Kassandra M.

Meet Kassandra

• Comfortable with pets

Greetings, my name is Kassandra. I am a 19 year old sophomore at Indiana University South Bend, working towards my Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. I am currently enrolled in 16 credit hours, but I’m planning on dropping a course so that I can pick up a part time job. I just moved into my first apartment about a month ago, and I need a part-time job to help pay for my living expenses. Additionally, I am a TA (teacher’s assistant) for a first year freshman course this semester. In this course we go over time management, SMART (specific, measurable, action plan, realistic, and time bound) goals, the power of “yet”, fixed mindset versus growth mindset, and many other educational concepts that can be implemented into the daily life. SMART goals help students create a goal they’d like to achieve by identifying something they’re struggling with, and coming up Read more with a very specific plan as to how they’re going to achieve this goal. The power of “yet” is a unit we’re starting now. Whenever people are challenged, it’s common for them to assume they’ll never be good at what they’re struggling with. With the power of “yet”, Dr. Watson (the professor of this course) and I help students identify something they feel is impossible to be good at because of their lack of experience. An example statement may be, “I’m not good at math.... YET! It gives students the understanding that it’s possible to develop skills in areas of learning that bring anxiety or frustration. Typically people don’t understand that it is possible to grow your brain like a muscle. Here is a great overview of this concept (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELpfYCZa87g&t=2s). We also discuss the differences between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. A fixed mindset is having the belief that skills are born, and you cannot learn and grow. In a growth mindset, the belief is that skills are built and you can learn and grow. There are 4 keys to growth that we discuss. This includes effort, challenges, mistakes, and feedback. How a person interacts with each of these categories, has an impact on their level of success. I have been enjoying this TA position a lot because not only am I helping students, but it’s also a great way to help me stay organized and focused. I may not have as much paid child care experience as other applicants, but I have worked with various children. I am adopted, and have many nieces and nephews (ages newborn to 5 years old). At family functions I tend to supervise them and create fun games that include everyone. Additionally, I have enjoyed babysitting my cousin a few times who is autistic. My hobbies include exercising, cooking/baking, and reading. In high school I played soccer, basketball, and softball, so it’s very important to me to stay fit. I recently bought a Ninja Foodi Hot + Cold blender and I love it! I enjoy smoothies, so it is a great addition to my kitchen. I’m looking forward to trying the tomato basil soup listed in the mini cookbook that came along with the blender. In conclusion, I am a unique, responsible, independent, educated individual who is looking to help in any way I can!

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