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A Meat-Eater’s View of Plant-based Meals

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I’m a meat eater. My uncles and cousins raised hogs for as long as I can remember. My parents bought their meat from local butchers with livestock direct from the farms. Meat and potato meals were the staple of our diet. I know and understand the climate impacts of producing meat, but it is a tradition tied to generations of my family’s livelihood. I’m no stranger to plant-based meals. Vegetarian and vegan options are often available at many large conferences and events, and these menu choices can be found on a wide variety of local restaurant menus. I think these … Read more

Visualization Exercise

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You are walking on an ocean beach.Ocean waves break against the shore.Feel the sand between your toes.Hear the birds chirp as they fly overhead.Smell the air as the ocean breeze blows the hat off your head.As you walk, you see your friend in the distance.You meet and embrace, and notice the big smile on their face.Together, you walk into the woods along a trail in the grass.The sunshine breaks through the lush greenery.You emerge from the woods and hear a rumble in the distance.Little fluffy clouds fill the sky overhead.The thundering grows louder.You come upon some tracks.The roar grows, and … Read more

Bipolar Disorder Wellness Challenge

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Working with bipolar disorder can be an overwhelming challenge. Imagine the greatest depression…. triple it… and find yourself only working at 40% of what your potential. This can lead to detrimental impacts on your wellness and work-life balance. Recovering from such deep depression can seem an impossible feat; lacking the energy to just stay current, and not having enough to charge through the setbacks that come your way (and there will be plenty). It’s hard to be optimistic during these times, so the best one can hope for is a lack of pessimism.

Coming of the Climate Age

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When I was in college, I was a stage manager for a theatre production with a guest director from the Guthrie Lab. This presented a challenging semester as I balanced a regular class schedule with a busy rehearsal and performance schedule. The director had called a special rehearsal one time that conflicted with my class schedule. I had a decision to make as to which obligation to attend, and I chose to go to my regular class schedule. The director was upset and raised the issue with my stage manager professor. I remained diligent in the discussing priorities, and insisted … Read more

Self-Injurious Behavior in Gifted and Talented Youth: What Every Educator Should Know

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A scholarly paper review for my class, EPSY 5191, Education of the Gifted and Talented Student in Spring 2015: Wood, Susannah M., & Craigen, Laurie M. (2011). Self-Injurious Behavior in Gifted and Talented Youth: What Every Educator Should Know. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 34(6), 839-859. SUMMARY Self-injury includes a wide variety of behaviors where one causes harm to him- or herself; no universal definition Deliberate harm without suicidal intent Self-injury coincides with a great deal of shame Gifted students do not seek help because they feel guidance is for academically challenged Variety of reasons and factors influence self-injury decisions … Read more

Definition of Youth Development

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Written November 7, 2016 for YOST 5956 Organizational Approaches to Youth Development at the University of Minnesota, in pursuit of a Master of Education in Youth Development Leadership. Instilling a process of learning and understanding is a fundamental function of youth development. Joe Flower said, “we cannot really know who we will be when we come out the other side.” He found four phases of change-induced learning (1999): Unconscious incompetence: you don’t know what you don’t know. Conscious incompetence: you know what you don’t know. Conscious competence: you know that you know. Unconscious competence: you know without knowing. Now, this isn’t the … Read more

Riviera Theory of Youth Development: Aims, Strategies, Ethos, Activities and Outcomes

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Written November 14, 2016 for YOST 5956 Organizational Approaches to Youth Development at the University of Minnesota, in pursuit of a Master of Education in Youth Development Leadership. Abstract Youth development is the process of teaching the process of learning to growing youth. Parents bring children into a world, and hope the child is raised according to their traditions, and carry on their morality. However, youth will discover at some point that they have agency over their development path. When this realization creates conflicts between the world prepared for them, and their discovered beliefs, the skills instilled in the youth at a younger … Read more

How to Speak About Suicide

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Suicide is a sensitive topic. If you need to talk or find help to cope with emotions, feelings, or situations, here are some resources: National Suicide Prevention LifelineCall 1-800-273-8255Veterans, Press 1 Crisis Text LineText HELLO to 741 741Free. Confidential. 24/7. The Trevor Project Lifeline for LGBTQ youth1-866-488-7386 The following is an academic literature review prepared for Communication in Human Organizations in Fall 2015 towards completion of a Master of Education in Youth Development Leadership. Introduction Suicide is a sensitive topic for many people. Suicide is the end of a person’s life by their own choosing. Commonly, people will ask why … Read more

Superb Media Coverage

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I was given a Photoshop challenge, and I spent 10 minutes on it: take this photo by John Newsome and make it say Superb Owl. Two days later, it’s everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Have you seen it? And there’s proof. WFAA’s Verify got the scoop. This is the big media I’ve seen so far: WFAA’s Verify tells the story of the viral photo (and who I actually talked with)CBS Sports: What’s really going on with that Superb Owl train?CBS Miami: Viral ‘Superb Owl’ Train Photo Provides First Gotcha Moment Of Super Bowl LIIMPR News: Looking for the Superb Owl? It’s right here in MinnesotaUSA Today FOR THE WIN: No, … Read more