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Ivy O'Hern
Americus, GA
Exercise
Science/Pre-Physical Therapy
I have
lived right here in Americus all of my life. I plan to
attend graduate school for Physical Therapy and I need to obtain the very best foundation to prepare myself. GSW offers just that. My college years at Southwestern will be very exciting, and I couldn’t ask for
a better educational opportunity right here in my home
town.
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A Princess
and a Fishing Pole
April
12th, 2010
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Referring
to Elizabeth’s blog, I’ll agree with #7 on her List of
Things to Know: Online classes are fantastic, but only if
you can sit down and make yourself do the work. My 2 online
classes are probably my toughest, only because I have the
hardest time forcing myself to do the work. Then, I let it
pile up on me, and next thing I know I have ten assignments,
all due at the end of the week – yikes!! But as far as my
in-class courses go, I love them all! My ENG 1102 class gets
into some really heated discussions about the literature
we’ve read (much like my POLS 1101 last semester – so much
fun!!) We’ve got a great class for PSYCH 2103, which makes
our class really enjoyable. And my night Pre-Cal class is
pretty laid-back too.
Spring
break was too cold! It was a well needed break, but I wish
the weather had been a little warmer. I ended up working
more that week, rather than relaxing. But even though it
was incredibly cold out there, I was on Lake Blackshear some
anyway, looking for the fish! I’ve got a lot of practice to
do before a few bass tournaments that I’m going to enter
coming up shortly. My competitive nature is starting to
rule my life – I want to beat all the guys on that lake so
bad!! And with this weather warming up, I can hopefully get
in some good practice hours which will give me an edge over
the rest when tournament time comes.
I got the
opportunity to help out with a fundraiser for the American
Red Cross, and I had a blast!! All of the “Disney
Princesses” came to the ballroom at the Windsor Hotel in
downtown Americus and had a play-day with all the little
girls in town … and I was Cinderella! Even though this event
was to give all the little girls a fun and exciting event
with their favorite princesses, I couldn’t help but get
excited too. I think I was the biggest little girl there!
This event was great because I absolutely love children,
Cinderella is one of my favorites, and I love the Red
Cross! The Red Cross holds a special place in my heart
because it has personally affected my life. I was in a car
wreck 4 years ago with very traumatic injuries. After a few
days of surgeries, I was given several units of blood and
plasma. Somebody’s donation of blood saved my life. Thanks
to the Red Cross, that blood was available for me when I
needed it the most. Now, I want to give back as many ‘second
chances’ as I can to my community, and give every bit of my
support to the Red Cross in appreciation for all the things
they do to help people. I’m so blessed for the chance to
help out with the Disney Princess Gala!!
These
were the first 2 catches of day...
Loading up
after a very cold day on Lake Blackshear.
The Relay
for Life Pageant - I got 1st Runner Up!
My girls at
work.
We're as
pretty as princesses!
A dream is
a wish your heart makes.' ~ Cinderella.
Me with
Prince Charming, aka Mason Love - another GSW student.
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2010 Is Off
to a Great Start
January
28, 2010
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Wow – I only thought I knew
what the word “busy” meant, but I’ve just taken it to a
whole new level. All rising freshmen need to listen to
everyone who says to not overload yourself. That is so very
easy to do! Trying to manage a life, a social life, a job,
and 15 hours of course work is HARD. I’m trying my best to
work every second that I’m not in a class. But I do make a
little time for this woman’s “best friend,” my 4-year old
husky, Mufasa. My lunch breaks leave me some time for my
friends and I’ve even managed to make it to a few GSW
basketball games. Instead of just watching the game, I get
to help out with the game stats. I really enjoy my little
job with the basketball teams. I love basketball more than
anything and this keeps me semi-included in the Hurricane
Basketball program. And I love our new mascot, Surge! He
makes the games even more exciting!
My weekends consist of
several different projects, all going at once. The house
that my family has been tearing down is near its completion,
and now we’re starting to prepare the lumber to be used in a
new house. Every board is heart-pine from a house that was
built in 1901, and we plan to reuse and recycle each piece,
possibly for a new, rustic style hunting cabin. After the
boards have been planed and sanded, this lumber will be
gorgeous! Scuba diving is on the back-burner for now, only
because the water is too cold for my liking. But, we’re
planning an extra special dive trip to Key Largo! I’m also
starting to prepare very early for my state forestry pageant
in June. All of my Christmas time activities and parades
were so much fun! l enjoyed getting to make a few
appearances with my other mascot, Smokey Bear!
Despite all the craziness
and stress, I wouldn’t change a thing. Everything is
happening exactly as a want it. I’m so lucky to have an
employer that understands the importance of my school work
and is willing to accommodate my class schedule. My classes
so far, are going very well. And even though the weekends
are full of chores, they all are important and make the rest
of my life run just a little bit smoother.
My Big Boy!
Ms. Jacklyn, Mr. Keith, and me ~ the stat crew.
Checking
the subs.
A
very exciting boys game.
Surge and I in downtown Americus after the Christmas parade.
Deconstruction work.
Smokey Bear at the Christmas parade in Ellavile.
New Moon
premiere at Midnight!!
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Forestry
Queen & Face Painting
October
27, 2009
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This has
been one exciting month! I’ve been stressed to the max, but
it has all been fun. It seems like I am constantly doing
something special, something that I don’t get very many
chances to do.
Recently, I
competed in a scholarship pageant… and won! Now I’m starting
to prepare for the next level of competition in a few
months. I got the chance to help out one of the local
school systems by volunteering at a company picnic for
Phoebe Medical Center. The more volunteers that each group
brought, the more support the school system received. I was
drafted into face-painting, and after one very exhausting
day, I can now say that I am an expert face-painter!
I’ve also
gone on my second scuba diving trip. It was very, very cold,
but it was still an amazing experience. I’m now in the
process of getting ready for hunting season. I received a
new deer rifle for my 19th birthday, and I am
very excited to get to use for the first time. Add all of
this on top of some fun with friends and study time - it’s
no surprise that I am struggling to fit everything in to my
schedule.
I’ve got so
many different things going on all at once, on and off
campus, that time management is crucial. There just aren’t
enough hours in the day to let me do it all. Hopefully
everything will start slowing down a little bit, now that
I’ve made it past midterm.
Proud to be a Forestry Queen!
We were so tired, but we had a blast with all the kids!
My GSW 1000 class at the ropes course.
One of the awesome team building exercises at the ropes course.
More ropes course activities.
Ta-Da!!!
Our Halloween pumpkin!
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Busy, Busy, Busy
September 18, 2009
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This
first month at GSW has been fantastic! It’s
a big difference from my senior year of high school, but
I’m adjusting to and enjoying the freedom. My classes
are a lot harder and they require a lot more studying,
but it’s all a matter of self discipline. Probably one
of the biggest things I’m struggling with is time
management. It seems like several tests have just piled
up on me all at once, and it all gets overwhelming very
fast! But now, I understand just how much effort I need
to put into my classes and how often I have to study,
even when I think I’ve got plenty of time.
Despite all the
work, I’ve still managed to have a ton of fun! I
recently completed my PADI Scuba Certification course.
The local instructor was very flexible with my schedule.
We did all of the classroom work and pool practice at
the GSW Deriso pool within a single weekend. GSW really
has a nice facility, so go check it out!! The following
weekend, my fellow divers and I took a trip to Panama
City Beach, Florida for our check out dive. It was
absolutely amazing!! We all went down to a maximum depth
of about 80 feet and explored a sunken cargo ship and a
tier section of the old Hathaway bridge. It was an
incredible experience that I would recommend to anyone!
Things are going
great for me right now. I’m
loving life, and I’m loving GSW!!
Swimming in 68 degree water ... BURRR!
1st
Boat Dive!
2nd
jump... 2nd dive.
Surfacing from our 2nd dive at Vortex Springs with Rob.
Diving is
simply amazing!
Drawing our
9-11 Memorial sheet.
Me
with friends in our World Civ class.
My
GSW Build-A-Bear!! Just one of the activities at
Southwestern.
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So Far, So Good!!
August 21, 2009
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College is so different from my small high school, but
it is definitely the good kind of different. I’m
accustomed to a single building with only two simple
halls, so navigating all of these multi-story buildings
that are scattered all over the place is going to take
some practice. But getting around campus is already so
much easier than it was compared to three days ago when
I first began. I’m still trying to learn all the short
cuts across the campus, but I’m sure I’ll be learning
that for a long time! There is only one thing that has
given me some trouble – PARKING. Being a commuter
student that lives less than ten minutes away from
campus, I never would have figured that I would have any
issues finding a place to park. Big mistake! I guess
I’m just going to have to make myself wake up a little
bit earlier to get a decent parking space without having
to walk a country mile before and after class.
All of my professors seem really nice and genuinely
concerned about the grades that their students make.
I’ve always heard horror stories about awful college
professors who just don’t care about their students or
their grades. As of today, that doesn’t seem to be the
case. I’ve also met a lot of the staff at GSW, and I
can’t imagine that the people anywhere else could be
this friendly and helpful. That’s yet another reason
why I am so glad I chose to stay in Americus.
All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better first
week. This has been a fantastic start to my college
career!!
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I am Ivy O'Hern
August 14, 2009
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Hi! My name is Ivy O’Hern. I’m very excited about all that lies ahead of me, and I’m so ready to get started! I have lived right here in Americus, GA all of my life. I attended Southland Academy since kindergarten, and I am very proud of my alma mater.
My high school years were very busy. At Southland, I was an active member of the Beta Club, Foreign Language Club, Garden Club, the Young People’s Christian Organization, the Students Against Destructive Decisions, Student Government Association, and the editor of the 2009 Raider yearbook. I was also voted “Most Dependable” by my classmates. Within the community, I was a member of the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce Young Ambassadors. But now, with those activities behind me, I’m ready to get involved in a new and different set of endeavors.
After receiving my 4-year degree at Southwestern, I plan to attend the Medical College of Georgia to
obtain a graduate degree Physical Therapy. I’ve been on the receiving end of physical therapy many times, so I am confident that this is the right career path for me. But first, I need to obtain the very best foundation to prepare myself for medical school. GSW offers just that. My college years at Southwestern will be very exciting, and I couldn’t ask for better educational opportunities.
I can hardly believe that I am beginning my freshman year at GSW. But now more than ever, I am optimistic, hopeful, and truly excited about this next step in my life. I’ve got so much more ahead of me, and I can’t wait!
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