Erin Gruwell: What A Woman

Erin Gruwell is one of the most amazing people that I have met in my lifetime. She turned a classroom full of young children that were out on the streets wasting their lives into something. She saw the potential in them that nobody else would take the time to even try to look for.  Every time I watch the movie Freedom Writers it gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes. I can’t imagine how she first felt when she read in the journals about what happens every single day in their lives as she goes home to a loving husband. Some of those kids didn’t even have a place to call home.  Some called their home hell and for one young lady to come around and show them hope for their own futures is remarkable. More than half of those kids sitting in that classroom probably never even imagined or even tried to think about what their lives could be other than sorrow, death and violence. For most of the young people in the room all they knew where the streets. Hell the streets were their home. They never thought one white lady at that could come and help them turn their lives around and help them to get on the right path and to stay out of trouble. Its amazing how one person could touch hearts like that? When I met Erin Gruwell she gave me a warm loving hug as if she had known me since I was in diapers. From then on I fell in love with beautiful spirit. She has a glow to her that can light up a room. Her smile gives you hope. You have no choice but to smile and laugh around her. It takes a strong person with good morals to sacrifice their time, life and money to go out of their way to help others. I congratulate her on the good that comes her way.

2010
11/29
CATEGORY
FRS 1000
LLC
Personal
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Death is So Hard To Deal With

 

In the past month I have managed to lose two close males in my life; Chris and Rudolph. Chris was like family to me, the police say that he killed himself I still can’t believe it. In my heart I know that Chris is not capable of doing something as extreme as taking his own life. Rudolph is my blood cousin and died on Thanksgiving night. The news still has not yet hit me. His funeral is this Saturday coming up. He died in a car crash in Kentucky. There were three people in the car, but only he died, he suffered from a broken neck. Even though I only seen my cousin Rudolph once a year when we went to my mother’s hometown Maryland, that is where he stayed, we were close. We always shared good times together and the best laughs. He was such a goof ball, same for Chris. Both of these individuals always kept me laughing. You never know when it is your time to go or whether it’s the people around you. That is why you must cherish every moment as if it was your last. Love hard and don’t get upset about the little things in life. Death is a hard thing to deal with. To me when someone dies close to me it’s like a piece of me has gone with them. I know their soul is resting in a better place,  but to wake up every day and know that they are no longer physically with me, to know that I can’t just pick up the phone just to hear the tell a joke is devastating to me. It not real. Why is death so hard? This is the reason why I hate getting attached because I know that letting go is so hard.

2010
11/29
CATEGORY
FRS 1000
LLC
Personal
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What a Thanksgiving!

My Thanksgiving this year was like no other. It started out as a pretty good day. I woke up in mid afternoon as usual on Thanksgiving to my mother still cooking. We were supposed to go to Maryland this year for Thanksgiving, but because my brother had to work we decided to stay here so that he could have Thanksgiving with us. I started cleaning up the dining area where we have Thanksgiving every year. My brother got off of work around four and he is stationed in Goldsboro so he got home around seven I want to say. By the time he got home though the food still was not done. After I finished cleaning it is a tradition in my family to put up the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving night, so I started doing that. As I was putting up the tree my best friend Jordan and his mom and little brother came over. He brought a bag of Tums with him because he came to eat once again! This is another tradition that we have. The entire go house hopping on Thanksgiving to go and get plates from everyone’s house.  We sat and caught up on old times while I finished decorating the tree. Then Germaine and his brother Mike came, my other best friend. I haven’t seen or talk to him in about two months so I was really excited to see him, and Mike, his brother moved to Charlotte so I haven’t seen him in forever and was really happy that he was doing well. My brother’s friend Lena came since her family went out of town for Thanksgiving and she also had to work. Last but not least my other best friend Candas came. It was like old times. I didn’t realize how much I missed how we used to sit and just joke on each other. It has been so long since all of us had gotten together. We always have a good time when we are together. I was a little sad when everyone departed. After that I cleaned up and dropped Candas off and met up with my other friend Tawana. Me her and her sister Kennisha went out to the club that night. While at the club this is when my night turned bad. My brother text me with the news of my cousins death. I could not believe it. All I could think about is how death keeps coming and taking the people that matter to me. I haven’t yet gotten over the death of my close friend Chris and now a family member has died. I will never forget this Thanksgiving even though I wish I could go back and hope that things had gone differently.

2010
11/29
CATEGORY
FRS 1000
LLC
Personal
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Sex and STD’s

So many are in such a big rush to have sex, but when it comes to getting tested they act all shy and scared like they never even heard of that.  But as soon as someone says sex they all ears. This is ridiculous; while you were having sex you were not ashamed, so why be ashamed on getting tested? What can you lose? In reality you’re losing nothing you are actually gaining something. When you go get tested you find out if you are a carrier of any diseases or if you don’t. What if you are unsure if you have something or not? Go get tested so that you know for sure that you are clean. A regular test, especially if you are sexually active is a very good thing. Nowadays people sleep around with numerous people and most likely the people that they sleeping around with are sleeping around with other people. So every time you have sex with that one particular person you are also having sex with all the other people that that person has had sex with in the past. And you don’t know what that other person may have or not. So just to be on the safe side getting tested! Some nurses were hosting a free Chlamydia and gonorrhea test and me and a group of my friends went to go get tested. The ladies ended telling us that they had to meet a certain quota and that they were nowhere near that number. So we started recruiting people for them. Most people were willing to go get tested, but there were a few that acted as if they were too good to have something or either to ashamed to actually go get tested. A lot of people don’t go get tested because they are afraid of the results and think that if they ignore it then the problem will go away. But STD’s do not work that away. So to avoid the trouble for you and your next partner and to save lives I encourage everyone to go and get tested! Make this world a better place, by you going to go get tested you might be encouraging someone else to go without even knowing it.

2010
11/29
CATEGORY
FRS 1000
LLC
Personal
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Freedom In My Eyes

Freedom is A State of Mind; Webster’s Dictionary contains many definitions as to refer to freedom such as the quality or state of being of free, the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action, liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another, the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous or a political right. My definition of freedom is having the choice to lead a happy and healthy life, also having the freedom of speech. As I read the reading’s Homeboy and High Windows I took on different perceptions on each of the meanings of freedom. Homeboy took freedom as being able to be proud of where you come from and embracing your background and culture. According to High Windows, Philip viewed as happiness as being able to live your life on earth with no regrets or worries and that death is the ultimate freedom.

            Malcolm X viewed trying to fit in as disrespecting your background. For example, all the black men getting conks trying to make their nappy hair look straight like the white man’s. Instead of embracing the natural of being black we want to eliminate it to fit in. Even in society today we look at the style of others and try to match that instead of trying to go by our own trends and style. Freedom is being able to be your own person without worrying about what the next person has to say. Freedom is being original in other words. Malcolm X refers to his identity as his way of freedom. Being able to embrace and love everything about him makes his freedom worthwhile. He embraces his ethnicity. He also states that if a black man or black woman paid more attention of what they put inside their heads instead of what type if style to wear they would be better off in society. Being educated is also a sense of freedom. Education is something that no man can take away from you no matter what. What you know and learn will stick with you until the day you die. Even if they lock you up and throw away the key they can’t touch the knowledge you have in your head. People will try to take away your physical freedom, but can’t touch your freedom mentally. My mother always told me that knowledge is power. If I don’t get anything else out of life, the one thing that should stick with me is what I have learned.

Living life as if there is no tomorrow can give a sense of freedom. Living with no regrets or worries is the way that some people live their lives from day to day. When you do as you please with no cares in the world you may feel as sense of freedom. Doing what you please in life can bring you happiness, essentially giving you a feeling of freedom. I took from the poem High Windows that Philip lived his freedoms through happiness in life and through dreams. Nobody could ever put a limit on your dreams. You can dream endlessly, such as freedom, your freedom can be endless. Nobody could ever put a price on your freedoms. In the poem I compared him talking about the slide as life. You travel on the path of life trying to find pure and true happiness which will give you a sense of freedom. The harvester may be an old person looking back at their life wondering if he truly gained everything that they could have gained out of life and have captivated true happiness. Death can be ultimate freedom. When you pass away you are free from the world and all other connections. You have no more worries. You don’t have to worry about working hard anymore. You don’t have to wonder if you are going to Heaven or Hell because you will come to meet God and he will give you His decision. Absence of life is true freedom.

            Freedom has endless possibilities; it is what you make it. Whether you choose to live your life by every rule in the book or by breaking every one of them that may be how you obtain your own personal freedom. Freedom is very personal; it is in the eye of the beholder. No two people view freedom or obtain in the exact same way. Everyone has their own personal view on what freedom means to them. As long as you are truly happy then you are truly free in my book. Freedom to me is the right to be happy in whatever I do and the right to say what I please. Freedom of speech means a lot to me. Both of the pieces had very different views on what freedom was. Malcolm X believed that being himself was his way of expressing freedom, Philip believed that freedom is living life with no regrets and only look back to see if you lived your life to the fullest and obtained happiness and that death is gaining the ultimate freedom from everything on earth. God gave me a mouth and a voice for a reason so I have that right to use it or not. In conclusion, freedom is what you make it and don’t ever let anyone tell you any different.

2010
11/29
CATEGORY
Extra-Curricular
FRS 1000
LLC
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My Very Own Personal Brand

To be truthfully honest I personally do not feel the need for myself to have a blog. I do not see myself as a writer. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed doing a few blogs to express my view point on certain things, but having to do it in so many words I just don’t see the point. As where I can state what I think in a couple of sentences. As for it pertaining to my career goals I do not quite see the connection. If I were to plan on doing research in my career, which I probably am then I would find having a blog important. I sometimes do not find it very difficult to write on certain topics that I cannot relate to nor have no care for. But as far as topics such as teen pregnancies, suicide, and poverty I believe I can relate to. I enjoy writing about things that of course catch my interest and can help other people see things at a different view point sometime and that they can relate to also. I must admit I have to get better in tune with the internet media.  I might consider taking up a computers class over the summer. I understand that having my personal brand is very important. What you say or on the internet can make you or break you in the career field. Nowadays many employers look online to do research on a person before they hire them. What you do in your personal lives can and will affect whether you get a certain job or position at a job. As an individual you should think before you post things about yourself on the internet.  Think wisely on what you say to others on their page, because I guarantee to you that if it is on the internet it is traceable back to the person that wrote it.

2010
11/29
CATEGORY
FRS 1000
LLC
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Truth On Freshmen Seminar

Freshmen Seminar can help you if you really want it to. To me it has not really helped me. My teacher has. It all depends on your teacher, and being the fact that my advisor, Mike Severy, is my teacher and is head over the Living Learning Community he makes sure that if we need help with anything he finds a way to help. All we have to do is ask and if he can’t help us with our issue then he can help by pointing us into the direction we need to go to talk to the people we need to get connected with. Like all things that are available to you if you need it, you just have to put it into good use. Just because it’s there doesn’t necessarily mean that you use it. Don’t get me wrong, Freshmen Seminar may be a blessing for others, but to me it really does not help. I feel that it should be an option for upcoming freshmen’s that want to take the course. If you feel the need that Freshmen Seminar is going to help you out then by all means enroll for the class, but if you feel that if you do not need it then don’t enroll. Some people feel that they need that extra baby step coming into something new. But from my view point most of these Freshmen Seminar teachers are more like English teachers. Giving out meaningless assignments, such as writing essays on a certain topic. I thought the reason for having Freshmen Seminar as a required course was to help you get better connected to campus and to adjust to college life as a new student. How is writing a paper on something not even pertaining to my major or career field helping me out?

 

2010
11/29
CATEGORY
FRS 1000
LLC
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Plan for My College Career

As freshmen in college and wanting to pursue a career in the medical field as an OB/GYN I will try to get connected with health clubs that can help me engage in activities around my career goal. Things such as volunteer in hospitals and clinics. Having the opportunity to job shadow an OB/GYN would be amazing. Also I wouldn’t mind spending time in other medical fields as well. Having the chance to see what others get to do on their jobs from day to day would give me a chance to make sure that becoming an OB/GYN is something that I really would want to do in life. I had one success with Twitter in terms of my career. To me Twitter does not really help me out much. For one blog that we had to do was interact with someone on Twitter that is in the career that we as individuals are interested in pursuing. But for unlucky me I only had one woman write me back and she did not give me a lot of useful advice. So as far as getting my name out there I think volunteering would be better for me. Maybe I just don’t know how to use Twitter properly for job openings. As far as my classes go I am taking all the required classes for biology major. I thought about switching my major to pre-medicine, but I just might stick with biology considering it is in the same field, class courses wise. At the end I hope and plan to have numerous amounts of experience on my resume, such as volunteer hours, clinical hours and so on and so forth. Hopefully in Pembroke or Lumberton I have the chance to actually get some hours in. I understand that in order for all of these things to happen I have to put forth and effort and truly commit to getting things done.

 

2010
11/28
CATEGORY
FRS 1000
LLC
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Setting Goals

As a child I always known that I wanted to have a career involved with helping others, mainly children/infants. At first I wanted to be a teacher, but then I thought that that was too many papers to grade. Then I wanted to become a pediatrician. I thought “what a great way to help others especially children.” At my high school they had a club called Health Academy that I was a part of. We had the opportunity to go to clinical sites in our field of interest, such as the hospitals, nursing homes, or veterinarian’s offices. Of course I decided to go to the pediatrician department. There I learned how the nurses operate. I performed tasks such as taking infants and children’s blood pressure, pulse, temperature, weight and height. I had the tasks of interacting with the children. I also had the chance to run things down to the lab. I seen procedure’s done such as circumcisions and irrigations. All of this was interesting to me and caught my attention. But I came to the conclusion that I wanted to focus more on babies, than just medicine in general. As a pediatrician there may be so many tasks and procedures that can in your field of study. I wanted to narrow the procedures down so I decided to become an OB/GYN. As a pediatrician also it took several years, sixteen in all and if you wanted to go into a sub-specialty that took another two or three years of school and practice. I decided to pursue a career as an OB/GYN for the simple fact that I love working with babies. I also had the chance to work in the mother-baby unit as a part of my clinical, where I really had the chance to work with newborns firsthand. Birth and the women’s’ body is an amazing thing and I just wanted to be a part of that. Giving birth to another human being is an amazing thing and I wanted to be a part and help bring happiness and joy into a person’s world.

 

2010
11/28
CATEGORY
FRS 1000
LLC
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Religion VS. Homosexuality

Many people battle with the concept that you cannot be homosexual and lead a religious life. Yes the bible does say that a man is not suppose to lay with another man, but at the same time God says to come as you is. Nobody has that right to tell you that you can’t have a relationship with whoever you choose to worship. Christianity is the most common aggressor towards homosexuality; they view it as unnatural and that that person should be prayed for so that they will not have the feeling to act on those homosexual feelings. Buddhist feels that people should be heterosexual and that homosexuality is also wrong. Hinduism has a history of homosexuality. There is a saying that goes “Hate the sin; not the Sinner.” Religions say that they want to accept all, yet they try to shun always homosexual’s. They are contradicting themselves. You shouldn’t be able to turn others away because they aren’t not like y0u and don’t believe in or live their lives as yours. Religious figures preach about love, yet the decisions that they make in the church and their beliefs support hate and segregation. Some churches won’t even let homosexuals inside the church. How do you turn others away from worship and religion? Religion stresses not to judge others; yet they feel that their judgments are justifiable. Homosexuality is more than just a lifestyle choice for others; it is who their identity is. Homosexuality is part of a person’s identity. Identity is choice, we choose to accept or deny our identity. Whether you deny it or accept that part of you is still there. You just choose not to recognize it. Each identity characteristic we pick up or leave behind forces us to walk a different path. Sexuality is a personal expression of identity as is spiritually and religion.

2010
11/17
CATEGORY
FRS 1000
LLC
Personal
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