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Diversity matters. It would be an understatement to say that it does not in such a world that has communities that have become more racially, economically, and culturally mixed. Diversity refers to human qualities that are different from our own and those of groups to which we belong but that are manifested in other individuals and groups. Dimensions of diversity include but are not limited to age, ethnicity, gender, race, sexual orientation, educational background, geographic location, religious beliefs, work experience, and job classification.

Because diversity matters in creating a world that works, I have and still engage people in the exchange of ideas and resources that support diversity and in leading efforts to inspire inclusiveness at the college I attend. One way that I have exemplified such dedication to diversity is incorporating classmates of different sexual orientation and race into my study sessions. As a result, innovative ideas pertaining to the subject matter were ushered thus benefiting each member in the group. Furthermore, members of my study sessions from the different backgrounds were able to socialize, intermingle, and gain knowledge about the different cultures present.

Getting money for college is not difficult when the right resources are being used. Every year, many college students receive money to pay for their education. Scholarships are one of the best methods to get free money, because it does not have to be paid back. Applying for a scholarship requires self-discipline and organization in order to succeed. Extra time and work are required to obtain the necessary money.

Scholarships should not be limited to one or two resources. A good idea for someone seeking scholarships would be to expand his or her search for available scholarships. A great place to start is by going to www.collegeboard.com or fastweb.com. When applying for several scholarship programs, organization is vital. This includes the responsibility of keeping up with the scholarship programs and turning applications in on time. As a result, there is a greater possibility of receiving scholarships. Remember, scholarships are one of the best methods of funding education, because every dime received from college scholarship money will be a dime that never has to be repaid.

Academic interests and passions that might be a part of my academic journey include Art and some type of foreign language such as Spanish, French, or German. There are a plethora of reasons why I am interested in these areas of study. One reason is; I would like to go into the field of art is because I believe that the arts are vital to providing a well-rounded education. Two, art can provide attributes such as imagination, cognitive skills, creative abilities, problem solving, fine motor skills, language, social skills, sense of time and place, focusing, listening, risk taking, tolerance, and even uniqueness. Third, researchers have discovered that getting educated in the arts can make a real difference in the lives of children, of whom I aspire to have one day. Participation in the arts is important because research has shown that the benefits of arts education extend way beyond providing a creative outlet for children.

One reason why I would want to major in another language is that it could open the door to other cultures to help me understand and appreciate people from other countries. Two, learning another language will enable me to become trilingual and thus cause me to better communicate with a larger number of people. Third, knowing others languages apart from English may provide benefits such as increases of job opportunities in many careers where knowing another language is a real asset.

Art and some type of foreign language are academic interests and passions that might be a part of my academic journey not only for the reasons mentioned above, but also because these areas of study will enrich and enhance my mental development as well as lead me towards a better quality of life.

Sexual dimorphism is the term for any variation between the two sexes within a species. Females and males can differ in color, size, shape, behavior, ornamentation, and even immunity to disease (Stevens, 2002). An experiment was carried out between male and female Big Claw Crayfish also known as the Cherax quadricarinatus. The Big Claw Crayfish is a moderately large freshwater crayfish which inhabit permanent fresh water to a depth of 5 meters and are abundant in the headwaters sections of rivers.   They can live in a variety of habitats, from shallow, clear, fast flowing creeks to the deep, still and often turbid waters of billabongs (Sea-ex, 1996). The purpose of the experiment was to examine the sexual dimorphism in crayfish chela (claw size) and cephalo. Similar experiments have been carried out by several scientists . One example is an experiment performed by James E. Garvey and Roy A. Stein in which they evaluated how chela size influences the invasion potential of an introduced crayfish (Garvey and Stein 1993). Another experiment tested the predatory behavior of seven captive white ibises to assess the degree to which the enlarged claw of male crabs affects the relative vulnerabilities of male versus female crabs (Bildstein et. al 1989). A third experiment explored if there was a functional significance of the chela that link to reproductive activities (Stein 1976).

The null hypothesis which stated that male chela size is less than or equal to female chela size would be rejected. However, the alternative hypothesis which states that male chela size is greater than female chela size would be accepted. Because the tails of crayfish tend to get damaged as they age, total length may not have been a good indicator of body size (Stewart, 2009). Thus, in this way errors could have occurred. Collecting this data was vital because the only way to detect sexual dimorphism in chela size if there is also sexual dimorphism in the cephalo size is to calculate and compare the ratio of chela size to cephalo size for each crayfish and the compare the ratio between genders (Stewart, 2009). Experiments mentioned the introduction of other performed experiments relate to this current experiment in the mere fact that sexual dimorphism in animals were being discussed. This experiment also relates to the other experiments because most if not all of the result show that males have larger chela than female which in effect can give them advantages such as predation.

I chose to come to MTSU because of its diverse environment and the wonderful reputation that its science department has. I am majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry, with a concentration in general biology. I joined the pre med program with an endeavor to become a Doctor of Medicine. I chose to major in Biology because I simply love the subject.

One reason I would like to go into the field of medicine is that it plays an important part in ensuring the well being of people. Two, the medical field is an ever-expanding sector where there is high demand for employees. The third reason is that I simply enjoy the idea of helping the ill and sick regain optimal health.

I am and have always been very interested in the health and well being of my community, the idea of how I impact, and how I can work with them to insure a high degree of health.  I am not only trying to make sure that I understand the health delivery systems, but also how I can maximize my contribution and basically improve the healthcare as much as I can once I receive my academic degree.  I believe that I have a responsibility of being a healthcare provider because I can assist unfortunate people who do not have access to healthcare facilities or even those who do not have insurance to meet the financial obligations.

Before my mother was coming close to the end of her life, hospice care was merely a theory to me. I understood what it was, thought it was a grand thing, but really had no idea that it might one day benefit my family. My experience with hospice was so utterly positive and life-changing, I feel like I am now on a mission to educate others about its benefits and blessings. My mom was in a hospice room at a hospital for 10 days before her passing, but she could have been there for three months or more, if we’d only accepted and understood that she was showing classic signs of retreat from life. She was dying - period. There were no drugs or operations that could really stop it. It was a natural process at this point, one we were trying to prolong with costly procedures and hospital stays. My mom’s last days would have been so much more comfortable if we could have grasped the fact that she was a perfect candidate for hospice care.

We were finally able to decide to make the transfer to hospice after a consultation with a hospital social worker. My mom, who had advanced lung disease, was not recovering well from a hip operation, was delusional and was actually telling others she was dying and was “just fine with it.” Once she was transferred to a hospice room she had 24-hour care and a doctor who checked in on her 3 times a day. It was completely paid for my Medicare, a true blessing. All non-necessary medications were stopped. My mom was allowed to slowly go through a natural dying process. We were able to be with her 24-hours a day, which would not have been allowed in a standard hospital room. My only regret is that we didn’t’ have her in this comforting style of care sooner.

Dragons are found in the mythology of both both as forces of evil and as benevolent forces of good. The piasa of the Illini Indians was dastardly. The winged animal lived in a cave by a river and ate human flesh. In the tribe’s legends, a chief named Ouatonga killed the piasa with poison arrows. The Chippewa have a tale of a great thunderbird, which is often likened to a dragon. The creature creates thunder and wind with his wings. His white eyes create lightening.. The Hopi tribe believed that a dragon-like water serpent, Palulukon, held the world on his back. Disrespect for the earth would result in a natal disaster, according to the tribe’s mythology. They also believed that when Palulukon, appears in a dream, it can represent a graceful turn of events or a punishing event. If the dreamer feels fear in the dream it is an ominous symbol, but it the dream has a positive feeling, it’s a lucky sign.

Latin America was home to a very famous dragon named Quetzalcoatl, the serpentine god of the Aztec and Toltec Indians. Quetzalcoatl was a benevolent dragon god who was given credit for creating humankind. He is given credit for civilizing the people, introducing them to farming and agriculture and teaching them to write. He also introduced them to music, weaving, the movement of the stars, prayer, dance and the measurement of time.

Dragons are a powerful symbol that appear in cultures throughout the world, almost always representing a powerful force. Whether that force is positive or negative depends on the culture. In the Asian tradition dragons are seen as blessings. They are benevolent beings with a serpent-like body and a head like a lion. The Chinese call themselves the Lung Tik Chuan Re, which translates as “the descendent’s of the dragon.” The Chinese dragon symbolizes greatness, power and graceful blessings. This dragon will do anything to overcome the obstacles needed to achieve success. In Japanese culture the royal family traces their ancestry back to a dragon king who lived in the sea. In ancient times, the Japanese believed their emperors could transform into dragons.

In Western legends dragons often represent the struggle between good and evil. Sometimes they symbolize greed. There are legendary tales about “slaying the dragon” in Western cultures. In this myth a hero leaves familiar surrounded and confronts a dragon in a dark unknown world. Killing the dragon represents overcoming darkness and fear and becoming whole. Western dragons, who are often depicted as fire-breathers, are forces to be reckoned with. A red dragon is the emblem of the Welsh. In Welsh mythology there’s a story about a battle between a red dragon and a white dragon. The white creature symbolized the invading Saxons.

Many people who find themselves in leadership positions face the challenge of gaining the respect of their employees, students, colleagues, friends, family and children. There’s no magic pill that’s going to make others respect you, but there are plenty of actions you can take to give them an opportunity to. Action is the key word here. Former NBA star and U.S Senator Bill Bradley once said, “Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it. No destructive lies. No ridiculous fears. No debilitating anger.”

Here’s a list of five things you can do that help garner respect from those who you come in contact with.

1. Include your students, employees, family members or buddies in the decision making process if they have a stake in it.

2. Always be available to listen. Try not to interrupt or talk over people. Hear them out. And, it’s usually better to let them talk first.

3. Provide positive reinforcement and praise often.

4. Never berate, criticize or judge a person in front of others.

5. Encourage others to expresses their views and opinions. Create an environment where it’s safe to disagree and come up with dynamic, cooperative solutions.

William Stafford was a quiet and gentle American poet who was know as much for his teaching abilities as his writing. Stafford, a pacifist who grew up in Kansas, received degrees from the University of Kansas and a PhD. from the University of Iowa. In the late 1940s he took a teaching at Lewis & Clark College where he would remain until his retirement. Although he didn’t published his first book until he was 46, Stafford ended up writing 51 books before his death in 1993.

Stafford described writing in largely spiritual terms. He had a daily practice of rising before daybreak seven days a week and writing hundreds of poems, journal entrees and essays. He once said of his writing: “It’s a confirming, satisfying activity to do. And it’s almost devotional. Maybe that’s too strong, but it’s as if a day of my life deserves a little attention from life. It’s my kind of attention to stop long enough, to let the evaluative, the speculative, the exploratory impulses that are native to that portion of my time be manifest in a sustained way so that I can recognize them and get sustenance from them.” Stafford had a heart attack at his home in Lake Oswego, Oregon in the fall of 1993. His morning writing included a poem that said, “Be ready for what God sends.” Many writers have paid tribute to Stafford over the years, penning their own tributes to his work and celebrating his influence on American literature. In a tribute/poem Donnell Hunter writes: “Those of us who know he can’t be gone hear his voice still in quiet places.”