A million possibilities. This is something that Ana Dunham probably never thought she would find. But she did. Literally. She sat in front of a lighted Solid State Logic (SSL) mixing board with dozens of knobs, buttons, switches and toggles that represented all the possible levels and directions that could be around the corner with a turn of a knob.

She had just finished a tour of Ex’pression College for Digital Arts when the tour guide for her group invited her to a mixing session in one of the school’s state- of-the-art studios. She knew at this point that she had found a home.

“When I walked into the studio and stood in front of the SSL mixing board, I had a million flashbacks of the people I’d met there in the last few hours and how many thumps I’d felt in my heart,” Dunham said. “I couldn’t stop smiling. It was a million possibilities laid out in front of me.”

Many students who visit Ex’pression College for Digital Arts probably feel the same way. After all, this is like no other college tour in the country. From multimillion dollar digital editing suites and broadcast stations to a recording studio named after Jimi Hendrix and a recording hall outfitted with a green screen and 3-D capture capability, this is not your average campus tour. This is not your average college.

Ex’pression is located in Emeryville, Calif., in a 102,000-square-foot building just blocks from the shores of San Francisco Bay. More industrial park than palm trees and boardwalk, the small town has become famous for producing some of tomorrow’s brightest sound and graphics artists in the entertainment business. Just two miles down the road is Pixar Studios, makers of Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and, most recently, Ratatouille. The caliber is so high for Ex’pression graduates that many now work at places like Pixar or as engineers at major recording studios. A recent alumnus just won an Oscar for the Dreamgirls soundtrack.

Dunham is now deeply committed to the Sound Arts program at Ex’pression, but after graduating from high school in 2004, she wasn’t so sure about her future. She spent a few years working at jobs she knew she wasn’t passionate about and didn’t always feel like she fit in. She needed a place to call home, a place where she could explore new opportunities and really become engaged in something she loved.

“When you find that place, it grabs you by the heart and you know this is the one,” Dunham said.

That’s when she found Ex’pression. Sure, it has the elements of a regular college campus: a cafeteria, classrooms and computer labs. But, the cafeteria contains sofas to nap on, and the classrooms have ergonomic and adjustable work stations and are wired for the advanced audio and visual teaching supplements. The computer lab is an Apple G5 utopia featuring cinema widescreen monitors, networked computers and printers, and industry-leading design and editing software.

The overall attributes of the school are just as unique: classic bare-knuckle teaching juxtaposed with high-tech classrooms and outfitted with world-class electronics and classrooms painted with bright, lustrous paint schemes.

Noticing a pattern? Ex’pression is different. The school’s strengths lie in the student-centered approach, tremendous technological facilities and industry networking. Dunham equates the school’s teaching philosophies to real life. “They want to make sure that you succeed, but if you don’t want it bad enough, they’re not going to make you,” Dunham said.

Dunham wants it bad enough. She just started the program, but she extols the school’s encouragement of learning independence and creative freedom. The ability to walk into a classroom and consume as much as she wants to. The opportunity to plant herself in a studio and brood over every detail until the most prodigious creation she can think of is perfectly complete.

Before she can move on to her dream project, she must complete a few inevitable general education classes. But she doesn’t mind. She says even these classes intrigue, challenge and set a tangible, concrete base for the rest of her education. She uses the example of understanding the writing and story lines of her American Literature class so she can write better scripts and produce a better movie for her Media Sound and Visual class. Dunham says the seasoned teachers are the foundation of it all, partly because they bring industry expertise to the classroom. Ex’pression’s program director for the Sound Arts program, John Scanlon, has worked on projects for Ben Harper, Tori Amos, Dave Grohl, Jack Johnson and others.

“They’re definitely not typical. They’re impressive,” Dunham said. “The teachers have a different style. Not only do they give you the concepts, they employ them.”

This is what Dunham is hoping to very soon be able to accomplish. She hopes to one day sit down at that SSL mixing board and employ everything she’s learned at Ex’pression to record and produce something with a tangible impact. Something more than a hit pop song or movie soundtrack. Something worthwhile that will begin to fulfill at least a few of those million possibilities.

Remember about a decade ago when you left the protection of your parents’ wings for the first time for a half day of coloring, counting and napping? That was kindergarten – the time when your parents dragged you into unfamiliar territory and left you to survive on your own. You may have initially cried and stomped to display your disapproval, but chances are you became instant best friends with the first person you encountered at the Lego table. Your memory of the experience might be a little fuzzy, but I guarantee that five-year-olds weren’t mingling with only those in their exclusive social circle. Kindergarten was the time when everyone was the new kid, thrown into a room of strangers and left to thrive.

Welcome to the Club
Over the years, that chaotic classroom has evolved – not just because you’ve gotten older, but you and your classmates have come to identify with certain cliques of friends. Although movies often depict the jocks, drama freaks, skaters, hicks, goth kids and band geeks, you don’t have to look to Hollywood portrayals of cliques to understand how they work.

“For the most part, cliques are just a Hollywood stereotype of high school or a rare occurrence in real life,” said Abby Hauver, graduate of Lansing High School in Lansing, Kan. “Sure, people tend to hang out with a group of friends, but that has to do with being comfortable with people that are like you.”

Look around your high school cafeteria. Chances are you can categorize the lunchroom tables. People tend to gravitate toward those who look like them, act like them and do what they do. But the question is, do you really want people to assume they know who you are and what you’re all about based on a quick glance? One would hope not.

Exploring the Unknown
“A group of friends becomes a clique when it becomes exclusive and starts putting others down to make their group seem superior,” said Hauver. “A group of friends are just people who like hanging out with each other and feel comfortable around those people.”
Cliques sometimes provide security for people who aren’t completely confident in their own personality or haven’t made an effort to branch out. While it’s nice to have common interests with the people you spend time with, you can also explore and try new things by hanging out with a different crowd.

Whether you’ve been able to shoot three-pointers since you could stand or have starred in school drama productions since you learned to say, “To be or not to be,” now is the time to break out of the social restraints you have set for yourself. You’ll not only grow as a person, but you can also provide colleges with a more diverse admissions application.

Spread Your Wings
Since your time at high school is coming to an end, remember you’re truly going to leave your parents’ nest when you go off to college. This will be the opportune time for you to broaden your horizons. Just try to handle this transition a little bit differently than you did during kindergarten. No stomping or crying this round, but bring back the same assertiveness you had as a child. Make an effort to meet people from diverse backgrounds and people with different hobbies. Consider living in the college dorms. Join clubs. College is a fresh start at the Lego table.

Most new college students can’t wait to be on their own. They want to make their own decisions, doing what they want, when they want and how they want. Many new college students also receive a rude awakening when the realization hits home that they truly are on their own. Mom isn’t there to make sure that they get out of bed and go to school or that they have clean clothes to wear. Professors aren’t quite as forgiving as high school teachers when assignment deadlines are missed. Dad isn’t there to provide the few extra bucks needed to satisfy that pizza craving at two o’clock in the morning.

“I had no idea how to do laundry,” said Lauren Morgan, a sophomore at the University of Arkansas. “My mom had always done that for me. It was so embarrassing because I had to ask other people in the laundry room how to work the washer and dryer.”

It’s not too late to become independent as you begin college this semester. Start taking the following steps to make that first year away from home as successful as possible.

Learn how to budget – Plan on putting a set amount in savings each month, and then open a checking account and balance your checkbook diligently. There’s nothing worse than a $10 purchase turning into a $50 purchase because you bounced a check and have to pay a returned check fee.

Find a part-time job – Find this on your own. Don’t allow your parents to pull strings for you. If they have a connection, find out the person’s contact information and get in touch with them yourself.

Introduce yourself to the washer and dryer – The last thing you need is for all of your large white shirts to become extra small pink shirts. Learn how to sort laundry by color and how to use proper water temperatures to protect your clothes – and your pride.

Become a planner – Keep yourself on a schedule with a day planner or PDA. Don’t expect your parents to wake you up and tell you when and where you need to be. Keep track of assignment due dates, activities and meetings. Schedule time during the week for studying so you’re able to relax and enjoy the weekends.

Taking these steps will put you on the fast track to personal independence. You might even end up being the person your roommate goes to when they need to turn on the washer.

Almost every prospective college student wonders where the money is going to come from to go to college. Getting the most out of financial aid and scholarships can be a confusing and sometimes stressful process, so starting early and being educated about your options is the best way to keep the pressure off.

State and Federal Aid
To apply for state and federal aid, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be filled out. By completing this form, you are eligible for need-based grants, scholarships, work-study programs and loans from the state and federal government. To apply online or find more information, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Private Scholarships
There are millions of dollars out there in a variety of scholarships. Private scholarships typically take some time to find and to apply for. A financial aid expert at Nelnet Enrollment Solutions, Craig Cornell, said, “Scholarships may be ‘free’ money, but you’ll find that the ‘price’ of finding ‘free’ money is the effort and perseverance you will need to uncover all of the opportunities out there.”

Cornell recommends looking at a variety of organizations. Check with your counselor for local scholarship information and then continue your search of community clubs, ethnic organizations, religious groups, education associations, veterans’ organizations and even local colleges.

The following web sites are great resources to find more information about scholarships and financial aid information. Use them, your high school counselor and financial aid professionals at your prospective schools as resources in your search for money to pay for college.

Nelnet
www.nelnet.com
Search a database of more than $8 million in scholarships, allowing you to narrow your search based on who you are, where you live and what you are interested in.

The Sallie Mae Fund
www.thesalliemaefund.org
Last year the Sallie Mae Fund gave out $2.5 million in college scholarships to low-income and minority students.

Hispanic College Fund
www.hispanicfund.org
Information about several scholarships for Hispanic students can be found here. Make sure to look under the resource section to find links to scholarships with a variety of qualifications and interests.

Ronald McDonald National Scholarship Program
www.mcdonalds.com/rmhc/index.html
The Ronald McDonald House Charity offers four scholarships to high school seniors through their chapters nationwide. You can find all the information about scholarships and how to reach the local chapters that offer them on the site.

Other informative sites and scholarships to look at:
The United Negro College Fund
www.uncf.org

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
www.cbcfinc.org

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
www.chci.org

Hispanic Scholarship Fund
www.hsf.net

Coca-Cola Scholars
www.coca-colascholars.org

The Gates Millennium Scholars
www.gmsp.org

You may have a friend whose mother picked out her top colleges and practically wrote her resumé, a buddy whose mom calls him in his dorm room to wake him up for class, or maybe your dad is the one known for yelling at teachers for your bad grades.

If you are the child of a helicopter parent (a parent who hovers too closely over a child, mapping out their activities and decisions), you probably feel loved and protected. But, although you appreciate all that Mom and Dad do for you, you need to realize that growing and developing as an individual, especially when you leave for college, is essential to your success.

Your parents can benefit from your independence, too, and there are steps you can take to secure this independence while maintaining your relationship with your parents.

Set communication guidelines
Unlimited access to cell phones and e-mail can add fuel to a helicopter parent’s hovering. Together, you need to decide the amount of contact you want to have. Also, discuss who is going to call whom. Then you need to stick with the plan. If you “forget” to call because you’re out with friends, then who can blame Mom for calling 12 times to make sure you’re all right?

Regular conversations about your classes, friends, health and next plans to visit will keep Mom and Dad feeling comfortable about your life away from home and curb their urges to call six times a day to make sure you’re safe.

Budget your money responsibly
Whether you are paying your way through school or have never even seen a W-2 tax form, you alone need to be responsible for where your money is going. Responsible spending shows Mom and Dad that you can budget like an adult and gives them less cause for worry.

By taking care of yourself financially, you show your parents that you are turning into an adult, and that – while you still need their guidance – you’ll be able to take care of yourself once you’re officially on your own.

Fight your own battles
Your parents should never practice any of the following behaviors: contacting a residence hall over petty roommate issues, yelling at a professor regarding one of your grades, writing a paper or resumé for you, or calling a potential employer for any reason.

If you feel that your parents are practicing these or similar behaviors, you need to have a talk with them. Tell them that as much as you appreciate their help and support, part of becoming an adult is learning to deal with problems on your own.

The bottom line
Your parents always have your best interests in mind, even when they are hovering a little too close. You can’t change Mom and Dad, but you can help them understand your desire for independence. Talk to them and draw out respectful boundaries. Follow through by taking responsibility and acting like an adult. Both you and your parents will end up happier, and your relationship will benefit.

Feeling comfortable on your new campus is vital to a smooth transition. However, this can seem like a daunting task.

You are no longer a nervous freshman, but you are changing schools and adjusting to a new environment. You’re probably also going to be attending a much larger university than your old community college. Don’t let this intimidate you.

This is your chance to really become a part of your university, not just another face in the crowd. Read on for some suggestions that will help make the shift from community college to university a little less intimidating.

Get to know your school
This will make it easier for you to meet people and feel at home. First of all, hit the Internet and do some research. Learn about the school’s traditions. Find out what the school song is, what they use for a mascot and what your new school colors are. You can even buy some t-shirts and sweatshirts with the school’s name and logo.

Find out about clubs and organizations
Most schools have a long roster of clubs for just about any major or interest. Join an art club, the student government, or put yourself on the committee for student activities. Whatever your interests are, there should be one available for you. Once you join, you will automatically have a network of people who enjoy the same things you do.

Put yourself out there
Talk to as many people as you can. This may be hard, especially if you tend to be shy, but you have to try. You won’t meet anyone if you don’t put yourself out there. Besides, there are probably tons of people just as nervous as you. By Marian Dodd, Staff Writer

Check out the teams
Athletic games provide a great way to socialize. Cheering on your school’s athletes will give you instant common ground with other students, plus it’s fun to be surrounded by a bunch of people rooting for the same team.

Volunteer
Volunteering is rewarding, but it is also a great way to meet people. When you volunteer, you meet other people who live on or around your new campus. It can also give you perspective about the area in which you go to school. As an added bonus – it’s great for that all important resumé.

Expect the unexpected
Don’t set yourself up with a lot of ideas about what your new school will be like. Be open to different people and new experiences. You’ll learn a lot of things and meet some great people.

Now go out there and make your new university your home. Don’t forget to show some S-P-I-R-I-T along the way!

Lots of people will tell you what to expect from college life. From large classes to all-night study groups, you’ve probably heard dozens of stories about the good times you’ll have and the things you’ll learn.

What few people mention is how you’ll feel as you adjust to college life.

Going away to college is a major change, probably one of the biggest you’ve experienced so far. With big changes come rough times. You are transitioning from a teenager to an adult, and there are a lot of new responsibilities that come along with this.

These new responsibilities can cause stress and anxiety for students. The good thing is that stress is normal. Completely normal. Though many college freshmen won’t admit to going through tough times, all of them do.

Expect to be stressed
College life can be very stressful. In fact, according to a study conducted at Kansas State University, it’s more stressful today than ever before.

“People just don’t seem to have the resources to draw upon emotionally to the degree that they used to,” said Robert Portnoy, the director of counseling and psychological services at the University of Nebraska in a New York Times interview.

“What would once have been a difficult patch for someone in the past is now a full-blown crisis,” Portnoy said.

John C. Wade, outreach coordinator and licensed counseling psychologist for Kansas University’s counseling and psychological services, says stress in college can be often linked to change.

“Any adjustment itself is stressful,” he said. “Even if it’s a good change, there is always stress involved in making that change.”

So what can you do to combat college stress? Wade suggests four things to help you stay relaxed and in control:

Have realistic expectations. College is going to be hard. It will require more work than high school, and you’ll be on your own to make sure that work gets done. Understanding this will prepare you for what’s ahead.

Stay in contact with your established support system. Call home to talk to family and friends. They’ll give you the support you need to handle the recent changes in your life.

Develop new social connections. You’ll be away from the friends you used to depend on.

Making new friends It’s tough to leave your friends behind when you go to college. What’s even tougher is making new friends. It’s not very often that you have to start your social circle from scratch. You might even fi nd that suddenly you’re struggling with newfound shyness and don’t know what to do.

The California Institute of Technology Counseling Center offers three tips on how to make friends:

Put yourself in social situations. You can’t meet people if you stay in your dorm room. Get out, attend sporting events, go to parties, and introduce yourself to people in your dorm and classes.

Talk. You won’t make friends through osmosis. Conversation is the best way to find out if the person you sit next to in Biology has similar interests. Open up the lines of communication. Start with something as simple as, “What’s your major?”

Hang out. There’s a difference between friends and acquaintances. So how do you turn an acquaintance into a friend? Take the initiative! Get their phone number and call them up to go get pizza or study at the local coffee shop.

The great thing about college is the number of people around you. You’re sure to find other people with similar interests and outlooks.

Missing home
At some point, every college student gets homesick. It’s tough to leave a home where you feel comfortable and accepted, and this often causes separation anxiety and homesickness. While the severity of homesickness can vary, the symptoms are the same.

“A College Guide to Overcoming Homesickness,” from Penn State Erie, sites seven major symptoms of homesickness:

• Feelings of anxiety or stress about leaving family and friends
• Worrying about your academic performance
• Feeling alone and separated from those around you
• Thinking you don’t fit in with others who are having fun
• Depression and little or no motivation
• Wanting to connect with someone like you did with friends back home
• Thinking about home – all the time

If you find that you’re experiencing these symptoms, it’s important that you realize their cause and start taking steps to make things better.

You can use your homesickness as a reason to get out, explore the campus and the city and take others with you. By exploring in a group, you’ll make friends while familiarizing yourself with your surroundings.

Don’t ignore it
If you find that these symptoms are keeping you from going to class or making it hard to leave your dorm room, fi nd out about the counseling services at your school. Sometimes talking to someone who is trained in overcoming homesickness is just what you need to get past these feelings.

College is a major change in your life, and it’s important to be as ready as possible for what lies ahead. Realize that being stressed, shy and homesick is normal – and you will probably experience each of these feelings during your freshman year.

Keep in mind that you’re not alone. The other freshmen around you are going through the same thing you are. Use those negative emotions to reach out and make new friends. You won’t just feel better, but you’ll have helped someone else out and made a new friend.

In every student’s life there comes a time when they ask themselves, “Am I doing the right thing?!” High school is an exciting time, but it’s also a time to be mindful of the future. Figuring out the who/what/when/where of college can be daunting . especially when everyone and their brother has an opinion on what school is best for you.

If you’re having difficulty making concrete decisions, there are people you should listen to (like, uh, your gut) and people you should avoid like the plague! That being said, here’s a semi-comprehensive list of people to avoid when making life-changing college decisions:

5) Your girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other of five minutes
Okay, face it . if you end up going to a certain school just because you have a serious case of puppy love . well, that’s just stinkin’ thinkin’! High school sweethearts can fade, but an education is FOREVER. Plus, trust me . once you get to college there are about a bazillion new people you’re going to meet.

4) Your current boss
Chances are . you’re looking to land a bigger, better gig once you’ve scored your diploma. And while I’m sure there are currently plenty of job opportunities at the local TasteeFreeze . you are not going to be making sundaes forever. On the other hand, if you have a good working relationship with your supervisor, you may be able to have your ice cream cake and eat it too. Securing a part-time job through college is not always a bad thing.

3) Demi Moore
Demi Moore dropped out of high school at age 16. Demi Moore ended up a famous actress. Chances of that happening again are 1 in 8,443,912,619. Demi got an education in the school of hard knocks, but you can get ahead the old-fashioned way and get your college degree. Shoot, Ashton Kutcher started out at the University of Iowa . which is also my alma mater. Too bad I got the brains and he got the looks, but whatever.

2) That ONE friend
You know who I’m talking about. The person that you’ve been stuck with the last four years and are desperate to shake. Unfortunately, they’ve latched on to you like a relentless barnacle and you can’t get rid of them. Well, guess what . pick the right college and you NEVER have to see them again. Except at those pesky high school reunions . but by then you’ll have a killer job while that ONE friend is still working at the Bowl-A-Rama.

1) The almighty dollar
Okay . in this scenario, let’s pretend money is a person. And not a helpful one at that. Just because you may not have the $BLING$ to go to Harvard doesn’t mean you can’t ATTEND Harvard. Again, stinkin’ thinkin’. Schools have scholarships, scholarships have scholarships . find ‘em, use ‘em. Student loans can get you where you want to go. Where there’s a will . there’s a WAY to get in to the college of your choice.

There is silence as I stand amid a thousand tombstones, there is silence as time sweeps concentric circles around me. Long tendrils of human emotion grope my flesh and bring my bones closer to harmony. The emerald locusts that know me as their empress shudder nervously in adiabatic contentment. My words become the white hot copper filaments in lonesome street lamps. The soft moths who beat their bodies in towards the ambient beauty, so terrified of darkness they chose to kill themselves with light.

Carmelita Jaramillo carries a notebook on her like a survivalist carries a water canteen. Wherever she can find room for it, in a backpack or back pocket, she opens its pages whenever the creative mood strikes and sometimes when it doesn’t. Her journal is almost as necessary and common to her as a heartbeat. One doesn’t exist without the other.

For an 18-year-old poet like Jaramillo, there is much to write about in the New Mexican landscape, and many other brilliant poets to share ideas with. The state has earned a familiarity in many lay persons’ minds for its dry desert lands, high-reaching cacti that blot out the sun, a mountain range and some roadside adobe dwellings, and its tombstone cemeteries.

True artists and art collectors, both nationally and around the globe, know there is much more to New Mexico than turquoise costume jewelry and paintings of windblown landscapes with wagon wheels and tumbleweeds. The state is actually home to dozens of art galleries, artist colonies, performance venues, and bestselling authors like David Morrell and Natalie Goldberg.

Jaramillo, a senior at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, New Mexico, hopes to join the ranks of the state’s most notable writers and performers through poetry slam performances. Like many artists, Jaramillo works to realize creative inspirations inside of her, yet she also feels her writing fulfills a personal sense of duty. The words that she puts to paper are from her soul, and she brings them out to brighten people’s eyes to the beauty and emotion of the world they walk through.

“Poetry is a very cathartic exercise,” Jaramillo said. “I really feel like it is my personal responsibility as a human being to try to do something to inspire other people and inspire change.”

Last fall, Jaramillo came in second in a statewide online Webslam sponsored by New Mexico CultureNet (NMCN), a state-funded organization that supports and promotes the work of local artists. Since 1998, NMCN has conducted an online poetry contest for New Mexican teens that lasts three weeks and challenges writers to contribute poems on a given mood or subject each week. Juniors and seniors from a dozen high schools throughout the state submit entries in hopes of placing with the state’s most prolific young writers.

Falling headfirst
From the age of 10, Jaramillo has been writing. She ventured into poetry at 14. Her enjoyment of the writing craft led to her involvement as the president of Santa Fe High School’s Poetry Club and in numerous other activities, including drama. Those who work closely with Jaramillo tout her as one of many upand-coming poets on the New Mexican spoken word scene.

“I have never seen someone so dedicated to creative expression as a necessary part of life – not just a hobby or a distraction or entertainment, like song lyrics,” said Michelle Holland, coordinator of NMCN’s Poets-in-the-Schools program. “She has fallen headfirst into the world of poetry and spoken word.”

NMCN has partnered with Santa Fe Public Schools since 2004 to produce the Poets-in-the-Schools program at high schools, academies and middle schools in the Santa Fe metropolitan area. The organization screens, hires and evaluates poets who work directly with students and teachers.

Julie Hasted, an English instructor and the sponsor of Santa Fe High’s Poetry Club, works weekly with Jaramillo and her teammates on written pieces and presentation. While Jaramillo has displayed the focus and organizational skills to pull together a band of poets – a talent many artistically inclined individuals do not share – Hasted said her poetry shows an opposite side.

“Her poetry is deeply emotional, incredibly symbolic, and ranges in subject matter from basic everyday tedium to the more fantastic in their initial sense,” Hasted said. “From facial anomalies to cell phones, she can draw connections to things way above the level of most high school students.”

Throwing down
There’s much more to poetry slam competitions that simply writing and reading impressive poems. Performers attempt to convey the meaning behind their works through body language, movement and voice inflection. On stage at small cafés and at numerous poetry club events, Jaramillo has worked to refine the delivery of her own poems.

“I always try to have a natural rhythm that the audience can relate to and think, ‘Yeah, that feels right,’”Jaramillo said.” I don’t want anything that sounds contrived or false. I try to relate as much as possible to the words I am saying. Every move you make, every inflection has to go along with your poem.”

A goal of Santa Fe High’s Poetry Club for 2007 is to compete in poetry slams in Albuquerque and sponsor a competition at a Santa Fe venue. Later this month, Jaramillo will face a steep challenge when she participates in NMCN’s Poetry Jam ‘07. Begun in 2002, Poetry Jam is a two-day festival of poetry workshops, readings, panels and public performances.

Jaramillo has already begun preparing her work for the event by further developing the writing approach she used in previous contests.

“I try to talk about things no one else talks about,” Jaramillo said. “Not necessarily the subjects, but how I portray the subjects. I like to use a lot of metaphors. They might even seem like ridiculous symbols, but I try to make my writing as unique as possible.”

Out among the tombstones and the snowcapped mountains, Jaramillo has found a peaceful soul in poetry. In her words, she hopes others will find similar consolation, taking her path to personal enlightenment before the moths find a bright finale and everything else comes down to bone.

For more information on New Mexico CultureNet, visit http://www.nmcn.org/.

For most first-year college students, a collegiate learning environment is almost appallingly different than high school. There’s more academic pressure. Your assignments are more demanding, plus you’re adapting to a new social environment and possibly new living arrangements. With all of these challenges staring you down your freshman year, we thought you could use some suggestions for making the transition to your new academic life a little easier.

First day jitters
Go to campus a few days before your classes start. Look at your schedule and plan out your day according to the buildings. Don’t worry, just take things one at a time and you will be just fine.

Succeed in classes
Actually going to class is a plus. This might sound like common sense, but you will be surprised at how tempting it is to skip. A lot of teachers give three free absences, and some don’t even take attendance, but just because your teachers don’t keep track of your attendance doesn’t mean it won’t affect your grade.

“College is an investment; you want to put in as much as possible,” Andrew Sison, Dean of Admission at Lewis University, said. “You won’t be able to enhance your grade if you’re not there.”

Note taking
If you have a laptop, take it to class. A lot of schools offer free wireless Internet on campus. You can probably type faster than you can write. Otherwise, take notes by hand. Don’t try to write everything down – you won’t absorb as much information. Try to stick to key points. Check to see if your teacher posts notes online.

Keep a planner
Keeping track of various projects and assignments can be difficult if you aren’t organized. If you have a planner, you can easily prioritize your assignments and plan your time accordingly.

“Time management is one of the most important things when entering college,” Sison said. “You need to be able to give yourself a time-line.”

Stick to small classes Having classes in big lecture halls makes it tempting to skip or just not pay attention. You have more opportunities to ask your professor for help in small classroom settings.

Talk to your professors Visit with your professors during their office hours. This will help you build relationships with your professors and make it easier to ask questions.

“It’s important that students are open to talking to their professors,” Sison said. “They’re more than professors, sometimes they’re your advisors.”

Helpful tips:

• Find your classes before they start
• Go to class, even if there is no required attendance
• Use a planner
• Try to enroll in small classes
• Take advantage of your resources
• Shop around for textbooks