Mickenzi Schank-Journal #1

I was born in Montana in a small town called Belgrade.  I lived there until we moved to upstate New York in 2000; I have lived there ever since.  I love to do things outdoors, whether it is hiking, kayaking, rafting or anything else.  My parents took me rafting while I was still learning to walk, so I guess it’s not a surprise that I like all these things.  My other passion is soccer; I have been playing since I was 6 and I love everything about the sport.  My major is Aerospace Engineering which I have travel 11ish hours to come study, and I have loved every minute I have spent here at Tech.  I am fascinated by planes and aerodynamics; I hope to, one day, work for Boeing designing new aircraft.

            Writing is definitely not my favorite thing to do, and I will only do it if I have to.  On the other hand, I find reading much more enjoyable.  The only problem I have with reading is that it takes time, and when there are more important things to do pleasure reading is the first thing to go.  Also, like most, if do not find a book interesting it is very hard for me to stick with it.  I do not really have a favorite book but I do thoroughly enjoy almost all the books that Michael Crichton has written.  I am not sure why but I also seem to be fond of books in a series.  For example Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Eragon and more, are all series that I have liked.  My mom was always adamant about me reading as a kid, so I did do quite a bit of reading as a kid, which has definitely been to my benefit even though I may not have enjoyed at the time.  Writing on the other hand was something that I not only disliked but struggled with.  It has always been my weakest link.  I have worked hard to improve my writing since the beginning of high school and I have come a long way.  But writing still does not come naturally like math or science does, I have to work extra hard at it and it takes me much long to complete a writing assignment than most other people.  Like other things in my life I focus on quality over quantity; I can produce quality writing but I tend to struggle when required to go on and on about the same thing.