michelle rivers - my adventure blog

So, it's official! I am a college graduate! I finished my degree (Psychology B.A. with a minor in education) back in December. Graduation was delayed slightly due to some health issues (more on that later), but I was able to get back on track and still graduate with highest honors from UC Santa Cruz. I am so grateful to have completed the beginning of my higher education at two incredible colleges, not to mention all the amazing friends and mentors I met along the way. Of course, I am disappointed that it's over, but looking forward to the next chapter. My plans are constantly changing, so I think it's best to focus on the past and present for the sake of this blog. Although I will say this - travel is definitely in my future! Squash pancake (flax seed, almond flour, winter squash) with homemade ghee and yogurt. Celebrating the end of a quarter with some lab colleagues.  My plan to stay in Santa Cruz for a while longer had to be cut short as I have been struggl...

Sunrise - view from my back porch  As usual, I've been busy with my last year of college! Started this year living off campus in a house only a few blocks from the base of my campus. I live with 2 other housemates who are very quiet and respectful (I barely ever see them) in a large room that overlooks the ocean and downtown. I've had a wonderful time living on my own and learning how to cook. I have definitely gotten a lot more quality sleep and study time now that I'm out of the dorms.  Nature's playground - 5.7  Fall quarter started last September. I took two amazing psychology classes: learning and memory and social psych of flim flam (why people believe in silly things). I learned a lot and was offered a great opportunity to work in my professor's memory lab (more on that later). I also worked to create better educational assessments for a program called " Mariposa's Art ", designed to allow after-school art classes and teaching oppo...

Allow me to update my blog to procrastinate the papers I should be working on! In my defense, I had a big assignment due yesterday, so I need a break. This quarter is going by ridiculously fast. A part of me feels like I just got here, but at the same time, I feel like Santa Cruz is my home now. I just chose classes for Win ter quarter - they are really impacted! Literally A LL of the upper division psychology classes are full, but I'm going to talk to a counselor to work that out later today. I officially declared the Intensive Psych major (research oriented) and the education minor, so I should be able to get the classes I need. Last week I had some time to explore campus and the surrounding area some more. I went to Natural Bridges State Park with a friend, which is a beautiful beach nearby. Here's why it's called "Natural Bridges": We also explored the tidepools and saw tons of colorful sea stars, sea urchins, anemones, crabs, and plants. The day was very ...

I've been very busy lately, hence the lack of updates! The quarter system goes by much faster than I am used to... We already had midterms last week (which I feel I did very well on!) My classes are more manageable now that I've gotten a feel for what I need to focus on in the readings and in lecture. My teachers are great and I'm inspired everyday. On Tuesday and Thursday nights, I've been babysitting for two boys (age 7 and 10.) It's my first time babysitting for older boys, and it is quite a challenge! They keep me busy and entertained, to say the least. It's also been nice to have a little extra income for the weekends. When I'm not studying or in class, I've been attending various social events our college puts on- pumpkin decorating, pie making, open mics, game shows, etc. I've also been spending time with my friends Erica and Riley, who are also going to school up here. A couple weeks ago they cooked me dinner and we watched "Airplane....

I started classes on Thursday of last week. I'm already in love with my professors and really looking forward to the class material, despite having to wake up at 6:45am! My child psychopathology teacher (also a practicing clinical psychologist) offers positions for his stellar students to mentor some of his youth clients. Excited at the prospect of working in the field, I immediately emailed him and we have an interview set up for Tuesday. Wish me luck! I'm making some good connections with fellow students. I happened to run into a boy who attended Mesa, my community college, and took the same intensive research class as me a few years ago. Since we both had the same training and teacher recommendations, we are most likely going to take the advanced research methods course together. I thought networking would be a little harder on the large University campus, but so far it's going really well. The amount of reading is going to take some getting used to. The material is rea...

I've dec ided to start a blog to keep you all updated! Email works too, but this seemed the easiest way to keep everyone 'in the know'. Hopefully it's easy enough for you to navigate. You can enter your email in the box on the top right of this page and it will automatically let you know when I post a new entry. You can click on all the pictures in this entry and they'll expand. PLEASE leave comments (at the bottom of the entries) so I'll be encouraged to post more often - I really appreciate your feedback! This spring was my last semester at SD Mesa, the community college I have been attending for the pa st couple years. I am so glad that I decided to attend community college before transferring to a University. Mesa has been a blessing- I've had wonderful teachers (who know my name!) and I've gotten a chance to figure out what I want to study. In the fall I will be transferring to UC Sa nta Cruz , which is a beaaauuutiful little town near San Franci...