My E-Portfolio

Learning never stops. It is not confined to the four walls of a classroom or the institution of four-year university. Although, those are places where learning does occur. Learning, however, happens every hour of every day as we encounter new things, experience new experiences. In the same way that we take what we learn in the classroom out into the world and put it to use, we take what we learn out in the world and use it in the classroom.

My name is Emma Delorm. I am a student at the Pennsylvania State University majoring in broadcast journalism and minoring in political science.

I am also a student of the world.

My first three years in college were by no means easy, but they taught me a great deal about myself and the person I hope to become. When I began my collegiate studies, I enrolled at Elon University in North Carolina. My major frequently changed. I began as a psychology major, then moved to business administration, and then switched yet again to marketing. Yet, for the two and a half years and three majors I spent exploring there, I was never fulfilled - never satisfied. Finally, I decided it was time to make a change, and not just a change in major.

That is how I ended up where I am now - in a student community about 34,000 students larger than where I began, in a major I have found myself to be unsuspectingly passionate about. This semester, as the icing on the cake of my previous college years, has been a time of tremendous academic and personal growth, both in and out of the classroom.

I have found that my academic efforts, interest and success have a direct correlation to my happiness. Because I finally took a step back and took the initiative to change my circumstances and my life path to end up here, at Penn State, I have rediscovered my passion to learn. I have been more engaged in my academic classes and have simultaneously learned a lot from the world around me.

I hope the entries that I include in this portfolio will be a window into my mind and that they will exemplify the ways in which what I have learned in the classroom and what I have learned simply by living are intrinsically intertwined.

Visit My E-Porfolio Here!

Success or Pleasure?

I'll be honest, last Sunday night at around 6:30p.m. I had yet to start my 5-7 page paper that was due the next morning at 11:15. Crap. I knew at that moment that it was about to be the kind of night that every college kid likes to avoid - the all-nighter.

I settled in on the couch with my laptop and a snack and stared at a blank word document. Where to begin? Fifteen minutes passed as I sat there with the same blank stare and then my phone rang. It was my boyfriend, so as most girls do, I quickly reached to answer. He was calling to ask if I wanted to go down to the State Theatre to see the Banff Mountain Film Festival at 7:00. After a little bit of thought, I decided that I would go. I knew full well that this was asking for my all-nighter to be an allllllllllll-nighter. And boy, was I right. The film festival didn't even get out until about 10:30p.m. and THEN I had to buckle down and get to work.

Needless to say, I was exhausted getting up the next day.

Still, I regretted nothing. As I sat and debated whether or not I should go to the film festival, it all came down to one deciding factor that I think will apply to a lot of things for the rest of my life: my academics are absolutely important to me, but I wasn't going to let life experiences pass me by just to maintain an unrealistically high GPA. I would rather see the world (even if it is through independent films) than have my nose in a book all day and never see anything.

That's the double-edged sword of higher education and the work force isn't it? It's success... or pleasure... and rarely ever both.

Society has so convinced us that we're not successful enough or doing good enough if we haven't made the Dean's List or been a top-ranked employee or student. When did C become the new F-------? When did our worth become a quantifiable number, or letter at that?

Don't get me wrong... I'm equally guilty of getting upset over getting a B instead of an A, or that my GPA sat at 3.4 instead of the coveted 3.5 that would have my efforts acknowledged. Because let's face it, you could have a 3.49 and no one cares, but the second you hit that 3.5 mark you're on a whole new level of success.  The fact that I'm as guilty of these self-deprecations as the next student is why I can say this to everyone, and myself: it's not FAIR to be convinced that those types of grades determine what you're going to do with your life.

So, here's my take: society and my professors can keep whatever judgment they may have to themselves. Yes, individually, the workload from each class seems reasonable... but take each professor's reasonable and multiply it by 6 classes and you get a whole lot of unreasonable and a whole lot of not living.

And my advice? If you have the choice of seeing the world in a textbook or seeing a world in a film festival, a community event, a night out with your friends -- whatever makes you feel ALIVE -- pick that film festival. When you look back years from now, you'll remember the amazing images you saw, not the words you wrote on that paper.

Success is living life while you have the chance.

Here's the trailer for one of the videos from the film festival. They only showed an 11 minute clip of the one and a half hour video and I was so impressed I bought the full-length film on i-Tunes.

Good Old Fashioned Manners

Ever since I can remember, my parents have always emphasized the importance of having good manners everywhere I go. Any time they took my brother and me to a restaurant and I'd inevitably blurt out to the waiter, "Can I have chicken fingers and french fries?" My parents would stop me in my tracks and give me a stare that silently meant "Where are your manners?" and I would almost immediately blurt out "PLEASE" in an overly enthusiastic and aggressive way, I'm sure.

It always used to annoy me to no end. I just wanted my damn fries! But now I could not be more thankful for every "please" and "thank you" my parents forced out of me. Today, I say please and thank you all the time, some might say it's to the point of excess. I say it to my waiters and the people who clear the table every time they do something, to the CATA bus drivers as I hop off... hell, I say thank you as my teacher hands me a test I'm dreading. But, honestly, I think everyone should!

It seems to me that manners are becoming more and more of a rarity. I see it everyday... people who don't realize that the small things people do for us are not luxuries, but niceties.

I heard a person on the CATA bus the other day complaining about how much of "a bitch" the driver was. But, I'd probably be a bitch too if I was toting around thousands upon thousands of college kids a day and only a small percentage of them even acknowledged my mere existence as they walk directly by me.

I'm realizing pretty quickly that this is turning into a bit of a rant, but poor manners just really irk me!

Here's what I'm trying to get at:

Having good manners, and I don't just mean saying your please and thank you's - but wishing someone a good day, welcoming a newcomer with open arms, flashing someone you don't even know those pearly whites - those simple manners would really make the world a better place if everyone took the time to use them. It makes me feel good when I use them, and it makes me happy when people use them with me! I would imagine it would have the same effect on everyone else.

So... thanks for reading! Have a good one :)

"We Are!" But Do You Know Why?

As a Penn State student, it's inevitable that you hear "WE ARE... PENN STATE!" somewhere around campus on a daily basis. Truthfully, I never thought it to be much more than a showing of school spirit that dated back to who knows when. I was surprised this week, however, to learn that the origins of this chant were in fact much more than that.

In November of 1946, the Nittany Lions were lined up to play the University of Miami in Florida. However, U of M told Penn State that they would not allow our players to take the field if they brought along their two African American players, Wally Triplett and Dennie Hoggard. The team at the time voted unanimously to cancel the game.

Two years later, Triplett was the only African American player left on the team when it was heard that SMU wanted to have a discussion with PSU requesting that they leave Triplett at home. Penn State again refused and guard Steve Suhey is said to have stated that they wouldn't do it because "we are Penn State."

(For a more elaborated story see http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2012/01/we_are_penn_state_a_story_to_h.html)

Anyway, back to the rhetoric of it all. Up until the day I learned about this origin of the infamous Penn State chant, I hadn't put a second thought as to where it may have started or why. However, now knowing the story behind it, I am even more proud of the university that I represent and that represents me.

"We are" holds so much more meaning once you know the story, doesn't it? It allows you to carry just that much more pride when you participate in the chant. It becomes more than words... it becomes something to stand for.

In a day when accepting everyone was far from accepted, Penn State chose to step outside of the norm and choose the moral high ground - to follow a path that may not have been accepted, but a path that was right. This is a story that Penn State should highlight and emphasize to its students. Today, when no one wants to admit that that kind of discrimination still exists (yes, even here in State College), it is quintessentially important that the students on this campus know what this school has stood for. It is a shining moment in Penn State history that everyone can be proud of.

It's funny how words can become so much more than just words. How they can shift and reshape to carry messages of importance and tolerance, even in a simple 4 word chant.

So, now you know why we are. You can't tell me it doesn't mean more to you than it ever has!

Only As Good As Your Last Act?

I'm sure we are all aware of the movement that took the college world by storm, KONY 2012. It seems the activism that it spurred has come and gone. It also appears that since the organization's creator, Jason Russell, had his public meltdown that people have forgotten about the charity and instead focused on the fallout.

You're only remembered for the last memorable thing you did, I suppose.

It's a sad fact really. Sure, on the surface it seems funny that a man who successfully got a large portion of a generation to rally around a cause ended up crumbling and getting arrested for none-other than masterbating in public. But is that all we're going to talk about from here on out? Unfortunately, the answer is probably yes.

That seems to be the way we work. Joe Paterno is being remembered for the scandal not his accomplishments, for example. It's almost as if, as a society, we enjoy watching heroes fall. We like to point out that they are only as human as we are and then negate their accomplishments.

Don't get me wrong, I'm neither supporting or objecting to Russell's charity... simply pointing out what seems to be a universal truth.

I'm merely suggesting that perhaps we need to stop defining people such as Jason Russell by their latest action and instead look at them as the person they are and the things they've accomplished as a whole. As a society we need to stop sensationalizing mistakes to sell papers and magazines and instead focus on the real issues at hand.

The issue at hand here is not that Russell apparently had a mental breakdown, it's that he brought attention to an issue that is deserving of attention.

Our attention is misdirected. When will we stop wasting our energy on time cutting people down to size?

WAY Too Little, WAY Too Late

This week we received an e-mail from the Penn State Board of Trustees regarding, once again, their reasoning for firing Coach Paterno... and to be honest, I can't even put into words how put off I was by it.

First of all, thank you BoT, but you're about four months too late and the damage has been done. As Penn State has collectively been wrestling with the events of the past few months, it had finally reached a point that the campus had quieted down a bit. People began coming to terms with what happened and were ready to move forward remembering simply what JoePa did for all of the students at Penn State. The BoT effectively just re-ruffled the feathers of the people who have long been critical of their decision. They need to stop trying to get the approval of the community for their actions. It's been made quite clear that they're not going to get it. We understand that you stand behind your decision... that doesn't mean we have to.

Additionally, they once again have flip-flopped back and forth from supporting and honoring JoePa to dragging his name through the dirt. Prior to his death they were accusing him of a lack of moral fiber. Once he passed he was once again a legend to the community in their eyes. Now in this e-mail alone they have flip-flopped once again. They state that they "especially honor the the great legacy of Coach Paterno" and his emphasis on academic performance, yet a mere seven, short paragraphs later accuse him once again of "a failure of leadership."

They go on to attempt to justify their firing of Paterno via telephone and essentially blame him for hanging up before they were able to lift his spirits by telling him they would get all the benefits of a tenured employee! Note the sarcasm in my typing tone. I'm sorry, but if you fire me on the phone after 60+ years of dedication, you're getting the *click* of a dead phone line from me, too! If you could have an employee walk up to his front door, knock, and tell him to call so he could be told he was fired... you could have had an employee walk up to his front door, knock, sit down inside and give the family the respect they deserved. They're cowards, bottom line.

I give the Paternos so much respect for biting their tongues for so long and not speaking ill of the Board for so long. This time, however, the BoT took it too far and I couldn't be happier that the Paternos finally gave them a good tongue-lashing. (Check that out here: http://onwardstate.com/2012/03/12/paterno-family-responds-to-board-of-trustees-statement/ ... couldn't have said it better.)

Overall, the BoT's statement is way too little and way too late. They need to stop releasing their criticisms of a man who is no longer here to defend himself. They need to stop releasing their criticisms of a man who dedicated his life to this school, and in turn, to them... Not that they deserved it, anyway.

It's Spring Break... Take a BREAK!

Spring Break. It’s the week that every college student looks forward to all year long. Students plan for months to go to Mexico, Panama City, or just about anywhere tropical. When it ends and we all return to real life we’re overwhelmed by the exchange of spring break stories, each trying to one up the previous and then immediately discussing what’s in store for next year.

I have to say my freshman year of college I was just as thrilled by the idea of a wild spring break filled with drinking, partying, and all things “spring break.” So, I booked a flight with my friends and embarked on a trip down to Panama City.

That was the last time I was interested in a wild spring break.

While I understand the appeal of going out and going crazy, I think a lot of students really undervalue just taking the time to relax and regroup. We’re so caught up in the idea of what spring break should be that we don’t really take advantage of the time we’re given to take a break… To let our bodies slow down from the constant motion of school and weekend partying that wears us down for a majority of the year.

Yes, I came back from Panama City with a few outrageous stories, but I also came back from Panama City completely exhausted.

Instead, last spring break, as well as this one, I chose to go home and see my family and friends and take a break. For a week, I have permission to sit on my couch and do absolutely nothing. I’m definitely going to take advantage of that. I’m taking the time to catch up on the sleep I don’t get when I’m spending endless nights in the library. I’m catching up with my family and friends that I don’t see nearly enough. I’m not looking for any crazy story to tell… but rather to go back to school and feel refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the semester.

What are you doing for spring break?