Back at UC!

            Hey guys and gals! It’s been some time since I’ve been back to my second home here at the UC. Although I really enjoy a good break and spending time with my family and old friends,  for some reason I just had a longing for UC and to be back here. The most exciting thing I’ve done over break was donating my hair to Locks of Love. So now I have no hair and no one on campus knows who I am – which is quite funny!

Before

After

My Christmas break was a great time, spending time with the family, hanging out with old friends, but what took up the majority of the my time during Christmas break was continuing my training for track. Even though it was a break, our coaches believed that we should continue bettering ourselves so we could come back ready to get the season kicked off in the next semester.

I was given lots of nice stuff for Christmas from all of my family members – I got 3 new hats, a new pair of shoes, some movies, some clothes, a complete guide to the Bible, and some money… but we all know that what you get isn’t what matters during Christmas. What matters is giving and remembering what Christmas is really about – Jesus!

The best gift of all for me this year, though, was the love of my family and friends!

-Zac

Christmas charades

            Well the semester was winding down and the spirit of Christmas was up on us so Casey Hamm the head of the kingdom decided to throw a Christmas party. Anyone that wanted to come was invited.  It was an awesome time because there was so much to do. There was a lot to eat, plenty of new people to meet, Christmas charades (so funny), and then, best of all, we played just dance 4 for the Wii. What made it so awesome was that people that you may have thought would be shy got up and played just dance and danced in front of a crowd of people.  It was a blast!

Casey and I, at the Christmas party!

Finals Preparation

            Well what can I say? This semester has flown by with the blink of an eye and now finals are upon us. Now it’s time to buckle down and get your head on straight and study very hard so you can make the best possible grade you can make on the finals tests. This is these next two weeks is what we have been preparing to do for the past 16 weeks of school at UC. There are many ways to do well on the finals at the end of the semester.

One way to do well on the finals is to (of course!) study, but how you study may affect how effective your studying is for you. You should try studying in different places than normal and in places with as little distractions as possible. You could also get a study group to help you with studying and comparing notes and to share study tips with each other. At UC, there is also the ARC (Academic Resource Center) that is available almost all day to aid you in any way possible.

Another good thing to help you prepare for finals week is to miss as few classes as possible the two weeks before finals week and also  - get as much sleep as you can! If you miss a lot of classes then you are likely to miss some vital information that you more than likely will want be able to make up in time before finals. So make sure you come to class and be very attentive and take in all you can. Get as much sleep as you can, but don’t neglect your studies!

-Zac

Turkey day

Well, what can I say? Thanksgiving was more than great. We got an extended weekend of 5 days – I got to go home and spend time with my family and I got to see family that I rarely ever get to see.  It had been a while since I had some good home cooked food and I certainly got my fill of it over the break. I even was able to have two different thanksgiving celebrations this year. First, I ate at my dad’s mom’s house with his family at 12 o’clock and then I ate again at my mom’s mother’s house. It was just a great time and I was so blessed by the time I was with my family and friends.

I loved reconnecting with my family that I haven’t really got to spend that much time with since school started due to my busy schedule. I was also able to hang out with a bunch of my old friends too. I went to Black Friday to see all the mass chaos, but it wasn’t too bad since I didn’t get trampled. Needless to say though I did spend a little money while adding 15 new movies to my collection.

Although I had a wonderful time with my family, there was just something that I longed for back at the University of the Cumberlands. I guess I missed UC because it has become like a second home to me and I feel just like this a place that I can just be myself and have fun with my newly acquired friends.

-Zac

UC Organizations

At the University of the Cumberlands there are many ways to get involved both on campus and off campus. There are numerous campus organizations, groups, and committees that as a student you can take part in. Some of these groups include campus ministries, Mountain outreach, Mountain Top, CAB (campus activities board), mentoring programs, and the kingdom and many more to discover.

I’m involved in only two of these right now and hope to get more involved in them as the years go on. I am currently involved in “The Kingdom” and the mentoring program. What the kingdom does is try to reach out to the public and extend a hand to anyone that will take it, allowing them to express themselves through different opportunities. There are 4 opportunities that “The Kingdom” offers you to express yourself –  open mic night, which in you can dance or sing or read a poem, rhapsody (that is more hip-hop), then we have Hoopla which is like a comedy night, and then finally we have Confabulation, which is like a debate night.

The mentor program that I am in is very awesome. All you have to do is apply and then if you get accepted, then you will be assigned a mentee and you will do something with them at least 2 times a month, like go out to eat or see a movie or take them to a game or something like that. You also go on big trips with your mentee and the program, which is a lot of fun. This past weekend we went to Lexington to the Henry Clay Estate and the Fayette mall, and then we went to the Northern Lights show. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to go on another trip with the program.

There are many, many, many programs to take part in, if you decide to come to the University of the Cumberlands. They just offer you so much – they offer you a chance to get involved in UC, to meet new people, and lots and lots of fun to get into. So just remember when you come to UC to get involved and come make a difference!

-Zac

Insights

At the University of the University of the Cumberlands we have a thing called insights. Insights is a class that helps you get your college life up and running smooth. You have an instructor, which is called your STRIPE, and you have two other students, one a boy and one a girl which are called your STARs and along with your instructor, they help you in more ways than you could ever imagine!

The STARs and your STRIPE have inside tips that can help you through college because they have already been through it in the past years and know how things work at UC. The main points for insights are to assist the student in any way possible and help them get college started. We got to talk about what college was like, the do’s and don’t’s of college, and just any questions that you had. My experience in Insights was fun and exciting because we got to meet new people and our potential classmates and make new friends.

I love my insights group. Overall, it was very fun and informative. Meeting new people, making new friends, and getting college started off right. In Insights class this time, the STARs and STRIPE helped us pick our spring semester classes which helped a lot because the stars could tell you what teachers they liked and how they taught and whether they would recommend that teacher for you or not. So insights was a blast and for you all that are planning on coming to UC, insights will be good for you too!

Zac Kemp

First off, let me just start by saying that one my main reasons for coming to the University of the Cumberlands was to be able to run college track.

They offered me that chance so I took it and am glad that I did. However, the transition from high school was a real game-changer. It’s not as bad as you would think – but it’s no cake walk either. You really have to be dedicated to play a sport in college. UC has some very wonderful and successful sports programs and I’m so glad that I get to be a part of them, not to mention that they keep adding new sports all the time! For example, they just started an archery team this year and we  are excited to see how things go with that.

College sports are different from high school sports in that in college, it’s more like a job than a sport. I’m not saying that in a bad way, especially if you are getting scholarships for it. It’s harder and more time consuming, but the experiences are much more exciting than in high school. You get to meet a lot more new people and also get to travel to farther places. Your team not only becomes your team, but they also become your family. You really do get to share a special bond with them.

High school athletes could prepare for the transition from high school to college in several ways. One would have to be listen to your coaches because they know what they are talking about! Even if you think you know it all, you actually don’t know more than they do. Just train as hard as you can and come in physically prepared for the change, but more importantly come in mentally prepared as well. The mental game is a really big part in college sports. Train hard, study hard and listen to your coaches are probably the main things to remember for and up and coming college athlete.

You also must prioritize things. I’ve only had two track coaches and they have both told us as a team what the priorities in school are. 1. God, 2. Family, 3. School, and 4. Track. So keep things in order! Coaches in college understand that you came to college to get an education, so if you have to miss because you have a test the next day, they will all try to work with you as best they can.

Zac Kemp

Well, I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I think we are all ready for fall break to happen! All classes and mid-terms were over for the rest of the week on this past Wednesday, October the 10^th. As Caleb and I watched everyone depart from the UC, we thought that it was going to be a boring week without everyone here – but it was actually far from it. Even though there were not many people here at all, there were still many things to do.

The beach volleyball courts were still open, our good friend Ezra opened up the game room for any one who was still here for us to play ping pong & pool, and we got to have movie night in there with a huge projector. So even though the campus was quiet, there is always something to do here at UC. There was also a basketball game that you could attend – the best part is that you get to attend all UC games for free if you are a UC student.

Working hard is a great thing and all, but everyone needs rest and that’s what was great about this fall break – some good old RR. Everyone at UC had been working hard and needed a break and that’s just what we got. I needed some rest after the mid terms we took and all the track practicing I had been doing. So work hard and get your stuff done so that you can take a rest and enjoy your Fall Break. Then you can just kick back and enjoy the beautiful campus and days we have been blessed with.

Zac

Ezra Anderson

This week I decided to do a post one of my new friends from Cumberland, Ezra Anderson. So I went and asked him if I could interview him for one of my blogs and he said yes! So I went to his work-study job and began to interview him about him and his three years at UC.

1. How I Met Ezra

I met Ezra within the first week of coming to the University of the Cumberlands. We were having lunch and we introduced ourselves. He had lunch with us and we found out that we would be teammates in track. From there, friendship was born!

2. Where are you from?

Ezra is from St Louis, Missouri.

3. Why did you Pick The University of the Cumberlands?

Originally he had planed to go to UCLA, but he snapped his leg and lost all his scholarships for sports. He had no job or any other options to go anywhere else, so he started applying for other colleges. For most of them, he was simply declined or put on the waiting list for that college. Somehow he heard about the University of the Cumberlands and applied here and was immediately accepted within a week’s time. UC had everything he needed and offered him the chance to go here, so for the past three years he has been attending UC and loving it the whole time.

4. What are you involved in?

Ezra is involved in many campus activities including a workstudy as the game room supervisor, running track/Field, attending Cornerstone church in Williamsburg, and Baptist Campus Ministries. During his free time he enjoys writing music, rapping, and is also involved in Mountaintop on campus. Pretty much if you come to Cumberland and you need anything, Ezra is the man to go to!

5. What is your favorite moment at UC?

His favorite time at UC was working with Appalachian ministries summer team and getting to work with the kids.

6. What is it like being an athlete in college?

He answered with “ It’s a lot harder than people think it is. Its not just ‘Oh, I’m a college athlete’, but you have to be mentally strong too not just physically strong.” Being a college athlete helps you build leadership skills and love for other people.