English 225

Hi bloggers! My name is James David and I am a senior in the college of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LS&A) at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus. I am majoring in biochemistry and just got my concentration release; therefore, despite the semester just starting a few days ago, I feel like I am accelerating towards the finish line of my college career. So, while I have the chance, I will reflect a little on my past and project my eyes toward the future, allowing you and myself to examine where I've been, and hopefully where I'll go.

I grew up in Allen Park, Michigan, which is just about a 35 minute drive west of Ann Arbor. Allen Park is a particularly quiet neighborhood just about 5-10 miles south of Detroit, a city which the media, and unfortunately also the crime statistics, have come to display as a dangerous fungus that has the potential to spread and bring decay to its surrounding communities.

My parents both worked in the automotive industry and have recently retired, so all of the hype in the news of the automotive companies and saving them hits close to home for me. This is particularly evidenced by my mother's magnet on the back of her car stating "Out of a job yet? Keep buying foreign!"

While I was in high school, I was particularly involved in after school organizations such as being vice president of our chapter of the National Honor Society and as a member of the Key Club, the high school division of Kiwanis. I also worked at an after school day care program during my junior and senior years of high school, a job that was rewarding but often with many obstacles.

My road to college started out somewhat rocky. Neither of my parents nor any of my five half-siblings, all of whom are older than me, went to college. Therefore, determining where to look for scholarships and how to apply to college was completely novel to my family, and I only applied to only one college with little knowledge of the school (thank goodness I was accepted!). Frightened by the horror stories of my friends' siblings who went to college and chose to live in a dorm with a randomly assigned student, I chose to live off campus, a choice made by approximately 1% of my fellow students. Additionally, I went home nearly every weekend my first year, which is not recommended and I believe it made the transition to college that much more difficult since going home every weekend also meant having to say goodbye to my family every seven days. I overcame additional complications as a first-year student, but nothing worth noting here.

After three years of undergraduate education, I believe I have finally decided what it is that I "want to do" for the rest of my life and that is to pursue medicine. Of course, considering that most medical schools began their rolling admissions schedule at the start of the summer, and the fact that I don't want to make the leap to medical school just yet, I will be taking a break from school. I am applying for a position in the Teach for America program, and if accepted I will take two years off to teach in a low-income community to "Help Ensure Educational Opportunity for All," as their website states (teachforamerica.org). Alternatively, if I am not accepted into the program, I will pursue certification as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) to provide me with more patient care experience.

Finally, I would like to discuss why I would appreciate your reading of, and commenting on my blog. I am normally not afraid to share my opinion, at least in written media, even when my opinion differs significantly from that of my peers. I am not afraid to examine the dirty laundry, even if that is within my own family. I will try to examine current issues which are controversial, hopefully in the medical field, but in other spheres of interest as well. Additionally, having come from a blue collar environment, I am a hard worker and have had many experiences which may give me a fresh, interesting perspective on some issues. I have worked as a caregiver at a daycare, as a receptionist at an ophthalmologist's office in northwest Detroit, and as a study group leader on campus. I have volunteered at a soup kitchen and a food distribution plant for the poor in the ghettos of Detroit, volunteered last semester (and continue to do so again this semester) once a week from 10PM - 2AM at Arbor Hospice with patients during their last stages of life, and have volunteered in many other spheres which have made me look at financial despair and death in a way that I couldn't have imagined before.

I apologize if this was an inordinately long first blog entry. Though long winded much of the time, I will try to be more concise in the future. Finally, I hope you will find my insights to be as interesting as I will find yours to be while reading your blogs this semester!