To the High School Seniors Going To College...

These are some very abnormal times for our world right now. Due to this recent virus I know that many of us are affected in many ways including our high school and college seniors. 

I personally want to extend my deepest condolences to you, I can only imagine putting in ALL of the blood, sweat, and tears that I had to put in just to get to the very end of my senior year and have something unpredictable stand between me and celebrating my accomplishments. However, I want to tell you that once things begin to lift and become normal again, I hope that you celebrate with your friends and family like no other!

 So for this week I want to dedicate this blog post to you guys and offer some advice that I wish I knew going into this stage of life. 

To the high school seniors going into college:

• Don't take 8am classes (unless you really want to)!! This is the only time in your life that you can enjoy sleeping in every single day and not be judged for it. Enjoy it while you can!
• Find a healthy eating balance- freshmen fifteen is a REAL thing!
• Do not forget to exercise! Find the time to get your workout in! The gym on campus opens early and closes late to accommodate students' needs - take advantage of that! Also, try out the workout classes. If it wasn't for my college experience, I would had never took up belly dancing, kick boxing, spinning, and HILT classes.
• Get involved with as much as you can on campus! Whether it is Greek Life, clubs within your major, religious organizations - find something and get involved!
• Focus on making as many meaningful relationships as you can. Network, network, network!! This will help you  later on in your career!
• Greek Life is ALWAYS worth it.
• Do not be afraid to reach out to tutors, aids, or professors if you need extra help. They want you to succeed. You are not being an inconvenience. Plus, your tuition pays for it.
• Having a social life is great but please remember that you are here for an education. Stay on top of your grades!
• Stay up to date on your scholarship requirements. They may possibly change after each semester. 
• Explore off campus! This is especially true if you are like me and moved to a new city. You will have a new appreciation for the world around you.
• Strive to always look presentable even if you are roaming around on campus and going to class - you never know who is watching!!
• Do as many internships as you can! You will thank yourself later when you go to build your resume.
• If you do an internship, NETWORK! A lot of internships turn into possible jobs and/or references for future employment.
• Stick to a weekly budget. Don't blow through your money!
• Take advantage of the on campus resources like counselling, the medical unit, the career center, the math and writing labs, and other student accommodations that your university may offer.
• Take care of your mental health. This is a transitional period and more than likely this is the very first time you are on your own without your family or parents.Universities usually offer free counselling to students - take advantage of it! Thank me later..
• Relationships come and go. Listen, not everyone ends up with their high school and college sweethearts. Again, you are there for your education, do not let your relationship cloud your goals. Dating during this time of your life is fun and it helps you figure out what you want in a partner. However, do not go to college to earn your MRS degree - be better than that.
• Failure happens, learn from it and let it make you better. The very first time I had ever failed a class was college freshmen math. I was devastated and thought it was the end of my world. I was able to retake it and have my retake replace the bad grade in my scholarship to where I was able to keep it. Do your best to NOT fail a class. Take precautions, heck, drop the class if you feel like you won't be able to pull it up. A "W" is better than a "F" in reference for scholarships.
• ORGANIZATION IS YOUR SAVING GRACE!!! The number one thing you will need to do is to stay organized!! Keep a planner! I had a mini planner and a wall calendar. I would write every single due date assignment, project,paper, and test on both whenever I first got my sylybi. Of course, things got changed or pushed back and I just made those changes as needed. I also kept all of my sorority meetings and events, my church events, and club meetings in these as well. I even wrote down my work outs and possible workout classes I wanted to attend. I was a very busy woman!
• Try new things! Whether it is a dish, a class, a workout class, a club - whatever it is just try it! Embrace the opportunities to explore new things because they will not be at the tip of your finger later on in life. Do it now! You may find new hobbies and passions.
• If you change your major and get behind don't beat yourself up. I was fortune enough to stay with my major and got in and out within four years. If you get into something and realize it is not for you then do not be afraid to change your mind. I changed my career goals probably a hundred times throughout college (criminal justice is such a broad field so I was able to get away with it). Do it while you can!
• Don't forget to go visit home. I barely went home the first half of my college career, and at the end of it I felt like I went home too much. Find a healthy balance. Don't forget where you came from but don't go running home every chance you can. Enjoy your time away!
• If you get in there and begin to realize college isn't for you IT IS FLIPPING OKAY I don't care what anyone says!  Trade schools are just as amazing if not better!

I am sure there are so many other pieces of advice I have forgotten but I want to leave you with these. I hope they inspire you and get you excited for this next chapter of your life! College truly is the best times of your life! Enjoy your time and congratulations on this next step!

Happy National Law Enforcement Appreciation Week!

• Hey Friends!

"In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15th falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others." 

In case you were not aware, this week is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Week. This week we honor all of the men and women who wake up every single day, put on that uniform and badge, kiss their families goodbye, and risk their lives in order to serve our community. I have personally never been a law enforcement officer but I have worked in law enforcement most of my career, and I have worked alongside some amazing officers.  Police officers never get the credibility they deserve. There is so much that they have to go through that the media, the public, and the local communities just will never know about nor understand. The job is anything but easy and they certainly don't do it for the money or the glory - they do it to make a difference.

During my ride along week when I was a 911 dispatcher, I was able to see first hand of what officers would go through during their regular shifts. I witness many traffics stops, I got to ride along with the K9 unit so I witnessed plenty of drugs busts, domestic calls, unruly juveniles, and even had the opportunity to witness a homicide scene. It is such a fascinating experience to have the opportunity to ride along and build a professional relationship with officers. I've learn so much from the stories they would tell about the experiences they encounter whether it was on the job or at the police academy. The amount of professional training you have to go through as an officer is very impressive. 

So in honor of our brave men and women here are five ways you can show your appreciation:

1. Write a 'thank you' card and take it to your local police department. This is a simple yet super effective way to show your gratitude. You can purchase a pack of 12 thank you cards from the Dollar Tree for a dollar.

2. Drop off a treat or beverage to your local police department. You can stop by Dunkin  Donuts or the grocery store and grab a few dozen boxes of pastries, coffee, or bake some brownies to drop off to the officers. You can also have meals catered.  I usually do this every year for police appreciate week as well as for the firefighters and EMS during Christmas time. They are always so appreciated of tasty treats!

3. You can create care packages to donate to your local police station. This sort of falls in context with the last idea but you can make it different. You can donate water bottles, protein bars, beef jerky, ground coffee, chap-stick, ect. You can also throw gift cards into this option as well.

4.You can also donate to local non - profit charities that supports your local police stations. If you chose to do this please make sure that you do your research! There are some stations that have their own charities they raise awareness for that you can look into. Just call up to the front desk to see if you can find any information.

5. Whenever you see a police officer out at the store or a restaurant simply tell them "thank you" and wish them a great and safe rest of their shift. I do this every time I see officers out in uniform. You would not believe how appreciated something so simple that this is. 

 

Our Special Mother-Daughter Story

Hey Friends!

So in case you've been busy or just did not know that this Sunday is Mother's Day! This holiday is an exciting day for most but an emotional day to some.  I want to go ahead and extend my sympathies to those of you who do not have your mom to celebrate with this year... I feel your hurt, I feel your pain, and I want you to know you are so loved. <3 

For my blog this week, I wanted to dedicate it to my mother. If you do not know a lot about me, you should be aware that my mom and I have a different type of relationship than most, and this time around I want to open up and tell you guys the story.

So here it goes:

To start out, my mom is a mentally challenged special needs adult. If you've never came in contact with these types of adults then you should know they can be the most challenging yet the most loving people in the entire world. 

So how did my birth mother have me? My mother was raped at 21 years old by a teacher's assistant. There was a big deal with the court system and it just unfortunately end up getting swept under the rug (to make a long story short). So I do not know my original birth father.  Even with my birth mother being mentally challenged I some how ended up being completely normal.  I'm not a very scientific savvy person- I've always excelled in Spanish, English, and Law-  so I do not know the entire spill of it but it has something to do with how the chromosomes ended up attaching which made me a completely normal person. I was always a great student, I excelled in honors classes, and graduated from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a Bachelor's degree. So like I said, I am a completely normal person.

Growing up this has always been "normal" for me. My grandfather that recently passed away was my father figure in my life so I was always content with not knowing who my real father is since I never felt an actual "void" there. To be honest, I am completely fine with going the rest of my life not knowing who he is or meeting him. I have no desire to know him.

I was always responsible for helping take care of my mother growing up. There was a time where it was just her and I and I had to cook for her and made sure she got all of her basic necessities taken care of due to child abandonment issues with my grandmother - that is a different story for a different day. 

It never really bothered me... and I think that is where my big heart comes from. That was considered "normal" for me to give up the majority of my childhood to  make sure my mother was taken care of. With everything we had to go though growing up our number one mission was simple - to survive.

Things began to change with I turned 16 years old with custody transfer-ship.  My mom ended up going into a group home with other special needs adults that are just like her. Honestly, that was the best thing that could happened to her She has 24/7 care, she still gets to go to work at the adult activity center,she still gets to spend time with the family, and go out and live a normal life in the community.

She is so much happier in a group home and has made so many friends. To this day, I still get to call and visit her as often as I can. I always bring her favorite meal to her as well - a big mac, french fries, and a large coke with NO ice hahahaha! 

l'll be honest, it has been very difficult at  some points of my life where I  just wish I could pick up the phone to  call my mother to vent and have her give me advice... but unfortunately I do not get that with her. I have learned to deal with it and appreciate the type of relationship that I do have with her.

I love my mom and I would not trade her for the world. She loves me unconditionally and I know she is so proud of me with everything I do in my life.

We may not have a normal "mother-daughter" relationship but I wouldn't have it any other way..

I encourage you to reach out to  your mother, whether she is here on Earth or in heaven - let her know how much you love and appreciate her.