End of School Year

Hello everyone,

This past month has been extremely busy.  I’m in the middle of three final projects and have been working at my new job Thursday through the weekend.  I can’t remember the last time I’ve gotten a good night’s rest. 

The biggest project I’ve been working on is producing a five minute documentary entitled “A Voice for the Homeless”.  It’s just one other person and I working on it whereas other groups have 3-4 person-teams.  We’ve spent this month gathering research, photographs, still shots, and shooting our b-roll footage.  We still need to conduct two interviews one of which will be with a homeless man named Dave and the other will be with a staff member at a homeless shelter.  After we gather all our footage well spend the rest of the semester editing.  I’ve never made a film so working with the editing programs will be tough.  So far were keeping up but we’ll see how it turns out. 

Another project I am working on is a portfolio for my keystone class.   It will include classes I’ve taken over the past four years at Augsburg, my personal mission statement, goals for now, next year, and the next five, my resume, cover letter and a job I will be applying for by the end of the school year.  We then have to make a presentation of it.

My final project is a presentation for my globalization and Islamic studies class.  It was our job to go to the Nobel Peace Prize Forum and listen to keynote speakers.  We got to hear about a range of topics in business, science and medical, technology, and music.  Each speaker was passionate and brought up interesting ideas that made you think critically about what the world is capable of.  Our project is to choose a speaker, research their topic and teach the class about what we have learned in an interactive way.  Our group is doing a trivia style game at the end of the presentation.

Other than school, I’ve just been trying to work as much as possible so I’ll be able to move by the end of this month.  I’m exhausted but it’s all almost over.   

 

February Blog

Hello everyone,

 School has been going well.  My schedule leaves me with a four day weekend, so managing my time is more important than anything else.  Having a schedule where I only have class twice a week makes it easy to forget about due dates, especially because most of my finals this semester are projects.

 In my film class were just getting started on making our documentaries.  My group’s documentary is going to be about the new light rail that the city is constructing that will connect Minneapolis to St. Paul. We want to inform and educate people about what this means for the community, economically and socially.  A big part of this film is going to be research, something we’ve already started.

In my Globalization course were doing a group project on the Nobel peace prize forum.  The forum is taking place this weekend and it’s our job to watch these speeches and presentations and present it back to our class.  It all sounded fairly simple until we were told about our 20 page paper that will be expected to come out of it. 

In my Keystone course I am working on building a portfolio.  The portfolio will include the final version of my resume, cover letter and a paper on vocation and the meaning of success.  I’m still unsure about my vocation, but having the ability to contribute to others’ lives by being who I am and doing something I love to do is ideal.

Besides school work I finally found a new job.  I’m working downtown at a new sushi restaurant.  Its cool because I just started enjoying sushi.  The environment is fun and the hours are good.  It’s working well with my school schedule for now. 

Spring break is just a week or two away.  I’m going to spend my time working and saving up some money.  I’ll be looking for another place to live soon!

January Blog

Hello everyone,

Last semesters finals went well, and break was well needed.  I’m all rested up and ready to finish up this year.  This semester my classes have all fallen on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the exception of Monday night class.  It’s a nice schedule thus far because it leaves me with enough free time during the week to keep a part time job. 

This semester I’m taking Strategic Management, Film History, and Globalization with a focus on Islam, and a required senior class called Keystone and Vocation: the meaning of success.  I have two professors that I already have taken and have enjoyed.  This really helped when choosing classes because I know who and what kinds of professors I work well with. 

In my Strategic Management class were focusing on how companies strategize to achieve growth, stability, international focus, or retrenchment as well as how companies create mission statements, what goes in them, and how to tie mission statements into  a company’s culture.   

In my Film History Class were learning about the godfathers of film, who and what kinds of things they did to revolutionize the industry and how they used film to educate, inform and entertain.  I’m excited about this class because I am interested in film and editing.  At the end of the class I’ll be able to create my own documentary. 

In Globalization and Islam we are learning about the interconnectedness of the world.  We’re looking at globalization in terms of religion, economics, politics, cultures and communication and asking ourselves “is this a new concept?”  We have also spent time historicizing globalization.    

Keystone and Vocation: the meaning of success is a class that is tailored to seniors getting ready to join the labor force.  We’re doing things to prepare for the “real world” by working on our resumes, cover letters, and practicing interviewing.  Were also going to job fairs and networking with some of Augsburg’s connections. 

This semester is going good so far and I can’t wait to start applying for real salary based jobs. Being a senior is exciting but also a little scary.  All I can do is my best and go after what I want.   

Novemeber Blog

Hello everyone,

The first semester of my senior year is tapering down to just a few weeks.  I’m usually stressed out at times like this, trying to figure out how I’m going to stay on top of things.  But this semester is different.  My classes have been going well, and my class schedule fits right into my work schedule along with everything else

 The three management courses I’m taking are Management Science, Financial Management and Human Resource Management.  They fit well together.  I feel that I’m getting a lot more from these classes when I’m taking them together.  They mesh. 

 In my management science course were working on our final speeches.  My speech is on using different forecasting techniques for certain kinds of business’ and services.  I’ve been writing the final version the past few nights.  It’s looking pretty good.  Now it’s just about memorizing as much as I can.

In Financial Management were prepping for our final exam.  A majority of the material will be on financial leverage, creating financial portfolios, and determining the weighted average cost of capital.  We do so many problems in class that I’m not too worried about it. 

 In resource management we just had a speaker come in and talk about fringe benefits.  We talked about what they were and what we should look for as employees in benefit packages.  We also talked about the importance of saving, and different kinds of saving packages employers and banks offer.  

 This semester has been good, but I’m definitely ready for break.  A month off to spend time with friends and family is something I’m looking forward to.

September

Hey everyone,

My senior year of college has arrived.  I’m back on campus and fully immersed in the campus life.  I’m living with my good friend Forrest in a 2-person 2-bedroom apartment; it’s perfect for us.   We both have our own personal space and have done the “roommate thing” enough times to know how to live with each other.

This semester I’m taking Corporate Finance, Human Resource Management, Management Science, Beginning Latin, and a fitness course.  It’s nice that my classes are finally directed towards my major and future career in management.  Finally feels like I’m learning skills I can actually use in the business world.

My favorite course is probably management science.   The class is really a mix of working with Excel, learning formulas, and giving speeches about what we’ve learned.  Were constantly looking over data from major corporations, figuring out what it means, and presenting it.  It’s a class that’s only once a week but three hours long.  It can be brutal at times, but I know it’ll pay off.

My least favorite class is Beginning Latin. I honestly don’t know what I was thinking picking up the course.  Maybe I just wanted something completely different, or that it might help me with my English by being able to break down words more easily.  For whatever reason it was, I regret it already.  The worst part is, is that I have another semester of it.  Ill get through it though; I don’t really have a choice.

Besides school I’ve been spending my time looking for a new job.  It’s been tough, but there should be a lot of opportunities with all the holidays right around the corner.  Its surreal that I’ve been in school for this long.  Doesn’t really feel that way.  But I’m ready to finish up and  stride towards other goals.

April Blog

Hey everyone,

 

It’s hard to believe that another year has gone by.  Each year has been moving faster than the one before.  Three years of college down, just like that.  I can’t say it’s been easy though.  This last semester has been by far the most challenging. 

 

My Micro and Macro-economic classes started off very similar, but both took a turn opposite ways and differentiating what to study for each class got to be frustrating.  My managerial class wasn’t so bad.  Taking it with the same professor as the year before really paid off. We’ve got a pretty good relationship, and hopefully I can get him again next year.

 

Next fall ill be taking financial management, human resource management and foundations of fitness.  I plan on picking up a few more classes but am waiting to hear back form my advisor.  I’m excited to start focusing in on my major.  I think ill be more interested in what I’m learning.  And everything that I’m taught will have a more direct application to life. 

 

Overall this year has been good.  This was my first year living on my own, paying my own rent and supplying my own meals and basically taking care of myself.  I’ve got to say I’ve experienced a lot.  My roommate and I are currently looking for another place to live for next year.  Our lease is up in august, so we have a little bit of time.  I’m also going to be taking a summer class.  I’m a little behind, so it’s crucial that I put in some work this summer. 

March Blog

Hey Everyone,

Spring break was very much needed.  At the spur of a moment I was convinced to take a trip to South Padre Island, Texas with almost thirty-five other Augsburg students.  It was amazing!  It was a convoy to bottom of the map.  My group made it there in about 23 hours.  We drove non-stop and made our way through Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and the entire state of Texas.  The road trip itself was half the fun.   Once we arrived, we checked into our hotel and I went straight to the beach.  It was my first time ever seeing the ocean.  It was more beautiful and powerful than anything I’ve ever seen, and swimming in it was even more exhilarating.  The water was so clear and the sand was so soft.  There weren’t any rocks or seaweed, just the sandy floor.

A lot of our fellow auggies had rented out a condo, so if we weren’t on the beach we were usually there.  This condo was huge!  It had about five bedrooms, an outdoor deck and a great view of the island.    We did a lot of grilling a lot of tanning and a lot of fishing.  During the night we checked out restaurants and nightclubs.  Since it was spring break, a lot of performers came down, so we even caught a few concerts.  I don’t think anyone was ready to come home.  But break is over, and now I am back in school.

There are only about four weeks left of the semester.  Its hard to believe this year is coming to an end.  This week is the last week of regular exams.  Starting next week final projects and papers will get started.  Its going to be a crazy next few weeks.  I’m actually ready to tackle this stuff, and get my summer rolling!

So until the next time,

Joey J.

February Blog

Hey Concord,

 These months have been flying by! Not much is new though, just grinding it out.  These last two weeks I’ve had four exams, and the next two weeks I have two more.  I’m more ready for spring break than ever. I need this break!  With my time off I’m just going to be relaxing.  Might pick up a few shifts at work, but well see. 

 Micro and Macro have finally veered off and have gone in their own directions.  In micro were focusing more on small firms, analyzing production, variable and fixed costs, and trying to figure out the most efficient and profitable ways of production, whereas in macro were looking at the economy as a whole.  Recently we’ve been calculating different nations GDP from past years.  It’s kind of interesting.

 Besides school I’ve just been working on staying productive.  Trying to keep up with laundry, maintaining a clean house and staying focused on school is enough to keep me busy.  My roommates and I are have been trying to figure out our living situation for next year.  Were pretty sure were going to move.  The place we have is nice and we like it and all, but it’s a bit small.  Its exciting looking for new places to live. 

 Later this week I’m going to start looking into some study abroad programs.  I know for sure I want to go to Europe so ill start narrowing the country out soon.  Cant wait to see the world!!

January Blog

Hi everyone,  

 It’s a little hard to believe that first semester is over and second semester is already here. It feels good to start with a clean slate.

 

This semester I’m taking Micro and Macroeconomics, as well as Managerial Accounting, and Philosophy.  My schedule allows me to be done by 1 pm everyday.  It’s nice to get in and get out.  I feel a lot more focused this semester.  My classes are a lot harder so I kind of have to be.

 

Taking micro and macroeconomics at the same time was the best decision ive made when it comes to choosing classes.  They compliment each other so well that I can take what I learn from one class, and apply it right to the other.   The concept of supply and demand isn’t as difficult as I thought.

 

Managerial accounting is easily my toughest class.  Memorizing what goes on manufacturing schedules, job cost sheets, income statements, balance sheets, and journalizing entries isn’t easy.  Luckily my professor is good at what he does.  He makes the material as simple as it can be.  He’s straight forward, and wants everyone to succeed in his class, and in life. 

 

Philosophy is interesting, but at times it can feel like your running in circles.  My professor is old school.  He believes in lecture, lecture, and even more lecture.    He’s a brilliant man, but like I said, old school.  Discussing the “big” questions in life is what keeps me interested.  Right now were reading, “In Defense of Philosophy”, a book about how philosophy isn’t taken serious because it isn’t practical, but still holds an important meaning to individual minds.  Next well be reading Plato’s Phaedo.  From what I hear it’s about the nature of the afterlife.  It should be interesting to say the least.  I’m excited. 

 

I’m three weeks into the second semester and im feeling good about things.  I’m going to try my hardest to remain focused and do what I have to do, and learn all I can.

 

Until the next time,

 

Joey J.

  

November Blog

Hey Concord,

It has been an extremely long semester and finals week has been more overwhelming than it’s ever been.  But, I finish tomorrow and am going on winter break for almost forty days. I’m psyched! This week alone I turned in three projects and a 12- page research paper.  It’s been crazy!!

My research paper was for my International Business Class.  I was to analyze the relationship between the United States and North Korea.  BLAHH I know, but I got it done, and it’s a pretty good paper.  I also had a group project for the same class where we had to look over a failed joint venture between two international businesses. It was interesting seeing as how almost all failed international business were destroyed by the lack of understanding cultural behavior and differences.  Understanding these differences is critical to good business.

My stats class is going good.  I just turned in a project where I had to create a survey.  My survey was about what people order at Chipotle.  Once I created our survey I had to collect data, and analyze and present our findings to the class.  We had to run our data through multiple T-tests on excel, as well as create graphs, tables, pivot charts and so on.  It was more of an excel class, to be honest.  But I learned some good formulas and functions.

Now that all my projects are turned in, I just have two finals left.  One in Chemistry, and the other in International Management, I’ve kept up with the reading for both classes all semester so I don’t have too much studying to do.  After this week I’m back to working full time at the waterpark.  With Christmas coming up I can use all the hours I can get.

Next semester I am taking Philosophy, Microeconomics, Managerial Accounting, and another excel class.  I have a feeling next semester will be no joke.  But with this great break ahead of me I should come back ready!

Until the next time..

Joey J.