Event 3

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 was a very exciting and rewarding day for me, as I attended the Fall Honors Banquet, at which I received the much-desired First Week Honors Scholarship. I had asked two of my favorite professors to write a “note of recommendation or support” for me after only about one week of classes. It was to my advantage that I was chosen as one of the eight lucky scholarship winners. The evening banquet was set up on the second floor of Nova Southeastern University’s University Center (UC) with classy white tablecloths and splendid, appetizing food in the form of a buffet. Professors, students, and staff celebrated the wonderful Honors Program, which allowed for more interactive, one-on-one learning in NSU’s classrooms. Dr. Rosenblum, the director, gave an inspiring welcome speech. The evening passed with great food and introductions. I met a woman, whose name I now forget, who works at the Academic Advising Center. I told her my first impressions about Nova and she told me a bit about her job. It was nice to meet someone other than a professor, so I could see what kinds of other activities were being done by other staff members of NSU. She also told me about the Career Planning Office, which will be helpful in my future. The evening was an overall success, with great food, intelligent conversation, and friendly neighbors of the NSU community.

Event 2

The movie Coach Carter was a true story about a high school basketball coach who would not let his team play unless his student-athletes performed well in the classroom. A bunch of troubled teens, all the boys wanted to do was “play ball.” However, Coach Carter shut the gym down until all of them had a passing GPA. This motivated the guys to help one another out with classes so that they could get back on the court and do what they really loved to do- play basketball. The character of Coach Carter was played by Samuel L. Jackson, but according to the “real” coach Carter, who spoke at NSU on September 16, 2008, Carter is the “real” and “better-looking” Carter. Coach Carter spoke to student-athletes of Nova Southeastern University, and mentioned the importance of staying in the classroom and putting lots of effort into schoolwork. He did so in a very humorous, but effective way. It was an inspiration to hear the true story coming from a coach who made history. From Carter’s speech, I learned the true importance of focusing on schoolwork as well as on the particular sport one is involved with. Schooling will bring one so much further in life, and one cannot just focus on playing a sport because the body will get old and weaken, but the mind can only grow sharper with age and experience.

Event 1

On Tuesday, September 2, 2008, I attended Nova Southeastern University’s Convocation, a formal welcome and a beginning to the 2008-2009 school year. It was an event of many inspirational speeches and numerous warm welcomes, located in the exuberant Miniaci Performing Arts Center. The proud president, Ray Ferrero, Jr. spoke a few words and introduced many professors and the staff of NSU. Andre Dubus, author of House of Sand and Fog, was the guest speaker. He gave a very motivational story about his father and the coincidence that had occurred, and told us about this year’s school theme “Life and Death.” His story was an anecdote of his life, a time when his father had called him but he was too busy working on a project. He didn’t have time to see his father, however his father convinced him to come visit. So Dubus left everything behind and went to see his father. He spent the evening with him and had a deep conversation about life. A few days later, his father passed away. Dubus told us how glad he was that he had left his work that day and went to see his dad. He didn’t know what had made him do so but he says that he definitely believes in a higher power. After Convocation, I was invited to dinner with Dubus, along with other Honors students, and got to meet him on a more personal level. I noticed that he was a very humorous, witty, entertaining, and light-hearted guy. The story behind his novel House of Sand and Fog was that during his early years, Dubus had a personal encounter with an Indian girl, whom he had fallen madly in love with. Her father was an interesting character, and he took the form of the main character of House of Sand and Fog, Behrani. His story was one of many life events that many people could relate to.