Monday, January 28, 2019
Balancing Humility and Confidence
College student Cody Gotchall is enrolled in an online learning program in accounting. Dedicated to helping others, he has volunteered with numerous organizations over the years. Cody Gotchall is particularly passionate about advocacy for disabled individuals and recognizes the challenge of balancing humility and confidence when performing such work.
Finding the right balance between these traits is an essential skill. Confidence refers to a feeling that comes from appreciation of one’s own qualities or abilities, but it requires self-awareness. Too much confidence often leads to arrogance. Conversely, while humility involves having a modest view of one’s importance, it can turn into self-deprecation if not properly managed.
To find a balance between the two, people must figure out where they stand in both areas. If they are overconfident, they likely express minimal interest in learning about others, and treat waiters and other service workers differently than they would a colleague. They can correct the issue by acknowledging when they don’t know something, sharing their mistakes, and seeking different viewpoints.
People with too much humility often shy away from actions like starting salary negotiations with their bosses. Further, they often have a list of things they wish they had said or done. To boost their confidence, these individuals can practice confident body language, such as frequent eye contact. Beyond that, they can learn to accept compliments, take risks, and let go of failures.
Monday, January 14, 2019
How Service Dogs and Therapy Dogs Differ
Cody Gotchall, an Oregon college student enrolled in e-learning courses in pursuit of an accounting degree, advocates for people with autism and traumatic brain injuries. This diagnosis has sparked his interest in volunteer opportunities related to people with disabilities. In addition, Cody Gotchall has begun looking into the capabilities of service dogs for people with autism.
Although many people believe service dogs and therapy dogs are the same, there is a big difference between the two when it comes to their training, capabilities, and protections in the United States.
Service dogs typically receive more training and have more legal protections. These animals help individuals perform tasks they would otherwise struggle to complete on their own. Most service dogs are large enough to control their owner when wearing a harness; however, they also need to be small enough that a person can easily control them. The most popular breeds for service dogs are Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and German shepherds.
Service dogs are allowed by the Americans with Disabilities Act to enter public places where other dogs are not allowed. This includes public transportation, public restaurants, and stores. To denote they are service animals, these dogs often are required to wear a special vest that prohibits petting and signifies they are service animals.
Conversely, therapy dogs are tasked with providing physiological and psychological support. They frequently visit group homes, daycares, schools, and rehabilitation centers to give people with disabilities and other individuals the support they need.
Since therapy dogs have fewer responsibilities, they can be trained by virtually anyone as long as the trainer meets standards for registration and certification. They also can be of varying sizes and breeds, though they are expected to be very easy-going and friendly, as they interact with multiple people per day.
Monday, January 7, 2019
Collegiate Baseball Ranks Oregon State 7th for 2019
Oregon resident Cody Gotchall has studied at higher educational institutions throughout the state, including Oregon State University (OSU). Cody Gotchall maintains an interest in OSU sports and has followed the university’s baseball team for several years.
In December 2018, Collegiate Baseball released its predictive rankings for the top 40 college baseball teams for the 2019 season. According to the publication, the OSU Beavers ranked seventh after winning the NCAA championship this past season. This marks the fourth consecutive year, and the sixth time in the past seven, that OSU has ranked in Collegiate Baseball’s top 10. Other institutions in the ranking include Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, Stanford, and Louisiana State.
Collegiate Baseball also released its predictive All-American teams around the same time. Two players from the Beavers baseball team, Kevin Abel and Adley Rutschman, made the list. A junior, Rutschman batted .408 in 2018, with nine home runs and 22 doubles. Meanwhile, Abel was the only freshman in the country to strike out more than 100 batters.
The publication also named pitchers Jake Mulholland and Bryce Fehmel to the third and second teams, respectively. Altogether, OSU had four players named to Collegiate Baseball’s All-American teams, the most of any team in the US.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Will Elementary Season 7 Finally Take Place in London?
Oregon native Cody Gotchall is an online accounting student and an active volunteer in the community. During his free time, Cody Gotchall enjoys watching TV series such as Elementary, an American series adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character Sherlock Holmes.
Over the years, Elementary has gained much-deserved popularity for its refreshing but equally intriguing and exciting take on the central characters’ dynamics and the plot-twisting investigations set in contemporary New York City. As the sixth season ended with both Sherlock and Watson back at Baker Street in London, rumors have risen that the show has finally sent its main characters where they truly belong and off to new adventures.
According to showrunner Rob Doherty, moving the characters to England at the end of the season was primarily due to Sherlock Holmes confessing to murder to protect Joan Watson who was the prime suspect at the time. While there is no finality to the decision of leaving New York permanently, both Sherlock and Joan cannot return without first being acquitted for the murder charge. For now, the characters will find themselves solving mysteries in the streets of London as they face new challenges, both in their personal and professional lives.
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Important Reminders Before Making a Blood Donation
An Oregon resident, Cody Gotchall is a student of accounting at the Chemeketa Community College. Cody Gotchall has always been an active and passionate volunteer for several nonprofit organizations including the American Red Cross, where he has donated blood since 2012.
The American Red Cross (ARC) is one of the largest humanitarian organizations that provides emergency assistance, disaster preparedness, and disaster relief in the United States. One of its essential services is blood donation, which supplies approximately half of the donated blood in the country. For new or existing donors, the American Red Cross sets important guidelines that must be met before making a blood donation.
Donors must be in good health condition. ARC will determine donors’ health status by conducting a general health check and learning about their health history. ARC can only accept donors who weigh at least 110 pounds. Moreover, donors must be at least 17 years old. However, some states allow 16-year-old donors as long as they have parental consent.
Monday, November 26, 2018
Teaching Math through Games
Undergraduate Cody Gotchall is pursuing a degree in accounting from Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon. Cody Gotchall has a long-standing love of math, sparked in part by learning the card game cribbage from his father as a child.
Playing cards and board games are two fun, engaging ways for parents to practice basic math concepts with their children. Some ideas using popular game pieces are described below.
Blackjack - This addition game uses ordinary playing cards and can be played by two to four people. The goal is to draw cards that come the closest to adding up to 21 without going over. In this game, face cards are worth 10, while aces can symbolize 1 or 11, depending on when they are drawn.
Mastermind - Usually played in pairs, one player makes a four-piece pattern containing a combination of six possible colors. The other player attempts to recreate the pattern. After each attempt, the first player uses white and black pieces to show if any of the pieces are in the correct color, in the correct order, or both. This guessing game teaches important logic concepts such as deductive reasoning, pattern recognition, and experimentation.
Rummikub - The goal of Rummikub is to organize tiles numbered from 1-13 into sequential sets. During each player’s first turn, his or her set must add up to 30 or higher. If this isn’t possible, the player must collect tiles from the pool. The round ends when one player can place all of his or her remaining tiles into one set.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Great Organizations Serving People with Special Needs
Former Linn-Benton Community College student Cody Gotchall studies through the eLearn program at Chemeketa Community College. When he’s not busy with schoolwork, Cody Gotchall volunteers with nonprofit organizations that support people with special needs.
Several organizations provide services and programs to people with special needs. Below are a few examples:
Easterseals
A 90-year-old charity, Easter Seals provides high-quality services and resources to adults and children with special needs and disabilities. These are made available on an individualized basis and are designed to help each person overcome the obstacles they face on their way to reaching their goals.
Parents Helping Parents
Since 1976, Parents Helping Parents (PHP) has been providing community services, support groups, and crisis support to families of children with special needs. The agency works with families of children of all backgrounds and ages who require special services to due everything from illness and accidents to mental health issues and learning disabilities.
Allies, Inc.
Dedicated to giving people with special needs the same opportunities and experiences as those without, Allies, Inc. offers programs from music to farming. In addition to recreational programs available through the organization, Allies, Inc. helps members with the housing and healthcare they need to be independent.
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