Cluster #2 Represent!

Aloha everyone!   This is Julianne from the general education cluster #2!  I’m currently team-teaching with my awesome partner Amy who just turned 20 this weekend =D!!!  Happy Birthday Amy!!!  

So this cluster is taking History 151, Sociology 251, and English 100 together AND they just had their first midterm from HIST 151 today, hope you all did well!  But they can’t celebrate just yet since they have yet another exam (Sociology) on Thursday =( booo.  Anyways, this awesome cluster consists of 19 students who are getting along great with each other and love to have fun!  We have such a diverse group of students from Oahu, outer islands, and the mainland, and even though they’re from different places, they’re all able to talk story with each other and find other similarities!  I hope they’ve been learning a lot from this ACE program and I’ve been a decent peer mentor =).  I’m looking forward to the rest of the semester to get to know them even more!  I can’t believe we’re already over half way done!!

Have a great rest of the semester!!

Peace, love, and ukulele,

~ Julianne =)

Aloha from Cluster 13!

Hello, my name is Jamie and I am the peer mentor for cluster #13. Our cluster is one of ACE’s general class clusters which includes classes such a math, economics, and religion class. I know many people are biased towards their own clusters, however, I do know that my cluster happens to be great. I have a total of 14 students, and all are from such diverse backgrounds. We have a good mix of our local students and also students from the mainland.
It is nice to see that although most of the students in my cluster did not know each other prior to this class, that they are gradually forming bonds and friendships amongst each other. There were already a couple events in which my students attended together. This was the Welcome Back Bash and also the first home football game. I enjoyed very much reading their reflections about how much fun they had. Specifically, I thought it was cool how one of my students from the mainland was thrilled to learn how to “skank” at the Welcome Back Bash. He seemed overly thrilled that the locals were more than willing to help him learn our culture.
I look forward to getting to know my students even better throughout this semester, they all seem like really cool peeps to shoot the breeze with. I am sorry about not having much pictures from class itself—right before school started—and am not able to afford a new one. 

Hello from Cluster 22 (Pre-nursing)

Hi everyone! It’s Natasha Miyashiro, I’m the peer mentor for cluster 22. Wow can you believe it, we are on our 7th week of school and we only have 4 more weeks of ACE But I’m excited to get my party on for the ACE BASH! So far I can say that my students and I have gotten pretty close during the past  6 weeks. Everyone is just so positive, fun, and talkative. I have noticed that my students are becoming very close friends, actually I have seen them having lunch together at campus center. They remind me of my friends and I meeting for the first time in ACE. On October 28 we are planning to watch Harry Potter at Campus Center, if you would like join us feel free to the movie starts at 9:30 and it’s FREE!

Here’s a little more about our cluster’s background. Most of the students are from the Hawaiian islands and a few are from Florida and Vermont. Some of our hobbies are going to beach, some girls said shopping, judo, fire-knife dancing, doing sports, singing, reading, and volunteering. This semester our cluster is taking these courses together… math 100, Phyl 141 with lab, and famr 230.

Pictures below were taken during the budgeting activity. Our cluster spent about 40-700 dollars in two weeks, that’s a lot of money! So we learned that if we use the 3 R’s we could save a lot of money for necessary items.

Here’s a video we liked watching before class. Prepare yourself for some laughter.

Live with cluster 5

Hey whats up, it’s Ryan with cluster 5. Time is flying by and the semester will be over before we know it! So far we are all getting along great. If we have time after our lesson plans we play games like CUTTHROAT PICTIONARY. Yes, cutthroat pictionary, each group comes up with their opponents pictionary words making them as hard as possible. Obviously the objective is not to win, just to have fun trying to draw words like, “air” or “miracle”.
Have you ever been like, “oh man, I really want to go on a ungraded ridge hike”? Well look no further than the Lanipo trail at the top of Maunalani Heights! Its going to be a day trip that’s for sure, put aside more than 4 hours just in case conditions get wet or windy or whatever.  Here are some pictures I took of our more memorable  cluster 5 moments.

Here I am, breaking the unfortunate news to one of our freshmen in cluster 5

When legalization hit the front pages, I was so happy I started hooting and hollaring right there in the street with 3 of my freshmen.

Heres mercedes, the freshmen didn’t like craisins, so she had to haul that trunk to a different town

Cluster #9

Hi, I’m Charles Feldman and I am the peer mentor for ACE cluster #9. Despite their demanding classes, the students of cluster #9 have always come to class with a positive and energetic attitude. We are a general education cluster which means our class is comprised of students with a variety of different academic interests, which range from Marine Biology to Spanish. I feel that this truly enriches our class atmosphere as well as discussions since there is such an array of view points that can be found in our class. Even though many of the students have a major and career pathway in mind, cluster #9 provides them with an assortment of interesting classes from various fields that not only help them complete general education credits but also expose them to concepts and knowledge that they would not normally come in contact with. This is why it is so great that cluster #9 requires students to take OCN 201, OCN 201L and HWS 107.
Our class is comprised of students from a variety of different states such as California, Hawaii and Illinois. However, we have learned that despite our different geographical points of origin, we all share a number of common goals and values such as getting good grades, graduating on time, meeting new people and attending sporting events. Furthermore, our class has truly become a community due to our common goals, the interactive lessons and the numerous ice breakers. So far nearly every student has had the chance to attend a co-curricular activity, has completed their write up assignment and has shared their experiences with the class. Next weekend we plan on doing a beach clean up, which will provide students with another write up opportunity and will further develop our sense of community within our class.
Now to share a little local knowledge, I have provided a map that pinpoints how to get to the Phuket Thai Restaurant at Mccully Shopping center. Thai food is my favorite food on earth, and this particular Phuket Thai restaurant is both the best Phuket Thai restaurant that I have ever eaten at, and the best thai restaurant I have ever eaten at in general. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone, plus its pretty cheap.

-Charley

http://www.yelp.com/map/phuket-thai-restaurant-honolulu

HelloOo Nurse!

This is Michelle reporting in for Cluster 24, Pre-Nursing! I can’t believe it’s been a month of school already. Time is flying by so fast! Exams are creeping up on us but we can do it! My cluster has shared some of their horror stories of their classes (ex. writing the diffusion equation 500 times!!!) but I know they’re BRILLIANT individuals that will persevere on.

I am so fortunate to be the peer mentor of these awesome possum freshmen! They all have very unique personalities with so much going for them The only thing they have the most in common is that most of them are from the West side of the island: Waipahu, Kapolei, Pearl City, etc. I found that really cool. These guys really make my week!

With that said, here are a few pictures of my amazing Cluster 24

we always use our resources!

cool kids on the block!

All right guys, have a great week! Don’t forget to work hard and play hard!
For all you with a future in the medical field, you can’t be afraid of a little bluuuuud!

Awesome Cluster #5 with Mercedes and Ryan

This is a picture of all the flags that students made. They represent things about them including: hobbies, ethnicities, and future aspirations.

Hey all it’s Mercedes! Ryan and my cluster is full of fascinating freshmen. We have a future diplomat, artist, journalist, lawyer, and screenwriter. They have awesome hobbies which include: poetry, dancing, playing the piano, photography, and surfing. We have 12 students from all types of backgrounds. They are all taking POLS 110 and ENG 100 together. We have students from Hawaii, the mainland, and even Korea.

By the way….if you want to know the BEST ramen shop on the island it is Rai Rai Ramen in Kailua. I have been to over 15 different ramen shops on Oahu and quite a few on the mainland and it is, by far, the best. I highly recommend it!

CAS tips:

Play music before, after, and sometimes during class. It really sets the mood and makes everyone feel relaxed!

My favorite quote:

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

- Mahatma Gandhi (I love him)

This is the building where I work at the Manoa Advising Center. If you ever need help deciding on a major or want to change out of the major you are in come and see us! We are in room 101.
Mercedes

Here’s a great music video…..of my favorite and, I think, inspirational song.

You Can’t Have Fun Without Cluster 21!

Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening from Cluster 21! We are one of the Pre-Education ACE clusters! Cluster 21 has such a unique blend of individuals! I always have a great time during class. Being a smaller cluster of 8, the discussions are always lively and fun. Fortunately, they don’t seem to mind that I’m strange and jumpy, which is a definite PLUS!

We are over a month into the school year already! How is everybody holding up??? With midterm season rapidly approaching, it is crucial that you start on those readings and study guides! But everyone needs a break now and then. So, here are some suggestions for TV shows that Cluster 21 watches and enjoys during our “down time!” Maybe you’ll find something new to watch this Fall Season! (But don’t let it become a distraction!!!!!!)

Note: Descriptions taken from imdb.com

CSI - An elite team of police forensic evidence investigation experts work their cases.
Big Bang Theory – A woman who moves into an apartment next door to two brilliant but socially awkward physicists shows them how little they know about life outside of the laboratory.
Friends – The lives, loves, and laughs of six young friends living in Manhattan
Grey’s Anatomy – A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.
House - An antisocial maverick doctor who specializes in diagnostic medicine does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way using his crack team of doctors and his wits
How I Met Your Mother – Egged on by his best friend’s upcoming nuptials, Ted believes he finds the woman of his dreams in Robin — though destiny might have something different in mind.
Planet Earth – A visually impressive and memorable look at the world that we live in
Scrubs – In the unreal world of Sacred Heart Hospital, intern John “J.D” Dorian learns the ways of medicine, friendship and life.

So take a breather once in a while! Study hard, but study SMART! We could all use a good laugh instead of constantly worrying about grades and projects! Until next time!

- Luke Y

ALohAZ FroM HuI 38

THE ROYAL HAWAIIAN- PINK PALACE!!!

Me at the Royal Hawaiian

Waikiki Beach!!!

Me and some people from my cluster and other clusters!!!

Aloooohaaaa!!! This is Poki, and I am the peer mentor for cluster 38, also known as the Manawa Kupono cluster, but you can call it the FUN CLUSTER!!! I have to say, this cluster is really energetic and fun. We love to laugh and play games and most importantly, EAT!!!! These students are all Native Hawaiians who reside on the islands as well. We have students from O’ahu, Maui and Hawai’i island. Because we are a Hawaiian cluster, we do like to practice our ‘olelo Hawai’i together. It’s pretty fun. We also study for the other cluster classes like Theatre, Hawaiian Studies, and English.
So during this time of the year, here in Hawai’i we have a special event occuring called the ALOHA FESTIVAL!! This has to be my most favorite time of the year. WHy??? Will on one weekend, there is a big block party that is called the Waikiki Ho’olaule’a, which pratically covers the whole Kalakaua avenue. There are lots of local entertainment, traditional Hawaiian singing, Hula, and not to mention all the GRINDZ!!!! CHEE PONO!!! But yea, this year it will be on September 19th, 2009. So come if you like. I will be there, and probably some of my cluster. BUt I gotta hele!!! Love you all!! Take Kea and have one awesome semester….SHOOTS!!! -Poki

Aloha Warriors =)

...this truly captures the essence of our group...

Aloha Cluster 4 and Fellow Peer Mentors!

This is Mel, currently the esteemed captain of the always wonderful Cluster 4. Throughout our 4 weeks together, I have discovered a side of them that has slowly emerged with every meeting. Just this past week, I tested their “theater skills” by giving them scenarios based on the critical thinking lesson. I couldn’t believe how funny they really were! The creativity level was simply indescribable and I could do nothing but laugh the entire time! These were the timid freshmen that walked in the first week and blankly stared at me throughout the majority of the class, and here they were, throwing themselves into a different persona. I honestly didn’t see that coming, especially in regards to a “critical thinking” lesson…

Our goal as a class for this semester is to avoid procrastination! It was something we felt was an achievable goal and an important aspect of college, especially among incoming freshmen. I hound them, I send them numerous e-mails, I bug them to turn stuff in, but it is my hope that they will always have a little voice in the back of their minds to get their work done on time. It’s a lesson I had to learn the hard way, but a well learned lesson at that.

Overall, I am relieved to have such a cooperative and genuinely sweet group. They are always attentive – even when they are giving me the “please shut-up, I’m tired” face. (I think it has to do with the breakfast I provide each session…) We are looking forward to a beach clean-up as our community service project, but they don’t know that I’ve got “something up my sleeve.” (I pride myself on being sneaky like that…)Other than that, they are continuing to forge ahead through the semester and I couldn’t be more proud!

To my wonderful Cluster 4: good luck throughout the semester and into your future endeavors. I have faith that with a little bit of hard work, you all will all succeed! And to my fellow Peer Mentors: you are making a great difference in these student’s lives! I wish all of you the best of luck this semester! Don’t forget to smile =)

Yours Truly,
Mel

This video goes out to all of the hot pocket lovers! (…probably the #1 food item cooked by college students…)