IT and Me

I've been using technology since I've been old enough to use it. In my elementary years, I would play simple, educational computer games. As I got older, I learned to use Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for schoolwork. Into my upper middle and high school years, I dabbled in various advanced computer skills, from Photoshop to stop motion animation to piano music writing software to learning programming.

Once I entered college, I took a course that not only refined my skills in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Photoshop, but taught me the basics of Access and even HTML coding. Although my current focus is in accounting, I'm excited to soon begin my second major of Computer Information Systems.

I know that my career will depend heavily on IT. From using accounting software to anything I do as an Information Systems major, I'll be using IT for most of the rest of my life.

And while technology can be frustrating at times, I'm excited to be able to use it and be able to watch the many changes it will experience during my lifetime.

Because IT is going to be such a big part of my future, it's great that I can learn about it now so that I can make the best use of it going forward.
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Here's a video I made with stop-motion animation software a few years ago!

Once Upon a Time

Not quite so long ago, on a campus not so far away....

A business student hikes her backpack up on her shoulders and disembarks from her minivan in the parking lot under the hot Georgia summer sun. She puts her keys into the lock and turns it, hearing the satisfying click.

She walks across the pavement, eager to change out of her work clothes into something more comfortable: a t-shirt and shorts she's stowed in her bag. Before she arrives at her destination, she diverts into the student center and finds a bathroom to change in. Already feeling cooler by the time she finishes changing, she almost runs to meet her friends outside.

The gathering is small but growing steadily under the shade of the trees around a picnic table by the volleyball court. She greets her friends and feels excitement, because this meeting is only the prelude to a promised game of Ultimate Frisbee out on the green.

As she makes her rounds in greeting, she begins to inquire as to the actual Frisbee disc. To her dismay, no one remembered to bring one. Despair begins to settle over those eager to play Frisbee.

Just then, when all hope seemed lost, a friend crossing the campus calls the student's name. She hails him, feeling a lift in her heart.

They exchange "hello and how are you"s and then she explains their problem. Without waiting so much as a blink, he thrusts his schoolbooks toward her and exclaims that he has a disc in his truck as he races away.

Mere moments later, he returns, breathless but with a Frisbee in his hand. Before anything else happens, the happy students are running about under the sun, playing the game they'd been anticipating for weeks.

Indeed, it was a happy coincidence!

My Black and White Life

As stark as the contrast between the black and white keys on a piano is the contrast between my skills at the beginning of my piano years and those I have now, at the end of twelve years. I began simply, with simple songs playing one note at a time. My first recital, I was too afraid to play at all, even though family had driven for hours to come see me.

Contrast that with my senior year of high school. I memorized five large and complex pieces and performed them in a special Encore recital in front of many friends and family. I now play not only piano but also the keyboard for praise band at church.

(The instruments are practically the same, but a piano and a keyboard are played differently depending on context. A piano is played solo; a keyboard is played in a band. One can be used in place of another, and the skills are easily transferable between them. However, they are separate skill sets.)

It's amazing to look back at where I came from and see where I am now. But I know it's from hard work and diligence, not luck. So I know that I can accomplish anything with dedication and hard work!

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This is the piano I dream of owning one day!

Introducing...Me!

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen! My name is Jenna Allen and I am going to tell you a bit about myself today.

I am college student at the University of North Georgia. I'm taking classes for my Accounting and Computer Information Systems double major at UNG's Gainesville campus.

Although I'm a business major by day, I'm a piano-lover at night. I took lessons for upwards of 11 years, and even though I no longer take lessons, I still play almost daily. If I need a break from homework or to decompress after a long day as a physical therapy aide, or if I need to vent frustration about life, I find myself drawn to my piano. It's a therapeutic instrument and almost more than simply a hobby: it's an identity.

You see, playing piano is part of who I am. As I said, it's a way for me to relax, but it's also a way for me to express my emotions. I also believe that stories can be told through music, and I love telling stories, both on paper and through music. Most of my friends know me as "the one who plays piano". If I'm ever asked to perform or accompany, I'm eager for the chance to do so.

Here is a video of me playing in my senior recital a couple years ago.

The first piece is by Debussy. The second is by Beethoven, one of my favorite composers. You can find out more about this piece here.

I would write more, but I have to go. You see, the piano is calling!