Favorite Professor Monday, Nov 30 2009

Dear Dr. Palfrey,

I’m sure I told you this in class before, but I will just remind you that you are my favorite professor out of my others. I want to thank you for a wonderful class with your teachings and class jokes. It made everything livelier than having to walk in, sit in the front desk, and stare continuously at the chalk-infested board. Okay, so we do stare up there all the time, but making the atmosphere is a whole lot better than other classes I’ve heard of. I don’t believe I could compare yours to another mathematics class (if I did plan on taking another math class). Again, thank you for having me in your class and hope your other Calculus class could be on par with Fall 2009.

Linh Huynh

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Interviewing a senior Monday, Nov 30 2009

“I think the mission did in some way influenced my years in Xavier. I don’t particularly think about the mission, but it does help me remember that a career isn’t just a career. There is more to me than learning and applying what I know. Basically, it sets the foundation and I just add onto it that does show how much it has shaped me into the person I am today…” And, my interviewee elaborates on about Xavier’s mission on how it has shaped him and his career. Basically, it influenced him more to be not just ‘another pharmacist.’ At first, he did not recall the mission, until he thought about it for a few minutes. It made him realize the mission plays a small but very significant role in both his personal and school life. It led him to know a leader, pharmacist, etc. is something more than being that.

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Katherine Drexel Monday, Nov 30 2009

Katherine Drexel was one of the daughters among her father’s children. Like her sisters, she learned of values from her parents’ teachings and had an outstanding education. By the time of her death, she  was the inheritor of her father’s trust fund and practically founded Xavier University. Because she believed that a sharing of faith and quality education were the key to empowerment, she supported the Pope’s mission and thus founded the Sisters of Blessed Sacrament later in 1891. She used her wealth to assure the mission would flourish widely. Her mission contributed mainly to African Americans and Native Americans. The wealth she inherited were divided among charities as was stated by her father’s will. Due to her influence, the Sisters relied on God’s divine providence and care for the congregation’s needs, which in turn, proved its fidelity, founding purpose, mission, and profound spirit. Still today and on-going, Xavier continues to produce leaders for society which continues to follow Drexel’s mission.

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5 blogs Wednesday, Nov 4 2009

aspurloc
jsmiley1
lmccraw
dcasey13
rustonh316

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What would Barack Obama’s father think of the book? Wednesday, Oct 7 2009

President Obama’s father would probably have many thoughts about this book. For one, he must be proud that his son is the President of the United States. Also, his son directly pointed out about racism in America in his book, but he also detailed the events in his life as if it were yesterday. The main focus in the book is on Obama and how his earlier years molded him into the person he is today, though, unexpectedly becoming the president. His father must have read Obama’s book plenty of times, since he did miss out on most of Obama’s life. His father was Obama’s ‘inspiration’ whose strong image motivated Obama. His father should also see how Obama depicted his own frustrations in the book, but he should see how strong Obama is. It takes plenty of courage to have a crowd of a few hundreds to listen to words that can be powerful. In the end, his father should realize that everyone empathizes and sympathizes each other feelings such as Obama did. Indeed, Obama discovered himself in the end.

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What is your favorite class at Xavier and why? Wednesday, Sep 23 2009

I particularly enjoy not only English class, but also Calculus. If I had to decide, I would have to say they are on par. But, I’ll just say that Calculus is my favorite. Sure, everyone says Calculus is hard and so on. I like this class because I have 2 excellent people I call friends now in the class and one very amusing teacher Mr. Palfrey. Class only lasts for 50 minutes! I can also say Calculus is one of my strong points. During class, lecture is not at a monotone level where students fall asleep in. There is interaction between us students! Also, my teacher randomly calls (I will say random) on students to participate, which there is one student who does correct the teacher at least once per class day. Amusing, no? Another good aspect of this class is that we can always asks questions even during lecture about a problem that we are having trouble on. We may even spend the whole class working on similar problems, but hey, we are learning and that is what counts.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Poverty on New Orleans Wednesday, Sep 23 2009

Poverty has struck New Orleans in more ways than one. Some say it is good for New Orleans because the city is getting support from people around the nation. Some view it as ruining New Orleans overall image. People view poverty as a class that represents the bad people which isn’t necessarily true. Poverty hits people regardless of gender, race, age, and ethnics. I think because of poverty, more people strive harder to not fall below ‘middle/low class,’ which in turn have more people working and get more jobs available. But because of poverty, there will always be people who is in need of care, support, and other necessities in order to live. Sympathy and empathy plays a huge role for poverty. If we were to find a balance between the good and bad of poverty, it might be that poverty sets the boundaries for people to do something in order to survive. Reality is cruel. No joke about that one. Poverty is a give-and/or-take (mostly take) kind of situation where people can get really desperate to live.

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What type of leadership skills do you possess? Thursday, Sep 17 2009

I possess some of the many leadership skills needed to survive college. I know when to act as a leader; I tend to take the lead to guide people when no one is willing to take it. It actually feels nice knowing that I am doing something productive. I might even be the only one in the group that would do something embarrassing such as the XUAA meeting on the ice breaker called Ninja even though I did not really have to do it. I prefer being a leader than a follower because I want to follow my own instincts and knowledge. Even having knowledge is a skill, not a talent, that needs to be trained. I want to take the lead to be a helpful guide that has the knowledge to know what is what. I like knowing that I have the strength to venture into the unknown that is an excitement that a follower will never know. I also know it may sound arrogant of me, but how many people do you actually know that would be a leader during a disaster? Logically, no one because everyone is scared somewhere in his or her mind. I would like to be the one to think out the box and solve any problems. Again, what type of leadership skills do I possess? I think I have the strength and knowledge of a leader, but I am also a person who likes being a leader, who wants to overcome fear by being a leader.

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What are your professional plans, and how does Xavier’s mission affect that? Thursday, Sep 10 2009

My professional plans include excelling in the Pharmacy school and graduating to become a pharmacist. I do not want to have any ‘ifs’ in my plans, so I plan to tackle the obstacle once I can be accepted into the school.  Xavier’s mission is for students to succeed in college to become professionals of their field, once they complete college and test for a certificate/degree from the board of any state. It is much easier on me to attend Xavier and test into the Pharmacy school than to go to another college and learn its curriculum and test into here. For most people, money is an issue, including myself who sometimes have some money problems. But, once you pass over that money issue, you can fully take advantage of the many offers Xavier provide. Part of my goal is to make many new connections and meet new friends, which in turn, will have an overall positive affect on how I adapt to my environment. I cannot sit back and expect ‘something’ to come to me. I like going out and retrieve it. So, I am already going out there and have made connections with people like my mentor for Chemistry, and I just joined the Asian Club (XUAA). I think I am progressing pretty well. Aside from that, within two years, I plan to take the PCAT and see how much I progress I have made toward being a pharmacist. No slacking or fooling around too much (only go out once in awhile to relieve my stress and whatnot) is my side goal that I hope to keep.

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Why did I choose Xavier? Monday, Aug 31 2009

The question many have asked, and the answer would always be the same to me. Choosing Xavier was one of my first choices for college. It was a college that offered the pharmacy program, which I am currently following its curriculum to get into. As many do know that there is Monroe University also, Xavier is much more closer to home. It is only an hour drive. Another reason could be that my parents and four siblings supported my decision to come here. Xavier is also a small college, being that it is a private university in Louisiana, which makes being on campus easier. What matters most to me is that it is like an escalator school from Arts and Science to having to test into the Pharmacy School. I think Xavier would be a good stepping stone for me to get into the Pharmacy school. I want to be a pharmacist, yes, but I also want to make medicine for ill people. My ambition is to make a cure for cancer, which is at the moment incurable. Yes, we’re close, but there is always set backs somewhere like side effects. After a week at Xavier, I do not regret my decisions to come here. The biggest plus in this school is that everyone I have met is very generous and nice. It really makes the atmosphere more welcoming, aside from the stares of people who are wondering ‘who is that new person.’ Honestly, I still have a long way to go before I can reach my goals. But in the end, I am just hoping to finish the classes for my first two years with great grades and get myself ready for the bigger obstacle.

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