Hello, my name is Brittany

Prescott and I will be graduating this

winter during the Fall 2015 graduation

ceremony. I am a marketing major in the

Lee Business School. My next step after I

graduate will be to receive a promotion

with my current company, Core Rehab,

as a manager of marketing. Before I start

my full time position with them, I will be

enjoying a graduation gift to myself by

going to Thailand in the beginning of

January for ten days which I am super

excited for!

The most rewarding part of being

a Hixson-Lied Success Scholar is getting

to meet so many awesome people

through this scholarship and really im-

prove my public speaking skills. I have

been able to help students in the COLA

100E classes with presentations and I

have even participated in events where I

spoke to over a hundred people. The

program has really refined my leader-

ship skills as well as given me a family

here at UNLV to call my own.

My favorite UNLV discovery

as an undergraduate that I have been

able to share with students is the UNLV

Health and Wellness building. It has so

many great resources included free

massage chairs that I can’t tell enough

people about. The importance of intern-

ships, networking, and meeting profes-

sors have also been huge tips I give stu-

dents every semester. I am so excited to

be graduating. I hope I truly do leave a

legacy with the people I have helped

here at UNLV.

If I were an ice cream flavor, I

would be mint chocolate chip!

DECEMBER 2015

V OLUME 4 , ISSUE 6

Hixson-Lied Success Scholar Newsletter

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS - ACADEMIC SUCCESS CENTER

Graduating Hixson-

Lied Success Scholars

1-2

The Importance of

Self Care 3

Student Recreational

Services 4

Student Health Center 5

The Marjorie Barrick

Museum 6

Research Assis-

tantships 7

The Importance of

Being Proactive 8

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Ms. Christina M. Hixson graduated from high school in Clarinda, Iowa and moved to Omaha, Nebraska to attend business school. She later went to work for Mr. Ernst F. Lied , a car dealer-ship owner in Omaha and in 1960 she joined Mr. Lied in Las Vegas, Nevada as his assistant. After Mr. Lied’s death in 1980, Ms. Hixson be-came the sole trustee of the Lied Foundation Trust and turned the Lied Foundation Trust into one of the largest foundations in the state of Nevada at that time. Ms. Hixson has a special understanding of young people who, like her, came from a challenging family background and are willing to work hard.

Mr. Ernst F. Lied was born in Columbus, Ohio and attended the University of Kansas for two years, where he played on the golf team. He ultimately graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1927. Mr. Lied became a Buick dealer in Omaha, Nebraska and later his dealership was ranked third in the country for the number of cars sold. Mr. Lied estab-lished his charitable foundation in 1972, and upon his death in 1980 at age 74 nearly his entire estate funded the Lied Foundation Trust. Lied Foundation Trust has enhanced the capabilities of many schools and enriched the quality of many lives!

Graduating Hixson-Lied Success Scholars

(Continued on pg. 2)

Group Photo of Hixson-Lied Success Scholars Fall 2015

Brittany Prescott, Graduating

Hixson– Lied Success Scholar

Three students from the first inaugural class of Hixson-Lied Success Scholars are

graduating this semester! We hope that you enjoy reading about Brittany, Brendon, and

Sabina's’ experiences as students and scholars.

DECEMBER 2015 P AGE 2

consider the tips and advice I was offering from ex-

perience helped me to feel like I have positively im-

pacted their college career. Declining to study

abroad is a deep regret of many. Students were in-

terested and asked for more information about stud-

ying abroad and I was able to offer my experience

and advice as well as providing information from

the international programs office.

One of my most favorite UNLV discoveries

were the professors I encountered. A major philoso-

phy I believe in is utilizing instructors as much as

you can. Many of the UNLV Hotel College instruc-

tors helped me in many ways. My professors were

always there to assist me whether it was advice for

the class, difficult decisions, challenges throughout

my college career, or what paths I should take in the

course of my career.

If I was a flavor of ice cream I would most

likely be coffee ice cream. Coffee is a good repre-

sentation of me due to coffee having caffeine as I

am always active and never seem to be low on ener-

gy and awareness.

Graduating Hixson-Lied Success Scholars (Continued)

Hello, my name is Brendon Herzig. I will be

receiving a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Manage-

ment. This is a four year de-

gree that I will have com-

pleted in 3 ½ years including

a semester abroad in Austral-

ia. I am currently employed

by the Wynn Las Vegas and

have been there since April

2015. My post-graduation

plans will include looking

into management level posi-

tions and to move up within

the Wynn Corporation and

hospitality industry. I also

plan to travel the world as I

believe it is important to un-

derstand different cultures. To better my capabilities

and skill set, I am planning on utilizing time to learn

new languages.

My most rewarding experiences as a Hixson-

Lied Success Scholar were having the ability of men-

toring multiple COLA 100E classes. Noticing students

My name is Sabina Catak and I am graduating

with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. My next

step as a graduate is to net-

work with criminal justice

professionals to find a career

in my field. I will also contin-

ue working my business so I

can become financially free.

My greatest and most

rewarding experience as a

Hixson-Lied Success Scholar

was being able to grow each

semester. It could be as little

as becoming a better public

speaker, or even getting to

see all of my fellow scholars,

faculty, and everyone in the

Academic Success Center.

My favorite moment specifically was listening to all of

the moments fellow scholars have overcome adversity

with gratitude. They really inspire me to persevere and

become a better person. The day we had a scholar speak

about what the scholar had to overcome was very touch-

ing and inspiring!

My favorite discovery is visiting the Social

Justice house. I feel so warm and welcome in there. I

love going to the Center for Social Justice to relax on

the couch and drink a cup of coffee. Everyone there is

so welcome, very smart and positive and allow you to

be yourself!

The most influential person to my success is

Professor Sarah Wong. I feel like I can relate to her in

many ways. I aspire to be like her upon graduation

because she is very direct and honest, yet is very posi-

tive and uplifting. I literally call or email her when I

panic and she is always there, thank you!

If I were a flavor of ice cream I would be

mint chocolate chip!

Brendon Herzig, Graduating

Hixson-Lied Success Scholar

Sabina Catak, Graduating

Hixson-Lied Success Scholar

H IXSON-L IED SUCCESS SCHOLAR NEWS LETTER P AGE 3

and happy with anything. One of the most basic

and important ways of setting yourself up for suc-

cess is to create a positive mental environment.

Don’t repeat and believe negative thoughts you

may be telling yourself. Replace self-defeating

thoughts with self-affirmations. An easy and prac-

tical way to do this could be to set up affirming

reminders on your phone. Either the night before

or in the morning, think of a positive thought or

idea about yourself or your life. Put that positive

affirmation in your phone, and set it to go off at

any time during the day that you see fit. This way,

you will have a physical reminder of a positive

truth about yourself.

Implementing self-care into everyday life

doesn’t have to be challenging. It is easier than

many people may assume. The best way to do this

is to be aware of yourself and your unique life

challenges. Listen to your intuition and inner

needs, and go from there. Taking the time to re-

flect on what things specifically burn you out,

which areas of your life are most taxing and chal-

lenging, and what makes you feel good and re-

charged will be the most helpful in your journey

to self-care. We all have long term goals and

dreams that we strive to meet each day, and im-

plementing self-care can be a great step towards

making those dreams a reality.

The Importance of Self Care

Carving out time for ourselves can get very

tricky in the midst of a challenging semester. Between

work commitments, papers, projects, studying, and im-

portant tests that our grades depend on, it is extremely

easy to become overworked and far too stressed to func-

tion. Often times, our main focus goes towards tending

to other commitments instead of taking care of our-

selves. This is a dangerous pitfall to succumb to because

when we are overworked and too stressed, we can’t

function efficiently or to the best of our ability. In hopes

of accomplishing everything else in our lives, we ulti-

mately hinder the quality and likelihood of accomplish-

ing what we need to because we allow ourselves to feel

burnt out. When we set ourselves up for success and

practice self-care, we enhance our academic, physical,

and emotional health and well-being.

One of the best areas to start implementing self-

care is with your physical body. Busy and hard-working

people limit their success if they only fuel their body

with minimally nutritious food. For many students,

simply finding the time to eat can become difficult! The

best way to remedy this on a busy schedule is to always

ensure that you have access to even a small amount

healthy food throughout the day. This can mean packing

quick healthy lunches, or just making sure that you have

some snacks for the day. If you

have no time to eat, packing a

few bags of vegetables or protein

bars can be helpful. This cuts

down on the costs of having to

buy food, and the time it takes to

grab something on campus.

When I’ve come prepared for a

day of work and classes with a

banana, apple, carrots, and pro-

tein bar, my day is instantly improved because I have the

proper fuel to keep me going. You can pack your food or

snacks the day before so that it is ready to grab in the

morning.

When commitments pile up, it is very easy to

become mentally exhausted and drained. Being inten-

tional with your thought, life, and actions becomes es-

sential. Negative and self-defeating thoughts are one of

the root causes of mental ruts and burnout. We live in

our heads constantly. If our thought life isn’t a healthy

or positive place, we automatically set ourselves up for

failure. Negativity within our thoughts seeps into every

facet of our lives, making it impossible to be productive

By Brenna Spector, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar

Student Recreational Services

Here at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas

(UNLV) we offer a large variety of ways to get ac-

tively involved on campus and promote self-care for

all students. The Student Recreation and Wellness

Center (SRWC) offers services to students who are

enrolled in more than 3.5 credits a semester and mem-

bership is included in student tuition. The SRWC is a

means of being active for those who seek a way to get

involved while attending school. The services range

from personal training and group exercising to intra-

murals sports, swim lessons and open recreational

opportunities. Activities include a variety of free exer-

cise classes scheduled everyday, individual and team

sports through intramurals, aquatics and equipment

rentals by the pool, as well as the large area of gym

equipment and events hosted by SRWC.

A great and excit-

ing way for students to con-

tinue playing sports they

love is by getting their

friends together and creat-

ing a team through the vari-

ety of sports offered each

semester. During this fall

semester, there was dodge-

ball, basketball, flag foot-

ball, indoor soccer, ooze ball, softball and volleyball.

Don’t see a sport you’re interested in? Don’t worry.

Each semester new sports are added. Most sports offer

co-recreation, which includes men’s and women’s

teams to make games fair and more enjoyable. To

create a team it typically costs $50.00 and, by going

online to IMLeagues, students can view the full list of

sports offered, when they begin and end, create a

team, and view statistics after each game to stay up-

to-date on all other teams and measure their team’s

performance. Intramurals at the end of each sports

season will award the winning team with champion-

ship shirts for each member who participated. It’s a

great way for some friendly

competition and to take a

break from daily school

work.

Memberships give

full access to gym equipment,

track, courts, and exercise

classes. To enter the SRWC

main area students must pro

vide their rebel cards to access the

facility anytime during operational

hours. Additionally, the SRWC is

offered to staff members and com-

munity members who can pay for membership by go-

ing in person and signing up. The staff at the SRWC

strives for their members to “Get active, accomplish

goals, connect with new people, and learn how to live

a healthier lifestyle.” Members can access a personal

trainer, fitness assessments, exercise classes, and a

fitness instructor training. Exercise classes offered

range from boxing, Zumba, pilates, judo, yoga, and so

much more. Go online today and view the schedule to

plan your next workout!

Summer membership is offered two ways:

students can enroll in at least one credit to continue

access, or students can pay $25 per month with no

contracts if they are not enrolled in courses at UNLV

over the summer session.

Being active and utilizing these services on

campus is a great way to boost morale and help stu-

dents stay motivated while attending school. The

SRWC also offers student counseling, psychological

services, and a health center. For more information on

all of the services offered please visit:

SRWC: https://www.unlv.edu/srwc/campus-

recreational-services.

Hours: https://www.unlv.edu/srwc/hours

Intramurals:

http://www.imleagues.com/Default.aspx

Class Schedule:

https://www.unlv.edu/sites/default/files/page_files

/27/Fall2015-RebelXSchedule.pdf

P AGE 4 DECEMBER 2015

By Natalie Costa, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar

Hello there Rebels! Ever wonder why you get

charged a health fee every semester? Most students

are probably unaware of this fee or how they could

make use of it. The health fee that students are

charged is for the use of services at the Student Health

Center located in the Student Recreation and Wellness

Center (SRWC). The Student Health Center is here to

assist busy college

students with manag-

ing their health. This

center offers a variety

of services including

a medical specialist,

lab, pharmacy, health

education and groups,

and dietary assis-

tance. A student’s life

can be highly stress-

ful which affects their

health. With these

services available

within walking dis-

tance from anywhere

on campus, students

should make use of

them when needed. For example, have you ever need-

ed to see a specialist due to discomfort or symptoms

of getting ill? Students, do not worry about coming up

with money for the office visit because it is already

covered! For other services students do not pay as

much as they would at a regular practitioner’s office.

The health center also provides students with services

such as:

Treatment of minor illness and injury

Physical exams

Basic vision screening

Pregnancy testing

Tobacco cessation and information

TB Skin Tests

Immunizations such as: MMR, Tetanus, Hepatitis

A,B and A/B, Meningitis, HPV

The influenza shot is FREE to students

Health education and advocacy groups are

great because they teach and help students live a

healthier life. For example, Helping Young People

Experience Recovery (HYPER) is a group that focus

es on recovery from addictive disorders for anyone

who has been impacted by addiction. Addiction and

substance abuse can destroy a student’s life so it is

important for students to know that there are groups

here to support them. There are also the Campus Ad-

vocacy and Resource and Empowerment (CARE) ad-

vocates which help any student that has been through

sexual abuse or violence in order to help them heal

and be successful in college.

Under this umbrella students may also meet

with a dietitian for free. Meeting with a dietitian is a

great resource because many students tend to get

caught up with a busy schedule and forget to nourish

their body properly. The dietitian sits with students to

work on a meal plan to make sure the student is get-

ting everything that their body demands. The lab and

the pharmacy in the Health Center are also major re-

sources for students. No more going to Walgreens or

any other drug store, students can drop by the SRWC

to get their medicine or lab requests done and save a

trip to a pharmacy off campus.

As college students, we know how tight mon-

ey can get! Therefore, I encourage students to make

use of the Health Center and

take advantage of all the ben-

efits that are provided. No

matter how busy a student's’

life can get, he/she should not

be afraid to seek help when it

comes to his/her health. The

Health Center is here to help

anyone in need.

Please refer to https://www.unlv.edu/srwc/health-

center/student-services for a complete list of ser-

vices

To make an appointment or to see a specialist

please call (702) 895-3370

Business hours are Monday through Thursday

8:00 am–6:00 pm & Friday from 9:00am–5:00pm

To make a lab appointment please call (702) 895-

0280 during the same business hours

For pharmacy inquiries please call (702) 895-0278

during the same business hours

H IXSON-LIED SUCCESS SCHOLAR NEWS LETTER PAGE 5

Student Health Center By Vanessa Huanca-Siles, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar

P AGE 6 DECEMBER 2015

The UNLV Marjorie Barrick Museum is a place

where art and education collide. Through intense obser-

vation, art becomes an experience, stimulating the mind

and teaching students about art and art appreciation. It

is a place to relax, promote engagement with the visual

arts among UNLV students, faculty, and staff, the great-

er Las Vegas community, and the national and interna-

tional art community.

My art teacher introduced me to this place. She

was the one who suggested that I volunteer there, but

anyone can apply. Any student can ask for an applica-

tion from the office and once they fill it out, there will

be an interview scheduled. Once approved, tasks will be

given and responsibility doled out. It’s a very straight-

forward process and they are always eager for a couple

of extra hands.

I was a volunteer staff member at the museum

for two semesters where I did an assortment of different

tasks. I set up exhibits and hung paintings while having

long introspective talks with the fellow staff. I cleaned

floorboards and patched up holes in the walls after each

exhibit needed to come down. I organized the back

rooms and made minor repairs to the doors. However,

most of the time, I spent my time in the library, rear-

ranging and relabeling their books and inputting data in

the computer. The staff were welcoming and polite, ea-

ger to answer any questions I had and willing to include

me in conversations even if I had no idea what they

were talking about. The

atmosphere was pleasant

in a way that implied pro-

fessionalism while being

distinctly inviting. The art

itself was diverse and

breathtaking, each piece

telling a story that is

unique and open to interpretation.

The current exhibit, titled “Break Ups and Tear

Downs”, is a modge-podge of pieces from three dif-

ferent Las Vegas artists: Wendy Kveck, JK Russ,

and Erin Stellmon, open until January 23, 2016.

Continually, the museum offers a variety of pro-

grams outside the exhibits like the ArtBar, where

you unleash your creative potential, and tours,

where a guide takes you through the exhibit and

talks about the pieces for a more in-depth under-

standing of the artist and his work. Every week they

have film screenings and on Saturdays they host

Children’s Storytime.

Each semester brings new opportunities as

well. This semester they had the UNLV Visiting

Artist Lecture Series on Thursdays at 7:00pm, fea-

turing an array of artists that both established a

chance for them to discuss their art and receive cri-

tique. Visiting Artists Lecture Series was created to

educate, inspire and foster a greater understanding

and appreciation of contemporary art through visual

presentations and conversation.

The Barrick

Museum is a great

place to relax and de-

stress. It’s a very quiet

environment with a

minimalist layout,

which is refreshing

after a long, hard day

of work and school. Students can feel at ease walk-

ing around and looking at the exhibits or can take

their frustrations out in a creative way at the ArtBar.

They could even just sit at one of the couches, take

in the calmness and serenity of the museum, and

read or doze. It is a great place to go for students

who feel overwhelmed.

Who knows? You may develop a passion

for art or history or both. You may find reading

about the works, their histories, their artists’ histo-

ries and inspirations, interesting enough to pursue

more knowledge. You may be inspired to create

pieces of your own. You may find that some of the

pieces reflect something in yourself that you may

not have been able to identify in words.

The museum is located across from Lied

Library and open to both students and the public at

the very low cost of free, every Monday through

Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Marjorie Barrick Museum By Kelly Lutzker, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar

H IXSON-LIED SUCCESS SCHOLAR NEWS LETTER PAGE 7

Working in the lab setting as an Undergradu-

ate Research Assistant (RA) is one of the best ways for

a student to get practical experience in their field of

study. At UNLV, research is happening across almost

every discipline, and undergraduate students have a

chance to be a part of it!

For the past two semesters, I have been given

the amazing opportunity to work as an RA in Dr. Ren-

nels Baby and Child Rebel Lab, located in the Herman

Westfall Building (HWB) on campus. Dr. Rennels’ lab

is interested in understanding how infants and children

learn about their social world and the people around

them. My role in the lab as an RA has allowed me to

gain valuable experience that has perfectly comple-

mented my in-class learning. While I am reading a

developmental textbook in class, I am contributing to

its’ information in the lab. Through this Developmen-

tal Psychology research assistantship, I have learned to

independently run infant studies, enter and analyze

data, and write psychology research papers. For me,

this experience has been more than worthwhile, as it

has helped me understand the process of university

research, and taught me skills that I will need to go on

to graduate school. The benefits of being an RA are

quite numerous, and becoming one is easier than you

might think!

If you are interested in the career and profes-

sional development that a research internship can offer

you, then do not hesitate to reach out to UNLV facul-

ty. I got my position by going to

https://www.unlv.edu/psychology/labs, which pro-

vides a list of all the opportunities for research expe-

rience in my field. From there, I simply sent emails

to professors whose research aligned with my own

academic interests, expressing interest in working

with them on their current projects. Labs who are

looking for RA’s take this email as a preliminary ap-

plication, and may request some additional infor-

mation, such as your GPA, a summary of your re-

search interests, and your general availability the fol-

lowing semester. As many labs request that a student

works for about 9 hours a week, it is important that

you take into consideration what your schedule looks

like before applying for an RA position. Generally,

labs then offer interested students an interview, and

finally extend offers for positions. While the process

seems overwhelming, your odds of getting into a lab

are high, as many labs do not get very many applica-

tions.

The best advice I can give students is to

simply take chances and seek out the amazing oppor-

tunities right here on campus. Our faculty members

are always looking for passionate students who are

interested in their work to aid them in their pursuit of

knowledge. By taking the first step in finding these

opportunities, students can build their resumes, ex-

amine a subject in depth, and most importantly, en-

hance their educational experience here at UNLV.

Research Assistantships By Yana Ryjova, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar

P AGE 8 DECEMBER 2015

Academic Calendars, Term calendars, and Final Exam Schedules can be accessed through the UNLV website at

https://www.unlv.edu/registrar/calendars.

The Importance of Being Proactive By Victoria Mitchell, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar

(702) 895-3177

www.unlv.edu/asc

4505 Maryland Parkway

Las Vegas, NV 89154-2001

Academic Success Center

*All photos used are original, can be found at unlv.edu or have references indicated

College is different from high school in many ways. One of the most important differences is that you

are held more accountable in college. In high school, you constantly get in-class reminders about assignments

and deadlines. In college, it is much less common for professors to provide reminders of deadlines, especially

deadlines set at the institution-level (e.g., course add/drop dates). In addition, it is common for college profes-

sors to give pop-quizzes and expect you to have read the chapters for that day's lecture prior to class. This prac-

tice ensures that students are prepared for class, and thus an important aspect of preparation is being proactive.

Just like you have to be proactive in reading your syllabus, you must also be proactive when figuring out im-

portant dates including: add/drop dates, mid-term exams, final exams, holidays, registration dates, financial aid

and scholarship deadlines, and graduation deadlines. Below are a few upcoming deadlines to keep in mind:

Last day to add/drop (Spring)

January 25: Last day to add courses, switch

sections, change courses, change from audit to

credit. Final day to drop or withdraw and re-

ceive a 100 percent refund.

February 26: Final day to completely withdraw

from all classes and receive a 50 percent re-

fund.

April 1: Final day to drop or withdraw from

classes without a refund or change from credit

to audit. Drops and withdrawals will not be

allowed after this date even with instructor ap-

proval.

Midterms and finals

Spring:

March 12: Mid-Term Grades Due

May 9-14: Final examinations

Summer:

There are no set dates for mid-terms and finals dur-

ing summer sessions, but just like during fall and

spring sessions, the midterm will be the week in the

middle, usually before the final drop date. The final

is usually the last day of class, unless the professor

decides otherwise.

Graduation deadlines

Spring:

March 18: Final day for undergraduates to ap-

ply for spring 2016 graduation.

Breaks/Holidays

Spring:

January 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Recess

February 15: Washington’s Birthday Recess

March 21-26: Spring Break Recess

Summer:

Important breaks to look for during summer sessions

include Memorial Day Recess and Independence Day

recess.

Registration

The last day to register for summer sessions is usually

the Friday before each session starts. Keep in mind

that this date is usually the last day for payment as

well.

Financial aid & scholarship deadlines

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid

(FAFSA) must be completed by February 1 of each

year for scholarship consideration. Most scholarships

and grants are for at least one year and the applications

are due in the spring semester, with the scholarships

being disbursed the following fall semester.

For a summary of your classes for the upcoming se-

mester, log-in to MyUNLV at

www.my.unlv.nevada.edu. There you can see the clas-

ses you are currently enrolled in and any classes you

have previously taken.