Alumni Story

Since becoming a Longhorn, my awakening has began. My eyes have started to open to the knowledge that my professors share. I can see their passions and their dreams in their lectures. Every once in a while, I like to picture the all knowing professors as students. I wonder what kind of students they were when they attended college? I wonder if they went to a small college or a big university or if they came from families that had a lot or a little of money. Being surrounded by students with amazing dreams and faculty that have done the unthinkable has opened my mind and has made me start to become aware. Through class readings, lectures and assignments, I have learned so much throughout just my first semester of school here and I cannot wait to gain more knowledge more strength and more experiences like the alumni have. Alumni Chad Oliver mentions in his memoir that, "We all know that many of the most important things that happened to us did not take place in the classroom." (870). I was surprised at first for him to say this, since most of these memoirs talked about the importance of their professors and the impact that they made on these people while they were students. After reflecting on the quote I realized he was right. The memories I have are from the friends I have made and the experiences and knowledge my professor had taught me. I can remember how happy I was to have a conversation with my father in depth about politics and economics that I could never talk about before I had taken these courses in college. I understand the importance of my professors and what they are teaching me. I never really realized it but what they teach me will stay with me forever. Even Oliver notes in his memoir that "the spirit of their teachings remains. It is in me, and it is in the thousands of other students who came their way." (874). "

The University of Texas transformed his life"(904). Broadcast journalist Bill Moyers became who he was today by coming to this amazing University. He even says "[he] became intellectually awakened here."(904). I have experienced the same feeling and am continuing to experience the awaking to such amazing knowledge. I too can credit the University of Texas to learning to be aware and I can credit my professors to teaching me how to think.  Two years have flown by and two more soon will come. I soon will join the list of amazing alumni and I cannot wait to share my story.

My P1 Critiques of My Peers

P1 Critques

The White Tiger - P1

Final P1 turned in :

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Jonv_vJM9W3-o34f5XXIUcCaM9X2NqlM3HkhwpSal0U/edit?usp=sharing

The sun is setting on the horizon; I can see the last of the sunlight peaking through the dense trees. As I walk, I can hear the dry snow crunching beneath my heavy paws. The air is so crisp, and even through my thick fur I can still feel the bite of the winter cold. My big wet nose is freezing, yet I have never felt more alive. The snow has covered the brown of my home for weeks now, growing thicker, stronger and colder each minute.  After every step I take I look down at my paw prints and of the prints of my mothers. My paw prints are almost as big as hers. I suddenly remember my very first winter; afraid and fearless of the snow, I soon discovered how natural I felt in the snow, I blended right in.  In the snow filled forest I am always at an advantage. My brothers and sisters may move quicker, think faster, and see clearer than I do but their rustic fur the color of a sunset makes them easier to notice. I know I am not like my siblings. When the snow and ice melts, my mother works extra hard to keep me hidden, she fears I will be taken away. The wintertime is the only time I can run and play and practice hunting, and those rabbits never see me coming! My mother worries that I will get taken away and I may never get a chance to live on my own, to be free. I know there used to be more tigers like us all around, but now we are scarce and I, being born white, am unique.

Very often I feel isolated and unusual. Even though I have such strength and power, I find myself frustrated and scared for my family and for myself. I want to stay at home; I do not want to be taken away from my brothers and sisters. Even though we are soon to go our separate ways I feel so lost and uncomfortable with the thought of being alone and taken away. Things are changing more and more around my home. The places we all used to go to with mother is now gone and empty with just tree stumps. What kind of animal was eating the trees? I hear them roaring in the mornings when we are trying to sleep, the make this black smoke that ruins the entire perfect white of the winter. Everything used to be so quite and serene but now these large animals have come to our home and eating all the trees and chasing all our food away. I am so hungry, mother has been brining less and less food for us each time she goes out to hunt. I know she won’t tell us but I can sense she is worried, frustrated and alarmed. I know I may be young, but I will protect her and my home. I just hope those animals find somewhere else to eat trees if not I might never see my winter wonderland or my family again. 

I often find myself stuck on trying to tackle a difficult situation and I have a very challenging time gaining the strength and willpower to keep my cool. Discovering that my spirit animal is a white tiger, has felt like opening a new door of possibilities in my life. White tigers are very confident and strong. They often cover great distances in a single day and these hunters do not waste time chasing that they cannot catch, so when opportunity knocks they always open the door. With the patience and confidence of a tiger I know I can conquer my obstacles and overcome any stresses that I may face. Since becoming a Longhorn I feel like for the first time in my life I am struggling on reaching my goals even though I know I am working harder than I have. If I learn to by like the white tiger, I will not give up so easily. If I am always giving up, I can never get to the top. A white tiger never gets defeated; they wait and wait and wait with such patience. Their great perseverance and strong determination is what makes them so independent and never give up until they eventually catch their prey.  Like a white tiger, a leader should carry themselves with strength and confidence and should know how to stay calm in any situation. Like a white tigress a leader should also be a loving and caring person who knows how to take advantage of an opportunities, enabling them to adapt to the present situations.

My mind is always thinking and always stressing. Throughout the course of Leadership, Ethics, and Animals, I have learned that animals think in the now like we once used to long ago. As humans we think we are superior to everything and many of us do not realize that we have so much we can learn from animals. We share a deep emotional connection with the animal world and nature. I agree with the author Ted Andrews when he says, “…nature speaks to us if we listen. Every animal has a story to tell.” I have learned to listen and that my spirit animal helps to navigate my life and will help with survival in the modern world Author Stefanie Weiss shares with us that, “This spirit animal will bring you back to the present moment, where life is most potent and numinous, rather than allowing you to dwell in the past or focus relentlessly on the future.”¹ She also mentions that “In China, the tiger is called ‘Lord of the Land animals’ and symbolizes the for directions: white tigers representing the west, symbolizing autumn.”² I find it to be very ironic that the white tiger symbolizes autumn and not winter. Although not all tigers are around snow, the white tiger survives naturally the longest in this environment because of the snow, which makes it easier to camouflage with its surroundings and hunt its prey. In doing some research, I found on Wikipedia.com that the White Tiger represents ancient Chinese astronomy and that a tiger would turn white when it reached 500 years of age and would appear when there was peace throughout the world. The website explains in more detail “Because the color white of the Chinese five elements also represents the west, the white tiger thus became a mythological guardian of the west.”⁴

Although white tigers are beautiful and even larger in size that the orange tigers, they are a product of inbreeding which often is responsible for several deformities that these tigers may have. White tigers do not move as quick, cannot see very clear and are often cross eyed. They have a short life expectancy because of the mutated genes and mainly only found in zoos since there is a 1 in 10,000 chance of being born with the white recessive gene. Through having the white tiger as my spirit animals I have realized I must discover my personal truth and facing things about who I am and coming to terms with how to handle who I am becoming. Although the white tiger may not have all the advantages as a healthy orange tiger, they must have strong inner strength throughout the disability they were born with. This helps me realize that I should never try to be anyone but who I am. There is only one me out there and with confidence I could become a role model to someone else. White tigers are so majestic because they are unique and rare. In life I need to remember to never be afraid to be different and unique. People exemplify uniqueness and although might be afraid at first people are attracted to people that are unique and I must continue to stay strong and never be afraid to stand apart from the group just like my spirit animal.

I know that the white tiger will teach guide me to channel my inner strength and confidence, teach me to stay focused on my goals and passions while showing me that strong persistence and plenty of patience will help me grow into a leader. In my spiritual drum journey, when the white tiger first appeared to me. I was not running from him, rather her walked over to me and I was not afraid. He was coming to help and to correct my flaws and I was more than was wanting to listen and willing to correct.

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Notes

 ¹Stefanie Iris Weiss, Unlocking the Secrets of Animal Companions (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2009), 91.

²Weiss, Unlocking the Secrets of Animal Companions, 91.

³ Ted Andrews, Animal Speak (Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications 2009), 109.

⁴ Wikipedia contributors, “White Tiger (Chinese astonomy),” Wikipidia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Tiger_(Chinese_astronomy) (accessed February 25, 2013)

Why I am here.

Since being a student at the University of Texas and of Professor Bump's UGS course. It has come to my attention the main purpose of why I am here- why I am in college.  The University of Texas prides itself with it's core purpose "To transform lives for the benefit of society." In reading "The Idea of a University, 1852" by John Newman, It has come to my attention the importance of a Liberal education and what that really is. In general according to Newman, a University education "teaches all knowledge by teaching all branches of knowledge, and in know other way"(Newman 231). Even people who study in colleges outside of the College of Liberal Arts are getting a Liberal education. Newman also suggests that "in a University he will know just where he and his science stand..he has taken a survey of all knowledge  he is kept from extravagance by the very rivalry of other studies, he has gained from them a special illumination and largeness of mind and freedom and self-possession, and he treats his own in consequence with a philosophy and a resource, which belongs not to the study itself, but to his liberal education..."(Newman 231). The quote above basically implies that even though someone may be focused in a particular area of studies, their major, they know everything they know and are more well rounded because of their liberal education. The idea of a liberal education or a liberal arts degree is also exemplified in the Wikipedia page for Liberal Arts. Wikipedia confirms that, "he liberal arts this initially represented the kinds of skills and general knowledge needed to be the elite echelon of society" (Wikipedia 237).  Newman relates the power of a liberal education to leadership when he says "[A Liberal Education] shows him how to accommodate himself to others, how to through himself into their state of mind, how to bring before them his own, how to influence them, how to come to an understanding with them, how to bear with them" (Newman 232). Newman's description of what a Liberal Education should do and the Wikipedia page on Liberal Arts also describes the qualities that a strong leader possesses and also relates to The University of Texas' core purpose.

Leadership Stress

 

 In reading "Discovering the Leader in You A Guide to Realizing Your Personal Leadership Potential" Robert Lee challenges his readers to formulate a personal vision on where I want to go in life. He says, "Having a clear leadership vision allows you to make better decisions about the leadership roles you pursue." (Lee 203). I always thought about having leadership and being a great leader. I knew what I wanted to do with my life and the directions I wanted to go. However, his reading made me think that maybe having ideas is not enough. If I want to be the best leader possible I need to be 100% positive on ONLY one path so that I can lead others in that direction as I progress up it. In Stephen Covey's reading "Principle-Centered Leadership", I really connected to his section about Conscience. He says "CONSCIENCE TRANSFORMS passion into compassion. It engenders sincere caring for others, a combination of both sympathy and empathy, where one's pain is shared and received." (Covey 221). I have been struggling with my sense of conscience all semester. Covey also states that "When people strive to live by their conscience, it produces integrity and peace of mind." (221). I completely disagree with this statement and argument he is making. I always find that I am under a great deal of stress, more than anyone I usually know. I have noticed that I have started taking the pain of those I care about and I have been carying them around with me, constantly worrying about them. I feel too much of other's pain and since it is not my problem or issue, I find it very difficult to shake the stress. I enjoy being empathetic to others but I find it hard to even focus on my own issues and stresses because I am carrying so much weight on my shoulders. I become completely distracted and disconnected. I find it challenging to think that having a very strong conscience leads to great leadership qualities. I understand that to be a strong leader one must understand who he is leading. However, in my situation I feel that the people I am leading are keeping me from progressing.

 I can also relate my confusion of leadership to "The Role of Ethics in Education" article, by Eli Cox. Even though the article is specific to university professors I feel that anyone in a leadership position confronts the issue of whether to be selfish and better oneself or to be moral and better the whole. One argument "...assumes that a person commits an offense if the expected utility to him exceeds the utility he could get by using his time and other resources in other activities." (Cox 329). This can relate to any college student and I have found my self in this situation several times this school year. Should I help others because I want to even though it might put me behind in my studies or cause some stress? Should I leave someone stranded to make sure I am well prepared for me exams and don't have to deal with someone in needs issues? I come across these questions now and I feel that all leaders come across similar questions and situations too. I just have to figure out what is best personally for myself to cause the least amount of stress. 

From the Forrest to the Museum

I stand right below them. Starling at them in disbelief. These mustangs looked so delicious. I feel like whoever made this statue, made it just to taunt me. I am so hungry. It took me a while to get passed this representation of what could have once been my dinner. Once I gathered the strength to walk passed the mustangs, I stood and stared at the hill and at the museum on top. I was delighted to sink my claws into the soft grass on the hill, I hated the way the pavement made my paws feel. The hill was so inviting and peaceful, I could stretch my legs out and maybe even sprint to the building. Up the stairs I walked to the back of the building. Its rectangular shape was so bland and unnatural, so dissimilar to my forrest. I soon discovered that I was walking on a dirt path made by the humans. They surrounded the path with stones, and it took me a while to realize that I was following it. I was doing exactly what they wanted me to do, go exactly where they wanted me to go, without any knowledge that I was doing this.  They are so tricky. Nevertheless, I preferred this area better than the back of the museum, the trees reminded me of home, I missed home so much. I was confused by the "outdoor classroom" concept. If the humans wanted to enjoy the outdoors, why wouldn't they just sit on the floor? I enjoyed that the seats that human use were modeled after vertebrae of an old reptile. I jumped on each one. I could see that I was getting carried away so I continued onwards with my circumambulation of the museum. The statue of in front of the museum astonished me. Crouched low, I circled the statue and let out a subtle growl to make sure this large cat would not attack me. When I trusted that it would not move, I slowly moved up close to read the plaque. I have never seen a cat like this, his teeth were so large. I just imagined how wonderful it would be to have those choppers  I quickly moved in, still in fear that my thoughts and presence might wake up this bronze cat.

 Continuing around the museum, I cam across dinosaur tracks. I was fascinated at how these tracks still were there. The dinosaur that made that walked thousands of years ago and these humans, now worship the ground he walked on. I look down at my paws and see the ground, there is no print. I miss home, I miss the earthy ground where I can feel my feet sinking into the earth, being connected. I realized that homo sapiens are so into learning about us animals. They care about us and want to know all about us, yet we do not know anything about them.


Inside, I was surprised to see the inside of animals cleaned. The animals in this room had no fur and no skin. All the meat must have been eaten off of them already and they were somehow put back together as if they were still alive. This room creeped me out. I would hate if someone looked at me like this. I would feel so exposed and violated. I found comfort in looking at the giant centipede. It was in the center of a display between graceful moths, sturdy beetles  and other insects, in the center of the room towards the backdoor of the museum. This centipede looked so alive and because insects do not have skeletons they do not have to be displayed so naked. I think that he would be so happy to know that he has made it in the center of this display and that it was preserved so very nicely. This centipede made me feel safe in a room filled with the bones of dead animals.

Looking into the eyes of the bobcat, on the third floor, confused me more than being around the statue of saber-toothed cat outside the museum. My first reaction was to feel upset that he did not even finish his meal. I was hungry and whoever stuffed him left him with his dinner and probably stuffed that too.  I couldn't help but wonder what they did with the meat. Homo sapiens are so greedy. I am sure this bobcat would be proud to know that he was preserved showing that he had successfully made a kill and had his dinner. I couldn't help but also think if he ever woke up he would be surprised to see that they stuffed his dinner. I really enjoyed the Night Shift room, where the bobcat was displayed. The animals in each case seemed so alive! I loved the way the barn owl seemed like it was looking right at you, or how the possum was was shown in defense mode. I hope that if I ever get stuffed they show me in the snow killing a nice juicy elk!

The Hawaiian Drosophila Fly exhibit in the right side of the Explore Evolution room on the fourth floor, really caught my tiger eye! I never thought really anything about flies before, so I found it really interesting to see it up close and personal. It took me a while to focus my eye into the little magnifying glass. I wondered how they fly would feel knowing that homo sapiens looked at it so personally.  Would it feel honored. After all my pondering, I put myself in the flies' body. Although we are very different, I would not mind if people looked at me up close in personal, when I pass. There is a lot about me I don't understand, like why I look so different than my orange mother. I would love it if they found these answers about me and then shared their discoveries to everyone. I would rather be displayed eating my dinner like to bobcat though, as long as I am far dead before I am stuffed.

From the forrest to the museum, I have learned a lot of things, about animals, and about humans. Homo sapiens, will never stop trying to find out more about us, and trying to control us. However, I think I would enjoy being in a museum after I pass. I realized that as animals we will never get the chance to learn more about humans like they get to learn about us. I think it would be pretty neat to have a human museum in the forrest. But as for now I enjoy living my life, with my family. I enjoy leaving the humans out of my life and staying away from the awful pavement.

Living in the Now

It took me a while to figure out where room studio 6A was, or what it was like. As soon as I got there I was fascinated by the room set up just like a live audience TV show. I was also excited about the wonderful free food they had to offer us! Once seated with the rest of my classmates my eyes were instantly drawn to the set and the green carpet on the floor. I thought it was clever how they chose to set a green carpet to relate to the topic of sustainability.
Overall, I enjoyed seeing the different views of the professors and the moderator. I enjoyed being able to feel the tension, humor, agreement, and all the feelings of the discussion and lecture instead of just watching the recording on YouTube.
Both professors had valid points on what sustainability is and how we should adjust human economy to the economy of nature. However, they both agree clearly on one point: the job of a University professor is to make people think. 
I do agree with Professor Callicott when he says that there are lots of free rider problems when it comes to sustainability. Even though we may buy a Prius or buy energy saving washing machines or even lightbulbs, there will always be people who do not care about buying these things or conserving energy and will keep on living the way they always have.

Towards the end of the lecture/discussion the moderator, Jim Walker, mentioned that we must be more present in what we are doing. As soon as he mentioned this, I instantly thought about what Professor Bump tells us that we need to live in the now, like animals do. I was happy that Walker said this because it made it much easier for me to relate sustainability not only to our lives but also to my UGS class.