November Check-In

Gumbo and crawfish mac
and cheese and boudin, oh my!

 Happy Thanksgiving! Academically, it has been a whirlwind, with topics that I struggled with throughout the month. However, I felt redeemed with 3 100s on our latest module of quizzes. As always, our professors and program managers have been nothing but supportive throughout, which I am very grateful for. 

Outside of academics, I started the month going to the Annual Gumbo Festival with Kayla. I know everyone is shocked to hear that I went to yet another local food festival. There, I was finally able to try Gumbo Z'Herbes! Despite Dr. Clarkson's jokes that I must not be local to want a gumbo that no one in our class had ever heard of, I was overjoyed to try a gumbo with such deep cultural and historical roots. It was also (and I say this knowing the gravity of what I say) the best non-homemade gumbo that I have ever had. Hopefully, I have many more opportunities to eat more gumbo z'herbes and to try many more cajun recipes in the future. 

LEAP practice with We MADE mentees

Volunteer-wise, I am continuing to pair with the nonprofit We MADE to create a tutoring/mentorship program for the boys. Given the number of boys currently far outnumbers the number of volunteers we have, I have decided to redirect and do workshops for the boys to maximize how many I am able to help at any given time. Currently, the boys are preparing for Louisiana LEAP exams, which are end of term assessments. To prepare, I had them take a half-length mock exam and we also did meditation beforehand to help the boys practice mindfulness and intentional breathing exercises. When reviewing their answers, many of them expressed their gratitude, believing that practicing had made them realize which areas they needed to review and improve on before the end of the semester. Going forward, I think that I will continue to do workshops for the boys, while still having some of the volunteers work in pairs so as to maximize individual tutoring opportunities as well as the opportunity to help as many of them as possible. For the spring semester, I am planning a resume workshop along with interview practice, application writing for the boys considering college, and more LEAP practices for boys taking their exams in the Spring. 

As the semester comes to an end, I am looking forward to the study topics we still have yet to come. It has been exciting to watch TV and recognize all the medications used on my latest medical drama. The medical students who study next to me in the library have also noticed the cross over in our material so I am hoping that studying together will lead to more opportunities to make friends and expand my network within the New Orleans area. 

Volunteer Hours Breakdown:

WeMADE Mentor Program: 4 hours 

CUMULATIVE SEMESTER TOTAL: 18 hours