Self Discipline | Blog 11

five areas in my life that lack discipline:
1. schoolwork
2. nutrition
3. fitness
4. sleep schedule
5. prayer
Each of these I have a simply solution to fix but it takes a great deal of effort and time. If I plan out my schedule better and write out times on when to study, eat, workout, etc then it would most likely get done on time. But then on the other hand planning all these things out would be stressful and I would become discouraged if things didn't work out the way I wanted to. My mom is a very self-disciplined person and I have learned the technique of planning things out ahead of time to get them done from her.
I am accountable for a lot of things such as my room, my education, and my team. Even just within my team I am accountable for the rowers while at the same time the coaches are accountable for me.
Overall, self-discipline is a huge factor of how successful and motivated you are but the people around you that have accountability can help influence your discipline.

My Mission | Blog 10

Recently I have identified my values and life goals and have created a mission statement to make sure I stay true to the person I am and want to become: 

I am at my best when I am teaching others.
I will try to prevent times when I lose my patience.
I will enjoy my work by finding employment where I can help others.
I will find enjoyment in my personal life through be an inspiration for others.
I will find opportunities to use my natural talents and gifts such as keeping a positive attitude, listening to others opinions, being straight forward, and taking action. .
I can do anything I set my mind to. I will use my talents to the best of my ability and motivate others to do the same.
My life's journey is competing at the highest level of rowing I can. I am doing it to prove to myself and others that determination and effort can outweigh any "natural talent" someone my have. My goal is to make it to the Olympics of I can say I have accomplished my dreams and really made an impact..
I will be a person who is dependable and reliable no matter the situation and always able to brighten someone's day..
My most important future contribution to others will be My biggest contribution to the people around me is being able to make them feel important and special. .

I will stop procrastinating and start working on:

• seek creativity
• being patient
• follow jesus

I will strive to incorporate the following attributes into my life:

• loyalty
• fearless
• determination

I will constantly renew myself by focusing on the four dimensions of my life:

• stay active
• continue to be an active member of the church
• only keeping the positive people in my life
• staying connected with the people who have been there for me

Board of Advisors | Blog 9

On my Board of Advisors I have my parents, my grandmother, my teammates, my coach, and my roommate. I think each of these people have a seat in my life because they are the ones who influence me the most in positive ways. All of the people mentioned above are there for me unconditionally and I know will support me no matte what I do. In some cases, like my parents and grandmother, they are there to guide me since they have seen me learn and grow since a young age. They know me the best and sometimes will know what is right for me even when I don't. The next position on my board of advisors are my teammates. In my situation i'm the one who leads them, which in return influences me. Without them being there to lead then I wouldn't be trying my best to be seen as a positive and motivating leader. They are there to push me just like I am there to push them. The next most important on my board is my coach. Although we have a lot of disagreements and don't agree on everything we are both there to be working together. Our differences in opinions is what helps me grow and pushes my boundaries. Lastly is my roommate. We have only known each other for a short period of time but that doesn't mean she impacts me any less than the others. Living in such small quarters with someone who starts off as a stranger makes for a lot of compromise between both people. By this constant problem solving we go through, it has really opened up a new part of me that I didn't realized I had. Overall, all of these people in my life have a big impact on my attitude, values, and just how I go on living daily life. Without my Board of Advisors I would not be able to accomplish half of what I already have on my own.

Leader In The Field | Catherine Byrne

For Leader in the Field Interview I had the pleasure of meeting and learning about Catherine Byrne, an actuary from Boston Massachusetts. Actuarial science is a type of math that calculates and finds the probability of when someone is likely to die. It’s used primarily for life insurance companies so they can figure out how much to charge a client and make the maximum profit available. When talking to Catherine about her job I noticed how much love she had for what she did. Her job is what one would think of when you think of a typical desk job. She works standard hours, around 7 hours a day/ five days a week and has the typical holidays and vacations. While at work her day follows a standard itinerary that is just working through the different clients one by one. The math she has to use is more or less the same extensive equation that varies with the many different factors each person brings. Some of the variables are things such as age, gender, height, weight, occupation, hobbies, etc. Within these variables there are different risk factors that accompany each one. That is the part that Catherine says she finds most interesting. By each person having all these different factors combining into one it is interesting to see how the affect the outcome of how long their likely to live. 

To backtrack just a little, when growing up Catherine didn’t always want to become an actuary, in fact little to none can say they do due to the lack of knowledge about the profession. Instead, when she was younger she wanted to become a lawyer. Even throughout high school and into college she remained pre-med, studying at both Boston College and Williams and Mary in Virginia. A few years into her studies at the university, while applying for graduate school, she first heard about the actuarial science profession. Although it does require extensive background studies in math, it does not fall into one certain major. Even with her focus in pre-law she still had taken the courses recommended to take before taking the Actuary test.

In order to get an actuary license you have to take a series of tests. With passing each one brings more job opportunities. Anyone can take the tests, although it’s very challenging to pass without prior studying in the subject. Even though there are multiple tests, passing only one can already increase you're chances of getting a full time actuary job. Once someone passes the first, many companies will hire the person since they have no experience and can pay them little. Then while they work under the company the company will train them for the program and the upcoming tests they have yet to take. After preparation the company will then pay for them to take the test but keep the employ’s salary the same so as the employes experience grows they start to become underpaid. 

Overall actuarial science is becoming an increasing demand. Businesses of all kinds need these people within their company help with managing their funds and get maximum profit by knowing what to charge their customers. As the demand for accuracy increases the search for actuaries increases as well. Catherine recommends studying to become an actuary to anyone even remotely interested, especially those who excel in math. 

Future at OU | Blog 8

During my time at OU I see myself continuing to do what I do now. I am an active member in the rowing community and hope to continue to work my way through the leadership positions until I can hopefully reach team captain. Team captain is an important goal for me because I want to be able to be looked at as a role model by athletes on our team as well as other teams and people at OU. I also hope to be looked at as a leader in the Christian community as well. One of my goals I made at the beginning at the semester was to be more involved in my religion and faith and I have definitely been following through with it. I have become a leader to the children I've been teaching and as my knowledge increases I can picture myself being an active leader here on campus as well. Looking back at just the past few months I am happy at how ive been working towards my goals and how much progress I've made. I know that I just have to keep working towards my news ones and staying up with my timelines on the SMART goals.

Attitude | Blog 7

"Our attitudes are our most important assets"
I fully agree with this statement. By looking back at past events, I know that I can't control what's going on but I can always change my attitude about it. Even in the toughest situations if you go into it with a positive attitude the whole situation will seem lighter and easier. The same thing goes for something positive. It could be the greatest thing in the world but if you only look at the negatives than you're denying yourself from it's full potential. I believe if you try to keep the best attitude possible in every situation than every situation from there on out will just seem to come easier. Another example could be in a group setting. Some people really enjoy working in groups while others do not and although they could have two completely different views on it, if everyone goes into the group with a positive attitude than not only will it make it more enjoyable but it will actually get more accomplished. One time I have remembered someone's attitude influencing me was the first time I went to church. Everyone has problems (some bigger than others) and I know that everyone deals with them differently but this case was different. Although they were still problems, the pastor kept calling them "trials". Trials were something that you went to, not to punish you but to teach you a lesson. Even though this is a religious belief that not everyone arguers with, I think a large part of it has to do with his attitude. Since he is going into it thinking that he'll get something out of it and will later benefit than it's a lot more easier than just moping through the problem.

Letter from OU | Blog 5

Dear ARHS Class of 2015,
Crazy to think you guys are seniors now, isn't it? I remember thinking the same thing last year and before I could even comprehend what was going on it was gone. Just like that. Even though I'm just a year older and a year wiser I would like to share my input on what I've learned after being in your position.
If there's one thing that got me through senior year it's to use the support of the people around you. Those guidance consolers telling you to get your applications in? Just submit them. Those teachers you're afraid to ask for their recommendation from? Just ask already. Those arguments with your parents on what they think is best? Just listen to them. And most importantly, those friends who have always been there for you? Stay close to them. These are the people who are here to help and support you. As smart as you are there is always more to learn and this year everything will be thrown at you. You might think you're ready, but you're not.
If I were to go back I wish someone would have told me that it's okay not to have it all figured out yet. There's no deadline on deciding a job, major, or college.... and even if there is it's never too late to change your mind. If you want to go to college go for it. If you decide you'd rather take a year off, then go for that too. Right now you have a whole world of possibilities right in front of you and there is no such thing as a right option.

Enjoy the ride Class of 2015
-Emily

Bystanders | Blog 4

Recently I have found myself to be a bystander in some bullying on our team. Since the team is filled with all different skill levels and age ranges, some people think that they have dominance or are superior to others. In some cases it is just common teasing but other times it can be actually offensive to the victim. When I see this happening I know it would be the morally correct decision to stand up to them but I'm guilty of passing the responsibility off to someone else. 
In this particular situation I feel like it's someone else's job because I'm in the same position as the other people being bullied. I have no authority over the bullies so I feel as if me standing up to them would make no difference. This is just one of the reasons many college students won't stand up to people doing wrong. 
Another reason people will act as bystanders when they know it's wrong is fear of being embarrassed. Other times people will just pass it off as acceptable while other times they'll pass it off to others like I am guilty of doing. In any situation there are always many options on what to do and hopefully as more people become aware of their by standing behavior people will start to stand up against it.

Priorities | Blog 3

Before coming to OU all of my priorities were focused on rowing. Since coming here and the level increasing I am still focused on it but now it's along with my school work. During high school I would just do the bare minimum to pass on by and I never took the classes too seriously. Now that I'm here the professors have a whole new level of expectations and I do my best to try to reach them. By putting school and studying as a priority in my life it has shown that yes it might take more time out of my day when I could be doing other (more exciting) things, but it also comes with a lot less stress. Instead of cramming in studying the night before or procrastinating on a paper, planning ahead and doing everything on time has been much more effective. Since making this switch I have now realized that this maybe should've been a priority a while before, but it's never too late to make a change.

Three of my goals for Fall of 2014 are...
1) make the travel varsity team for rowing
2) maintain all A's
3) branch outside of my comfort zone

In order to branch outside of my comfort I know that it will be a lot easier said than done. Coming to Oklahoma itself was branching out for me considering I've never been here before and didn't know a single person. I promised myself at the beginning of the semester that I would allow myself to try new things and I think I've been keeping that promise. So far at OU on top of meeting a ton of new people and taking a variety of classes I've also tried to expand my faith. I had never been religious and growing up I had been raised jewish but I decided that I wanted to go to church and see what it was all about. Instead of going to a traditional church I have started by going to FCA (fellowship Christian athletes) where they are accepting of everyone no matter where they are at within their faith. They might be baby steps for now but by the end of the semester I can hope to accomplish all 3.

Influences | Blog 2

Starting from a young age I have had a lot of influences in my life. I hadn't realized until making my life map how hard it was to pin-point just 5 major influences because I have had so many important people and events make an impact. My top five that I had listed for the class was being born on a farm in Massachusetts, going to a public school, starting rowing, being hospitalized and going through rehab, and signing with the University of Oklahoma. In those five events I have also had many people help me along the way. My parents and grandparents have been supportive of me no matter what's going on, along with my friends and teammates. My coaches have also influenced me because without them I wouldn't have known how to push myself and all that I am capable of. Since high school graduation these people have still stayed in my life and I still carry these experiences but they have also grown. Leaving the East Coast and moving here has influenced me in itself and joining the rowing team has given me a new team and set of coaches who are a big part of my life as well. Even if I haven't noticed yet, OU has had a big influence on me and is impacting me everyday.

Creation | Blog 1

My name is Emily Jean Coffman. I'm a coxswain for the University of Oklahoma rowing team. This position determines me as the leader for the group even if they might be older or more experienced than me. Although I might have reached Step 1 of leadership (position) I want to become more than that. I want my teammates to look up to me and follow me because they want to, not just because my position says they have to. By working through the five steps of leadership I hope to accomplish this.
Knowing my U-Zoo animal is also very helpful in this situation. Now that I know I'm a porpouse and care about the WHO in any situation, I can adapt my leadership to qualities to fit it. I think my animal is very fitting because I know from past experiences how much I take into account other people's feelings.