2016 Resolutions Update - January 31

It is currently the last day of January, 2016, and I wanted to write an update with regard to my 2016 resolutions.

1. Start learning Italian - (600 day streak on DuoLingo)
I ended 2015 with a 278 day streak on DuoLingo, and early last week I surpassed 300 days. I am pleased with the progress that I have made so far: I've spent some time learning the basic conjugation endings for each of the pronouns and I want to make sure I have a strong foundation before I start focusing on increasing my vocabulary. I am finding that word retention is more difficult that it was with German, but that may be due to the decreased amount of time I have been able to devote to DuoLingo. Although I am busy with my academics and other school related obligations, I have still been managing to do my DuoLingo daily.

My goal for February is to keep up with my daily dose of DuoLingo (in case anyone was wondering, I have my goal set to 20 XP per day, or roughly two lessons). In a month or two I may choose to increase this to 30 or 40 XP per day, but I don't believe that at this time that would be a sustainable change.

2. Keep at least a 10.5 GPA across all courses
Aside from a few minor assignments, the only major mark that I have completed is my EC140 (Introduction to Macroeconomics) Midterm #1. Although the midterm didn't go quite as well as I would have hoped, I know that I can make a few slight changes in the upcoming weeks in preparation for the second midterm and the rest of the course. In addition, I am very happy with the marks that I have been receiving on my minor assignments for my other courses, and I am feeling confident about the multiple midterms that I have in the upcoming weeks.

3. Write an ebook
At present, I have not made any progress on this resolution. One thought of mine was to try and write something about the importance of basic math in our society. This is something that, seeing as I am currently completing an Honours Bachelor of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo, I feel qualified to talk about at a basic level.

Another thought of mine is to become much more aware as to the myriad of social media platforms that are currently available and write about them. This could lead to multiple books and potentially a business focusing in this area. However, my worry with this idea is the sheer amount of time that would be required to become proficient in each area.

My goal for February is to pick a book topic and start to develop a rough outline.

4. Spend semesters 2 & 3 at university getting more involved with everything Laurier offers
With January done, I am officially over 25% of the way done my second semester. Thankfully I was able to hit the ground running and get more involved. Within my first week back, I learned about an opening within my residence House Council. I was successful in my application for First-Year Upgrade Representative. Although I have only been in this role for 3 weeks, I can say without a doubt that I am glad to have received it and that I am looking forward to what these next few months bring with them.

As an Upgrade Rep, I attend two weekly meetings. The first meeting occurs on Tuesday and consists of the Upgrade Rep(s) from each of the 12 residences (each residence has between one and two reps), as well as four upper year students who act as advisors. At this meeting we brainstorm ideas about how we can help first-year students all across campus. Our mission is to "aim to promote a balanced lifestyle in first year. By highlighting tools to achieve academic success while promoting all that the Laurier campus has to offer, students will be able to make the most of their first year." During the month of January, Upgrade organized two major events: Tips and Dip, a networking event for first-year students and their professors which had over 100 students in attendance and Game of Hawks, an expo competition where over 200 students across 12 residences competed against each other in 6 different challenges.

I also attend a House Council meeting every Wednesday night. This meeting consists of all of the King St. House Council members, of which there are about 25. We are responsible for planning individual events for our building as well as helping to increase the excitement for University-wide events and competitions. As one of the two Upgrade reps for my building, I am responsible for taking the important information discussed at the Upgrade meeting on Tuesday and passing it along to my residence House Council on Wednesday. Both councils are comprised of very motivated individuals and I am happy to be a part of them.

As you can see, I am very excited to be one of two First-Year Upgrade Reps for my residence. This is an amazing opportunity for me to get involved with Laurier and also to meet new people. I spent most of January learning the ropes, and my goal for February is to get more involved within both aspects of my role.

Thank you for reading through my January update. I am very pleased with the way that this year has started off, and I am very much looking forward to what February brings with it.