Database Project Reflections 12.2.22

Describe your understanding of relational databases versus spreadsheet

Spreadsheets have raw data that are categorized. Spreadsheets can be used to do calculations with the data. Relational databases can connect the data from spreadsheets and show the relationships between specific pieces of the data. 

Provide an overview of the database class project
The database project was to create a database from data found on the corgis site. After picking a topic that you were interested in (I picked broadway), we used DB Browser for SQLite to make the database. We arranged the data in an ER diagram and used the ER Diagram to organize the data into csv files. We created tables and queries with commands. Then the csv files were put back into the database to fill in the tables.      

What did you learn about databases through the application of the concepts on the project? 

I learned that organization really matter. I put my table in the csv in the wrong order and it did not match up to the order in database table. Also that consistency matters. You can mess up the data is you change the name of a category or even spell it wrong.

Has learning about databases influenced your future plans? 

I am not sure if I can say it has. It was interesting to learn but in my whole degree, I have never learned how to create a database until this class. I think the lesson we had on spreadsheets were more beneficial to me and my future path. But now I can say I can make a database and can add that to my skill sets.

Reflections 4.22.22

    I plan to be able to continue caring for my physical and mental health. In recent years my health over has declined and I really learned to treasure my health. I plan to continue my journey to overcome my digestive issues, get fit, learn to deal with stress better, and burnout. 
    My career goals has stayed the same since I started college. But sometimes I do feel regret not pursuing an art degree because of this workload of being a Biology major. I think that is just self doubt due to being so close to graduating.
    The advice I have to give to my peers in STEM is let it go. If the assignment or task can still be done tomorrow, just go to sleep. It's good to find a trusted person to get emotional support from but let that person be a licensed therapist, the help is way better. Also get a posture brace to perfect posture when sitting and working on your laptop. Also find a hobby or anything that makes you happy and indulge yourself in it. Lately I have been getting into nail art to satisfy my creativity needs and listening to music I loved back when I was in junior high to high school.

Persistence in STEM 3.25.22

     After reading the book Daring Greatly by Dr. Brene Brown, the topic that just stuck to me was scarcity and never enough. I am always saying I don't have enough time to: sleep, workout, relax, study, and practice selfcare. The only thing I would get out of saying these would be me just staring at a wall when I finally get some time to rest.

    I am very hard on myself because of this lack of time and I find it hard to own up to my vulnerabilities. I do compare myself to others a lot especially when it comes to graduating. Many of my peers from highschool had already got their bachelors. I even started to doubt myself and think I wasn't smart enough or hard working enough. I know I'm still young and I am only slower than them by 1 year; it's a struggle to fight off the feminine urge to have your whole life put together by the time you're 25.  I hate being vulnerable with a passion because even sharing a bit of my emotions is embarrassing. Even writing this post was too much for me. I am working on this though and the book was a great addition to my growth.

    Her ideas are able to be applied to persistence in STEM by understanding people are feeling the same way you do. That it is important to own your vulnerability. Being a perfectionist looks great but in the end you're just stopping growth and opportunities. Instead it's okay to try hard and put yourself out there even if you're unsure of the outcome of your work.

Influencing Factors 2.18.22

     I am a first generation Nigerian American. I definitely feel like my upbringing had influenced my educational journey. My whole family are refugees and my parents have both went to college and my dad has a Master's degree. I feel like a lot of POCs can understand the pressure of your family back in your homeland puts on you if you do not become successful while living in America; not going to college wasn't an option. My parents have instilled hard work into me and have encouraged me to pick careers that makes a lot of money. Hence why I am here. 

    My identity has influenced my feelings of belonging in STEM. I believe I am just as smart but my first goal was art. I always wanted to be a singer with a fashion design line as a child. Because of that dream, I noticed I am not as enthusiastic about STEM as my peers but I still love biology a lot. Also it is not rare to find another Nigerian or African person in STEM but they are mostly males. It's hard to even find other females of different ethnic backgrounds in STEM, so I do feel out of place a lot.

Mindset? 1.21.22

     I personally like to think I have a growth mindset. There are times where my mindset can be fixed if I am in a pessimistic mood but I'm working on that. My educational journey has influenced my mindset. I am a very competitive naturally and growing up as a gifted child made me have a fixed mindset. I gave up when things don't come easy to me and felt miserable when I met a person I thought was better than me. But going to through college has made me unlearn that because I still want to be great and the only way to get better is to keep trying. I learned it is okay to look "dumb" because admitting I do not have the knowledge yet will make me more readily to absorb more knowledge. My growth mindset has impacted my success a lot. I am no longer afraid and embarrassed to ask fo help. I notice I work harder and feel great after achieving what I set my mind to do.