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Personal Statement 4

Rafael Estrada

Ms. Garza’

Personal Statement

June 30, 2010

My sister graduated from Papillion La Vista Senior High School and was admitted to the University of Nebraska Omaha, she set the bar of success high for me. I was expected to go above and beyond this “bar.” If I could develop my sister’s qualities of responsibility, academic success and involvement outside activities, I would not only follow her footsteps but maybe do better than her. These qualities have made a large impact on my college career by guiding me through my daily life as a student at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

The quality I have noticed about my sister is how responsible she is. Since she was 10 years old, my sister has had to deal with problems that a ten year old should not experience till they are older. My sister has been the interpreter, in our family, for many years. She had to master the English language to help out my struggling parents. Other than being a bridge between two languages, she has also taken responsibility over my path to education; she has been a mentor and a friend. The responsibility that my sister has every day, to me, is amazing.

Since my sister entered school, she has always been academically successful. This quality of her has pulled me through my school, it pulls me to do strive more in my studies. When Mariana was in high school, she received many awards for her academic success and she was also inducted into honors programs. This quality is number one priority for me because I want to be successful, so I can to become my dream career. At UNO, my sister has made the Dean’s list, and recently has been awarded the Susan Buffet Scholarship. These two awards inspire me to fill my sister’s shoes. I want to fill her shoes because if I can be academically successful and acquire the Susan Buffet Scholarship, I’ll be one step closer to going to PKI.

With responsibility, and academic success the only other quality that, in my eyes, is important is my sister’s quality of involvement in outside activities. My sister’s high school involvement included Spanish Club, LEO club, Honor Society and many more. She enjoyed helping and being involved with all these activities. I started to be more involved when the application for Honor Society was given out. I hurriedly started to look for community service opportunities to acquire my hours for my application. My sister stressed the importance of joining Honor Society and being involved, and I learned how look for opportunities to help out in my community. I am a member of Habitat for Humanity and this is one of the opportunities I found due to my love for volunteering.

Throughout my sister’s college career at UNO, she has made an image for herself of a respected individual. During my stay at UNO, I have met representatives from many departments of UNO. When I introduce myself, they look at me and ask “Are you related to Mariana Estrada?” I respond, “Yes, she is my sister.” Then a conversation starts about how my sister is such a wonderful person, and then they ask me if I have the same qualities as she does, I respond “I have learned all I know from my sister.”



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Rafael Estrada
Ms. Garza
Blog 4
6/21/10


Peter Kiewit Institute

Omaha, Nebraska, is home to many of the largest engineering firms of the United States. I decided a while back that I wanted to stay in Omaha for that same reason and also because I want to study Civil Engineering here at the Peter Kiewit Institute. Peter Kiewit Institute offers a variety of benefits for its students that other colleges cannot offer. A degree from this college is important to me because it would give me the opportunity to stay close to home, and because a degree and education from Peter Kiewit will help me jumpstart my career right here in Omaha, Nebraska.

One of the benefits of attending Peter Kiewit would be learning about the campus itself. The final plans for Peter Kiewit were signed on June 1996 and construction started on year after. The cost of the project was 26.5 million and it was finished on time and on budget, which is sometimes difficult to do with such a large project. PKI was built just in time for the Fall class of 1999. The outer walls of PKI are made out of traditional brick and this material represents it educational roots. The back outer walls are made out of pre-cast concrete, which reflects the relationship that PKI has with Institute and Industry and also with its neighbor, First Data Resources.

To know about PKI and its design is a benefit to all who want to attend, but what truly makes PKI so beneficial is what it has inside. The inside of PKI was designed to teach students about Engineering, Architecture and design by being able to actually see it and touch the different parts that make up a building. “Through the hallways, informational markers invite students to monitor, investigate and interact with their surroundings, to understand the broad concepts and intricate details of the facility’s structure and systems.” This small quote, taken from PKI.com, describes what students experience at PKI.

By going to PKI and obtaining my Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering, I will not only have a degree that will help me find a career but also I would have the chance to network with leaders in the large engineering firms right here in Omaha, Nebraska. PKI focuses on connecting their students with the industry and businesses. They connect students with internships and summer jobs in their field of study, establishing connections with local business leaders.

Peter Kiewit has "state-of-the-art" Information Technology and Engineering programs in the nation. The Peter Kiewit Institute is home to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's College of Engineering and the University of Nebraska at Omaha's College of Information Science and Technology. These two schools will provide me with a large number of benefits but also a competitive education in the field of Civil Engineering. My degree from this school will help me find a career after I graduate.



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My First Week as a College Student

Rafael Estrada

Maria Garza

Blog #2-My First Week as a College Student

June 16th, 2010

Finding My Roots

Hispano, Latino, Mexicano, P'urhépecha, Otomíe, these terms were mentioned during my first week of Native American Studies by my teacher Señora Rocha Cruz. I was taken by surprise the first day of class when she came in, greeted everybody with a soft but firm voice, walked with a strong posture and opened the windows. She said she just had to have sun light when she taught. From that point on I loved Native American Studies. Actually the real moment I convinced myself that I loved this class was when we started talking about how the term Race, was imaginary; that it did not exist. Her lecture blew my mind and helped me realized the meaning of my roots.

During my first three days of class I realized I have actually done about nine days of class. I came to this conclusion because this semester class is compressed in month. I made it my goal not to miss this class because one day could set me back in the lecture and my notes for my weekly test. These factors encouraged me to finish my homework early, get a good night’s sleep, and wake up in the morning for class. I was also motivated to be in class because of Señora Rocha. To me, Señora Rocha has a soft, gentle but firm voice that keeps me intrigued throughout her lecture. I have never had a teacher with such a tone of talking that makes me want to listen to them speak.

Señora Rocha’s syllabus has been my first syllabus of my college career. In my first day of School, I knew about a quiz, a test, my readings for the next day and my final project. I believe the most challenging part of class has been the readings. Even though I am an AP English student, I have met my match with the readings assigned by Señora Rocha in Native American Studies. The reading in the book, The Racial Contract, Charles Mills explains Kant’s practical philosophy. After reading for two hours, my head felt like it was going to explode. Even though the readings are becoming harder, I like the challenge of college literature. If my readings are becoming harder then I know what to expect for my second test. My first test was three essay questions over 6 multiple readings. I wrote a paragraph answering each question and what I wrote was correct. I was very proud of myself in the sense that I remembered reading about the topic of the questions. Now I know I will need to work harder for my second test.

Through my reading in Native American Studies I have found the horrors that Native American have suffered throughout their existence both in the States and in Mexico. I have also found my roots that go deeper than just Mexican. I have learned that I am of Otomíe descent and that my people spoke P'urhépecha. This is amazing discovery for me because all my life I have considered myself Aztec but I am not I am Otomíe. I am also Mexican in the sense of I was born in Mexico, I am Hispanic due to my grandpapi on my father’s side who has Spanish blood, I am Latino because I am from Latin America

I expect to learn more about my ancestry, how they lived, how the suffered, and how they are keeping their culture alive. I believe Señora Rocha will help me find my roots because she is filled with all kinds of knowledge. Every day I cannot wait but to sit down and listen to Señora Rocha’s lecture.



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Residential Life with Summer Scholars

Rafael Estrada
College 101
Journal Blogging: 1



I never would have thought how much fun living at college would be, until I stayed at Scott’s Residence Hall for a week with the Summer Scholars Program at UNO. During my stay at Scott’s Hall I experienced college life first hand. This new “life” was working hard and playing hard. I had to juggle class work with activities such as the Dance Party, Mojo Hunt, HPER and much more. My goals were to experience college life to the fullest and do my best at Camp Carol.

Camp Carol was such a wonderful experience. I learned things about myself and it was the first time I reached out of my comfort zone. During my participation at Camp Carol, I was recovering from an eye surgery that arouse from an accident with an airsoft gun. My doctor told me it was not a good idea to participate, because I could hit my head and injure my eye again. I felt the need to participate, because I do not like being limited to do something. I took my precautions throughout the two days at camp and had no accidents. Even though I was considered “handicap” in a way I performed all the activities at camp to my best ability. I realized that even with my injury to my eye and my heart disease I was not limited to doing anything in this world. In a way, I regained confidence in my ability to perform challenges that without my team I would not be able to do. Those two days I bonded with strangers that I have not even met before. I shared sweat, blood and nutritious food with them.

Living with people you do not know is definitely an experience that people have to go through to understand how human beings are able to coexist with each other. My dorm buddies were Miguel, Garyth and Paul. I knew Paul from school and he is also one of my best friends. At first I was not comfortable with Miguel or Garyth, but after talking to them at Camp, partying with them in Scott’s Hall and eating with them in the cafeteria, you can say we grew on each other. After a few days of sleeping in the same suite, we started to bond, we talked about things that had happened to us, things that were bothering us and how this experience was affecting us. During the mornings we woke each other up if one of us was still sleeping, we watched out for each other, sat by each other and even walked to class together. Garyth was definitely the most outgoing person that I have ever met, the one thing that I learned from him was to have confidence in anything I do. During our stay in Scott’s Hall, my dorm buddies and I worked hard and played hard, we did not play too hard because we had to wake up for class and stay awake during class.

Working hard and playing hard was tested during my first day of class, this is when I noticed my junior year had paid off in teaching me time management and joggling course preparation. I had no trouble during the three days of class, I was on time, stayed awake, took notes and did all my homework. To me, homework comes first, then it is hanging out with friends, but some summer scholars did the opposite. I believe I have the right work ethic to be successful in college, and this experience with Summer Scholars at Scott’s Hall proved it.

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