, I will do anything. I have a goal that I want to achieve and nothing will get in the way of me getting there.

 "Knowledge gained through experience is far superior and many times more useful than bookish knowledge." -Gandhi 

Goals: Setting Them and Keeping Them

     I have never written down any of the goals I've set for myself, short term or long term. If I have a lot of things todo I'll make a check list but nothing to track my progress on the "bigger picture". Taking the time to write out my specific goals was enlightening yet frightening. It's easy to write down what you would want to do, but taking into consideration the steps you need to follow through and how long it may take. I am the kind of person that likes to get things done as soon as possible, so seeing a list of things only time can take care of intimidates me. It is up to me to actually follow through with these day to day steps in order to achieve my goals. In the long run, setting up this list really set a path for me to achieve what I would like in an efficient manner. 

    A basic goal I have for myself is become healthier and get in shape. I would call this a lifetime goal because when I am older it is something I want to continue doing. If I want to be healthy I need to work out at least three times a week, eat less processed food, and drink a lot of water. Cheating on my diet or missing one day of the gym will not kill me, but if I want to reach my goal I can't let those, "Oh it's one day," or "I'll work it off later," excuses take control and become and everyday thing. 

     With me leaving for college in a few months I need to get my study habits up again. Second semester senior year has me really procrastinating, which I have never done in the past. So I don't bring these bad habits to college I need to start fixing them now. For statistics, I will start doing my reading and taking notes. At the time it may seem like an inconvenience but it will prepare me for the test and keep me from falling behind. I can read more books in my free time instead of watching Netflix. It is so much easier to sit in bed and turn my brain off than engage in a book, but reading will make me a much more knowledgeable person. 

     A long with me leaving for college, I want to strengthen my relationships with my family so they know just how much they are doing for me and how much I appreciate it. I don't see my dad too often so I want to take time to go and see him more. With my mom, I want to do more things around the house for her and be less snappy. I tend to have a short temper lately because of all the stress of school and college but I really need to think before I react, she's been nothing but good to me. My grandparents do so much for me and I want to find a way to repay them. I will continue to work hard to make them proud but they deserve the everything.

     My friends mean everything to me. With the distance of college splitting us up. I don't want us to grow apart. I haven't been spending that much quality time with them which I should start doing. We need our girls nights every now and then to just relax. Keeping in touch will not be a problem but while we are away we should stay in contact. They are people I hope to be friends with for a long time. 

     It will take me awhile to finish all my school, because I want to be a physical therapist I will need to get my bachelors and then a doctorate, which is a total of about seven years of school, and maybe more if the requirements change. Let's just average 10 years, in those years I need to continue to work hard and make a name for myself. By taking every opportunity presented to me and giving my 110% to everything I do, I will get to where I want to be. It will take a while but if I put in extra time and do extra research just to expand my knowledge of the field it will help.

     

Bucket List

Just some things I'd like to do before I die:

1. Get married
2. Have kids
3. Get an internship for the University of Oregon Ducks Football team
4. Be an Athletic Trainer for the Warriors
5. Become a Physical Therapist
6. Get a tattoo of something meaningful to me
7. Crowd Surf
8. Go to the Grammy's
9. Go to Fiji                        

   

   Fiji

10. Skydive in Fiji
11. Eat pizza in Italy         

    

    Venice Italy

12. Go to New York on New Years    

    

    New York on NYE

13. Be in the newspaper
14. Save a life
15. Bring the homeless care package
16. Go to airport and buy the first ticket leaving
17. Live in Canada for a few months
18. Go whale watching in Alaska
19. Meet the Queen of England
20. Sing the national anthem at a sports game
21. Go on a road trip with my friends
22. Go to EDC                                        

    

    EDC

23. Go to Burning Man
24. Be a back up dancer for a headline tour
25. Cook with Paula Dean
26. Have comic book of my life made
27. Do donuts in a convertible Ferrari         
28. Create an app
29. See the Fairy Pools in Scotland    

    

    Fairy Pools in Scotland

    

    Donuts in a Ferrari

30. Live by the beach
31. Ride the London Eye
32. Have sushi in Japan
33. See the Northern Lights    

    

    Northern Lights

34. Learn how to do the splits 
35. Go on an African Safari
36. Sit in the Hot Springs in Iceland                                              

    

    Hot Springs in Iceland

37. Pay a strangers bill at a restaurant
38. Learn how to surf
39. Have a gyro in Greece
40. Go to all 50 states
41. Buy a house for my mom
42. Get fit
43. Jump in a pool full of Jello
44. Adopt a German Shepard    

    

    German Shepard

45. Cage dive with sharks
46. Go scuba diving                                                               

    

    Greece

47. Take my family on a really nice vacation
48. Be an extra in a movie
49. Give a generous donation to a charity
50. Pay back my grandparents for all they do for me
51. Actually do the things on my bucket list

One Book Down...

     Lights & Sirens: The Education of a Paramedic, by Kevin Grange, is the story of a Paramedic in Los Angeles, California. At the age of 36, Kevin Grange enrolled in the UCLA- Daniel Freeman Paramedic Education Program, considered the most intense paramedic training program in the world. The book followed Grange through the traumatic days of a paramedic; the traumas, the emotion, the strength, etc. It was very eye opening into how intense and quick the world of a paramedic is. Those men and women have to be on their best game 24/7 and be prepared for whatever may be thrown at them. The things they see and encounter takes a lot of courage and strength to work through in order to save a human life. Teamwork was the overall theme of this autobiography, which is an obvious and important factor when working in such an urgent environment.

    My favorite part in the book was when Grange had to go into the labor and delivery ward (L&D  ward), at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica. It is part of the paramedic training that the paramedics must spend at least a day in the L&D ward in order for them to prepare to deliver a baby in the field if necessary. That day, Grange helped deliver four new borns. Two of which had some health problems but were resolved with the correct treatment. The third baby Grange was on his own to assess after the birth. Everything when smoothly and it was actually kind of nice to read about something more than sickness and death. The rest of the chapter was just as interesting, but a little more sad and depressing. Finishing his time at the hospital he did basic medical things; IVs, ECGs, blood sugar levels, checked with patients, etc, but on his second shift a seven month old child, completely different than the ones previously mentioned, came in the ambulance with a 'Do Not Resuscitate' order. Grange was puzzled to why a seven month old would have a DNR order. He assumed because of child abuse but the baby was actually diagnosed with brittle bone disease, osteogenesis imperfect, which the life expectancy isn't more than a year. Grange and the other doctors worked together to get the baby stable, which was a success, but Grange knew it wouldn't be stable for much longer.  The doctors never gave up and in the end helped this baby and family. There are always goods and bads in the life of the paramedic and some are harder to take than others.

     My favorite quote was actually in my favorite part as well. "As I walked across the room, holding that little life in my hands, I felt the greatest joy and couldn't help but consider that moment as complementary to my experience in the cadaver lab. As paramedics, we'd see dead bodies- stiff and discolored with rigor mortis and lividity- but we would also welcome babies into the world."         (pg. 169). When I read this quote I felt strangely calm. We work our whole lives to be someone great and successful, to do what we love and make a living off of it. New borns are a blank slate, they can be anything they want to be, the options are endless. The power of holding a baby is very promising and soothing, they don't know what you have been through or what you have seen, they don't understand. Grange witnesses the terrible aspects of life everyday, seeing those traumatic events may cause you to forget how innocent, pure, and naïve we once were.

       This book relates to my iQuest area of interest because it is in the medical field. I want to help people, my profession may not be as intense but I still want to make a difference in people's lives while working with a team. Giving my all to better one of my patients just so they can improve is very important in my career goal. My eyes were opened to all of the things that could potentially go wrong in everyday life. Those trauma patients, after all their treatment, are going to need a physical therapist to help recover, not all lives are saved from just in the hospital. If a person is considering going into the medical field I highly recommend this book. You also get educated about just basic protocol paramedics have in the field and different injuries that could happen. Overall,

just a very interesting book that is easy to read and draws attention.

TED Talks

Before this post I have never watched a TED talk and I never knew how informative they actually are. I watched one by Cosmic Mihaiu in March 2015, who is a physical therapy entrepreneur who used computer software to change physical therapy, called "Physical Therapy is Boring- Play a Game Instead". Himself and three other colleagues created a computer software called Mira that makes physical therapy for children, adults, seniors, and other types of patients fun. Patients go to physical therapy but the problem remains with continuing the exercises at home which makes the patient heal in a longer amount of time . This software makes the exercises less boring and more fun with interactive games designed specifically for that patient. The exercises can be done along side your physical therapist for motivation and interaction. Plus, at the end of the session your progress is tracked for you to see if you improved, your strengths and weaknesses, and your speed. Your physical therapist can see the whole report of your session and base the next treatment off of your progress. It was really interesting that just this software can detect all your movement and progress with out even talking to a person. This will definitely will decrease healing time frames and further injury prevention. Right not it is only used in ten countries in Europe and the U.S. so hopefully this software begins to take off. When I did my physical therapy that was a major problem for me, actually doing my exercises at home. This software can increase patient productivity and make physical therapy better as a whole. I would recommend this TED talk because it is very enlightening on how technology is changing physical therapy. By the time I am a physical therapist more and more software agents will come out to aid the rehabilitation process and maybe make in more efficient in motivation people to actually do their prescribed exercises.


Cosmin Mihaiu TED talk

Showing Gratitude

Everyday I am thankful for the life I live and the amazing opportunities that have been presented to me. I realize how blessed I am to have loving people around me and a good environment to grow in, to mold me into the person I am today. Normally, people show gratitude to the people closest to them, rarely is that shared with people they may not know.

   My friends, who are also my fellow classmates, Luke Haley and Nicole Allport, and I, decided to share our love and gratitude to those who we see around campus but not always fully acknowledge.  We cut out a tracing of our hands on cute designed paper and wrote inspirational quotes on them, then stapled them to popsicle sticks. As we walked around the halls we handed them to random students to brighten their day as well as give them some words of wisdom. It was the smallest gesture but it made those students happy, some looked confused as we handed the the paper hand stapled to a popsicle stick but at least it made their day somewhat exciting.
 
  It felt good to reach out to people I don't always talk to and make them smile. You never know what other people are going through, that simple smile in the hallway or the little exchange of a compliment can turn someones dark day bright. It feels good to be acknowledged by a stranger, so why not spread that love around. That is the problem with people now a days, they are so involved in their own busy lives that rarely do others reach out to new people. Working at Starbucks for a year and a half really showed me that very rarely do people share the love with others around them. I have had customers come in and buy five dollar gift cards to use on the people behind them or people that pay for the police officers in front of them. It is very interesting to see people acknowledge and reach out to complete strangers. That is fascinating to be apart of, and people really do appreciate those slight gestures. In a way, it is the " Pay it Forward" movement, having something nice happen to you and spreading that forward to another stranger. For example, the person in front of you on the bridge  pay your bridge toll, then you pay for the person behind you, then that person pays for the person behind them, so on and so forth. Point is that once that gratitude is shared it is more likely to be passed on. If everyone passed some sort of kindness, the world would be an endless cycle of gratitude. People need to stop and think about the people around them and acknowledge that everyone may need a little extra encouragement sometimes. Nothing bad can happen from spreading kindness to strangers.

Update: Several Hours Deep

   So far my internship is fantastic! I work with a few different Physical Therapists that are in the clinic, but mostly with the therapist, Matt. I enjoy learning every time I go in and it is so interesting to hear about different injuries. The people that I am working with are enjoyable and willing to teach me. Even the simplest questions I have they answer without giving me that 'are you kidding me' look.

    At the San Ramon Regional Hospital, I intern in the outpatient physical therapy wing about six hours a week. Most of the patients that come in have been coming for several weeks so they know majority of their exercises. The fairly new patients that have been coming a few weeks after their surgeries will get a deep tissue massage and an evaluation.

   As soon as the appointment begins the patient is brought over to a table and is given a heat pack to warm up the muscle; ice should never be given right before exercising and working that cite because it will constrict the blood vessels.  After a few minutes of heat, Ultrasound or Infrared Treatment will be administered to help loosen the deep muscles. Then, a massage will be given with two types of cream; one is a gel, biofreeze, and the other is a lotion, Deep Prep. The biofreeze helps with the pain and the Deep Prep cream helps loosen the muscles, it's a soft tissue massage cream. It is important that swelling is very minimal or not present anymore in order to continue on to range of motion; if there is still a significant amount of swelling then it could restrict the full range of motion. If the patient is fairly new, their range of motion will be focused on by stretching the muscles surrounding or participating in the injury. The PT holds the patient in that position for a few seconds, relaxes the patient, and then may continue another time. The patient is given exercises to do to strengthen the muscles around the injury to help the healing process. It is mostly body-weight exercises, depending on the patient, weights will be added.

    The first patient I observed was a woman who had two rotator cuff surgeries. She is back to not only strengthen her rotator cuff (shoulder), but she thinks she tore it again. Her treatment plan consists of pushing exercises with weights, strengthening her serratus anterior, infra spinatus, and supra spinatus muscles that connect, making part of the rotator cuff, she also does internal and external rotations with weights.

   The most interesting patient that came in was an elderly woman that fell on an out stretched hand and fractured her elbow. She had surgery and now has a plate and 13 screws in her elbow. She is recovering well and is in good spirits, event though she refuses to see her scar, which I told her looked cool.

    The most difficult patient was this elderly man who experiences back problems. Now, the back and the abdomen go hand and hand with each other, if the stomach muscles are weak all of the strain and pressure will be compensated on the back. This man had very weak stomach muscles. When you flex your abs your stomach should flatten, and your back will depress, if you try to speak you should be able to have a full conversation. When Matt tried to get this man to flex his stomach muscles and push his back into his fingers, which were under his back, the man used every muscle in his body to actually push his back into his fingers, pushing out with his stomach instead of flexing. His body was compensating a job that one muscle can do. After controlled crutches and holding that stomach flexion, he finally got somewhat a hang of the correct muscle activation.  It was frustrating because it's hard to tell someone how to use their muscles correctly when they have gotten comfortable doing it incorrectly for years. It takes a lot of patience for Physical Therapists to walk through the exercises with the patient. Telling them to lay on their back and they lay on their stomach is just a simple example. They just have to correct the patient and learn to have patience.

    Ever sense I have started my internship and showed my passion in the field my friends have asked me to "Physical Therapy" their injuries. It is obviously a joke but it makes me smile because they see my potential and passion for the field. I do use them as guinea pigs to palpate things I cannot on actual patients. Matt was showing me the movements and flexibility of the hip when someone moves. A woman  came in  with a strained hamstring which misaligned her pelvis, the pulling of the muscle tweaked the pelvis (iliac) causing lower back pain. He evaluated her hip movement; one thumb on an Sacroiliac joint, SI joint, in-between the Sacrum and the Ilium, and the other on the Posterior Superior Iliac Spine, PSIS, the most prominent posterior part of the hip. If the right side is being tested the left thumb will be on the SI joint and the right thumb should be on the PSIS. ( for left hip it will be switched, there is an SI joint on both sides of the sacrum) The patient is then told to lift one leg, depending on the side being tested. The finger on the SI joint should move up and the thumb on the PSIS should go down. If it does not move in that way, that side being tested on the hip, is tight or misaligned. Both sides should be tested to compare bilaterally and just to see how extensive the injury is. You can also test by putting two thumbs on both SI joints and have the patient lean the upper part of their body to the left or right, whatever is being tested, if they lean to the right, your left thumb should depress into the joint, if they lean to the left, your right thumb should be depressed into the joint. So, my friend, Ally, was complaining of lower back pain and asked me if I could "physical Therapy" it (whatever that means), so since it was her lower back and that woman came in for lower back pain, I decided to test the flexibility and alignment of her hips. I did everything Matt demonstrated on the actual patient, on my friend, and on her left side I saw her hip was a little tight, which I was guessing caused the pain. This was only an attempt and a guess, I did not diagnose my friend by any means. For all I know I could've done it wrong, but it was cool to actually be the one palpating and seeing what Matt was talking about.

   Working with uneducated patients on their own bodies is a tedious and patient job, yet it is very rewarding. Patients look up to you and honor your word, they put their trust in you that you will heal them. Watching the progress over weeks which several different patients is rewarding enough. They was one little girl that gets treatment in the Pediatrics Therapy room that came in six years ago completely limp and weak. A Pediatric physical therapist  has been working on her and now the little girl can walk, talk, chew, run, play and most importantly smile. I do not work directly with the little girl but when I see her in the clinic it brings me hope and joy. I honor the therapist that strengthened her, all that time and patience created a life for that girl. I want to make that big of a difference in someones life, seeing that progress makes me what to achieve my high potential.

    I have a long way to go on this journey and it won't be easy, but if that little girl can be strong and push through therapy then I to will push forward. It takes a lot of hard work to be successful but you won't achieve anything waiting for the future to happen, it is up to you to act.

    These are just some of the things I have been apart of and experienced. Each time I go in there is a new situation and a new lesson to learn, if I continued on this may become a book instead of a blog.

Reading Not for the Grade

      Middle school and High school English classes revolve around required reading.  Having "x" amount of pages read by "this" date,  it makes it very difficult to read for enjoyment. When I read at my leisure I feel like I have to pay close attention as if I were to be handed a pop quiz at any moment. Also, most of the time the book that is required is boring, they never appeal to me, (besides the classics, those are somewhat enjoyable) making it hard to pay attention.

     Finally, a teacher gets it, Ms. Gagnon, my inspiring iQuest teacher. During one of our in class life lessons she mentions that we, students, should be well read. She doesn't throw a book at us and tells us to have chapters one through seven read by next class. She actually let us individually choose a book that appealed to us which makes reading way better.

     Since I am a Grey's Anatomy fanatic, I figured I should choose a book about trauma and medical things, which is exactly what I did. I went down to Barnes & Nobel went straight to the one case of medical books they had and went to town reading the backs. I found one book, Lights & Sirens by Kevin Grange, that appealed to me. The book is about the life and education of a Paramedic (exactly what I was looking for). I have only read the first few sections but it is fascinating. I know being an EMT is tough but hearing the beginning on all the stuff one has to train for is intense. The goal of this book is to really convey the journey of a Paramedic. So far I am very impressed with the book. It is written in very descriptive detail and thoroughly covers every experience. The personal evaluations and perspective really drives home how realistic the situation is. I hope to read about 3 chapters or sections a week.  I want to take my time and enjoy the book instead of rushing though it and missing the whole purpose of it. It maybe hard not to read it in one sitting because it is so interesting.

Go to Person

On the campus of California High School I try to create strong relationships with teachers, so in the future if I need a letter of rec. or just someone to talk to, that is not a friend or family member, I have one. It is all a matter of having respect and wanting to be respected. Going to class and not participating or just causing a ruckus is pointless. As students, we are at school seven hours a day, five days a week, for about nine months. Making a bad name for yourself on campus doesn't help you in any way. No one wants to be at school, so might as well make the most of it and have some teachers like you. It sounds like a totally lame thing to say but in the real life, out of this little bubble, life is all about connections. You will meet hundreds of people that have a higher position than you and you may need to build some bridges just so you're on their good side. The teachers that I reach out to are the ones that see potential in me and show consideration for their students. 

    

    Elizabeth. Myers, the sports medicine teacher and the athletic trainer on campus, is my mentor,  I respect her as a teacher and she respects me as a student. The position that she holds as an athletic trainer is what I want to be when I'm older. Because we have a similar interest in anatomy and sports medicine, it is easy to talk to her about the things I am going to learn in my internship. She already knows a majority what I am so eager to learn. When I share experiences, since she knows what I'm talking about it will be easier. Her advice will be taken more seriously and hopefully she has some experiences she can share with me. 

 

   I've known Ms. Myers for about a year and a half after she took over the sports medics class. I was in her class last year and this year in advanced sports medicine. We get along pretty well and I value her advice in any situation. In her class, I try to go the extra mile to really understand the material and participate as much as I can. After school I volunteer my time on the sidelines at sports games to experience the actual job of an athletic trainer. Luckily for me I enjoy sports so it isn't that painful. In the iQuest class when we were assigned to find a mentor on campus, Ms. Myers was the first person that came to my mind. I thought to myself, why not have an actual athletic trainer talk to me about the path I want to go down as a physical therapist and athletic trainer. When I talked to her about it she was kind of confused but once I explained it to her she understood and was more than welcome to help. Hopefully over the course of this year having her as a mentor will give me more insight on the career of an athletic trainer. I get the best of both worlds; physical therapy internship with an athletic trainer mentor and sports med class with hours on the side lines. I hope our relationship grows so I can use her as a reference when I interview for my first real job. Even as a high school student it is never a bad idea to create relationships with your teacher, you never know when you are going to need a helping hand in the future.

My Mission

Everyone wants to be successful, each persons perception of success is different but everyone wants to achieve it.  Some may find it in making lots of money, some may find it in traveling, some may find it in changing the world in a major, drastic way. For me and my career in physical therapy and athletic training, I want to be so good in my field that I have patients and athletes personally asking for me. I want to be so helpful that if someone needs help they immediately think of my name. Being an inspiration to children, teenagers, and adults is very important to me in becoming successful. There are thousands of physical therapist but I want to stand out from the crowd, in a a good way. Since I was a little girl I knew I wanted to be different and be remembered.

Lots To Do, and Little Time To Do It

    I like to think of my time in high school as a juggling act; sports, work, homework, friends, family, gym, and any other activity you can squeeze in. As I juggle all these things its easy to find your breaking point. Just how much food can you fit on your plate before you spill it all; thats what I like to compare it to. So far I like to think I'm pretty good at managing my time. I do my homework the day it's assigned, even though we have two days to do it (shout out to block schedule). When I come home, as much as I want to, I try not to fall asleep or watch Tv (Grey's Anatomy gets me every time, but how can I say no to McDreamy). When I know I have homework or an assignment it is very hard for me to ignore it. I can relax once I complete my task, it's something weird about me but it helps me turn things in on time. After it is done it feels as if a weight is lifted off my shoulders. Being able to just hang out with out having to worry about a forgotten assignment it the best, or not having to rush around to get home in time to finish what was left incomplete. Work hard now and it'll pay off later. Even in such a minor, temporary scenario, that is what I live by. Hopefully I don't lose this trait in the mist of senioritis and it stays with me to college. Even though my strategy of just pushing though it gets me though most of the time I still need improvement. This year I hope to be able to balance more tasks at a time. For example, once i start something I need to finish it in one sitting and I can only focus on one thing at a time. I need to be able to work on homework then be able to finish my college essay that I started a few weeks back. Back to me finishing things in one sitting, college essays have been the one exception. I am very hopeful as I continue to grow in my life I will manage my time more appropriately. Maybe make more time for my mother and father, instead of going on social media finish the book I started a month ago, even stay an extra half hour at the gym if I have time . Life is too valuable to just waste, like I said work hard now and it'll pay off later. For right now I just hope to achieve working on SAT and college applications a little each day, finish homework, go to work or internship, and take a little time for me, whether it's with my family and friends or just kicking back.

Five people and Five Things

To achieve your dreams it takes more than just pushing yourself; you need people around you for support and to talk about your progress with. Five people that help me achieve my dreams and goals are:

• My Mom-My Mom is the person I see the most outside of school. No matter what I do she always supports me and gives me positive feed back. She's the person that I strive to never let down, I always want her to be proud of me. She has a major impact on my choices and future decisions. 
• My Dad- My  Dad always pushes me to try my hardest and keep my head straight. He wants to see me succeed in life and be someone of importance. With him always down my throat, pushing me to stay focused, it helps me achieve my long term goals.
• Nicole Allport- Nicole is one of my really close friends, out of group of friends she is the person I trust most with advice for future situations. She always seems educated on a broad range of topics and always knows what to say. She just makes me feel good about myself whenever I'm near her. I value her opinion deeply just because shes such a respectable person and well educated.
• Ms. E- As a teacher at Cal High that I've had since I was a sophomore year, Ms. E is someone I can always ask questions to. She sees the best in me and even though she's only a teacher I can tell she wants me to succeed. She always turns bad situations into good and I feel like she understands what it's like to be a student in the 21st century.
• Dave Gold- My old soccer coach is someone I look up to, he is such an admirable man that just he makes me want to succeed in life. He always saw the potential and drive I had in anything that I was doing. Even though I do not play soccer anymore he is the kind of person I could call up and talk about anything with.  

Normally, I do not struggle with procrastination that much, but this year I can feel senioritis coming on, which I need to put a stop to. Major things I have been procrastinating on are:

• Study for my upcoming SAT- My goal is to get into Cal Poly SLO and in order to do that I need to raise my SAT score, which I can't do without studying.
• Finish my University of Oregon application- The only college essay I have to do and I'm barely finishing that.
• Dishes- Speaking of which I need to do now.
• Typing my AP gov project- I have everything written out I'm just having a hard time making the finishing touches.
• Starting a High School Scrapbook- Just something recreational I want to start but can't find the time.

This is Just the Beginning...

    Since I was in middle school I have had an idea of what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, become a physical therapist. I started playing soccer in the seventh grade where my passion would soon begin. My knees began to dislocate temporarily when I would plant and twist, and sometimes lock in a flexed position if I were to fall on them. A major inconvenience for a young girl just trying to be great at a sport. After my knees popped out the first few times, I went to the doctor; because that is not normal for knees to dislocate. Luckily, a major injury that needed surgery was out of the question, the doctors just told me I needed to strengthen the muscles around my knees (i.e. hamstrings and quadriceps) to prevent dislocation from occurring. They prescribed wearing a brace, icing for the pain, and physical therapy which I had to attend several days a week. As soon as I began my physical training my passion for the profession grew. I loved watching myself and others in the clinic become stronger and recover from injuries. Every session seemed like a struggle but when I came back, I was a little stronger. The other patients receiving treatment felt the same way, you can see it in their eyes as they finished their last set of squats or lateral arm raises. The clinic was a place for hope and determination, which immediately lured me in. I would look forward to going to physical therapy so I could learn more stretches and exercises as well as seeing improvement in myself and others. When my treatment stopped, my passion never did. I would always watch in fascination as my soccer coach would wrap a teammates ankle or if an athletic trainer needed to rush the field to attend to an injury, I was always so curious as to what the protocol was. I wanted to make treatment plans and make athletes, or people in general, stronger then they were before an injury. I wanted to help others, to show them to push themselves so they can be better, watching that success of others and taking part in it is my dream.

     My junior year of high school I took sports medicine and honors anatomy and physiology. To some people it was just another class, but to me I wanted to excel in the class and understand the material, I was determined to learn everything I could about these courses. Now as senior year begins to roll around,  new challenges and opportunities emerge. I was lucky enough to be selected as an physical therapist intern at the San Ramon Regional Hospital. I am beyond excited and nervous to see what this course has in store for me. With the help of iQuest and Advanced Sports Medicine I can submerge myself deeper in the career I want to pursue in and out of college. Senior year will be full of new opportunities and chances to show how passionate I am about physical therapy. I hope to learn everyday and to never slack in school, even though finding motivation will be hard. As I push through my last year in high school I will still find time for family and friends, always keeping a smile, and motivating class mates. With all my extra energy, Trevor Koehne, a friend, and myself will be the new MCs for all school events in leadership.  On top of that, I will be continuing working as a barista at Starbucks. It seems I have a lot on my plate senior year, but I am going to make it one to remember. Staying focused will be a challenge but being able to do what I love is worth the price.