I AM:
1) Alex's mother and Dennis's fiancee;
2) A graduate student in the English Department at the University of Florida at Gainesville finishing a Master's degree with a focus on American Studies and a Women's Studies Certificate;
3) An MCAT Verbal instructor for The Princeton Review;
4) A liberal and a Democrat;
5) A registered voter;
6) A December 2003 graduate of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature;
7) A domestic abuse survivor;
8) Frequently quite sarcastic; and
9) Not afraid to exercise my freedom of speech.
WHAT I AM MOST PROUD OF:
1) After my second year of college, I wanted to do something different - a commonplace sentiment for me now - so I moved to Seoul for two months as part of a study abroad program - even though I'm not Korean, I didn't know anyone who was going to be there, and I didn't speak one word of the language. And even though I was nervous and even scared at first, I got over it quickly, opening the door for a wonderful, enlightening experience that still affects my outlook on life to this day.
2) While there, I had other opportunities to act out of character in ways that surprised me and brought me a similar feeling of satisfaction. For instance, when all of the other women living in my hall were literally screaming about an enormous black spider on the loose, I calmly walked over to it, killed it, and returned to my work. Another time, while everyone else was dipping their toes into the surf and running off shivering, I ran right in and had a great time - and as soon as I did that, some of the other students joined me there. Things like killing bugs when there were others around to do it and diving right into cold water when I knew that it was cold would normally have been anathema to me - or, worse, paralyze me with fear. Disregarding those feelings gave me an enormous sense of self-sufficiency and strength of mind. (See my Korea journal for more about my stay there.)
[I would get the same feeling again, five years later, when I finally began to overcome my fear of bugs on a permanent basis after enough adrenaline and protective motherliness powered run-ins with cockroaches - after the first one, none of which the critters survived - in my first apartment in Florida that one day I killed a small spider with nothing but a tissue separating the bug from my fingers - without even thinking about it until the act was done.]
3) Before anyone else even knew about it, I determined to escape from the domestic abuse in my life, and, on my own, I did it.
4) I achieved a GPA of 4.0 in three out of the four terms of college that I completed after the birth of my son. I supported myself and my son throughout the rest of college, and I earned my Bachelor's degree.
5) I was the Student Speaker at my Commencement ceremony, and I believe that I did a fantastic job. I wasn't nervous at all when I stepped up to that podium, and I loved every moment of the entire experience. Perhaps it will lead me to do more public speaking in the future as well. Click here to read my speech. Click here to read about it in an article from the MICHIGAN DAILY. Click here to see pictures. Or, to make me REALLY happy, ask me to show you the video. :)
6) I wanted to go to graduate school, and I wanted to do so at the University of Florida, so, without hesitation, I packed up our most essential belongings and moved myself and my son out of Michigan for the first time in our lives, to the opposite side of the country, where I had no support network to help me with babysitting and bug-killing and car repairs - and frankly, it did feel as though I was living in a different country at times. But of course, we did fine there too ... which, I suppose, is no surprise at all.
7) Ultimately, I didn't let my mistakes and missteps deter me from finishing what I'd started or from pursuing my dreams, which will serve as an excellent example for my son as he grows up.
WHAT I BELIEVE IN:
1) God, Jesus, & the Ten Commandments
2) Myself
3) Freedom, Choice, Duty, & the Constitution
4) Honesty, Integrity, Responsibility, & Tact
5) The Value of Difference, Disagreement, & Discussion
6) Initiative, Initiative, Initiative!
I AM A MEMBER OF:
ACLU
Mensa
Triple Nine Society
A bunch of professional organizations (see my CV)
My Mensa credentials:
Member since 2004
Member, GenX, Gen-Y, and Motherhood Special Interest Groups, 2004-present
Editor, GenX SIG Newsletter, July 2005-present
Member, Greater Phoenix Mensa, 2006-present
Member, Answers to Everything SIG, 2005-present
Member, Gainesville Area Mensa, 2004-2006
Editor, GAM, December 2004-April 2006
Interim Local Secretary, GAM, 2006
Panelist, 2005 and 2006 CultureQuest (which just means that I wrote some of the questions for the test)
Interim Deputy Local Secretary, GAM, 2005
Organizer, GenX chapter of Hell's M's SIG, 2005
Speaker, 2005 AG
Hospitality Volunteer, 2005 AG
GenX Event Coordinator, 2005 SEMMantics
Lingerie Show Co-coordinator, 2005 SEMMantics
GenX Fundraiser Coordinator, 2005 SEMMantics
Member, Under the Hill Special Interest Group, 2004-2005
Member, Southeast Michigan Mensa, 2004
Member, Make the Connection SIG, 2004
50 Things That I Want to Do in My Life UPDATED 4/20/06
SOME FAVORITE EVENTS FROM MY LIFE:
Shows:
The Producers; London, England; May 13, 2006
Blackbird; London; May 12, 2006
Movin’ Out; London; May 11, 2006
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; London; May 11, 2006
Chicago; London; May 10, 2006
Concerts:
- The Gossip; Gainesville, Florida; March 2006
- Maroon 5; Phoenix, Arizona; May 2005
- Sara Evans and Brad Paisley, Muds 'n' Suds Tour; Saginaw, Michigan; February 2005
- Papa Roach, Limp Bizkit, and Eminem, Anger Management Tour; Auburn Hills, Michigan; November 2000
- Dave Chappelle and Jim Breuer, "Completely Baked"; Ann Arbor, Michigan; September 2000
- Yo-Yo Ma; Ann Arbor; January 2000
- Weird Al Yankovic; Ann Arbor; November 1999
- Goo Goo Dolls; Ypsilanti, Michigan; October 1999
- Cake; Detroit, Michigan; June 1999
- Yat-Kha; Ann Arbor; May 1999
- Barenaked Ladies; Grand Rapids, Michigan; December 1998
Mensa Gatherings:
- Oktoberfest, the 2005 Regional Gathering of Tampa Bay Mensa; Clearwater, Florida; October 7-9, 2005
- MensAGumbo, the 2005 Annual Gathering of American Mensa; New Orleans, Louisiana; July 6-10, 2005
- FLoRanGe 2005: Suite Mayhem, the Regional Gathering of Broward Mensa; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; May 27-30, 2005
- SEMMantics 2005, the Regional Gathering of the Southeast Michigan Mensa; Farmington Hills, Michigan; April 29-May 1, 2005
- SEMMantics 2004; Troy, Michigan; April 30-May 2, 2004
Back to My Home Page
(C) 2004 Jessica B. Burstrem