Humphries, Jessica

          I have a list of stuff that I want to do in my life. Some of it I might not get to do and others I will. This list is called a bucket list. My list is short and simple, but some of these things are not so simple. A few things on my bucket list are: go to Alaska, become a veterinarian, have a family, and own a turquoise Camaro.

            The first item on my bucket list is to go to Alaska. My fiancé lived up there for about three years; hearing him talk about how much fun it was and all the different stuff up there makes me want to go. I would like to stay up there for at least 2 or 3 years. The way my fiancé talks, I’ll never want to come back to Arkansas.

            Becoming a veterinarian and having a family are 2 more things on my bucket list. I want to be a vet so I can support my family and help all the animals in need. Having a family is on my list because, well, who doesn’t want a family? Yes, you already have a family but it is a great feeling to start one on your own.

            Last, I want to own a turquoise Camaro. Not an older model, a newer one. I have had many cars that I have dreamed of owning, but a Camaro would be the first on the list. I picked the color turquoise because everyone has the colors red, black, orange, or silver. You don’t always see turquoise, though.

            Those are just a few items that are on my bucket list. I chose to tell you all about those four is because they were just more important than the others, and they were much more meaningful.

Flannigan, Jessica

           As young students, we look forward to graduating from high school and getting a job so we can live our lives. During high school years, we learn that being a high school graduate is not only an achievement, but the first step in becoming successful. Here is my bucket list journey to success.

            The first goal on my bucket list was to graduate high school. I did that May 17, 2013. So I can check that one off my list. The next goal is graduating from SAU Tech in 2015. From there, I will transfer to SAU in Magnolia and get accepted into the BSN program. I will then take the amount of hours BSN students need and graduate from SAU in Magnolia with a BSN degree.

            After having some experience in the nursing field, I am going to move to Texas and begin working at Baylor Hospital. While working, the love of my life that shares similar goals as me will find me, and we will get married. When the wedding is over, we will move into our lovely condo. After a year of marriage, we will begin our family. By the time our first child is born, we will move into a nice house in a gated community. My husband and I will raise our child to the best of our abilities, then try for another child and do the same.

            After having my last child, I will continue my duties a loving mother, supportive wife, and successful pediatric nurse practitioner. By the time I am 60, I will retire with my husband, and travel the world.

            When I retire and reflect over my life, I will realize how all my hard work and dedication I put into achieving my goals paid off.  I will enjoy my retirement being happy and fulfilled. My bucket list is my dream that is going to come true.

Tiffany

Many people interpret YOLO, “You only live once,” as a reason to go out with a blast. Yes, although we only live once we can choose healthier and safer ways to “kick the bucket.” There are numerous things that I would like to do before I die, but I only chose a few things that are most important to me.

I have grown up in and out of the foster care system. I have been abused mentally, emotionally, and sexually, but somehow I continue to push myself forward. I have been placed with several families and lived in two group homes. I have seen and experienced things that I pray no other child has. With my mom being the Ouachita County CALL (Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime) Coordinator I am able to attend some of the meetings and hear her talk about children in care. I am beyond blessed to be a part of the Keithley family and to be the first in biological family to pursue a post-secondary education. Even though I have been through hell, I am still going! One day before I depart from this world I want to be able to stand and tell my life story to others, more importantly the youth, because I believe it will affect their lives. I want to be an advocate so that youth in care get the tools that they need to better their lives and themselves. I want to be an example so that I can show youth that they too can overcome obstacles and, hopefully, go to college. I want to make a difference so that we as foster youth can beat the statistics and break the chains of our families. Just as Mandy Hale once said: “Change starts with YOU. When you step up, you invite others to step up, too.” I am willing to step up and start a chain-reaction.

Another thing that I would like to do before I die is love myself. My self-esteem is very low, and I’m really bad at putting myself down. People are always telling me how cute and beautiful I am, but sometimes I do not see what they see…I just see a girl with a horrible smile, crooked teeth, fat, and not worth anything. I hate looking in mirrors because I have to look at myself. There is a list of things that I hate about myself.

I would like to be adopted by the Keithleys before I die. Since I have been with the Keithleys, I have grown to love them like my real momma and daddy. I call Mrs. Louise momma but I do not call Mr. DJ daddy. I did not get along with my dad and had very little respect for him. There are times though when I do want to call him daddy but I don’t want it to feel awkward. They love me, care about me, and support me a lot more than my momma and daddy ever did. Benjamin, Caedmon, and Eleanor are my brothers and sister, and I would do anything for them. I have this sense of security here with the Keithleys that I have never felt before, and it is a safe home so I do not have to worry or fear. I know I am their daughter, but I want them to be my permanent and forever family. They are always going to be my parents no matter where I go, and the Keithley kids will always be my siblings.

I want to have a Biblical marriage. My biological mom and dad just recently married. They have been together for 25 years, and when questioned about their relationship, they answer with “Common Law Marriage”. I strongly believe that it does not matter how the government defines marriage, because whatever is in the Bible is what is correct.

When the timing is right, I want to have two kids. I would prefer a boy and a girl, but I know it does not work like that. I love kids and I love being around them, and having two of my own would rock my world. I will give them the love that I did not get from my parents and let them know every day how special they are to me.

More than anything else on my bucket list, I want to be successful. Neither of my parents graduated from high school, so the only kind of jobs they were able to get were maintenance, fast food restaurant jobs, and jobs working at ConAgra. Money was scarce and very limited. Most days we had sandwiches for lunch and chicken served with a side for dinner. Sometimes we ate whatever we could find in the kitchen. Every now and then both my parents would find vehicles to wash and from that money we would go buy pizza or something. I do not want to be like my parents; instead I want to get a good job so I can support my family. I want to be successful so that my family has what they need, and they are not dependent on a check or money from the government to feed them.

I would really love to meet Britt Nicole! Depression, for me, started at an early age, but it hit me hardest when I was fifteen. I hated being at home and every chance I got to leave the house I immediately jumped on it. Most times when I left home, I would go to my best friend’s house and hang out there. Audrey and I connected at the age of six when her mom and dad became the new pastor and pastor’s wife of our church. Audrey’s mom, Mrs. Jackie, was one of the ladies whom I told my sexual abuse to. Since then, they have also become my family. I lived at her house just about as much as I lived at home. Mrs. Jackie and Audrey know my story very well. I spent my sixteenth birthday with them, and Audrey posted a video on my Facebook page by Britt Nicole. The song was called “When She Cries” and it is about a girl who cuts and feel like no one is there for her, does not love her, and never hears her cries for help. Then the song switches to let her know that God hears her and loves her and that He will always be there for her when no one else will. That song stopped me from doing something stupid that night. I would like to meet Britt Nicole to tell her how much her song changed me and stopped me from cutting.

It would be really awesome to be able to go to a Celtics game! I only like two players from the team, but I still love them! I love everything about basketball!

The last thing on my list is to go to the beach. Every summer I see pictures from the beach. I have always wanted to go the beach. I think the closest I have ever come to a beach is Lake DeGray. It is pitiful. I just want to go to the beach and watch the sun go down. I would also like to run across the shore barefooted, look for starfish, collect seashells, and have a great time!

There are many things I could have included in this essay, but I chose the top most important things. Some are for fun and then there are those on my list that deal with relationships, self-development, and are very internal. I hope I live long enough to fulfill my bucket list. If I am not able to do everything on my bucket list I will be satisfied knowing I got to do a few of them!

Crumpler, Jessica

     Everyone says, “Life is too short, so make the most of it.” With this being said, most people make a bucket list. Some bucket lists are exotic, some extreme, some are simple. My bucket list will be categorized as simple.

          My number one item on my list is to have a healthy, loving family. While my family has already begun with Jaxxon, I want it to continue to flourish. I know in order to have a healthy family that there is a process. Education is first. I have already started on the journey to get my college degree, and I intend to get a Bachelors degree in Accounting. That little piece of paper can make the difference in seventy-thousand dollars a year and seven-thousand dollars a year. Getting that piece of paper is in my future. No doubt!

          The next step is to get a good job that accepts my degree and will pay me the respected amount that I believe I deserve for all the hard work I have put in and continue to put in. Some people get jobs that they hate because the job pays good. In my opinion, that makes it harder to get up and go to that job. I will need to research the job choices I have and see which ones will fit my personality. I hope that I can get a job in the field of my study that I enjoy and pays good.

          Marriage and children falls together in the last step. Many people have already met their significant other by the time college has ended. I hope that is the case for me, so I can begin my journey to being a wife. I have been planning my dream wedding for a long time. I would love to have my wedding outside on a nice, spring day, under a shade tree. I will be in a long flowing, form-fitting dress with a sweetheart neck line. If all does not go as planned, that is okay as long as the love of my life and I have a special day to remember. We will go on a luxurious honeymoon, maybe to Hawaii or stay curled up in a lodge in the mountains. As long as we are together, I am golden. I am already a mom, but after all the wedding and fun stuff gets over and life becomes boring, I would love to become a mom again. I have plans for at least three children, but if God gives me more or less, I will enjoy every minute of it.  

          By following this process, I can provide a house to hold all my children and husband. I can get at least two nice cars to transport my children. I will also have enough money to pay the bills and provide my children with the necessary materials and with materials that they want. I will be able to take my family on trips. I love the beach and maybe one day I can take my family, so they can enjoy it as much as I do. I would also like to take my family on a cruise. It is something I have never done and would love to do. Having a healthy and loving family is the most important item on my bucket list, and by following this process I can work hard now and enjoy my family later.

Bowling and pizza

The Honors students met for pizza and bowling last night.  There were some who were unable to attend due to sickness and work schedules, but those who were there had a GREAT time. 

We used our imaginations to figure out what to do in the absence of socks.  By putting heads together, we came up with a solution.

Keyonte claims he is not a great bowler, but he beat the rest of us pretty easily!  And that was AFTER playing two games of flag football!  We found out that Keyonte is the life of the party!!

We ate a lot of pizza!  Thanks to Mr. Gunnels for the food and bowling!

We visited and got to know each other a little better.  Some of the students already knew each other from high school, but not everyone had a past history.  So, we all got to spend some time bonding!

Megan Jackson, Tiffany Jamerson, and Jessica Humphries

 



Jessica Flannigan and Megan Jackson

 

 We enjoyed seeing the HUGE crowd of people bowling in the league play while we bowled.  We were impressed with the number of people and the quality of some of their bowling skills.

I look forward to the next time we are able to get together outside the classroom.  They are bright young people with phenomenal futures ahead of them!

During our class earlier this week, Jennifer Williams from the Financial Aid office came to share some information about financial aid rules and regulations.  Students need to have a clear understanding of what they need to do to keep their financial aid, how financial aid warning and suspension work, student loan debt, and consequences of dropping or failing courses.  Hopefully, this information session will keep the students from making uninformed decisions down the road!

Jennifer Williams
SAU Tech
Director of Financial Aid

 Bucket List papers are coming soon!!!

Great start to the year!

We are off to a great start to the school year!  With this being the first year of the Honors Program at SAU Tech, we are working kinks out and figuring out how to best meet the needs of our Honors students.  There are a few things we are working on:

1.  The Honors Program students will be going out for pizza and bowling next week.  I'll post some pictures of us "trying" to bowl!  I look forward to some time outside the classroom with this great group just hanging out, bonding, and getting to know one another. Plans are in the works for some additional activities this year including Mulegating at SAU's Homecoming game and going to Crystal Bridges art museum in NW Arkansas. 

2.  While we don't yet have a large lounge (hopefully that will come next year), we do have an office that is dedicated to the Honors students.  The students are devising plans to make it an inviting space and are starting to utilize it for study space.  First priority?  Add color!!!!

3.  Students in Honors Seminar are almost finished with their Bucket List papers.  I will begin loading those to the blog in the next week or so.

I feel truly blessed to have the chance to work with this amazing group of students.  They will do great things in life!!!