PERSONAL LANDSCAPE PORTFOLIO

Nicole EnslowWestern Washington UniversityNovember 22, 2011

CHAOS THEORY Chaos Theory was based on a

mathematical approach to the weather. It branched out and became more applicable to everyday life when they realized Chaos Theory is about how things falls apart, how we pick up those pieces, and put them back together.

Parts of Chaos Theory include The Butterfly effect, Bifurcation Points, and Self-Organization. Examples of these follow…

First Bifurcation Point On October 10th, 1985

my half-brother, David, was born. My brother was raised by our dad and grandma until he was four when my mom came into his life.

David was the first of many of his siblings to be given up by his mother. Our dad was the only one who chose to raise his child.

David has since reconnected with many of his siblings but really only considers me to be his sister.

The Pivotal Butterfly Effect My parents met when

my mom took a job at Union Bank, which my dad’s father was on the board of.

One day my dad came in with a complaint and my parents made a bet, which my mother won. This bet led to their first date.

Less than two years later I was born.

Major Bifurcation Point When I was 11 years

old, my brother’s drug use became a serious problem within our family.

Our lives majorly changed when my brother left home, and almost everything that has happened since can be traced back to that time.

This picture was taken when I was about 15 years old. I had not seen my brother in months and did not know when I would see him again, so I wanted a picture with him just in case I did not see him again.

Self- OrganizationAs a junior, I was given the opportunity to participate in a support group for Families of Addicts (FoAs) in my school. My experiences in this group led me to the field of Drug and Alcohol counseling. With this goal in mind, when I applied to Western, I knew that I wanted to study Human Services. While my plans have changed somewhat, I still know that if I had not made the decision to be in that group I may not be in this major today.

Self-Organization As a Senior in high

school I became involved with a group called Teen Council after a friend of mine introduced me to it.

This group is part of Planned Parenthood’s education branch. The experience influenced a lot of my future plans, and got me involved with politics.

Planned Parenthood Butterfly Effect

As part of Teen Council, I attended Teen Lobby Day. At lunch our group was seated next to the Ask Group from Bellingham.

While talking to their leader I told her that I was attending Western the next year, and she told me about VOX. Because of VOX, I have had many awesome experiences with Planned Parenthood.

•Besides avid volunteering with VOX, I worked in the clinic last year and as a Voter Engagement Intern over this past summer.

Ecological SystemsThe theory of Ecological Systems, developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner, is a system of five environments that interact bi-directionally with one another. Each environment either has a direct impact on the surrounding environments or it impacts how we view and respond to the others.These environments are the Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem, and the Chronosystem.

Socioeconomic Status- Exosystem

Since the age of two, my parents, brother and I have lived in the same home in Lakewood WA on Steilacoom Lake.

Both of my parents have been employed for most of my life, my mother working at Heritage Bank and my dad as a Real Estate Agent and land lord.

I have lived a very privileged life and therefore cannot really relate personally to many of the extreme examples of poverty that we have been shown in class.

I Couldn’t Have of Done it Without My Family- Microsystem

Both of my parents hold the same values as I do, and my dad’s participation in politics has influenced my interest.

I would probably not be at Western if it were not for my parents; they support my education and career goals entirely.

My brother has significantly shaped who I am today. While at times he created a lot of tension, I know I would not be where I am without him.

My Parents and Friends- Mesosystem

My parents have been influential on my social life. Due to my dad working at home, he was always the one driving my friends and I around. My house was always an available option for sleepovers and my parents tended to play an active role in my friend’s lives as well. They are often referred to as another mom and dad by my friends.

One recent example just happened over this weekend. One of my best friends lives in Iowa and was Skyping my mom. During this interaction, my mom asked when Nadine would next be visiting, when she said that money was an issues my mom offered to pay for half of her plane ticket just so that my friend would be able to visit with my family.

Interacting with Larger Systems

My Path to Western- Education•I attended two religious private schools: Lakewood Lutheran (first and second grade) and St. Francis Cabrini (third through sixth grade). While being very negative social experiences, I was able to get a sturdy foundation for my education which led to my caring about attending a good school.•Starting in seventh grade I attended good public schools in a near by city. I was lucky enough to get waivers each year to attend better schools.•While in these schools I made a lot of great connections with people, one of which led me to the Teen Council group.•My experience in the FoA group at Curtis High School led me to the field of Drug and Alcohol counseling. I knew that I would need to major in something along the lines of Social Work.•I applied and was accepted to Western with the plan of going into Human Services . Soon after I was even invited to be a Future Woodring Scholar.

My Role in Politics•After my first Lobby Day in February of 2009, I knew how important it was to be involved in local and nation politics.• Since 2009, I have been to each “Reproductive Rights Lobby Day” in Olympia, WA, talking to my Representatives and Senator about reproductive rights in Washington State; including funding, keeping harmful chemicals out of our communities and protecting women from organizations that provide false information to woman while posing as a medical authority.•Besides lobbying in Olympia, in the summer of 2010 I attended Planned Parenthood’s National Youth Conference in Washington D.C. which involved lobbying Senator Cantwell.•Over the summer as a Voter Engagement Intern, I hosted phone banks to inform people about local elections and gathered thousands of signatures for Washington State petitions.

“Imitation is suicide.”- R.W. EmersonAuthenticity

When I read those words in the 10th grade, I felt like I had found the motto that I had already been living by. I knew I did not want to be who everyone else wanted me to be, I wanted to find myself through trial and error and be who I felt like I was. I still try to live up to this every day, not letting people pressure me into being someone else or doing something that I do not want to do.

I Live Politically- Authenticity As a feminist, I live my life

politically. I do not use the word “rape” as a joke, or “gay” as synonymous with “stupid”. When I see/hear something, I try to respond even when people around me do not.

I am actively involved in politics and am constantly working to educate the people around me about what is going on politically.

I do not vote only to be able to complain about the results but because I know how important it is to make my voice heard.

References for my Personal Landscape Portfolio

My personal experiences

John Korsmo’s weeks 5 & 6 powerpoints