Kevin

We are finishing our third week of classes here at Linfield and I definitely feel like I am back in the swing of things. This semester has been full of many things both old and new. I am continuing to pursue a double major in Chemistry and Mathematics, so I am taking the required classes for a junior in each of those majors. Prior to the semester even starting I was on a first name basis with the professor in 3 of my 4 classes, so this familiarity has been great! A close relationship with your professor really enhances your education – one of the many things that makes Linfield so powerful.

On the new side of things I am now the Vice President of Linfield’s chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, which is a national Mathematics Honor Society. We’ll do a number of events and activities throughout the course of the year educating about and promoting math. My favorite event run my Pi Mu Epsilon is always Pi day, which is March 14th. My freshman year they had a raffle to Pie a Professor. Needless to say I bought plenty of raffle tickets and was able to pie my advisor and Chemistry professor, Brian Gilbert, in the middle of lunch at the dining hall. As Vice President I plan on bringing this event back this spring, and of course also make sure that the proceeds go to a good cause.

I have also continued to be a member of the KSLC Sports Broadcast team, but I am now one of the head play-by-play announcers which is a newer role for me. I will be doing the play-by-play for the Linfield football team’s first home game on Saturday September 21st vs. California Lutheran University. It should be a good game, so I definitely encourage you to tune in! We also broadcast men’s and women’s soccer as well as volleyball in the fall, and we will continue to do basketball in the winter and baseball and softball in the spring.

That’s about all I have for today. As you can tell from my last two posts I will be plenty busy this year, but  I wouldn’t have it any other way. Linfield offers a number of high quality opportunities, so I’m going to continue to try to take advantage of as many of them as I can.

Til next time,

Kevin

Summer is over and a new school year has begun. It still hasn’t sunk in that I am starting my third year here at Linfield, but I couldn’t be more excited. In my short time here thus far I have fully come to appreciate the power of a small college, and it is paying off in dividends for me now. I previously wrote about my summer research experience at Northwestern University. That wouldn’t be possible without the number of opportunities that I was able to take advantage of in my first two years here. It honestly seems like these opportunities have only increased as time has continued. On top of doing research in the Chemistry Department, I am now a teaching assistant for one of the Organic Chemistry lab sections. I work with Liz Atkinson (the Organic Chemistry professor) and Katie Sours (the Organic Chemistry lab coordinator) to help students conduct and understand their experiments. Becoming a professor is one of the careers I have started to consider since I’ve been here at Linfield because I’ve seen first-hand just how great of an impact a good professor has on their students, and I feel like this opportunity really gives me true insight into what that is like from the teaching side of things. Furthermore, I should have the opportunity to publish the research that I have conducted to this point under Professor Jim Diamond. Writing and publishing your own journal article as the primary author while still and undergraduate is an opportunity many young scientists could never dream of. This is one of the many things that makes Linfield stand out in my mind compared to other schools. The slogan “Power of a Small College” definitely sums this up quite nicely, but I like to take it a step farther. I don’t go to just any small college, I go to Linfield College, so in my mind, the slogan really should be “The Power of Linfield College”. I’ll be honest by saying this wasn’t something I explicitly recognized right away, but it was always something that was there underneath the surface where I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it or explain it perfectly. But with experience comes enlightenment, and I am truly excited to see where else my Linfield experience will take me.

Til next time,

Kevin

How is it already August 2013 and I’m soon to be starting my Junior year in college?? I am sitting here starting to think about classes this fall, buying textbooks, and moving back to campus and I have no idea where the time has gone. It seems like not too long ago I was finishing up a summer’s worth of Chemistry research at Linfield, and not too much longer before that I was just heading off to college. Instead both of those are one and two years ago, respectively. I’d like to take a step back and reflect on my sophomore year and where I am to date after two years of my Linfield education. This past year was one I will never forget. I made some awesome new friends while enhancing old friendships. I have developed more relationships with professors than I can even name off the top of my head, all of which have undoubtedly had a major positive impact on my education. I have had numerous opportunities to explore my passions, both in and out of my majors. I have had opportunities for research as well as presenting at both regional and national conferences. All of these opportunities have allowed me to build a substantial resume for an undergraduate, one that led to one of the greatest opportunities of all: a summer research internship at Northwestern University. I am here through a program called Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) here at Northwestern. There is not doubt in my mind that the opportunities I have taken advantage of at Linfield have put me where I am this summer. So as I look back on my last two years Linfield I am very thankful. At the same time I look forward, and I honestly can barely contain the excitement. I can only imagine the great things these next two years have in store as I continue my education at the school I have come to call home.

May is upon us here at Linfield College, and that means one thing is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. I know what you’re thinking, but no, it’s not finals (not yet anyways…). It’s Wildstock! What is Wildstock you might ask? It is an end of the year celebration that we have in May every year, and it’s usually the last big event on campus. Last year Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were the headlining act, and this year we are bringing Outta Sight and The Ready Set to campus. The concert takes place outside on the IM Field in the middle of campus. There’s food catered by a number of local establishments as well as quite a few carnival and field games. This year Wildstock is this coming Friday, May 10th, so there is definitely a lot of anticipation on campus for that. The event is a great break from all the stress that usually accompanies this point in the semester, and I am definitely looking forward to it. So with that I’ll be cutting today’s post rather short since as I said it is May now and the workload is piling up, but there’s definitely a light at the end of the tunnel!

Til next time,

Kevin

In all of the craziness that has gone on these last few weeks since I returned from New Orleans and finally got caught back up in classes in time for the next round of testing, I forgot to write about how I was able to attend the game versus the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers. This was a trip sponsored by Linfield Activities Board, or LAB. The trip took 15 students to and from campus, and also paid for our ticket and food at the game! LAB puts on a number of events like this, both on and off campus. Being a member of LAB is a great way to get involved in student government, and participating in the LAB trips is an awesome way to have some fun. The Campus Information Center (CIC) has a master calendar of all of the different events and trips that LAB sponsors, and students are able to sign up on a first come first serve basis usually about a week in advance. LAB has done trips and events of all nature, from the great outdoors to Portland cuisine and culture. LAB is just one of the many ways to stay involved here on campus, and these events are something I look forward to participating in for the rest of my time here at Linfield!

Til next time,

Kevin

A picture from our seats in the 200 level of the Rose Garden.