Welcome back to the POP QUIZ! This is a regular, yet totally unexpected, feature where we ask students, parents, staff, our friends, and partners to answer a few questions about what they are learning, reading, and thinking about. Today we feature TiYanna, a freshman at Kalamazoo Central High School. We met up with TiYanna at the end of CIS Think Summer! and popped this quiz on her during her lunch break.
[TiYanna is also featured In the CIS Newsletter, Fall 2022, that recently came out. She reflects on the transtion from leaving behind Hillside Middle School to enter her freshman year at Kalamzoo Central.]
Alright, TiYanna: pencil out, eyes on your own paper. Good luck.
Pop Quiz
Describe yourself in three words.
Social, determined, and passionate.
What are you currently reading?
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. The book came as part of a pack. My mom’s friend designed the book covers, so that’s how I got the books.
Very cool! So what is your favorite word right now?
Change. There’s been a lot of it in my life recently.
You’re about to transition from middle school to high school. That’s a huge change. If you don’t mind us asking, what other changes are you experiencing?
Our family has recently moved.
Moving is a big change.
Yes, And also, there is so much social and political change going on in the world.
Do those changes worry or weigh you down?
I don’t think of it in a negative sense. With all the changes in the world, I focus on what I can do about it and not all of it at once. What can I do now? How can I help? Everyone can make small changes to add up to a big difference. But, I realize, I can only control me and what I can do to make things better.
What is your favorite subject?
Science, for sure. It always has been my favorite subject.
What teacher has most influenced you?
Ms. [Ashley] Poole. She was my science teacher at Hillside. She doesn’t just come to her job to give knowledge to her students. She really cares. She doesn’t just help students solve problem on paper, but she helps students solve problems within themselves as well.
What do you imagine yourself doing ten years from now?
Still trying to find me. That’s a hard thing to do. I will still be exploring what ‘me’ is. I’ll be focused on studying. Because I’m going into medicine to be an anesthetist, I will still have plenty of schooling and a residency to do.
What is it about going into anesthesiology that appeals to you?
I like how it’s a solid job and that it won’t drain you. You work before, during, and after a surgery, but then you can clock out. In this type of work, I won’t be in a setting where I’m isolated, but at the same time, I’m also not where people are 24/7.
What is something interesting you’ve recently learned?
I recently learned not too long ago how to insert an IV into an arm and what vein to put it in. Oh, and how to put a tourniquet on just so in a way that will not cut off circulation but make it easy enough to find the vein.
Where did you learn something like that?
At KVCC, from one of their program instructors. We recently went there on a field trip as part of CIS Think Summer!
Behind every successful student is a caring adult. Who is one of your caring adults?
My sister. She went into medicine and now she’s a physical therapist. She’s a hard worker and she has always cared about my education. When I was young, we grew up in a not so good area, but education is something we value in our family.
My sister and I are both people who want to do something in this world, so we share this trait.
Anything else we should know about you? Any question we didn’t ask that we should have?
I’m a very determined child. I’ve always had an interest in crotchet and I make crotchet tops … One of my goals is to make it a big business and get it up on a website. I’ve had some orders, but I’m a really busy person and haven’t been able to fulfill them yet.
Once you have your website up, be sure to let us know! So how did you learn to crotchet?
I taught myself by watching Youtube videos and then I’d practice a lot. You can do well when you find your own pattern and stick with it. When you can create your own stitching, your own unique design, people are interested in purchasing your work.
Thank you, TiYanna, for hanging out with us at Ask Me About My 12,000 Kids.
Tags: Ashley Poole, CIS, CIS Think Summer!, Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo, Hillside Middle School, Kalamazoo Central High School, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, transitioning to high school
