Actually being the teacher is the best way to study. Now what I mean by that is once you get your base knowledge down the first thing you need to do is find someone to talk to. Then you will try to teach your friend, parent, siblings, whoever about the topic you are studying. Once you are actually able to teach and inform them of the topic it should be able to stick into your head much easier. I am a STEM major so I have a lot of memorization and I struggle with keeping all the information in my head. I found that while note cards do work, actually talking to someone about the topic makes it stick in my head so much easier. Another great studying strategy that works for me is doing things hands on when I can. One way I was able to hands on study was going to the gym when learning about the muscular system. When I was working out I was pointing out the names of the muscles I could actually feel doing the workout which helped me a lot when it came to the tests. Even being sore the day after made me able to point out which muscles were affected so I had a constant reminder to keep on saying the names. These two are my favorite ways to study and actually be able to retain the information I am learning.

I am much more of a go outside and do something kind of person rather than a sit inside and watch the television all day person. Once I got the freedom of owning a car it made it much easier to start traveling and going to new places. Breathing in the fresh air on a trail just makes the day so much better. Yosemite National Park is one of my favorite places to travel to for hiking; it has a wide variety of trails which is great for me because I always like to switch up where I am going. One way I appreciate nature is by partaking in a variety of volunteering activities. I have done a handful of community trash pickups at lakes, oceans, and just in my local town. It feels good to be giving back to the earth and trying to make it a better place. When I went to Pinnacles National Park and did trail maintenance it was great to see so many people out on the trails and everyone was being so nice and thankful. Spreading positivity and creating community I think is a very wonderful thing that I love to be a part of, especially when I am able to do it out in nature.