A letter from OU

Dear seniors of Eisenhower high school,
I hope things are going well for you during your senior year. I just wanted to give ya'll some advice to help your senior year to go by smoother:
1. DO NOT TAKE A MATH CLASS UNLESS YOU HAVE TO.
I made the mistake of taking a math class just as an elective and it stressed me out more than anything.
2. TAKE AS MANY PICTURES AS POSSIBLE
You will want them next year.
3. CHERISH THE TIME
Even though all you can think about right now is getting out you will most definitly miss this time of your life.
4. APPLY FOR AS MANY SCHOLARSHIPS AS POSSIBLE
As well as free money for college it is really nice to have your name called over and over at the end of the year awards assembly.
5. HANG OUT WITH AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN OVER SUMMER
You will want to keep in touch with old friends so make your relationships stronger.
I hope this helps you in some way. Have a great year :)
Stephanie Little

Bystander Behavior

It is difficult to say that I haven't been a bystander to many things. It is much easier and more comfortable to sit back and watch things happen rather than speaking up. One particular instance I remember being a bystander of was one of my "friends" and his racism. Our high school was 60% african american students and this guy I was friends with was extremely racist. He would always talk about the black students with the mentality of a close-minded white man during slavery. When he would crack the jokes to me or try to talk to me about his hatred I would just sit there and listen. I never said anything until months later. An instance where I wished that a bystander would have stepped in came my senior year. This guy who everyone liked and who was known for doing funny pranks went too far one day when he pulled a prank on me. His prank ended up being extremely harassing and someone who was in the classroom told the authorities what happened. Because this person would not reveal their name I was the name that everyone knew about that would obviously have to testify, and as they questioned the other witnesses from the class no one said that they saw anything for fear of rejection from the pranker. Many people were angry at me for not lying to keep him out of trouble and I feel like if I would have had a few more people to stand by my side and tell me I did the right thing, it would have been much easier. As sad as this may be I think that college students are more often bystanders because acceptance is the most important thing at this age.

Priorities

Before I came to OU my priorities were simple: keep my parents happy while also keeping myself happy. It seems that my parents had SOMETHING to do with everything I did. I had to keep my grades up, spend time with family and contribute my part by doing housework or helping, all the while trying to keep myself happy and doing things I wanted to do. Now however I do things more for myself. The freedom I have experienced by coming to OU has greatly changed my priorities. Now I keep my grades up because I want to see myself succeed, I spend time with family because I miss them during the week, and I stay organized because I cant live any other way. For the most part my priorites are the same (grades, family/friends) however coming to OU has pushed me to have my priorities more for myself.

Influences

The person who has had the most influence on me in my life would have to be my mom. She has constantly been such a strong force in helping me to achieve my goals and has been so understanding through all of my difficult days. I honestly would be so lost without her.
Also, friendship has affected me. I feel like people at my age can be so petty, backstabbing and petty and to find someone who is quite the opposite of those characteristics is amazing. In high school it was so simple to have friends and see them everyday however in colloege it becomes more difficult. Starting a whole new friend circle has caused me to value my friendships with people more.

All About Me

My name is Stephanie Christine Little. I was born in Nueremburg Germany on September 18th 1990. I grew up with both of my parents and my older brother and for most of my life we lived in Lawton Oklahoma. We have always had lots of pets so I have a soft spot in my heart for animals. I have also always participated in some sort of dance class. I have taken tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, river-dance, clogging, pretty much any type of dance you can imagine. Dancing has always been a huge influence in my life. In elementary school I played soccer and in high school I ran track. Also in high school I was on the Pom squad (shocking) and my senior year I was co-captain of the squad. I have a horrible fear of bugs and i absolutely loath mayonnaise. My favorite type of food is American (hamburgers, hot dogs) but if I could I would live on candy. Things that I most often am doing include texting, hanging out with friends, and (since my arrival at the University of Oklahoma) homework. At the University of Oklahoma I am currently majoring in elementary education however I plan on changing my major to psychology and working with troubled youths. That's all folks :)