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1. I am tall & athletic
2.. I am loving
3. I am a living organ donor
4. I am ambitious
5. I am caring & nurturing

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In June of 2016 I went vegetarian with long term hopes of one day becoming vegan. It didn't take me very long to adapt to the meat free lifestyle but I made the change so I would eat healthier yet I found myself still eating a lot of junk foods, pasta, pizza, snacks etc. On Valentine's Day (February 14 2017) I decided if I loved myself unconditionally and I cared about myself and my health I would take the next step and be vegan, so I did. It was the best decision I have ever made for myself and I never see myself going back. I enjoy cooking like I never have before and I love learning and trying new things.
***I have a million "favorite" vegan foods that I cook but these are my favorite peanut butter chocolate chip protein pancakes.

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I LOVE eating colorful foods like this bowl I made!

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Organ donation is something that I will be super passionate about for the rest of my life. On October 13th, 2016 I donated my kidney to this man pictured down below. He was initially a stranger to me, I found the article on Facebook. He was very sick for a long time and did dialysis for ten hours a day at night. That broke my heart. After reading the article I knew that I had to reach out and go through testing to find out if I could be a perfect match for him. I went through testing for months last summer and they finally called me and told me I was approved as a perfect match. The transplant was at University of Virginia Hospital and that hospital will always hold a special place in my heart because they took excellent care of me. I am now a year and one month post transplant and we are both the healthiest we have ever been in our lives and we are so blessed.

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"Have you identified your program of study?"

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"Have you identified your program of study?"

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Nutrition & Dietary

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"Have you budgeted for housing, transportation, and food?"

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"Have you budgeted for housing, transportation, and food?"

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I have been super fortunate that I am able to commute to and from school and live with my mom, rent free. Next year I will live on campus and those costs will be covered by my scholarship. Most of the money I spend goes to food and I always budget money because eating healthy food is very important to me.

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"What transfer schools have the program you want?"

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"What transfer schools have the program you want?"

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The school at the very top of my list right now is California State at Los Angeles. They have a Nutrition and Kinesiology program combined and a killer volleyball team.

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"How much does your transfer school cost each year?"

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"How much does your transfer school cost each year?"

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Out of state tuition for the University I would like to attend is about $16,000 per school year. I am currently working very hard in my sport and school so I will be able to earn a scholarship for not only volleyball but also for my grades.

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This is a question I ask myself every day. I do my best to make sure I am spending my money on things that are relevant to my life and beneficial to me significantly. I do treat myself when I am able to, but day to day I focus on only spending my money on things I have to spend money on.

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**Every Friday night at 6pm I teach a free fitness class to give back to my community. I am a part of the Fitness Warriors program and each of us "Warriors" teach a free class once a week to serve the underserved areas of the tri-cities. I am so thankful for be selected by this program to lead a class in my community because I completely see and understand the need for a healthy community especially in areas where the community members might not be able to to afford a gym or have transportation to get to a gym.

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"How much will it cost for your associates degree?"

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"How much will it cost for your associates degree?"

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Luckily I am a student-athlete and I will receive scholarship next year. Including grants, financial aid, and scholarships, it is estimated around $20,000 to get your degree from RBC.

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"Is your G.P.A. where it needs to be to transfer successfully?"

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"Is your G.P.A. where it needs to be to transfer successfully?"

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My G.P.A. is great at the moment and I plan to keep it that way through finals my next two semesters here at RBC so transferring will be a breeze.

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"Is there additional training or employment that would help you prepare for your career?"

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"Is there additional training or employment that would help you prepare for your career?"

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I am beyond excited and cannot wait to do an internship in my field. I have spoke with several current nutritionist about where they did their internship and gotten advice where I should/ shouldn't do one.

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"Are you natural talents aligned with your career choices?"

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"Are you natural talents aligned with your career choices?"

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As a nutritionists, it will be important for me to take charge and lead people in the right direction and naturally I am able to do that.

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"Do you understand your financial aid package?"

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"Do you understand your financial aid package?"

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Yes. The ladies in the Financial Aid office have been nothing less than extraordinary and they have helped me through any questions and concerns that I've had.

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"Does the job you have now transfer at all to your career goals?"

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"Does the job you have now transfer at all to your career goals?"

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Honestly, not much. I am currently a waitress at Texas Roadhouse and I think the most beneficial thing I get from this job is being able to work with and for the general public. Unfortunately, Texas Roadhouse doesn't have the healthiest food choices so that will not help me in guiding people down a healthy lifestyle path.

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I know from personal experience that the food you consume directly reflects your energy levels. Once I made the transition to a completely plant based diet back in February, my energy level has never been better. When I wake up in the morning I have no problem getting up and getting my day started (even if I am tired).

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After finishing up here at Richard Bland college I plan to transfer to California State at Los Angeles to play volleyball and major in nutrition. I have worked hard and will continue to work hard here so my transfer process to my next university will easy. I plan to be here at RBC for two more semesters if everything goes as planned and I will be at my transfer school for a minimum of two years. After completing my undergraduate program I plan to continue on and get my Masters.

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I will admit towards the end of the semester I can feel myself getting more stressed and irritable but I know that is going to be short-term. In a perfect world I would be "stress free" but that is not realistic for me. When I feel stressed or overwhelmed, I go to the gym for a stress-reliever.

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In my free time, I enjoy doing races such as this tough mudder race with my friend Emily.

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"Are you getting enough sleep and excerise?"

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"Are you getting enough sleep and excerise?"

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"Am I getting enough sleep?" The answer will always be no for me. There are days that my alarm goes off super early for our team workouts and I fell like I LITERALLY just feel asleep. In reality, I am getting enough sleep needed for my body. I get plenty of excerise every day and my body is able to properly recover because of my healthy diet.

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When I am not consumed by school, volleyball, work, or the fitness class that I teach I love to spend time with one of my beautiful best friends Heather :-)

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"Will your career choice provide the lifestyle you want?"

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"Will your career choice provide the lifestyle you want?"

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Earning my masters in nutrition will be able to support the lifestyle I want but I am not willing to put a cap on my job title or career. I will always try to work for more, so I can achieve more.

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I have honestly never felt better. Physically, I am the healthiest I have ever been in my life. Mentally, I am also the healthiest I have ever been and that reflects most in my school work.

***The picture on the left in me in 2015. The picture on this right is me now, in 2017. Not only do I feel better physically, mentally I feel amazing.

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Recently, I haven't kept a food journal but I have in the past. When I was first trying to lose weight I used an app called My Fitness Pal and I logged every single thing I ate and how much. Throughout my weight loss journey I have adopted a completely different and healthy lifestyle than ever before and I no longer feel compelled to track everything I eat as long as I continue a plant based lifestyle.

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When I took the color code assessment and added my numbers up I discovered my color was orange. I wasn't "orange" just by one or two numbers, it was significantly more than every other color. Before my class found out what each color represented, we broke up into groups with other people who had our same color. My group discovered one main thing we had in common was we were all athletes. One characteristics that stands out to me about the color code orange is being bold in relationships. I tend to find myself as the strong force in relationships with my friends, teammates, classroom peers, significant others, etc. Another characteristic that perfectly fits with my personality is being competitive. It is without question that I am competitive in my sport but I am also completive in academics. My favorite descriptor of the color orange is self-control. I have picked a vegan lifestyle for an array of reasons but the number one reason I choose to do it is to practice self control. It is my responsibility every single day to follow the diet that I chose and remain disciplined to continue achieving the goal I want, and that wouldn't be possible without self control.

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There are hundreds of things that run through my mind when I thinking about this question but there are a couple main points that stick out in my head. First, I would tell teenage Harper that 90% of the friendships, relationship, and people in general that I was stressing over, fighting for, and worrying about, wouldn’t be significant to me at all in 10 years. I spent too much time worrying about what my friends, family, and boyfriends thought about me instead of caring how I felt about myself. I surrounded myself with people that I wanted to “fit in” with instead of being a strong and independent leader and attracting people would wanted to match my goals. I used to choose hanging out with friends instead of doing homework which obviously wasn’t helping me grow as a person or student. Now I surround myself with people who not only want the absolute best for me, but people who will push me until I get there.

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This is me and my older brother at his wedding in November

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"Have you done the financial plan to be successful at your transfer school?" 

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"Have you done the financial plan to be successful at your transfer school?" 

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Like I mentioned earlier, I am working hard in volleyball and school so my transfer school will be covered by scholarship.

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"Have you been to tutoring or the writing center this semester?"

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"Have you been to tutoring or the writing center this semester?"

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I have not been to the writing center this year and that unfortunately has a lot to do with the hours it is open but I have asked for tutoring help. Fortunately for me, at the beginning of the semester when I was struggling with a particular class, I had a teammate who took the course last year and she was able to help me learn information that I was not understanding during the lecture.

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I have not joined study groups like I would like to, but a lot of that has to do with me not living in the dorms and having a 40 minute commute to and from school everyday. Once I am in the dorms next year, I will utilize the people who live around me to help me study and learn material.

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"Are you visiting your professors office hours?"

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"Are you visiting your professors office hours?"

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Sometimes I think I bother my professors too much, LOL. No, but really, I am in someones office every single day. I go to them for all different reasons such as checking my assignment grades, reviewing test questions I got incorrect, reviewing material I haven't mastered, or sometimes just to talk to someone about what I have going on, what I am worried about, and what I need help with. I am very thankful for my professors this semester and the time that they spend with me one on one in their offices.

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Looking through these values, I can find a reason that almost every single one of them are important to me in some way, shape, or form. One of the most important ones to me is self-control. I practice self-control every day by choosing to live a vegan lifestyle in a society that loves and thrives off of meats, processed foods, high fructose corn syrups, and almost anything that is not “good” for you. I use self-discipline every day when I make the choice to turn down convenient food for something that I know my body actually wants and needs. Family is also very important to me because I know truly at the end of the day family is all you really have. I know in my heart, even at my worst times, my family will always continue to love me and support me to the best of the abilities. I have always been a “giver” so helping is also important to me. I am at a place in my life where I am confident enough in myself to always help others because even though I may not feel it directly, I am helping myself somehow. Health and physical well-being play a huge role in my life and I plan on that being that was for the rest of my life. In the last year and a half, I have lost about ninety-five pounds cause my completely changing my diet and choosing to exercise five to six days a week. I think spiritual growth is absolutely amazing and very necessary for a person to continue to get better in their lives every day. Spiritual growth for me also ties in with my “why” reason and I never want to plateau or quit growing in that aspect of my life. Like I said earlier, I am sure that I can find a way that each of these values is significant in my life, but those were five that stood out the most at me.

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"Have you met with your learner mentor regularly?"

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"Have you met with your learner mentor regularly?"

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Gail Harris is my go to lady on campus! I am in her office almost everyday, if not multiple times in a day. Her help and support is more appreciated than I will ever be able to express to her. She not only has sat down with me and help me make a plan for finish school at Richard Bland, but she knows where my goals after getting my associates degree and I know she will do everything in her power to make sure I get there. Gail has been one of the best things to happen to me at Richard Bland, I am beyond thankful for her.

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Me and my best friends baby, baby Harper <3

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"What improvements can you make to your time management?"

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"What improvements can you make to your time management?"

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Like I mentioned earlier in my weaknesses, I need to improve on procrastination. I will give myself some credit for this semester, I have managed my assignments in a timely fashion better than I ever have, but there is still room for improvement. Taking the time to work on things over a period of time instead of at the last minute will help me manage not only my time, but my stress levels also.

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"Does your transfer school require a certain G.P.A.?"

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"Does your transfer school require a certain G.P.A.?"

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Most of the transfer programs I have looked into for after Richard Bland require a minimum of a 2.5 G.P.A.. Personally, I am expecting a minimum of a 3.5 G.P.A. from myself leaving RBC and in order to be successful at my next school.

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"Do you know what classes you need to take and in what order?"

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"Do you know what classes you need to take and in what order?"

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Yes. My learner mentor printed out all of the requirements needed for me to graduate with a science degree and has tentatively made my schedule for next fall.

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Yes. I will graduate Richard Bland College with an Associates of Science degree.

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"Have you looked at your Banner degree evaluation?"

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"Have you looked at your Banner degree evaluation?"

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I have. My learner mentor has been nothing short of amazing. She has sat down with me and taken me through it step by step.

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"Where can you find inspiration and support??"

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"Where can you find inspiration and support??"

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Social media tends to get a bad rep for a lot of different reasons but I think people also tend to look over the positive things that come about from social media. One of the best parts about social media is the ability to reach a specific group of people, fast. For example, if I am struggle with my vegan diet and I don't have any more ideas of what to eat I can go on Instagram and type in #Vegan and I will instantly be connected with thousands of vegans I can look up too/ talk with about any issues or struggles I am having.

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One thing I am able to offer to others that I think is valuable is support. When my friends come to me with a new idea, a diet change or fitness goal for example, I am able to motivate and encourage them to continue what they are doing. I am able to see what's best for the people around me (even if it's different for me) and support them unconditionally.

***This is a picture of me and a group of ladies that I help once a week reach their fitness goals.

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" What do you need to stay healthy in relationships?"

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" What do you need to stay healthy in relationships?"

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Trust is very important to me when it comes to relationships. Without trust I believe relationships last comfort and security and I need that.

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Procrastination. That has been one of my biggest weakness my whole life, especially academically. I always feel (before this semester in particular) like I am not fully prepared for assignments, exams, etc. like I would like to be and that has everything to do with poor planning. Like most people, when I see I don't have an assignment due for a week or so, I put it off. I am working on that everyday, starting to break big tasks up over a period of time so I don't have to feel so rushed and overwhelmed when it could be avoided.

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"Where can your natural skills take you?"

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"Where can your natural skills take you?"

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I have always enjoyed working and groups and being a leader. Naturally, that comes from a team sport background but will help me for the rest of my life. My love for people and working together in groups will help me in my future career. My role as a leader will help me most importantly in my future family and being a mother.

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Weather it comes to sports or acedemincs, I have always be a "hands on" learner. Personally, I am able to learn and grasp ideas when I am physcially doing something or actively involved verses just reading something and memorizing it.

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****Most of the images I have used in my Padlet are compliments of Google.