My Quest

I have been learning my entire life. My education began with words like “googoo” and “gahgah” and quickly I moved on to “maamaa” and “daadaa”. Since those early lessons I have been fascinated with learning and the education process. My early elementary education (grades K-5) occurred in Grafton Massachusetts, prior to the first major event in my life (other than my birth). At the age of 10, my family and I moved from the quaint town of Grafton to the planned community of Mission Viejo in sunny Southern California.
Life in Southern California was fun and fantastic for me. The sun always seemed to be shining and the beach was just a short bus ride away. My academic career continued with moderate success and culminated with my graduation from high school in 1987. I left high school and attended Cal State Fullerton for a short time where I quickly came to the conclusion that college was not for me, at least not yet. I ceased attending Fullerton and proceeded to pursue lessons in life. I went to work, made money, paid bills, etc…, and I learned at every step along the way. Fast forward a decade or so and the saga continues.
The summer of 2002 found me living in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. I had a new and increasing desire to return to school and to complete the college education I had started so long before. Initially, I was going to study history; however, that quickly changed after a brief conversation with a neighbor of mine. At the time of our chat, I was unaware of the IDS Department and any of the options it offered. My neighbor filled me in.
My outlook towards education has always been of an interdisciplinary nature, I just never termed it that way. Whenever I learned new information (whether in school or in life), a multitude of questions always seemed to form in my brain. If I learned geography, I always wondered about the history, culture, etc…and if I learned history, I always pondered the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘why’, and ‘how’ (they taught me the ‘when’). My interdisciplinary enlightenment led me to the American Studies concentration and that is where I now reside. My first IDS course was ‘Development, Globalization, and Resistance’ which now falls into one of the seminar categories. I enrolled and completed the IDS core classes while taking a mixture of courses in what I term “all things American”. My interests are varied and in fact, there are no areas of study that I find uninteresting or unworthy of study.
My personal interests and hobbies include birding, woodworking, and activities that take place out of doors. Learning is also a major focus of my life: I enjoy the mystery and discovery that it entails.
Upon graduation, I intend to teach the young. I will teach with the hope and intention of instilling in others the love of learning that I have. I believe that teaching not only educates the student, but the instructor as well. My quest for education is unending and lifelong.

In an effort to fulfill the assignment requirements, let me add a few things.

My concentration is American Studies. To me, this vaguely and broadly means the study of all things american. I came to this area of study somewhat by chance. In my first attempt at college, I found myself undirected and simply taking classes that I wanted to take (within the general education guidelines). I took U.S. History to 1877 and U.S. History since 1877 in lieu of taking the more general U.S. History class. I also enrolled in American Lit. (Twain to Modern), American Government, North American Geography, and History of California. Basically, I chose classes that seemed pertinent to where I lived, in broad terms. I will fast forward ahead from Cal State Fullerton to ASU. Once I learned of the American Studies concentration within the IDS department, a quick check of the classes I needed against the classes I had already taken told me to go with an American Studies major over a History major. Another factor that helped seal the decision was the IDS department (both faculty and students) itself. The somewhat liberal approach by the faculty and the eclectic mix of students played an important role in my deciscion to go with American Studies.

Courses:

HIS 3726 - Appalachian History w/ John Williams
ANT 2400 - North American Indians w/ C. Classen
GHY 3012 - US and Canada @ CSFullerton
ENG 2310/2320 - American Lit. w/ Z. Boyd & C. Conway (respectively)
HIS 2201/2204 - US History to 1877 & since 1877 @ CSFullerton
ENG 4790 - American Lit. 1900-1945 w/ B. Dick
PS 4230 - President/Executive Branch w/ P. Ardoin
PS 3230 - American Legislative Politics w/ P. Ardoin

My minor is English and I have taken primarily film and literature courses to fulfill my minor. I took Sociology of Sport (w/ Rosenberg) as an elective. For my foreign language requirement, I chose Spanish.

Books:

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
The Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
A Death in the Family by James Agee
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas by Frederick Douglas
Theodore Roosevelt by Nathan Miller
The Big Year by Mark Obmascik
The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking by James Krenov

Experiences/Events:

Moving to California (at the age of 10) from Massachusetts
Living in Argentina for nearly a year
Working in the "real world" (not the TV show) for more than a decade
Mother having and surviving cancer

Goals/Focus after graduation:

To teach. I would like to pass on to others not simply the facts and figures that many equate with education but the love of learning and the multitude of ways in which one can persue an education. Also, I may possibly relocate back to California.