Final Reflection Blog

           This will be my final reflection blog for the semester, which has flown by faster than I thought it would. So many things have happened. So many memories created. It’s been fun to not have the pressures of being a student athlete this semester. Most significantly though, the biggest change this semester has been my involvement in Beta Upsilon Chi, the Christian fraternity on campus.

            I have been a member of BYX since the fall of 2011, but I haven’t done a whole lot with the fraternity since that initial semester. That’s mostly because of my other obligations, like running for TCU, but even so, it didn’t feel like I was really investing in my relationships within BYX. However, this semester was different. I was determined to be more involved, and I think I did a pretty good job.

            I have done a lot of things this year within BYX. I got a Little this semester. He’s actually in my Lit and Civ II class. We have a lot in common. We like the same books, the same TV shows, and the same jokes. It has been a lot of fun getting to know Mark this semester. I have also taken a greater role in BYX. This semester was the first semester that I tried leading a cell group (Bible study) within the fraternity. It was a bit of a stretch for me because I’m not a fan of public speaking, even with a smallish group, but I think it helped me improve my leadership and communication skills.

            I also was elected to the office of Treasurer for BYX. I wasn’t expecting a nomination, but when I got it I decided to run for the position. I had to run against my roommate, which was less awkward than it sounds, and the chapter elected me to be the Treasurer. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve my brothers, and it has already been a blast working with the other officers to keep pushing BYX in new directions.

            All in all, I think that my semester in BYX has been fantastic. I am more involved than I thought I ever would be, and it has been rewarding beyond what I can describe. I think I have definitely grown a lot as a leader. And I have definitely enjoyed this semester more because I have taken a larger role in BYX.

            Speaking of fun, I don’t think it would be right for me to finish these blogs without reflecting on Lit. and Civ. II. The class has been a blast. First, we studied the various methods that people use to describe and define humor. That part was a little dry. But, then we started looking at humor across the world. We learned that humor is similar in different parts of the world. We all like to make fun of our leaders, and we all can find humor in making fun of ourselves. We read two books that essentially outline the differences in humor between guys and girls. For the most part, guys like over the top exaggeration, while humor for girls can be subtler. I’m not saying this is always the case. There are female comedians with jokes more over the top than I ever care to say aloud. We also looked at the tools comedians use to make people laugh. These tools include exaggeration, the Rule of 3, comic opposites, and a ton others. We even got to practice using these tools in class, which was definitely one of the highlights of the class for me.

Overall, I have had a fantastic semester in Lit & Civ II, my other classes, and just at TCU in general. I’m sad that I’m well over my halfway point in college. TCU has been so much fun for the last two and a half years, and I’m so excited for my last three semesters here!