"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."

These influential words of Nelson Mandela are something that I have always turned to when I am feeling at a loss or at a crossroad, especially in regards to my education.  There are times that I feel that I could give up and take the easy way out when things are tough or my course load feels unbearable.  At times like that, I remember these words and suddenly hope and determination begin to pulse through me again.

I am an aspiring Paterno Fellow in the College of Arts and Sciences at the Pennsylvania State University. Currently, I am double-majoring in Political Science, with a concentration on International Relations, and Mandarin Chinese.  Both of these majors require extremely vigorous classes and throughout this year there have been multiple occasions that I have stopped and asked myself "Why?".  When these doubts seep into my thoughts, I come back to the Nelson Mandela quote and remind myself to not give up or think I am taking on too much to handle.  I remind myself to not be afraid to push myself to the limit and find out what I am truly capable of becoming.

After graduation, I aspire to become a law student and then work as a lawyer in the field of international law.  These are big goals and they are not something that can be achieved with ease.  I sternly believe, however, that I have obtained the tools and qualities necessary to achieve such greatness.

The uses of rhetoric and civic life will stay with me for the rest of my years as a student and into my career as a lawyer.  During the course of my freshman year, I have learned many things-- some useful, some not-- but the way that I have learned to use language, rhetoric, and confidence in my writing and speaking methods is a big part of what will make my work shine for the rest of my life.

Link to Kirk Shields' e-Portfolio

Communication in Teamwork

Over the course of this group project that we have had to be continuously working on for the past couple of weeks, the importance of rhetoric and proper communication skills has become transparent.  In our day and age, technology is obviously one of our main sources of communication, maybe even more so sometimes than talking in person.  

My group established a Facebook page to communicate to each other throughout our time working together.  Although it was helpful, sometimes it was hard to contact someone in a speedy manner or sometimes things got a little bit confusing and we had a couple miscommunications that resulted in delays in our project.  Overall, I think it was pretty effective though, but not as effective as the time we spent actually together working face to face.  

Working together, actually in person all together, was always the most effective way for my group to be working.  We got the most accomplished then and we could actually hash out our differing opinions on what worked, what didn't work, what we liked, what we disliked, etc.  I am happy for the time we were allotted to get together and work in our recording room because I think face to face communication allows for the best possible discussion and work ethic between the group.  Although over time the computer has become an effective means of communication for our generation to work through, I do not think that it has the same benefits as working in person and I do not think it ever will be able to amount to that of live conversation.

Color your World!

I never really stopped and thought about how important colors were when a store or brand or anything basically is advertising their product.  It honestly really can be the deciding factor of whether you want to give a place a shot, go in, and see what they have in store.

For me, I know one place whose colors are actually unforgettable for me in McDonald's (please don't "ew" me!).  The Golden Arches.  Their inignorable red and yellow slogan is extremely hard to miss, even from a distance and it really makes their company stand out on top of others in my opinion.

It really is vital when planning for the future of just about anything to pick the perfect colors and advertising strategy.  It can keep the company afloat or bring it down.

What colors would you pick to be the signature colors of a business you were running?  It's pretty hard to choose and make such a decision.  It has to be something bright and memorable, but not too obnoxious I think.  I cannot decide exactly which I would do!

What I Got

Some of you may see this title and think I'm referring to the famous Sublime song, but actually I am referring to my own life as a student here at Penn State and what I have because of this.

Yes, I am being given the opportunity to receive a great education.  But something that goes right in hand with that is something that many people might forget or not know that Penn State is giving to us as well-- great resources!

I personally had had no idea about the knowledge commons in the library before our class tutorial just weeks ago.  If not for that class, there is a big chance that I never would have known too.  That area of the library presents students, faculty, and more with all the resources and staff help that they could need to create just about any multi-media, audio, visual, or anything else creative project you could imagine.  It is a must have for all of you not so tech-savvy students like myself.

Just yesterday, my group for our upcoming multi-media project went to record for our project.  Not only were we giving our own little private working booth, but we had everything we could ever need to make our project the best possible project it could be right at our fingertips.

When we were done the recording, which we did with ease, most likely because some of my group had recorded there before I think, the man came in to help us save our work and teach us how to get it up on other computers.  Although he did scare us a little by telling us all these DON'T's instead of DO's, we ended up with a great deal more knowledge on computers and working with multimedias than we had gone into that room with (must be why it is called the "Knowledge Commons" duh!).

Anyways, I think all classes freshman year really need to take students in there.  Everyone should know about the resources we have at our fingertips.  It would be a shame to let things like that go to waste because it honestly was the most helpful thing ever!  I can just picture my group trying to work without the help we had... and it is a little bit scary!  (sorry group! but I think we all might have tried to double click the files from the flash-drive if our handy-dandy helper wouldn't of stressed to us that that would result in the deletion of our work! Phew!)

Spread the word about these resources!  I didn't know about them before and I am sure there are many who are in the same boat that I was just weeks ago.

What Really Gets on my Nerves

Nerves.  Nothing gets on my nerves quite like nerves.  For me, it does not matter how much I have practiced, how confident I am in what I am saying, how small of a group I am talking in front of-- my nerves will still always get the best of me and it drives me crazy!

This week, for example, we gave speeches in our LA101H class.  I had practiced.  I was well-versed.  I knew what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it.  But that wasn't enough.  Despite the numerous times I had practiced and the hours I had put into the assignment, when I got up to speak finally in front of the class I knew what was going to happen and you bet your bottom dollar that it did.  Shaking hands.  This isn't something that I am unfamiliar with.  It happens almost every time I do some type of public speaking and it drives me insane!  I can be so confident in my work and feel that I have it down perfect but no matter what the hands will still start to shake.  Then I feel it, I look down once.  Oh no.  The shaking hands is visible.  Suddenly my mind starts running while I talk.  It is all I can concentrate on.  My thoughts run through a few things... Is it all the audience can concentrate on?  Do I look nervous?  Pull it together Kirk!  Stop thinking about it.

It takes me a few minutes, but eventually the nerves calm down and with that, my hands stop looking like the hands of someone with Parkinson's, shaking uncontrollably, and I become confident in what I have to say once again.  But that takes a huge toll on my speech.  Those two minutes of my minor anxiety attack really throw off the entire speech.

So how do I fix this?  In my recent years, I have tried to memorize all my outlines and be well practiced enough in the speech that I do not need to hold any notecards with an outline on them at all.  This way, if my hands start to get the shakes and the trembling begins, it is at least a little less visible than when my hands are holding pieces of paper.  Sometimes that is hard to do though, especially if you only have one or two nights to get to practice the speech.

I can't come up with any other ideas... do you guys have any neat tricks to help calm the nerves before public speaking?  If not, I guess I will just have to survive through life as the shaky hand girl when I get in front of an audience.  Oh well.

-Kirk

It's Halftime in America

There is no arguing with the statement that Chrysler killed it in the arena of Superbowl commercials.  Their commercials, which some of us have already seen, were really strong and had delivered powerful messages.  The commercial that caught my interest the most was "It's Halftime in America", which featured Clint Eastwood as the narrator.

Before reading further, if you have not yet seen the commercial, check it out.

Does it send chills down your spine too?  The straight forward message from the commercial, as most viewers probably interpreted it, is that Chrysler is an American product.  The road the Chrysler took in this advertisement talks about how it is halftime in the football game, but it is also halftime in America.  Clint Eastwood conveys how the teams are in their locker rooms at this moment, deciding what they need to do to pull through with a win in the second half.  It relates this to Americans about how they should pull through for America and buy American products and keep our country consumerism alive by buying Chrysler's domestic vehicles.

This is not the only message that this commercial left me with however.  To me, the commercial is throwing political messages at the audience without many people even realizing it.  It is Halftime America. Obama's first term as president is coming to an end and the 2012 elections are just around the corner.  He is hoping for re-election.  It is just about his halftime and thus halftime for America.  What will our strategy be in the next half?  Will we re-elect Obama?  Will the Republicans take over?  

With the auto bailouts that happened under the Obama administration, it is clear as to why this ad could work as a strong political message.  It is showing how they came back from their hard times with Obama, and America can too.  Also, another piece of information to note, is that the four remaining Republican presidential candidates were all not in favor of the auto bailouts.  It shows how Obama acted in the correct way and the company, and the city of Detroit, are all coming back to power and the "world is going to hear the roar of [thier] engines."  

This is just my take on the commercial.  I see the politics in it.  What about you?  Do you feel that they were trying to convey that message beneath the words of the ad?  Or do you think it was just a straight car commercial?

Talking Beats Silence

This week we learned all about "exigences".  Problems.   Problems that can be resolved through discourse and communication.  Too often, I find that people do not talk out their problems and keep everything that bothers them bottled up until they are about ready to explode.  Do they not realize that by addressing the situation earlier, they can avoid weeks of built up  anger.  For instance, recently I was having problems with my roommate.  She constantly was throwing all of her clothes, trash, and books all over our floor and room to the point where I almost could not walk!  At first, I kept letting it go hoping that she would get the hint when I started constantly picking up after her.  Well, let me tell you, that did not work! So, this past weekend, I told her, as calmly as possible, that we needed to talk.  We went to Redifer dining hall, sat down with our lunches, and I finally confronted her about the situation.  The first thing she responded with was the question of why I never said anything before and that she would of course pick up after herself from now on.  I felt so dumb after realizing that I could of not wasted so much time being annoyed with her if I would of just spoke my mind from the start.   That was an exigence that I held out on addressing and I regret that.

I really think that all things can work out and cause you much less stress if you are willing to handle issues that you are dealing with properly. I want to hear about exigences you all have experienced recently.  Give me some feedback! Anyone else with roomie pains?

I Believe in Second Chances Podcast

I Believe in Second Chances

I slept through the sirens and whistles.  I woke up alone.  The broken coffee mug, which was shattered across the floor, confused me and no one would answer my calls.  Hours later, I was dropped off at the hospital, looking for reassurance but finding none.  My dad had suffered a massive stroke.  The doctors gave him a five percent chance of survival, primarily in a vegetative state.  They expected him to die.  I could not remember the last thing I had said to my dad.  I remember looking around in the small conference room, staring at my mother who had no tears left to cry, watching my aunt slide down the wall to the linoleum floor with her palms to her eyes, covering her sobbing face.  My family was facing a tragedy.  My world, however, was not crushed.  The previous thirteen years of my life, my mom had been everything to me and dad had been a three-letter word.  While he had lived with us in the physical sense, emotionally, his head was always in the bar during my childhood and, quite frankly, I hardly knew him.

The next six months, while he was comatose, I spent more time by his side than I could ever recall previously.  When he woke up half a year later, my dad was different.  His large, muscular body had transformed into an 87-pound sack of skin and bones.  His clamorous voice was lost under the tracheostomy tube, which sprouted from his neck.  He was scared, confused, and helpless, but my dad was also determined.  He started his life over from scratch.  Slowly, he gained his own voice back and began to resemble a middle-aged man again, but that wasn’t close to the hardest parts of the recovery process.  It took months before my dad could even crawl a few feet, but he did it.  Four years and countless surgeries later, my dad, a new man, is struggling day to day to do the simple task of walking.  With his voice back, my dad never fails to tell me he loves me, every chance he has.  He became the father every child yearns to have, and I could not help but love and care for him because of that, even if it was thirteen years late.  It was an inspiration for me to see this man, who had been given a five percent chance of living, striving for and achieving more than could have ever been expected from him, physically and emotionally.  This is how I choose to live my life: beyond the expectations, just like my dad.

I witnessed a miracle. A man, who was heading down the wrong path, was stopped and given a second chance to a life as a better person.  From this experience, I learned that failures can become successes; when people expect you to fail, prove them wrong, get up and walk.  Because of my dad, I believe in second chances.

The Importance of an Audience

Hey guys!  Back again for week 2 of blogging and I sure have a lot to say this week!  Have you ever really thought about how helpful honest, constructive criticism can be when it comes to writing?  I always become to attached to all the sentences and words I decide to use in papers.  When I go back by myself to proofread and edit, I sometimes will look over sentences that might not sound exactly right because I am too close to my own work.  Having an honest, outside source offer helpful, constructive criticism I found this really works to improve your paper for the best.

Just this week, we had two peer editing sessions in class for our "This I Believe" paper and I found both sessions extremely productive.  The first one-on-one session really gave me a personalized and detailed critique on my paper and prepared me for the second peer editing session.  The second session I found most helpful for a couple of reasons.  First of all, since we had to read our papers aloud to the class, I found that I put the most effort into it when editing from my previous draft.  Since public speaking can be intimidating, even if it is just to a small group of peers, I am sure most people did this too; this way I was confident and comfortable with what I was saying to the class.  Second of all, when reading aloud, the audience and the speaker both really get a chance to hear how the paper actually sounds.  The way one uses their voice with different tones, speeds, pitches, and vocabulary really helps point out what may need a bit of tweaking or what is not necessary for the paper.  Also, having an entire classroom of people there to offer criticisms or applause really helps the writer get a better grip and understanding on what it is exactly they need to do to make the paper the best writing it could possibly be.

I found the two peer editing sessions this week extremely helpful and am very grateful we had the chance to do them in class.  I am interested to know what you all thought about the time we spent on critiquing and editing each others work!  Worth it or skip it next time?  I cannot wait to hear your thoughts!


Until next time,

Kirk

Let's Talk Politics

Hey guys!  In our recently read chapters, the textbook has discussed just how important rhetoric is in the life of a politician.  As a PoliSci major, I am seriously considering a career involved with politics.  The way that politicians use rhetoric to manipulate their audience into believing their point is a huge part of why rhetoric has been given a bad name in recent years.  On the contrary, however, I think that many politicians use rhetoric in a valuable way and they deserve a little more credit than they are given.

I may not have been born yet, but I still appreciate the speeches that our former United States President, Ronald Reagan, addressed our country with many times.  Our textbook even discussed Reagan and his beautiful use of rhetoric throughout his years as the leader of our country.  When I read that in the book, I immediately was taken back to my senior year AP Government class in high school.  I remember sitting in my little desk, cramped with notebooks, binders, and textbooks, wishing I was anywhere but there, and my teacher putting on a youtube video.  It was Ronald Reagan addressing the country after the Challenger  Disaster on January 28, 1986.  The speech delivered by Ronald Reagan honestly can send chills down my spine each time I watch it and can make me feel like I am right there with him and he is talking directly to me.  In my opinion, Reagan sums up everything that an orator should be.

Ronald Reagan Address after Challenger Disaster

Watch this video I posted above for yourself.  I am sure that you will agree with me.  He may be on television addressing over a million people, but he does it in a way that makes you feel that he is talking to you and mourning alongside you.  He really uses pathos throughout the entire speech and every person listening was definitely touched and felt his presence besides them.  This use of the television media shows how new technology is making rhetoric even more important in this time.  In the book, they talked about how you wouldn't want someone yelling or pounding on a podium while giving a speech on television trying to capture your attention.  The television gives the orator a much more comfortable and calming presence than ever before.

I love the way Reagan addresses the families of the victims and the "school children of America".  It really adds personal touches to the speech and makes you believe that he truly means every single word that comes from his mouth.

In my opinion, Reagan is the epitome of great orators.

Here is the script of the speech (read it-- it's brilliant):



Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.


Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But, we've never lost an astronaut in flight; we've never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle; but they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together.


For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, 'Give me a challenge and I'll meet it with joy.' They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.


We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.


And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them.


I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don't hide our space program. We don't keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That's the way freedom is, and we wouldn't change it for a minute. We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue. I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA or who worked on this mission and tell them: "Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it."


There's a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, 'He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.' Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete.


The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honoured us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'


Thank you.


President Ronald Reagan - January 28, 1986