My Symbiotic Relationship with Scholar Jess Koci
So I thought I would take everyone back to 8th grade science class or maybe just to a few years ago when you guys saw the Pixar film “Finding Nemo” by referencing the symbiotic relationship in nature. The classic example used is the clownfish and the sea anemone. Both species bring aid in protection from predators. Alone each species is capable yet vulnerable, but together they are stronger and safer. Jess and I are a perfect parallel to this concept. In the last two months I have matured and grown a great deal and I must give most of the credit to Jess Koci. It has been a blast living with her. It is pretty incredible how well Sport Changes Life matched two people that get along so well. Maybe it was the simple fact that we are both from Philadelphia. Regardless, if you saw how we interact you may think we hate each other but that assumption couldn’t be more misguided. We are constantly hitting each other, calling each other names and making fun of each other, but it is all in good fun. I guess you could call it our culture, or maybe it could be called simply the tough Philly “brotherly love”.
We are the definition of a team. T-ogether E-veryone A-chieves M-ore. The apartment dynamic is awesome. We function both efficiently and effectively. We understand our roles and complete the tasks that best suit our skill sets. When cooking I clean, prep the food, and do the dishes, while Jess cuts the peppers, onions, and cooks all the food. Jess does all of the cleaning and “tidying” of sweeping and cleaning up the mess after cooking while I gather it and take out the trash to the dumpster. Her Italian roots really shine through in her cooking. It is superb. I think she is at times mildly concerned with the amount of food I can consume. She frequently calls me the “garbage disposal” or “bottomless pit”. Maybe she is right that I eat too much but I think it is because the food is so good.
If Jess feels tired I try to pick her up with energy and when I am not feeling well Jess does the same for me. We have all our classes together, and just like groceries and other tasks around the apartment, we divide all the work and conquer. For example, Jess has a accounting degree, so I let her take the reigns for our strategic financial analysis class. She is putting the study guide together and making flash cards, and basically tutoring me after class since it is all review for her. I have a specialised business marketing degree, and I have already written a senior thesis in which I conducted both primary and secondary research last year. It was basically an abbreviated dissertation. So I am helping Jess finding sources so she can pick an appropriate topic that she will both be interested in and have ample information to write and support it. I also will help her with the marketing and out of the box questioning that is required at level 9 here at IT Carlow. She is a very cut and dry simple accounting type of personality. I hope by the end of the year I can help her think philosophically questioning the status quo, and understand both perspectives of an argument when there’s simply no clear cut answer.
In summary, together Jess and I have true synergy, and I can’t think of a better person to aid me through my time as a Victory Scholar this year.
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