This will be my blog for my HIV web class this semester. I have heard great things about this class from several different people and with two full weeks down, I believe there is a world of information for me to learn. I am so excited about the different assignments that we have to including the simulations because I feel like I am getting a inside look on how a person living with HIV has to live. I am also glad we are required to get an HIV test. As scary as it might be to some people it is definitely necessary. I have been tested in the past but it is still the same nervousness each time.
I also love how interactive this class is. I have taken a few online classes in the past and things got to be so monotonous. I was never given the option to blog or chat on a weekly basis before! Although this should be my last semester at UCF as an undergrad and this class is an elective, I am not taking it lightly. I actually believed my professor when she prepared us for this roller coaster! I feel like this class will help me for my future, as I have already begun telling friends about my experiences with the simulations. I also plan to take more classes that have to deal with HIV because I want to work in the medical field. I hope you all enjoy my posts and I can't wait to hear from you!
Did You Know?
Did you know that so many college students get infected with HIV as a result of unprotected sex due to peer pressure, alcohol and drug influence? This is shocking considering so many parents see their children off to college assuming that they are prepared for the real world, able to make decisions and left most of the giving in to peer pressure back in high school. Practice safe sex always!
Thank you for my morning laugh, Jessica. I loved the commercial. It made the Did You Know come to life.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you decided to stick with this class in your last semester at UCF. I would love for you to leave the university with a life lesson. Continue to pay it forward; it is something we hope all students will do.
I look forward to reading your blogs and watching your growth over the semester.
I LOVED the commercial. :>)
ReplyDeleteHey Jessica, great first blog! The commercial is a great reminder, as well. When I was a teenager sex education consisted of abstinence. Unfortunately, this type of "education" still goes on today. Condoms weren't prevalent in my school in the 80's, and that first HIV test was nerve-wracking to say the least. I've had many tests since then and I can attest...it doesn't get any easier! Even if one's behaviors change, it still gives one the indescribable lump in the stomach waiting for the results.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree...peer pressure is alive and well in college campuses, too. I think taking this class is a smart step forward in keeping the student body aware of the dangers of this disease. I look forward to reading your blogs this semester.
Hello Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI get that same feeling you get every time i go to get an HIV test, even though I have had the same boyfriend for the past seven years. I think that having all the students get tested is a great start to cleaning up the university. It would be really good if every student in the class would bring their friends to the test also!!
Parents should really have "the talk" in middle school. I have heard of pre-teens having sex in the sixth grade!! If the parents start an open relationship with their children early on, then the pre-teens will feel comfortable asking their parents questions. My parents never brought up sex EVER, and I feel like I had to learn from my friends instead of receiving the correct information. By the time these students enter college, the parents should be able to openly discuss the statistics and facts about HIV. If every family went through these steps, I think that we would have less people infected by HIV because of unprotected sex in college.
I really liked your addition to your "Did You Know" section! Having that video really made your blog fun. I enjoy having the blogs and discussions in class, and I can't wait to see what your going to do on your next blog.
-Courtney Di Stasio
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI must agree with everyone else in saying I loved the commercial. Very funny! It seems we have something in common. I am also in my last semester of undergraduate studies and this class is an elective for me. The information we are studying is very interesting! There is alot of work but we will come out of this class much more knowledgeable and ready for our jobs in the medical field.
I think you made a good choice for your "Did You Know" topic. It will be interesting to hear the effects of college on HIV transmission. There are so many pressures in this world against people at a young age. It is important that we remember that we are playing with our life. Something as simple as protected sex should be alot easier for young people to follow.
I look forward to reading more about how you are growing in this class. I can bet we will both be growing in the same direction!
Good Luck,
Courtney