Todd AUSTIN

     

After spending three quarters already at Spokane Community College on pre-requisites, Michelle Bishop is happy to begin starting her Health Information Technology major. Outside of school, though, she spends most of her time keeping up with her two young daughters, but when she can indulge, Michelle enjoys watching plays and musicals.

Michelle does not have much time to read books anymore but still keeps her reading skills fresh with the daily newspaper, even if she only can read it three times a week. When she can take time to read a book though, she enjoys books by John Saul. However, Our Stolen Future by Theo Colborn was not one she would recommend because she found the book quite boring.

Although Michelle’s finds writing one of the harder things to do, she hopes that with this class and the support of her instructor and peers, she will be able to improve her comprehension and articulation so that she may write with greater ease and confidence. With her enjoyment in working together in small groups, honesty, organization, and the confidence that she will be able to come up with good ideas for whatever project is being tackled she is bound to succeed. by Mathew L. Vensel
 

- Not many share the name of a mega movie star.  Michael Douglas does.  Michael is a Liberal Arts major at Spokane Community College. Getting back into the swing of things has been a focus of his since his start here.  Although Michael is young and attending his first year of college, he has already dipped into some of life as we know it.  He owns a business that he has started on his own and has spent some time delving into the hardware and software world of computers.  If I ever had a problem, it would be a person like Michael that would be called upon to help.  He is a thinker and a fixer.  Some people struggle with planning, thinking things through, problem solving, and sorting things out.  For Michael this is not a task.  Whether it is for automotive, computer, or plumbing problems, or just needing some moral support Michael is known to help see it through.  In addition to this, he is an editor and a word guy.  He will have much to contribute to a class such as English 101.  If you struggle to find the right word for something, consult a walking, talking thesaurus like Mike.  He also has strength in grammatical structure and will be an asset to anyone who has him in their small group.  Furthermore, he loves to write!  It is not important to Mike whether it is technical, business or creative.  As one who has experienced positive changes as a result of written language, he thinks of writing an enjoyable experience. What does a thinker and fixer do when he is not solving other’s problems?  Read, of course!  Although this is not the only thing that Michael enjoys doing, one would assume that a fair amount of time would be spent in this area to be any good at logic and problem solving.  One interesting fact about Mike’s reading experiences is that he has challenged the institutional rules in his junior high library and won!  He loves to read Stephen King books and was not able to check them out at his school library.  Mike petitioned for a change in policy and was able to spend his junior high years enjoying his favorite author.  Other extracurricular activities Mike enjoys doing are snowboarding and playing hockey.  Likewise, he is interested in movies and photography.  Struggling to find time to do extracurricular activities is something that one would expect for a person who attends school and owns their own business.  Mike used to read the newspaper front to back everyday but lately has only had time to get to it three to five times per week.  Thus far one would think Mike a superhero, hence the title.  But, alas Mike is like the rest of us; there is room for improvement.  He hopes to be more open to feedback and constructive criticism from his experience with English 101.  Emerging as a better writer is an endeavor that, based on Mike’s life thus far, will no doubt be accomplished. by Shannon  Sabins

 - Jason DUJARDIN-TERRY is currently working on his AA Degree in Liberal arts and would like to complete degrees in, sommelier, Asian language and history. His past experiences with on line courses have been null up until recently, Jason states, “in my past occurrences with online courses I have dealt with un-organized and misleading representations. But for the most part Jason does like the benefits of being able to study on his own time. Jason has tremendous computer comprehensibility; he’s on a computer for at least 4 to 5 hours daily, morning through night he’s designing, building, re-formatting, programming computers for his self made business. Consequently Jason basically has a second marriage to the internet as he would say, “for better or worse”. In addition to Jason’s busy life style he enjoys spending time with his family, he likes to read, he finds enlightment playing computer games, downloading and listening to music, he also takes pleasure in beer, wine and cheese tasting. Jason has no love for physical writing, nevertheless he likes typing. His best typing experience is when he is coding program software. As mentioned above his worse writing incident is all physical writing. Sorrowfully Jason’s most memorable historical event was September 11^th; this event affected Jason tremendously, he states, “it was emotionally shocking and probably the most devastating news I have ever lived through”. Two adjectives best describing Jason are (1). “Experience-Hungry”, meaning I’m young and ready to adventure to explore or experiment the worlds “new” and “old anew” freeing his boundaries which have restricted his soul to fully experience life so that he can achieve the ultimate expedition of just living. And the second adjective is what his wife calls him all the time a “Romantic” he feels like it fits his individuality he doesn’t mean in the traditional way but more like internal feelings. Finally from this Eng 101 course Jason hopes to gain a better understanding of the English language along with learning more about human relations with other populace and ethnic groups. by Darrell Jenkins

      FRENSDORF ASHLEY

 

 I did my interview on Nick Hagarty. He doesn’t have a major in mind yet, but he’s looking into naturopathic medicine. Naturopathic medicine deals with natural ways of helping your body function. This is his second quarter at S.C.C. He likes the teachers he has had so far, and he has met some cool people. He likes to write, but it really depends on the topic. His best reading experience is the “ Lord of the Rings” trilogy. He even liked the movies. He’s never had a bad reading experience, but it took him time to get through what teachers assigned, Especially “A Tale of Two Cities”. He likes working in small groups. He feels you can get more perspective and point of views. He’s a very honest person and will ask you if doesn’t get something. Two adjectives to describe Nick is goofy and honest. He is currently reading “War and Peace”. He wanted to know why it was so famous not only in the states, but in the world. He reads the newspaper when he can, at least three times a week. He hopes to be able to put his thoughts on paper in an easier and more efficient ways. He has a lot of thoughts that go through his mind, but sometimes just doesn’t know how to put it to use on a paper. by April Pfeifer

                      

         Brook HAYS  -- Brooks Hays, whose real first name is Michael, is a senior at Freeman High School.  Brooks describes himself as outgoing and confident.  This is something that I can testify to because I go to school with him.  Brooks is a key player on Freeman’s varsity football team, and his running endurance is essential to the track’s relay team.  His out of school hobbies include hunting and fishing.  After he graduates from high school, he plans on going to college to earn a major in electronics. Brooks feels like he excels in English and writing, so English 101 is a perfect class for him.  This is his first online class, but he uses the Internet for everything so he should be fine with the computer work.  He was a little confused at first as to how everything worked, but at the same time extremely interested. English III, with Mr. Smith, is Brooks’s best writing experience.  Mr. Smith is an excellent teacher who was able to coax the best work from Brooks.  During his first semester this year he had his worst experience in Creative Writing.  The teacher in that class just didn’t have the right touch.  She often gave them strange assignments that didn’t seem to have any relation to english.  Brooks views writing as a pleasure, and he is looking forward to English 101 to gain more knowledge and confidence to move forward with other college courses. by Erin  Lundy

KATHRYN HOOGHEEM

 

Jordan Huotari is a senior at Freeman High School.  He plans to attend College, and major in the field of photography.  When he needs to find things, he usually logs on to the World Wide Web to get what he needs.  For Jordan, spare time is full of fun and interesting activities.  When it is warm outside, he can spend hours skating with his buddies in places ranging from the Spokane skate park, to the post office down at Valleyford, Washington. As spring time rolls around Jordan is a member of the Track team here at Freeman, where he is an outstanding pole vaulter, runner, and team leader. Jordan has a pleasant time writing, and only views it as tedious when he has to do a large amount.  A very talented writer as well, I recall, any time he did any oral presentation for our class, we were all sure to be holding our sides from splitting with laughter.  His favorite class in his extensive high school English history was most assuredly English 3.  A junior level English class taught by our football coach here, the talented as well as brilliant Jeff Smith.  The class that Jordan is in now, “Creative writing” is his pick for worst class ever.  He is not sure of his reasoning on this decision, only very sure of the decision.  If you were to try to describe Jordan in two words, and you let him pick the words, they would be goofy and personable.  I agree that these are two amply descriptive terms for my friend, as I spend hours with him day to day. Jordan has three main goals set that he will try to achieve throughout the course of this class which are as follows: To pass, to become a better writer, and finally, simply to become more familiar and comfortable with all college courses in general. by Brooks Hays

 

  FRANK INGRAHAM

Darrell Jenkins plans on majoring in the Social Sciences. His ambition, possibly among others, is to teach college-level Sociology. Darrell has plenty of experience taking online courses Not only has he taken many, but so far, has succeeded in “acing” Stress Management and First Aid/CPR during the summer of 2003. When he’s not busy doing all those internet courses, he likes to traverse the internet, looking for deals on household products, software, computer hardware and of course, game sites!  According to Darrell, he’s a “Nature Boy”. That includes everything from fishing and hunting to camping and biking. It seems like Darrell has made lots of progress in English since he started studying. As he passed through English 96, 99 and 100, he actually began to like writing. He still wants to continue learning and growing, but he sure finds it easier after completing his previous English courses. His best writing experience was during his English 100 class. He enjoyed the free writing; stories about his family, job, school, sports, etc.  Unfortunately, his worst experience was a being let-down from expecting a good review on an essay he wrote, when he actually had forgotten most of what he had learned and was criticized for it. His best historical event was moving to Spokane. He was overjoyed to move out of a community crippled with poverty in Youngstown, Ohio.             He describes himself as a “Happy-go-lucky”, outgoing, loving person. He is a father of 6 children and now that they are grown, he wants to “catch-up” on many things. He definitely appears to have the potential and will-power to do so! by Jason A. Dujardin-Terry

 

AMBER LESLIE  -- Sst_adl@hotmail.com It has been hard and confusing for her to know exactly what we’re supposed to be doing in this English 101 online class.  She really wishes she would have taken a typing class in high school so she can navigate her way around better.  Aside from being in school she fights fires during summer in the Okanogan Highlands.  Amber is planning on majoring in nursing.  She describes herself as busy and focused.  She says, “Some days I feel so busy there just needs to be more hours in the day.”  Her main focus is trying to make finishing school a big priority for herself.  She recently wrote an article to a local paper but when she thinks of writing she thinks of pain.  That’s why she hopes to gain from this English class a better ability to put her thoughts together and write papers.  by Dee Ann Stephens

 

 LESSER STEFANIE

-- I recently interviewed my partner Erin Lundy, a senior at Freeman High School.  Two words or adjectives to describe her are outgoing and caring.  She has recently taken two distance learning classes at SCC.  The classes that she took were; anthropology and first aid.  She was a bit shaky on the details but it seems like she enjoyed the classes that she took.  When I interviewed her she told me that she was confused at first using the “Black Board,” but she got the hang of it after a while.  Erin looks forward to her future career becoming a Physical Therapist. Erin really likes to play softball, and I understand that she is quite good.  She is a pitcher and has played her whole life.  Erin also is a Fire Department District 8 Volunteer.  She spends her time away from school and softball volunteering at her local fire station in ValleyFord Washington.  Though Erin is involved in pitching on the Freeman Softball team, and volunteers at the fire station, she also is involved in FBLA.  Erin does a lot of things involving her school work and after school sports,  but she somehow finds a way to do other jobs have time for her friends and family too.  She is a very busy girl. As far as writing goes, Erin thinks that it is painful to get started with her writing project, but as she gets going she has fun with it and enjoys what she has written later.  Her best writing experience is her college admissions essay.  She never said what her worst writing experience was.  And the thing that she wants to take from this class the most is that she wants to gain better analytical skills.  Erin is a fun girl and looks forward to her future as well as her present.  She is an outgoing and caring person as far as I can tell and she will do well making her goals come true. by Jordan Huotari

Denise Moore, a first year Liberal Arts student, who plans to enter the Surgical Tech program here at SCC.  enrolled in two online classes (Comp and English 101) as well as taking math on campus.  She has enjoyed her experiences at SCC so far. Denise is new to the Spokane area and enjoys the outdoors (came to the right place for that!) and spending time with her family which include a son, Michael (16), daughter Brittney (15), and her “significant other”, Ian. Denise relates that she thinks writing is “fun” when the reading was “fun/good”, otherwise if it wasn’t the writing can be a struggle.  That ties in with her best/worst reading experiences where Denise indicated that she absolutely “hated” reading Macbeth in high school. Her best reading experience was when, prior to her husband passing away,  she spent time with him in the hospital, and later at home, reading to her husband and discussing the future of politics, computers, and everything they could think of. Denise thinks that it’s “great” to work in small groups and brings “plenty of people skills from past work experience and training employees” which will lend itself to working with others.  She describes herself as being a good listener and organized, once again skills/traits gained from both past employment and being a “Mom”. Denise reads the paper a minimum of five times per week and enjoyed reading “A Bend in the Road”, a best selling novel by Nicholas Sparks. Denise hopes to improve her communication skills and grasp more from readings and writings during the course of this class. by Julie Smith

   NELSON SHANE

    Jerry W. Perkins is Pharmacology and Micro Biology Major at Spokane Community College. He has had some problems so far at SCC, “I have particular prerequisites that must be accomplished before I am allowed to petition for acceptance into WSU.  Because I am a full time employee as well as a father, it has been difficult for me to meet the class schedules that are offered for many of the courses.  … However, hard science classes such as Biology, Botany, Zoology, and chemistry series 141,142, and 143 are only offered in particular quarters and on a first enrolled first allowed basis.  I found myself delayed by a year because I could not enroll in Chemistry 141.  Without Chemistry 141, chemistry 142 and 143 could not be taken.  I will petition to graduate this year and transfer into a microbiology course offering at Eastern Washington University for the fall, but this means that the classes will cost me more and I must pepper first year chemistry courses into my third year curriculum.”

When Jerry is not taking care of his children or busy with his classes he has plenty to keep him going. Jerry is a member of the Washington State Pharmacy Association and attends medical seminars through them in the local area such as those held in Spokane, Cheney, and CDA Idaho. “I keep a boat on CDA and spend most summer weekends there.  I have participated in the Economic Development Council in Spokane and the Chamber of Commerce in Spokane as well as Spokane Valley.  I am also active with expansion of service efforts through Sacred Heart Medical Center.” Jerry thinks of writing as a pain, viewing it as time consuming and feels as if it is a personal weakness. “Because I think of it as a weakness and do not enjoy it, it is difficult to spend the required amount of time to write well.  This has led to the production of poor papers and low marks for them.  The low marks have reinforced the feeling of weakness and has led to a desire to not spend time that lacks reward.”   

Jerry readily recognizes this circle of defeat as; “An issue that I wish to correct.” In discussing Jerry’s best reading experience; “The opportunity that I had to read the Jowett translation of the Dialogue of Plato in the “Republic” of the Allegory of Cave.  I was drawn into the story of the den even though I prefer science fiction writing and not the philosophical thoughts of the early Greeks.”  His worst reading experience was the completion of the science fiction novel Sons of Man by Robert Silverberg.  “Even though I enjoy Science fiction, the word usage was so chaotic to me that I had a difficult time understanding the intent of the visit to the future that was being depicted in the story.”

The last novel that Jerry read was Area 51 – Nosferatu by Robert Doherty. He doesn’t read the news paper often, less than once per week. “I feel that the paper is too dirty and do not enjoy the feel of the newsprint.” Jerry enjoys group activities, but feels that the make-up of some groups leads to a disadvantage to some members if a member does not contribute fully. Since Jerry is open to criticism allows others to vent pent ideas in a non-threatened environment. This will be his contributing strength in English 101. Jerry would first describe himself as tall.  “Although I am only 6’4”, this height puts me over the average height and people have tended to comment that I am tall.  The second adjective that best describes me is conservative.  I tend to express conservative ideas, dress, and attitudes.  I am more open to tried and verified solutions than to new ideas that are not proven.”

 From his English 101 class Jerry hopes to achieve three goals; first succeed in meeting the requirements and activities in a timely manner so that,”… I can enjoy them without the “rushed” feel from lack of preparation.” He would like to learn a better method for writing term and research papers. Finally Jerry wants to complete the course on his time line. “I took this English in this fashion as it allows me to work on the subject at hours that typical class rooms are not available. I also expect to have some flexibility in the time of day for activities such as child care, work, home life, and other endeavors.” by Lola Phillips

  April PFEIFER is currently studying at SCC preparing herself for the field of nursing.  She says that her SCC experiences have gone well thus far.  She bowls in a league with her husband when she’s away from the classroom.  She says that she likes to write when she understands the content and is familiar with the topic.  She spends a lot of time helping her daughter learn to read, which is one of the most enjoyable reading experiences for her.  If you really want to see April get mad, then check out the book that she plans on getting, this really gets her steamed.  April is all for small groups, she says it is easier to get things done and makes the task at hand easier.  April believes that when she is active in a small group her love of reading and her desire to learn makes her a valuable asset to the group.  April sees herself as a hard working and disciplined person.  The latest novel that she has read is “When Lightning Strikes.”  April has the opportunity to read the newspaper everyday, so good thing this isn’t a current events class.  April has two goals to attain by the end of the quarter:  To be able to become a better writer, and to become a more in depth thinker.  April’s email is awesomemomof3@comcast.net so we really know that she has her plate full.  by Nick Hagarty

  It is my pleasure to introduce to all of you Ms. Lola Phillips.  Lola is a liberal arts student attending Spokane Community College with the future desire to attend the nursing program.  To date the experiences that she has had at SCC has been good.  As a matter of fact, she has even commented that the parking here is cheaper that Edmonds Community College.  That coupled with a friendly and helpful staff has contributed to her positive experience and the joy of not feeling dislocated when she started.  Of course she also credits the students with the ability of helping in a variety of ways. Her pursuit of the nursing program has consumed so much of her time that extra curricular activities have been limited to the nursing aid training program that she attends for approximately forty hours per week.  However; before pushing all additional energies into scholastic studies, Lola does admit to having an attraction to outdoor activities such as biking, walking, camping, and fishing.  Otherwise, her favorite passion is reading.

Her reading interests have included the Left Behind series.  These books (which I believe now number a dozen or more) profess to explain philosophical prophesies from biblical translations.  The books can so enthrall Lola that she admits to staying awake all evening refusing sleep so as to complete her reading.  Such devotion to reading has not always been her pattern. For example, she tells me “When I was in first grade I was allowed to pick books from the teacher’s library and bring them home.  My step dad would quiz me on each one assuming that was what he should do.  I brought home a book that I was not ready for and did not ask for help with the words.  I got in a lot more trouble than a child should.  I stopped reading for a long time.”

Lola, like many of us, has learned to be flexible in her beliefs. Luckily, in the eighth grade she re-acquired her hunger for creative wording and has re-grown a love for the printed word.  She believes that this has helped her develop a good imagination and an open mind.  “I am not afraid to change or revise – try something new.” Lola tells me. Now she views herself as outgoing. “I used to be very shy, but I got tired of excluding myself.  Now I enjoy meeting people and find that each one is unique and lovable in their own way.” She tells me. She is a neat and tidy person, but admits to reading a newspaper two to three times per week. 

 For those that have held a paper for a few minutes and felt the ink leave the newsprint and re-deposit in the pores of their finger tips leaving one with the irresistible feeling to wash your hands, know how contrary this is.  But because of claustrophobic feelings, Lola is always cleaning some type of mess up – even if they are not hers and even if the paper is not always the culprit. Lola still finds pleasure in writing.  She has kept a journal for some time and historically has done well in English classes. She does prefer small intimate groups for feedback reasons when writing. “I think the feed back is more direct, and I think it helps to know the person with whom you are working more intimately.” She states. For now, Lola has regulated her short term reading and writing goals to three.  The first is an improvement in overall communication and interpersonal skills.  The second is the ability to catch mistakes before they are exposed to or by others.  Finally, and most important to her at this time, she hopes to make significant improvement allowing her the opportunity to experience English 201 courses. by Jerry W. Perkins

It is my pleasure to introduce Shannon Sabins.  This is her first quarter at SCC, after spending some time at “MJC” (Modesto Junior College?) in California.  She is currently working in the Respiratory Care Program. While her age remains a mystery to me (never ask a woman her age, my mom taught me), our brief encounter at school revealed her to be a caring, thoughtful person. She is rushed for time, of late, as she revealed by telling me that “sleep” could qualify as an extracurricular activity.  Something we can all probably relate to, from time to time.  While she likes to escape into literature, preferring books that create their own environments, she would much rather write something factual, based on research, and/or personal experience.Taking English 101 online should be very beneficial to her, in that she can grow as a writer, and still have time for more ‘frivolous’ pursuits that she enjoys, such as volunteering at the American Lung Association, spending time with her children, board games, oh, and sleep. By Michael Douglas

- Julie Smith as interviewed by Denise Moore.  With plans on achieving her Liberal Arts Degree, Julie also has aspirations on continuing to Eastern Washington University for a teaching degree. So far she has a great first quarter behind her, great teachers, classes and an abundance of discipline enabled Julie to achieve a 4.0 gpa. Outside of school Julie spends time with her husband of twenty years and two boys ages 12 and 13.  When Julie isn’t busy spending time with the “Scouts” or “The Spokane Waves Swim Team” she is able to find time to read.  Thriving on reading suspense books Julie also dreams of reading by a pool  in the warm sun.  “The De Vinci Code” was her last read and very highly recommended. Personal goals for Julie include being able to acquire input from fellow peers working in small groups, and hopefully gain better writing skills, a good grade and last but certainly not least, become a “skilled” on-line student.

--  DeeAnn Stephens is majoring in business marketing and is the >busy mom of an 11 month old baby girl. Her extracuricular activities includes a fast fitness class and taking care of her litttle girl while waiting for her nerves and muscles to heal. Her most historical event? she doesn't have one, every event she has been through has molded her into the person she is today. According to Dee Ann "it's how you handle the situation that's important." Before taking online classes Dee Ann used the internet for checking email, shopping and downloading pictures. Her experience so far in English 101 has been frustrating navigating around the website. When she thinks of writing it's neither pleasure or pain, grammer and the flow of ideas are frustrating for her because she tends to be hard on herself, but she writes from the heart and hopes to gain confidence in her writings as well as respect for others writings.  by "SST ADL"

  It seems that Mathew Vensel is ready to tackle his first quarter here at SCC. He is working towards his degree as a Network Engineer. Mathew's life is very busy. He works long hours at night and is the proud father of an active little boy. When time does allow, he enjoys taking in a movie.
  
   Writing is not something Mathew considers himself good at, but he loves computers and hopes this class will aid him in becoming a more efficient writer. As for reading his time is spent on manuals and course books, not exciting he says, but still reading. The last book he read, Terminal Man, was slow and stalled on unimportant details. Although he only gets to read an occasional on-line article, he keeps an eye out for any interesting sci-fi books.

    The idea of working in small groups doesn't bother Mathew.  He considers himself very quiet but hopes his knowledge of computers will be beneficial when working on a group project. Mathew also considers himself a passionate and caring person, as well as very direct. These traits, as well as his technological skills should guide him successfully towards his degree. by Michelle Bishop