Learning to Appreciate The Little Things - by Chloe

After one year of college I have learned to appreciate a few things about home that I never realized I would miss at school. Here is a list of some things I have a newfound appreciation for.

1.     Soft Toilet paper: It’s good stuff guys. Let’s be honest. I go to a great school, but their toilet paper is reminiscent of that tissue paper you fill gift bags with; Truly awful. Love it while you have it… and then pack some for college!

2.    Soft water: Some of you probably don’t even know what I mean by this. Well at my house we have a water softener that takes the hard minerals and other things out of the water. (This is the reason your hair feels softer when you shower at home than at a hotel.) Well colleges don’t have that, so every time I come home it is like a vacation of soft hair: Glorious. You’ll understand someday.

3.    Home cooked food: You knew this one was coming, but it really is worth noting. There IS a difference; maybe it’s mom’s love, who knows.

4.    Seeing Old people: No really. Every time I see a person over the age of about 60 at IWU it is either a Sunday and they are there for their Sunday brunch, or it is Grandparents Day. No exceptions. Sometimes it is nice to know that there are still people other than college students out there.

5.    Animals (other than squirrels):Every college campus has a million squirrels. I don’t know why, but that is a cold, hard, fact. All other animals, however, might as well be mythical creatures. IWU actually has a Puppy Day where they bring in puppies from local shelters for the students to play with because we never see dogs and the dogs get to run around. It is a win/win, but love on your pet while you can because you will miss them!

6.    Sleep: Everyone has heard the all-nighter stories, but you don’t know the truth of lack of sleep until you are up until 3 or 4 writing a paper or studying for a test. I came home for the summer and slept for 14 hours the first night! I guess I really was exhausted!

7.    My parents: I couldn’t leave this without saying that I missed my family a lot more than I thought I would. They are pretty spectacular people and after a year in college I have an even greater appreciation for them.

If you are a graduating senior, or a younger student in high school, keep these things in mind this summer and appreciate the little things. You might just realize that it is the little things that make a place feel like home.

 
Chloe McLaughlin is a college freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana majoring in Church Music and Christian Worship. Originally from Frankfort, Indiana, Chloe was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana for 2012. Learn more about Chloe here!

Be Studious - by Chloe

My parents are both educators, so school was always an important part of my daily life. They always stressed that it is a privilege to be able to afford a good education and that my brother and I should work hard and do our best. My parents have instilled in my brother and I the importance of being studious.

Being studious is not necessarily about getting straight A’s or graduating with honors, and studious people are not always the smartest or the “nerdiest”, they are just people who work hard and have a successful work ethic. As I have worked my way through high school and have just recently finished my first year of college, I have learned that being studious has much more to do with personal standards. I have learned that procrastinating and stress prevent me from being studious because they disable me from being able to turn in my best work. Being studious has everything to do with never settling for less than your personal best work and allowing for the time to create it.

            Here are just a few tips for how to BE STUDIOUS:

1. Work ahead: Do not procrastinate. Sometimes it may feel necessary to work on things until the very last minute, but it will save you a lot of stress and earn you a lot of sleep if you develop a system of always being a few steps ahead. Getting behind is like GPA murder, so staying ahead gives you a little bit of wiggle room if one week is especially stressful.

2. Set goals: If you have a grade in mind or a certain percentage of improvement it will help motivate you to work hard.

3. Never settle for less than your best: If you turn in something that is sub-par because you ran out of time at the last minute you risk doing as well as you could have.

4. Sleep is not a waste of time: Getting enough sleep helps you to do your best work. No one works well on 2 or 3 hours of sleep, so don’t feel guilty about taking a nap if you are too exhausted to think. I have had to learn that naps can be a good use of a half hour, because they can make you much more productive later.

5. Don’t compare yourself to others: Being studious has nothing to do with anyone else. Do YOUR personal best and know that is good enough. It doesn't matter what anyone else can do or what grade they got. Focus on your own improvement.

      Chloe McLaughlin is a college freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana majoring in Church Music and Christian Worship. Originally from Frankfort, Indiana, Chloe was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana for 2012. Learn more about Chloe here! 

Single and Failing to Mingle - by Chloe

I hate to admit it, but I go to a school where it is incredibly common for girls to graduate with not only a Bachelor’s degree, but also an M.R.S. degree. Common IWU terms are “Ring by Spring” and “Freshman Mating Season.” (Ring by Spring refers to the ridiculous amount of engagements that happen in the months of February-April. Freshmen Mating season is basically just a loving description of the madness that ensues as the freshmen discover new future mate possibilities. Yes. It really is that ridiculous.) It seems like so much value is placed on finding a mate and it is an embarrassment to graduate with a bare left ring finger. Since when did it become a crime to be single at 22 or 23?

I will openly admit that I don’t really have any experience where relationships are concerned; in fact I have spent 19 years becoming really awesome at being single. My friends have said before that I am single and failing to mingle. Don’t be too jealous. Haha  (I should also note that the possibility of this streak being broken anytime soon is slim, because I go to a college where the girl: guy ratio is 3:1. Yes I am still serious.) I have never been ashamed of my single status, because I have learned how to be myself. So many people, especially women, see singleness as a weakness or a disease of some kind. Well news flash my teenage and twenty-something friends, IT’S NOT!!! Embrace your singleness without shame!!

Come on All my single Ladies!

My mom has always taught me that being married and having a family is wonderful, but there is something amazing about the years you get to be yourself. My early twenties are the years I should be finishing up school and pursuing my dreams, but the average expectation seems to be that I will be planning a wedding. I want to spend the next 6-8 years chasing the things that I have been dreaming about my entire life! I want to have the freedom to live somewhere incredible, travel around the world with nothing but a back pack, or ride my bike across the country like my mom did. After all, you really do only live once. I don’t want to regret not pursuing one of my dreams.

There is nothing shameful about being single. It can be exhilarating and fulfilling! Whenever I accidently drink the IWU Kool-Aid and start getting down about being “alone” I just remember that my relationship status on Facebook or a silver band on my left hand does not define my value. I have to love myself before someone else can love me.

So ladies (and gents if you are reading this!) do not stress about being “alone!” Spend your college years trying to find your maid of honor or best man and then you can worry about your groom or bride. Becoming your best self does not have to include another person! Enjoy college and stop worrying! Become YOU and happiness will follow!

Chloe McLaughlin is a college freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana majoring in Church Music and Christian Worship. Originally from Frankfort, Indiana, Chloe was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana for 2012. Learn more about Chloe here! 

Don’t Cry Because It’s Over, Smile Because It Happened - by Chloe

Saturday, March 2nd was my final night as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana. As I prepared to pass on my title, I reminisced about the true meaning of this program and the lessons I have learned about myself during my time as a representative and I was brought to tears. The greatest things I gained from Distinguished Young Women were not money, or notoriety, or a medallion; the greatest things I gained were friendships, experiences, and confidence.

A year and a half ago I entered my local program, because I needed to prove to myself that I am able and beautiful. I never dreamed I could do anything like Distinguished Young Women, because I could not trust and believe in my own abilities. After winning my local level I went to State with the intent of having a wonderful time, but to be honest, I was horrified that I would not measure up. I kept worrying about the opinions of others, but that was so unimportant. The girls who greeted me last February were not judgmental; they were accepting and loving. I was overwhelmed by kindness and as the week went on I grew to love them dearly as my “Diwah” sisters. So on finals night as the finalists stood in a line and the runners up were called, I was consumed by joy. I squeezed the hand of the girl next to me as the emcee opened the envelope to reveal the new Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana for 2012. I was hoping she would be the winner so I could be the first to hug her, but instead the emcee announced my name, and I swear my jaw hit the floor. I was shocked. The judges saw something in me that I never believed I possessed. They believed in me more than I believed in myself. In my judges meeting I cried as they told me that other contestants came up to them in the hysteria after my name was announced and thanked them for choosing me. They all believed in me.

This week, as I guided the class of 2013 through their state week, I realized just how much I needed to win. I needed to win confidence. I needed to win my life back. I have never been so blessed by anything. One year ago I was a totally different person. I learned that I don’t have to be a size 2, 4, or 6 to be beautiful. I have never been a small girl, no matter how hard I’ve worked, I have always been tall and full figured. I always believed there was something wrong with me and I had horrible self-esteem, but as I let go of my insecurities and embraced the experience, I grew. I have learned to place my personal value in my relationships and the impact I can have on other people.

Distinguished Young Women helped me to become the kind of woman that mothers want their daughters to grow into. I truly believe that the goal of this program is to create role models. We are meant to be leaders of character. I have spent the last year striving to uphold the meaning behind the title of a Distinguished Young Woman. I have tried to embody the values of this program and I have embraced my former insecurities and come closer to becoming my best self. This program is not about medallions or even money; it is about the people behind the scenes. Distinguished Young Women is about people who care and young ladies who are role models for little girls. At Nationals last June we sat in a circle at Camp Grace only 3 days after arriving in Alabama and talked about people who have been lights in our lives. If I was asked the same question today, the amazing women I met through Distinguished Young Women would definitely make my list. They have lit up my life and shown me friendship. This program gave me best friends, and even if I had not won a dime I would be a winner because of them. They are the best prize I ever could have asked for.

I have not lost anything by passing on my title, I am simply passing a torch. I still have those friendships and memories that changed my life. My light has lost nothing by helping to light the hearts of another class of Distinguished Young Women and I can only hope that they will grow into the kind of women that little girls want to be.

Chloe McLaughlin is a college freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana majoring in Church Music and Christian Worship. Originally from Frankfort, Indiana, Chloe was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana for 2012. Learn more about Chloe here! 

I Don’t Do Parties - by Chloe

Last Monday, my Facebook Newsfeed was flooded with numerous posts about the Inauguration Ceremony that was held to swear in President Barack Obama for his second in the White House. Now, I go to a very conservative Wesleyan school and live in a very Republican state, so you could probably guess that many of the posts I read were not entirely positive. I am also a music major, so I also read many humorous posts in debate about who was or was not lip syncing, and whether or not Beyonće and Kelly Clarkson were appropriate Inaugural choices. I hate to admit that I did not watch the inauguration ceremony, because I was in class, so I cannot voice my opinions in that debate…sorry Beyonće and Kelly. 

Though I missed the ceremony, I did read President Obama’s speech and the Oath of the President and I found myself struck by the sentiments. Regardless of political stance or personal feelings towards our current government leaders, I think anyone could feel the power behind a ceremony of this caliber. The man standing on stage swears to “preserve, protect, and defend” the country for the next four years. He swears to dedicate his life to the good of the country and the people of America. What a powerful thing to swear to more than 300 million people.

President Obama emphasized the power of community and the necessity of unity in his speech, and I found myself troubled by that necessity. I read through my Newsfeed and saw no unity.  I saw negativity and debate. The President said “America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands:  youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention.  My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it -- so long as we seize it together.” How are we supposed to seize such wonderful possibilities, if we are a divided nation? Can we not stand up behind a President regardless of his political party?

It was truly ironic and appropriate that Monday was not only the Presidential Inauguration, but also Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Power of Unity has never been so well understood as it was in the Civil Rights Movement. Now is a time in the history of our country when we truly need to band together in the face of our trials and stop being “Republicans” or “Democrats” and start being Americans. Whether we agree with the actions of our President we must agree that we should share in the responsibility to better our country and improve the current problems we are facing. It is our right to disagree, but also our duty to support and respect a man or woman who is willing to dedicate his or her life to trying to make our country a better place to live in the best ways they know how.

The President is right. If we are going to grasp the reigns of our potential in this moment, as a country we must “seize it together.” We do not always have to agree with our leaders, but we must respect them. We must stand behind them in the pursuit of finding solutions to the issues we face and pray that their decisions will be honorable. The President will do his best to “preserve, protect, and defend” the law and the country, and sometimes we may not agree with the ways in which he chooses to up hold that oath but he is attempting to up hold it nonetheless. We should strive to be Americans not defined by our parties, but rather defined by our love for our country. We must seize this moment and become a unified country of Americans who love our neighbors and our leaders not because they share our views, but because they too love their country.

Chloe McLaughlin is a college freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana majoring in Church Music and Christian Worship. Originally from Frankfort, Indiana, Chloe was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana for 2012. Learn more about Chloe here! 

The Skinny on Scholarships - by Chloe

As the daughter of a high school guidance counselor, I became very well-versed in the language of scholarships during my senior year. I remember Christmas Break as the weeks of scholarships last year. I hated filling them out, but I learned a few things along the way, so here are a few tips for those of you who are feeling the pressure.

1. Pick similar scholarships: A lot of scholarships use very generic essay prompts, so REUSE YOUR ESSAYS!! Find 5 or 6 scholarships with similar essay questions and then right one all-inclusive essay that will work for all of them! It is a huge time saver.
2. Ask to use a type-writer: Most scholarships can be filled out online or on a computer now, but some still come in paper form and require you to fill them in by hand. Neatness definitely counts when it comes to scholarships, so if you come across a hand-written form ask the guidance department if they have a typewriter you can use. (There are some essays that require the essay to be handwritten. DO NOT use a typewriter for those. This is more referring to the simple questions on the application.) DO NOT FILL THEM OUT IN PENCIL. EVER.
3. No scholarship is not worth your time: APPLY APPLY APPLY!!!!!!! It’s FREE Money!!!!
4. Sometimes one more shot at the SAT/ACT is worth it: I took the SAT one more time my senior year and got the last 20 points that I needed to get $1,000 more a year from my school! If you are within 50 points on the SAT or 3 points on the ACT, take the chance.  It could be worth $4,000+!!
5. Go Local: I got several smaller scholarships from local clubs and organizations because they knew me! The committee knew my character and that helped my chances. There were also fewer applications for those local scholarships because they were not worth as much! They were definitely worth my time!
6. Go Random: Did you know that KFC has a scholarship?  So does McDonalds and Coca-Cola! There are scholarships for people with green eyes, people of Irish descent, vegetarians, middle-children, and only children! People never think to apply for the random scholarships, so the application pool is much smaller!
7. Double and Triple Check EVERYTHING: I cannot stress enough how important it is to fill in the applications completely. Even missing one question can eliminate your application. Grammar and spelling are also very important, so having someone else read your essays and short answer questions is a good choice.

Scholarships are time consuming and monotonous, but totally worth it.  Make the effort. You will never be paid hundreds of dollars per hour ever again! You will never regret having a smaller tuition bill or loan debt.

Chloe McLaughlin is a college freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana majoring in Church Music and Christian Worship. Originally from Frankfort, Indiana, Chloe was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana for 2012. Learn more about Chloe here! 

A Do-It-Yourself Christmas - by Chloe

Thanksgiving has passed, SOOOOO…… Let’s talk about CHRISTMAS!  Now I don’t know about all of you, but I LOVE CHRISTMAS. I love the season of family, friends, snow, and gift giving. I have always loved giving other people gifts, it is my favorite of the love languages, because it gives me so much joy to watch someone open a present and show them how much they mean to me. However, as a poor college student, I don’t have money to be spending on expensive presents, even with my Black Friday Steals!  So, I scoured Pinterest for some awesome, cheap, DIY gift ideas! Here are just a few of my favorites!

1. Ornaments filled with glitter. No, seriously. It is just a clear ornament filled with your choice of colorful glitter and then you can personalize it with a name written in puff-paint or permanent marker and a cool ribbon! 

2. No-sew tie Blankets. We have all seen these, and I have made them for family and this year a friend of mine will be getting one for Christmas!(SHHH Don’t Tell) It is just two, 2-yard pieces of your choice of fleece that are laid on tops of each other and then cut in 1-inch sections and tied around the entire outside of the blanket. This can be kind of expensive if you buy fancy fleece, but they also make great baby blankets or pillows and those only take one yard or even half of a yard of each piece! They are super warm and great for napping! (Every college kid loves her naps)

3. Friendship Bracelets. These are super cheap to make. They use embroidery floss and come in varying styles! They can be made in any color and are great for stocking stuffers or for smaller gifts for friends!

4. Button Jewelry. Okay this is in honor of my good friend Emily who makes practically ALL of her jewelry out of old buttons. Let’s face it, we all have a million buttons laying around, because every shirt, skirt, jacket, etc. that has buttons comes with spare buttons, SO why not make those spare buttons into matching jewelry?! They are truly adorable. You can thread them on a nice string, chord, or ribbon for a cute necklace or bracelet, or hot glue them to earring studs (these can be purchased at Hobby Lobby or other craft stores for CHEAP!). 

I hope this has given you some fabulous ideas for this Christmas that might save you a few dollars! Have a great Holiday season. 

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas,

Chloe

Chloe McLaughlin is a college freshman at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana majoring in Church Music and Christian Worship. Originally from Frankfort, Indiana, Chloe was a participant in the Distinguished Young Women program and was selected as the Distinguished Young Woman of Indiana for 2012. Learn more about Chloe here!