1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,269 Welcome to Digication Scholars Conversations. 2 00:00:03,330 --> 00:00:05,340 I'm your host, Kelly Driscoll. 3 00:00:05,460 --> 00:00:09,809 In this episode, you'll hear my conversation with Andres Parres a 4 00:00:09,809 --> 00:00:12,090 student at the University of LaVerne. 5 00:00:12,509 --> 00:00:17,590 More links and information about today's conversation can be found on Digication's, 6 00:00:17,700 --> 00:00:19,709 Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 7 00:00:20,369 --> 00:00:24,869 Full episodes of Digication Scholars conversations can be found on YouTube. 8 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:27,130 Or your favorite podcast app. 9 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,220 Welcome to Digication Scholars Conversations. 10 00:00:32,260 --> 00:00:36,049 I'm your host, Kelly Driscoll, and today I'm very excited 11 00:00:36,049 --> 00:00:37,890 to introduce Andres Perez. 12 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:42,139 He is a current student at the University of LaVerne. 13 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:46,770 Uh, where he is majoring in psychology with a Pre-Med track. 14 00:00:46,850 --> 00:00:47,600 Welcome Andres. 15 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:48,550 Hi. 16 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:49,710 Thank you for having me. 17 00:00:49,850 --> 00:00:50,900 Um, yeah. 18 00:00:50,900 --> 00:00:52,130 So my, my name is Andres. 19 00:00:52,140 --> 00:00:54,579 It's currently my last year at the University of Louverne. 20 00:00:54,579 --> 00:00:56,290 I'll be done with all my classes in the summer. 21 00:00:56,300 --> 00:00:58,209 Not too sure when I'm going to be graduating. 22 00:00:58,209 --> 00:01:00,169 It's either in the spring or in the fall. 23 00:01:00,170 --> 00:01:01,829 I have to clarify with my advisor. 24 00:01:02,169 --> 00:01:08,299 Um, but, uh, yeah, and, uh, oof, what was I going to say? 25 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:10,149 Oh no, I blanked. 26 00:01:10,230 --> 00:01:10,880 On the spot. 27 00:01:10,929 --> 00:01:11,789 It's fine. 28 00:01:11,890 --> 00:01:12,870 Thank you so much. 29 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:18,089 It's very exciting that you're getting Near to the end of your time 30 00:01:18,089 --> 00:01:23,880 there, and as part of your experience there, uh, for our listeners, I 31 00:01:23,950 --> 00:01:29,030 was able to, uh, learn a little bit about Andres before our conversation 32 00:01:29,030 --> 00:01:31,869 today from his wonderful ePortfolio. 33 00:01:32,539 --> 00:01:35,880 And uh, for those that have been listening to other conversations, 34 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:41,070 I did have a chance to talk to one of his professors, Benjamin Jenkins 35 00:01:41,089 --> 00:01:43,279 on Digication Scholars as well. 36 00:01:43,585 --> 00:01:47,974 And we had such a lovely conversation about how he uses ePortfolios 37 00:01:48,004 --> 00:01:51,564 in his courses that I wanted the opportunity to speak to one of his. 38 00:01:51,979 --> 00:01:53,630 Past students as well. 39 00:01:54,330 --> 00:01:59,229 So, um, Andres, I know in the portfolio that you created, it has, 40 00:01:59,259 --> 00:02:04,999 uh, a title in it that's called the LaVerne Experience ePortfolio. 41 00:02:05,029 --> 00:02:07,509 Could you tell us a little bit about what that is? 42 00:02:07,859 --> 00:02:11,720 Yeah, so the LaVerne Experience, uh, so basically it's a requirement from 43 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,500 the school in order for us to graduate and it incorporates all the student, 44 00:02:15,550 --> 00:02:19,580 uh, the values of the university, so community engagement, uh, diversity, 45 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:24,969 inclusion, um, lifelong learning, and there's one more, but I forgot what it is. 46 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:30,529 But, um, yeah, so we had to incorporate the values into our portfolio and see 47 00:02:30,529 --> 00:02:35,750 how the values has affected us over the time, uh, we've been at the university. 48 00:02:36,139 --> 00:02:40,519 And so I highlighted three key, uh, values that diversity, 49 00:02:40,519 --> 00:02:44,110 inclusion, community engagement, and lifelong learning in my portfolio. 50 00:02:44,439 --> 00:02:46,499 So then I explained in my portfolio. 51 00:02:46,900 --> 00:02:51,260 Each value of what it meant to me and like how it's affected me and what 52 00:02:51,260 --> 00:02:55,070 I'm going to take from those values and apply it to my life in the future 53 00:02:55,159 --> 00:02:56,474 after I graduate from Little Rock. 54 00:02:57,304 --> 00:02:57,945 Nice. 55 00:02:58,015 --> 00:03:02,054 So, when you started creating this ePortfolio, was there a specific 56 00:03:02,065 --> 00:03:05,975 course that you were taking that kind of prompted you to start building it? 57 00:03:06,225 --> 00:03:10,864 Um, well, it was our Honors Colloquium II class that Professor Jenkins taught. 58 00:03:10,924 --> 00:03:14,624 Um, it's basically, it's a part of our librarian experience requirement. 59 00:03:15,124 --> 00:03:18,845 Um, not everyone takes Honors Colloquium, it's only for the honors program. 60 00:03:19,300 --> 00:03:22,880 But, uh, usually the class, like, people outside of the honors program have 61 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:27,090 to, like, go out in the community and, like, either, like, um, be a tutor for 62 00:03:27,110 --> 00:03:32,839 students at a public school or volunteer at a, I think at a food shelter. 63 00:03:33,299 --> 00:03:37,090 But, uh, for our class, uh, Professor Jenkins wanted to focus on giving 64 00:03:37,100 --> 00:03:40,820 back to the community and being a, giving, adding to the LaVerne history. 65 00:03:41,210 --> 00:03:46,875 So, um, at, uh, at our university we have a, uh, Uh, ooh, what's it called? 66 00:03:48,575 --> 00:03:51,575 Uh, the history and then he wanted us to add to it. 67 00:03:52,125 --> 00:03:54,424 So we used our portfolios to add to it. 68 00:03:54,494 --> 00:03:55,494 Oh, what's it called? 69 00:03:55,625 --> 00:03:56,165 Oh, no. 70 00:03:56,174 --> 00:03:58,464 Are you speaking about the university archive? 71 00:03:58,464 --> 00:03:59,315 Yeah, the archives. 72 00:03:59,315 --> 00:03:59,855 Yes. 73 00:04:00,265 --> 00:04:01,534 Thank you for saving me. 74 00:04:01,535 --> 00:04:02,604 Yeah, the archives. 75 00:04:02,604 --> 00:04:06,375 He wanted us to add to the archives and, um, which will add to the community and 76 00:04:06,375 --> 00:04:10,165 making us have a history so when future students can look back upon the archives. 77 00:04:10,765 --> 00:04:11,484 And see it. 78 00:04:11,484 --> 00:04:15,084 And then he also, in the class, he wanted us to use archives to write another paper. 79 00:04:15,505 --> 00:04:19,644 Um, and so yeah, we used the archives to look back on our history and then 80 00:04:19,644 --> 00:04:23,575 like, and apply it to how much it's changed over the time of the course of 81 00:04:23,580 --> 00:04:25,465 the university's history to present day. 82 00:04:25,470 --> 00:04:25,570 Yeah. 83 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:26,050 Yeah. 84 00:04:26,825 --> 00:04:29,615 So what was that experience like for you? 85 00:04:29,615 --> 00:04:34,565 I know you, uh, in some of the reflective writing that you 86 00:04:34,565 --> 00:04:36,185 did in the e-portfolio were. 87 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:42,150 Kind of sharing that when you first embarked on creating the ePortfolio, 88 00:04:42,270 --> 00:04:45,880 you were struggling a little bit to think about, you know, your kind of 89 00:04:45,950 --> 00:04:51,529 place in the institution's history or how you were doing really mattered. 90 00:04:51,530 --> 00:04:53,269 You know, you were going to classes and then. 91 00:04:53,874 --> 00:04:57,104 Going home, you know, how does this kind of fit into the bigger picture? 92 00:04:57,145 --> 00:05:00,335 So what was the experience like for you as you're creating 93 00:05:00,335 --> 00:05:03,635 the ePortfolio and starting to make some of those connections? 94 00:05:03,914 --> 00:05:08,000 Well, Professor Jenkins gave us, gave us the idea of just like, look, You 95 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:11,330 have to make a portfolio, but it's up to you what you put in there. 96 00:05:11,330 --> 00:05:15,649 Like he, he gave us instructions, but it wasn't like a set thing 97 00:05:15,649 --> 00:05:16,880 to follow, like a prompt. 98 00:05:16,939 --> 00:05:19,169 It was kind of just like, this is your project. 99 00:05:19,170 --> 00:05:21,580 You do what you want with it, which was difficult. 100 00:05:21,609 --> 00:05:24,710 Cause usually I like instructions and I like knowing what to do. 101 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:28,290 So I was, I was able to be a little bit more creative in this sense. 102 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:32,690 And I was able to like take different things in my life and put it together. 103 00:05:32,700 --> 00:05:37,300 But, um, Yeah, it was difficult because honestly, I'm not involved in any 104 00:05:37,300 --> 00:05:39,300 sports clubs, anything at the school. 105 00:05:39,300 --> 00:05:42,789 I literally just go to class, drive home, and then I do stuff outside of class. 106 00:05:43,309 --> 00:05:48,210 And so it was difficult to see how I've impacted the community in any 107 00:05:48,210 --> 00:05:50,919 way, because like, you know, if you're not really there, then how can you? 108 00:05:51,499 --> 00:05:52,479 Impact the community. 109 00:05:52,479 --> 00:05:57,900 So I had to like, uh, look at my personal life to see how I impact the 110 00:05:57,900 --> 00:05:59,700 community instead of just the school. 111 00:05:59,700 --> 00:06:02,640 I started to expand my horizons and think outside of the box, 112 00:06:03,239 --> 00:06:04,989 um, to answer those questions. 113 00:06:05,729 --> 00:06:06,270 Yeah. 114 00:06:06,280 --> 00:06:10,399 So what kind of discoveries did you make in that process? 115 00:06:10,570 --> 00:06:15,460 Well, upon, upon looking, reflecting on my life, basically, um, I, I found 116 00:06:15,460 --> 00:06:19,340 out that I actually, like, in fall, I'm engaged with the community a lot. 117 00:06:19,630 --> 00:06:23,230 Um, at that time, you know, I have a, I have a podcast called, 118 00:06:23,230 --> 00:06:24,420 uh, 'Get In' football podcast. 119 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:25,210 It's changed. 120 00:06:25,230 --> 00:06:26,930 The name has changed since the portfolio. 121 00:06:26,930 --> 00:06:32,299 So it's outdated on the portfolio, but, um, yeah, I realized that we engage a 122 00:06:32,299 --> 00:06:35,609 lot with the community, every video we make, you know, sometimes it doesn't get 123 00:06:35,610 --> 00:06:39,000 a lot of views, but you know, so there's always someone to engage with someone that 124 00:06:39,010 --> 00:06:41,349 watches and that engages with our video. 125 00:06:41,860 --> 00:06:46,150 And, uh, recently we had a video, um, And we were talking about the Jamaican 126 00:06:46,150 --> 00:06:50,939 national team, and we had a lot of people from Jamaica commenting on our videos, 127 00:06:50,939 --> 00:06:54,419 sharing their thoughts and opinions, and that was just mind blowing to us 128 00:06:54,439 --> 00:06:57,919 because we had no idea we could reach another country and have that big of 129 00:06:57,919 --> 00:07:02,599 an engagement with another country, so it was really cool to see that 130 00:07:02,599 --> 00:07:07,030 engagement with them, and then, uh, and then diversity and inclusion, you know, 131 00:07:07,030 --> 00:07:08,979 I play soccer outside of the school. 132 00:07:09,135 --> 00:07:12,095 And I was thinking, I was like, there's got to be something cause 133 00:07:12,095 --> 00:07:13,455 it's the world's biggest sport. 134 00:07:13,865 --> 00:07:17,715 Um, you know, it's, uh, everybody loves it and there's got to be something. 135 00:07:17,724 --> 00:07:22,395 And then I was, I'd recently joined a semi professional team at the time of making 136 00:07:22,395 --> 00:07:27,745 the ePortfolio and two of my teammates were Jamaican and I believe Nigerian. 137 00:07:27,785 --> 00:07:31,455 And I never really encountered anyone from those countries, like 138 00:07:31,595 --> 00:07:33,225 specifically from those countries. 139 00:07:33,395 --> 00:07:36,424 So it was really cool to talk with them and spend time with them on 140 00:07:36,424 --> 00:07:38,475 the field and outside of the, Field. 141 00:07:38,495 --> 00:07:41,065 And yeah, it was just something I had to think about outside. 142 00:07:41,075 --> 00:07:44,825 And then the lifelong learning, that was, that was when I could actually 143 00:07:44,825 --> 00:07:47,974 go in the classroom and it was like reflect on classes I've had in the 144 00:07:47,974 --> 00:07:52,184 past, because usually for me in college, like once I take a class, I don't 145 00:07:52,184 --> 00:07:55,445 really think about it too much unless I have to use it for another class. 146 00:07:55,785 --> 00:07:58,005 So it was kind of like one of those things, but like it forced me to 147 00:07:58,005 --> 00:08:01,455 go back and think about all these other honors classes I've taken, all 148 00:08:01,455 --> 00:08:02,945 these other psych classes I've taken. 149 00:08:02,985 --> 00:08:04,245 And then I was able to use that. 150 00:08:04,755 --> 00:08:08,875 To draw from my ePortfolio, and then I use a couple of examples from like papers, 151 00:08:08,875 --> 00:08:13,455 and I think I used a presentation I used in one of my favorite classes I've had 152 00:08:13,594 --> 00:08:14,814 to incorporate it into my ePortfolio. 153 00:08:16,185 --> 00:08:16,495 Yeah. 154 00:08:16,495 --> 00:08:20,704 How did you make decisions about what you wanted to include? 155 00:08:20,834 --> 00:08:24,935 And it looks like in some of the other 'LaVerne Experience', uh, 156 00:08:24,965 --> 00:08:29,745 portfolios that I've seen, there's kind of an, uh, overlying structure. 157 00:08:30,284 --> 00:08:34,695 Did you modify that structure at all or did you kind of use what 158 00:08:34,695 --> 00:08:38,205 was available within the template but then filled it in with yours? 159 00:08:38,515 --> 00:08:39,725 Specific kinds of projects. 160 00:08:39,725 --> 00:08:42,304 And how did you decide what you were going to add to each area? 161 00:08:42,544 --> 00:08:42,885 Yeah. 162 00:08:42,885 --> 00:08:48,035 Um, well he gave, uh, Professor Jenkins gave us a, a rough idea of how to set it 163 00:08:48,055 --> 00:08:52,625 up so it didn't look like a chaotic mess of material just chucked into a portfolio. 164 00:08:53,085 --> 00:08:57,655 Um, but I wanted to tell a story with everything I did, uh, to an extent. 165 00:08:57,655 --> 00:09:00,915 So like for my essays that I had in the section, I forgot what 166 00:09:00,915 --> 00:09:02,235 I exactly called that section. 167 00:09:02,455 --> 00:09:06,445 I wanted to tell a story of my progression through, uh, college so far. 168 00:09:06,445 --> 00:09:07,745 Like my writing style. 169 00:09:08,215 --> 00:09:12,355 My, uh, presentation style, because I wasn't a very strong writer. 170 00:09:12,355 --> 00:09:15,975 I'm sure my high school teachers could attest to this, um, in, in my 171 00:09:15,975 --> 00:09:20,184 high school classes, um, I always got like B pluses on all my essays. 172 00:09:20,184 --> 00:09:25,615 I rarely got any, any A's and, you know, I, I wanted to show that I've grown as a 173 00:09:25,615 --> 00:09:32,584 writer, um, and show that I've improved and, uh, in some way, because I've, I've 174 00:09:32,604 --> 00:09:36,064 made sure I incorporate a research paper I wrote, cause I've never wrote, at the 175 00:09:36,135 --> 00:09:39,155 time I've never written a research paper, and I was proud of what I've written 176 00:09:39,165 --> 00:09:40,624 cause I spent a lot of time working on it. 177 00:09:41,095 --> 00:09:44,765 And I wanted to show that and then show a reflection essay that I 178 00:09:44,775 --> 00:09:48,695 had as well in another class that challenged me to think outside the 179 00:09:48,695 --> 00:09:50,895 box again from Professor Jensen. 180 00:09:50,915 --> 00:09:55,984 At the time, you, uh, you, uh, Professor Jensen was a professor at all freshman 181 00:09:55,984 --> 00:09:59,365 year and he had like all of these essays all the time that were like really 182 00:09:59,365 --> 00:10:02,905 like made you think outside the box and they were never straightforward. 183 00:10:02,935 --> 00:10:06,185 It was very frustrating, but you had to like really put your mind to it. 184 00:10:06,805 --> 00:10:11,245 And, and so, yeah, so I incorporated one of his essays and then I just. 185 00:10:11,515 --> 00:10:15,275 Try to tell a story with everything that I did and try and like reflect, 186 00:10:15,314 --> 00:10:19,604 put my own spin on it, um, too, because I try to show my personality 187 00:10:19,604 --> 00:10:21,455 a little bit through the presentation. 188 00:10:21,455 --> 00:10:26,195 Like why the reason why I incorporated, uh, incorporated presentation into that 189 00:10:26,205 --> 00:10:30,304 section for the documents was because, uh, it was my favorite class, but also 190 00:10:30,304 --> 00:10:34,905 it's my favorite thing I've worked on so far because in that presentation it was 191 00:10:34,905 --> 00:10:38,675 an interpersonal communications class, uh, and so the class was basically. 192 00:10:39,285 --> 00:10:43,694 About, um, uh, relationships and how they work. 193 00:10:44,215 --> 00:10:47,675 And I thought it was really cool because it was applicable to my life. 194 00:10:47,685 --> 00:10:52,494 And you can, I, I, what I've learned, I've used in my life and I can see about it. 195 00:10:52,564 --> 00:10:53,734 Uh, see what it's about. 196 00:10:53,784 --> 00:10:56,494 And, um, and I was able to, in the presentation, I was able to 197 00:10:56,494 --> 00:10:59,624 analyze my favorite movie and the relationship between the two characters. 198 00:10:59,734 --> 00:11:01,835 And then, so I was really proud of that. 199 00:11:01,835 --> 00:11:02,905 So I had to incorporate that. 200 00:11:02,915 --> 00:11:07,334 So yeah, a lot of everything that's in there is a story of myself. 201 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:12,449 In a way that I try to make a story in throughout my life, uh, in each section. 202 00:11:12,619 --> 00:11:14,060 So, that was the idea behind it. 203 00:11:14,750 --> 00:11:15,410 Nice. 204 00:11:15,449 --> 00:11:23,649 And for you, was this kind of, um, process of personal storytelling or reflecting 205 00:11:23,650 --> 00:11:29,939 on your experiences something that you had done before you used the ePortfolio? 206 00:11:29,939 --> 00:11:34,770 Or was this a new, uh, A new kind of practice or process for you? 207 00:11:35,079 --> 00:11:37,469 It was definitely a new practice. 208 00:11:37,540 --> 00:11:42,780 Um, because I didn't, I didn't really reflect on my life in that way and try and 209 00:11:42,780 --> 00:11:46,980 incorporate the values of the university that we had, uh, to look at upon. 210 00:11:47,069 --> 00:11:50,819 So it made me reflect on my life because I never really done that before. 211 00:11:50,819 --> 00:11:53,600 I usually just gone, gone with the flow and I was like, 212 00:11:53,620 --> 00:11:55,290 all right, this happens next. 213 00:11:55,290 --> 00:11:57,790 And this happens for a reason and all that. 214 00:11:57,829 --> 00:12:02,135 And, um, Yeah, and I just had to really reflect, but I enjoyed it because it 215 00:12:02,135 --> 00:12:03,645 made me think outside the box though. 216 00:12:03,705 --> 00:12:07,615 Um, especially with, uh, we had to do interviews and I tried to 217 00:12:07,615 --> 00:12:09,944 get, like, a theme going with the interviews because I just didn't want 218 00:12:09,945 --> 00:12:11,625 to interview, like, random people. 219 00:12:12,275 --> 00:12:17,745 Um, and, uh, like, uh, so I was like, let's interview someone from the 220 00:12:17,754 --> 00:12:21,205 past of the university and then let's interview someone in the present. 221 00:12:21,205 --> 00:12:24,745 So I grabbed one of my friends that I've known literally the first day of college. 222 00:12:24,745 --> 00:12:25,635 I met her on the first day. 223 00:12:26,045 --> 00:12:29,605 And then I grabbed my mom who went to the university, thankfully, so thank 224 00:12:29,605 --> 00:12:31,045 you, mom, for going to that university. 225 00:12:31,045 --> 00:12:32,845 Aww, that's wonderful. 226 00:12:33,204 --> 00:12:36,435 I was able to reflect, I was able to compare and contrast the two, 227 00:12:36,435 --> 00:12:39,905 so I was just focused on telling a story in every aspect that I could. 228 00:12:42,135 --> 00:12:47,264 Yeah, so I'm curious, between their two different perspectives, were there a 229 00:12:47,324 --> 00:12:50,654 lot of parallels in their experience. 230 00:12:51,194 --> 00:12:54,344 Going to the same university, even though they were there at different times. 231 00:12:54,594 --> 00:12:58,155 Um, I would say there's, there's some parallels, both very hard 232 00:12:58,155 --> 00:12:59,584 driven women on both sides. 233 00:12:59,665 --> 00:13:06,115 Um, but it, my mom always emphasized that the campus during her time was so 234 00:13:06,115 --> 00:13:08,404 much smaller than the campus it is now. 235 00:13:08,815 --> 00:13:13,535 Because a lot of it was never built, uh, when she went there, and, and 236 00:13:13,535 --> 00:13:15,244 then now it's a lot bigger, obviously. 237 00:13:15,614 --> 00:13:18,974 But, um, yeah, I mean, it kind of reflected the same way, because, 238 00:13:19,015 --> 00:13:21,439 uh, you know, My friend, Sh... 239 00:13:21,439 --> 00:13:24,760 She's still in college, but my mom's gone on to graduate school 240 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:26,390 and got her PhD and stuff. 241 00:13:26,390 --> 00:13:30,579 So, like, uh, she's a lot more developed in the educational side. 242 00:13:30,619 --> 00:13:32,819 And my friend's still starting out in that sense. 243 00:13:33,350 --> 00:13:39,850 And so, um, it was similar in the sense of what they got from the university so far. 244 00:13:40,425 --> 00:13:47,785 But it, um, but my mom was able to apply more to what she learned from LaVerne. 245 00:13:47,785 --> 00:13:51,124 I was able to use it outside of LaVerne for further education. 246 00:13:51,374 --> 00:13:55,715 Um, but my friend hasn't, is still there, but she thinks that it's gonna 247 00:13:55,715 --> 00:13:58,734 help her, uh, long, later down the road. 248 00:13:59,994 --> 00:14:00,354 Nice. 249 00:14:00,664 --> 00:14:07,285 And I know in my conversation, uh, with your, um, professor, Professor 250 00:14:07,285 --> 00:14:12,135 Jenkins, he was speaking a bit about the university archives. 251 00:14:12,655 --> 00:14:20,435 And how important it is for students to be able to share their stories and 252 00:14:20,435 --> 00:14:25,094 experiences in the same way that you're able to refer to the archives and learn 253 00:14:25,094 --> 00:14:32,444 about the institution's history and what life was like for students then and what 254 00:14:32,445 --> 00:14:39,530 the kind of, Learning outcomes were at that time to serve you today, that 255 00:14:39,590 --> 00:14:46,749 your experiences and stories can have value to future generation and kind of 256 00:14:46,750 --> 00:14:52,160 thinking about the ePortfolio as sort of a time capsule, sort of your legacy that 257 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:54,099 you're leaving behind for other students. 258 00:14:54,239 --> 00:14:59,620 And was that something that you kind of had in mind as you were creating these 259 00:14:59,630 --> 00:15:05,469 stories or who are you thinking about as the, the audience for your ePortfolio? 260 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,540 Well, I know obviously professor Jenkins was the main audience. 261 00:15:09,620 --> 00:15:14,390 Um, also, you know, I know he works, um, as an archivist at the school. 262 00:15:14,770 --> 00:15:18,669 Um, but yeah, I didn't really have like a set audience in mind. 263 00:15:18,699 --> 00:15:23,640 I knew that it's possible for future, uh, students to see my portfolio. 264 00:15:23,955 --> 00:15:25,785 But it's not like a guarantee, right? 265 00:15:25,865 --> 00:15:30,245 Um, but I just wanted to, I took the matter serious and I wanted to 266 00:15:30,305 --> 00:15:35,415 ensure that I was able to reflect and my portfolio showed the story of 267 00:15:35,424 --> 00:15:40,014 my time at LaVerne and, um, I didn't have like a set audience in mind. 268 00:15:40,014 --> 00:15:43,304 I just want to be able to show my personality, but also show my time 269 00:15:43,304 --> 00:15:46,855 at LaVerne and hopefully people can learn from it or people can see. 270 00:15:47,205 --> 00:15:48,795 What it was like back then. 271 00:15:49,375 --> 00:15:52,515 And so, yeah, my, my, I didn't have like a set audience in mind. 272 00:15:54,324 --> 00:15:55,655 And I was curious too. 273 00:15:55,715 --> 00:16:01,094 So you, it sounds like you added materials from a number of different courses 274 00:16:01,105 --> 00:16:03,574 that you've taken over your time there. 275 00:16:03,625 --> 00:16:08,655 And as you were kind of going through this process of curating and making 276 00:16:08,655 --> 00:16:16,005 decisions about what you wanted to include, had you seen any of your own 277 00:16:16,395 --> 00:16:22,484 kind of growth or transformations as you had kind of moved through the curriculum 278 00:16:22,484 --> 00:16:26,354 there from one course to the next, how your skills may have developed. 279 00:16:26,875 --> 00:16:31,464 I think thinking outside the box is probably the best thing because, you 280 00:16:31,464 --> 00:16:34,544 know, usually in high, in high school, you would be like, here's a prompt, 281 00:16:34,544 --> 00:16:37,794 write about it, you know, or you have to write a certain way, especially in 282 00:16:37,794 --> 00:16:41,814 those AP courses, you have to write a certain way in order to get the grade. 283 00:16:42,094 --> 00:16:43,794 So you're very limited on what you could do. 284 00:16:44,285 --> 00:16:47,734 Um, and, and when I got to the University of LaVerne, it was kind of interesting. 285 00:16:48,045 --> 00:16:51,585 Uh, the writing professor I had freshman year was, I mentioned 286 00:16:51,585 --> 00:16:52,955 before, was Professor Jensen. 287 00:16:53,235 --> 00:16:57,334 He always, like, encouraged to think outside the box, and he gave us prompts, 288 00:16:57,334 --> 00:16:59,685 but the thing was, is I remember at the time I was always frustrated 289 00:16:59,685 --> 00:17:03,285 every time he gave us an essay to write about, was that he never, like, 290 00:17:03,314 --> 00:17:06,084 was super specific on what to write. 291 00:17:06,514 --> 00:17:09,584 Like, we would have, like, some, like, reading, we, like, a reading we had to 292 00:17:09,584 --> 00:17:12,574 do, or, like, a book we read, and then we'd have to write about it, but he 293 00:17:12,574 --> 00:17:15,695 kind of gave us the leeway to kind of write about what we wanted to write. 294 00:17:16,315 --> 00:17:19,965 But, um, yeah, I think my writing style in that sense of thinking outside 295 00:17:19,965 --> 00:17:24,885 the box improved, but also through writing so many essays and papers, um, 296 00:17:25,244 --> 00:17:27,065 my overall writing just got better. 297 00:17:27,065 --> 00:17:30,915 I'd stop making, I stopped speaking like, don't slang English, you know, uh, 298 00:17:31,495 --> 00:17:36,005 I, I gotta like, I started like, I've narrowed down the typos and I've started 299 00:17:36,005 --> 00:17:39,745 speaking like proper English when writing instead of just like using like slang 300 00:17:39,755 --> 00:17:43,525 that you should never use in a paper and I would always be a culprit of that. 301 00:17:43,525 --> 00:17:46,034 And then I'd be like, Wait a minute, I gotta go back, because 302 00:17:46,034 --> 00:17:48,895 I can't say that, that's not, that's not how you write a paper. 303 00:17:49,475 --> 00:17:55,804 Um, but also um, I think another thing, uh, that has, uh, that has improved 304 00:17:55,804 --> 00:18:00,274 over time was um, listening to others as well, because usually I was kind of 305 00:18:00,274 --> 00:18:04,194 like, narrow minded in that sense, but I think through all the classes I've 306 00:18:04,194 --> 00:18:07,610 taken, it's, I've, I've learned that it's important to also, like, listen 307 00:18:07,610 --> 00:18:09,390 to everybody and just hear them out. 308 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:13,359 Um, because I've taken a lot of philosophy classes because of the honors program 309 00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:16,689 and everyone, and we've learned about so many different cultures, cultures 310 00:18:16,729 --> 00:18:18,420 I've, like, never even thought about. 311 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:23,279 And, but it's always important to incorporate those, uh, to not incorporate 312 00:18:23,279 --> 00:18:26,490 them, but listen to them and see how they can be even incorporated in your 313 00:18:26,490 --> 00:18:29,900 life or how similar they are to certain values that you have in your life. 314 00:18:30,290 --> 00:18:31,940 And just be able to compare and contrast. 315 00:18:31,949 --> 00:18:34,230 So those are the two things I've learned so far. 316 00:18:35,009 --> 00:18:35,389 Nice. 317 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:40,439 Uh, and it's great to hear that it sounds like some of the assignments that 318 00:18:40,439 --> 00:18:47,019 you were given that kind of pushed you outside of your comfort zone and may 319 00:18:47,019 --> 00:18:51,259 have initially challenged you and made you feel a bit frustrated or some of the 320 00:18:51,270 --> 00:18:55,300 things that you're most proud of today. 321 00:18:55,870 --> 00:19:00,909 And where you've seen some of your, um, biggest growth happen. 322 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:06,199 So, I know many educators are, are hoping to kind of push their 323 00:19:06,199 --> 00:19:08,060 students to the next level. 324 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:12,420 So, um, it sounds like you've had some really good experiences and teachers 325 00:19:12,420 --> 00:19:14,670 there at your, your time at LeBarn. 326 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:22,380 Um, and I was curious for you, you mentioned that you, uh, have a love 327 00:19:22,460 --> 00:19:29,429 for soccer and that it's something that you do, uh, outside of your, 328 00:19:29,460 --> 00:19:32,129 uh, time at the, at the school. 329 00:19:32,130 --> 00:19:36,390 It's something that you've included as part of your extracurriculars 330 00:19:36,460 --> 00:19:37,750 within your portfolio. 331 00:19:38,330 --> 00:19:41,650 Um, when did you make the decision to include that? 332 00:19:41,659 --> 00:19:46,820 What kind of led you to want to share that, that aspect of yourself? 333 00:19:46,969 --> 00:19:51,179 Well, soccer's been a massive part of my life and it's helped me be the person 334 00:19:51,179 --> 00:19:56,230 I am today through, um, trials and tribulations, uh, but I, I started when 335 00:19:56,230 --> 00:20:00,500 I was 12, uh, and actually a couple of days ago, it was my eighth anniversary 336 00:20:00,500 --> 00:20:02,570 of playing on the 17th of August. 337 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:04,244 I saw it on my, um, Instagram. 338 00:20:04,375 --> 00:20:07,995 My mom showed me one for Facebook, but what I Aw, congratulations! 339 00:20:08,375 --> 00:20:12,784 Oh, Yeah, so I was, so yeah, it's been eight years since I started playing, 340 00:20:12,824 --> 00:20:17,254 and it's always been a big part of my life for, um, because you know, uh, 341 00:20:17,254 --> 00:20:19,174 this is personal, but I will share it. 342 00:20:19,485 --> 00:20:24,935 Uh, so I was diagnosed with a, uh, blood disorder, hemophilia A, so I 343 00:20:24,935 --> 00:20:28,335 don't, I can't clot, I don't have factor VIII, so I can't clot blood. 344 00:20:28,485 --> 00:20:28,904 Um. 345 00:20:29,335 --> 00:20:32,325 So, I was never cleared to play any sports when I was a kid. 346 00:20:32,455 --> 00:20:34,705 I couldn't play football, soccer, tennis, nothing. 347 00:20:34,925 --> 00:20:40,535 Um, and uh, you know, thankfully, and luckily, I was blessed with a great 348 00:20:40,544 --> 00:20:42,494 medical team at Kaiser Permanente. 349 00:20:42,495 --> 00:20:44,424 Shout out Kaiser Permanente in that sense. 350 00:20:44,985 --> 00:20:48,665 Um, and I was blessed with a great team who, when I turned 12, actually 351 00:20:48,665 --> 00:20:53,565 approved of me playing, but also, uh, the medication got a lot better 352 00:20:53,595 --> 00:20:55,425 as well, and so I was able to play. 353 00:20:56,014 --> 00:20:59,294 And so, yeah, it's always been a big part of, uh, part of my life. 354 00:20:59,294 --> 00:21:02,554 Before the age of 12, I always remember watching soccer with 355 00:21:02,554 --> 00:21:04,495 my grandpa and, uh, my dad. 356 00:21:05,054 --> 00:21:06,795 And it was always the Mexican National Team. 357 00:21:06,795 --> 00:21:09,395 We, um, big supporters of the Mexican National Team, because my 358 00:21:09,595 --> 00:21:11,324 grandfather, he was from Mexico. 359 00:21:11,745 --> 00:21:14,715 And he, he actually got me into soccer, because I remember one time 360 00:21:15,975 --> 00:21:19,924 I was like, probably like five, and he was like, he was watching Chivas, 361 00:21:19,945 --> 00:21:22,154 he loved Chivas, and I was a kid. 362 00:21:22,154 --> 00:21:22,895 I had no idea. 363 00:21:22,895 --> 00:21:24,045 I didn't really care too much. 364 00:21:24,105 --> 00:21:26,565 And I was like, Hey, can we change the channel? 365 00:21:26,855 --> 00:21:27,735 I don't want to watch this. 366 00:21:28,335 --> 00:21:31,255 And he got mad at me. 367 00:21:31,255 --> 00:21:32,915 And he was like, change the channel. 368 00:21:33,125 --> 00:21:34,475 What do you mean change the channel? 369 00:21:34,875 --> 00:21:36,005 And then he got mad at me. 370 00:21:36,005 --> 00:21:36,915 So I had to leave the room. 371 00:21:37,355 --> 00:21:39,585 And I was like, why is he so mad at me? 372 00:21:39,585 --> 00:21:41,005 I just asked him to change the channel. 373 00:21:41,385 --> 00:21:45,095 I didn't get it until recently, uh, when I started, like, when I was 374 00:21:45,095 --> 00:21:49,015 around 12 and really got into soccer, playing soccer, watching soccer, that I 375 00:21:49,015 --> 00:21:54,055 understood what it meant, um, to be so passionate about something that you love. 376 00:21:54,424 --> 00:21:57,014 And soccer is something that I'm very passionate about and that I love. 377 00:21:57,575 --> 00:21:59,455 And, uh, and so I thank him for that. 378 00:21:59,645 --> 00:22:01,875 Uh, so yeah, it was just a big, big part of my life. 379 00:22:01,895 --> 00:22:06,505 I've, you know, had a lot of ups and downs with soccer, uh, Actually, I had a year 380 00:22:06,505 --> 00:22:08,134 break after senior year of high school. 381 00:22:08,884 --> 00:22:12,614 I got injured with a knee injury, took a year break and then didn't get back 382 00:22:12,614 --> 00:22:17,064 to it until I was making this portfolio literally the week and before I had to 383 00:22:17,074 --> 00:22:21,274 turn in my portfolio, I made my semi professional debut and that was my first 384 00:22:21,275 --> 00:22:23,395 game back in over like a year and a half. 385 00:22:23,904 --> 00:22:26,054 So it was just like, everything was coming together at the 386 00:22:26,054 --> 00:22:27,514 right time as I was making it. 387 00:22:27,955 --> 00:22:32,195 But like, during that year gap, it never left, uh, my passion for soccer. 388 00:22:32,195 --> 00:22:36,735 And during that time was when I made podcast, was filled in that soccer 389 00:22:36,735 --> 00:22:41,090 gap or that I had, uh, Um, but it was never, never really felt the same. 390 00:22:41,090 --> 00:22:45,240 Like I love making that podcast, but it playing is just a different experience 391 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:47,550 for me is something that I prefer to do. 392 00:22:47,989 --> 00:22:52,400 But, um, yeah, so now I'm doing both and I just love what I'm doing at the moment. 393 00:22:53,330 --> 00:22:55,329 Ah, that's such an incredible story. 394 00:22:55,330 --> 00:23:02,050 And I'm so glad to hear that even though there were so many limitations placed on 395 00:23:02,050 --> 00:23:05,090 you as a child, that you've been able to. 396 00:23:06,324 --> 00:23:12,755 You know, build this love for the sport and have this wonderful opportunity 397 00:23:12,755 --> 00:23:15,245 to play and have come so far. 398 00:23:15,274 --> 00:23:19,444 That's really remarkable in just eight years time. 399 00:23:19,715 --> 00:23:20,205 Right. 400 00:23:20,385 --> 00:23:20,725 Yeah. 401 00:23:20,894 --> 00:23:27,415 And, um, I love to hear that it's rooted in family and, uh, you know, of course 402 00:23:27,445 --> 00:23:29,795 your grandfather wanted to share his. 403 00:23:30,010 --> 00:23:36,630 Joy and passion for the sport with you and what a wonderful way to kind of carry on. 404 00:23:37,050 --> 00:23:41,930 Your family's kind of history and joy with the sport also. 405 00:23:42,420 --> 00:23:46,760 Um, so you mentioned you started the podcast, if I got this correct, 406 00:23:46,770 --> 00:23:50,250 and you started that when you needed to take that kind of one 407 00:23:50,250 --> 00:23:52,099 year break from the sport, correct? 408 00:23:52,460 --> 00:23:52,880 Yeah. 409 00:23:52,969 --> 00:23:56,314 So There's going to be a backstory behind this. 410 00:23:56,314 --> 00:24:02,084 So actually, the podcast I have today isn't the original podcast that I had. 411 00:24:03,084 --> 00:24:05,225 So my friend Elijah, he is a part of my podcast. 412 00:24:05,245 --> 00:24:06,784 I went to high school with him for four years. 413 00:24:06,794 --> 00:24:09,294 So me and him are still good friends because we still have podcasts together. 414 00:24:09,714 --> 00:24:13,355 But senior year of high school, we actually had another podcast called 415 00:24:13,665 --> 00:24:15,335 Everything in Between the Sticks. 416 00:24:15,665 --> 00:24:17,705 And it was an idea we had just for fun. 417 00:24:18,045 --> 00:24:21,085 You know, we only post on Spotify and it was just kind of like for 418 00:24:21,085 --> 00:24:24,534 laughs and giggles and it didn't do well cause you know, you don't 419 00:24:24,534 --> 00:24:27,685 really post on Spotify unless you have like an audience to follow. 420 00:24:27,685 --> 00:24:27,925 It's good. 421 00:24:27,965 --> 00:24:30,844 It's hard to follow people on Spotify that are starting out. 422 00:24:30,855 --> 00:24:32,065 YouTube's the best way. 423 00:24:32,665 --> 00:24:33,914 And you know, it didn't go anywhere. 424 00:24:33,915 --> 00:24:34,995 We kind of forgot about it. 425 00:24:35,104 --> 00:24:37,525 Like we stopped filming and we like just forgot about it. 426 00:24:38,179 --> 00:24:39,750 And then he texted me. 427 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:44,299 He was like, Hey, it's probably like September of 2022. 428 00:24:47,810 --> 00:24:48,199 I think. 429 00:24:48,199 --> 00:24:48,339 Yeah. 430 00:24:48,339 --> 00:24:48,559 Yeah. 431 00:24:48,659 --> 00:24:50,539 Around like August, September ago. 432 00:24:51,259 --> 00:24:51,509 Yeah. 433 00:24:51,509 --> 00:24:54,080 So we're actually almost reaching our year anniversary. 434 00:24:54,449 --> 00:24:55,290 So it'll be next month. 435 00:24:55,580 --> 00:25:00,930 Uh, and he was like, Hey, Uh, we have some people in Sweden who watched our 436 00:25:00,940 --> 00:25:03,080 podcast, Everything in Between the Sticks. 437 00:25:03,100 --> 00:25:04,170 And I was like, Sweden? 438 00:25:04,900 --> 00:25:06,010 And he was like, yeah. 439 00:25:06,010 --> 00:25:07,889 He was like, you want to run it, run it back? 440 00:25:07,910 --> 00:25:09,040 And I was like, you know what? 441 00:25:09,510 --> 00:25:09,819 Sure. 442 00:25:09,819 --> 00:25:10,229 Why not? 443 00:25:10,230 --> 00:25:11,030 Let's run it back. 444 00:25:11,090 --> 00:25:14,319 And this time, uh, we incorporated one of his friends is now 445 00:25:14,319 --> 00:25:15,580 one of my friends, Diego. 446 00:25:15,790 --> 00:25:17,919 So then it became a trio on the podcast. 447 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:21,740 And then so around September, I'm sure I can probably find the exact day if 448 00:25:21,740 --> 00:25:22,970 you just look on the YouTube channel. 449 00:25:22,990 --> 00:25:23,290 Cause, yeah. 450 00:25:23,620 --> 00:25:24,690 Can see the when it's posted. 451 00:25:24,690 --> 00:25:26,509 I think it's like September 10th, I think. 452 00:25:26,990 --> 00:25:29,860 Yeah, we can include a link to it in our show notes. 453 00:25:29,860 --> 00:25:31,169 Yeah. 454 00:25:31,449 --> 00:25:31,850 Okay. 455 00:25:31,850 --> 00:25:32,699 Yeah, that's fine. 456 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:34,279 It's on our greatest video. 457 00:25:34,279 --> 00:25:36,819 It's because it's a start, it's a startup video and we 458 00:25:36,819 --> 00:25:38,249 had no idea what we were doing. 459 00:25:38,639 --> 00:25:43,379 Uh, and I was just like, we, we didn't know how to flow because we were all, 460 00:25:43,459 --> 00:25:46,489 we were three guys, but we never knew how to like how to properly have a 461 00:25:46,509 --> 00:25:48,460 flowing conversation that was engaging. 462 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:52,330 And so it was kind of like one of us would speak and then another one would speak. 463 00:25:52,685 --> 00:25:56,924 And then we would wait and it just never was like really flowing and 464 00:25:56,924 --> 00:25:59,485 we're like, Oh, who would watch this? 465 00:25:59,505 --> 00:26:02,975 And then slowly we picked up over time, we picked up how to like 466 00:26:02,985 --> 00:26:07,254 actually have this huge, like dialogue or like how to talk and like how 467 00:26:07,254 --> 00:26:08,734 to flow instead of just one of us. 468 00:26:09,990 --> 00:26:11,580 Uh, one at a time. 469 00:26:11,750 --> 00:26:15,070 And so, yeah, we've, we've, we've picked up a few tricks here and there. 470 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:19,370 And, uh, we've grown a little bit since we started a year ago, but, um, yeah. 471 00:26:19,370 --> 00:26:20,590 And then we had the World Cup. 472 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:23,940 We grew during the world cup and then, uh, we actually did 473 00:26:23,969 --> 00:26:25,289 really well during the Gold Cup. 474 00:26:25,380 --> 00:26:27,979 That's where the Jamaican fans came in the Jamaica video. 475 00:26:27,979 --> 00:26:30,990 That's our best video actually with a 10 K. 476 00:26:31,580 --> 00:26:35,230 And then, uh, then we had a tick talk with my team West Ham. 477 00:26:35,230 --> 00:26:36,290 They were playing in a final. 478 00:26:36,905 --> 00:26:38,585 And that went to 18k. 479 00:26:38,585 --> 00:26:40,105 That was our best TikTok ever. 480 00:26:40,485 --> 00:26:44,844 And it was just literally a video of me reacting to us scoring the winning goal. 481 00:26:45,265 --> 00:26:45,884 And that was it. 482 00:26:45,895 --> 00:26:46,524 That was the video. 483 00:26:46,524 --> 00:26:50,245 But it was really like a sentimental video to me. 484 00:26:50,245 --> 00:26:52,684 Cause my little brother's in the background of the video. 485 00:26:52,685 --> 00:26:54,194 He's celebrating like crazy. 486 00:26:54,504 --> 00:26:56,895 He's celebrating more than I am in the video. 487 00:26:57,505 --> 00:26:59,345 And that's just cause I was in shock of that. 488 00:26:59,345 --> 00:27:01,745 We actually were, we won a trophy and I couldn't believe it. 489 00:27:02,135 --> 00:27:07,440 But, um, yeah, Yeah, it's also that video, the TikTok was also important to me 490 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:11,485 because it documented history of My team winning, but I care about my team a lot. 491 00:27:11,505 --> 00:27:13,585 And it was just like seeing that moment. 492 00:27:13,625 --> 00:27:16,025 I got to just go on Tik Tok and relive that moment. 493 00:27:16,645 --> 00:27:18,695 Watch myself react to the video. 494 00:27:19,145 --> 00:27:23,634 Well, and clearly others have enjoyed in kind of reveling 495 00:27:23,634 --> 00:27:25,445 in that joy with you, right? 496 00:27:25,505 --> 00:27:25,654 Yeah. 497 00:27:25,654 --> 00:27:25,855 Yeah. 498 00:27:25,855 --> 00:27:31,545 Some people were a bit salty that my team won, but some people 499 00:27:31,545 --> 00:27:35,155 were, but, uh, overall it was a good, good reaction to it. 500 00:27:35,175 --> 00:27:38,895 And you know, I thoroughly enjoyed doing the podcast with those guys. 501 00:27:39,075 --> 00:27:40,075 They're a great group of guys. 502 00:27:40,525 --> 00:27:43,285 And being able to experience certain things with them, like we 503 00:27:43,285 --> 00:27:45,545 went to a football game recently. 504 00:27:45,835 --> 00:27:49,015 It was a Wrexham, I don't know if you know who that is, Wrexham AFC. 505 00:27:49,015 --> 00:27:49,955 It's owned by Ryan Reynolds. 506 00:27:50,394 --> 00:27:52,974 And Rob McElhenney versus Manchester United. 507 00:27:52,984 --> 00:27:54,854 We had to go to San Diego to watch the game. 508 00:27:54,905 --> 00:27:55,994 Did a video on that. 509 00:27:55,994 --> 00:28:00,195 And it was just, Another fun experience that we were able to do was us three. 510 00:28:00,645 --> 00:28:04,875 So yeah, it's a nice little escape too because like if it's a busy week 511 00:28:05,084 --> 00:28:08,975 then I have like an, I know I have an hour set where I can just talk 512 00:28:08,985 --> 00:28:10,065 about something that I love with. 513 00:28:10,544 --> 00:28:13,804 Two guys that are amazing and yeah, it's just a great time. 514 00:28:14,905 --> 00:28:21,245 Well, and it sounds like you have a lot of, uh, respect for the kind of team that 515 00:28:21,245 --> 00:28:27,804 you've built for your podcast and how do you feel like that may connect to your 516 00:28:27,804 --> 00:28:30,635 kind of team interactions playing soccer? 517 00:28:31,094 --> 00:28:32,884 Well, you know, I've always... 518 00:28:32,975 --> 00:28:33,965 It's always been taught to me. 519 00:28:33,965 --> 00:28:37,614 It's always treat everyone with respect, obviously, you know, treat 520 00:28:37,615 --> 00:28:38,755 others how you want to be treated. 521 00:28:39,105 --> 00:28:43,525 But, you know, it also helps that I went to school four years with that guy, with 522 00:28:43,555 --> 00:28:47,734 Elijah, and then Diego and I just got on really well straight from the start 523 00:28:47,785 --> 00:28:49,234 because he was friends with Elijah. 524 00:28:49,815 --> 00:28:53,155 And it, it, sometimes we have our little bickers, uh, little bickers 525 00:28:53,155 --> 00:28:55,835 here and there, but it creates, creates for a fun conversation 526 00:28:56,235 --> 00:28:58,585 that adds to the conversation. 527 00:28:59,024 --> 00:29:03,295 But it, it translates well to the field, cause I, I don't think I've, I've 528 00:29:03,295 --> 00:29:07,075 only non gone along with a few of my teammates, but that's besides the point. 529 00:29:07,075 --> 00:29:10,315 But overall, you know, you always gotta get behind your teammates, cause they're 530 00:29:10,385 --> 00:29:11,815 your teammates at the end of the day. 531 00:29:11,815 --> 00:29:15,855 It's 11 players on the pitch, and uh, you gotta always have each other's backs. 532 00:29:15,985 --> 00:29:19,570 Uh, so It's kind of easy to incorporate the fact that, like, you have to be 533 00:29:19,570 --> 00:29:22,900 nice to each other, but also just, like, have everyone's back, especially 534 00:29:22,900 --> 00:29:24,410 people that are important in your life. 535 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:27,860 And so, I always just try and have everyone's back, whether it's these 536 00:29:27,860 --> 00:29:29,699 guys or my teammates on the pitch. 537 00:29:29,700 --> 00:29:31,510 Like, I'll always have their backs no matter what. 538 00:29:31,510 --> 00:29:32,200 No questions asked. 539 00:29:34,169 --> 00:29:40,179 So, I always love to ask what students plans are after graduation. 540 00:29:40,189 --> 00:29:42,379 Have you, have you thought about that at all? 541 00:29:42,379 --> 00:29:43,730 Are you starting to? 542 00:29:44,225 --> 00:29:46,595 Make some connections on that front. 543 00:29:46,625 --> 00:29:47,455 What are you thinking? 544 00:29:47,465 --> 00:29:49,935 Um, see, this is where it gets iffy for me. 545 00:29:49,985 --> 00:29:58,475 Um, uh, you know, Med school is what I'm aiming for, but I have 546 00:29:58,585 --> 00:30:02,265 a secret passion project, which is soccer, professional soccer. 547 00:30:02,315 --> 00:30:03,245 It would be the dream. 548 00:30:04,195 --> 00:30:06,615 Uh, but Med school is the realistic dream. 549 00:30:07,065 --> 00:30:12,510 Uh, so, uh, Uh, I'm studying for the MCATs right now, uh, so I can take it, uh, but 550 00:30:12,530 --> 00:30:16,290 I'll probably, after graduation, probably go to EMT school and be an EMT for a 551 00:30:16,290 --> 00:30:18,320 little bit, uh, before I go to Med school. 552 00:30:18,390 --> 00:30:22,980 Uh, but, uh, the goal is, the dream is soccer at the moment. 553 00:30:23,020 --> 00:30:26,210 I'm fully focused on it and I have Med school in the rear view mirror 554 00:30:26,210 --> 00:30:28,480 though, just in case soccer falls apart. 555 00:30:28,860 --> 00:30:30,850 But my dream is to go professional. 556 00:30:30,870 --> 00:30:33,130 Um, if that happens or not, we will see. 557 00:30:33,570 --> 00:30:37,660 But I have some, I have some things in the works at the moment to try and 558 00:30:37,660 --> 00:30:39,530 go pro, so we'll see how that goes. 559 00:30:39,540 --> 00:30:43,180 That's, that's the dream after college, but if not, you'll probably 560 00:30:43,190 --> 00:30:46,340 see me in some med, Med school place. 561 00:30:46,370 --> 00:30:47,840 I don't know, some journal. 562 00:30:49,050 --> 00:30:50,300 Yeah, that sounds great. 563 00:30:50,340 --> 00:30:55,390 Yeah, and I encourage you to pursue both of those passions as long 564 00:30:55,390 --> 00:30:57,070 as they continue to be passions. 565 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:01,720 Because you just, you really don't know where, where life might take you. 566 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:04,080 So follow, follow your heart. 567 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:10,060 Well, I'm so glad we had a chance to connect today and 568 00:31:10,060 --> 00:31:11,990 for you to share your story. 569 00:31:12,010 --> 00:31:17,390 And before we say our goodbyes, I was wondering for, um, students that 570 00:31:17,390 --> 00:31:21,610 may be listening to this or for those that may be introducing ePortfolios 571 00:31:21,620 --> 00:31:23,130 to students for the first time. 572 00:31:23,130 --> 00:31:26,040 I know when you came to this, you weren't really sure if it 573 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:28,000 was going to be of value to you. 574 00:31:28,450 --> 00:31:33,080 Or, um, you know, what stories you might share, what advice might you 575 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:37,200 have for students that are like, I don't, what, what is this all about? 576 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:39,010 How, how could this benefit me? 577 00:31:39,540 --> 00:31:40,640 Just have fun with it. 578 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:44,920 You know, don't, don't like try and make it something that it's not. 579 00:31:45,300 --> 00:31:47,660 Uh, just don't try and make it super academic. 580 00:31:47,660 --> 00:31:51,880 You know, a portfolio is supposed to be a show yourself, show your personality. 581 00:31:53,215 --> 00:31:55,695 Be a part of you, be a reflection of you. 582 00:31:55,695 --> 00:31:59,145 So just make sure you have your little pizazz to it, be it, have fun with it. 583 00:31:59,155 --> 00:32:01,835 Cause I had fun with it, compiling everything, finding everything 584 00:32:02,295 --> 00:32:04,465 and, you know, talking to my mom, talking to my friend. 585 00:32:05,100 --> 00:32:09,330 And yeah, just, and also be, be happy to share, share it too. 586 00:32:09,450 --> 00:32:12,650 Just be able to share it and just share it with anyone. 587 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:15,380 Um, and yeah, just focus on having fun. 588 00:32:15,380 --> 00:32:16,500 That's the most important part. 589 00:32:16,590 --> 00:32:21,890 And then also the grade helps too, but, um, just be serious, 590 00:32:21,890 --> 00:32:23,090 but also have fun with it. 591 00:32:23,090 --> 00:32:24,210 It's that perfect balance. 592 00:32:24,210 --> 00:32:25,140 You just gotta find. 593 00:32:25,550 --> 00:32:29,160 But don't try and just make it all academic and try and put your 594 00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:31,160 own spin on it because that's what a portfolio is all about. 595 00:32:32,490 --> 00:32:32,870 Right. 596 00:32:32,910 --> 00:32:34,490 Well, thank you so much again. 597 00:32:34,490 --> 00:32:36,170 It was wonderful to talk to you. 598 00:32:36,450 --> 00:32:37,730 Thank you for having me. 599 00:32:37,750 --> 00:32:38,860 Thank you for listening to everyone. 600 00:32:38,860 --> 00:32:39,470 I appreciate it. 601 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:41,510 Thanks so much. 602 00:32:41,590 --> 00:32:42,110 Bye.