Kalysha Clark

So, I've been a little MIA lately. But I've had a lot going on.

Where to start?

I took another visit to the Chancellor's House and got to hear the director of the NC Council for the Status of Women and got to have dinner with Mrs. Woodson, the chancellor's wife.

I contacted the director of the Nature Research Center, Dr. Meg Lowman (world-renowned rain forest canopy researcher) to see if I could take part in a mentorship with her and if there were any opportunities at the museum for me to gain experience in research. I stopped by right before Thanksgiving break and took a tour of the biodiversity lab. I ended up running into my old bio lab TA who now works at the museum and will likely be working with her come January.

I am declaring my German minor tomorrow.

I am moving off-campus for the spring semester and living in a house with my cousin (who goes to grad school here) and her roommate who is a vet student. [For those of you who have been following my blog, you know my experience last year with on-campus living was not great. I thought I'd give it another go and it was still not great.]

Next semester, I will be a Teaching Assistant for my Companion Animals class.

I hope you guys all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I spent it with family, friends, and my boyfriend. He and I went and watched Skyfall, I also shot a gun (two actually, a 12 gauge and a 22), and my grandmother turned off the oven with the turkey in it for 2 hours without anyone noticing.

At least it makes for a good story.

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. ... My job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives." -Mitt Romney

It's about time I address this quote. 

I am a full-time student and work part-time in an office on my campus. I volunteer and am involved in many extra curricular activities.

I receive financial aid that makes it possible for me to get my education.

I am on medicaid, which makes it possible for me to stay healthy. 

I am a recipient of food stamps.

I used to be ashamed of these things, and I still am a little bit. 

My parents are hard workers. My mom takes care of her parents full-time and my father works full time at a recycling place making $9.00 an hour. My parents have worked all their lives and paid their fair share. They've paid taxes. 

We are the 47%. Yes, I am reliant and dependent on government assistance. I have no choice. I eat macaroni for dinner and peanut butter sandwiches for lunch just about every day. Without the government assistance I have, I would probably be dead. I would not be able to get an education, would not be able to contribute to my society as a citizen and community member and I would NEVER be able to break the cycle. 

One day, I will be off of government assistance. I will be able to pay for things on my own. But as of now, I can't do that. I make $40 a week, which is barely enough to survive on. 

I am not receiving an entitlement, as Mitt Romney says. I am receiving an opportunity. That is why I will vote for President Obama in the 2012 Presidential election.

Oh, and Mr. Romney, I am taking personal responsibility for my life.

If you don't know what it's like to struggle and you've never gone hungry a day in your life, you have no right to talk about how people are too dependent on the government. 

My university offers this awesome service-learning experience known as Alternative Spring Break or ASB. Here's what the website says:

"Students engage in direct service to a community while being immersed in the culture and customs of the community. Members participate in a variety of cultural, educational, recreational and reflective activities to enhance their service experience."

I chose to apply for the Raleigh ASB trip. Most of the trips are across the country or international; my university is actually located in Raleigh so I wouldn't even be going anywhere. I did this for two reasons.

1. Each trip is dedicated to a different issue: Civil Rights, HIV/Aids, LGBT Community. Raleigh is based on Hunger and Homelessness, which is something I'm really passionate about and one day hope to create a nonprofit to address these issues and come up with influential solutions for them.

2. It's more affordable. Because we'll be local, the cost of the trip is significantly less than the others and that's a big deal for me because I'm trying to save money for an apartment and tuition for my last semester of school.

This year is the first ASB Raleigh trip, so it's still in the planning stages. We are going to be volunteering, learning more about hunger and homelessness in our community, exploring new areas of Raleigh and creating a unique project that can summarize our findings to our local university community so other students can be aware. We will probably be staying at a church downtown and then spending some days at a local park in a lodge. The plan is to volunteer with the Salvation Army and Raleigh Rescue Mission as well as two or three organizations.

I'm really excited. The trip will cost $150-200. I am applying for a couple scholarships (one of which would pay for the whole trip) and also asking for sponsors from local businesses from my hometown. Hopefully that will help!

I'll keep you guys updated!

Once school gets started and the classwork and homework and assignments start piling up, it can get easy to become overwhelmed. Work, class, clubs and everything else combined starts pulling at you and then you don't know which was is up.

That is why organization is key. I live by my desk calendar and planner and it makes it really easy for me to keep track of when things are due, when I have exams, when there are club meetings and all of that jazz. Below are some of my tips on how to stay organized.

1. Invest in a planner.
You will not regret this. Most of the time, you don't even have to buy one because your school likely gives them out. My university gave me two different one for free after I already had one for myself. Keep an eye out for your school to hand them out.

When using your planner, it's important to mark down dates ahead of time and to use different colors to indicate different things.

I also recommend making a "To Do" list on a sticky note for the week (or day) and keeping it in your planner to cross off as you go.

At my school, like many other colleges, there is a designated area for students to spray paint in order to decrease vandalism. Ours is called the free expression tunnel. Everyone makes a big deal about how painting the tunnel is something you should do on your freshman bucket list. I just never had the time.

Until tonight! Roots and Shoots is having a meeting on Thursday so we decided to paint the tunnel. Our guest speaker will be discussing conservation with lemurs in Madagascar so we included a lemur in the painting, ad well as a boa because they're just awesome!

All of the officers were there together, having a blast, making joke and getting the word out. I'm glad I can say I've crossed that off my bucket list (even if I'm not a freshman anymore).









Until then,

It's that time again, folks. Time for school. It seems like summer barely had time to get started before it was over.

I have moved back into school already and will be starting classes on Thursday. Until then, I'm trying to make valuable use of my time. I am writing this blog post as I sit outside Valentine Commons - a huge and brand new (not to mention completely overpriced) apartment complex right on campus. Yesterday, I spent 11 hours helping direct parking deck traffic and move students in. The things we do to make money. And I'm back again! Working ten glorious hours on this lovely Sunday.

In other news, some of you may know that I am a big sister in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. My little sister is starting 6th grade this year! I am only allowed to see Paris, my little; during the school year, but we planned to stay in touch via email and phone. Unfortunately that was not the case. I could not reach Paris at all and haven't gotten to talk to her since May. But l celebrate her starting a new chapter in her life, I am putting together a little gift of school supplies for her, which I am super excited about! I can't see her for another couple weeks but I'm exited for it! Before Paris and I left for summer break, we made a list of our goals for the summer. You can read my list and how it panned out in a later post, which I will link to.

Also, my cousin is now attending grad school here at NC State so I've spent the last two nights hanging out with her and have thoroughly enjoyed it! It's nice to have some family here.

Until next time,

Saturday, I was invited to the mall by a friend of mine, but was completely broke. I decided I would tag along just to hang out and work on my self-control. I spent a mere $0.82 there, which was only on food. I walked away without buying anything I didn't need. While I was there, I thought up a few tips that I feel are essential to have a successful shopping trip.

1. Make a list of what you plan/want to buy.
By making a list, you'll eliminate the chance that of buying something you don't need on impulse.

2. Set a budget and bring ONLY cash!
I am a big debit-card user. It's easy and you don't have to dig for the correct amount of money. However, it is very difficult to stay under budget when you're just swiping your card and not really tracking what you're spending. Whenever I go back to school shopping, I only take cash because once it's gone, it's gone and I don't have to worry about over drafting my account or spending more than I planned.

3. Look for sales and promotions at other stores before buying the things on your list.
Stores like Forever 21, H&M, Wet Seal and so on have lots of similar items, especially basic items like tank tops, belts, bags, etc. Check out other stores and make notes of their prices before you buy something. It's a shame to buy a shirt for $20 and find out that another store has one very similar for 50% off.

In addition, some stores offer nonstop discounts. For example, Charlotte Russe offers 10% off (regular priced items) if you have a college or military ID!

4. If you're clothes shopping, wear a tank top under your clothes.
Even though I didn't buy anything when I went shopping, I did try some things on. I tried on a cardigan at H&M but because I wasn't wearing a tank top, I had to run around the store to find one to put under the cardigan. It'll make your shopping experience much easier if you wear a tank top!

The list is short, but I feel like these are important tips. As a shopoholic/impulse buyer/broke college kid, I follow these rules as best as possible to make the most of my shopping. Good luck!

Last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I volunteered as a proctor for the Middle School during their EOGs. My mom and I went together (since she's been doing it for several years) and we were almost late (typical). We got there just as the tardy bell rang but I had to miss training (which made my nervous). Luckily, my mom had already basically told me the gist of it. I was placed with a 6th grade class and found on on the first day: it is super boring. When I was in middle school, taking the EOGs for myself, I thought being a proctor would be exciting. Not really. I was paired up with one of the PE teachers who was administering the test and on the first day, she would read and then stand and walk around. I didn't bring a book and the first day is reading, which is always the longest. It was miserable. The second day, I brought a book and made sure I was occupied.

I got to know the kids a little and they were all pretty nice. It's highly likely I'll be doing it next year, just because it's a way to give back.

A little while back, I posted a blog about getting to meet the Chancellor of NC State and his wife at the home. Here are the pictures from that evening!

Today in the mail, I received a note from myself that I made with one of my advisors at the beginning of the year. It read:

It's official! Summer vacation is here. I'm finished with my freshman year in college.

I am currently sitting at home in my living room at home.

I am really excited to start working again and have the summer to (hopefully) rest a little. Plus, spend the with my boyfriend since we've ten in this long-distance relationship.

. At the beginning of the year, I met with my Pack Promise Mentor (Pack Promise is the financial aid package I get) and I made a list of my fears and goals. My mentor is going to mail it to me so I can look back on my year and see if I met my goals and overcame my fears. You can read my reflection here.

Until then,

I got a scholarship and an award!

Since this was Roots and Shoots first semester at NC State, the founders came together and decided they wanted to give back to the members by giving a scholarship to one student every year. They said the student would be someone who was involved with the club, who takes their knowledge from speakers and events to apply them to the real world, and one who they would be proud to call a member. I was chosen for this years award and was presented with a $100 scholarship from the founders.

I was beyond surprised and my mom happened to be at the meeting when they announced it, which was an added bonus. This money will help me pay for my outrageously priced books for the upcoming year.

I'm so blessed to have been a part of the club and am happy to be taking on a leadership opportunity next year. I can't wait to see what the year holds for the club.

So I'm really late at uploading these pictures, but to my defense, I have been swamped lately. As you may know, this is my last week of classes so I have a lot of assignments and I am even taking time from my 9 page argumentative research paper due tomorrow (which is almost done!) to post this for you.

Here are some of the pictures, I hope you enjoy!

I hosted my first program at NC State last night. I talked about it in a previous blog post where I mentioned that I had received a grant for it.

We chose to show the movie Trade and host a discussion afterward about international human trafficking.

We managed to stay under our budget tremendously and only spent $30 of the $50 we were given. We bought drinks and popcorn, we ordered the movie on Amazon, we printed flyers, and we made a Facebook event page. The event was sent out in lots of email circulars, including WISE, CSLEPS, and Chancellor's Leadership Program.

Everything was going smoothly.

Until the day before.

Kristine (the other girl running the program) and I thought it would be a good idea to have a "guest" speaker to host the discussion because we didn't know too much about human trafficking. A friend had given me the email of a girl who she knew was involved with a lot of human trafficking research. I contacted her (a week or so before) and she had recommended that we show Trade, since it was originally planned that we would show Taken. She said Trade was a better depiction. She was excited about our event and wanted to speak but wasn't actually able to because of time conflicts. So she gave me the email of another girl who would be interested. I contacted her (a few days before the program) and told her the plan. She decided to watch the movie herself and felt like some scenes may be too graphic if there were any sexual violence survivors at the program.

So she contacted the woman who had given our grant (the woman who leads the Chancellor's program) basically behind my back to tell her that she was concerned about the movie. I was then contacted by the leader of the Chancellor's program to tell me that we should give our viewers the number of the Rape and Sexual Violence Phone Line, which I felt was appropriate.

Then the girl who was supposed to speak said she felt like we should have someone from the counseling center on campus or from the women's center come to the showing. I called and called but no one was available (especially the day before!). The counselor's center recommended we reschedule, which was just not an option.

The girl who was supposed to speak and the head of the program were going to talk to each other and contact me. They never did. So I went on with the program. We seriously only had six people, including myself and Kristine. Only one girl who attended wasn't a close friend of either me or Kristine. So we had terrible turnout. I still gave the disclaimer and we provided the phone number. I also gave a verbal warning before any graphic scenes occurred.

And the girl who was supposed to speak? Never even showed up.

This event was supposed to give me and Kristine opportunities to be leaders on campus. I felt like it was hard to lead because everyone else was telling me how to do it. And they were piling it all on me the day before.

If I learned anything from this event, I learned:
-Watch a movie before you plan to show it to others, even if someone knowledgeable recommended it.
-Don't depend on others to come through with something. After all, sometimes you can only count on yourself.
-Don't expect things to go exactly as planned because they never do. (We had some technical difficulties with the projector and had the start the movie 15 minutes late.)

All in all, we educated a few people about the topic, so we did what we were supposed to. But I can't help but think this program wasn't exactly "successful".

Hopefully we'll get 'em next time.

That's right! I met the Chancellor of NC State and his wife on Monday evening. I'm in the Chancellor's First Year Student Leadership Program, a program envision and created by the chancellor and his wife, and we were invited to their home for light appetizers.

I had a fun and not-overly productive weekend.

Scholars, which is a program on campus that provides "opportunities that challenge University Scholars to develop as thinkers, citizens, and leaders and prepare them to achieve their personal and professional goals as they make their contributions to a democratic society", offered free bowling on Friday and since I have several friends in Scholars, I tagged along. I also plan to join Scholars if I can bring my GPA up a little bit. I think I would like it much better than the Honors Program.

Saturday, I spent the day hanging in my room and worked on my lab report, which is due Wednesday. The hardest thing about lab reports is finding sources to cite! Ugh. Then that night, my friends Maysen, Haley and I went to see the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. They should rename it "Extremely Sad and Incredibly Sad". No, really. The movie was good but it was just so sad! 

Today, I spent the day laying around and wasting time until I had a closing banquet for LIA, which lasted two and a half hours. It wasn't bad though. I got a certificate for completing my Discover 1 Class and a picture of Class #5 (which is my class). 

I also got set up for an interview this coming Friday for a local bookstore so I can buy back books from students. I heard the job isn't worth the effort because you don't hardly get paid, but any money is better than no money.

I'm meeting the Chancellor tomorrow! Ahh. 

I'm also seeing my friend Lauren, who I have hardly seen since Fall semester. Needless to say, I'm happy about that.

That about wraps up my weekend. Hope you guys enjoyed yours. I have a full week ahead of me, but I can tackle it. 

It's begun. The countdown until summer break.

The remainder of my freshman year is completely booked and I feel super overwhelmed. I had a biology test today, a chemistry lab practical and a short paper due tomorrow, a chemistry test on Thursday, a closing reception for LIA on Sunday, dinner with the Chancellor on Monday, a Roots and Shoots documentary on Tuesday, a biology lab report due next Wednesday as well as group volunteering, a 24 hour museum opening on Friday night and the list goes on.

I just want it all to be over with!

I'm trying to be productive and manage my time so that I can get through this mess of a month! Exams don't look like they'll be too difficult since I only have three, really, and one isn't cumulative.

That means my two hardest will be biology and chemistry and I will hopefully have lots of time to study for both of them.

Dorm life can be pretty beneficial, especially for a first-year student. Housekeeping cleans the bathroom for you and takes out the trash, you're (mostly) walking distance from class and from cool hangout spaces, you're always informed on events happening around campus and if anything breaks all you have to do is put in a work order and maintenance handles it for you.

On the other hand, dorm life can be pretty crappy. I was gung-ho about living on campus my first year. I was excited to get a roommate and become best friends with her and develop a huge social network of friends.

Well, turns out I don't like dorm life. At. All.

My roommate was super sweet, but the room made her sick! (We live in an older dorm and the ventilation system isn't the best.) So she moved out after first semester. I was alright with that. I wasn't mad or anything and I get a room to myself. Two desks, two closets, two beds pushed together to make a giant one. Heaven.

But when you go to a college where none of your high school friends went, you have to make new friends. And I struggled with that. I stayed cooped up in my room on the computer.

I have since made awesome friends, including some in the next dorm over who I will be living with next year and some from an awesome club I'm in.

Dorm life is still crappy.

The shower is TINY! The water pressure is terrible and you almost always get burned by the water.

The walls are paper thin and I can hear everything anyone around me says or does (very clearly, mind you), including those next to me and above me.

It's difficult to make your own food because (in our case) there aren't lounges on every floor.

The dump truck! Oh GOD, don't get me started on the dump truck! Every morning around 3-4 AM, the dump truck comes to collect the trash from our dorm dumpster. 4 AM! BEEP BEEEP BEEEEEP DUSIJLVBI CJUICHUI (That's the sound of the extremely LOUD clanging it makes as the dumpster hits the truck). I live on the side of the dorm where the dumpster is so I'm extremely lucky to hear that every single morning.....

The list goes on.

If you're not yet in college, make sure you weigh out the pros and cons of living in a dorm before you decide to do so.

I'll be living on campus for another long year, but that's only because I'm waiting for my boyfriend to finish school before I get an apartment.

Until then, I'll make do with what I've got, but next year, I'm definitely not living in the dorm I live in now!

A friend and I who are both in the Chancellor's First Year Student Leadership Program applied for a Mini-Grant ($50) from the Women's Center to do something to raise awareness about a global humanitarian issue.

We decided to hold an event to raise awareness for Human Trafficking. We plan to show the movie "Trade" in a common area in one of the dorm's and prepare handouts about what human trafficking is, why it happens and what we can do to prevent it. I was given contact information to a student here who is working with human trafficking and who is passionate about the topic. I contacted her and she's hoping to come speak at our event and host a post-movie discussion.

We plan on using the grant to get food and drinks (popcorn and sodas, really), the movie, and money to print flyers and handouts.

I'm really excited about it and even though we only have two weeks before the event, I'm hoping we have a good turn out!

To read about how to event turned out, click here.

I've decided that I want to start working out for two reasons: 1) General fitness/wellness and 2) To flatten my tummy.

I know absolutely NOTHING about working out, so I talked to my boyfriend and he also enlisted the help of a classmate/friend who is a personal trainer. I'm officially start next Monday, according to the chart my boyfriend made. As of now, my only requirement is to take the stairs- which is challenging because my dorm is seven floors up. But I'm trying.

I also signed up for step aerobics for next fall, so that'll hopefully keep me in shape!

Here's my schedule:

Monday:

• 30 Tummy Tucks at 10 seconds
• 10 Sit Ups
• 15 Curls per Hand
• 5 Hammer Curls per Hand

EDIT: I added a PE and rearranged some classes to be with friends (because that's always fun and lovely). Now I'm taking 15 hours and my classes go from 10-3 with the exception of my two labs on Tuesday and Wednesday, which run from 3-5:45. I can still deal with that, though!

I've officially enrolled for my classes next Fall! I'm only taking 14 hours, which is a happy place for me. It'll enable me to have my work study job and possibly a second job in addition to babysitting. Plus, I need time for academics and clubs!

Here's what my classes are looking like:

History of Nonprofits
Animal Anatomy and Physiology
Organic Chemistry II
Introduction to Companion Animals
Step Aerobics
Anatomy Lab
Chemistry Lab

Looks like with the exception of labs, my days (as far as classes) will last from approximately 10-3!

This morning (at 6:30 AM) I caught a flight back to Raleigh from Boston, MA. (Pictures and details coming soon!) I had a wonderful time during my 3 days there and I wanted to share with you guys some important traveling tips no matter what your destination.

• If you've never flown before, don't be nervous. Just be alert and informed. There are a lot of things to know.
• Print your boarding pass at home. It makes getting to your terminal faster. The pass is available 24 hours before your flight.
• If you are not checking a bag, make sure you only have two carry-ons. It's technically one and a personal item, but they usually don't discriminate against whatever your "personal item" is. If you carry a purse, put your purse inside one of your carry-ons.
• Make sure your carry-on fits the size requirements. And just because you get it through one airport doesn't mean it'll get through another. One of our group members' carry on bag was too big, but was allowed on the plane at the Raleigh airport. He wasn't so lucky coming through Boston and they made him check the bag.
• Make sure all of your fluids are 3 oz. or less (even if the bottle is 10 oz. but only has 3 oz. in it, they WILL confiscate it.) Be sure that your liquids are in a quart-sized zip-lock bag and that you can take them out and put them in the bin for security.
• If you have a laptop, you must put it in a bin by itself. Typically, they tell you to take it completely out (which is what I do to avoid hassle).
• You will need to remove your shoes and any sweatshirt/jacket/hoodie/coat and put it in the bin as well.
• Most importantly, if you're lost/confused, just ask! That's what the people are there for!
• If it's available, utilize public transportation. When I was in New York and Boston, I used the subway. For the most part, they're easy to navigate, cheap, and faster than walking.
• Try to have some cash on you. When you travel away from your typical region, the bank(s) you use may not have available ATMs and there WILL be fees for withdrawing money.
• Remember that it's not always possible to eat cheap. We ate at Quincy Market, which is this cute little shopping/food court area next to Fanieul Hall. A corn dog alone was six dollars. Try to find whatever you can for the best deal.

A lot of the people who I've been around in college have said that they never had to study during high school but are having to now that they're in college. If that's the case, it can be really tough to figure out the right way to study.

I usually studied before tests and assignments in high school, but college is another level. The classes are harder and the professors usually expect more from you.

After being here for almost an entire year and taking advice from my professors, I've got a pretty good basis on how to study for tests.

• Firstly, you have to know your professor. This is hard sometimes, but it is very important.