My name is Siena, and I am a first year student at the University of Arizona, studying Environmental Science. One fun fact about me is that I have played the flute since I was ten years old, and right now I play in two local Tucson ensembles. From this course, I hope to learn a little more about public health, especially since substance abuse has affected several people I know. I am also interested in seeing how environmental science perspectives might intersect with public health, since I am considering an additional major or minor. Some activities I enjoy are visiting local attractions like the Tucson Botanical Gardens and Tohono Chul, playing my instrument, watching horror movies, and spending time with my friends. The photo attached is from the last time I visited TBG!

Fun fact about me is that I paint murals, signs and teach paint classes for a living. My hobby, my passion and my job are all in one. I'm very grateful for that.

Fun Fact: Cat (Athena)

Learning Goals: Substance use and addiction is something that is not openly talked about in our society yet exists. I hope to learn more about substance use and addiction in general throughout this semester. Everything from risk and protective factors to effects on quality of life and strategies and methods to help combat/overcome addiction.  I would also like to learn more about how we can make talking about this topic less taboo.

Hobbies/Interests: Outside of school, I have your average person hobbies and interests. I like to listen to music, spend time with family and friends, and find places to lay down and nap outside. Places near water are always nice. I think it’s relaxing. I also like to exercise occasionally.

What I hope to gain from this class is knowledge about substance use that I am not aware of, specifically factual based evidence.

Some things I like to do in my free time is read, work out, hang out with my family, travel to Oregon to see my best friend AT LEAST once a year, and get my nails done.

Fun fact I've traveled to 6 continents. My photo is me recuperating in Pokhara, Nepal after a trek to Mt. Everest Base Camp.

Co-Owner, with my wife, Dr. Shanel D. Harris of Best Version of Yourself Psychology LLC a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). Best Version of Yourself Psychology LLC (BVOY), is a family (Dr. Shanel D. Harris (PsyD, Ed.D, BCBA, LBA) and veteran-owned private practice located in Henderson, Nevada, servicing the Las Vegas valley. We are a comprehensive psychology service serving families, children, and individuals. Our mission is to assist you in becoming the best version of yourself. I love sports and go to Spring Training baseball games every year and a huge LA Dodgers fan.

My primary passion outside of academics is music. Although music might appear as just a hobby to others, it's actually central to my life. Most of my activities, including school and community service, are things that I believe enrich and inspire my art. But that's a much deeper conversation for another time.

This class, and specifically the minor requiring it, is particularly meaningful to me because I have an ongoing personal project I've been developing for several years. I believe gaining a formal, academic understanding of substance abuse through courses like this will greatly enhance my project. While I've witnessed many first-hand experiences and deeply felt the emotional side of this issue, I'm also genuinely interested in broadening my perspective by learning about substance abuse through a more structured and academic lens.

Thank you all for reading. I’m really looking forward to learning with everyone this semester!

From this course, I would like to know more about substance abuse as I currently see a lot of people who are into drugs in my job as a Police Officer. A big common topic now is people who do drugs for a long time, can have some mental health repercussions in the end. With this in mind, a lot of people with mental health, tend to be people who are usually repeat offenders of some crime, hence to why i would like to know more about this field, as unfortunately I am sure this drug, alcohol problem will continue to be seen in my career field.

One of my hobbies is to stay in shape and stay BUSY. Interestingly enough, I have struggled with drinking alcohol in the past when I was active duty in the military. Now, I would like to see what the effects were on my body, and I can possibly relate to it. Please to meet all of you!

Learning Goals: I had interest in taking this class to learn more about substances and the abuse of them due the fact that there are so many risks and effects that many people do not know, myself included. I hope to just be more knowledgeable about to subject to help others when needed.

Hobbies/Interests: Most of my time is spent working or hanging out with my friends and family. In some of my free time I play in an adult kickball league and it is a blast.

Fun Fact: I have the cutest cat and his name is Smokey. We adopted him about 6 years ago and he is my one and only child.

Beyond academics and dance, I have also dedicated years to fostering kittens and finding them loving homes—an experience that has been incredibly meaningful to me.

I was drawn to this class because it perfectly complements my 'Drugs and The Brain' course this semester. I have always been fascinated by the bidirectional impact of drugs on society—both in terms of their neuroanatomical effects and their broader social implications, providing me a holistic background on the topic.

Here’s a video of a recent cover we have filmed: https://youtu.be/9f9Pm-sfGgA?si=H8v15mVnBsO_KhW

My name is Rebekah, I am majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in cognitive Thinking. Outside of school, I do a bit of everything but I love to travel, I am a big fan of living a healthy lifestyle, and finding new ways to stay active!

Fun fact: I’ve had the opportunity to compete in the Miss Texas competition! With that experience, I engineered an initiative that advocates, educates, and promotes safer driving in Texas.

I am excited to be able to correlate my studies in this course to this, especially when thinking about how substance use has affected so many lives on the road!

I am also hoping to deepen my understanding of the impacts of substance use, not just on individuals but on families and communities, learning more about the science of addiction and how that translates into prevention, treatment, and policy solutions.

I am looking forward to getting to learn alongside everyone!

Best of luck this semester!:)