E Portfolio

Pete McCullough: E Portfolio

This year I have had my ups and downs as a student.  Getting those grades you desire and getting some that make you lose a little sleep.  No matter what grades I have gotten the most important thing is I have grown as a student.  I have become a better writer and a more mature student.  I am putting more time into my work and becoming more diligent with my work.  I am not wasting this opportunity I have been given to receive a quality education.  I still am having the fun I had at the beginning of the year I am just now able to balance it more effectively.  I love being at Penn State and will take full advantage of every minute I have here to become a better person.

Enjoy Life

With the amount of time we spend on Facebook it is a rare occurrence to find something that is actually positive and worthwhile.  As I scrolled down my home page keeping tabs on all of my friends activities I stumbled past a very thought provoking quote.  Dalai Lama was asked this question, “What thing about humanity surprises you the most?”  This was his response:

  

"Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he’s never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived."

When I first read this quote I was taken back by the magnitude of this statement against mankind.  It is filled with truth humans in general are so preoccupied and worried about every aspect of their life they take life for granted.  Every aspect of this quote is so relatable to my life it amazes.  I put my health aside in many cases trying to get those good grades thinking that the better I do the more money I will obtain in the future.  Those late nights of studying and ignoring my health will eventually find myself in the health center downing every medication I can to feel better.  I believe that all college students are so nervous about their grades thinking that they are the key to success and future prosperity.  I am preoccupied with my grades, work, and my future that I sometimes ignore just being happy.  Taking that extra night to get that A is a good thing but sometimes you should just go have fun with your friends.  College is an amazing experience but just like life it does not last forever so you have to enjoy it.  People are too concerned about the future and need to live.  You do not get a second chance so don’t look back and think about everything you missed out on life.  Get out of our dorm and library and enjoy life for all it has to offer.

Daring Ad

In 2011 the company 3M decided to show off how strong their bullet proof security glass was by putting $3 million in cash in a case of their glass in the middle of a bus stop.  This type of advertising says a lot more to the customer than any sort of commercial or billboard could do.  If a company is willing to put up $3 million, then it is directly telling the consumer how much the company trusts their product.  If a company is willing to put its product in the public with no supervision, it tells the customer that the company is making a quality product.  Essentially, that is the best form of advertising for any product.  Anybody could of tried to hammer against the glass.  The security company is almost asking for people to test their product in a public setting.  Also the fact that there is $3 million causes lots of excitement and natural advertisement.  The picture of the security glass filled to the brim with stacks of money spread like wild fire through the internet, causing lots of free advertisement and publicity of the company.  It even got onto some national news channels, thus getting a huge audience all across the country.

Putting an advertisement out in the public where anyone can see it when they are walking by is a great way to get people to notice and see your product.  Ultimately there were many people who did test the product by trying to break it.  However, there were no successful tries.  This proves that it is a very good product, and the overall publicity stunt worked.  Publicity stunts are sometimes a lot more effective than a regular commercial which could bore people and not create the buzz that a good publicity stunt can.

  

Make A Wish

       Summer is one of the best times for me with all the sun, relaxation, and beach it is truly a great time.  One thing I truly love about summer is that ESPN teams up with the Make A Wish Foundation to give kids the sports dream they have always wanted.  Every story is extremely heart warming and makes me choke up a little bit.  To see smiles on these kids faces who have endured so much pain and had part of the childhood taken away is amazing.  These kids help put your life in perspective and truly realize what is important.  We all complain about little things but to see these kids so upbeat after battling life-threatening diseases truly puts all of your problems aside.  This video is especially close to me because of the love this kid has for soccer.  After battling leukemia Brendan just wants to be a kid and play the game he loves.  He wished to play with his favorite player Landon Donovan and it came true.

       With all of the amazing moments in that video the moment that stuck out the most is when Brendan responded, “I’m not sick, I just have cancer.”  That statement in my opinion is so moving and almost brought tears to my eyes.  I even remember going crazy when Landon Donovan scored that game winning goal against Algeria.  While watching this video I almost felt like I had a connection to Brendan.  Seeing him playing with all of these great players made me so happy.  Brendan even playing with David Beckham who is an international superstar warmed my heart.  ESPN puts so much emotion into these videos that whatever their dream is it is always moving.  I strongly encourage people to watch more of these videos and watch them this summer.  Also, I would like people to look into to donating any amount to Make A Wish because what they do is truly amazing.

Judgments

As I aimlessly surf channels on my TV on another mundane afternoon wondering what I should write about I stop on the show Friends.  I have never really watched it but a lot of my friends love it and since there is nothing else on I decide to give it a chance.  In this episode one character judges a person based on their first impression and gets a negative impression of them.  Like every sitcom the judgment turns out to be 100% wrong and the guy was a great person.  This is an issue that we see everyday walking to class and it needs to be changed.

            Why do we judge people?  What makes someone better or worse than us?  Is it the their clothes, hair, accessories, demeanor?  Even worse is that their skin color, physical shape?  Whatever the reason may be it is grossly wrong.  I can say I am guilty of judging people but when I do I am quick to tell myself to throw away that judgment.  If everyone was the same the world would be a boring place to live.  I love seeing different people and how they approach and live life.  One of my best friends is a kid named Matt Lidel.  I had classes with him in the past but had never really talked because I had judged him based on his appearance.  I was assigned to do a project with him and say I wasn’t bummed would be a lie.  We awkwardly talked about the assignment until he cracked a joke that was hysterical.  As we talked more I realized how much I liked his personality and just who he was.  We hung out more and more and became extremely close.  My friends had judged him just like me so I decided to introduce him to my friends.  They soon came to the same conclusion that he was a great person.  People need to accept people for who they are and not judge anyone.