Blog #6: How I've Grown, What I've Learned

Korey Drost

Hixson Section 5

Blog #6

How I’ve Grown, What I’ve Learned

            I have not only grown as a Hixson Student, but and Iowa State Student in general.  The ways that I have grown as a student is I have made several new friends through all of my classes and also through all the groups and organizations that I am a part of.  To be honest I didn’t really know much about Iowa State and I wasn’t really sure how college was going to go, and I was a little worried about that before I came here.  In my first few weeks here as a student, I learned tons of things about the history of Iowa State University.  I learned about the history of some of the buildings and landmarks around campus, and also about some of the people that have been a part of Iowa State’s History.  I also learned about all of the opportunities that I can take part in here.  There are several clubs that I can take part in and there are also several people that I have been able to meet.

            I have also learned a lot about college life in general.  College is completely different than high school.  In college you don’t have the same set schedule day after day.  Some days you might have class at eight o’clock in the morning while other days you might not have class until one o’clock in the afternoon.  So I have learned a lot of responsibility while I have been in college this semester.  Responsibility is a really big concept to learn because you don’t have someone telling you to do your homework, when to get up, and when to study.  It is your job to figure out when to do things or even things like when to go to class.  Time management is a big thing that I had to learn and pick up on, and money management was another big thought process that I had to learn also.  I had to learn to buy things that I needed and not just things that I wanted.

            I have grown and learned a lot by being a part of the Hixson program.  I have made a lot of new friends.  I have also learned a lot about many topics that will help me as I go through life.  I learned things about leadership, goal setting, and a lot about being successful.  The biggest thing that I have learned since being in college is that college is not something just to blow off.  College is very important, and it is something that takes a lot of work.  It is a time where you learn a lot, and a time that should be fun.

Blog #5: Means To Me

Korey Drost

Hixson Section 5

Blog #5

Hixson Award Means to Me

            When I think about the Hixson award, I think about how it is only offered to one hundred incoming freshmen from Iowa.  I also think about how many people probably fill out that scholarship application.  It still amazes me that I was chosen to receive this scholarship, and I am so grateful.  The Hixson Award means a lot to me because I have been able to gain a lot out of it.  I have gained friendships, learned a lot about leadership, and have been provided with several other opportunities. 

            I have been able to make several new friends because of this award, and I was able to meet the lady that provided me with the amazing award and opportunity.  Being a part of this program has also taught me a lot about myself.  It has also introduced me to several things in college that I probably would not have tried without the Hixson program such as National Student Exchange.  This award has really opened my eyes and had shown me that I am capable of accomplishing a lot as I go through college.

            Receiving the Hixson scholarship is not only about getting half of your tuition paid, it is about everything that comes with it.  I’m not really sure what college would have been like if I did not get this award, but I’m sure I would not be as easy.  As I said before, I am so grateful that I was able to get this award, because there are probably several other students going off to college that deserve this just as much as I do.  The Hixson Award means a lot to me and I will always look back at it and remember all of the opportunities that it provided for me.

Diversity Event

Korey Drost

Hixson Section 5

Diversity Event

"Inuit Culture of North Canada"

            Peter Irniq, from Nunavut Canada, came to the Memorial Union on September 21, 2011.  While he was here, he talked to us about his childhood and his life growing up in Northern Canada.  He explained his culture to us.  He started off by telling us how he was born and raised in an igloo.  By growing up in such an environment, he and his family had to learn to live off the land by killing animals and using what nature offered him.  Caribou was hunted regularly and they also ate berries.  The Inuit Culture is very interesting.  He spoke Inuit language very fluently and he was very passionate about everything he had to say.  His culture was very important to him and he was determined not to let it fade away.  One way he keeps it alive is by teaching kids in small schools in Canada how to speak the Inuit language.  While he was speaking, he played a PowerPoint that showed a lot of amazing pictures.  He showed us pictures Nunavut and how beautiful the scenery looked with all of the hills, mountains, and huge rocks.  His presentation was very interesting, and you could tell that he really loved his culture.

Blog #4: Social Media

Korey Drost

Hixson Section 5

Blog #4

Social Media

            The assignment that I decided to complete during the social media week was the Facebook option.  For this option, I had to get on Facebook and like 10 different pages that relate to my major.  I also had to create 10 posts and post them on my page.  My major is Agricultural Engineering, so I like pages that were related to that.  A few of the pages that I liked were John Deere, Agco, Pioneer, Kinze Manufacturing, and CNH.  I was very surprised when I saw all the pages on Facebook that were related to my major.  There were so many companies that I had never really heard of.  Most of my posts re directed towards CAD, which is Computer Aided Drafting.  CAD is computer software that allows an engineer to draw up a design or part on a computer.  It is way easier than drawing a design by hand.  I posted several videos about CAD and how useful the software is to engineers.  I also posted videos about John Deere and a few other videos related to the Ag side of my major. 

            I really learned a lot about the jobs that were available in my major through this assignment.  This assignment has possibly helped me reach one of my college goals already, and that is to get an internship for the summer.  When working on this assignment I actually researched a few of the companies as I was looking them up such as Kinze and Agco.  When I went to the Ag Career Fair I stopped and talked to them.  A few days later, I received a call from Kinze Manufacturing and they wanted to set up a phone interview with me and talk about a possible internship opportunity.  Social media can also help me reach some my other goals because it can help me find opportunities and give me information that I can use to help reach my other goals or even create new ones. 

            Not only did I learn more about my major, but I learned a lot about social media in general.  I learned that social has grown.  Facebook, Twitter, and other networks are becoming more and more popular throughout the world.  I think that it is really important that we had a chance to learn about social media because it is growing and millions of people, employers, and companies are beginning to use this form of communication to get certain information out to people.  I also learned that Facebook and Twitter can be both good and bad.  It can be good in the sense that it informs people about things going on, and it is also bad because anything can be said.  People can take things the wrong way, and thing said could make people upset.  Also if you put several things about yourself on the internet, you are creating a digital fingerprint of yourself that anyone can see.  Social media is a topic will continue to grow.  New things will continue to come up, and Facebook and Twitter will continue to become more popular in the future.

Blog #3: What I Learned About Myself (MBTI)

Korey Drost

Hixson Section 5

Blog #3

What I Learned About Myself (MBTI)

            When I got back my results for the MBTI survey that I took, I found out that my personality type was ENFP.  As I first looked at this letter combination, I had no idea what it meant or what it stood for, but as soon as I knew what each letter stood for and meant, I learned a lot about myself.

            The E stands for Extraversion which tells me where I focus my attention.  I focus a lot of my attention on the outer world, and that is where I get my energy from.  This is true about me, because I am not the kind of person who likes to be alone.  I always enjoy people coming into my room and talking with me.  This kind of goes with my homework too.  I find it easier when I am studying or doing homework with a group instead of doing it all by myself.

            The next letter stands for the way that I take in information.  I am an N which means Intuition.  This letter kind of surprised me a little bit because I thought that I take in information by facts, but I guess the survey tells me that I take in information through the big picture and meaning.  I guess that this is pretty true also because I do find it a little easier.

            The F is the next letter in my type, and it stands for Feeling.  This is the way that I make decisions.  This is also very true about me because when a situation comes up, I usually just make a decision on how I am feeling at that time.  I think about how my decision reflects myself and others, and I don’t really think about the logic towards it.  I don’t think twice about too many things. When I make a decision I just go with it, and trust that it will work without any concerns or problems.

            For the last letter of my personality type, I am a P which stands for Perceiving.  This letter tells me how I deal with the world.  Perceiving means that I am very flexible about how things work.  This is very true about me because I am not afraid to do anything spur of the moment.  For some reason I work a lot better when I am under pressure.  I know that it is probably not the best to do everything last minute, but that is just the way that I do thing.  However, I think that I am a little of both sides because I am also very organized with some things that I do. 

            Once again, my personality type is ENFP, and according to MBTI I am warmly enthusiastic.  It says that I am imaginative, individualistic, seek to understand, and inspire others.  I think that this is true about me and it relates to my goals really well.  It especially relates to my goal about finishing all my Grandpa’s projects.  A lot of my goals focus on people and the outer world, the big picture and future possibilities, and are very flexible.  I am not afraid to make new people, I am creative, and I will never turn down an opportunity.

Blog #2 My Bucket List

Korey Drost

Hixson Section 5

Blog #2

My Bucket List

            I have had so many experiences here at Iowa State already, and my journey here has just begun.  I have several more things that I would like to experience before my time here at college is up.  They are things that I will remember for the rest of my life.  The first, and probably the most important thing that I want to do, is to graduate college.  Another thing that I want to accomplish while attending Iowa State is to receive an internship, whether it be for a summer or a semester.  I think that receiving an internship would be really fun because I would be doing something that I would have a possibility of doing for the rest of my life in engineering.  I also have many smaller things that I want to do while I am in college.  I want to be on a champion team for some intermural sport.  I also want to be a member on the Iowa State Livestock Judging team.  Another thing that I have in mind is that I would like to be the president or the head of a club such as the Waterski and Wakeboarding club or the ASABE club.  I think it would be a great opportunity to be a leader here at Iowa State, and it would be a lot of fun.  There are so many things to do here at Iowa State, and it will be fun to accomplish these things that I want to do and cross them off of my list.

            When it comes to my bucket list that I have for the rest of my life, I have several things that I want to do that will take some work to accomplish.  One thing that I have on the list is to get a job in the engineering world.  Another thing that I have had on my list since I was about 10 years old is that I have always wanted a motorcycle.  I enjoy riding anything that has two wheels and a motor.  My grandpa was the kind of person who really enjoyed working on old cars, and I was always out in the shop helping him.  He built a dune buggy, an old model-T truck, and several other projects.  When he passed away about 10 years ago, he left several projects unfinished.  It has always been on my list to finish all of his projects.  He has a sand rail, another dune buggy, and several VW bugs that he has started, and I want to get those fixed up.  My bucket list is pretty long, and I think it would be really amazing to get everything crossed off of it.

Blog #1: My Best

Korey Drost

Hixson Section 5

Blog #1

My Best

            There have been several times when I have done something good, and when I have to think of a time in my life that I was at my best it is pretty challenging.  If I had to pick a time that I was at my best, it would be during my entire high school career.  During that time I had one goal that I wanted to accomplish and that was to be the valedictorian of my class.  I knew that it was a very bid goal that I had set for myself, but I was determined to reach it no matter what because it was something that meant a lot to me.

            The time in life that I was at my best started when I became a freshman in high school.  Going into high school I wasn’t really sure what it was going to be like and I was a little afraid of how hard it sounded.  It made me wonder about the goal that I had set, and whether or not it was going to be possible for me to reach.  I actually thought about giving up before I had even started, but my parents encouraged me to just do my best. 

            As high school went on I became more comfortable about each of my classes.  I found out that some classes came pretty easy for me, and others I had to study for and work harder on them.  I knew that I always had to do my homework, and I picked up a lot of study habits that came in handy when it came time to study for a test.  I kept my eye on that goal and just worked toward it, hoping that someday I would accomplish it.

            Whenever we were given report cards, I always got really nervous.  When I opened it up and saw all A’s I would get really excited because I knew that I was that much closer to reaching that goal of becoming valedictorian.  As I became a senior, I knew that I had only one year left to keep my grades up.  My senior year was very challenging because I took several difficult courses and I became worried.  I had homework every night, and tests every week.  I knew that all I could do was try my best.  When the end of my senior year had come I was approached by my principal.  He congratulated me and shook my hand.  I said, “Congratulation on what?”  He told me that I was valedictorian of the class of 2011.  I was so excited and proud of myself because I knew that finally, after four years of high school I had reached my goal and was valedictorian of my class. 

            This is definitely the time in my life that I was at my best because it was a time that I never gave up.  Even though some of classes we difficult and I had so much to do, I just tried my best and got through it.  This was a goal that I worked very hard at, and I knew that if I succeeded at it, it would be a huge accomplishment.  This time showed me that I could do something if I put my mind to it.  My parents and everyone were very proud of me, and they just couldn’t believe that I had received and honor like this.  I can say that is a time of my life that I was at my best because I did something great and it felt good to accomplish something like that.  It meant a lot to me and to my family.