Honors Mentorship Program

I hope that the Honors Mentorship Program was or is as beneficial to you as it was to me!

Leukemia

My final project is going to be a merge between Leukemia and Breast Cancer. My side of the project is based on Leukemia in children. I found an article which describes childhood Leukemia, the risk factors, and treatments. I think that this article is very useful because it lays a basis upon what Leukemia is.

The article state that leukemia is cancer of the white blood cells which is the most common childhood cancer. In your bone marrow, blood cells form. Normally, your white blood cells help your body fight infection; however, in leukemia, the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells which crowd out the healthy blood cells. Crowding out the healthy blood cells makes it hard for blood to do its work. Leukemia can either develop quickly or slowly. Acute leukemia is a fast growing type of leukemia, whereas chronic leukemia grows slowly. Children usually have the acute forms of leukemia. Risk factors for childhood leukemia are things such as having a brother or sister who has leukemia, having certain genetic disorders and/or having had radiation or chemotherapy. Receiving treatment often cures childhood leukemia. Treatment options include chemotherapy or other drug therapy and radiation. Bone marrow and blood stem cell transplantation might help in some cases of childhood leukemia.

Citation:
"Childhood Leukemia: MedlinePlus." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. .

I think that this article states information that all parents should know because any kid could have leukemia. This article could enrich the knowledge of a person has on childhood leukemia. I am so fascinated with learning about leukemia and children and I can not wait to present my final project to others! I hope that everyone has a great week!

7 Questions

Hello everyone! I hope that you are all having a great week! Only two weeks of school until Spring Break! :).

These are the answers that I had to the seven questions.
1. What part of the newspaper do you read first?
I do not read the newspaper.
2. What are three books you’ve read in the past year?
I have read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Wuthering Heights, and The World is Flat.
3. As a child, what did you do in your free time?
As a child I would play outside, do cheerleading, or practice/play softball during my free time. I always enjoyed being outside and being active.
4. What’s a goal that has been on your list for a few years?
A goal that has been on my list for a few years is get accepted into the University of Georgia, which I did!
5. What do you actually do with your free time?
What I do with my free time now is watch television, relax, go to church and church events, or hang out with my family or friends.
6. What types of activities energize you?
Outside activities energize me because I am being active. Also, relaxing energizes me to do other things because after relaxing I feel like I have my energy back which allows me to get stuff done.
7. What famous people intrigue you?
The famous people who intrigue me are the successful ones. I do not have a specific famous person who intrigues me most. They all intrigue me because their lives are so public and they are under a microscope all the time. Also, those famous people intrigue me because they have made something of themselves and have reached a level of success that I hope to reach in my own life with my own career and goals.

These are the answers that my mentor gave.
1. What part of the newspaper do you read first?
I read the newspaper from the first page on.
2. What are three books you’ve read in the past year?
I have not have time to finish any books within the past year; however, I like to read Christian fiction books.
3. As a child, what did you do in your free time?
As a child, I played outdoors.
4. What’s a goal that has been on your list for a few years?
A goal of mine is to run a marathon.
5. What do you actually do with your free time?
What I do in my spare time is spend time with my husband and daughter.
6. What types of activities energize you?
Exercising and house cleaning energize me.
7. What famous people intrigue you?
The famous people who intrigue me are those who reach their set goals.

I hope that everyone has a great rest of the week and an amazing weekend! Enjoy the beautiful weather!

My Life

Hello everyone! I hope that you are all having a wonderful week!


This picture is of the plaque that was on Lyman Hall's hanging picture in the Governor's Mansion. I picked this picture because it represents our county seeing as Hall County is named after Lyman Hall.


This is a picture of me with the First Lady of Georgia, Mrs. Deal. I wanted to post this picture because I thought that this was an amazing opportunity and such a great learning experience. On the trip to the Governor's Mansion I felt like I learned so much. I loved getting to talk with the First Lady, as well as the kindness and hospitality from those at the Mansion.

My favorite quote is "This Too Shall Pass." I got this quote from my mom, as she got it from her father. During rough times both always say "This Too Shall Pass." My mom even has a plaque that says that. I have even found myself using the same quote. I think this quote applies to everyone because no matter how tough life may get, that problem or obstacle will always pass. I think that this quote is very beneficial for people as it is very true in my life and others.

I hope that everyone has a great week and weekend!

Seven Tips for Avoiding Procrastination

I am very bad when it comes to procrastinating; therefore, I chose the tips about avoiding procrastination.

The tips are as follows:
1. Do whatever needs to be done in the morning because as the day goes on the dread grows and excuses come up.
2. Try doing the task everyday because if you know that it has to be done and you can not put it off, you are more likely to get it done.
3. Find someone to do the task with you so that you have company and are not just doing it alone.
4. Get the tools necessary to complete the task so that the execution is easier.
5. Make a "to do" list so that you are committed to completing the task. Having something written down and crossing it off your list can give you a great sense of accomplishment.
6. Don't get on Facebook instead of doing homework. Be sure to get the big tasks done before moving on to doing the little tasks.
7. The feeling you receive once completing a task is worth pushing through doing it even if you do not want to.

I thought that this advice was very good. I know that I make a "to do" list at the beginning of the week so that I can get all the work done that I need to. When I cross something off my list it always makes me feel accomplished because I know it is one less thing that I have to complete. I think that these procrastination tips can help people to get their work done, as some of these tips have already helped me in my own life. Using tips to help you is a great way to know how to complete something in a more timely fashion rather than just putting it off. These tips helped me and I will definitely remember them in the future.

I hope everyone can find the tips they used as helpful as I did! I hope everyone has a great week!

My Project

Last semester, I interned at a pediatrics office. While interning there I became interested in child cancers which led me to want to do a project on the subject. This semester I am interning at the Longstreet Cancer Center. Another student and I have decided to merge our projects into one where we will have information on Breast Cancer and information on Leukemia. I am very excited about doing this project. I have found great information on the internet regarding Leukemia. My partner has a lot of information from her internship at the Longstreet Cancer Center on breast cancer that we will be using.For our project, there will be a poster with information on both cancers, as well as pictures. There will also be books with information about Breast Cancer displayed. I am going to attempt to find a book with information on Leukemia to display as well. I am very excited about this project and can not wait for the final display to be completed! Hope everyone has a great week! If anyone knows any information that would help, it would be greatly appreciated!

Empathy

Empathy is the ability to imagine yourself in someone else's position and to intuit what that person is feeling. It is the ability to stand in others' shoes, see with their eyes and feel with their hearts.I think that I am empathetic because I do try to put myself into other people's shoes before just judging them. On my Empathy test I scored a 52, which is average. I agree with this score because although I try to be empathetic, I am not always that way towards others. I liked what Dan Pink had to say in his video about empathy, but I can not believe that empathy can be taught. I believe that as a parent or an elder figure in someone's life that you can teach them to care and think about others; however, I think that being able to put yourself into someone else's shoes and try to understand what they are experiencing is something you have to want to do on your own. Although a child is taught to care for others, they might not have empathy for others because sometimes it is hard to think about what it would be like in other people's shoes. Also, some people just think that the situation should be handled by the person rather than being empathetic towards them. In my life I am surrounded by multiple empathetic people; however, one person stands out. This person always tries to put their self into other people's shoes and stands up for people even if they may not deserve it just because she tries to put herself in their shoes. She is amazingly caring and always thinks about other people. One example is for a lady she knows in her work life. The empathetic lady stood up for the other lady when she was unable to make it to work due to family issues. She was putting herself in the shoes of another and defending her to other coworkers. To me, this person shows great empathy towards others and is a great role model in my life. However, there are people in my life who lack empathy as well. One person will openly admit that she lacks empathy towards others. This person does not try to place herself in other people's shoes, she thinks that they should have to deal with it. An example is when someone admitted to their wrong doing of a situation that both people participated in; however, this non-empathetic girl did not come forward and let the other one take the blame for everything not knowing what she was experiencing because she did not care to place herself in the others shoes. In our society, there are empathetic people and there are people who do not have empathy towards others. I think that being empathetic is a great quality to have because you never know what someone else is going through and placing yourself in their shoes could show you a whole new side to things in life.
I hope that everyone has a great week! God Bless.

My Project

Last semester I mentored with a Pediatrician. I am still waiting placement with a mentor for this semester and I am very excited! Since mentoring in the medical field, I have decided to change from becoming a lawyer to becoming a doctor. From the Pediatric mentorship, I developed a topic that I wanted to learn more about which is childhood cancer's. In my mentorship, I asked my mentor about cancer's in children. She told me the Leukemia was a common childhood cancer; however, she could not give me much information because she was not specialized in that area. I found an article that gives common signs of cancer in children.

In childhood, there are many illnesses. The signs and symptoms of a cancer in a child can often mimic the signs of those childhood illnesses. Although childhood cancer is rare, there are still signs to look out for. With being a parent you should watch for a continuance in unexplained weight loss, a continuation of vomiting in the mornings that can be come along with a headache, a lump or mass (especially look for that in the abdomen, neck, check, pelvis, or armpits), a large amount of bleeding, and/or a whitish color that is behind the pupil in the eye. Children can often not recognize or even explain their symptoms; therefore, as a parent there needs to be an observation of any of the signs listed. There should definitely be a check in signs of constant health or behavioral changes with a child. If there is a concern with a child about cancer, contact the child's doctor and go in for a consultation, as well as get a second opinion. Always be cautious and keep a check on your child's life so there can be a realization if there is a change.

Citation:
"Recognizing the Symptoms of Childhood Cancer - Kids and Cancer." Children's Cancer Research Fund. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. .

I am very interested in learning more about childhood cancer's symptoms, treatments, and organizations that can help; therefore, when reading the above summarized article I was intrigued to further my knowledge. Also, below are two websites that I think will be useful in my quest to learning more about my topic.

--http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f87d4c2a71fca210VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD

I think that the St.Jude Hospital website will help because it is a hospital specifically to help children with cancer; therefore, I can learn more about that organization, as well as what they do to help.

--http://paediatric-cancer.blogspot.com/

I think that this site will help because it lists childhood cancer's with information such as symptoms and treatments. It seems very helpful for what I am wanting to learn.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful week! Enjoy your mentorship this semester!