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Success is up to you
By Jenni Hotch-Hill, Lily Hudson and Michelle Martin
Whalesong Contributors
This spring semester
offers a new beginning for many students. This is your chance to
make sure that this semester is a success, even if last semester
wasn’t. How you choose to make this semester a success is up
to you; there are many resources our university offers to help you
succeed in school. The Learning Center, the computer lab, and the
library all have capable staff members who are waiting for you to
ask them for help. Not to mention the many staff people on campus
who are also available. In addition, our campus offers small classrooms,
which creates an atmosphere where professors and the teaching assistants
are available to meet with students - a winning combination.
With resources like this, it can be easy for you to
succeed at UAS. What our university offers us is very helpful, but
none of these will ensure your success if you don’t make the
choice to make this semester worthwhile.
Your success is up to you; you’re the only one who will make
the decision to attend class regularly, turn in your homework, and
study.
William Andrews is a Preparing Indigenous Teachers for
Alaska Schools (PITAS) student at UAS who found that the more you
ask for help, the easier it becomes to ask for help. As a single
father, William found that he has to work twice as hard at managing
his time and resources. He also learned that it takes more than
regular attendance in class and turning in homework to succeed in
college.
His words of advice are, “You’ve got to get
on the ball and stay on the ball” to make it in college.
Even for difficult subjects like math, there are people
on campus to help you learn. Lily Hudson, our new PITAS math tutor
is available in the Native and Rural Student Center, and she recently
stopped in to share some tips for success: “If you’re
in a math class, get together with fellow classmates and do homework
together. When one doesn’t know an answer, you can explain
the problem, and vice versa. The best way to fully understand something
(especially math) is to teach it. Complete your homework immediately
after class, if possible, when all the new information is fresh
in your mind. Use the Learning Center now, before you bomb a test
and stress out. The tutors at the Learning Center are there to help,
and they’re all good at it.”
Lily adds that it is important to feed your mind as
well: “Eat nutritious foods and drink enough water (specifically,
drink half your body weight, in ounces. For example, if you weigh
120 pounds, drink 60 ounces of water every day, for optimum health
and mental functioning). Lily finds that in order for her mind to
operate efficiently, a body needs to follow these basic steps: “Sleep.
Go to sleep early and wake early. Get out in nature often! Spend
time with friends, have fun! Do something completely relaxing everyday.
Breathe deeply!” For more advice on optimal living, or to get
help with math problems, stop by and see Lily in the Native and
Rural Student Center.
Michelle Martin, the mentor for PITAS students, is also
available to help students in the Native and Rural Student Center.
Michelle recently came up with the idea of organizing a scholarship
fair at UAS. Michelle thought of this idea after struggling with
her own scholarship applications, and finding that many students
are in the same situation. With little time remaining after studies,
students find that they don’t have time to research what kinds
of scholarships are available. They have even less time to go out
and find those applications.
As a result, Michelle planned for this event to take place on January
30 in the Lake Room at UAS in order to help students find resources
available in the community. Organizations such as the UAS Alumni
Association, UAS Financial Aid office, PITAS program, Tlingit and
Haida Central Council, Sealaska Heritage Institute and others will
be available to help students fill out scholarship applications.
Deadlines are right around the corner, with UAS scholarships app’s
due first, on Feb. 14. This event is open to everyone, so please
come in and get some scholarship information and ask questions to
help you get the resources you need for success. If you have to
miss the fair, stop by the Native and Rural Student Center and talk
with Michelle about these scholarship opportunities. She has contacted
many organizations and will have information available in the office.
The future is up to you, so let’s make this semester
a success together. Stop in to visit or get assistance with your
studies in the Native and Rural Student Center. The door is open
to everyone!
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