My Final Thoughts as a Weber State Student

Many people say that we go on paths in life but sometimes we go on different ones when we need to.

As I was preparing my graduation announcements with my mother Jane Mcbride, two thoughts have rolled in my mind.  They are thoughts of achievement and hope.

The announcements will be given to many friends and family members as I celebrate the milestone of getting my Associate of Science degree in General Studies.  After three years of hard work and dedication, I will earn my degree in the next two weeks at Weber State University on Friday Dec. 9, 2011.

I reflect on many memories as a Weber State student.  I still remember when I made friends at Weber State.  My friends included the former student body president Victoria Thompson, the cheerleaders and volleyball players who signed my posters at Weber State's sporting events, and the Chinese students mentioned in my previous blog post.  The friends I made at Weber State will always hold a special place in my heart.

My time at Weber State has also taught me about serving others.  I would've never become a blood donor if it weren't for my time as a student at Weber State.  I've saved people's lives through many of my donations.

My time at Weber State has also allowed me to stand face to face with so many people who were successful in what they do.  One event took place during last semester when I met Alina Fernandez, who was an adopted daughter of Fidel Castro and escaped from Cuba as a refugee.  She simply chose to succeed in what she did even though she didn't have very many things.

I've also learned as a Weber State student to embrace my destinies in life and to go for whatever I dreamed to do.  If I think of something, I can do it.  If I never have thought about volunteering in other countries like many of my friends did, I've would've never signed up for Youthlinc. 

We need to understand that life, especially our college life, is a wonderful adventure.  All we need to do is to embrace the moments of our life. 

Castro's daughter delivers speech at Weber State

Autographed Poster of Weber State Spirit Squad belonging to Austen Snow.
This photo was taken on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011 at Snow's bedroom in Kaysville, Utah.
Snow received the poster after requesting autographs from the squad at a Weber State football game.
(Photo/Austen Snow)

Autographed poster of Weber State's volleyball team belonging
to Austen Snow.  This photo was taken on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011 at Snow's Kaysville, Utah home.
Austen Snow received this poster as a gift from the volleyball team last year
for his support at some of their previous games.  (Photo/Austen Snow)

The white graduation tassel that Austen Snow will wear
in this Saturday Nov. 26, 2011 photo at his Kaysville, Utah home.  Snow
is expected to graduate on Friday Dec. 9, 2011 from Weber State University. (Photo/Austen Snow)

The graduation letters that Austen Snow and his mother, Jane Mcbride,
prepared on Thur. Nov. 24, 2011 at their Kaysville, Utah home.  This
photo was taken on Friday Nov. 25, 2011.  The announcements will
be given to 25 of Snow's family and friends.  (Photo/Austen Snow)

The Weber State game day shirt that Austen Snow got
as a member of the Purple Pak Club.  This photo was taken on
Saturday Nov. 26, 2011 at Snow's Kaysville, Utah home.  Snow
attended a few Weber State football, volleyball, and basketball games as a student. 
(Photo/Austen Snow)

Weber State Student Connects With Chinese Students And Culture

There are political and geographical divisions in this world that sometimes prevent people from connecting closely with one another.

At Weber State University, however, there is a mixing of cultures and people.  Among the many students that come from a variety of countries, there are many students from the People's Republic of China who are going to Weber State right now.

As I was coming up with an idea for this blog, I was eating my lunch with three Chinese students during my lunch break in the Shepherd Union Building on Thursday Nov. 17, 2011. They knew how to speak some English.  I was able to carry a conversation with one of the Chinese girls about languages, like Spanish and Chinese, and how we learn languages differently.

My experiences during my lunch break gave me an idea for my blog.  I wanted to write about how I got to know the Chinese students through their experiences in the United States compared to their homeland.  

The Weber State Chinese Club finally hosted a potluck dinner on Friday Nov. 18, 2011 at the University Village Community Center.  I made some chocolate chip cookies in the hopes of sharing the popular American dessert with my fellow Chinese students.  Two of the Chinese students told me that the cookies tasted really good.  I also enjoyed eating most of the traditional Chinese dishes like fried rice and seeing fried eggplant for the first time.

I was able to conduct an interview with Ellen Guo, one of my fellow Chinese students.  I asked her questions about how the American culture was different from the Chinese culture.  Her answers really opened my mind.  I wanted to know more about Chinese culture as the interview progressed.

Guo mentioned that she went camping for the first time two months ago.  During the trip, she enjoyed eating s'mores, shooting shotguns, and seeing the stars clearly in the sky.  Guo mentioned that in China, she never saw the stars as the cities like Shanghai are so bright, shiny and polluted.   There was no concept of "s'mores" and it was actually illegal for a Chinese civilian to carry or shoot a gun in China.  She also said that seeing the sports of American football and ice hockey were a new experience for her.

When I asked Guo about her experiences at Weber State, she told me that if she had the chance to stay at Weber State for four years, she would've joined more clubs and made many more friends up there.  At that moment, I realized that even if Ellen Guo and I came from different countries, we shared a strong passion for being Weber State students. 

Some of the traditional Chinese dishes served at the Potluck Dinner in University Village
on Friday Nov. 17, 2011.  The dishes included fried eggplant at the bottom right-hand corner,
eggs and tomato juice, and a potato, onion, and meat toppings for the steamed or fried rice. (Photo/Austen Snow)

One of Weber State's Chinese students, Ellen Guo, smiles for the camera at
University Village on Friday Nov. 17, 2011.  This photo was taken
with her permission for the purpose of this blog.  Guo and several other
Chinese students are attending Weber State University for two years on
an exchange program from Shanghai Normal University in Shanghai, China. (Photo/Austen Snow)

Youthlinc General Orientation Points WSU Student in the Right Direction

Many people have a compass that can point them in the right direction.

When the direction points to a humanitarian trip, there are so many questions that need to be answered, including local service hours and trip costs.

The Youthlinc General Orientation, at the University of Utah on Saturday Nov. 12, 2011, has answered many of those questions.   As for the service hours, they vary depending on what type of trip a person goes on.  I chose to serve in Guatemala and I need to do 60 service hours.  For the trip costs, both the sponsorship and the first deposit will help pay for a part of my trip costs.

The event started with a General Orientation that highlighted the mission of Youthlinc, trip costs, and service hours, which was led by Youthlinc executive director Judy Zone.  Other speakers included Julia Wee, Youthlinc's local service director, who spoke about local service being done by participants, which involved interacting with people and developing an emotional bond with them.

After the Orientation Meeting was over, I really enjoyed the Service Fair.  Different organizations, like Salt Lake Regional Hospital, have given Youthlinc participants opportunities to complete their local service hours with them.   The fair made it a lot easier to find suitable volunteer organizations where I could complete 60 service hours at.

After the fair, I finally got to meet my Guatemala team and my team leaders Mark and Shelley Burningham.  There were many high school students and their parents, but there were two families from my home neighborhood.   There is one Weber State student named Kaitlyn East who is in my group.  I have a wonderful group of people whom I will be working with during this experience.

After the orientation meeting, my neighbors and I went to Thaifoon at the Gateway Mall in Salt Lake City to discuss our plans to fundraise our own money for the Guatemala humanitarian trip.   I also discussed with them about what Guatemala is really like since I've been to the country in 2004. 

The biggest thing I'll be looking forward to is not only my local service, but helping out the native Mayan people in Guatemala to be self-sufficient. 

Shelley Burningham, at left, and Aubrey Marz (in the gray sweater) sorts through
folders for the Youthlinc Guatemala Team members in the Warnock Engineering Building
at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Saturday Nov. 12, 2011.  Burningham is the team leader for Youthlinc Guatemala and Marz is an alumni leader with experience in Youthlinc's humanitarian trips.  (Photo/Austen Snow)

Various booths were set up at the Youthlinc Orientation Meeting
at University of Utah's Warnock Engineering Building on Saturday November
12, 2011.   Throughout the meeting, every Youthlinc member
chose to serve on a certain team, each representing the countries of
Guatemala, Peru, Thailand, Cambodia, and Kenya. (Photo/Austen Snow)

Humanitarian Sponsorship Honors Weber State Student

The rewards of service to others can come in more ways than one.

Volunteering can not only give someone a feeling of joy and satisfaction, but also lead to a bigger opportunity for personal growth as well.

As my mother, Jane Mcbride, and I were driving to my Vocational Rehabilitation appointment, she read a letter to me.   That letter was from an humanitarian organization called Youthlinc, which has its headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

The letter that my mother read to me was an official letter of acceptance.  I finally got accepted to serve with Youthlinc after working hard on the application process.   A new door finally opened in my ordinary life. 

My acceptance into the organization comes with two huge benefits.  I will be sponsored by Rotary International, an organization dedicated to local community service and worldwide humanitarian service.  I will also be working with several other qualified college students in a service trip to Guatemala by next summer.

However, those benefits must be earned through hard work.   As part of my commitment to the Guatemala team, I need to work for and sign off on 60 service hours.  I must volunteer for half of those hours at one place.  I decided to volunteer at the Carmen B. Pingree School for Autistic Children in Salt Lake City as a possibility.  However, I must be open to other opportunities that help me make a difference in my community.

As I have grown up with autism in my life, I wanted to inspire other autistic kids.  I will help them understand that a good desire combined with hard work, no matter who they are, helps them to be successful.

I hope that my dedication to local community service will deeply inspire those who are struggling to overcome odds like autism.  It will help them see that there's a bigger world full of people who work together for a greater cause.

The official letter that Weber State student Austen Snow received
from Youthlinc on Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011 in Utah.  Snow was accepted into
Youthlinc after he demonstrated exceptional community service
with autism research and Special Olympics.  (Photo/Austen Snow)

Weber State student Austen Snow wrote this rough draft
of a fundraiser letter at his Kaysville, Utah home on Saturday Nov. 5, 2011.
Snow hoped his life story in dealing with autism would help many people and
he would gain support for his trip as well.  (Photo/Austen Snow)

The listing of team positions for the Youthlinc 2012 Guatemala team at Austen Snow's home in Kaysville, Utah, Saturday Nov. 5, 2011.  Along with his many Youthlinc letters, Snow will decide on a position with the 2012 Guatemala
team, which includes team photographers and bloggers.  (Photo/Austen Snow)

A "Get to Know You" Survey that was printed off by Weber State student
Austen Snow at his Kaysville, Utah home, Saturday Nov. 5, 2011. 
This survey was e-mailed to Snow and the rest of the 2012 Guatemala team to help the members get to know one another.
(Photo/Austen Snow)

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