Skyline

Word Count:299

As I looked ahead at the climb I was going to attempt, my knees started to shake and my palms got all clammy.  I knew at this point there was no turning back because my whole family was on board.  The number that kept running through my head was 354, which was the amount of stairs I was about to climb.  The very moment I heard that number my heart stopped beating.  The first few flights weren’t that bad, but soon enough my legs started to ache.  Somewhere around step 150, I had to stop to catch my breath and thought about turning back around.  My younger cousins and my sister were all complaining.  We thought this climb could not get any worse, but we were wrong.  The stairs got very narrow and started to spiral.  The higher up we got, they also got a lot closer together. 

Finally, the stairs had come to an end.  We actually made it to the top.  My heart was pumping, I didn’t know if it was from the climb or my nerves.  As I looked out the window I could see it, the whole New York City skyline.  I could feel the whole tower swaying and at that moment I lost all excitement about the view.  I began to have an anxiety attack and insist that my family start walking back down the stairs.

A few years later, that same skyline looked a lot different.  After 9/11, I tried to remember what that skyline looked like the day I saw it from the crown of the Statue of Liberty, but I couldn’t.  All I could remember was how awful the stairs were and how I couldn’t wait to go back down.  I wish now, that I would have looked a little longer.

People take for granted a lot of things they have, and don’t really know what they have until they don’t have it any more.

Education Can Be Bitter Sweet

Best Educational Experience      
        When I was in seventh grade I was in honors algebra.  Among my classmates was an autistic boy named Kevin.  Kevin was very good at math, but had a lot of problems understanding assignments and working in groups with other classmates.  My teacher came to me one day and asked me how I would feel about being a peer helper for Kevin because I was very involved in the class and she knew I helped Kevin anyway.  I was more than willing to be Kevin’s peer helper.  I ended up being his peer helper for the next two years. 

Word Count: 99

Worst Educational Experience

        When I was a sophomore, in high school, I was in honors pre-calculus.  The teacher I had for this class was very rude and extremely good at making me feel unintelligent.  One day in class I asked a question about something we were learning.  My teacher yelled at me, in front of all my peers, and told me that my question was stupid and made no sense.  My teacher also told me that the lesson was easy and I should have understood it.  I left the room crying and have had problems asking questions in the classroom ever since.

Word Count: 99

Money Should Grow on Trees

          It is said that money can not buy happiness. I have never personally understood this saying, for the simple fact that I know a lot of people with money that are extremely happy. Money pays for food, shelter, healthcare and many other things that make for a healthy human being, which in return makes for a happy human being. Money pays for education, which will provide a job and means to provide for a family, which all make people happy.
          When I was younger I had a friend who wanted to take a dance class with me. I had been doing it all my life and I was always showing her my dances. The classes were not free, nor were they cheap by any means, but my friend wanted to dance with me. I took her to a class as a guest for one day. She could try out the class free of charge and if she liked it she could sign up for it. My friend and I had a so much fun and from the second my mom picked us up from class, all my friend talked about was how she couldn’t wait to sign up.
          The next day in school, I asked my friend what her mom said about dance class. She told me that her mother told her they were tight on money and she couldn’t afford for her to take the class. My friend and I were both so upset. We couldn’t wait to take this class together and now we weren’t going to be able to. This was something that would have made my friend happy.
          I know money is not the only way to be happy, but I do believe that money can buy happiness.

Word Count: 292

Generation: Baby Showers

        

         I feel the name, Generation Baby Showers, really suits my generation.. I feel the name is pretty self explanatory, but I have chosen this because of the very high young pregnancy rates in our country. Growing up it seems that I attended more baby showers than birthdays. I can’t understand why this is. I chose this name because this is an issue that really bothers me. I feel that a lot of girls in our generation are ignoring their huge access to birth control on purpose and I feel like this signifies the laziness and immaturity of our generation.

Word Count: 99

Woodburn Hall: Perrrfect Draft!

      Located on the downtown campus of West Virginia University, sits one of the oldest buildings, Woodburn Hall. This year it is 134 years old. WVU was founded in 1867 and was originally controlled by the republican party. In 1875, the same year Woodburn Hall was built, a new president was elected and the faculty began to consist of democrats. This began to change the campus. The College of Civil Mining and Engineering began at this university to support industrialization that was happening all over the country. They added on to Woodburn Hall in the early 1900’s. The north wing was made for ROTC classes, which was founded at the university in 1916 to aid with war. ROTC has been apart of the campus ever since.
      The last two years I have been a student at WVU. I had some of the best friends and best memories from this campus. Everyday for the last two years I have walked passed this historical building, knowing what it means to this campus. I have walked through the enormous, tall doors, and have had classes in it’s old, small classrooms. This building is WVU. My favorite thing about this building is how they decorate it with lights for Christmas. Woodburn Hall is on all the postcards and brochures, it is on the website and is a huge place to stop when you are on tours of the campus. This building has great cultural significance.

Word Count: 240

Woodburn Hall

          Located on the downtown campus of West Virginia University, sits one of the oldest buildings at 134 years old, Woodburn Hall. WVU was founded in 1867 and was originally controlled by the republican party. In 1875, the same year Woodburn Hall was built, a new president was elected and the faculty began to consist of democrats. This began to change the campus. The College of Civil Mining and Engineering began at this university to support industrialization that was happening all over the country. They added on to Woodburn Hall in the early 1900’s. The north wing was made for ROTC classes, which was founded at the university in 1916 to aid with war. ROTC has been apart of the campus ever since.
          The campus has changed tremendously. It has went from being a student body of about 120 to it’s current population of about 30,000 students. Many buildings have been added over the years along with many different programs for students, but Woodburn Hall has always been a memorable building. Every year for homecoming and Christmas, Woodburn Hall is decorated with white lights and the students gather around to sing the school song and gaze at such an important and historical sight for WVU students and faculty. Everyday, as student walk back and fourth to classes, students can sit or lay in the grass circle right outside of Woodburn Hall. It is a beautiful historical landmark.

Editing

          My closet is my masterpiece.  Everyday it seems like I am cleaning it out or rearranging it. For everyone else in my house, my closet is their own personal shopping mall and my mother is the number one shopper. My mom is always saying things such as, “I wish I would have saved all my clothes from when I was your age, they would definitely be in style now”, or “ the clothes in your closet look just like mine when I was your age. Why is it that things like style and culture always seem to repeat themselves? I am here to tell you why. Style has to come from somewhere. When designers run out of fresh styles, they go back to a once popular style that has had a break, and they bring it back. Our society is not the most original. One person could start liking a style from 40 years and it will spread from there.
          The styles I am referring to are skinny jeans, the high waisted skirts and pants, the big belts around the waist, the thin graphic tees tucked in, rompers, maxi dresses, and so much more. These are the most popular styles to be wearing right now. These styles are seen in all the magazines, on television shows, and even right here on campus. When I looked at the UMBC Skipjack from 1968, I saw all these styles. I saw girls wearing pea coats, high boots with short skirts, and the skinny jeans. It seems to me that the female college students at UMBC from the 60’s are very similar to now.
          These styles were so popular back then because they were a little bit scandalous and sexy, but still classy. Young adults and teenagers have always felt the need to rebel. To wear eye catching outfits like these, it takes a bit of a rebel. This has something to do with why these styles are so popular now. They are flashy and chic and make women feel a little on the deviant side.

History Repeated

         My closet is my masterpiece. It seems like everyday I am cleaning it out or rearranging it. For everyone else in my house, my closet is their own personal shopping mall and it seems like my mother is the number one shopper. My mom is always saying things such as, “I wish I would have saved all my clothes from when I was your age, they would definitely be in style now”, or “ the clothes in your closet look just like mine when I was your age. Why is it that things like style and culture always seem to repeat themselves? I am here to tell you why. Style has to come from somewhere. When designers run out of fresh styles, they go back to a once popular style that has had a break, and they bring it back. Our society is not the most original. One person could start liking a style from 40 years and it will spread from there.
          Everyone knows the styles that I am talking about. The skinny jeans, the high waisted skirts and pants, the big belts around the waist, the thin graphic tees tucked in, rompers, maxi dresses, and so much more. These are the most popular styles to be wearing right now. You see these styles in all the magazines, on television shows, and even right here on campus. When I looked at the UMBC Skipjack from 1968, I saw all these styles. I saw girls wearing pea coats, high boots with short skirts, and the skinny jeans. It seems to me that the female college students at UMBC from the 60’s are very similar to now.
          These styles were so popular back then because they were a little bit scandalous and sexy, but still classy. Young adults and teenagers have always felt the need to rebel. To wear eye catching outfits like these, it takes a bit of a rebel. This has something to do with why these styles are so popular now. They are flashy and chic and make women feel a little on the deviant side.

Word Count: 350

Anxious Reader

             

                   Growing up I was never a fan of reading.   Anytime I would start reading a book, I would quit about five pages in.  When there was reading assignments for school I would usually use online cheat summaries.  My mother was always telling me, “Taylor you are missing out, if you find a book you can really get in to you will love it.”  Even after hearing this, I still could not bring myself to read. 
                When I came to high school I started getting very involved in school.  I was on the dance team, the pom squad, the SGA, and I was in all honors and AP classes.  These were very stressful.  From the stress, I started developing really bad anxiety at night.  Rather than going to sleep, I would worry about all the things I had to do the next day, or for days to come. Since I wasn’t getting much sleep at night, I would sleep during my classes and my grades began to suffer.

                My mother began to notice my grades slipping and suggested I find some way to sleep better.  This is when I turned to books.  I began reading a little every night.  It would put me right to sleep.  The books would take my mind off of everything else I was stressing about.  My sleeping was improving, my grades had improved, and I actually started to love reading, now I read all different types of books all the time

Blog 1 Assignment

tmast1@umbc.edu

My name is Taylor Mast and I am a transfer student this year. I am from Brooklyn Park, MD, right outside of Baltimore. Growing up I lived with my mom, my step-dad and my two sisters, visiting my dad and my brother every other weekend. I attended Brooklyn Park Elementary and Middle school, and I graduated from North County High school. I was a member of SGA, the POM squad, and the Dance Company. I have always loved to dance. After I graduated high school I attended West Virginia University for 2 years. While I was there I played on the schools rugby team. I had a lot of fun, but financial reasons brought me back to an in-state university. I am really looking forward to being at UMBC and getting to know the campus a little better.