It feels like I have not updated the site in the longest time. In only the span of the three weeks I have been back at my dorm, I went through many events:
- The Edison Lecture Series: Renewable Energy
- A talk with the professor who gave me the failing grade
- OA Retreat
The Edison Lecture Series: Renewable Energy
The Edison Lecture Series is an outreach event put on by the University of Texas Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department. It was also the reason why I went back to the dorm so early — to help the solar car team with our lecture and car display. Our lecture was a smashing hit — not only did the chairman of the ECE department ask us to do an abbreviated version for every one of the subsequent lectures, but we received a generous $6,500 donation!
A talk with the professor who gave me the failing grade
One day, I saw the professor leave. The first thing he did was to talk about how bad he felt having to give the grade that I received because I clearly busted my rear for him. He even tried to work the numbers a bit, but to no avail. I then had the opportunity to tell him that all is well and I understand what a hard decision he had to make. As much as I love the “favorites” game when it’s in my favor, it is simply unethical. Besides, it is human to not succeed on the first try every now and then. Take my OA job for example. I did not make it the first time around because I need “one more year.” As much as I did not like it, I am now in the post as an orientation advisor and will make myself worth their while. I will do the same thing for Professor Andrews.
OA Retreat
Here is a question for you: What is an easy way to form close bonds among cohorts who barely know each other? Why, you can take them somewhere and stick them all in one cabin or two and do a few activities together! In only 24 hours, we felt as if we knew each other for months! We had fun with activities that talk about social justice, find our leadership personalities, and other fun teambuilders. I found out that my color is “gold,” which means traits such as
- Strives for a sense of security
- Tends to be left-brained and analytical
- Duty, Loyalty, Useful, Responsible
- Helpful and trustworthy
- Loves to plan
I was somewhat surprised to not see the “rebel” side of me come into play — there are times when I would question the status quo.
Pictures of my OA experience: http://gallery.cyeungrun.com/oa2007
