Advising Module #3

Two years ago I struggled greatly in my math class. My teacher would give her lesson and I remember sitting in my desk trying to keep up with what she was saying. The homework questions we were assigned looked like a foreign language to me, forcing me to stay up late at night trying to complete them. The moment that I realized I needed help was after spending countless hours of studying and still receiving a bad score on a test or quiz.

In order to get help I first started coming to my teacher before school and having her explain different math problems to be one on one. She was accommodating, and didn’t mind going through them step by step. The next course of action I took was getting a tutor. My mom’s coworker is studying to be an algebra teacher, so she gladly took on the challenge of helping me. I saw my tutor once or twice a week for three months. At our sessions we would meet in a relaxed coffee houses and spend about an hour working on concepts that I didn’t understand. Through asking for help I managed to improve my final math assessment by two letter grades. This process taught me to never be afraid to talk to someone if you’re having difficulties.

Beyond SMC I would like to do many activities! Becoming certified in scuba diving is number one on my list. A few years back my family and I traveled to Saint Croix and spent a wonderful week on the island. I attempted to go scuba diving with my sister and dad, who are both certified, and failed miserably. I wasn’t prepared for the controlled breathing that must take place in order to dive and thus started panicking. The dive instructor had to hold my hand throughout the whole process, which embarrassed myself and in turn my family because they had to deal with my hysterics. Just like in math, I know that I can eventually improve my skill of diving. I’m going back to Saint Croix this spring break, and I hope to have another chance to dive.

After college I would also like to travel. Anthropology is what I’m focusing on here at Saint Mary’s, so I’m hoping that traveling will be in my future job description. I’ve always wanted to visit places such as New Zealand, Ireland, and Turkey. When I travel I’ve found that I learn a lot about new culture, but also about myself. You never know how you’re going to react in a different county, or how you’re going to adjust to their customs until you’re there. Through traveling I hope to further broaden my views on the world and on society itself.