Five Top High School Students

I went to an all girls Catholic high school. What was odd about it was that the all boys high school was just down the street. Soon after I graduated the schools were combined - which always made sense since we shared a lot of activities and attended the sports venues as one high school.  I’m a follower on the instagram and LinkedIn pages, and found once again this year something that sticks out like a sore thumb. The top five senior students were showcased now that graduation time is here. And as was the same as last year, they are all girls - not one boy to be found. You would think that it was an all girls high school again based on that. And the intended majors are biology, chemistry, engineering, and psychology - with the majority going to the University of Florida. When I was in high school I was on the college bound track and thought in general our education was good even though I struggled. Having had little success with science and math I never dreamed I would end up in nursing because I was so interested in history and art. But it was the seventies and nursing seems like a great opportunity to find employment. How things have changed and yet they really haven’t. I’m proud to see that the top five students are young women. But - what is happening with the boys? 

The Effects of Birth Order on Personality

I kept two papers that I wrote in college. I’m not really sure why. Upon looking at them it’s hard to believe that I researched and actually wrote them, but also had to type them. One of the subjects was a biology lab paper about circadian rhythm. Me and my lab partner stayed up for a 24 hour period to check the chromatophores on fiddler crabs - with and without eyes stocks. What a cruel thing that was. But it was even more cruel to have to stand up in front of the class and esteemed professor and present the findings. The other one was a psychology paper on a subject that I think I chose myself - the effect of birth order on personality. My assumptions were that first borns would have higher grade point averages and hang out by the biology building and the later borns would have lower grade point averages and hang out by the business building. The bibliography was quite extensive and the footnotes many! I do remember spending a lot of time in the library. Both biology and psychology were prelim required classes for a baccalaureate nursing degree. It was almost fifty years ago! I still am in contact with my biology professor. He was a wonderful mentor and helped me through some high and low times. I even had a summer job washing test tubes in the biology unit building thanks to him. I’m not sure if these papers prepared me for my nursing career. But I guess it’s the process of living through the college years and the people you meet that help you become the person you are. And for that I will be forever grateful.