The End

The program is over. I have finished! So many days of studying. So many days of learning. I cannot believe that I get to say that I have finished a masters program and I will soon have that masters degree. Now, all I have to do is find a job! I have no idea what my future holds for me. I know I want to keep learning and I am extremely happy that I chose to do this program. Initially, I believe I was the only one doing this program having in mind that I was going to go to pharmacy school. I would still like to pursue that path, but I am now also interested in a Ph.D in pharmacology. But, who knows! First I need to start studying for that PCAT :(

Volunteering this year has been very enjoyable. My habitat humanity experience was super awesome this semester. We basically made jokes the entire time while adding the insulation to the outside of the house. The weather was nice, so we were not dying from the heat and took many memorable photos. (Which I still need from you Cait!)

Anyway, I really do hope that I stay in contact with everybody from the program. I may not have been a huge social butterfly, but I met a number of great people in the program, and I really wish everyone luck. We did it. We all stuck it through and completed this program. YAY!! And now we are all on to bigger and better things!


April Hours: 26.5 hrs

Total volunteer hours: 36.5 hrs
    Kipp: 24.5 hrs
    Habitat: 8 hrs
    Second Harvest: 2hrs
    Lead Samples: 2 hrs

March Madness

One more month to go... I cannot believe that I am almost done. It has gone by way too fast! This month included a few fun adventures. I went with a group of fellow classmates to do the Tough Mudder in Florida. New Orleans is so close to many states, it is such an easy drive. Never thought I would ever drive through Mississippi and Alabama in my life!

I need to start making a list of all the things I need to do in New Orleans. There are still many sites and attractions I need to visit. I need to go to the WWII museum and the zoo. This month also included the shelf exam. So a lot of studying went on this month. The exam definitely felt very intimidating and I did not look forward to the days when it got closer. However, after everything said and done, I "feel" like I was prepared enough and it was a huge relief to realize I am almost done. I think this program has more than prepared me for my future. I want to get a pharmD and I do not regret my decision at all coming to New Orleans. Well I hope that all the knowledge I have gained here sticks! (I have learned in Endocrine Pharm that stress can affect your memory…Oh no!)

Volunteer Kipp
March 26: 9am - 1pm

February

Another month done, and only two more months to go! Time is going by ridiculously fast. The semester is almost over. I only have a few more exams left, few more presentations and then just about done. It is crazy.

I stayed in New Orleans for mardi gras and it was definitely an experience like no other. Both my sister and my friend came to visit me for spring break/mardi gras as well and they loved it. The weather here has been pretty cold too. I tend to have to layer up. I knew it was colder than San Diego of course, but sometimes it is painfully cold! So word to the wise, be prepared for cold and I even told my sister and friend to plan for 40 and 70 F degree weather. Just in case. They did not believe me and froze a good portion of their visit. It was funny. However, they still had a great time. We walked through the french quarter almost everyday eating at delicious restaurants and showing them the sites. I also took them to see the cemeteries, since they are above ground. Something really cool is that there are some "Hobuschs" buried here in New Orleans. I even found their grave stone. I am not completely sure if I have some relation to them, but it is definitely possible.  Which I do find very cool! Who knew that I could actually have relatives from the late 1800's buried here?

Also I know that the main focus of mardi gras is to have fun and "party," but I noticed a lot more than just that. During the day, the parades were more than just jumping up and down for beads. It is a huge event for friends and family to spend outside participating in this tradition. I have never experienced a street parade like this before, or probably even a street parade in general. (I cannot remember ever seeing a street parade) After each parade all of the children would go out onto the street and play with the balls they caught or use the broken beads as a jump rope. Everyone was having a good time. One of the coolest or niftiest things I saw while at the parades is people using ladders as a seating area. They would have a bench seat on top. It looked like a giant high chair. One of the most clever contraptions I saw. I would not have minded sitting in of them.

February is a short month, and it usually goes by in the blink of an eye, but I do not think I was even able to blink.

Volunteer:
KIPP: Feb 26th. 9am-12pm

New Year, Second Harvest

Now onto the second semester of the program!

I started out this year volunteering at Second Harvest Food Bank. We were in a warehouse on one of the colder nights of the month packaging up food. I was on box duty with Antonia and Evy. I worked together with Antonia to build the boxes while she serenaded me with music! It was really fun and we packaged so many boxes of food. It also went by extremely fast. We were a true assembly line and I hope that I can go back there and help out more. The people were very nice and a great atmosphere. 

It is also the end of the month now, and the start of mardi gras season. I am super excited that I get to be here for mardi gras. I know that it  is a big celebration here, and I don’t think I have ever expected I would be able to celebrate it in New Orleans. I can’t wait to see all the parades!