Attitude

ATTITUDE

ATTITUDE is said to be everything.

That your life and your happiness revolve around your ATTITUDE.

When accomplishing group tasks ATTITUDE is one of the factors that plays a role in rather your group project is going to be successful or not. A negative ATTITUDE will lead to misunderstandings and disagreements between the group members. The negativity in the group will be the members downfall, which will cause them to lose motivation towards the group's ultimate goal. A positive ATTITUDE on the other hand sets up an environment where the group members can rely on one another. Their is room for growth and positive change when this attitude is put into factor. The glass being seen as half full will always have better overall outcomes than looking at the glass half empty.

Patricia Finch has influenced me for four years now. It began Sophomore year, I was just another student in her Pre-Ap Algebra 2 Class. It was towards the end of the year and she had missed several days in class because her mom was sick in the hospital. Later on more days passed and when she returned to school we were informed that her mother had passed away. With such a tragedy occurring in her life she still returned to school. Her attitude of keeping on even when things are completely unfair and not going her way; she still returned to be a teacher at Boswell High School. My relationship with Ms. Finch only grew from there. She was the student council sponsor and encouraged me to get involved at the end of my sophomore year. I grew as a leader because of her. My senior year I was elected as Student Body President and became an extraordinary leader because she believed in me. I'm the person I am today because her. Her courageous attitude about life is something I admire the most about her. She is an amazing woman, one of a kind, and her uplifting spirit and attitude has touched not only my life but every student that has ever stepped into her classroom.

"Our Attitude Are Our Most Important Assets."

When a problem arises how one handles the problem depends on one's attitude. Every decision one makes, attitude has a role in the outcome of the decision. Pretty much attitude is an everyday factor in our lives. It's more than an unseen verb, it's an action. An action that develops the lives not only of our own but the lives we influence around us. A positive or negative attitude shapes a person and it is a factor in everything that we do.

"If you don't like something CHANGE IT. If you can't CHANGE IT...CHANGE the way you think about it." - Mary Englebreit

Problem vs. Challenge

There is a famous serenity prayer that I have always said every night before I go to sleep. A prayer that most can and will recognize as something that gives one the ability to change any problem into a challenge.

"God grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change. The COURAGE to change the things I can and the WISDOM to know the difference. "

The three main points in the prayer represent what you need to transform the problems in your life into challenges that make you stronger because they cause you to put the most important things first. I practically live by turning my problems into challenges. Granted it is incredibly tough because by turning your problems into challenges you cause yourself to face the most uncertainty of all things. Because when this transformation happens the stress and emotional tole that the challenges you take on can be exhausting. For example last Saturday one of my good friend's, Katie, her dad died. Out of nowhere he just died. He had been fighting the battle against stomach cancer for almost two years and I believe that his battle of cancer was seen to others as a problem but he saw it as a challenge. He challenged himself to forget about the odds, forget about how long the doctors said he had to live, he decided for himself that he controlled how long he had on earth. Dale Mayo underwent a clinical trial for patients with his type of cancer. Rather than sitting back and doing nothing he risked his own life to help others like him get better. I find his actions incredibly courageous and heroic. By turning his problem into a challenge he helped researches get closer and closer to finding a cure. The impact that he left in everyone's life is something I admire so strongly about him. He was an incredible father to four great kids who have the most generous hearts and uplifting spirits I have ever been around. Turning a problem into a challenge is simple. It's about personal motivation and vision.

Katie Mayo and I :)

Letter From OU

Dear Class of 2010,

As I can imagine, I am sure you all are already ready to graduate and it has only been six weeks into the school year. My advice is start touring and applying to colleges NOW. Touring colleges is one of the most important actions you MUST do during your senior year. I toured my top five schools that I was interested in and you will know when you walk on the campus and you see what the school has to offer, you will feel it inside your heart which school you BELONG at. Take the SAT or ACT as many times as you can, each time you take it, I guarantee your score will improve. Texas school's look at SAT while Oklahoma schools prefer to look at ACT. The schools that you are interested in look at the degree programs they have to offer and do research and see what the success rate in your department is. If you are not sure what your major is pick three that you are interested in, you can always change it. But when you are in college it is better to actually say your major is something than to say you are currently undecided. Your senior year do not completely blow off all your classes and grades because college is a rude AWAKENING. The work load and the amount of studying they expect you to do is a lot so PREPARE yourselves ahead of time and stay on top of your work. Get INVOLVED as much as you can and strive to make a DIFFERENCE your last year at Boswell, it is your LAST year to leave your MARK on the school and you want to leave a POSITIVE and INFLUENTIAL one. Do not decide to go to a college because it is a party school, or your mom and dad went there, or because your boyfriend and girlfriend is going there; decide on the school that you feel COMFORTABLE at. Decide early on if you want to rush at your school. I would only recommend rushing if you are emotionally prepared for it and you know what to EXPECT because for me it was one of the worst weeks of my life, but as I look back on it now I have met and made so many friends through it. Another IMPORTANT thing to think about is distance, how far away you are willing to be. Think about how often you want to come home. For me two and a half hours away is the perfect distance, it allows me to come home on the weekends which is BENEFICIAL when you need a break and an opportunity to get away from the stress of college. Finally my last advice is ENJOY your senior year and REMEMBER that it goes by so FAST! You will be graduating before you know it and then your last summer at home will come and before you know it you are packing up and LEAVING the life you have known for the past 18 years. It's a scary process, terrifying actually, but I promise you can do it and you will be just fine.

Bystander Behavior

BYSTANDER BEHAVIOR

At the beginning of senior year during lunch my friends and I would always notice this girl named Anna eating by herself, so one day my friend I invited her to sit with us. Little did we know she was very different than all of us and she believed everything we told her. As the semester progressed people at the table would not necessarily be mean to her but would make jokes and comments about her while she was sitting at the other end of the table. It was my idea to invite her to sit with us but it was not my intentions for her to be the center of our conversation everyday at lunch. Before the semester was over she stopped sitting with us and we never really saw her or ran into her again. I should of stuck up for her more because after all I was the one who asked her to sit with us.

Well I wish a bystander would have stepped in to help Anna from my lunch. Everyone in the cafeteria knew she sat with us and knew that our table made fun of her but not one person the entire semester came up to us and said anything. Even teachers and assistant principles who monitored the lunch knew about what our intentions were and they never stepped in either. The poor girl did not have any friends and no one ever took the opportunity to really get to know her, to ask her about her personal and home life. Everyone in that lunch room was pretty naive, even myself and some of my closet friends.

College students do not speak up to wrong doing simple because they do not want to stand out. They see someone who needs help but they ask themselves is it really their place to step in? Shouldn't someone closer to that person step in and help them. I believe most college students mainly are afraid of embarrassment, they are almost ashamed to help some they do not know, let alone someone they will most likely never see again.

Priorities

PRIORITIES

Right out of high school coming up with priorities has proved to be a difficult task. But the summer before I came to the University of Oklahoma I came up with four priorities that I could follow for the next four years here. Faith, Family, School and Friendship.

FAITH

Is my number one priority. Having a relationship with God is the most important thing in my life. Because without him I would not be the person I am today. He is my guidance. He never leads me in the wrong direction. And every struggle or hardship that I go through, he is with me, giving me strength and endurance to handle it all.

FAMILY

Is my second priority because at the end of the day, your family has been with you since the beginning. My mom, dad, brother, and even my two dogs mean the world to me. It's important to keep in touch with them this year and to go home and visit as often as I. I would not be here at OU without my mom and dad. Their constant love and support has driven me to find success here and to continue to strive for bigger and better things in my future.

School

Is my third priority because education is the key to a successful life and future. Every decision I make here at OU from now until 2013 will play a positive or negative role in the life ahead of me. Doing well in my classes is the reason why I am here. Having fun and making friends is also important but making good grades and establishing a name for myself comes first above all things.

Friendship

Is my fourth and finally priority. My goal is to not only make new friends and establish friendships here at OU but I want to continue to have the friendships that I left back home. Without the friends in high school that I had, my life would not be the same. Jenna, Parker, Adam, Jim and many more all contributed to making my high school experience worth while and I owe it to them to remain close to them.

Influences

"You were given this life because your strong enough to live it."

My past 18 years on Earth I have influenced by many individuals but the one who has influenced me the most is my mom. As cliche as it is she is my best friend and my hero. In October of 2007 my mom was diagnosed with Stage Two Breast Cancer. I remember every aspect of the day she told me, it was the worst day of my life. I felt the entire day as if I was moving in slow motion. Not too long after my mom told me she underwent her first chemotherapy treatment. It caused her to become very sick fast. The chemotherapy treatments continued and when my mom shaved her head and told me with an uplifting spirit that "She was in control, not the cancer." She cut all her hair off before the chemotherapy had the chance to make it fall out. This action that my mom first took is what opened my eyes to the extraordinary woman that she is. She went through eight chemo treatments and not once did she complain or questioned why such a terrible thing happened to her. Her faith in God grew tremendously within the next year and propelled her to go through surgery and radiation treatments. It was not until late June of 2008 when I was told "It's not about what happens to you, it's how you handle what happens." This opened my eyes to everything that had gone on in the past year of my life. That no matter how many times I questioned why this happened to my mom, being sad about it was no way to live. From that point on I became an optimist. The glass was no longer half empty but half full. My mom is THE strongest person I know. And that is no exaggeration, she is a gifted, talented, extraordinary woman. Without her being in my life I would not be the person I am today. She has inspired me to go after my dreams of changing the world and making a difference. She has shaped me into a stronger Christian and I am so lucky to call her my hero and my best friend.

"But those who hope in the lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:31

"Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end."

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14

All About Me

My name is Amy Dickey

I attend the University of Oklahoma.

I'm majoring in Political Science and minoring in Pre-Law.

I hope to become a lawyer or keynote speaker.

I am a new member of Alpha Omicron Pi.

My dream is this simple... I want to change the world :)

My best friend is Jenna Yosten.

We love making youtube videos together.

She goes to TCU.

We are 180 miles apart.

She is pretty much my sister and I don't know what I would do without her.

"You can always tell when two people are best friends because they're always having way more fun than it makes sense for them to be having."

I am a caring person with a big heart and I want to make a difference in this world. I believe that so many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.

I LOVE...

Taking Pictures

Oklahoma Football

Grey's Anatomy

AOII :)

Sushi

Summer

Lifeguarding

August 11, 2009 :)

Summer '07

Facebook

My BFF!

Running

Swimming

Smiling

Oklahoma Sooners