Sunday, June 29, 2014

Mountains Everywhere! - Emily Eckberg

These past few weeks have flown by. I am interning at the Colorado Neurological Institute, where I have gotten to shadow the occupational therapist (as occupational therapy is the career I plan on pursuing) as well as the physical therapists and speech pathologists, all of whom are people I enjoy and look forward to learning more from as the summer goes on. I have learned so much already about how the careers all work together, as well as insight into various neurological diseases such as MS and ALS. As a bonus, while working in the clinic gym, I get to see beautiful views of the mountains right outside the window!
 
When I am not interning or working at the bed and breakfast (which has been a completely different but fun experience), there has been plenty of other activities to keep busy with. There are so many places to hike and not enough time to get to them all, but many of us have been making the most of it. The large amount of snow in early June has led us to take trails less popular, but just as spectacular.  This past weekend took us to see Shrek the Musical at the Boulder dinner theatre, which was a lot of fun, as well as a drive up Mt. Evans, with delicious food afterwards. We were even able to experience a little Zimbabwean culture, eating traditional food with a concert to follow at a local church. I look forward to experiencing more of Denver and the surrounding areas in the coming weeks!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

From the Mile Wide City to the Mile High City - Amy Dunleavy

My name is Amy Dunleavy and I’m going to be a senior biology major in the fall. This summer I am interning with Dr. Dale Brown in the cardiovascular-pulmonary labs at the University of Colorado, Denver. Throughout the summer I will be working on various projects that will set the base work for future studies in the CU-CVP labs. Since it is early in the summer I have been doing a lot of observing and practicing different lab techniques. I will begin my own projects this coming week. So far my internship has been great and I look forward to seeing what the rest of the summer holds!

This past weekend a group of friends and I took a day trip to Colorado Springs. We visited the Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, and went on a hike in one of the nearby “recreational areas.”  The Air Force Academy and the Garden of the Gods were beautiful! However, my favorite part of the day was our hike. What we thought would be an easy hike turned into a pretty crazy adventure. A majority of our hike was straight up, with fairly loose gravel/rocks, and no obvious pathways. It was definitely not a “beginner” hike but was well worth the trip! I can’t wait to see what else this summer has in store!

The Start of Something New - Amber Wiltgen

Hey everyone! My experience at Wartburg West has been awesome so far and I have loved every minute of being here in Denver, and it has only been about a week! Everyone got here on June 5th and we all helped eachother unload and get settled in. Bonita and Nelson then had orientation activities planned for us the following day, and since then, we have basically been on our own to explore and take in the city life. Nicole actually started a Wartburg West Summer 2014 Facebook page to encourage everyone to communicate and keep everyone posted on what they plan to do for that day in case others would like to join in on the fun. So, that has been an awesome way for everyone to have the opportunity to actively bond and stay in tune to everything that Denver has to offer. Just in the past week and a half, I feel like I have gotten to experience so many awesome aspects of the city, whether it be going on a hike up in Red Rocks or just going shopping down at the 16th street mall. Aside from all of the exploring, we also started our internships on Monday, June 9th. I am interning in the Emergency Room at the Denver Health Medical Center which has been a really good experience for me so far, and has just reinforced my passion for pursuing a career in the medical field. Anyway, I am so excited and grateful to be spending the next month and a half here at Wartburg West, even though the time has flown by, and am looking forward to the lasting memories I will make and the stories that I will have the opportunity to share with everyone in support of the program. BE ORANGE!