As we enter the new decade of the 2020s, I thought it might be nice to highlight some of my accomplishments and some of the ups and downs I went through during the last ten years:
2010
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January
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- At the beginning of the year, I was still working toward my Ph.D.
- Started at Henry Ford Community College as an adjunct instructor.
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November
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- Gave a seminar on using the TI-83/84 Calculator at Oakland University.
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2011
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January
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- Started at Ohio Christian University and the University of Phoenix as an adjunct instructor.
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May
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- Approved on May 17 as a Full-Time Instructor of Mathematics by the Macomb Community College Board of Trustees effective August 2011.
- Started volunteering with Friends of the Rochester Hills Public Library working on their member database and social media pages.
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June
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- Attended the ACMS Conference in Santa Barbara, CA
- Started at Macomb Community College as an adjunct instructor.
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August
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- Created a Math Bingo Game for the First Annual Macomb Community College Employee Picnic
- Attended Math and Technology Workshop at Muskegon Community College
- August 15 was my first day at Macomb Community College as a Full-Time Instructor
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December
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- Saw Wicked for the first time at the Detroit Opera House. Defying Gravity is still my favorite musical song of all time.
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2012
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January
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- Joined Macomb Multicultural and International Initiatives (MMII) Committee
- Hosted Macomb Math and Technology Workshop
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March
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- Went on the Ford Rouge Factory Tour for the first time. This was just the beginning of sparking my interest in Detroit area history.
- Realized how much I love puffy tacos from El Charro
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April
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- Presented the results of my Individualized Learning Plan (Probationary Project)
- Saw Monsieur Lazhar at the Detroit Film Theatre. This is still my favorite foreign film of all time.
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June
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- Saw Ernie at the City Theatre. This is one of the last times I remember going out to an event with my grandma.
- Saw the Beach Boys at DTE Energy Music Theatre (Pine Knob). My dad always loved the Beach Boys, and so I would always buy him concert tickets as his birthday gift every year.
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July
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- Had an MRI to check for a deviated septum
- Received Macomb Community College Innovation Award – Math On Target Tutoring (MOTT). This was the first of several that I have received since.
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August
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- Attended my first TechSmith Screencast Camp
- Volunteered at Math and Technology Workshop at Muskegon Community College
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October
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- Attended a workshop on how to use the Calculator-Based Ranger (CBR motion detector) with the TI-83/84
- Attended my first TedXDetroit at the Gem Theatre
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November
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- Attended my first AMATYC Annual Conference in Jacksonville, FL, as a Project ACCCESS Cohort 9 Fellow
- First-ever Math and Culture Student-Created display, Russian Mathematicians, at the Macomb Community College-South Campus Library
- Officially started as AMATYC Professional Development Coordinator
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2013
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January
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- Taught first class for Macomb Community College’s Workplace and Continuing Education (Microsoft Office 2010)
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February
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- Had a mole removed from my back. My dad drove to my apartment and helped me change the bandage on it every day for a month.
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March
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- Learned how to play Bridge at The Bridge Connection
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August
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- Attended Midwest Institute for International and Intercultural Education Summer Workshop. This was the first of two workshops that I have attended.
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September
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- Attended BloggyCon at Cedar Point
- Attended my One Brick Detroit (now defunct) volunteer event
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October
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- On October 15, I had the infamous #hernia2013
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November
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- Attended my first Chicago Toy and Game Fair. It has been my annual tradition to try to go back to the fair and see the Chicago Christmas Tree Lightning ever since.
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December
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- Attended my first NOEL Night
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2014
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January
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- Received a classroom set of iPads.
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March
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- Took a road trip to Lakeland, FL, for Detroit Tigers Spring Training
- Attended my first ever Mystery Dinner Theater
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May
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- Attended my first EdCamp Detroit. I have been a fan of the EdCamp format ever since and encouraged the use of it at the PD day at my college.
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July
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- Epic 30th birthday road trip to Mall of America. I feel old now, but I don’t regret buying all those peeps at the Peeps store.
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October
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- Went to my friends Katrina and Mike’s wedding in Pennsylvania.
- R.I.P. to my uncle Paul Oaks – October 28, 2014
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2015
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June
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- Attended Scott Weiland Concert at Stars and Stripes Festival. This night falls in one of the top 10 memorable nights of my adult life. I feel fortunate to be one of the last to see him perform.
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July
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- Attended Serious Play Conference at the University of Pittsburgh through the Faculty Enhancement Grant I received at my college. One of the strangest Uber rides of my life happened during this conference.
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September
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- First time volunteering at Dally in the Alley. A wonderful event to attend, and an even better event for which to volunteer.
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2016
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January
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- Officially started as AMATYC Midwest Vice President.
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February
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- Attended my first KYMATYC Conference
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March
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- Attended my first AMATYC Spring Board Meeting
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April
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- Ran in my first Macomb Let’s Move Festival of Races 5K. This was the first of many 5K races that I have participated in since.
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May
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- Visited my good friend Ana in Tucson, AZ
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August
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- Attended my first MathFest in Columbus, OH. I remember this conference because I went to the Columbus Beer Fest. This is the best Beer Fest I’ve ever attended. There, I said something nice about Ohio.
- R.I.P. to my cousin Clifton Oaks, January 26, 1970 – Friday, August 19, 2016
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September
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- Attended my first WisMATYC Conference
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October
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- Attended my first InMATYC Conference
- Conducted Visual Thinking Strategies Workshop at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Due to the recent partnership between my college and the DIA, I hope to be able to resurrect this workshop again soon.
- Attended my first Toledo Walleye game
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November
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- Learned letterpress at Signal Return
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December
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- Attended my first Detroit Urban Craft Fair. I now try to attend this event annually.
- Attended my first Flint Firebirds Game. I remember this game because I went with my dad and godfather.
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2017
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April
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- Attended my first IMACC Conference
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May
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- R.I.P. to my grandma, Hazel Weidenhammer, March 23, 1932 – May 2, 2017
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July
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- Attended Concacaf Gold Cup in Cleveland. It was the first time I’d ever been to a professional soccer match.
- Final trip to Mackinac Island with my mom and dad. It will always be a memorable trip because we spent the majority of the trip looking for a lighthouse sweatsuit for my mom.
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September
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- Last meal I had with my cousin Tinia, aunt Edith, and cousin Caroline all together. I will always miss their annual visits from Tennessee.
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October
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- Received the 2017 MichMATYC Teaching Excellence Award. I will never regret that I forced my parents to drive to the conference to be with me when I received the reward.
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November
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- Infamous Megabus trip to Chicago
- Started the Quality Matters Peer Reviewer Course
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2018
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May
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- Visited Seattle, WA, for the first time
- Attended my first NISOD Conference
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June
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- Conducted an AMATYC Statistics Traveling Workshop at St. Louis Community College-Meramec
- Attended my first TODOS Conference. Less than two years later, I became part of the TODOS Member Services Committee working on the website.
- Attended my first KAAN Conference. Less than two years later, I am now engaged to someone who I met at the conference, and I am also the KAAN webmaster.
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July
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- R.I.P. to my cousin Tinia
- Attended my first MIKA Event
- Took an epic two week trip to NYC to attend the SIMIODE MINDE Workshop. Two summers later, I presented my work from this workshop at MathFest.
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August
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- All Time Low/Dashboard Confessional Concert with my new concert buddy Stewart
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October
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- Infamous MIKA soju party.
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November
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- R.I.P. to my dad Robert C. Oaks, October 11, 1950 – November 7, 2018
- Ran Thanksgiving Day 5K in Atlanta, GA. I had always wanted to run in a Thanksgiving Day Race!
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December
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- Returned to Korea for the first time since I was adopted.
- R.I.P. to my aunt Carol Woodruff, September 25, 1939 – December 27, 2018. I will always remember going to my Aunt Carol’s house to get my annual Halloween costume picture taken, and her amazing Christmas Eve parties.
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2019
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January
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- Epic weekend in L.A. with my friend Nate
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February
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- Epic weekend in Chicago with my friend Chris
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March
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- Attended the State Champs Concert with my concert buddy Stewart
- Attended my first OhioMATYC Conference
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April
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- Bought my first house. This was unexpected, but necessary after several months of dealing with a neglective landlord who left me without a working furnace for weeks, among other things.
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May
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- Attended my first National MathFest
- Met my biological cousin Kyle
- Received my 2019 NISOD Teaching Excellence Award Medallion
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July
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- Epic trip from Toronto to LA to Kansas City. This was a crazy trip because I didn’t realize that I cleared U.S. customs at the Toronto airport before I even left Canada.
- Epic trip from LA to Cincinnati to Ireland to Orlando. One part I’ll always remember about this trip is losing my glasses in Belfast City Hall when I went to Northern Ireland for a daytrip.
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August
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- Got engaged to the one I cannot imagine living without today.
- Went on my 2nd trip to Korea for the Short-Term Korean Language Institute at Ewha University. I didn’t take the final exam, but I learned a lot and don’t regret the experience.
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October
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- Attended my first NDMATYC Conference
- Attended my friends Jimmy and Khrystine’s Wedding. I won’t forget this wedding because coffee was spilled on me during the reception, and sculptures were being made out of the coffee creamers.
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December
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- Attended the All Time Low Concert in Chicago, IL, with my concert buddy Stewart
- Rang in the new decade with an epic New Year’s Eve Party where we played Tetris until 5 a.m.
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