Reflection

I have to say, I was very impressed with our president, Neil Kerwin. In the world of politics that he inhabits, the straight-shooting, frank manner in which he speaks is a rarity. In the first semester of this year, I've a lot of BS coming from a lot of people on a certain number of subjects. Most of the BS comes from students who really don't know what they're talking about, and spew it regardless. However, Mr. Kerwin told us in a straightforward, no-nonsense tone, exactly where he came from, and where AU is going. I truly appreciated the fact that he did not condescend to us at all, and he never seemed to want to be doing something else. It was as if he actually wanted to be there (imagine that!), talking to us about the issues facing American University. Anyways, It was a refreshing look at the leadership of our school, and after meeting him and hearing him speak, I am extremely pleased and hopeful for the future of AU.

In other news, my family is doing very well (thank you very much for asking), and I can still prepare and cook a fabulous steak. I'm not gonna lie, I make a fantastic steak, and the best part is, theres no secret ingredients or marinade; all I use is salt and pepper (albeit ground salt and pepper). First you rub the salt into the steak, a good bit more than you think, too, and this makes sure that the steak loses no moisture during the cooking process so they're nice and juicy. Next you put a HUGE amount of pepper on, almost so you can't even see the meat!!! This, for some reason is the most delicious thing in the world; the french call it steak au poivre, I call it steak au my god I want to eat you. Anyways, it's the most delicious thing ever, and, oh yeah, I'VE GOT LEFTOVERS. So, uh, I'm gonna leave now and devour my leftover steak before I go crazy thinking about it.

President Neil Kerwin's Visit

Although I had to leave President Kerwin's speech twice in the beginning due to my frequent coughing attacks, I still was able to grasp the message of his speech and some aspects of his life story. I found President Kerwin's words to be reassuring because I do feel "uncomfortable" here at the moment and I do think that the transition into the university has been very "traumatic." He expressed these sentiments and I related to them, and I am very glad to know that it is normal because usually people are very ashamed of such feelings or try to pretend they are just fine. So by having someone who has been through the entire process at AU before, though it was many years prior, to state feelings that I relate to currently was very comforting. President Kerwin, obviously, turned out to be quite successful so now I know that the difficulties that I am facing are not because I am not cut out for this entire college experience.

After President Kerwin's speech, I was surprised to find out about the history of the past presidents that AU has held, but it also explains why AU has a bad reputation still to some people and why it is so important for President Kerwin to create the strategic plan. However, I always find it disheartening when we discuss how people's speeches and responses are rehearsed because it makes one see the world devoid of sincerity. I do think that President Kerwin's responses were sincere and truthful because of the way his face lit up when he relayed certain stories. I also like to believe in the good of others so I do not think that the strategic plan was created solely to extract more money from alumni because to think that way is distressing to me. President Kerwin definitely had to have received similar questions to the ones we asked, but I do not think that he ever received the EXACT same questions before, and thus there is no way that he could have practiced saying such responses. Yes, he has to say certain things as a part of his job, but I think that he truly loves AU and he wanted to make a strategic plan to not only explain his dedication to the campus and the students, but also because such an action is necessary for any university to do at this time in order to ensure that it can continue to meet the growing demands of this changing world in which we live.