My best

Everyone has a time in their life when they feel accomplished, and that they have done the very best possible. I have had many such times in my life because I love the feeling that comes with it. The times that I felt I was at my best were when I was volunteering with the New Hartford Fire Department and Ambulance. There were many factors that contributed to this but the ones that stick out most in my mind and the ones that contributed the most were when the fire department received a large grant due to the work I had done, when I helped save a man’s life, and now that I am gone, the department greatly misses me.

In the spring of 2008, I helped to save a man’s life. As a member of the ambulance, I am required to be on call from 6pm-6am for one week. During that time, I am required to go to any calls our department receives. One morning at 7 while I was on call, my pager went off, and even though I wasn’t required to go, I dressed quickly and went. I was the only EMT who arrived on scene. I grabbed the bags and went in the house ahead of the driver. The patient was very combative and disoriented. His pulse was thready, and I quickly realized he needed more advanced medical attention and had the driver call for a paramedic intercept. Another EMT arrived just as I was preparing to load him on the stretcher, so he helped me. We had just gotten him into the ambulance when he began violently seizing, and the paramedics arrived. It was due to my fast action that led to him being safely inside the ambulance and receiving more advanced medical care, which led to him surviving the ride to the hospital. This experience will help me to succeed in college because now I know I can work under pressure and think clearly.

Now that I am an hour and a half away from New Hartford, I cannot be a full time volunteer for the fire department and ambulance. Since I was in China for the entire summer, I have not been available to them for over four months. The members of the departments are now realizing how much I did for them. There station is very dirty and unorganized because I cleaned it for them at least once a month. I also kept their trucks in order and always put things away after a call. When I was back for a very short time in between when I returned from China but before I moved to Ames, everyone told me how much they missed me, and everything I had done for them. Now I know that the little things really do matter. It has made me realized that the little things go unnoticed until they disappear. It wasn’t that the other members were ungrateful for what I had done; it was that they didn’t know all the little things I was doing for them. Investing time in the little things will help me succeed in college because I will be contributing to the bigger picture.

In the fall of 2009, the New Hartford Fire Department received a grant from the Black Hawk Gaming Commission of $3400 for safety updates. I had written the grant in the summer of 2009 before I left for Beijing. Our department needed money in order to buy new radios for our fire trucks. The ones we had were outdated and many didn’t even work, which created a safety hazard, especially in light of the previous summer’s natural disasters. Without radios, the trucks cannot communicate with each other or the county dispatcher. In order to begin writing the grant, I had to first scour our budgets and bank accounts for any extra money that could be spared for radios, but there was none. The grant consisted of many parts, and it took me approximately one month to finish. It required me to write a new budget, create an action plan, and explain various aspects of our finances, situation, etc. I was proud when the department received more money than we had asked for. This experience has given me knowledge about budgets and money management which is very important in life, especially since college students don’t have that much money.

I have always felt that I was my best when I was on the fire department and ambulance. When I helped save a man’s life, when I was missed, and when the department received a much needed grant thanks to my efforts, are only three examples of many. The other members always made me feel like an equal even though I was younger. They had started the junior program the year I joined in order to attract more interest in the department. I would never have imagined being on the department would become as important as it did while I was in high school. It was a great way to give back to my community and prepare me for college.

I wish I had known.....

I felt that I was pretty prepared for Iowa State and college life. I was lucky enough to get to “practice” ahead of time for college life this summer while I was at a university in China. I had talked to many of my friends who were older about what to bring, what to expect, etc. However, there were definitely some things I would have liked to know before I came here. The first one being that I should not expect or plan on going to bed at any time before 11. It just isn’t plausible with roommates coming in and out, people in the halls, and last minute homework details. I have always been a night owl, so the late hours don’t necessarily bother me, but I am not a morning person at all and need at least 8 hours to be pleasant in the morning. In fact, it is currently a Thursday night after 11 as I write this. In the past, I have always chosen to go to bed early, so my mornings run smoothly.

Another thing I wish I had known about was the intense scheduling I would need to do. I have always been an organized person. I use my planner and make sure I can plan for my day according to the various things I have going on or the homework assignments that are due. This year however, I have had to go so far as to schedule out my whole day ahead of time to get everything accomplished in one day. There are so many meetings for various clubs and organizations, classes, studying, homework, eating, going to the gym, and of course hanging out with friends that needs to be done every day. The first week I just used my planner, but I was afraid I would miss something important by forgetting to turn the pages back to see my big calendar every day. The second week I bought a big laminated calendar that I could hang up on my wall and look at every morning, but that got confusing, and it was impossible to organize. Finally, I resorted to scheduling my whole day out on my computer and leaving it open all the time. It has worked thus far. I am by no means going to rigidly stick to it, of course, but it does provide the organization I need and is easy to look at.

I thought I had everything I needed when I moved in, but when I went home for Labor Day weekend, I ended up bringing an entire carload of things back with me that I thought I would need. It was like I moved in all over again. It was just that I wasn’t sure when the next time I would go home would be, so I wanted to make sure I had enough sweaters and jeans for when the weather begins to cool down. Everyone had told me not to take too many clothes because I wouldn’t have enough room for them, but it turns out that I have a rather large wardrobe in my room. I also didn’t realize that my high school notes would come in handy, especially in these fast paced courses. I dug them out over the weekend and brought them back with me. They will really help me during my math classes because I can’t always remember the little details that I have already learned that my professors aren’t necessarily covering during their lectures.

Looking back at when I signed up for housing, I realize I was very naïve. I was looking through the descriptions of the various residence halls. I remembered hearing that Union Drive was near the engineering college, so that was where I wanted to live. I discovered that Eaton and Martin had suites where I could have my own bathroom and only have to share with three or five other girls. I thought it would be so nice not having to walk down the hall just to use the bathroom or shower, so these were the residence halls I signed up for. I put Friley and Maple on the bottom of my list since I knew Eaton and Martin would fill up fast. It never occurred to me that the suites would be more expensive than everywhere else. I just thought it was first come first serve and everywhere was the same price. I ended up getting one of the most expensive dorm rooms on campus because we have a loft. It’s really nice, but I wish I would have thought it through before I signed up though. I will definitely be downgrading for next year!