Actuarial Science Academy Prorgram at WCU

I applied to an Actuarial Science program at West Chester University during the school year to learn more about this topic and see whether I'd be interested in pursuing this area of business. For the application, I needed to provide some information about myself, a recommendation from a teacher, a resume, and write a short essay.

Shortly after, I was accepted and by July it was time for me to spend 3 days at WCU. There were a variety of ways in which we were introduced to actuarial science. We joined a few classes that college students following the path took: amortization and statistics. A guest speaker from an actuarial science organization came to discuss his job and we went to tour a workplace. Amongst the learning, we had fun. We had activities such as rock climbing and going out for Kiwi Frozen Yogurt.

It was here where I decided to trade my first equity. It was pretty late at night while I was catching up on the news, where one about Nintendo's Pokemon Go caught my eye. I read up on it and saw the game would be leading the company in a new direction--a better one. I invested in Nintendo until I saw that the price had been inflated way too much, all the while in China. But my trading history is a story to be told in a later post.

As I am posting this a year too late--but still want to preserve this memory--all the opportunities to learn more about AcSci at WCU was a wonderful experience this was me. This program has definitely influenced my decision in choosing what to study in the future. (<3 8/20/17)

Trip to the National Zoological Park

School just ended on the 16th and I'm super excited for summer vacation.  I've got a whole lot planned for July and then some at the end of August.  Mostly, I'll just be relaxing in between--catching up on missed rest--and hopefully starting college applications.

Usually, I go to DC at least once a year to see the cherry blossoms.  However, this year, I think they blossomed earlier while it was still too cold.  There are many attractions, like museums, the National Mall, and the Capitol.  This year, I decided to visit the National Zoo, which I had not been to in a few years.

We first walked through the Kids' Farm, a petting zoo, a popular place for me when I was younger.  I snapped some pictures, but didn't stay long.

Favorite closeup

Some alpacas

Three goats chillin' on their playground

The Zoo was a lot different than I remembered.  The most stunning part of my visit was standing so close to a Roseate Spoonbill that I could pet it.  I saw these pink creatures at the Amazonia. It was their feeding time, but I couldn't visibly see what they were eating.

A lot of ancient looking animals lived in the large tanks.  However, I was more excited for the amphibians and fish in the smaller tanks.  They were the strange and colorful ones, the ones giving the Amazon its fame.

What a pointy snout!

Chubby golden poison dart frog

Love the colors!

Strange swimming apparatus

Almost camouflaged

We traveled upstairs to the outdoor version of the exhibit.  The lush flora and calls of free birds and symphony of chirping insects gave me a real-life Amazonian experience.  This is where I captured a Roseate Spoonbill more clearly and in its natural habitat.

'majestic music playing in the background'

After leaving the rain forest, I observed a variety of amphibians in their natural habitat.

I love poison dart frogs.

We just strolled up the path looking at each exhibit along the way.

Next was the seal and its tricks.  It would swim laps and flip onto to its back when it neared us.

These busy beavers were a new addition to the zoo.  They were working hard on their dam.

These elephants were humongous compared to their caretaker!

Then came the most famous part of the zoo: the pandas! At first, they were all playing outside, so it was difficult to see them clearly, but then one came in to sleep.

He looks like a giant stuffed animal :3

The Bird House had many birds that I've never seen in person before.

I'm so lucky to have the experience of seeing peacocks in real-life--male and female.  The male one was strutting his beautiful feathers for his human admirers.  While I was snapping some pictures, he got into a squawking fight with a nearby macaw and scared some people.

the feathers on his head are cute

Here are the birds that live outdoors.

so many flamingos

It's feeding time!

Next up was the Small Mammal House.  This is where all the adorable animals live.

Look at those eyes! 

Just some more golden lion tamarins for good measure.

Squirrel!

And our final stop was the Reptile Discovery Center.  Unfortunately, the Invertebrate Exhibit was permanently closed (actually in 2014).  It featured aquatic and terrestrial species without backbones, and was my favorite place to visit.

Eep! Don't eat me!

Why so grumpy?

Where's the frog?

I was so tired by the end of my exploration of all these different exhibitions and houses. However, I managed to still visit my favorite museum, the National Museum of National History.  I didn't take any pictures because I had so many from previous trips.  I focused on reading their highlighted section about the ocean and enjoying the Gemstones exhibit.