Introduction

As life after high school approaches, there are many aspects of that point that need to be evaluated. The first, foremost, and essential aspect to be examined is what a person is going to do after high school. Having a plan or at least some semblance of a plan can put a person onto a track toward achieving what they want in life.

Through help from my mentors, teachers, and family members I have been able to come to a decision about what I want my life after high school approaches. I have decided to join the military and get an education in the field of Chinese language. The first step has already been completed. What lies ahead is how I plan to successfully get to the end of the road and remain well while doing it.

The eight wellnesses are systems that I will employ to get closer to my goals. They will make sure my body, person, and mind are all in peak conditions. Their other function is to help keep myself in a disciplined mindset and lower the potential levels of stress that I will be subjected to. I will make sure to be well as I move through the military and education as well as heighten the value of my life.

Physical Wellness

As we grow, our bodies need different things at different stages in life. Entering adulthood brings about a new set of guidelines that should be followed in order to be physically well. Sleep, diet and physical activity are the key components of achieving wellness in this sense. I learned a lot of interesting and valuable information while researching how I can be well in this sense as I move forward with my life.

I love sleep. That feeling of being well rested after waking up, the lazy feeling I get when I can stay in bed after waking up to adjust to consciousness in a natural way and the feeling of relaxation when I get to lay down in my bed cause me great satisfaction. Learning that sleep helps my brain and body function better is just another piece that I can add to my reasons for loving sleep (kidshealth). With such a demanding job as the military service member I will be, having my brain and body in top notch conditions is important.

Another facet of physical wellness is physical exercise and condition. Now, everyone always talks about how exercise is so important for you. It’s one thing to hear it from someone, however it is another thing to actually do research on your own regarding it. I learned that I don’t actually need to do crazy, overly exerting exercises to get into shape. Isotonic exercise, which is large muscle groups being worked in a repetitive and rhythmic motion without working heavy resistances, is the best kind of exercise to do (Health Harvard). This kind of exercise is something that I will get on a regular through PT (physical training) that the military requires. In addition, the diet that I will be able to afford will allow for a better physical condition. The pay I will receive for my service will allow me to buy healthier foods like fish, fresh veggies and fruits, and eat the things that will boost my potassium (Berkley Wellness). My physical condition will be close to excellent. I am glad that being physically well, have good health, and age well.

Environmental Wellness

I want to be surrounded by an environment that will help and encourage me instead of hindering me. I will make my personal environment someplace where I can destress and take care of myself. Having a positive personal environment is so important because it affects your moods, motivation, and influence stress levels (takingcharge.com). I will create a personal environment that is positive and caters to me.

In the military, I will have my own room and own space, unlike how I am living now due to sharing my room with my little sister. I will be able to take care of my space without interference and extra impact from other people. My

stress levels will be reduced and my moods will become more happy and positive.  This means that having positive environmental wellness will also influence my emotional and physical wellness.

I never noticed how much impact an environment had on a person. As of now, while I am still in high school I have a very high-strung personality and my moods flip at the drop of a hat. In the military, I will have the power to change and stabilize myself within the new environment. Regarding being well in this area of life, I have big plans after I leave high school.

Intellectual Wellness

The knowledge and skills I currently have are like tools for my future. What I know now are things that aid me in being successful. However, I do not know everything. Becoming well in an intellectual sense requires me to expand that knowledge and skill as well as identify my own creative capacities.

Now, everyone has areas of something where they believe that they perform at high levels. I believe that I perform to a higher degree regarding this wellness. I have many skills that I keep as sharp as possible.What I lack in the creative department helps me to recognize the little creative things that I actually do. I am not perfect, but I do believe that intellectual wellness is not a problem for me.

In doing research, I learned about some ways to build up one’s intellectual wellness. Reading and doing crossword puzzles or learning a foreign language will help to improve your mind and in turn your wellness (Ali Geary). These activities would be done in order to help expand the mind and its capabilities. I can help heighten my intellectual wellness and give back to my community by starting up a book club. I have always wanted to be in a book club, and by starting my own I can satisfy myself and help others. It is a plausible idea in that people can read the books between assignments or in their down time in order to relax from the stresses of being in the military.

In the military, I will be pushed to limits many can not imagine of as they train my mind into something far more expansive than the average person’s. In addition, since I will be learning a foreign language as my job in the military, my intellectual wellness will continue to  be built up on a constant basis. I have no worries maintaining my intellectual wellness as I enter my life after high school.

Emotional Wellness

Emotions are instinctive, unplanned, hard to control states of mind or feelings. These different emotions that we feel leave lasting impressions on ourselves. Sometimes, they can be so severe or intense that there are physical, mental, or personal effects that can potentially be prolonged for surprising amounts of time. Life and relationships are, in my opinion, the two largest factors that affect emotions. These elements of existence can have either negative or positive influence on our emotions. Learning to cope, deal with, and confront these feelings to result in effectively living life and having satisfying relationships are the goals of emotional wellness that I am aiming to obtain.

Personally, I have an extremely low level of emotional wellness. My feelings are so intense and sometimes unplanned that I have a very hard time coping with life. When faced with too many options, I become frazzled and unmoored

that it’s difficult to make decisions. When encountering situations that require high levels of emotion, I can sometimes become too passionate or heated and lose sight of the purpose or meaning of things. Other times, I can get so into my own head that my emotions start to consume me and I drown. As I move on to life after high school, I need to be able to better manage my emotional wellness.

Shifting into my adult life causes me to search for ways to improve my life. I have found 5 methods of maintaining and raising my emotional wellness. I plan to form habits of distracting myself from brooding thoughts, protecting my self-esteem, taking control after a failure, finding meaning after a loss, and recover self-worth after a rejection (Winch). I have many problems that need to be addressed by these habits because I do crumble after rejection and have trouble finding even the tiniest fragment of self-esteem among other things. When I’m in the military, I will not be able to be so fragile in this sense. The environment provided by the military will enable me to cultivate these habits and get better. The effort to have better emotional wellness will be made.

Social Wellness

A social life can consist of many different groups of people at many different times in your life. The version of a social life we are looking for today is one that can impact my new adult life and beyond that time. I need to make sure that I have built a well structured support system that I feel connected to and a part of that is separate from my family. Having a good group of friends may seem like a superficial thing to want, however being well in any and all aspects is more important that perceived superficiality.

Being socially well is so vital because “feeling connected to others reduces stress and is good for the heart” (Kelsey). Having that sense of belonging can go such a long way into taking some pressure off of your shoulders and giving you somebody to lean on when times get rough.

I would say that I am socially well at the moment. I have a good support group of close friends that stick by my side. In the event that we have to be separated from each other, I know that I can make friends with others, especially long lasting ones with my brothers and sisters in arms while I am in the military. Deep bonds will be formed as I pursue my occupation. There are also different methods I can implement to maintain my social wellness such as volunteering, learning the art of small talk, and joining a book club (Kelsey). I have faith that I will remain socially well from now and into the future.

Spiritual Wellness

The spirit is something that is within all people at varying degrees. The definition of the spirit is “the non-physical part of a person which is the seat of emotions and character; the soul” (Oxforddictionaries). This non-physical part of our body is not always acknowledged by the owner of the soul. However, this part of our body needs to be taken care of just like all the rest.

Expanding a sense of meaning and purpose in life is the goal of spiritual wellness. There happen to be many ways of interpreting this goal and many more ways to execute it. Spiritual wellness refers to “understanding your true self” and figuring out the who, what, when, where, how, and most importantly the why of our personal humanity and existence (Loveorabove). Lacking in spiritual wellness and understanding of said wellness leads to unhappiness and unfulfillment. This comprehension and resulting happiness can be found in various ways, whether it be through nature, service to others, religion, and more (Loveorabove).

On a personal note, I have always believed in bettering my spiritual wellness. I find my understanding through

religion and music. There are times when I contemplate too deeply the meaning of life, my existence, and the fact that I will eventually die. I frequently wonder what will happen afterward. It drives me to tears, crippling fear, and confusion. This is the indicator that I am spiritually unwell and consequently unhappy. When I am in the military I will make sure to keep up my spiritual wellness. When I am in need of good music and no company, my housing will provide the means toward my spiritual wellness. Such a debilitating lack of spiritual wellness must be remedied. I will do all in my power to make that happen.

Occupational Wellness

In my opinion, careers are one of the hardest things to choose and cultivate in life. It’s harder than growing plants, creating relationships, and finding happiness. The only more difficult than finding a career is raising children. Dealing with little, yet to be developed lives requires an entirely separate bag of tricks, motivation, and skills. Deciding a career comes in as a close second place of life difficulties.

The career path I want to follow consists of military service. It is a career of service to my country and, regarding my specific occupation choice it, a career of foreign intelligence where I decipher messages in a foreign language then translate it to English which can be more easily understood by us. It will take training and education to heighten myself to the levels needed for this career. I will need to go through 7.5 weeks of basic training, Airmen’s week, have received my high school diploma, score 110 on a test called the DLAB, be able to type 25 words per minute in the foreign language, and pass more training courses among other things. This training and education will be provided for me in return for my service and is of no cost to me, but to the military. This is good for me because the amount and value of the training and education I can receive is nothing to sneeze at. I can also specialize in this career field through choosing a certain language to develop an expertise in. Even though there are many languages to choose from such as Pashto, Urdu, Arabic, Russian, Korean, and more, I want to specialize in Mandarin because it is something I enjoy and something I am familiar with. I have big hopes and dreams for my career in the military and will put in the effort to make this want a reality.

Should life throw a curveball at me as it is always wont to do, I will do as my sister before me and go to community college. There I will get a degree in Chinese studies or Business or Communications. I have a free year at the college at the moment and would be able to get started on an Associate’s degree with little issue. This is a solid backup plan that I am glad to be in possession of because life is not fair and I might need to resort to this option.

My ultimate goal of any option I take is to enter the world of foreign relations with China. I want to represent my country in a positive light and better ties between our two countries. In my endeavors, I want to also bring about better education regarding foreign countries and the importance of learning other cultures and languages. Bettering foreign relations will help the American people see that it is important to have a relevant education in other cultures so we can have that respect for other humans and peoples. Whether I do this through the military route or the college route, I know that I will have a good level of occupational wellness. Any version of this plan will have me satisfied and enriched as is the meaning of being occupationally well. My experience with school and my tangible exposure to the military will allow me to remain with a good level of occupational wellness.

     Resumé

     Interview

An interview with my mother, a retired veteran from the Army.

• How did you choose your occupation in the military?
  • I wanted to do something in the medical field because it was something I had wanted to do since I was a kid.
• What did you before you started in your career?
  • I went to college for a year.
• How prepared were you for your career? How did you get to this level of preparedness or how did you wish you had prepared?
  • School prepared me for my career. I was continuously learning and keeping up to date with all of the new information, techniques, equipment, etc.
• Do you have any regrets or really outstanding memories of your time in the military?
  • I regret that I joined as a Reservist and never transferred over to Active Duty.
• What advice do you want to give to people starting their career paths in the military?
  • Take advantage of all the opportunities you come across and take it seriously. Whether you’re in for 4 years or 40 years, utilize all the benefits that it (the Military) can give you.

 

Financial Wellness

A haiku and a recipe to explain my personal take on financial wellness.

Haiku                                                                                                                                          

Finances, Money

The rulers of your future.

Maintain the control.

Recipe

This recipe is for financial wellness. Follow the directions closely to make great financial wellness.

• 3 cups of whole chunks of common sense 
• ½ cup of gut instinct
• 1 cup of responsibility
• 3 bundles of good financial advice, grated
• 1 good bank account
• ¾ cup of will to save money

            Steps

1. Grate your 3 bundles of good advice to get all the way down to the center of the advice and understand it.
2. Boil your 1 good bank account until half way to tender.
3. Set oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
4. Drain the bank account and put it into a large mixing bowl.
5. Add grated advice, pour in 1 cup of responsibility, add chunks of common sense, and sprinkle in ½ cup of gut instinct.
6. Mix and put into a greased pan.
7. Crumble the ¾ cup of will to save money across the top of the mixture in the pan.
8. Place pan into the oven for 25 minutes.
9. Remove pan from oven and enjoy your financial wellness.

Our brains are a very active, devious part of our bodies. They rule our bodies and thought processes. The Prefrontal Cortex is the part of the brain that is activated when dealing with the advertisement of brands. This brain part is what causes us as consumers to want to buy certain brands or items. Advertisements draw us in like moths to a flame. They appeal to different senses of virtue and values of people. The idea of what it means to be cool, and having certain things or brands makes you cool is a strategy that advertisements have been using for years. In the 1950’s, cool meant not conforming to society and staying a rebel. Now cool means having or being affiliated with something that is held in high regard by society. When companies are competing to have the “coolest” product or service they even attack each other in order to draw us in even further. One such instance was the competition between Apple and IBM. Apple marketed IBM users as lemmings in order to make a point by standing out from the crowd creating the illusion that Apple products and users were better than the norm. Such cut-throat tactics have good results because people now view Apple as a “cool” brand.

 

Having brands as a determining factor of a person’s worth or “coolness” is something that traps teens everywhere. Advertisements and the notion of “cool” affects our brains so much and in such a subtle way that we are blind to it. There are people who believe that brands mean nothing and have no affect on them. I disagree with the people who said owning a brand doesn’t say anything about them because any choice you make says something about you. Especially if that choice is owning a brand that has images, expectation, and assumptions attached to it. The things affiliated with the brand are then connected to the person who owns it therefore saying something about them. To ignore this is to negate the impact actions have on perceptions of people and how they themselves are viewed. To this day, there are certain brands being advertised that are viewed as cool. Converse, Adidas, Jordans, Apple, Nike, etc. are some brands that are seen in this light. Our brains are still causing us to go through the same thing as we have been for years because people everywhere are still being drawn in by brands and advertising.
Another situation our brain makes us deal with is the pain of paying. People feel the most pain when paying for something with physical money (cash). They feel the least pain when they can pay with a card of some kind. Companies can take advantage of this concept by charging even more money for their products or services because it causes people to pay with card and not notice the consequences. They also take advantage by not putting meters on things to give away how much money they are actually charging.

Introduction

At home, there is a fairly decent amount of laundry to do when laundry time comes. That is because there is always laundry to be done for six or more people. With that being said, it is reasonable to assume that lots of laundry detergent is bought and used. If you had that thought, you are correct. However, laundry detergent is so expensive that I just make my own at home for a fraction of the cost.

Ingredients

• Zote Soap – 14.7 oz grated
• Baking Soda – 1 cup
• Arm&Hammer Super Washing Soda – 2 cups
• Mule Team Borax – 2 cups
• Oxyclean Awesome Powder – 1 cup
• 8 cups of simmering water
• 5-Gallon Bucket
• Large Stick
• Pool Noodle (optional)
• Lemon extract/essential oil – 4 tsp. (optional)

Instructions

1. Measure 8 cups of water into a pot and set it to simmer on the stove.
2. Grate the entire bar(s) of zote soap.
3. Measure out your cups of borax, washing soda, baking soda, and Oxyclean powder.
4. Now that the water is simmering, start slowly melting the grated pieces of Zote soap into the water while stirring.
   1. Take handfuls and spread them around in the hot water.
   2. Stir to keep clumps from forming. If they do form, break the clumps apart.
   3. Wait until even the tiniest soap pieces are melted and the liquid is clear and see-through to the bottom.

1. get the 5-gallon bucket and fill it halfway with hot water from the sink.
   1. Since I do not have a spray or detachable nozzle, I connect one end of a pool noodle to the tap and put the other end into the bucket to fill it that way.
2. Then add the washing soda, baking soda, Oxyclean powder, and liquid soap concoction from the stove to the hot water in the 5-gallon bucket.
3. Get the large stick and stir the mixture in the bucket.
4. Fill the bucket the rest of the way with hot water.
   1. Again, the pool noodle can come into play.
5. Stir the mixture in the bucket.
   1. Lemon oil/extract may be added to the detergent for a more pleasing scent.
6. Put the lid on the bucket and place the bucket somewhere cold (the garage, or outside) where the detergent can cool down over night.
7. After cooling the detergent is now ready for use.
   1. Measuring cups can be used to measure out the amount of detergent you want to use. We leave a 1 cup measuring cup in the bucket with the detergent.
   2. To stretch the detergent even more, get ten 1-gallon jugs and fill them halfway with water and halfway with detergent and shake to have 10 gallons of detergent instead of 5.

Introduction

Recently, I have watched the movie “Inequality for All” starring Robert Reich. It is a movie that explains the reasons behind the extreme gaps in wealth for the American people. In my opinion, it was a captivating and informational movie that opened my eyes to many truths about America and the working world.

Starters 

With all of the information we were flooded with while watching the movie, there had to be a point where the viewers stopped to reflect on what they had seen and learned. We were given some starter questions to answer about the movie. I chose to answer the question of what single word best describes how the film made me feel. It took a while for me to put all of my thoughts and emotions in order, but when I did I came up with the word scared. The movie made me feel scared for the fate of the American people, scared of our government and scared for myself. I am a teenager who is on the cusp of officially entering the adult world as well as the work force. The gaps in wealth and the reality behind it leave me scared regarding my future and how my own finances will look in times soon to come. I felt many emotions and various thoughts ran through my head as I watched the film, however the strong sense of fear stood out to me the most.

In addition to the question of which word best describes my feelings, I also chose to answer the question of the person I would want to spend the day with and talk to who had been present in the movie. I want to spend the day with and have transparent conversation with Nick Hanauer. Mr. Hanauer is part of the richest 1% of Americans and has experienced life from that side of the fence. I choose him because he has the power to enlighten me of the true experiences and thought processes one has as being part of the 1% as well as teach me the ways to be as successful as him. These topics are the ones I choose to inquire about because there is much hearsay and rumors surrounding the thoughts and lifestyles of the rich. Instead of listening to rumors, I would like to find out the truth. In addition, I want to lead a good, successful and fulfilling life as I continue into true adulthood. Learning his secrets can potentially lead me in the right direction to make it to where I want to be in life.

Reflection

After watching the movie, I had to take a moment to stop, think and reflect on all I had learned. The movie is highly terrifying in it’s harsh truths and realities. Yet, it is also very hopeful and encouraging toward action and change for a better future. I had to listen to two whole songs in my effort to reflect in order to assimilate the information from the film and form these conclusions. With these results forming in my mind, I became very glad that I had watched the movie. I would have remained ignorant and lost had I not seen the truth. Now, I want to move forward with the change toward closing the gap between the 99% and the 1%. The first step in this journey is to bring awareness. That being said, I highly recommend that you watch the movie “Inequality for All”.

Introduction

 

Health topics are varied, outlandish, interesting things. They can cover almost, if not all aspects of life. We were tasked with choosing a health topic of our own creation to research. It had to be a topic that information pertaining to it would be beneficial to our chosen audience. I decided to have high school freshman as my audience and undertake the health topic of acne.

 

The Light Bulb Turns On

 

I chose acne because it something that everyone is affected by, especially teenagers; however, not many people understand acne. I wanted to learn more about it myself as well as inform others of what I have learned and impart some wisdom. I learned much while doing my research.

 

Project Process

 

The first medium in which my research is presented is in my research paper. The four different types of acne are explained in the paper. It was very interesting to learn that not all acne is the same as well as the terminology of what each form is. This facet of acne is so important when it comes to treating and preventing acne. Another thing I am now informed of is that sometimes it’s a good thing to pop the bumps because leaving them alone is not always the best solution.

 

The second medium I showcased my investigative findings in is an acne brochure. It is an informational pamphlet that details what acne is as well as what causes, treats, and prevents it. Within this medium, the importance of washing and water are emphasized. Out of all of my findings, I believe the points about washing and water to be the most important. This is because the oil which creates the acne can be easily counteracted with water and washing regularly/efficiently.

 

The third medium for my research is a poster display. I explained what I learned about acne in a larger, visual presentation which can be easily understood and presented. The overall information displayed is summed up to its most basic forms so passing glances will still get the effect. The secrets revealed about what acne exactly is can be seen most clearly on the poster. The information of how acne is found anywhere on the skin, affects all, and changes in severity is very distinctive from the rest of the information.

 

Reflection
The fourth and last medium for my investigative findings is this blog post. I have taken all of my research and given an overview of it. I am proud to say that I learned much during this process and series of assignments. I will use this newfound information as well as spread it to others so that they may benefit from it as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this project and look forward to more like it.

Ich habe ein Baderanzug. Es ist blau. Es ist hell. Ich trage zur Strand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ich habe ein Kleid. Es ist rot. Es ist eng. Ich trage einen Kleid und einen Gürtel.

Ich habe ein Mantel. Es ist schwarz. Est ist einfarbig und weiss. Ich trage einen Mantel und einen Handshuhe.

Introduction

There are many forms of discrimination present in today’s society. This is a reflection of the long history of discrimination the world has been present for and condoned. Some prejudices have withstood time and are still active today, while others are fairly new. The section of discrimination I have been researching is one that has been around for a long time. However, it finally has a name and people willing to fight to combat it. The faction of discrimination I have chosen is curlism.

Curlism is the discrimination against natural hair and certain natural hair patterns, particularly the natural curl pattern of Black females. It is a term coined by Solange Knowles due to the movement of natural hair and hair-typing that has come to light in the last few years. Curlism is the negative effect of people believing that long, straight, and flowy hair is the better hair type and style. It states that natural hair is unprofessional, untidy, or unkempt. This discrimination lowers self-esteem, self-worth, pride in one’s culture, and much more. Curlism is all around us and has a presence in our everyday lives.

It is a controversial topic because curlism has come to the light as another way to discourage black people, especially black females. The topic has gained recognition because hair-type is also a factor for Black girls in the working world. It is another type of discrimination that many people don’t want to recognize nor believe is real. It is something that is perpetuated by the masses but not acknowledged. It seems like anything related to Black people is either unworthy or a taboo when done by Black people.

A Closer Look

Black/African American females (especially of the working age) and some males are mostly affected. To a slightly  lesser degree, girls with generally curly hair are affected by curlism. Companies and organizations that deal with hair products and services are perpetrators of the discrimination. Certain employers are also guilty of this discrimination. Frequently, people with the desired hair visual (straight or loose hair) are additionally guilty curlism. Caucasian people are also supportive and commit curlism. Even schools are guilty of curlism. This discrimination has affected some of the largest aspects of a person’s everyday life. It has got to come to a conclusion.

There is data out there in the United States that can be collected with the right search approach and even more facts that can still be unearthed and prove. However, there are already data and facts that can be utilized for the purpose

of the post (even though I wish more research would be done because there is too little in my opinion). Since 2011, the amount of girls refusing to use relaxers on their natural hair has risen to 36%. This is part of the reason why we have seen so many more girls with natural hair. Nevertheless, not all facts/data bring good feelings to ourselves. Private companies are allowed to enforce their own dress codes which can prohibit girls with natural hair from being employed. In addition, Caucasian people frequently point out how natural hair is different by asking “How did you get your hair that way?” I have my own experiences with this as I have my hair natural as well. Just a few days ago, a Caucasian friend of mine asked me that very same question. I have to frequently tell those people who ask this question that my hair grows out of my head like this. It points out this idea that people with natural curly hair are so abnormal compared to people with straight hair. It sets me apart from others in a glaring way. Not to mention the fact that this perceived separation can keep people like me from finding employment. These facts bring the feelings of anger and sorrow. These reaction to hair of all things on a such a large scale must be stopped.

Racism, colorism, judgmental nature, fear of things that are different, and jealousy are some of the causes of curlism. Lowered self-esteem, lowered sense of self-worth, loss of pride in self and culture, unnecessary pursuit of an ideal that damages one’s hair, misplaced envy, loss of opportunity (in work field, school, and life), etc are some of the effects of curlism. It is happening all over the United States. This is a national issue because black people and people with curly hair are diffused throughout the country. Everyone is an individual, so everyone has their own reactions to this discrimination. However, curlism is still a form of discrimination and no one likes that. Therefore, no positive reactions will be displayed.

A Call To Action

Solution is the word that comes to mind when we think of a problem. There needs to be more understanding of individuality. It is more than just visual appearance (i.e. hair) that makes one professional. As other ethnic groups are accepted for their culture, people with curly hair need to be accepted as having their hair as their culture. There needs to be more education on both hair and culture in order to bring about change. In that respect, there is now a movement to bring awareness to the reality that is curlism. Many people are speaking up about injustices and people are working towards correcting said injustices. There are still many instances where curlism is disregarded or seen as acceptable, therefore no action is being taken to combat anything. In regards to certain topics, there is really nothing being done about curlism in the workforce nor in the media. This generation already has the power to improve the

situation. It might just have the power to fix it. I propose breaking the stereotypes about long, straight hair being the most desirable hair type by causing people with that type of hair admit the amount of times they have tried a hairstyle related to curly hair or had to work to get their hair perfectly straight. If we all think hard enough, and put in enough effort, we can make a definite change in the reality that is curlism.

Reflection

As a Black female, I know that I am about to enter the fire that is the working world. Instead of my skill, my hair, my skin, the way I speak, as well as the way I conduct myself and dress will come into play as to whether or not I can do a job. I will also face comments about my hair from the bold people who believe that they are mature because they have now entered adulthood. I will face a number of different types of discrimination. However, if I can bring awareness and recognition to at least one of these prejudices, I can say that I have done a small part and contributed. I will continue to make even bigger efforts in the future especially in the fight against curlism. I love my hair too much to let this stuff slide by.

The United States of America is home to some of the greediest people ever. The states that create this nation are run by people who are greedy, stingy, and unsympathetic. Additionally, the people that make up this country are blinded. We are so blinded to the actions in places that are not America, that we frequently miss important opportunities. These oversights and actions of greed are costing the American public quite a bit more than we realize.

In other countries, there is a system of banking that contains lottery-like banking accounts. These accounts are helping people save their money by appealing to their senses fun and risk-taking. These accounts operate by letting people save money, but giving little to no interest on the accounts in order to give random winners large amounts of money. A system of savings accounts like this appeals to people in the same way that gambling does. Only, this form of gambling is safer and more helpful that playing the lottery.

As Americans, we do not save nor do we play games that are remotely safe. In America, the lottery is the most used form of gambling. States protect and foster this addiction-like fascination with gambling  in order to get more money and do not let banks use lottery-like savings accounts to help the American people save their money. Since the

American people are not highly exposed to other countries and cultures, there is really nothing known about these accounts and the knowledge of them is very low. This willful blindness of such an opportunity continues to not help us better our positions as money savers. Many Americans are one incident away from having an entire family breakdown because there is no money saved. Yet, there is an opportunity to save money and still have fun while we do it. If the United States of America would open their eyes and stop being greedy, we might find ourselves in much better positions than we are currently in. 

Introduction

Last week I attended a Student Voices Session with the Secretary of Education, Dr. John King, at the Department of Education in Washington DC. I had the wonderful opportunity to voice my thoughts, opinions, concerns, and experiences for and about school. I was also able to meet and converse with a number of students from different areas of the country who have vastly different opinions, concerns, and experiences regarding education. The conversation that I experienced focused heavily on civic engagement and inquiries regarding school policy and the future of education.

Conversation

I would say, in my experience, the conversation focused mostly on civic engagement. All ten students were questioned on their experiences with civics duty which leaned heavily to relations with administration and the community. I discussed my involvement in district committees as well as the pilot program in which I am involved.  This program, called the Personal Learning Academy, addresses academic standards in a way that is more relevant
than traditional education. In addition, some students shared great and enjoyable connections to their respective administrative body while others explained how they faced hardships posed by the governing body at their school.

The students from Boston, Massachusetts had great stories to tell of how they had put in hard work and effort to make a significant change in their schools. They served on administrative boards and panels as well as creating their own ways to gain funds for programs. I had extremely pleasant feelings as I listened to the representatives from Boston speak.

On the other hand, the representative from Brooklyn, New York painted a very grim picture about his experience with the education system. His accounts of how he was systematically barred by his governing body from creating a GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) at school and how he had to go through a metal detector and be wanded at school were truly heartbreaking. His stories struck a chord within me and I could really understand his point of view. I felt a bit angry, disappointed, and surprised as I listened to him speak.

At the end of the session, we were given the opportunity to ask questions as well as write down one last topic that we wanted to discuss with Secretary King that we did not get the chance to address. I chose to write down my concerns about sex education within the United States. Other students, including the other representative from my own school, asked questions regarding the SAT and the data that is derived from that form of testing. The questions that really piqued my interest were along the lines of, “What is the Department of Education doing about the situation where the SAT (one slightly irrelevant test) determines the entire future of students?” and “What is the Department of Education going to do to change the way that SAT data is being used to profile students and build more prisons based on scores in particular areas?” These questions are highly interesting to me and the answers were unsatisfying. I wish to bring about better responses to these questions and change education for the better for all of the students who come after me.

Reflection

I was truly inspired by all of the experiences shared at the Student Voices Session. It has caused me to decide to start a BSU (Black Student Union) chapter at my own school before I graduate. This idea has been in the back of my head for a while and now that I have listened to the actions of others, I have found the will to bring the idea to fruition.

By attending the Student Voices Session, I learned something about the educational system and myself. I learned that school is challenging for everyone all across the United States. While some experiences can be great, there are hardships entrenched in each school system. I also learned that I am not the best, the brightest, the most important, nor the most motivated or qualified student; however, I still have the power to make a difference and any difference I can make is worth doing.

Intro

This last month, I was part of a team that created a small business model. I was partnered with Dana M. and Tabby M. The three of us went through an entire process of making a small business that greatly resembled an actual procedure.

Step 1

The first step we took was finding a problem in our community that needed to and could be fixed with a product or service. We created a Google Slide that housed 20 problems which we narrowed down to 1. As a group, we decided to fix the problem of the over abundance of trash left around during lunch at school and on sidewalks in the
community.

Step 2

Step two consisted of creating the idea for the product or service that we wanted to implement in fixing the problem with the trash. We decided on creating better, new, and improved trash cans that implement games in order to coerce people into throwing away their trash. The system was going to be akin to the House Points System that exists within the Harry Potter universe.

Step 3

When we came to step three, we had to create the actual formatted business plan that explained all aspects of our small business. It showcased the positions of the heads of the company, the plan for the trash cans, the expenses for the trash cans, a description, and more. Now that I have personal experience, I can confidently say that creating a business is hard and being an entrepreneur is not something that I want to pursue after high school.

Step 4

Step 4 consisted of making an advertisement to appeal to customers. We created a fake yelp page that had reviews of people who had previously “used” our product as well as a video that advertised our company and trash cans. Based off of the “reviews”, I feel accomplished in our product.

Step 5

The fifth step included an elevator pitch in which we had to appeal to investors. I believe that this was the easiest part of the entire process of making a business. All we had to do was explain our business and ask for money. As a company, we were not as successful as we hoped to be with the elevator pitch, however I enjoyed it all the same.

Reflection

Creating the small business has been an interesting experience. I’ve learned that I can never be an entrepreneur and that those people who do continue on to create their own business are amazing beings. I struggled quite a bit during this last month and I am glad to put it behind me.