Honor Roll Speech

The speech with my great pleasure

To be honest, I did not expect I can be an honor student at all. Indeed, I like to apply myself to study English, but I always felt inferior in my classes. So, when I got an invitation to do a speech from my teacher, I was surprised and so glad because only a few students were given the invitation. Then, I was willing to accept that.

Already, eight months have passed since I came here, to America. During that time I have had a lot of experience I never expected. Fortunately, I could make more friends, and I am spending more fantastic times than I expected before. To give a speech at honor roll lunch was also kind of the experience like that.

First of all, I was planning to talk about my major; linguistics and how important for many of us to learn English as second language. But I changed my topic after I talked to my mother about I was selected to be a speaker as one of the honors of winter 2013. That’s because she was really overjoyed more than me when I told her about that, and she reminded me what I had believed until I came here. Therefore, I decided to talk about my life from two years ago; when my family and I faced with a Great East Japan Earthquake, to today. I really wanted to thank my parents and say how happy I am now for the speech.

May 8 at 12:00pm, IEP teachers and honor students came together in a banquet room to eat a special lunch. And while I was encouraged by my friends, I gave a speech. Actually it was first time for me to feel comfortable even I am not good at talking in front of people. I was supported by everyone’s warm eyes.  After the lunch, I realized again how happy I am, because some teachers who I was taught before praised me and said like “It was nice speech, Mika. I am proud of you.” Also some students tell me their impressions about my talk even though we did not know each other. It made me so happy and I really appreciate everyone for their kindness. I will never forget the memorable time and their kindness.

Thank you very much.                                                                                 Mika Horikiri

Mika's (from Japan) Honor Roll Speech:

     

      Today, I’m so glad to be here with you, and I’m really appreciate my parents because without their support, I couldn’t be here and I couldn’t obtain the opportunity to give the speech.

       I’m sure that everyone in here had wonderful reasons why decide to come to UCR Extension. In my case, one of the reasons is my mother. Two years ago; when I got an acceptance to come here from my university, she said to me “You should go. You must go.” then I felt her love strongly, because I have just despaired at all of my life. At that time, my mother lost her job, I lost some of friends, and we were exposed to danger of nuclear disaster because of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Unfortunately, my hometown is close to the sea and nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan. Anyways, when she saw the acceptance, she said to me “You should go there, because you survived. You can do whatever you want.” Then, I got a capital, and after one year, finally I could come here not only to study English, but also to find some purpose in my life.

       Now, I have already found it. To enjoy my life as well as I can, and to show my gratitude to the people who have been supporting me. I should do my best every time because I don’t want to regret something in front of them, and I also want to do my best to be satisfied with my life. This quarter, I take EIB classes. Then, I’ve grown fond of business, even I felt inferior on the classes. I really like the time when I review of the lessons and try to follow it with my classmate afterschool. I know it is one of the memorable times for me.

       At first, I said thanks to my parents, and now, I want to say thank you everyone for your attention and giving me good opportunity to give a speech.

Thank you.                                                                                                      Mika Horikiri

Honor Roll Luncheon Experience

Good afternoon!

My name is Galina, and I would like to share with you my feelings that I had during the Honor Roll Luncheon.

I was the final speaker during the Honor Roll Luncheon, so I felt a great responsibility and excitement as I stepped up to the podium. A complete silence suddenly reigned over the conference room.  A few seconds passed before I started my speech.

What are a few seconds of complete silence?

The few seconds of silence to me were infinitely important. I felt like I had the sincere love of all those present in the conference room, thought I could hear the audience`s hearts beat with excitement. My heart was full of love and warmth for each person present.  I murmured quietly the opening and the most important words of my speech, “I love you with all my heart”. At that very moment, my excitement dissipated, and I started to speak.

I was truly happy giving you the words that warmed my heart with all the tenderness and love I possess. After my speech I felt some regret that there were still many more warm, important, and untold words to share.

I will always treasure the bright memories that came from attending the university.  Thank you very much, teachers of this university and I wish with all my soul that you will continue to share your wisdom, patience, and love with many more students in the future!

Thank you very much and best wishes for the future!

Galina's (from Russia) Honor Roll Speech:

     

Good afternoon!

         My name is Galina and I am a student in the 300 Level “Intensive English Program” of UCR Extension Center.

        When I came to America 7 months ago, I could say only three sentences. They were «Excuse me please, I don’t speak English, and Thank you very much». I knew about 15 to 20 words and not many more. It was a difficult time for me, but I enjoyed it.

         I understand that 100 Level was difficult not only for students, but also for teachers. Thanks to my teachers, I had very good grammar basics after 100 Level. In my heart I will always remember my teachers.

Thank you very much Sharon for being like a mother and her endless energy.

Thank you very much Amy Lee for your wonderful theatrical performances when you tried explain new words to students.

Thank you very much Kristina for your patience listening to your students and unique charm.

        Two hundred Level was not as difficult with the good basic skills learned from 100 Level. After 200 Level I felt more confident thanks to my teachers.

Thank you very much Lloyd for your radiant smile and for answering questions from inquisitive students.

Thank you very much Amy Reynolds for your fun creative lessons.

Thank you very much Mellisa for the large amount of useful information.

Thank you very much John Moran for your calm and easy presentation style.

Thank you very much Linda for your help in the computer lab, and your support and inspiration during exams.

          Dear teachers at UCR Extension Center, please accept my warm appreciation for your talent and your sincere generosity. Most over, your job demonstrates complete devotion and I sincerely appreciate this. I admire your kindness and willingness to answer students`  questions. Things change in this world, but your sensitivity, wisdom, and patience are truly priceless.

        I understand now why the university has a superb reputation thanks to the excellent leadership, thanks to an amazing team of teachers, thanks to an attentive administrative staff.

      Thank you very much!

      I love you with all my heart!

Living the Promise at UCR

Check out how the University of California Riverside lives the promise!

Spring Splash!

 My name is Rio Nakajima, international student from Japan currently studying marketing and advertising in University Certificate Program. I used to study English reading and writing in IEP 600 level 2 quarters ago. I like cruising with skateboard, bouldering, and swimming. It’s been 8 months since I came here in Riverside, even though it feels like only a couple months passed, and when I look back my life in UCR, concerts and events hosted by Associated Students Program Board are definitely highlights.

Basically except the summer quarter, ASPB is holding one big concert in UCR main campus each quarter. Block Party in fall, Heat Music Festival in winter, and Spring Splash for this quarter. I’ve been in all of those concerts and those are pretty cool stuff that you can never experience anywhere else. For the Spring Splash, which was held on May 4^th, ASPB invited 2chainz and Rick Ross, two hottest rappers in the game to hold their performance. All the tickets were gone within less than a week and for me I had to wait in a long line for more than 2 hours just to get a ticket. I was able to purchase the ticket after all but most of my friends waiting behind me had to give up. Trust me, it was that competitive.

Let’s get back to the Spring Splash. After another an hour of waiting for an entrance, finally I could see whole attractions in Spring Splash. Well, I have to say this event was more than just a concert like Heat or Block Party in a sense of its variety of attractions. There was a Ferris Wheel, food tracks, and even a small-sized zoo too. I couldn’t try all of those unfortunately but enjoyed some of them. Especially that Ferris Wheel, Who’d ever imagined the carnival would be suddenly show up right in the middle of schoolyard.

Another thing that impressed me was the effort ASPB made for the environment. All those student staffs were trying not to make any waste and trash within this concert by offering free water refill and putting recycle box for plastic bottles and cans. This makes this event different from those other two concerts. There is a clear objection of ASPB to commit to the eco-friendly activity. At this point, Spring Splash is not just another concert but a theme park filled with youth energy and motivation to get things better. I’m so glad that I was there and I strongly recommend all the international students to get involved these kinds of events and activities. I bet none of them will waste your time and for sure they will bring more fun to your life in UCR.

My Coachella Experience

By Sam Yohm (Samantha Ortiz Meneses)

     Since I was 16 years old, I have always dreamt about attending Coachella, a music festival that takes place in Indio, CA.  As a teenager, I developed an enormous passion for concerts and music; I would try to attend every possible concert. However, attending Coachella was challenging because at that time I was living in Mexico City. For Mexican rock lovers, Coachella promises the ultimate experience in rock festivals; hence, my best friend and I wanted to attend. We entered a Facebook contest, but sadly we did not win. We tried every year for five years to go to Coachella, but something always came up and we could not make it. When I came to study at UCR, I was really excited because I knew Indio, CA was really close to Riverside; nevertheless, for the first two years living here I did not go. It wasn’t until this year, 2013, that I was finally able to attend Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Unfortunately, my best friend could not come with me, but my dad did and it was such an awesome experience as well as an enriching father-daughter activity.     

     To be honest, I was not planning on attending Coachella since I have a medical condition known as rheumatoid arthritis, and it can be hard to keep up with a rock festival that lasts three days. However, I decided at the last moment that I wanted to go, and luckily I was able to buy a ticket. At first, I was going by myself but later on, one of my friends sold me a ticket for my dad. The first day of the concert, April 19^th, I was a little bit nervous because I did not know what to expect. I thought it was going to be really crowed, hot, and with no benches where I could sit. Nonetheless, I was wrong; it was not that crowed or hot, and there were plenty of seats. I did not only get the chance to meet awesome and unique people, but I also got to see some of my favorite bands such as, The Stone Roses, New Order, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Passion Pit, Franz Ferdinand, and the Mexican band Café Tacvba. Even though I have had the chance to see some of these bands before, I was still very excited; especially for Café Tacvba since they are from my home country. During Coachella’s second day, April 20^th, I saw Café Tacvba and to me they were the best band at Coachella. Is not like they are a universal rock legend or that I have not seen them before; it is just that being surrounded by all those Mexican crazy fans and singing along with my dad was a priceless experience.  Definitely, Coachella was an awe-inspiring experience and I am so glad I had the opportunity to go. I think it’s amazing how a rock festival can group such a big crowd in one place. Music is something that brings people together, and I love that. 

Pictures of Café Tacvba:

Sand, Sun, and San Diego!

Hello IEP students ;)

My name is Takeshi Kometani. I came from Japan, and I have a homestay with a kind family in Riverside now. About a month has passed since I arrived in the US. At first I was taken aback the strange atmosphere in the US, but now I became familiar with a new life here and fully enjoy it except the great amount of homework of my classes lol Today, I want to tell you about what I experienced these days.

Now I am in English for Academic Purposes class. The EAP class is focused on skills of preparation for main campus of UCR. Writing essays, thinking logically and using facilities in university… Such kinds of classes are a bit hard to me, but they will contribute to me when I study in the main campus of UCR. In order not to feel hard there, I will make much effort now!!

It goes without saying that I had many good experiences. For instance, I went to San Diego with my friends as an optional tour a couple weeks ago. It is the second largest city in California and the United states’ eighth largest. San Diego is very famous for its wonderful weather, 70 miles of comfortable beaches and its clear seawater. Please look at pictures below.

I took these pictures at Scripps Park, La Jolla Cove. The park is the most photographed place in San Diego. The perfect blue sky and the beautiful sea made me refreshed :)) There are many cute sea lions and you can see them at close range if you are lucky!! When you go to La Jolla Cove in the near future, I recommend you to bring a swimming suit. You can enjoy some marine activities there :^)

After I enjoyed the sound of the sea waves and a lovely cool breeze, I went to the Horton Plaza. It is located in Downtown San Diego and its scale is so large that it stands on six and a half city blocks. The mall contains about 130 stores, for example clothing shops, a food court, ATMs and a cinema. I bought a penny board which is small sized skateboard for transportation. If you see me riding on it around extension center, please speak to me casually ;-)

My studying abroad in UCR has just begun now. In 8 months, I want to do my best.

Thanks for reading to the end J

Cosplay Club Fun!

     I came to America 3 years ago to start my college education and I have never regretted my decision. I have had the opportunity to do many things that I would have never had the opportunity to do in my home country of Saudi Arabia.

               
     Studying Environmental Engineering is tough and requires dedication and commitment. I could not have succeeded so far in my major without the hard work and long hours that I have put in for it. When I am done with schoolwork, I have the best of times going out with my roommates and closest friends. There is always exciting things going on all over Southern California, so me and my friends usually go to them.

              
     I am involved in many clubs on campus and one of them is “Cosplay Brigade”, which is a club that is interested in dressing up in fictional characters. I am a passionate fan of many TV shows and books and so the club is the perfect place to meet people who share my interests. The club holds many activities on campus and around Riverside throughout the year and I go to many of them. My favorite event was “Cosplay Brigade at Round 1”. Round 1 is a new Arcade in Moreno Valley, which is 10 minutes away by driving, which includes Karaoke, Bowling, Games and Claw Machines. Most of the members of the club, including me, love spending our time doing this sort of thing and having this as a club event was amazing. We had lots of fun together playing shooting games, winning tickets and singing karaoke songs. 

   
     I am always grateful that I have this opportunity to do this sort of thing here in the US. Every day is an adventure for me, even when doing the same things that I usually do. Also, it is not just the place that makes my experience enjoyable; it’s the people as well. I have surrounded myself with people that make it worth travelling 30,000 miles to study here.

                                                                      Danah