Self-Discipline

The Five Areas Of My Life That Lack Self-Discipline...

1) Faith

2) School

3) Sorority

4) Health

5) Time Management

1. FAITH

I can improve my faith by finding a church in Norman that feels like home. I have not quite yet found a church that is anything like my church back home, but then again I have not looked all that into the churches around me either. Also just read the Bible every night, I usually read it once a week, but I think if I read it every night it would help me deal with my problems better.

2. SCHOOL

I still have yet to learn how to study correctly. I believe it just takes time to fall into the right habits but I'm sure I could do more to make me develop those studying habits faster and apply them to my second semester at OU.

3. SORORITY

Recently I have become more detected and driven in my sorority but I always feel like I can give it more. And I am running for VP of Chapter Development at the end of November and I believe that through this leadership position I can do great things for AOII.

4. HEALTH

I eat heathy most of the time I just need to work on exercising more. Ever since I hurt my ankle I have not been able to run or swim very well and I always loved doing that back home so hopefully after Christmas Break I can get back into the swing of things.

5. TIME MANAGEMENT

I have horrible time management. I am one of the most organized people you will ever meet but scheduling out when I should do what everyday of the week is not one of my strong suits. I can improve this with more self-motivation that I can complete stuff without procrastinating.

Nikki Cuenca has a great deal of self-discipline. I have known Nikki for three years now and ever since we have been friends she is the most independent person I have ever met. She never asks her parents for anything. She is here at OU because she is paying for it. She is also paying to be in AOII. She knows how to budget her time,faith, and money. She is an inspiration to me because she has truly worked hard for everything she has. I could not think of a better person who has earned the title of independence and being incredibly self-disciplined.

I believe that I am accountable for EVERYTHING.

I believe I am accountable to EVERYONE.

My Mission

Mission Statement

I am at my best when I have a vision to succeed. . I will try to prevent times when I get distracted and have too much on my plate. . I will enjoy my work by finding employment where I can help others. . I will find enjoyment in my personal life through hanging out with my family, watching Grey's Anatomy, swimming and running. I will find opportunities to use my natural talents and gifts such as having a positive attitude. . I can do anything I set my mind to. I will change the world for the good. . My life's journey is to find a cure for breast cancer. I would be doing it for my mom and grandmother and for the 1 in 8 women who are diagnosed with it. The results would be that I would find a cure and would save many lives. . I will be a person who my Alpha Omicron Pi sisters admire. I would like them to say that I made a difference, my 80 years on earth were not wasted but were spent helping others. . My most important future contribution to others will be leading by example. And leading with a vision. .

I will stop procrastinating and start working on:

Going to church more often and becoming closer to God.

Change my study habits.

Do more for others.

I will strive to incorporate the following attributes into my life:

Faithfulness

Thoughtfulness

Dedication

I will constantly renew myself by focusing on the four dimensions of my life:

Running a marathon.

Practice what the Bible has taught me.

Remember that anything is possible.

Positive thinking and faith that I can succeed.

OU MISSION

OU MISSION STATEMENT

"The mission of the University of Oklahoma is to provide the best possible educational experience for our students through excellence in teaching, research and creative activity, and service to the state and society."

I believe I am currently living the OU mission Statement to the best of my abilities. It is still my first semester of college and I have finally transitioned and can call OU my home. I believe that OU has allowed me to grow. Especially OU's greek life has truly changed me as a person. I was finally initiated into Alpha Omicron Pi last Saturday and I do not think I have ever been so proud to be part of an organization. In high school I was Student Council President. I LOVED stu-co, it was what I devoted my life to and I never thought anything would replace the love I had for student council, but it turns out being an AOII has been the best decision I have ever made. I never really understood why I was in a sorority until last week, which was Alpha Week. Every night last week we would meet at the house from 9:30 to 11:00 and I bonded so well with every girl in my pledge class. I have NEVER felt so close to a group of around 60 girls. My whole life I have always felt like something was missing, there was some kind of void in my heart that I was never able to fill. And I learned this past week the void that I was missing was SISTERHOOD. I have a younger brother so I have never had that LOVE that sisters have for one another. Because of OU I now have 200 sisters and I have never been this happy in my whole entire life. When people say college is way better than high school, I now agree and can say it myself that I truly LOVE The University of Oklahoma.

I believe OU is living the mission statement. OU is dedicated to all aspects of it's students lives. Not only do students get an education here but attending The University of Oklahoma is truly LIFE CHANGING. Since August I have GROWN so much. Being here at OU allows you to grow, granted it is a struggle at times but there are so many people that are dedicated to making your life and stay here the best it has ever been. A lot of my friends back home are not happy at their universities, and the reason why this has happened is because their schools do not have a LOVE for their students. OU is dedicated to having its students succeed here and not only that they want their students to grow as leaders and they want people to transform into EXTRAORDINARY human beings who are dedicated to doing good and encourage others around them to do the same.

I believe nothing needs to be changed about OU or OU's mission statement because the time I have spent here has been an amazing experience already and it is only my first semester. I cannot wait till to see what OU has in store for my future. OU has changed my life and I have never been so proud to say I attend the UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA.

Who's Who

DR. BECKY BARKER

Meeting Becky Barker has been one of my most enjoyable moments so far during my freshmen year. She is the director of leadership development and volunteerism at The University of Oklahoma. Her office is located in the Oklahoma Memorial Union and she welcomes students to come and go as they please.

Becky Barker is from the Fort Worth area and when she was younger her father was heavily involved with the ROTC at TCU (Texas Christian University). Becky has been involved at OU for quite some time. She served many years as the Panhellenic Advisor and loved every moment of it. Becky is an inspiring woman with an incredible education. Not only is she smart but she is generous. She is devoted to her job at OU and everyday she sets students on a journey that eventually transformers them into extraordinary leaders.

Advice I would give to other freshmen is simply get involved and meet people. You will find when you branch out, your opportunities to succeed are greater. Developing relationships with different people allows your communication skills to improve, which leads to your personal networking to develop. As scary as freshman year may be each day you make it is another day you are allowing yourself to grow. And growth is necessary to graduate from this amazing university.

Click Here For More Information

Leader-In-The-Field

LU TAO

POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

Lu Tao is from Beijing, China. He came to America to get a PHD. He came to The University of Oklahoma because OU offers many advantages in the political science department. He is fluent in three languages, Chinese, English and Spanish. He claims from his experience that the department offers a variety of self discipline. He LOVES politics and that is why he is currently devoting a majority of his life to it. This is currently his first year at the university and he is teaching one government class (currently my class). As of right now he is just sticking to teaching and researching more and more about political science. He does not plan on attending law school. He said he simply does not have the same passion for it as he has for political science. I asked him if he is planning to ever go into politics and with a smirk across his face he simply responded "maybe..." I asked him how important it was for his students to learn about political science and he said on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least important to 10 being crucial to the student's ability to function in a normal society he rated it as a 9 or a 10.

LEADERSHIP

I asked him what parts of leadership are the most important and he said knowledge is the most important. You need an exceptional amount of knowledge to balance out different conflicts. Also one needs a certain amount of charisma to demonstrate their entrepreneurship.

EXPERIENCE IN LEADERSHIP

He founded the United Nations Club in 2005 right here at OU. He was in charge of it his junior and senior year. He established it with the help of his friends working together as one. The club is still around today and he has a part in selecting the candidates for inheriting the club.

He of course demonstrates leadership every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:30-12:20 during my 50 minute government class. He said the most important leadership trait he uses during my class is persuasion. He persuades his students to learn about politics and possibly discover the same passion he has for political science.

Lu Tao asked me if I was going to continue forward with my current major of political science and I said I was unsure because I am currently in a state of confusion about what I am suppose to do in my life. He asked me if I wanted to go to law school and I told him yes that was the one thing I knew I wanted to do. He told me an interesting quote, "When you are in an American airport and you are about to get on a plane whose final destination is China, there are connecting flights everywhere but you are not sure which connecting flights you are going to take. It does not matter if you are unsure about those connecting flights, as long as you keep in mind your final destination aka Law School that is what important." He told me to stay focused and to not underestimate myself and my ability to reach my final destination.

More Information About The University Of Oklahoma's Political Science Department At:

http://www.ou.edu/cas/psc

Happy Birthday Jenna

Happy Birthday Best Friend! I Love YOU!

Future At OU

FUTURE AT OU

I cannot believe my first semester of college is almost over.

My next 7 semester at OU I already have a list of things I would like to accomplish.

First of all, I want to become a better photographer because I want to capture as many memories as I can while I'm here at OU.

I want to become more involved with my sorority. Right now I'm just a new member but I would like to advance in the leadership positions after initiation.

I also want to get involved with young life and develop a stronger relationship with God.

Making good grades has always been one of my highest priorities and I am going to strive to get a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

I have always wanted to run a marathon so I think it would be neat to build up to that!

Make and keep new friendships (which I have already done, but the more the merrier) !

Do something great that makes my mom extraordinarily proud.

Most importantly make a difference. After all if you lead the change the world will follow.