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Gilbert Dickey

Outstanding GEW

Student of the Month

March 2019

Gilbert Dickey

GEW Student of the Month for
March 2019:

Gilbert Dickey

GEW Student Highlight: Gilbert Dickey

Interviewed by Syndee Wood

SW: “Hello, Gilbert!”

GD: “Nice to meet you.”

SW: “Nice to meet you as well. Thank you for joining me today for this interview. So tell me about yourself. What do you like to do? What brings you to Cal State San Marcos? What makes Gilbert Gilbert?”

GD: “I'm from a mixed race family. My dad is American. My mom is Korean. I was raised in South Korea. There's a lot of background stories for me. First of all, as being a mixed race student and growing up in a closed society, which is Korea, I don't want to stay it was hard but it was different than others. And my high school was an international school, so I have the chance of experiencing the other culture and other people with other diversity of race, and it really impacted me to decide I should go to a college that has way more diversity than Korea has. So this was the big turning point of my life, to decide to come to San Marcos, which CSUSM was here. And, well, I what I like to do is I really like to play badminton. I don’t know if that is common here, but my mom is a public officer. She works for a college. And every once in a while, she had a duty for staying on her campus during weekends, and I followed her, and during her free time, we always played badminton. So it was like a family thing. Mom and son had an activity with each other and having fun. But as I grew up, you know, being a high school student, as a college student right now, living separated, that kind of went away. But that’s the only thing I really like to do, and I’m really good at it, I think.”

SW: “I think you're right that badminton might not be a very popular sport in America. Do you get a chance to play it while you're here?”

GD: “I actually try to find a club that is a badminton club but I haven't found a badminton club on this campus yet. I might start a club, but still, I need to have at least three people to start a club, so I’m still considering it.

SW: "Tell me about your decision to come to Cal State San Marcos. So were you looking at the city first or were you looking at the school first?”

GD: “Well, first of all, when I was in the states about three years ago, me and my dad tried to drive over to LA from San Diego where my grandparents live, and we just passed by it, when we were on the freeway, the 78, and my dad said, ‘Well, that’s CSUSM.’ I had never heard of it. I had never been to San Marcos. We were just passing by and he was like, ‘That's one of the newest Cal State’ and he was like, ‘it’s close enough to your grandparents’.’ At that point, I was going to high school. I didn't even think about going to [CSUSM] but as my high school degree was in going on and on, I tried to look for schools, and it just flashed in my head, and I was like, ‘oh yeah, Cal State San Marcos,’ and I just decided to go there."

SW: “Wow, I love that story. Yeah our school is pretty iconic, there up on the hill. It is big and beautiful.”

GD: “Yeah, I mean, it’s like right there and just like ‘Wow.’”

SW: “So now that you're here, what’s your major?”

GD: “Currently I am majoring in environmental studies, which is part of environmental science. That’s what I want to do.”

SW: “So, what do you want to do with that?”

GD: “Well, I'm planning to expand my career on the lab side, as a scientist, but I'm still considering should I go to the lab side or the field work, because I really enjoy the field work. But, you know, the crucial reality is the real job is in the  laboratory, which is where you make money, you know. But I'm still considering because it’s just my first semester and I have plenty of time to think about it.”

SW: “So now let's talk about GEW class. Your instructor is Professor Braman. And so tell me about how you feel about GEW class. How do you feel about writing?”

GD: “Well about writing, I always thought about my writing as, well, not perfect. As a person and as a skill too, because I'm always aware of myself and the grammar. Since I still have to develop my skills with writing, and GEW class, it was like the perfect type of class, writing class, to take to develop my writing skills. I don't know why but just it just makes me think about, while I'm taking that class, I feel that I'm actually developing my skills with my writing. Just, I don't know, it is just like I am just taking that class and just know that you're trying to develop your skills. And all those assignments that I am getting were different from high school’s. They were like, just like out of the box ideas.”

SW: “So it sounds when you’re already feeling more confident in your writing skills…”

GD: “Definitely.”

SW: “... and it sounds like your language skills.”

GD: “Mmhmm.”

SW: “So you talked about an out of the box assignment. Yes, college assignments are definitely very different than high school, whether you're a high school student in America, or in San Marcos, or from somewhere else, they're gonna be different. And that's a challenge for many students, but it's also, at the same time, exciting. Do you have any advice for future GEW students?”

GD: “Well, in case you might have any questions, I always suggest that everybody just run to the instructor after the class or in class, just ask your instructor. Or, after you're having your assignment, email your instructor, or maybe you might even go to the writing center. They have the experience of students and how they struggle with those kinds of assignments in GEW classes. They don’t just give you answers. They guide you how to get those answers. Step by step. That’s, I mean, as a student, you don’t realize it, but after you are knowing how to follow those steps to the goal, it’s just different. You can apply those steps to your writing. It’s just a way to get yourself to another level.”

SW: “Yes. This goes back to what you were saying earlier about the kinds of assignments we have in college, and I’m really excited for your future. If you could go back in time to week one [of your first semester of college], what advice would you give Gilbert in that week?”

GD: “As you go along your school days, just remind yourself that--this is a personal thing, not a school thing--as being a college student, try to focus on your eating habits.”

SW: “Yeah.”

GD: “Right now, I don’t know why, I like to cook for others, but I don’t like to cook for myself. Because it’s just not efficient. Delivery food is way cheaper and faster. And you save your time, so. And I feel that I am having a lack of vegetables. Eating habits are crucial for college students, no matter what. You have to be aware that you need to have food that can make you healthy.”

SW: “Thank you, because advice we would give ourselves is not always about how to be the best student. Sometimes it’s about how to be the best human now that you’re away from where you’ve been your whole life and you have to start learning how to be a grown up. So thank you for bringing that to our students. Thank you for joining me today. I hope you get to go find lunch that includes vegetables.”

GD: “I hope so!”

SW: “Thanks so much.”

GD: “Thanks.”