UMSL's Pre-Dental Society

by Sinhareeb Al Oleiwi

Hello, my name is Sinhareeb Al Oleiwi and I am an undergraduate student majoring in biochemistry and biotechnology with an emphasis in pre-dental. As a pre-dental student, I wanted to develop my communication, professional, and leadership skills, so I decided to be part of the UMSL Ambassador family.

Around that same time, I also wanted to further develop the specific skill set that related to the healthcare field and further my abilities that will aid me as a future health care provider; therefore I chose to join the Pre-Dental Society. It is very helpful for any pre-professional students to explore the field and get involved with a network of other students with similar goals and career paths. The Pre-Dental Society is one of the most active pre-health organizations on campus and part of the beautiful UMSL family.

Through this society, students like myself get involved in different activities,

such as volunteer opportunities and community service. We don’t benefit at the academic level, but we get to explore the dentistry profession and build friendships with the other members, which encourages personal and professional growth. By building close friendships with other students at UMSL who might possibly end up as classmates at same dental school or even as colleagues at the same dental clinic after graduation, we gain more than what’s advertised.

In general, it is very important for students to get involved in different activities to shape their college experience and prepare them to the outside world. Dental schools are getting more and more competitive every year; therefore, getting involved in different organizations on campus will give students more advantage because health careers require more than just book smarts. Since the system is in constant motion, it needs a person who is involved in the community and willing to help others.

The Pre-Dental Society does several community services and volunteer activities each month. Of the different activities, the most interesting was the one we did last month, which involved helping kids have a bright healthy smile. Over ten members of Pre-Dental Society volunteered at ‘Give Kids A Smile (GKAS),’ which is a nonprofit organization that provides quality dental services for under-served children. It is a two-day-a-week clinic which provides free dental services for kids under 14 years old.

Monthly Meeting Teaches Effective Communication Skills

by Shyanne Closser

On Friday November 2nd, the UMSL Ambassadors attended their mandatory monthly meeting. Last month, Camila highlighted the ambassadors’ monthly meeting, and now we have the chance to hear from Shyanne about the skills she gained and the excitement she had knowing she could take something away from the meeting.

The meeting began with guest speaker Sarah Benkendorf from UMSL Counseling Services. She led a presentation based around the idea of effective communication and how it could be used to relay an individual’s needs or wants; or at least to allow them to be acknowledged by whomever they are speaking to. This ability is so important when it comes to building healthy relationships as there are circumstances where we may need to negotiate or discuss matters with civility, and having good communication skills will benefit all parties involved.

Sarah also discussed the idea of lying to ourselves as a mechanism to alter the way we feel and behave during conversation, such as “I will be so upset if he/she says no to me.” In reality, we must understand that not every person in our life right now will be in our life forever, so giving others that power is not beneficial to us. To end it, we were led into a short meditation session to help ease our minds of the stresses we feel in our day to day.

Before we transitioned into the final session of the meeting, we played some games. The first game should sound familiar since we played it at the last meeting; we partnered with someone we didn’t know and taught them something new. I taught Awa about the four different tissue types that are found in the body. She then taught me what “chunking” was and how it can be done with worms. The process is as easy as it sounds: you take a chunk from one plate that already contains worms and move them to a different plate that has E.coli and it’ll grow.

We then broke out into our three committees (social media, research, and media/blog) to play two more games. The first game we played was a campus map game. Each group got a map of North and South Campus, and we had to remember as much as we could in three minutes. My group split up the campuses, so half of us looked at South Campus and the other half looked at North Campus. Once the three minutes were up, we were given blank versions of the maps to fill in from memory. Knowing UMSL’s campus is helpful as ambassadors because we need to be able to efficiently direct people around our campus.

In the last part of our meeting, we played a second game in our groups which tested our ability to remember faces; but not just anyone’s face. We learned about individuals we may interact with on more than one occasion, such as the deans of each college, executive events staff, etc. We again had to remember as many people on the list as we could in three minutes. My team utilized the same strategy used previously of splitting up into halves. After three minutes went by, we were again given a blank version of the list and had to fill in as many names as we could from memory. Overall, the meeting was informational and enjoyable as always. I definitely walked away knowing more faces than before.

Liah’s Transition to UMSL

by Liah Watson & Awa Konte

This week we are highlighting yet another ambassador: Liah Watson. Liah is a transfer student from Missouri Western State University. Since her transfer to the UMSL campus, there are just a few things that she wanted to share in terms of her transition to UMSL and her involvement with the UMSL Ambassadors program:

Hello everyone, my name is Liah Watson and I am a freshman transfer student from Missouri Western State University. I’ve been at UMSL for almost one semester now, and I can honestly say I feel like I am part of the UMSL

community. Truth be told, I was a bit nervous about the transfer since I didn’t really know anyone and everything was so new. But ever since I got my foot in the door, I saw the variety of opportunities that UMSL has to offer - one example being the UMSL Ambassador Program. 

For me, the ambassador program has given me so many experiences I can’t imagine being without. I had the opportunity to network with students and professionals alike at this year’s Founders Dinner, and I’ve attended a workshop that strengthened my basic abilities in interviewing. But one of the most important statements I can make is that I've made friends, not acquaintances. There is just so much that I want to say about it, but that would require another blog post!

One of the perks of being a student is that I get the opportunity to fully interact with the faculty and staff here. The staff at UMSL have been wonderful, positive and so friendly. The professors are understanding and are willing to work with you if you are having difficulty in the course. I already somewhat alluded to this, but transferring to UMSL has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Since I told you about how great UMSL has been, I would like to tell you what a typical Monday for me is like. Mondays start at 8:30 a.m. since I commute to campus. Class begins at 9:30 a.m. and when it ends at 10:45 a.m., I have a two-hour break before the next. I take this time to eat lunch, talk to classmates, and do some homework. Afterward, I head to my last class of the day, which I attend from 12:30 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. Because I have some time before going to work around 4 p.m., I usually take a nap or go to my grandmother’s house to take care of her. 

The work day is long and usually ends around 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., which isn’t too bad but not exactly ideal either. I’ve learned to balance it with being involved and being a student throughout the semester as it has not always been easy. That’s all I have to say, so I hope you’ve enjoyed it.

Fall Break is Just Around the Corner

by Mohanned Aqrabawi

It is that time of year again: fall break is just around the corner. The time for Thanksgiving; the time for being thankful - thankful that there will be no more 8 a.m. classes for ten days, thankful for no more driving for hours to go to one class, thankful for sleeping in on a Monday morning, and most importantly, thankful for not staying up on a Tuesday night to finish an essay. 

Most of us consider this time to be for relaxation and releasing mental stresses by taking a short break from school. However, as much as I would love to do nothing during those ten days, most of our professors do not see this break in the same way. For them, this is the time of the semester we can use to finish big assignments, get back on track for the semester, and prepare ourselves for finals week. 

You may have noticed that most of your assignments or exams are due directly after fall break. If you think about it, we would only have three weeks for school including finals week left before our winter break. As much as I want to just stop studying, I think this week is very valuable in our semester. 

In ten days we can accomplish a lot for our classes, and I would advise everyone to study - even just a little every day - because at this point the semester is almost over, and this is the only free time available to us to prepare for our finals. I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving and can work hard to get the grades you aspire to have this semester.

Life at Oak Hall from an Ambassador's Point of View

by Emma Melton

College is so exciting - a new start in what seems like a world of opportunity; yet, it can be very scary for any incoming freshman. What's a better way to get involved your first few years of college than by living on campus?! Themed living communities, helpful staff, and many events throughout the year not only make living in Oak Hall fun, but also a very rewarding experience. Specifically, living 

on campus as a freshman allows one to get to know other classmates, which makes the transition into college much easier and a lot more fun. According to a recent study conducted by the ISU Residential Housing Department, freshmen who lived on campus during the first year of college at Iowa State had a higher graduation rate compared with those who did not. This shows that living on campus your first year is beneficial because students feel connected to the university, becoming more engaged academically and personally. Read more to find out why living in Oak Hall truly is the “Suite Life.”

Getting Connected at Oak

Living in Oak Hall comes with many amenities, but the event programming hosted by several organizations and teams may be the sweetest benefit for everyone. From late night bingo to a hypnotist performance, there are events for everyone to find enjoyment in. While Oak Hall hosts so many events to take students’ mind off their busy schedules, there are also several programs that promote students’ success and involvement. Living on campus is so much more than just a quicker way to class; it’s a way for one to get involved and meet all kinds of new people, all while having fun!

What UMSL Ambassadors are Saying

“As a transfer sophomore student, choosing to live on 

campus - specifically in Oak Hall - was the greatest choice for me. It makes the transition to a new college easier because you have the chance to meet so many people. Living in Oak opens students to many opportunities. For me, I was introduced to the UMSL Ambassador program when I discovered flyers and brochures that stated, ‘We want you to be an Ambassador” at the Oak front desk and lobby area. If I had not seen the flyers, I may have not pursued being an Ambassador for the university and in turn, this blog would not exist. My journey so far at UMSL wouldn’t be as enjoyable if I had not chosen to live in Oak Hall.” 

–Emma Melton

"I’ve lived in Oak for the majority of my college

experience. I discovered UMSL Ambassadors 3 years ago through flyers and brochures, but one of the reasons for joining was a fellow ambassador and friend encouraged me to join the program since I could see that she enjoyed it so much. I wanted to be involved, and Ambassadors was the first step for the many things that followed." 

-Awa Konte

Monthly Meeting Teaches Professional Development

by Camila Pena Rosell

On Friday, October 5th, we, the members of UMSL Ambassadors, had our second meeting of the year. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect because this would be the first meeting besides the introductory one, so I was really excited to get to see what the program really is about.

The meeting started with those who assisted with the Founders Dinner sharing their experience(s) at the event. This is one of two major events for the program other than commencement. For some of the ambassadors, this was their first event of the semester, so it was great to hear that they had such positive interactions with alumni – not only as a way to get know them as individuals, but also as a way to network.

After the stories and the laughter that came with it, we did an icebreaker activity where we had to find as many things in common as we could in our groups of three. I was put in a group with Shyanne and Abby, and we found ten things we had in common. However, we realized after finishing the activity that, while we thought about the specific things we had in common, we left out the general ones, such as we are all women. Even though we didn’t come up with the highest number of commonalities, it was a good way to get to know each other more.

Sharing stories and doing the icebreaker helped us loosen up before moving on to the main topic of the meeting: building basic skills for professional interviews. I found this very important because most of the time, we are not taught these skills, and we are sent into the workforce without knowing how to properly integrate ourselves. We were also given tips on how to create a resume and how to change that resume for the job we are applying for. I really appreciated learning all these things (I would assume all of us did) because we need to know them – not only for when we are looking for jobs, but for internships too.

We ended the meeting with another icebreaker. This time, we had to partner with someone we weren’t too familiar with and teach him/her something new. I partnered with Shyanne and taught her how to introduce herself in Spanish; and she taught me what the body systems are. You learn something new every day and, for us, that is definitely true!

Q&A with UMSL Ambassador Shyanne Closser

by Abby Weiskopf

Shyanne Closser

The UMSL Ambassadors is a unique and diverse group with many different and interesting members. One of the members is Shyanne Closser, an extremely hardworking and dedicated individual who has overcome many challenges since her arrival to UMSL. I sat down with her to learn more about why she chose this organization and how she is able to balance her many activities this semester.

Q: Why did you choose to join this organization over any other?

A: It seemed like a good opportunity to build my resume and build leadership skills. It provides a lot of benefits in terms of helping me build my public speaking and interview skills, which I will need to forward myself for the future.

Q: What is your favorite part of being an UMSL Ambassador thus far?

A: I really enjoy the diversity of the organization and how many new people I have already met in my short time with the Ambassadors. I didn’t realize how many different cultures and people we had on campus.

Q: Why did you come to UMSL? 

A: It had a good cost to education ratio. I really value the quality of education I am receiving compared to my student loans. Since coming to UMSL, I have realized that there is a really good support network here, and I think that’s really important.

Q: What have you struggled with and how have you overcome it?

A: When my parents divorced when I was twelve, my family completely split apart and that was really difficult for me. I had to grow up really quickly and that has impacted me until this day. I struggled with it through high school, but that didn’t stop me from joining extracurricular activities and maintaining a strong GPA so I could get into a good school.

Q: Since you’ve had that experience in your life, what advice would you give someone who's having a hard time in their life right now?

A: To anyone else that is going through a hard time, I would tell them that while everything may seem bleak right now, things will always get better.