Why Barrett??

Submitted by Emily Macrane


“What am I doing here?”
 
That was my first thought as my dad and I settled into the Barrett Information Session at the Downtown campus of Arizona State University. By “here,” I did not mean ASU. I had always known I wanted to be close to home--Tempe campus was 20 minutes from my parents. I was looking for options-- ASU provided a catalog of majors and opportunities in a thousand directions. Choosing to be a Sun Devil was a no-brainer. Whether or not to be a lifelong Honors kid was another kind of bird. By “here,” I meant being admitted, accepted, and willfully attending an event that would prolong my title as an “honors kid”. At college. Sigh.
 
Now, my plan for life after high school was to move on and gain a few memories while earning a degree. Simple, right? My principal didn’t think so. Attending a small high school meant my principal knew my goals, plans, and abilities, which lead to him assigning my application to Barrett, the Honors College. “What do you have to lose?” he asked. Nothing. I had everything to gain. Looking back, I will be forever grateful for Mr. Ihms, who pushed through my simple plan to show me a greater reality.

Back to Orientation.

I had been accepted to Barrett and with a slightly revised plan, was expecting to be in Tempe, rocking a campus I was familiar with that included a Harry Potter dining hall. Silly me. As a Nursing major I was getting to join the ranks of Downtown Sun Devils and Downtown Barrett students. Definitely not in the plan. After the PowerPoint of Phoenix’s opportunities and the overview of Barrett as a whole, I waited to speak with the Honors Devil, Kelsey Roderique. As she began to answer my question of “Why? Why Barrett?” I couldn’t help but notice her light up. It was like igniting a firework on a hot, Fourth of July night. Kelsey bubbled with enthusiasm and support for Barrett Downtown and the community built on the Phoenix campus. She shared her own experience and when I found out that her major was in transition (something I couldn’t imagine choosing as the newbie to the college scene), I was prompted to notice her relaxed manner. Her explanation of the support and community Barrett offers began to draw me in, creating a new desire to exceed with others, to be a part of an innovative community, to pursue more than my simple college plan.

At the end of Orientation, my dad, who had accompanied me, asked me what I thought. The opportunities were obvious and after a reexamination of my “plan,” I knew there was nothing to hold me back in joining the Barrett class of 2015. Fast forward 5 months and I was moving onto the Eleventh floor of Taylor Place, about to start a new adventure. That evening, our entire floor joined for frozen yogurt at Yogurtini, where the resumés started flying and all the attendees started to discover for ourselves who we, the Barrett kids, really were. Each student I met had a unique ambition and goal for their college experience with open minds and welcoming views towards every other person there. We were about to embark on uncharted waters and had just found seventy other fellow sailors to aid us along the way.

Barrett, the Honors College is not only a means to an end. I have no doubt that the community and support system Barrett offers is unavailable at any other university. The advisors have given me the guidance and direction I need to discover new plans, new dreams, and new abilities. My fellow classmates have pushed my thinking, challenged my arguments, and created some of my favorite memories to date from the dinners, events, and late-night Human Event readings we’ve helped each other comprehend. By choosing to be a part of Barrett, I not only gained a stronger base for the rest of my years at ASU but dependable friendships, classes that stretch my knowledge’s limits, and the drive to not settle for easy, not stick to only one plan, and abilities to succeed beyond my undergraduate years at Arizona State University. I am a proud honors kid and know my identity does not solely depend on that fact. Barrett has taught me more than philosophy and essay style. The Honors College has brought me to a present that has an even brighter future.

Barrett Beginnings

Submitted by Gian Demano

          When I first arrived at Taylor Place in mid-August of 2011, I wasn’t sure how fast, or how slow, I would start to get along with new people. I began to get the close tight-knit community vibe of the Downtown Phoenix campus when I attended information sessions and had my orientation. However, I still wasn’t certain how my interactions would be with fellow freshmen. Fun? Weird? Awkward? Boring? To be quite honest, I wasn’t too nervous at all though. I had my best friend and fellow Honors Devil, Michael Bartelt, by my side through the whole process. I’d have to thank him though for the early success and friendships we made.

From the get go, Mike was all about inviting people to our room randomly. At first, I thought this would be awkward. But to the contrary, it really wasn’t. What people have to realize is that what you’re thinking, as a new Barrett student, is what the other new students are thinking. Everyone is a bit nervous, everyone wants to do some small talk and be friendly, and no one wants to be isolated. We talked to some other Barrett students, hung out, learned about each other, and just had a good time. We were ourselves: fun, outgoing and inclusive.

 

People want to get to know each other during the beginning of the year. And while we don’t even spend everyday with all the people that we talked to in the beginning of our freshmen year, what we did was find out more about one another. Not everyone is going to end up being your best friend for all four years. But as you meet other fellow Barrettonians, you’ll find people who you’ll say hello to in the hallway, people who you’ll do studying together for your honors class, and people who you may be friends with forever. From being part of a whole floor dedicated to Barrett students, to attending fun events, Barrett offers you the resources to easily get along with others at the residential level, which is a huge part of anyone’s college experience.

 

 

 

 

Diverse, Welcoming Community

Submitted by Molly Bilker

The day I arrived at ASU, I was terrified. I had heard a lot of things about college, but figuring out how to be less me—that is, less intensely passionate, perhaps not quite so loud, less abrasive on occasion—didn’t factor into my advice. I was afraid to talk to people; I was afraid of how I would appear, if people would like me, if I could make friends at all.

A month later, I was telling all my friends how badly I wished they had a community like Barrett to carry them through the transition into college. While they complained of their loneliness, it pained me that I couldn’t relate, but only because I was doing better. I wished they could relate to me.

I thought that I wouldn’t fit in. I expressed my fears to everyone at home that I was always more inclined towards people from the arts and not as much towards academics. I was scared that Barrett would be full of people like the valedictorian from my high school—gregarious, driven, well-liked, and, with regards to me, somewhat aloof.

Instead, I walked into a community of people who were all willing to accept me as I came. I adjusted my behavior to try to suit those around me and soon came to realize I didn’t have to. The people around me were friendly, open, and willing to lend an ear or hand as needed. Barrett made me feel welcome in a new and terrifying situation. Even though I didn’t have best friends in the first week, there was still a group of people I could depend on and trust to be there for me.

It’s true that Barrett wasn’t all artists, and not everyone in Barrett was someone I meshed with. But the diversity is okay. Everyone here has different strengths, weaknesses, and interests they bring to the table. It’s just that we all have a thread that connects us—both our passion and willingness to succeed that got us into Barrett in the first place, and the community of which we are all a part.

In high school, even though I went to an arts school and was in an arts community, I always felt like an outcast. I felt that there were stigmas and judgments attached to me that I couldn’t escape. It doesn’t feel that way here. Barrett is a place where I don’t have to stiffen, don’t have to fight for myself or feel bad about behaving the way I naturally behave. And it’s a relief. While the stress of class work may feel heavy, it is nothing compared to the load that feeling isolated left on my shoulders in high school.

Barrett saved me from the loneliness and crippling homesickness that I may have felt elsewhere. The community here is one of the strongest, most authentic, most wonderful social experiences I have ever had. And even though we’ve all gotten to know one another’s personalities a lot better over the past three months, that hasn’t changed. Friendships have formed, but cliques haven’t. I feel that there is a solidarity in this community that will last for a long, long time, and that will continue to nourish and sustain Barrett generations to come.

I feel extremely lucky and extremely grateful to have found a community like Barrett. I can be myself without being afraid, and that makes all the difference.

Getting Involved – BLASTD

Submitted by Tara Boyd

            In high school I was involved in several organizations, both academic and service-related. I was worried that I wouldn’t have those same opportunities in college, but the Barrett Leadership and Service Team Downtown has given me that and so much more. Through BLASTD I have read to homeless children, painted a chicken coop, made dinner at the Ronald McDonald House, and danced the night away at the Duce with my fellow Barrett classmates.

            My freshman year I got involved simply by attending meetings. There were very few opportunities to help in planning the events, but I enjoyed the ones that I attended. I ended up applying for an executive position for my sophomore year and became the vice president of the club. I am now a junior and the president of BLASTD.

            Over the last few years I have watched BLASTD grow and expand the opportunities to students on the downtown campus. We strive to have at least one community service opportunity a month. In addition we plan an annual Grub Crawl, highlighting the many restaurants in downtown Phoenix and an end of semester social event complete with food and music for all Barrett downtown students. Most recently we partnered with BLAST in Tempe to create our first ever float for the homecoming parade.

            I love seeing members’ reactions to our events and the passion it ignites in students. It’s why I’ve continued to be a part of this organization and why I will remain a part of it until I graduate. BLASTD helped me find my place in college and it introduced me to the amazing downtown community surrounding this school. 

The end of another year at Barrett Downtown...

What a fantastic year it has been! Congratulations to all of our spring graduates and good luck with your future plans. Barrett is on the move and it just keeps getting better. Special thanks to all of our student bloggers this semester for sharing their experiences and stories with us! Stay tuned for some guest bloggers this summer and more student stories to be posted as the fall semester approaches. Have a great summer everyone!

As The Summer Approaches

As spring semester comes to a close, the summer semester quickly follows. As an accelerated nursing student, I attend classes year round and with that being said, this summer will be my final semester as both a nursing student and a Barrett upper division student.

This summer brings many exciting things for me. I am currently working on my thesis pertaining to the effects of stress in nursing students and I will defend my thesis in July. I am finishing up my HON 394 course, which I have absolutely loved and I will be graduating in August.

As this semester comes to an end, I look back at my education and am amazed at all the opportunities I have been given. Barrett has been such a wonderful addition to my education. I cannot imagine life without it. Each required course has broadened my scope of knowledge and allowed me to reach outside my current mind set and add new skills, techniques, and information to my list. The creative thesis project has really been a blessing in disguise. The countless hours of research has opened my eyes not only to my topic but to all the information available to us as students. I have found so many useful resources that ASU offers. Barrett is an amazing tool for staying connected and utilizing everything ASU has to offer.

From volunteer opportunities, to workshops, to just plain fun activities, Barrett offers it all. I would encourage anyone interested to apply for Barrett. It has truly made all the difference in my education and I wouldn't trade a moment of it.

Both Barrett and the College of Nursing have been amazing components in my education. I cannot express my thanks enough to these two programs.

My future opportunities with the help of ASU

A big part of being a journalism student is finding and doing internships. Cronkite requires students to do at least one, but it is smart to do as many as you can. In this career field, it's all about your experience, clips, and what editors say about you.

My first internship was first semester of sophomore year at the Phoenix Business Journal. I didn't do as much as I wanted here, but it was still an interesting and valuable experience. This semester I intern with the Arizona Republic, working out of their Scottsdale office.

At the republic I do a lot of writing. I keep track of breaking news and crime stories but I also do featurey pieces. A couple weeks ago I had three cover stories and center pieces that ran in the Republic. I wrote one about endangered crocodiles that came to Scottsdale, one was about the growing need for fosters at local animal shelters due to the economy, and the last was about a little boy you suffers from a rare, harmful disease.

My time and work at the Republic has been one of the most valuable experiences. I'm excited to announce that I will be spending my summer in New Orleans working for the main paper there. I can't wait to get paid for my work in an exciting city. I am going to have so much fun and get great clips!

This Friday, I have internship interviews set up through the Cronkite school. One of the best things about going to school here is that Cronkite tries to help you find an internship and the professors here have so many connections. I will be interviewing with seven different people for an internship next semester. I hope all goes well.

When I first came here I was so worried I wouldn't make it or find an internship.But all I needed was some time and some luck and here I am. Anyone can do this and find success here especially if you're a part of Cronkite and Barrett. People are always impressed to see a student getting their BA/MMC at the same time, so take advantage of that opportunity!

Barrett Events

I had NO idea when I joined Barrett how many extra opportunities that I would have simply by being one of their students.

About a week ago I got an email about a program that Barrett in collaboration with Career Services was putting on downtown. The program was about the applying to medical school.

Now, I am a senior nursing major and haven't seriously considered medical school but the idea of going to 1.5 hour program delivered by an expert on the med-school application process subject sounded appealing because I figured that I could learn a lot in this small amount of time and start thinking about if med school was an option for me sometime in the future.

This program was convenient for me because it was after my Friday class at the downtown campus. There were about 10-15 students there, which meant that I could have quite an opportunity to talk with the guest speaker and pick his brain about what it would look like for me to possible go on to medical school.

I kept thinking to myself of what a blessing it is that I am a Barrett student and have opportunities such as this one to help me on my path to decide what I REALLY want to do in the future.

Long story short, I have my work cut out for me! It's a good thing that I have so many resources and programs to go to if I need help figuring things out.

Getting in the College Spirit

Barrett is an amazing way to get involved with not only ASU but the community as well. Being a student in Barrett allows you many opportunities not afforded to other ASU students. The Barrett Downtown Digest is one of the ways Barrett student's are kept in the loop with everything Barrett. The Downtown Digest is a newsletter announcing all the opportunities available that month. It is a great way for Barrett students to take advantage of new and exciting opportunities.

Being fairly new to Barrett, I have not had the opportunity to take part in many of the activities, but I have had the opportunity to take part in many of the College of Nursing activities. Many of these opportunities are open to all students, so it's a great way to get involved in other programs as well.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Mindfulness Meditation workshop. It was hosted by Bhante Sujatha, an ordained Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka. During this two hour retreat, I learned: "the inner process of breathing and meditation to create a safe, quiet, and calm state of mind, centering to align mind, body, and spirit to attain inner peace, and accessing inner guidance for health relationships and careers." All of these aspects are skills I can carry forward with me on my journey through Barrett, especially through this thesis process! By taking part in this workshop, I was able to better myself and get involved in the College of Nursing community.

Take advantage of everything ASU and Barrett's Honor College has to offer. These experiences will create lifelong memories of your time here with Barrett.

Take Advantage of Barrett Events

Barrett is fabulous because we get so many opportunities to have fun. Recently, Barrett offered a cattle drive. Students paid $20 and got to ride horses for two hours as well as eat a fireside dinner in the middle of the desert. I had never ridden a horse before and one of my friends told me I should go. I had a great time riding my horse Copper. It was the most relaxing experience and I got to be a part of it for super cheap. I went with other Barrett students from all of ASU's campuses and also met some great people.

At the beginning of the year, Btown residents got the chance to celebrate the start of a new semester Jumpstreet. We had the opportunity to bounce around on the trampolines and do fancy tricks. It was super fun and a great way to catch up with friends and relax.

My main point is that in Barrett we are more than boring studious teens. We get to have way more fun than others because Barrett gives us the chance to go to interesting events like Jumpstreet or the Cattle Drive. Most of these things are completely free! You want to participate in these things because everyone else does and you end up making great memories!

Campus Life - Getting Involved

“College is going to be the BEST time of your life!” How many times have we all heard that? Let’s just say people say that for a reason! One of the best ways to enjoy one’s college experience is to get involved. Through Barrett and other campus organizations, I have had multiple opportunities to participate in the organizations and really plug in to campus life at ASU.

My first big chance to get involved was when I became a CA in 2009 at Barrett. I have a picture here of my CA staff during one of our training sessions. In this picture we are trying to do a pyramid (to no avail). Joining Residential Life as a CA was such a wonderful way to meet other student leaders. It's been two years since working with them and we all still stay in touch and have reunions. It is amazing to see how some of them who already graduated have been so successful in jobs and graduate school and it helps to have older friends who can give me advise in making life decisions.

The most memorable and exciting Barrett program that I attended at ASU was when we took two busloads of Barrett kids to Telluride, Colorado for a Skiing and Snowboarding trip. This trip was unforgettable. Here’s a picture of myself and the group of friends that I hung out with on that trip. We still talk about how that trip was amazing and how we wish we could do it again.

One thing that HAS to be done as an ASU student is to go to a football game. Even though I am not much of a football fan, the ASU games are totally fun because of the traditions that the student body sections has: our student section is wild! Here’s a picture of myself and some other friends before entering the Sun Devil Stadium.

Another one of ASU’s traditions is to hike A mountain, which is just North of the campus and right next to the stadium. This is a picture of my floor the first week of school this year as we hiked A mountain.

Another well-known hike that is near the campus is Camelback. This is a picture of myself and kids from my floor. One of the programs that I put on was to arrange a trip to hike Camelback. It was a hot day—but everyone made it! You can kind of see from this picture how great the view is.

Another program that I planned for my floor was to play broomball. Broomball is essentially hockey without the skates. I happen to have several residents who love hockey so they were the ones that helped me coordinate this event. Talk about a workout. I will never forget the hilarious pictures I have in my head of my residents skidding and falling on their faces all over the ice.

One student organization that I joined last semester was the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH), which is a club that students can apply to be in. This club is all about community service and recognition. Just this last Wednesday, we had a dinner to honor the new induction member. This is a picture of myself and a few of my friends who just got inducted into NRHH. I’m looking forward to doing community service projects with them!

The MOST fun that I have had thus far as a student has been to play intramural soccer every year. Here’s a picture of my team, DANGERZONE. Intramurals are so much fun because you are playing with a group of your friends against other college kids. Our team is all about winning and being spirited so I hope that we can make it to the playoffs this year!

Throughout my four years as a college student I have had the chance to become involved so many different programs and organizations, and because of that meet so many diverse people. Now I can finally see why people say that these are the best years in one’s life!

Getting Involved

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do" ~Edward Everett Hale

As an upper-division admit to Barrett, I haven’t had the opportunity to be fully involved with the program as I would like. I recently applied to be one of the Barrett bloggers hoping to get more involved with all things Barrett. Through this outlet, I am wishing to share my Barrett experiences with other Barrett students and let them know all the wonderful opportunities available to them.

Although I am not in any Barrett-sponsored organizations, I am, however, very involved with the College of Nursing and Health Innovations. I am the secretary for the College Council of Nursing students (CCNS). As such, I am responsible for the agenda, minutes, and other miscellaneous paperwork. As a member of this organization, I have had so many wonderful opportunities to serve the community. Just a few weeks ago, I participated in the Color Run to benefit Cardon Children’s Medical Center. The turn out was spectacular! They were originally expecting around 600 participants and they ended up having over 6000. It was a wonderful way to raise money and it was just all around fun. It was a 5k run/walk and at each marker, you ran through a different color powder. So as you progress through the race, you slowly become more and more colorific! And at the end of the race, in case you weren’t colored enough, everyone throws a packet of color powder into the air, creating the infamous “color cloud.” Believe me, you leave the race looking like a rainbow explosion.

Here’s a picture of Joey and I after the color run.

The Student Nurses Association (SNA) is another student organization I serve on. As a senior class representative, I am responsible for keeping the accelerated senior class informed on all things SNA. SNA gives student nurses the opportunity to reach out to the community and offer support in any way we can. One way we offer help is through raising money for different charities. One such charity is the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. If you are unfamiliar with the event, it is a nation wide race to raise money for breast cancer research. As a member of SNA we had the option to either raise money and participate in the race or volunteer to help run the event. I chose to run the race and it was such an amazing opportunity. To see the amount of people in pink supporting one cause was truly awe-inspiring.

Here’s a picture of some of the SNA team after completing the race

Being apart of these organizations has truly changed my outlook on life. Being able to have an impact on someones life is an amazing feeling. I hope to further this feeling by getting more involved with Barrett in the coming semesters.

No I in Team

Getting involved is very important in college. This is the easiest and most fun way to make friends and gain leadership experience (which always looks nice). Freshman year I joined BLAST'D, a community service group for Downtown Barrett students. I then did a radio show for ASU's radio station, the Blaze. Then, I found the Downtown Devil, a group of students running a community newspaper online for Downtown Phoenix.

Through Barrett and the Downtown Devil I made so many friends and gained so many experiences and memories. I learned more about myself and became involved in shaping the Downtown area as well as ASU.

Here is a pic of some of the Downtown Editors, I'm the one on the far left. My dedication got me a leadership position! I learned so much from fellow editors that made me a better writer. They supported and encouraged me and now I will be in New Orelans for the summer interning because of the things I learned with my involvement in DD.

At the Downtown Devil we are more than colleagues, we are a family and friends.

This year I also took a position as a peer mentor for Barrett. I mentor a group of Barrett students, helping them adjust to college and transition into adulthood. I love being a peer mentor because it's nice to be able to provide advice for my mentees and watch them learn and grow. There are six peer mentors and we are all close friends. For that matter, I'm close friends with my mentees, we love spending time together!

Here is a pic of us peer mentors at our Barrett/Cronkite Halloween Party. We were the seven "new age" dwarfs. I'm the one in the red, GRUMPY/SASSY.

Getting involved doesn't have to be a hassle. I have found ways to get involved and have fun. It's all about joining groups that interest you and being outgoing. Joining groups gives you thinkgs to do and helps you enjoy college even more!

My Barrett Journey

(My freshman B-Town group...we were so tiny! :) )

Welcome back, Barrett Downtown students! We’ve all survived the first month of an early semester, so it’s all smooth sailing from here.

I’m Caroline Porter, a senior in the combined Bachelor/Master’s program in the Cronkite School and Barrett. It’s hard to believe that in December, I’ll finally be walking across that stage and receiving my diploma and what some of us downtown like to call our “Barrett bling.”

As I start my final two semesters at ASU, I find it interesting to reflect on what brought me to Barrett, and the Downtown campus in particular. During my senior year in high school, I learned about Barrett from my high school adviser, who said it would give me the “Ivy league education” that girls at my high school wanted (I went to Xavier, for any Phoenix locals...talk about competition!!). While my friends ran around in a frenzy applying to as many schools as possible, I focused my energies on putting together an amazing application for Barrett--I had my favorite teachers write my letters of recommendation, had my essay edited at least twice, and reviewed every part of the application over and over until I finally gave in and submitted it!

I initially thought of applying to as many schools as humanly possible, but when I heard about Barrett and looked at all it could offer me, I set my sights on the amazing combination of Barrett, ASU, and Cronkite. Not only did Barrett offer me the BA/MMC program, but in ASU Downtown and Cronkite, I was getting brand new, state of the art buildings and even getting the chance to live in a dorm room that no one else had been in before me!

(Showing my school spirit during Homecoming 2009)

I realize I was luckier than most of my friends in that I knew what I wanted to major in right away, but I initially had no idea where I wanted to go. I worried that staying Phoenix would mean being stuck living at home and missing out on opportunities for travel and experiencing a new place. Little did I know that living in Downtown Phoenix would provide more opportunities than I ever expected for culture, travel, arts, sports, and exploration of a new place. Barrett Downtown continues to grow in conjunction with Downtown Phoenix and we’ve gone from about 15 students in “B-Town,” our residential college, during my freshman year to about 80 students in “B-Town” this year and nearly 300 total Barrett Downtown students. We’ve moved from a small office to a larger suite with room for our adviser, student meetings, and the Human Event professors. More than that, we’ve expanded our community to include Barrett students at all campuses, some of the most vulnerable and needy in the downtown area, and a new group of freshmen and transfer students every year.

(Dustin Volz, Caroline Austerman, and me...we host a lot of fun events at Barrett Downtown, including a Black and White-themed Mocktail Mixer!)

I feel so lucky to have been a part of this wonderful, welcoming, ever-expanding community at Barrett Downtown. As Lead Honors Devil, I’m looking forward to welcoming yet another group of incoming freshmen this fall, and to making our new ASU/Barrett and transfer students feel welcome this spring. I hope everyone has a successful semester and a great 2012!

Senior Year Beings

I can finally say that I only have but a year of schooling remaining—it’s a scary but exhilarating thought. My name is Stacey and I am a Senior 1 nursing student; I am excited to share my adventures at ASU with you all.

The semester is well underway. It is my third year as a Community Assistant (CA) on the ASU Tempe campus, and I am currently responsible for a floor of forty rowdy freshman. I absolutely love being their CA because they bring so much life to ASU with their high energy and desire to be involved on-campus.

In order to prepare for the arrival of my freshmen on January 3^rd, I was up late several nights in a row decorating the hall, trying my best to make it feel like home. One of my responsibilities as a CA is to make floor decorations and name tags for all their doors. The hard work that I put into making the floor look its best paid off as they began to arrive and I got to see them for the first time in a few weeks. Don’t tell them this, but I definitely missed them over break—our floor was way too quiet. We call ourselves the ‘Penthouse’ because we are on the highest floor in our complex (seventh!) and the view from our floor over the ASU campus is breath-taking.

Just as I got my residents settled in, my first class began bright and early at 7:30 am on Thursday January 5th. Because my classes are at the Downtown campus and I live on the Tempe campus, I have to allow a little extra time for the commute. My freshman and sophomore year I used to take the light rail (which is like a train) to class, but I finally have my own car and am able to just drive myself.

This semester I will be studying maternity, childbirth, and pediatrics (children). Our first day of class was a lab day in which we got hands on experience. I learned about how to take care of a pregnant woman before and after she gives birth. I also was taught how to do an initial fetal assessment, in other words, how to make sure that a newborn baby is healthy.

One of the interesting topics we discussed was breastfeeding. This picture is one of my classmate, Brandon. Our professor demonstrated how to hold a baby for optimal breastfeeding! When she asked him how it felt he said “it just feels right.” Our class was laughing hysterically as we watched Brandon demonstrate effective breastfeeding.

In nursing school, you have to practice everything on one another. Including putting on briefs!

This is a picture of my classmate giving me a subcutaneous injection in lab.

This is a picture of myself & some classmates practicing putting on PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) in one of our classes. Nursing school is full of these fun moments—it makes all the hard work pay-off.

Welcome Back to Barrett

Hello fellow Barrett peers. I hope you all enjoyed your break and are ready for a wonderful new semester. Being part of a year round program leaves little room for a break, so needless to say, this Christmas break was a much needed vacation for me. But now I am back and ready to jump head first into this semester. It will definitely be a full schedule once again.

To start, my name is Emily and I am currently a senior 1 in the accelerated upper-division nursing program. I am also the secretary for the College Council of Nursing Students and a class representative for the Student Nurses Association. And of course, I am a Barrett senior getting ready to begin my thesis.

My first day back was just as if I had never left. The morning was filled with orientation, new faculty of records, rules, tuberculosis tests, and class syllabi. After a complete inundation of new information, it was off to Phoenix Children’s Hospital to become familiar with the facility. I am more than overjoyed for this semester to being because it is my dream setting. I plan on attending medical school after I graduate and I plan on becoming a neonatologist. PCH is my dream hospital. I will get the opportunity to rotate through not only the main care floors but also the emergency room and PICU. I am looking forward to this learning experience and hope to gain every ounce of knowledge and experience I can.

Being a Barrett senior also means one thing… the thesis! I am getting ready to begin that journey as well. I am setting all the appointments and trying to formulate a few ideas. I’ll keep you updated on the progress.

Overall, I am so excited to be not only a senior, but a Barrett senior and I cannot wait to see what the semester brings. Barrett has so much to offer, so we will just have to see where my Barrett journey leads.

Reunited with Arizona

As an out of state student, my return to Arizona after the brief Winter Break was bitter sweet. I was both looking forward to and anxious about the coming semester.

My name is Angie and I'm a sophomore student living in the Barrett Residential community downtown. I am pursuing my Bachelor's and Master's concurrently in Journalism.

I moved back a day early for training at the Arizona Republic, my first day back in the dorms was quiet. Within the next two days my friends trickled back and I was reunited with them, my extracurricular activities, and school. Today marked the first day of the Spring 2012 semester and it was a day I was excited and scared for.

I officially started my internship with the Arizona Republic and I was worried I would mess up. I'm working out of Scottsdale and am unfamiliar with the area. After an hour commute in heavy traffic, I arrived and my fears disappeared. After eight hours of working on stories, I looked forward to coming back to my home in downtown Phoenix.

My classes don't start until Monday, but I'm ready to concur the semester. I have everything I need here in the heart of Phoenix from the support of Barrett Downtown and my friends living right next door! We have welcome back events Barrett planned to help us relax and catch up in the next few weeks.

Even though I miss home, I've made another home here in Phoenix thanks to the help of fellow Barrett students, faculty, and staff. Moving back is never difficult because of them!

Newly Designed Barrett Blog

Welcome to the NEW Barrett Downtown Blog!

Starting this spring semester our blog will be a place to follow three of our very own Barrett Downtown students from different disciplines as they grow and discover throughout their collegiate experience. We will also have several guest bloggers join in to provide personal accounts of some of the happenings here on the Downtown Phoenix Campus and in Barrett, The Honors College.

We look forward to showing you a glimpse into the world of Barrett Downtown and hope that you will follow us through the excitement that lies ahead!