Category: Sydney Wheeler

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Study Abroad: Costa Rica

March 26, 2019 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Sydney Wheeler | No Comments

Everyone who’s just returned from a study abroad trip with Gatton will likely tell you the same things. They’ll say, “It was amazing!” or “I want to go back!” and “I had so much fun.” I hate being a cliché, but I must fall in with the masses when it comes to the study abroad programs that Gatton provides. My winter term study abroad trip to Costa Rica was amazing; I had so much fun, and I want to go back! Our cohort consisted of 16 students, Pokey, Cheryl, Dr. Keith Philips, and his wife Linda. We arrived in sunny, warm Liberia and began the first leg of our trip at Goldring Gund Marine Field Station, helping patrol local beaches for nesting sea turtles. After four days at Playa Grande, we traveled south to Poor Man’s Paradise, located on the Osa Peninsula. There we spent time enjoying the beach, snorkeling, and visiting Corcovado National Park, one of the most biodiverse habitats on Earth. Our last week was spent at Cloudbridge Nature Reserve, split into four research teams with four students each. My group studied carbon sequestration in trees; the other groups studied Bromeliads, Birds, and Dung beetles. We enjoyed our exhausting hikes through the dense primary forest each day and the chance to learn more about our selected topics throughout our week in the cloud forest.

The educational experience the trip provided was a great one, but I might say that the opportunity to connect with staff members t I didn’t know very well, grow even closer with those I did, forage new relationships with classmates, cultivate old ones, and see a new part of the work was the part that truly made a lasting impression. Being with such a small group made me branch out and make new friends with people who I’d never spoken to before, which was one of the highlights of my trip. In ten years I may not remember every detail about the plants and animals we studied while in Costa Rica, but I will certainly remember the experiences my peers and I shared!

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By Gatton Academy

Syllabus Week

September 4, 2018 | Avatars, Student Life, Sydney Wheeler | No Comments

As I look from my window on the 2nd floor of Florence Schneider Hall, I can see dozens of students trekking up the hill. Classes are finally back in full swing, Java (the campus coffee shop) has a line out the door, and campus is alive again. For most college students, the first week of classes is pretty easy. “Syllabus Week,” as they call it, is supposed to be a time to get back into the hang of things before the real work begins. But for Gatton students, I think the first week back can be a little more stressful.

The juniors are just beginning to acclimate to their new home; after a week of meetings, activities and getting to know Florence Schneider Hall, they’re set loose on campus and thrown into classes. The first days in a computer science, calculus, or biology class can be a little panic-inducing, but the nerves will settle after the first round of homework assignments, quizzes, and tests. The juniors are beginning to develop routines, discover favorite study spaces, and realize that there are more restaurants on campus than Panda Express and Chick-fil-a.

For the seniors, the return to campus is familiar and, for some, bittersweet. The first week of classes marks the beginning of our “last firsts” as high schoolers. For some of us, it will be our last year on WKU’s campus, though some of us will be back in the fall. Rather than worrying about CS or finding the way to our classes, the senior class is panicking about college applications. Where to apply, how many schools to apply to, who to ask for letters of recommendation are all questions that swirl around with the calculus equations and chemistry formulas that have been etched into our brains. It’s an exciting time, filled with the possibility of the coming 2 or 4 years as an undergraduate, but the combination of college applications and a full college course load can a cause more than a few late-night freak-outs in anticipation of the unknown. Learning how to balance everything on our plate will take time, but just as “our seniors” were able to check off all the boxes on their to-do list, we’ll learn to do the same.

The first week of classes can be a stressful time for both juniors and seniors, but it’s good to remember to take time to enjoy the quiet part of the semester before midterms and finals week hit hard. Going to Preston to play Wallyball or Basketball, walking downtown to visit Spenser’s, a local coffee shop, or having a group dinner at Thai Express or Mariah’s are popular ways to fill the coveted downtime of the first few weeks of the semester. Whether it’s your first-first week of classes on campus or your last, it’s great to take pause and enjoy the opportunities that the new semester brings.

 

Sydney

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By Gatton Academy

2018-2019 Avatar: Sydney Wheeler

August 31, 2018 | 2018-2019, Avatars, Sydney Wheeler | No Comments

Hi everyone! My name is Sydney Wheeler, and I am a rising senior from Allen County. I grew up in Bowling Green, but at the beginning of my freshman year my family moved to a 150-acre farm just across the Warren County/Allen County Border. I continued to attend Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, and I consider BG to be my home, although I’ve embraced Allen County and Scottsville in the three years I’ve lived there.

I first heard about the Gatton Academy when it opened in 2008 because it was so close and connected to lots of the activities that I participated in through the Center for Gifted Studies at WKU. It always seemed like something that I might be interested, and by the time I hit middle school I knew that I wanted to apply. Before coming to Gatton, I was heavily involved in dance as a member of the pre-professional Southern Kentucky Dance Ensemble. When I wasn’t at the dance studio, I was attending Greenwood’s sporting events, helping with student council, or helping my mom with her vegetable delivery business.

It’s crazy to think that just about a year ago I was moving into Gatton as a junior. The past year has been filled with new challenges, new friendships, and tons of new experiences. It brought my first venture out of the country when I went to England through the Harlaxton study abroad program this summer and my first classes in computer science. However, my favorite “first” here at Gatton has been the opportunity to do faculty-mentored research. Last September I started working in the Gustav Fechner Vision and Haptics Lab in the Department of Psychological Sciences. I’m very interested in Neuroscience, so our lab, which focuses on human perception, is a great fit. I continued my research this summer through a Gatton sponsored Research Internship Grant, which was an amazing way to dive into my research full time.

My free time at Gatton is mostly filled by club meetings or studying with friends on third-floor commons. I participate in a tutoring group at the local Boys & Girls Club, Student Y, Science Dance, and Cryptocurrency Club. If I’m not studying or at a club meeting, you can probably find a few friends and me at the Fresh Food Company, the main dining hall on campus.

My junior year was filled with new experiences and nerves, but returning for senior year feels a lot like coming home. I am still filled with excitement for the year to come, but it is an excitement that comes with being sure of the good (and, sometimes, stressful) times ahead, rather than the excitement of the unknown. I am fully looking forward to spending my senior year surrounded by my amazing classmates, our supportive staff, and the extended Gatton Family.

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Harlaxton Day 13: Haworth and The Moors

July 29, 2018 | 2018 Harlaxton, 2018-2019, Study Abroad, Sydney Wheeler, Uncategorized | No Comments

Our day trip to Haworth and the moors began with the stifling beeping of alarm clocks from 7:15 to 7:45 AM: the earliest morning we’ve had since our trip began. Our coach departed from the front drive at 8 AM, so we all ate a hurried breakfast and scuffled to the bus with Harlaxton’s signature white packed lunch bags in hand. Our bus ride (and, for most, nap) lasted over two and a half hours, but for the first time on this trip, getting off of the bus didn’t mean we had arrived at our final destination. We hopped aboard a steam engine train, which took us from Keighley to Haworth in a quick twenty-minute ride.

Once we arrived in Haworth, we split into two groups, one touring the Bronte Parsonage Home and Museum while the other explored the church where Patrick Bronte worked in the clergy. We milled around the house grounds, looked in the gift shop, and snacked on our lunches. Once the whole group was back together, we began our trek through the moors of northern England.

We hiked up a footpath surrounded by sheep, rocks, and foliage while skillfully navigating around sheep droppings, stopping midway at the Bronte Waterfalls to eat lunch (if you had any left). After our break, we continued up the moors, climbing higher and higher into the hilly terrain. We only had a few minor falls and scrapes, and eventually made it up to Top Withins ruins. The views from what felt like the top of the world were breathtaking, and not just because we’d walked three miles uphill. After a thirty minute rest while gazing over the moors, we began our descent back to civilization, away from the wild winds and tall grass that inspired Wuthering Heights, the book we had studied in class the day before.

After another hour and a mile and a half, we reached our coach bus, which was a sweet sight for our sore feet and sweaty faces. On the way back to Harlaxton, we stopped in Halifax for dinner, sampling an array of (mostly American) food joints. Our hunger satisfied, we laughed, conversed, and listened to music for an hour on the coach before arriving back at our “home”. Settled back in, we spent the evening resting, exploring, studying, and anticipating the much-needed rest that we’d get that night, as class didn’t start until 1 PM the next day.

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By Gatton Academy