Macbeth (Last Post!)

I went to Macbeth this past weekend and honestly, I found it quite boring. I read the book in high school and did not like that either, so I guess it makes sense that this was not my favorite of plays to watch. I already had an idea of how this performance would go because I took theater this summer (it was only a three week class) to complete my arts credits and we had to watch one of the rehearsals. Anyways, I did not like the play because I found the dialogue boring and difficult to comprehend. It would have been more fun if they actually did it in British accents too! Furthermore, I found it a little bit disturbing that Macbeth, who was old enough to be the father of the actress who played Lady Macbeth in real life, shared an intimate moment with her.
On a positive note, though, I thought the acting was superb. The actors, especially Lady Macbeth, were incredible and they all looked very well-prepared and rehearsed. The enthusiasm and energy of the actors was great; they are all so talented!

INT 95 Event #4

The last INT 95 event I attended was the fireside chat with Dr. Gallucci. A lot of my peers were there and it was interesting hearing Dr. Gallucci talked about Greek mythology! Luckily, it was all very familiar to me, since I am in his class for that. He also stressed the significance of undergraduate research, especially at a university like UCSB. I actually wrote down something he said that I thought was brilliant: "To be a scholar is to create new information." To end things, he had everyone in the room raise their hands if they want to participate in undergraduate research at some point during their time at UCSB and it was incredible to see almost every hand shoot up, including mine!

INT 95 Event #3

The third INT 95 event I attended was the FSSP Professor and Teacher Luncheon last week (I cannot remember what day though. It might have been Wednesday, possibly). Anyways, I did not get a chance to sign the paper saying I was there because I came after my Phil 4 class, which ended at 12:05 pm. Nevertheless, my friend and I sat down and talked to one of the professors. He is an archaeologist, specifically studying the country of Egypt. I cannot remember his name for the life of me, but he had white hair and glasses if that helps anyone recall his name. He told my friend and I about his incredible experiences traveling to Egypt and looking for ancient artifacts. Even though I am a science major, I found everything he said about his occupation and experiences so fascinating. I may want to take class in this field to cover one of my GE credits; I am all curious now!

Dr. Irwin Appel & EAP

Okay, so unfortunately, I missed Professor Irwin Appel's lecture last Tuesday because my train back to UCSB got delayed and I got back way later than expected...I missed all my classes that day :O anyways, I did ask a few friends to summarize what he talked about and this is what I learned! Professor Irwin Appel is part of the Theater and Dance Department here and shared his experiences in this field of study. My friends told me he said that he had once wanted to be an actor, but that he absolutely loves where he ended up--working with a vast number of outgoing college students who share the same love and passion for theater and acting that he does.
In addition, our INT 95 class took a field trip to the Education Abroad Program office (EAP), which was just what I needed! I absolutely love traveling and studying abroad is something that I am positive I want to do at some point in college, so this presentation could not have come at a better time. The travel advisors were very informative and helpful and gave us some great stories about their experiences abroad, such as whether they lived with a House Mom or in an apartment, etc. This made me realize that any country I choose to travel to will be filled with great cultural and social experiences, memories, and so much more! I am so thankful UCSB offers such a great study abroad program.
That's all for now. Xoxo, Ariana

INT 95 Event #2

The second INT 95 event I participated in was the FSSP day trip to the Isla Vista Food Co. Op, which is a cute little grocery store on Seville Road. The owner of this grocery store talked to us about what her company is all about. Basically, this is a local store that sells healthy, organic food and donates a portion of the yearly funds back to the community, such as UC Santa Barbara. She was so enthusiastic and dedicated to her company and all the employees were so nice and helpful too; it was a great environment to explore. After she talked to us about the Isla Vista Food Co. Op, we were able to sample different food the store sold. Everything was soooo good, especially the different types of hummus! There was also a platter of organic fruits, like peaches and apples, and one of non-organic fruits, and the difference it taste was so different! The

organic fruit, which is also what I am accustomed to eating at home, was so good and sweet in comparison to the non-organic fruit.
Overall, I am really thankful I participated in this event. When I move out to Isla Vista hopefully next year, it is convenient to know where all the best food places are to get groceries at. I even have a "one dollar off your five dollar purchase!" coupon from it in my dorm room right now!

INT 95 Event #1

The first INT 95 event that I participated in was the International Desserts event! I loved International Desserts Day because of 3 simple reasons: 1. I got to bond with a number of my peers and meet so many new people. 2. There was food. And let's face it-- who doesn't looove food?!? 3. There was food from different cultures! I am from the Bay Area, where diversity is huge, so I have grown up going to different international restaurants. My favorite food is actually Japanese food, with Persian and Italian food at close seconds.

I had a really great time at this event, even though the line to get in was crazy long. My favorite desert was definitely Horchata (I love Horchata!!!), but I also tried a number of different Mexican breads for the first time and of course ate the typical American apple pie too. So unhealthy for you, but so worth it!

Dr. Lubach's presentation was definitely one of the most interesting INT 95 one thus far! He is such a great public speaking and really knew how to approach his audience and tie us all in. My favorite part of Dr. Lubach's performance was his story regarding his friend and her adopted son, Benjamin. Being a journalist, broadcast journalist to be specific, is an occupation that I have considered in the past and hearing Dr. Lubach tell her story was insightful and informative. I can only imagine how incredible it must be for her to get to interview people from various fields and jobs, and see space rockets take off into the sky! Hearing Dr. Lubach talk about her friend made me wonder how she was able to work her way up there because being a journalist is a competitive field and many people do not make it financially. As of right now, I am confident that I want to major in biology and be a researcher in the future, but if I were to ever change my mind, I am curious to know that journalist's story! Oh, on another note--I did not hear the space rocket go off at 10 am the next day or feel the windows shaking, unfortunately!! 

Lastly, I thought the librarian's presentation was somewhat boring, to be perfectly honest. I am glad, however, that she showed us how to search the library catalog and look up information (I still have not forgotten to click "full text" if I am in a rush to find good articles and sources!) because I believe it is an essential skill to have in college. I look forward to being able to use the library to gather information with everything I learned from her.

That’s all for now.

Xoxo, Ariana

Blog Post 3, (#2)

To begin with, after reading, "What is Plagiarism?" and "How to Avoid Plagiarism," I learned what a huge deal it is to copy someone else's work on college campuses, even if it is just paraphrasing. Personally, this is something I have never done. I find no reason not to cite my work; it shows that you have evidence to support your claims in a science paper and quotes to back up your thesis in an English essay. On top of that, though, there is nothing wrong with taking someone else's ideas and using it to make a point (as long as you cite it after) because it shows how connected human beings are. We take ideas from the "350,000,000 pages on the Internet" ("What is Plagiarism?") because we believe they are articulated well and present intellectual ideas; it is essentially a method of learning.
Right now, I am going to copy the definition of plagiarism: "Stating someone else's ideas in your own words" ("What is Plagiarism"). But, what did I do? I put quotes around the sentence and cited it right after. It takes five extra seconds to add that citation and it saves the student the possibility of suspension of even expulsion for plagiarism. It was really interesting getting that visual of the proper ways to site things in "How to Avoid Plagiarism" through examples. That, along with the explanation after each citation, was definitely helpful!
That's all for now.
Xoxo,
Ariana

Blog Post 3, (#1)

I know we should not prejudge situations, but I honestly thought the librarian's talk would be one of those boring 50-minute sessions where I quietly sit there and discreetly online shop on my phone. Boy was I wrong! The librarian's talk was so fun and interesting! She is such a kind person and it is obvious how much she cares about the well-being each college student on this campus. Her motherly instincts, such as bringing healthy snacks to pass out to students during finals weeks, is so very touching, especially since all my family and friends are so far away. I loved the part of her talk where she showed us pictures of all the different activities the library offered; my personal favorite was when they let students relieve stress by graffiti-ing the library walls prior to reconstruction.
In addition, the Career Counseling center was great because now I won't have to search for it all over campus if I ever need to go there...and honestly, I am positive there will come a day in the near future when I will be there! My favorite part of this presentation was when the lady showed us the online test that tells a student which careers would best suit him/her. Right now, I am a science major, but this may change and I personally believe taking a test like that can be really helpful in choosing the right career.
That's all for now.
Xoxo, Ariana

Post Number 2!

We are 18, we are legal, we are in college…and we attend UCSB!!! Life just doesn’t get better than that and UCSB is clear proof of that. These past three weeks, I have met a vast number of people from all walks of life—a guy from London, a girl who attended a private school right next to mine, and a goofball from Texas who never says “howdy.” More specifically, I have met students interested in rushing Greek life, running for hall council and student government, and competing in various sports. It has been a pretty incredible journey so far!

Something we talked about at our last INT 95 section meeting was the meaning of being resourceful. Personally, I believe being resourceful means to utilize one’s available resources, seek help from one’s peers and professors, and be aware of one’s surroundings and environment. One way I have done this at UCSB is through attending the office hours of my Intro to Ethics class and exploring the Student Resource Building (SRB).

To begin with, I visited the Cultural Resource Center at the Student Resource Building. I learned that this room holds approximately fifteen people in it and is a great space for clubs to meet and groups to hold culture-themed events. Bigger groups and organizations use the Multi Purpose Room, a place where students can host an event, such as movie night, hold a dance event, and have a guest speaker. My personal favorite part of this building, however, is the Greek life office on the first floor. Rushing in the fall is something I am really looking forward to, so visiting this office was definitely exciting!

Lastly, I went to Career Day today and learned a lot about the various different majors and minors UCSB offers. Some of the desks I visited were that of chemistry and biochemistry, psychology and the brain sciences, economics, and environmental science. As a biology major, visiting the science-orientated tables was of utmost importance to me. From this visit, I realized I that need to change my major from biology to biopsychology in order to pursue the field of neuroscience (researching Alzheimer’s disease, to be specific).

That’s all for now.

Xoxo, Ariana 

INT 95 Blog

Hello, I'm Ariana Malek! I'm from the suburbs of NorCal, from a city called Sunnyvale, more popularly recognized as a part of San Jose. I attended a private Catholic high school called Archbishop Mitty, so coming to UC Santa Barbara and being greeted by such a vast number of welcoming faces is not something I am entirely accustomed to, but it has been absolutely incredible so far!
Growing up, I have always been extremely involved in various activities, although a great level of unwanted stress also came from that, as I had to balance extracurriculars with academics and social stuff too. For instance, I competed in swimming and played on a soccer team for the past ten years, and still truly regret quitting before I was presented with the opportunity to pursue an athletic scholarship and get recruited by universities nationwide. I am also absolutely obsessed with music; I play the piano and will listen to almost every genre of music, with the exceptions of heavy metal and screamo. Recently, I have become really into country music... where are all my Luke Bryan fans at!!! Another one of my hobbies is traveling; I have been to nine different countries and hope to travel the world one day. Ironically, I have never been to Hawaii though :(
As a student, I put my academics first. It is of utmost importance to me to succeed and I am naturally very driven and hard working. If I must stay up until five am to finish my homework, I will do it. If I have to skip a party to study for a test, no questions ask, you will see me in the library that night. I chose to attend FSSP because I feel like I will benefit from completing credits early (almost a guarantee that I will graduate in four years, which seems to be a bit of a challenge at UC's these days) and getting comfortable with my new surroundings before the mass of new freshman students rush in during the fall quarter. I also really WANT to be here at UC Santa Barbara and more specifically, FSSP. I want to get my Bachelor's of Science degree in biology at the second best research institute in the nation. I want to meet new people, make new friends, and have a blast this summer; and for those of you who do not know me well, you will soon realize that I am quite social and bubbly. I want to live beside the ocean, which is my favorite place in the whole wide world. And lastly, I want to make these next four years the most exciting, wild, carefree, and regret-free years of my life!
I hope that this gave you all a glimpse into my life and I look forward to getting to know each of you better as FSSP continues. That's all for now.
Xoxo, Ariana