Helping Haiti

Student services will be gathering donations for those in Haiti. Any type of donation will be accepted. Concerning the foods, here is the list:
Beans ( ALL TYPES )
Powdered Milk
Water
Tuna
Vienna Sausages
Gatorade (Powder)
Any other non-perishable foods.

Also, medical supplies are needed as well. Including:
Bandages
Triple-Antibiotic
Bandage Rolls
Dressing Sponges
Pain Killers : Tylenol and Advil for both babies and adults.
Povidine
Dimetapp
Diapers
Wipes
Destine

All other donations like clothing will still be accepted but it is not as urgent as the food and medical supplies.

VERY IMPORTANT REMINDER : When giving money donations in checks, please write the check out to : American Red Cross only. All cash and checks will be put together into 1 cashier check and handed to the Red Cross.

The American Red Cross will be hosting an orientation on the 27th of January from 6-9 pm for all of those who want to volunteer. The address is 6710 W Sunrise Blvd. Suit 111 Plantation Fl, 33313 Phone number (954) 797-3800.

Keep in mind this is only for the orientation. Most likely you will be assigned somewhere closer.

 

Helping for the Holidays

The FNC SGA will be collecting donations for His House Children's Home this holiday season.

I call my close friends “my adoptive family.” My blood relatives all live out of state, so the only family I have here in Miami is the family I make for myself. Creating an adoptive family isn’t easy. You have to select just the right individuals. These people both nurture and support you and challenge you to learn and grow.

I’m fortunate enough to be a discerning adult when it comes to selecting these individuals. I am able to choose people who are not neglectful or abusive. I am able to choose people who share my values and genuinely care about my well being (just as I care about theirs). Children who are thrust into the foster care system are not so fortunate, however. They do not have the liberty to select their caregivers. Caregivers are selected for them. For some, the process can feel like a revolving door. One organization seeks to make a difference: His House Children’s Home.

According to their website, “His House Children’s Home is committed to breaking the cycle of abuse while meeting the emotional, medical, educational and social needs of the whole child.” It was a commitment FNC staff member Maria Hoffman witnessed first hand, when she attended the volunteer training program:

“We had a tour of the facility. We went into one of the homes for teenagers and we also visited the Academy which was very safe and clean.”

His House Academy opened in 2004 and “exists to challenge students in grades 5K through 8th to become well-balanced individuals by providing a holistic education for mental, physical, social, and spiritual development.”

This holiday season the FNC Student Government Association will be collecting donations for His House Children’s Home:

“In high school we used to donate presents for needy children each Christmas. It was a really nice experience, so we wanted to do something similar this holiday season. Dimitri (FNC SGA South Campus Chapter President) suggested His House.” ~ Katerine Veiga (FNC SGA South Campus Chapter Secretary)

Both Hialeah and the South Campus will be collecting specific non-perishable food items requested by His House Children’s Home. (See any SGA member or the Office of Student Services for details.)
For more information on His House Children’s Home, visit their website at www.hhch.org. For up to the minute updates, join their facebook page.

 

Thanksgiving Lessons

What are you grateful for?

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“Here,” Nataly handed me a piece of paper shaped like a long feather, “write down something you’re grateful for and we will put it on the turkey.” She was referring to the paper turkey hanging in the reception.

My reply was a no brainer. I am grateful for the South Campus SGA for creating an environment of fun and support, I wrote.

The Florida National College Student Government Association has two chapters: South Campus and Hialeah. It is an independently incorporated non-profit organization that operates under its own by-laws. But, that’s the legal jargon. The true spirit of the FNC SGA is in the enthusiasm of its students.

FNC SGA South Campus Chapter

A Student Government Association has the power to fill the stagnant halls of any campus with a contagious buzz. It begins with one student, wanting to make a difference, one student who finds a few like-minded individuals. As they learn and grow as individuals each one reaches one, modeling the compassion and leadership that will be adopted by others.

This Thanksgiving it was a simple paper turkey with dozens of hand scribed feathers. But, it represented much, much more. It represented community, unity, and most importantly gratitude. Now show me that lesson in college algebra.

 

The Act of Thankful Giving

“Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.” ~W.J. Cameron

There is an underground movement brewing in Florida National College. It’s very subtle. Students gathering, asking, “What can I do to make a difference?” Community service is not a graduation requirement here. With a student body primarily made up of non-traditional students, it was always assumed that such requirements would create undue hardship on students who are already over-extended.

And yet, here they are, gathering of there own accord, looking for ways to assist their fellow students and the local community. Why, if they are so busy, are they volunteering? They all cite different reasons.

For some, it’s the sense of achievement. These individuals recognize the need to put the skills they are acquiring in class to practical application. Education comes from teachers and textbooks, but learning comes from experience.

For some, it’s the desire to create a legacy. They want to leave their mark, to push the boundaries like maritime explorers and prove their world is not flat. Leadership is the ability to guide or direct, but stewardship is becoming the custodian of the community you serve.

For some, it is the reclaiming of identity. In their countries, they were doctors, journalists, or television producers, but here those titles have been stripped away, and they begin again. They build communities of shared experience, redefining themselves in the process. Self-respect grows not from the level of respect given to you, but the level of respect you give to others.

There are many reasons why the students at FNC are joining forces to initiate change. Whatever the reason, it’s inspiring to see them embody the true meaning of Thanksgiving: the act of giving thanks, of returning life’s blessings measure for measure.

 

Get With the Program

“In the last analysis, our only freedom is the freedom to discipline ourselves.” ~ Bernard Baruch

Discipline: it sounds like such a harsh word, such a restrictive word—at least to a creative individual like me. It sounds like I’m about to be punished. I like words like imagination, transformation and manifestation—words that seem almost mystical. But really, we could use the synonyms vision, process, and outcome to say the same thing.

• Imagination (vision) is the idea, the end results, where you want to go.
• Transformation (process) is the step by step journey that will take you from where you are to where you want to be.
• Manifestation (outcome) the end results.

But what ties it all together? Yes, discipline.

I have a friend who is a professional boxer. When he’s training for a fight, he’s a machine—absolutely focused. The necessity of this is obvious, right? You can’t sit on the couch, eating potato chips, watching reruns of the Simpsons, and expect to achieve any level of success in a boxing ring.

What if we took that focus, that determination and applied it to other areas of our lives—academics, finances, social networking? What if we demanded that our minds operated with the same efficiency as an athlete’s physical body? Would we be willing to cut the fat? Would we be willing to do what needed to be done even when we didn’t feel like doing it? Are you ready to manifest your destiny? I am. Let’s embrace discipline together and see it for the mystical word it really is—cultivation!

 

“En el análisis final, nuestra única libertad es la libertad de disciplinarse”. ~ Bernard Baruch

La disciplina: suena como una palabra tan dura, una palabra tan limitante—por lo menos para una persona creativa como yo. Suena como estar a punto de ser castigado. Me agradan mas palabras como imaginación, transformación y manifestación—palabras que parecen casi místicas. Pero realmente, podríamos utilizar sus sinónimos, visión, proceso, y resultado para decir la misma cosa.

• Imaginación (visión) es la idea, los resultados, donde usted quiere llegar.

• Transformación (proceso) es paso por paso el camino que tomará usted para ir desde donde usted se encuentra hasta donde usted quiere llegar (o lo que desea llegar a ser).

• Manifestación (resultado) es el resultado final.

¿Pero que es lo que lo ata todo ? Sí, la disciplina.

Tengo a un amigo que es un boxeador profesional. Cuándo él entrena para una pelea, él es una máquina—absolutamente enfocado. La necesidad es obvia ¿correcto? Usted no puede sentarse en la sofá, comiendo papas fritas, mirando viejos capitulos de los Simpsons, y esperar lograr algún nivel de éxito en un cuadrilátero.

¿Qué pasaría si tomamos esa meta, esa determinación y la aplicamos a otras áreas de nuestra vida—académica, financiera, de interconexión social? ¿Qué tal si ordenamos a nuestras mentes que funcionen con la misma eficiencia del cuerpo físico del atleta? ¿Estaríamos nosotros dispuestos a eliminar la grasa? ¿Estaríamos nosotros dispuestos a hacer cualquier cosa que sea necesaria aún cuando nosotros no nos sentimos en el estado de animo para hacerlo? ¿Está usted listo para proyectar su destino? Yo si lo estoy! ¿Que tal si juntos nos sumergimos en una vida con disciplina y lo vemos desde el punto de vista místico de lo que la palabra realmente signica?—Cultivar!

 

National Library Week 2009

Worlds connect @ your library: celebrate National Library Week at Florida National College Library & Resource Room, April 12-18, 2009
It’s National Library Week, a time to celebrate the contributions of libraries, librarians and library workers in schools, campuses and communities nationwide – and the perfect time to discover how worlds connect @ your library.

The FNC Library & Resource Room is celebrating National Library Week!

Every day, libraries in big cities and small towns, colleges and universities, in schools and in businesses help transform their communities. At our library, people of all backgrounds come together for community meetings, lectures and programs, to do research with the assistance of a trained professional, to get help finding a job or to find homework help.

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.

For more information, visit the Library & Resource Room at Florida National College, or online visit My FNC Library in the My FNC campus portal.

Contact information and hours are listed below:

Hialeah Campus Library
Phone: (305) 821-3333 ext. 1020
Email: hllibrary@mm.fnc.edu
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 8:00 AM – 9:50 PM
Friday 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM

South Campus Resource Room
Phone: (305) 226-9999 ext. 1320
Email: cslibrary@mm.fnc.edu
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 8:00 AM – 9:50 PM
Friday 8:30 AM – 8:00 PM

 

Room to Grow

I’m a big believer in personal empowerment. I feel we humans have limitless potential, although we don’t always see it in ourselves, or each other. Believing is often the first hurdle. Empowerment usually requires two believers, yourself and someone who believes in you.

That is where a good mentor comes in. I’ve had some wonderful mentors. Some probably never suspected they were mentors. Some of their lessons took years to sink in, but I am grateful to all of them. So, I do my best to honor them by being a mentor myself. That’s why I enjoy working with student organizations.

With student organizations, I get to teach them more than just textbook skills, like where to put a comma. When I serve as an advisor for a student organization like the FNC Student Government Association, I have the opportunity to really mentor.

Mentoring is a very delicate balancing act, though. As a mentor, those looking up to you are expecting guidance and I do my best to provide them with developmental opportunities. At the same time, empowerment requires room to grow: a safe environment to test these new skills. So at times, I make myself a little scarce, giving them the chance to figure it out for themselves. After all, that’s the true purpose of student organizations—to give students the opportunity to develop skills outside of the  classroom, to allow students to explore their own leadership abilities, and to inspire other students to do the same.

 

Building on Passion

What are you passionate about? Here’s a hint, when you’re engage in something you’re passionate about, you loose track of time. When I write, hours pass like minutes. The intensity of focus is almost a trance like state.

I’m equally passionate about art (sketching, painting, pottery, graphic design), but writing has always come easier than the rest—perhaps because I read so much or perhaps because it requires so little. Anyone with a keyboard or even a pen and paper can write. It takes practice to write well, but no special equipment. So I write, where ever I go, whatever I do.

It’s important to identify your passions. The lure of material gain is so sweet. Many students think of dollars per hour and projected job markets when considering future career choices, but rarely consider their passions. Those sizable paychecks are never big enough if you spend your days dreading the time clock.

Let’s face it, after you graduate, you will spend the majority of your waking hours at work. What will work be like for you? A frustrating interruption of your real  life? Or an opportunity to flourish and grow?

I’m not saying that everyone should opt for a life as a modern bohemian. Even I have a job. I commute through traffic. I pay my bills . . . and I write. It’s a small part of my job, but there are other parts of it that I am passionate about as well, so all in all, I enjoy what I do.

During a recent conversation with one of our students, I described the peace and serenity I experience when I walk onto a college campus.  She thought for a moment and replied, “I get it. I feel the same way when I walk into a dentist’s office.”

Yes, I had the same astounded reaction . . . a dentist’s office? However, this student was a member of the Dental Program so I just smiled, “then you’re studying exactly what you should be studying.”

 

Excuses

Let’s be blunt. Excuses are fears masquerading as responsibilities. I confess, even I use them.

Take writing for instance, as a freelance writer, I use a Nome de plume (a pen name). It removes the inhibition of writing. When I write using my real name, I am much more self-conscious, much more careful not to offend. But sometimes, even the most carefully crafted words can be misinterpreted, so I hide behind my Nome de plume, carefully evading the curious Googler.

That is why the content has been so sparse here. I have made excuses about being too busy, of having higher priorities, of having nothing to report; but the truth is I have no Nome de plume to hide behind. Anyone attending Florida National College can easily inquire into the identity of the Director of Student Services.

The one thing I really love about my job, is helping individual students reach their full potential, but sometimes reaching your full potential means letting go of some of the excuses. So it’s time for me to lead by example and set aside some of mine.

I must be disciplined and brave, and write outside of my comfort zone.