September 2016

The month of September has seen a lot of building upon the foundations established in the first month and a half of the program. We have finished the neoplasia and hematology block and have transitioned into the autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular system. This block covers a lot of new physiology and drugs, but it’s been interesting to combine concepts from previous blocks to the new material. Outside of classes, I volunteered another day at the Crescent City Café, but I also added two volunteer commitments this month.

A few weeks ago I began working at the New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School, or SciHigh, to help tutor students studying pre-calculus. Studying topics in math was always one of my favorite subjects as I grew up, and it’s been a rewarding experience to pass along any insights I might have to their studies. This month, their classes have been covering foundational topics such as designing single variable functions and proportional equations. Many of the students I’ve worked with thus far have been very enthusiastic about learning the material, and it’s been exciting to see their progress in only a short time. I’m looking forward to seeing their continued improvement as the semester and school year goes along.

Also, I had an opportunity to help build a new home with Habitat for Humanity one weekend this month. It was not easy work in the late summer heat, but, incredibly, our team was able to finish installing the external insulation, roofing, doors, and windows in only a day. I’ve signed up to volunteer several more weekends this year, and I hope to continue working on the same project to contribute to its progress.

-Crescent City Café: 3 hours

-SciHigh: 4.5 hours

-Habitat for Humanity: 8 hours

-Total Fall Semester: 23.5 hours