Group Projects

The group project was okay. Overall I think it helped me learn o collaborate with others more efficiently. I will need to do this more and more as my years in college progress. This is an important tool. My group researched on the topic of REM sleep and how it affects one’s stress levels. The research I learned doing the project was very informative. One of the main things I learned is that a lack of REM sleep affects many autonomic processes. Some of the ones that are affected are emotional levels. I also enjoyed the other groups presentations. The one about hip hop today, and the presentation about music therapy were very cool. I liked the presentation so much that I want to look further into music therapy. Overall it was a cool experience. This is what I think about the group projects. This is all I have to write.

Fresman Seminar

The freshman seminar class was interesting. I did not like the class as a whole, but I can’t deny the interesting points it brought up and taught me. The class gave me a glimpse of what the rest of my years in college will be like. It helps me especially with conducting research. I am going to have to conduct a lot of research during my years in college because of the fact that I am a psychology major. One of my favorite parts of was the trip to African Burial Ground in New York City. I found it very interesting because of the ramifications of what they found at the site. It was also my first time in the city, so it was an experience that I will never forget. I also enjoyed Dr. Carr's lecture. I feel as if his lecture should have been towards the end because that way all of the other lectures would not have had to been compared to his. His was the best without a doubt. Overall, my experience in the class was okay.

Freshman Seminar: In a nutshell

Coming into Howard University, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. However, my Freshman Seminar class cleared that up for me. They gave me a taste of what my four years here will be like in only a semester. Weekly lectures have taught me things that no textbook will incorporate in their chapters and no teachers will dictate in their lectures. It has taught me how to be smart in a different way, how to use our rich past as a carriage to my future. My favorite parts of Freshman Seminar class was learning new words and traditions of Africans. One word that we have become most familiar with is "mbongi", meaning a room with no walls, or a common space to express and voice opinions for everyone to hear. I also enjoyed learning about traditions like pouring water to our ancestors, the call and response, and jumping the broom. Another one of my favorite parts of the class would have to be visiting the African Burial Ground in NY. Although an emotional scene, it was nice to get a semi-realistic feel of how Africans were treated years ago. I enjoyed listening to successful African American men and women speak about empowerment and try to encourage us to become the best we can be.Taking Freshman Seminar has helped me to take pride in my heritage. It has even pushed me to want to visit Africa and embrace the culture more. I am glad to have taken this class, but I am sad that it must come to an end so soon.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

As a final project for the Freshman Seminar class, we were assigned to conduct a research question and answer it via a presentation, which we presented in front of a few other groups. My group, The Supreme View, chose to elaborate on the relationship between REM sleep and stress that college students experience. Over the course of a few weeks, we worked together as a group to gather research, conduct an interview, and, eventually, draw a conclusion. Our conclusion was that the amount and quality of sleep recieved and the amount of stress you experience have a two way relationship. Each one can equally effect the other. We presented on the first Wednesday of presentations and I must say I was very pleased with the organization, the speaking skills, and the work as a whole of my group. I was my pleasure to work with this group and gain the knowledge that I did along the way.
However, I did not only gain knowledge from the work that my group did, but also from the presentations of other groups. The variety and intriguing information that was presented kept my attention and left me knowing more than what I came in with. Groups touched on topics like the effects of crack cocaine on the African American community, the impact that music therapy can have on a person, the different perceptions of Blacks in the hip hop industry, and the direct relationship between minstrel shows from back in the day to hip hop today. All of these topics left me wanting to know more and I am glad I got matched up with the cohort that I did.

Jael's blog: Homecoming

I did not participate in the festivities of homecoming. I wanted to prepare my best performance ever for Solo Night at the Blackburn this Sunday night. I did very well and recieved numerous compliments on my performance. I think it may have been a good thing that I did not party hard (or did not party at all) because one of my professors gave out the hardest assignment he could muster up for this homecoming weekend. I think he did this just to see who would procrastinate due to all the festivities.

On Friday, I saw the tents on the yard and browsed a bit. I thought the selection of clothes and jewelery was very nice. I wish that I had known that there would be vendors so that I could have had a little cash to spend. On my way home I was bombarded with fliers of homecoming related parties. One of the fliers showed that there was going to be some form of sex party somewhere on or near campus where a porn star and stripper were going to battle. I truly hope that none of the guys (or girls) I know attended that party.

Though I did not party or see much other that the yard vendors, I feel that I had a nice weekend and perhaps I can do some partying when I do not have any homework.

Howard Homecoming

Howard's homecoming festivities were an experience unlike anything I ever been apart of in my life. I enjoyed it for the most part. Homecoming started off with Midnight Madness. Midnight Madness was a fun event. I did not really like any of the performances though. Howard is a tough crowd to please. I also really did not understand why people were fighting and rioting outside. I enjoyed myself nonetheless. I did not attend any of the events that cost money. I'm broke. I did go to yardfest though. Yardfest was probably the highlight of homecoming week for me. The performances were great and it was free. Big Daddy Kane really did well. Young Jeezy was cool too. I did not like Wale though. After the performances I got to meet a producer by the name of 9th Wonder. This was a really big deal for me because he's my favorite producer. He was really cool and even had a conversation with me. Homecoming was a good experience but I'm glad its over now. I'm ready to finish the semester.

The Infamous Howard Homecoming

ALUMNI. PARENTS. SORORITIES. FRATS. FANCY CARS. BANDS. CHEERLEADERS. FOOTBALL.
These were only a few things that I came across during my first homecoming at Howard.The first thing I heard when I told my peers in New Jersey that I would be attending Howard was "I'm coming to your homecoming". Urban Dictionary defines Howard's Homecoming as "an event infamous for causing an influx of fun-seeking teens [and] college students/alumni...that all of DC shuts down for an entire weekend." Personally, I do not feel that my first homecoming lived up to the hype. However, I did enjoy myself.
The first homecoming event that I attended was the comedy show. This show consisted of the radio personality, Nephew Tommy. He hosted a show that consisted of various acts that kept the crowd in laughter. This was a good way to begin my homecoming week. The next event was the fashion show. This featured a range from shirtless guys to females in full length dresses. The next day brought the event known as the celebrity basketball game. The teams were a mixture of actors, comedians, and Howard's own basketball players. The coaches were Tocarra, Olivia, and Teyana Taylor. Halftime consisted of a surprise performance from the new rapper, Future.
The homecomign game was chaotic, but the win made it worth the trouble. The crowd cheered our boys into overtime and eventually lead them to a victory. House parties were abundant. Clubs were packed. As Urban Dictionary put it, Howard shut down DC, once again!