Pampered Pets.

The last class of my STEAM course is called Social Entrepreneurship. In this class, we learned about everything that goes into play when starting up a business. We went over things like incentives, marketing, the hedgehog concept, mission/vision statements, legal structures, pitches, and sales. We also read a little of the book E-Myth. All of that information was super new to me, but I really liked taking it all in. It was cool to learn about all this information that usually only adults know. We had great guest speakers come in and talk about their experience with business. The whole class greatly appreciated their time. For the action project, the class was assigned to come up with a business of our own. We has to create a pitch video explaining the significance of our work. We also had to include the different business ideas we learned about in class. I really liked coming up with ideas for mine. I hope you enjoy my video below!

How to survive.

The last Humanities course for my senior year is called Endurance. In this class, we focused a lot on certain challenges and learned how to endure them. More specifically our own personal challenges and goals. Throughout the whole course, we looked at different examples of endurance. Those stories ranged from holding your breath underwater, to being stuck on a boat for almost a year, and a journey to hell. For the third unit we learned about what coming back from hell can be like. This means that the hero came back from the journey. For the action project the class was assigned to write our own survival guide book for our future. It has to include the reason for this mission that we plan on going on, as well as materials, cost etc. We were also asked to complete a timeline to showcase how long it's going to take us to complete our mission. I had a lot of fun creating this because it feels so real. I'm actually going to go through this. I hope you enjoy reading below!

Accredited Online School 

What and Why:
My dream is to become a nurse. Obviously, I have to go through schooling to accomplish this dream, but there are things that I can do and things that I do do for the time being. For example, I already have experience taking care of children. Or at least I think I do. I already have the caring personality that’s needed to be a great nurse. I understand that you need to learn how to complete certain and specific medical tasks, but I also believe that part of being a nurse means you have a big, caring heart. I’m lucky enough to say that I have that.

Lay of the Land: 

In order to get to where I want to be, I need to graduate from nursing school, and then pass a test to get my licence. It’s going to be a difficult journey, I know that. But I’m willing and determined to get through it all. I have to take courses like anatomy, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition, psychology, and nursing practice and theory (Peterson’s College Quest). I also have to complete clinicals to get a first hand experience of what I’m going to have to know how to do once I finish nursing school. I plan to get a bachelor's degree (BSN), so it’s going to take me 4 years to finish. If everything goes as planned, I'll be 22 years old when I get my degree. I’m pretty confident about job options once I start my journey of looking for one. Nursing is expected to grow 19%, and is considered to be one of the most fastests growing careers. The starting salary for a nurse is $66,640 (Drexel University). I’m pretty happy with that.I have a few family members that are in the medical field, so I have seen first hand how difficult getting to where you want to be is. With that being said, I think the best person(s) I can learn from is my mom, or my aunt. My mom is a sonographer. I have seen her go through many nights studying, and many all nighters. I’ve even seen her cry because of how stressful going through school is. But she never gave up. I knew she was smart, but her experience going through school proved it to be even more true. I can learn from her. She went through what I have to go through in order to get to where I want. “There were many tears, and sleepless nights, but at the end it’s totally worth it, because now I actually enjoy going to work because I love what I’m doing.” I really liked what she said, because although I know it’s going to be hard, I know it’ll be worth it when I’m at work and I’m actually enjoying what I’m doing.

Timeline:

2017- Graduate High School.
2017/2018- Start College (UIC).
2019- Get into the nursing program .
2020- Stay on track in my studies, as well as completing clinicals.
2021- Graduate nursing school with a bachelor’s degree (BSN)
2021/2022- Pass the final exam, and receive my nursing license.
2023- Find a job in a setting that I’m most happy with.
2024- Build up my experience.
2025- Move on to more intensive care units.
2026- Find a permanent position.

Resources/Materials:

The main cost that is going to affect me is the tuition for school. The full cost for my 4 years would come out to $60, 494.98. This also means that it would take me 9 years to pay off student loans. I’m lucky enough to have a family that is going to help me out financially, and they do not want me to get a job while I’m in school. They want me to just stay focused on my studies, but I might still look for a job that doesn’t interfere with school. Or I’d at least try to look.

Non-negotiables:

My main goal is to finish in 4 years. If I don’t, I’ll be devastated. But I’m NOT willing to quit school. If I ever find myself not doing too well in one of my classes, then I’ll sacrifice going out and having fun. I’m sure I’ll be tempted, but I’ll have more time for that once I finish. I’m willing to spend most of my time at the library studying until I finally understand what I’m struggling with. I understand that this sort of action can affect my relationship with certain people, but I’m alright with that. My close friends should know that school is my top priority.

What if:

The worst case scenario is not getting into the nursing program at UIC. It’s one of the best programs at the school, which makes it hard to get in. If that does not work out, I’ll look into other schools that offer the program. I would even look at the accelerated nursing programs. This would allow me to receive my bachelor’s degree in just 2 years. More money is needed for that, but I’m sure I’d figure it out. Not passing the test to get my nursing license would be another hurdle. If this were to happen, I would just have to study my butt off again until I do pass. Another worst case scenario would be not being able to find a job once I graduate. It would really bother me if I put in so much hard work into something, and not being able to use the skills I learned out of it. It would seem like a waste to me. If this were to happen, I would probably find volunteer opportunities. This would give me a chance to maybe put my skills to use, even if I’m not getting paid. Overall, my backup plans are still leading me to my goal. It’s just a different route.  

Map:

Map. RD. 2017 

Inspiration:

A huge motivation is the people who I’ll be caring for. Like I said before, if you want to enjoy being a nurse, you have to have a big, caring heart. That’s apart of your job. Yes, you have to know how to complete certain medical tasks, but you also are going to touch many people’s lives. “They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” This is a quote from Maya Angelou’s poem describing what nurses accomplish. Your main goal as a nurse is to make your patient feel better. It’s really a win-win situation. I feel good by making others feel good. “Nurses are there when the last breath is taken and nurses are there when the first breath is taken. Although it is more enjoyable to celebrate the birth, it is just as important to comfort in death." This is another quote that I really liked. As a nurse, I’m going to experience so many different events and moments. The birth of a child is memorable, but so is the death of someone. It’s a mixture of joy and sadness, but I can’t wait to go home everyday knowing I made a difference in someone’s life. I’m not going to lie, another motivation is the money. There are a lot of things that I want to do, but I can’t because of money. I always think about the goal. I’ll be 22, on my own, just worrying about myself. All the money I make is for me. 

When did I first find out I wanted to be a nurse?

I was around 8 or 9 when I realized that I wanted to work in a hospital or doctor setting. Two of my family members got sick around the same time, which meant that I spent a lot of time in the hospital. I remember always analyzing the nurses and watching carefully to see what they were doing whenever they came in the room to take care of something. It was always super cool to me. I would even come home and play with my younger sister, pretending to be a nurse.

 

Mejorando mi Espanol.

In order to finish up my credits, I had to complete 15 hours of language.  I decided to work on Spanish.  I speak the language at home because that's the only language my grandparents can speak well. It can get frustrating at times trying to communicate with them, but it also helps me improve my Spanish. I know I have to improve, so I went to visit a Spanish tutor. Once I actually met with her, I had to let her know that I understood the basics, and that I can carry on a conversation in Spanish with no problem. It was more the writing that I had to get done. Apart from getting tutored, I also decided to look into my culture more since Spanish is the main language for it. For that, I took a trip to Pilsen. I was lucky enough to go on a super nice day, so I spent most of my afternoon there. Right away, I was welcomed with the stories on those walls. The murals. Most of them reflected on life in Mexico, and transitioning here in America. I also went to the National Museum of Mexican Art. I visited the exhibits and was super impressed with all of them. Below I have pictures of my Pilsen visit. I hope you enjoy!

RD. Pilsen Visit. 2017 

RD. Pilsen Visit.  2017

RD. Pilsen Visit. 2017

RD. Pilsen Visit. 2017 

RD. Pilsen Visit. 2017.

Babysitting Journey

The last Humanities course for my senior year is called Endurance. In this class, we focused a lot on certain challenges and learned how to endure them. More specifically our own personal challenges and goals. The second unit of this course is called Katabasis. The definition of this word is diving into the underworld, while the hero is in a strange land, while danger surrounds. We learned a lot about journeys that people go through, and how they have endured them. The hope is that their stories and experiences inspire us while we go through the planning of our personal missions. For the action project, the class was assigned to work on our mission for 12 hours. Our mission is whatever we find ourselves passionate about. We just have to put it into action. It was pretty easy to pick my mission because I have already thought about this before. It was just hard actually conducting it. After I got through that though, I had a lot of fun putting this together. It came out a little longer than I expected, because every hour was important to completing my mission. Even the smallest details. I hope you enjoy going through my mission with me!

I want to be a pediatric nurse, so I’m going to be around a lot of children. Sick children. Of course I’m going to make sure that they’re getting the best care physically, but it’s also my mission to make sure that they’re feeling good mentally as well. I want them to feel safe whenever I’m in their presence. I also want to make sure that they’re having a lot of fun. Part of that means I’m going to spend a lot time trying to distract pain. My patience has to be worked on, because right now, it’s not the best. In order to achieve my mission of improving my patience, I am going to be babysitting. My aunt, who is in nursing school right now, is working as a nanny in the moment. She knew a family who was in great need of a babysitter, so I thought this was a perfect opportunity to work on my mission. 

Chapter 1: The struggle before the hustle.

Endurance is my last Humanities class of my senior year. This course focused on certain challenges and how to overcome them. More specifically, our own personal challenges. The first unit of this course is called Morpheus. This unit made us dig deeper into examples of endurance. We read examples of endurance, as well as watching videos about it. For the action project, the class was assigned imagine our lives after we achieved our mission. We were to write about this in a form of an autobiography. I was super excited about this project because I’m very excited about the future. I can’t wait to do what’s going to make me the happiest. Of course, it was still pretty difficult to write about, because you never know what can happen. But that also added on to the excitement. I’m super proud of the vision that I have set out for myself. It’s something that I can see myself doing, and being very happy with. It was also super fun and interesting trying to predict the future. This project really put me into the mindset of thinking about the future. That scares me, but also excites me. I hope you enjoy reading below!

Free illustration: Heart Care, Medical, Care, Heart - Free Image on Pixabay - 1040227

I'm  Rebecca, but my family calls me Becca. I come from a very huge family living in the Northwest side of Chicago, which is also my birthplace. My family is my everything. Ever since I was young, I remember being around them all the time. We all lived in one apartment, so there was no escaping them. It was super fun being around them all the time, but I can’t say there weren’t any annoying moments. In fact, I think those annoying moments are what shaped me to be the patient person I am today. Many good things happened in my family, but of course, so did bad things.

When I was 9, my grandpa suffered a heart attack. Luckily he survived but he still had to go through so much. One of the obstacles included open heart surgery. This was the first medical emergency that my family and I had to go through, and it put us in shock.They were in and out of hospitals trying to find the best surgeons. All this was super scary to me. I hated seeing my grandpa (who is basically my dad because he was the one that raised me and my siblings) going through this. He was sick, but I know he hated seeing everyone stress over him. Luckily he survived this major surgery, but there were still many more days spent in the hospital. I know a hospital is a place we should not be excited to go to, but I was. I know it was because I knew my grandpa was going to be alright, but there was another reason why. The nurses. I was amazed by what they could do. They were in his hospital room many more times than the doctors. I remember going home after the hospital visit and playing doctor with my siblings. Letting them be the doctors while I was the nurse. I would try to mimic their tasks by using my imagination. All of this was super fun to me. There was a time when I even missed the hospital because we stopped going. But soon, I wouldn’t have to. Another medical emergency occurred within my family. This happened when I was 10, so just a year later. And it was at this time when my call to action happened. My aunt, who I consider to be my best friend, was diagnosed with Leukemia. Hearing the word “cancer” come out of the doctor’s mouth sent us all in tears. This really made everyone weak for a moment. I didn’t have to miss the hospital anymore. It was like my family’s second home. My mom was always there, and I hated that. I was glad someone was keeping my aunt company, but I also wanted my mom to be home. I felt really selfish for missing her, so I knew I had to change my feeling and attitude. I started to pay more attention to the things my mom would do for my aunt. The more I paid attention to that, the more I started to appreciate what she was doing. I also started to realize something else. My younger siblings were even more confused as to what was going on. They missed her even more, and they also needed her. That’s when I had to step up. I am their big sister, so I need to show them that they can feel safe with me as well. Whenever my mom was at the hospital with my aunt, I made sure my little brother and sister were fed, did their homework, and were ready for school the next day. I didn’t want my mom to worry about any of that while she was away. And she didn’t have to thanks to me.

That experience shaped me into the compassionate person I am today. I was already a genuine caring person before that event, but it definitely became stronger after that. My compassion is what drove me to become interested in nursing, as well as my admiration for them. Nurses do so much, and I don’t think people realize that. They helped my 2 family members to recovery, and I can’t thank them enough for that. I have seen the smiles that some nurses bring to their patient’s faces, and I realized that I want to be one of those nurses.


To get my journey started, I attended University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). With all my hard work and dedication, I was accepted into the nursing program. I went through hell while I was in it. So many sleepless nights, crying, and stress. There were points when I wanted to give it all up and just quit. But I didn’t because I remembered who I was doing it for. My mom kept reminding me of that, as well as my aunt. I remember seeing my mom study her butt off while she was in school. She admits it was hard, but she didn’t give up. I admire her for that. I also admire my aunt. She had cancer, and now she’s a nurse. She knew what it was like to be in pain and scared, and she wanted to be the person to take that away. Her mission is also mines.


In 2021, I finally graduated and became a registered nurse. I got a job at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Downtown Chicago. I was the happiest person ever when I got called in to work there. I remember my first day there. It was so nostalgic. I remember walking down those hospital hallways as a visitor, and now I’m walking down them as a nurse. I was super proud of myself. While I was working, I interacted with so many different people. Those people included coworkers, patients, and the patient’s family. In a way, they have all shaped me into the person I am today. I learned so much, especially from my patients. I can’t lie and say that it was super easy for me to get up and go to work everyday. It wasn’t. I’m a very emotional person, and I get attached easily. Imagine the pain that I would go through when one of my patients was terminally ill. But I did my best, and gave them the happiness that they deserved.


Now, I’m a traveling nurse. Traveling has been one of my passions ever since I was a teenager, and it hasn’t died out. At first I was skeptical about combining my career with my hobby, but it all turned out super well. I’m called in to whichever location needs me the most, and I usually stay there for about 2 months. After those 2 months, I get called in for other locations. People call me crazy for doing this, but I don’t think I am. I’m doing what I love, which is helping people, as well as traveling. The latest location that needed me was Thailand. I worked my butt off over there, but I was also able to admire the beauty that the country holds. Of course I do miss my family and friends while I’m away. Especially my family. They were the ones that helped me throughout school by pushing me to never give up. They were the ones to cheer me up whenever I had a bad day at work. I couldn’t have gone through all that without them. I know they’re super proud of what I’m doing. All the tears, sleepless nights, and missing out on fun parties was worth it. Now I’m able to put smiles on people’s faces by letting my good heart take away their fear and pain.

Stay Curious And Happy

For this elective term, I took a class called Mixtapes. In this class we studied the historical context behind some genres of music like Blues and Jazz. We also learned the "language" that music holds, and learned about some key words that would help us better connect to what we're listening to. For the action project we were assigned to create a mix tape of music that we think really identifies us, as well as how we perceive the world. I listen to a lot of different music so I thought it would be super easy to pick my songs, but I was wrong. It took awhile, but I eventually figured out which songs fit best. It was super cool to go into depth with these songs because for each one I learned something new. I hope you enjoy exploring below!

Script:

I describe myself as an introverted person. Although I’m quiet most of the time, I really like to look out for adventures, laughs, and overall fun. I LOVE to laugh and have some sense of freedom. I also take pride in the sense of humor that I have. It has allowed me to not take so many things seriously. I’m a super curious person, and sometimes that gets me into trouble but I don’t mind sometimes. Depends on the consequence. I would for sure say that I sound pretty soft and mellow. They would be beats that you can dance to or just listen to while you relax. The world we live in sucks. Most rulers of this world are evil, greedy, and just plain out ignorant. I still see some good in this world though thanks to some people. Those people are the ones that still look out for fun. They’re the ones that let their creativity and curiosity drive them. In a way, these people could be considered brave for still showcasing those qualities. These kind of hopeful, happy people are the ones that drive me. Very uplifting, fun lyrics. I found that some of the songs that I picked have a slow to medium tempo, but the lyrics are pretty positive.

Song #1- Pocketful Of Sunshine.

Is this track conservative or progressive?

Progressive

Is this track sacred or profane?

Profane- There isn't any religious connection to this song. It's also pretty obvious as to what this song is talking about.

What genre of music is represented?

Pop & R&B

Natasha Bedingfield's Pocketful of Sunshine talks about finding a happy place. This happy place allows her to escape the trials that she encounters in her life. She’s able to send this message by her very moody and melancholy lyrics. The lighter and happier mood of this song is brought out by her cheerful and energized vocals. This is a dance-pop song. The repetition of the chorus allows a beat to be carried and makes it pretty predictable. This song came out in the summer of 2008, so not much was happening politically that would have affected this song. I would say that it’s a timeless song. There are many people who are trying to escape the tragedies of their lives today, which would make this song pretty relatable. The transmission hits when the chorus comes. It sounds intimate at first, but then it bursts to some energy. To me, this song doesn't hold any virtuosity because it sounds pretty basic. Like I've heard it before somewhere. This is for sure written in a major tone because it sounds upbeat.   This song is good for people who are looking for a happy, danceable tune. It’s also for people who don’t mind listening to mainstream music, because this song would be considered a radio favorite. This song is about escaping certain problems in your life by going to a certain place. In the song, she’s talking about a real literal place, but a happy place can also be considered a form of a mindset. These lyrics are what pushed me to include this song on my playlist.

And there's no more lies.

In the darkness,there's light. And nobody cries.

There's only butterflies.”

It really adds to the theme of yea life is going to suck, but it’s up to you to change that perception. It all starts with your happiness.

Song #2- Human Nature-Micheal Jackson

Is this track conservative or progressive?

Conservative- I would say it's conservative because it holds some truth about human nature, which could be considered traditional.

Is this track sacred or profane?

Profane- There isn't any religious connection to this song, but it's a super honest song.

What genre of music is represented?

Pop 

Michael Jackson is considered to be the king of pop. This song specifically though, doesn’t embody that. This is a slower song, with some honest lyrics. The message that I got from this song is that there’s this freedom that we have to live life the way we want to. We can make connections with anyone we want, whenever we want. The title of this song also can give a hint as to what the writer was thinking about when he was writing this. It’s talking about human nature. It explains the idea of people taking the chance of exploring love and life freely. I really like the intimacy that's caused by his soothing voice. The speed also has a lot to do with the feeling of closeness. All this was able to prove that his work is handled with a lot of virtuosity.It never really changed which makes it pretty stubborn, but it's still enjoyable.  The lyrics below really capture the purpose as to why I included this song.

If they say,

Why, why, tell 'em that it's human nature

Why, why, does he do me that way

If they say,

Why, why, tell 'em that it's human nature

Why, why does he do me that way

I like livin' this way

I like lovin' this way.

This song could really be for everyone. It’s talking about human nature, which is geared towards everyone. But if someone likes danceable tunes or prefers that over deep, honest lyrics, then I wouldn’t recommend this song to those people.

This song came out in 1982, which was a prime time for MJ. This song was on his album Thriller, which is still considered to be one the best selling albums ever. Since it was the early 80’s, I would say that this song really set the tone as to how to people were perceiving each other. The 70’s was fun, and a super interesting year for psychedelic drugs, but the 80’s was the time to be honest, and a bit more mature. I admire this song for the deep and soothing lyrics. I enjoy the freedom we have to make connections with whoever we want. Anyone can be curious about anything, and we have the freedom to explore anything we want. I believe that’s what drives people in this world.

Song #3-Summer Breeze 

Is this track conservative or progressive?

Progressive- I would say it's progressive because it really doesn't talk about any traditions or religious events. It actually talks about feeling free.

Is this track sacred or profane?

Profane- There isn't any religious connection to this song, but it's a super soothing one.

What genre of music is represented?

Soft-Rock 

Summer Breeze is a very soft-rock tune. The guitar elements add the rockish feel, but the soft, smooth and peaceful lyrics add to the prettiness of this song. It also adds to the intimacy of it. I would say the lyrics add to the closeness of the singer and the audience, because summer is usually something that most people enjoy. The loudness is very low, and I think that's good because of the soothing, sweet lyrics. The beginning guitar part is pretty exclusive because once I hear that, I know it's the specific song. There are specific things that the singer sings about, but the chorus cuts down to what this whole song is really about. The lyrics are below:

"Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind."

He’s basically saying that the breeze during the summer calms his mind down. The breeze also allows him to live a very peaceful life. This was written in 1972, and it’s pretty obvious. These were the very hippy days. The Vietnam War was also going on, and although there was no reference to that in the song, I still feel like the war impacted it. With all the chaos going on in the world, it would be really easy to forget that even the simplest things like nature can bring some sort of happiness. I would recommend this song to anyone who enjoys to sit back and listen to music. To those who actually find the time to let music relax them. I wouldn't share this song with anyone who enjoys dark lyrics, because this is far from that.I’m a very easy going person who is happiest with the simplest things, so this song makes me super happy knowing that it was written about the summertime and the benefits that come with it. It shows that it is possible to be happiest with very simple things, people just choose not to be.

Song #4- Happy House

Is this track conservative or progressive?

Progressive- There is a reference to Hell, but I don't think it makes much of an impact for this song to be considered religious or anything.

Is this track sacred or profane?

Profane- There isn't any religious connection to this song, but the lyrics are super fun.

What genre of music is represented?

Post-Punk 

This is a very chilling song by a post-punk band. I think the instrumental to this song is what makes this song super interesting, exclusive and just plain out cool. It’s very different, and almost haunting. That haunting feeling adds to the intimacy that it holds. I think the loudness goes well with the energy filled lyrics. This song is pretty stubborn too, but I like it. The lyrics to this song are pretty awesome as well. It’s telling a story about a house that’s called the “happy house”. This house allows people to have fun to the fullest without worrying about anything going on. It’s like an escape. The lyrics below really capture that idea.

"This is the happy house-we're happy here in the happy house. To forget ourselves-and pretend all's well There is no hell."

“Happy House” was released in the 80s as a punk song. Punk is going against the norms, and although the lyrics are very happy and uplifting, I know it’s all sarcasm. The point of this song was to highlight the way the media, and television portrays families. They always showcase very happy people, whose life must be nice.

People who enjoy lighter, happier songs wouldn’t find much enjoyment from this because this is almost mocking those kinds of songs. At the same time though, someone can ignore the sarcasm and just listen to the song as it is. People who like to break apart songs and find hidden meanings with music, would have a lot of fun with this song.

I was a person who ignored the sarcasm in this song, and just enjoyed the lyrics the way I wanted to hear them. I took it as a happy song. Like I said before, I really enjoy the thought of everyone being happy because I really believe that that’s what’s going to push people to do the things they want.

Song #5- Ride. Lana Del Rey

Is this track conservative or progressive?

Conservative- I would say it's conservative because it holds some truth about sadness and emotions that people face.

Is this track sacred or profane?

Profane- There isn't any religious connection to this song, but it's a super honest song about emotions.

What genre of music is represented?

Pop 

This song was written in the blue-eyed souled genre, which is blues and soul music written and performed by white people. The piano melody and nostalgic lyrics add to that feeling that categorizes this song under that genre.This has a pretty deep meaning, which again makes it intimate. The quietness brings a sense of closeness. It’s talking about a person who’s tired of being sunk into the problems that come with alcoholism, which includes loneliness and unpleasant thoughts. She just wants to live her life freely and just ride along with what makes her happy. It was written in 2012, and I don’t think anything politically was going on that was enough to impact this song. Anyone who enjoys moody music would love this, but those who prefer “happier” music, wouldn’t really appreciate this song as much. This connects to me because I don't think there's a problem with going crazy sometimes. If you're always holding things in, you're going to go even crazier.

Discipline.

Systems and Models is the 2nd STEAM course of my senior year. This class focuses on understanding the different ways of thinking with ourselves, within groups, and within organizations. We watched and learned about certain social experiments that would help us get a better understanding about what this class is about. The last unit is called Organization. It focused on people, groups and organizations. For the last action project, we were assigned to think like a organizational consultant and perform a SWOT on GCE. I really enjoy being a student here, so it was sort of difficult looking for flaws. Overall though, I really enjoyed completing this, and I hope you enjoy reading through it.

                                                                                                                      

 

We're Friends With Mexico!

The last unit of my Equality class was called HerStory. This unit focused on possible equality with gender, class, and race. We read articles, watched short videos, and had discussions about feminism, inequality with race and class. For the last action project,we were assigned to predict the future of equality by creating a time capsule 100 years into the future. I decided to focus my project on the issue between the United States and Mexico. Right now, the relationship isn't all that great. Donald Trump is our president, so that explains a lot. In the beginning, it was difficult to pick which civil rights event I would pick. I sat and thought about which event was the most important, but there's no such thing. Every civil rights event is important. But I did choose the topic I know most about, and that's about the relationship between Trump and Mexicans. I hope you enjoy reading below!
 

Are You Lost?

The second STEAM course of my senior year, I'm taking a class called Systems and Models. This class teaches us how to study people from the outside, inside and between. The second unit is called Group. This unit focuses on how people's behavior changes while around other people. For the action project, we had to conduct a social experiment. I worked with a partner and wanted to see how different stores reacted when it came to us wanting help. I hope you enjoy our project!

                                                                                                                    

Remembering 9/11

This is the second Humanities course of my senior year. This course is called Equality, and we discuss issues about inequality. The first unit is named History and during it we discussed the historical background of gender, race, and class. For the action project we were assigned to recount a historical event with some research and a voice. It was really cool to look back at certain events, but it was also hard to choose because they're all super interesting. I eventually chose researching 9/11. I hope you enjoy reading below!

Out With The Old, In With The New.

The second course of my senior STEAM class is called Systems and Models. This class teaches us how to study ourselves, as well as other people and groups.The first unit of this class is called Individual. This unit focused on studying ourselves through psychology. To do this, we looked at a lot of different personality tests, which I talk about a lot in my project. For the action project, we were assigned to take all the information we learned about ourselves, and present it in a artistic way. The art could be whatever we consider art to be. I liked that a lot because many people have different views on what could be considered art, and it's good to have an open mind and see the differences. I enjoyed learning a lot about myself through these different tests, and it was fun to make that into art. I hope you enjoy reading below!

During this class, we were assigned to take a few personality tests to see if they would help us identify ourselves, as well as to see how we handle certain situations. The one that I think best connected with me was the Myers Briggs test. The point of this test was to figure out how I perceive the world and how I make decisions. At the end, my results were INFP. Those letters stand for introversion, intuition, feeling, and perception. Introversion means that I am energized by having some time to myself. Intuition means that I can recognize patterns and possibilities. Feeling means that I take other people’s feelings seriously. Perceiving means that I enjoy freedom and flexibility. All this can also be described as the “mediator”. This made sense to me because people describe me as being reserved, gentle, and understanding. Once I knew all this information, I thought my result for the TKI test, which describes how we handle a conflict, was pretty accurate. The number one word I got was avoider. This means that I shy away from a conflict or that I’d rather not face it at all.

Out with the old, in with the new. (RD). 2017.

The name of my art piece is called "Out with the old, in with the new". I traced out both of my hands with pencil and marker and added details into them with colored pencils and markers. All this was done on regular printer paper. The size is 8.5x11in. The little details included aren’t actually little in my life, but since there’s a lot going on, they had to be a certain size. One hand represents all the things in life that I want and want to pull in. On the other is stuff that I avoid or push away, and don’t want to include in my life. The hand that wants to push things away is colored in darker, while the hand that wants to bring in things is lighter. The things I want to bring in includes peace, kindness, friendships, and adventure. I represented that through hearts, flowers, peace signs, and a lot of green to represent adventure and nature. I also drew tiny stars to represent the very dreamy personality that I have. When it comes to things that I want to push away I include stress, conflict, criticism ,and decisions. I represented that with a lot of question marks because all those things leave me feeling very unsure. I also drew clouds and a thunderstorm that represent all the stress that clumps together and eventually destroys all my inspiration.

Apart from the 2 tests that I talked about earlier, I also took the Enneagram personality test. The result I got for this one was type 4. This is also known as the "Individualist". Some of the words that are used to describe this type include, expressive, dramatic, self-absorbed, and temperamental. It's also known as the sensitive, introspective type. Most of this is pretty accurate. I've always been quiet, and I find myself sometimes stuck in my own head, and constantly daydreaming. Although this happens, I still like to branch out and connect with others. I represented that in my drawing by the leaves that are outside of the fingers. With this result in mind, I also thought that the result that I got from the DISC personality test was accurate. I got C for compliance. Again, this describes people who are a bit more reserved, people who would rather stay behind the scenes of anything, and those who hate pressure. I think it's cool how I can see a connection with all these different tests.

Throughout this class, we watched a few videos that studied certain behaviors. I thought the "Slap her" experiment was super interesting. The young boys knew it was wrong to slap a girl, so they didn't do it. I also really loved it because I also take other people's feelings seriously, and I could never imagine myself hurting someone else.

In order to fully understand the whole process of creating an artist statement, I talked to Hiu, who is an art teacher. I was curious about which elements she considered as the most important. I liked when she talked about how important it is to explain the story behind the art piece. “I also really love when an artist statement gives instructions on how the audience should interact with or view the piece of artwork. This really gives the artist the chance to immerse the audience into their work and not only view the piece, but also to experience it”. That’s what I hope for when people view my artwork.


Work cited:

"Type Four." The Enneagram Institute. The Enneagram Institute., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2017

"C for Compliance." Discus Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2017.

"Free Personality Test." 16Personalities. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2017.

"The Use and Misuse of an Avoiding Style in Conflict Management." Mediate.com - Find Mediators - World's Leading Mediation Information Site. Mediate.com, Sept. 2006. Web. 22 Jan. 2017.

To, Hiu. Email interview. 18. Jan. 2017

Ocean Beats

I'm taking a class called Radio-Rithmetic. In this class we studied the relationship between math, science, and music. In the second unit, the class went over topics like pitch, frequency, notation,waves, intervals, scales, and many other effects in of music. The FE's for this unit were super fun. We were able to take a tour of a radio station and a recording studio. Both were very helpful to this unit. For the action project, the class was assigned to make a musical collage with existing samples, and see how we could change them with some of the effects we learned about.  I hope you enjoy listening!

This project took some time, especially when it came to picking the right sample songs. I looked at my own playlist to find some inspiration, and it worked. I really like the vocals to Ocean Eyes by Billie Ellish. Her voice is very dreamy, and I knew I wanted to include her voice in my project. I also really like the melody. I did some searching and found a piano cover of it. Even though both samples are from the same song, they sound really different, and I had a lot of fun mixing and playing around with them.



 In the beginning of this piece, I added a little drum beat. The notation is below.

Drum beat notation (RD)

For the interval, I decided to pick the piano piece at the end. It's a long G and B.

Interval (RD)

To make this track a bit more interesting, I added some cool effects. I included a reverse tape sound effect to highlight the differences in the quality of sound. I added a delay on that reverse tape, which means that the same sound is repeated quietly after it’s done playing. And as I stated before, I added my own little drum beat to the beginning, fading into the the first piano solo. I added the wah-wah effect to the first vocals that are featured. The wah-wah effect is when the resonance of musical notes are altered, to extend expressiveness, which makes it sound like a voice saying “wah”. I think the vocals are dreamy, so I added a solo with vocals. I really enjoyed the reverse tape sound effect, so I added that again to fade into the vocal and piano solo towards the end. 

Labeled Piece. (RD)

In this class we discussed consonance and dissonance, which means what does or doesn't sound good together. In the beginning, there was probably a hint of consonance with the drums and piano, but it doesn't sound horrible. The form of this piece is ABCD. It's sort of choppy but it starts off with an instrumental break, and then goes into the first verse. After that verse it cuts off to another verse and then ends with an instrumental. 

Although this project was kind of difficult and time consuming, I had a lot of fun completing it. I enjoyed exploring and learning about the cool effects that can be done to music and sounds. I also had fun mashing some sounds together, and trying to figure out which sounds sounded good with which.

Citations:
"Billie Eilish - Ocean Eyes (Official Music Video)." YouTube. YouTube, 24 Mar. 2016. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

"Ocean Eyes" by Billie Eilish-easy Piano Arrangement." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Jan. 2016. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

My Favorite Song :)

For the elective term in my senior year I’m taking a class called Radio-Rithmetic. In this class I’m learning about the relationship between math, science, and music. The first unit focused on rhythm. During this first unit we learned about how music is formed, how it keeps its time, how the beats are notated, and learning about how the Fibonacci Series and Golden Ratio can figure out patterns in music. For the action project the class was assigned to each pick a song and analyze it. I hope you enjoy watching below!

 

Future Portfolio

In the second unit of the Econ class, which is called Wealth and Wages, the class learned about economic systems and studied how wealth is distributed through markets and governments. For the action project, we were assigned to create a personal investment portfolio. The purpose is to see how we take a certain amount of money, and invest it in stocks while seeing how that stock is doing. We were also asked to add SMART goals to layout what our incentive is to invest. It was interesting making this portfolio. I had a hard time understanding this whole stock process in the beginning, but with more research, I was starting to understand. I’m proud at how I took the time to do good and accurate research, in order to get a good portfolio. I hope you enjoy looking at my portfolio!

There was a certain scenario that we had to work with in this project. We had a college plan that was created 18 years ago by our guardian angel, with $18,000. Each month, $50 was added to the plan ($600 yearly). After 18 years at an average annual interest rate of 7%, compounded annually, the plan is now worth $49128.87. Yesterday, you cashed out your plan and deposited the money in a brokerage account to invest on your own.

In order to see if a stock is worth buying, I’ll look at the value. I want to see what’s low, and then sell it higher. I chose to have a longer time horizon because of my SMART goals. It’s going to take awhile before I can achieve them, but I’m totally up for it. I took a quiz online with the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, and I scored a 25, which means I have a average/moderate tolerance risk. Below, I have my goals listed for 1 year, 5 years, and 25 years.

1-year goal: Save about $15,000 to travel for one full summer.
5-year goal: Put a down payment of $10,000 for an Audi.
25 year goal- Buy a home in Lincoln Park: $350,000

I value companies that are family owned because there is a personal touch added to that company. It’s also easier to control that company and figure out the outcomes for that business. Another reason why I value them, is because those kind of companies value and understand the lifestyle of a larger family better, so they’ll do their best to meet their needs.

Company 1- Walmart.
I decided to invest in Walmart because other companies and retailers have tried to go head to head with Walmart, but have not been able to compete with their low prices. Their buying power has made their economic moat wide and sustainable. I also appreciate their mission which is, “Saving people money so they can live better”. It’s an international business, and it’s expected that Walmart will keep on making acquisitions internationally as time goes on to boost growth in the global market. They have a healthy payout ratio of 42.89%, which means that it has the potential to keep or increase its dividends.

Company 2- Walt Disney.
I decided to invest in Disney because it has an excellent growth rate. It gets that rate from its movie studio, business segment, consumer merchandise and theme parks. It’s also a top 10 stock. While doing my research, I discovered that it has a 10 year dividend growth rate of 23%. It also has a reasonable p/e ratio of 18.

Company 3-TJX.
The company TJX owns stores like TJ MAXX, Marshalls, and Homegoods. This company takes in name brand products that didn’t sell, and put them at a lower price in their department stores. Their highest earning revenue comes from their housing products because of the housing market recovery. It’s profit growth is expected to be 10%, while other department stores have only a single digit number when it comes to their growth.

1 year portfolio
I invested $15,000 in my one year goal.
30 shares of Wal-Mart at $70.11($2,103.30)(28% profile)
60 shares of TJX at $73.66($4,419.60)(72% profile) WMT and TJX together, has an expected ROI of 24.92%

5 year portfolioI invested $10,000 in my 5 year portfolio 

50 shares of Disney at $93.71 ($4,685.50) (30%)
22 shares of Wal-Mart at $70.11 ($1,542.42)(70%) DIS and WMT together, has an expected ROI of 389.27%

25 year portfolio
I invested $350,000 for my 25 year goal.

70 shares of TJX at $73.66($5,156.20) (60%)
50 shares of Disney at $93.71($4,685.50) (40%) TJX and DS together, has an expected ROI of 11681%.

I made three different investments, and 2 of them are in the same stock sector. Wal-mart and TJX is listed under consumer goods, and Disney is put under Entertainment. While deciding, I wanted to have at least one different stock in a different sector, which is one of the reasons why I chose Disney. Based on the math I did, I'm going to be able to reach my goals.

Citations:

Weil, Dan. "Best Investments: Good Investments In 2016 And Beyond | Bankrate.com." Best Investments: Good Investments In 2016 And Beyond | Bankrate.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

BasuMallick, Chiradeep. "5 Reasons Why Disney Is a Must-Have Stock."TheStreet. N.p., 02 Sept. 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Rossolillo, Nicholas. "Is Wal-Mart a Good Dividend Investment?" The Motley Fool. N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Listen to Dr. Seuss!

In the 2nd unit of the Journalism class, which is called Sound, the class studied the idea of how radio can let you hear the world. It was fun being able to listen to old radio reports, as well as new ones. The Fe's were also super interesting in this class. We were actually able to go to the media department at Columbia college For the action project, the class was assigned to create a podcast about a voice that we think made a influence in the 20th century. I had many people in mind, but at the end I chose Dr. Seuss. As a child, I remembered all his most of his books in my messy bookshelf. Even now, I still admire his work. I have a very special connection with one of his books, so I was very excited to put this together. I also really enjoyed interviewing people who also have a special connection with his work. I already knew some things about him, but as I was doing research I learned a lot more about him. Many things go unnoticed about him, and I think more people should be educated on the world's best children's author. He's a super cool guy! I hope you enjoy my podcast below.

WHEN	WHO/HOW	WHAT
0:00-0:34 0:34-0:46 0:48-1:12 1:13:1:39 1:40:2:10 2:11-2:18 2:18-2:35 2:35-2:52 2:53:311 3:11-3:25	[RD]     [Dr. Seuss] Music fades in   [Kid Voice]        [RD] Music Fades in again.  [Kid voice] [RD and kid] [RD and MF] [RD] [Adult speaker]   [RD] THE END	Hi, I’m RD from GCE Lab school. Today I’m going to talk about a voice that made a huge difference in people’s lives. His name is Dr.Seuss. He’s the best selling children's author of all time and revolutionized the way kids learned how to read with one simple concept, he made it fun. Many may think that his books just consist of silly rhymes and pictures, but there is so much more than that. His stories focus on obstacles and situations that we come upon as we go through life. They also hold many lessons that we can apply in our lives. I, Ted Geisel, and perhaps better known to the juvenile reading public as Dr. Seuss. My current best-seller, The Cat In The Hat, has sold so far, over a quarter of a million copies. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right. Feet in the morning, feet at night. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right. Wet foot, dry foot, high foot, low foot.Front feet, back feet, red feet, black feet. Left foot, righty foot. Reading is a huge part of everyone’s life, especially when you’re in first grade first learning how. I remember 6 year old me sitting in the classroom library looking for a cool book to read, and I’ll admit I was judging a book by its cover. My eyes finally came across The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss. For some reason the weird creature on the cover caught my attention, and when I opened it, so did the little amount of text. Feet, feet, feet, how many feet you meet.Slow feet, quick feet, trick feet, sick feet.Up feet, down feet.Here comes clown feet.Small feet, big feet.Here comes pig feet.His feet, her feet, fuzzy fur feet. So, what did this book teach you?It taught me that people are really different and that even our feet are different but that's okay. I’m going to talk to one of my friends who’s also into Dr. Seuss books. So what’s your connection with Dr. Seuss? The first book I ever read when I was little was The Cat In The Hat. This book was the first one I was actually able to read all the way through with no help. Because of that, this book will always hold a special place in my heart. Many think that Dr. Seuss’s work is just for children, but it’s not. Like I said before, his books hold hidden meanings and teach lessons. One example is his book, Who are you Sue Snue? I’m going to talk to an adult who has a connection with this book. In this book, Dr. Seuss covers a topic that many young people and adults go through. That topic is about finding yourself. The book focuses on a young girl who is pushed to find who she is and what she’s going to do with her life. I for sure have been gone through this, and I think I still am honestly. So, If you ever need advice, need a good laugh, or just want to take a trip down memory lane, make sure to pick up a Dr. Seuss book. Thanks for listening!

My Summer Trip

This summer I traveled to Matagalpa, Nicaragua. It’s a small town located about 3 hours away from Managua, the country’s capital. I was able to travel there because of an organization called Global Glimpse. This organization gave me chance to explore another country, culture, and helped me learn more about myself for 3 and a half weeks.

Flags. 2016

There were 20 of us who were participating in this amazing program. I only knew 2 of them because they go to GCE, so it was pretty nice seeing familiar faces, but at the same time I challenged myself to reach out to make new friendships. I’m not going to lie and say it was easy, because being in a unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people can be kind of scary, but that’s where I had to step up and get out of my comfort zone. I’m so glad I did too because I made so many connections.

Managua Airport. 2016

While we were in this beautiful country, we were able to explore the bustling streets of Matagalpa, visit a monkey hut resort, and visit a chocolate factory. All those things sound fun, but one important point about this trip is that it’s not a vacation.

Apart from those things, we worked and lived like a local for a day, which involved a day of waking up at 5 am and showering with cold water everyday. We had a day dedicated to the history of Nicaragua, so we had a guest speaker who really touched the hearts of many of us. There was a day dedicated to education, and each person shadowed a student in high school. It was really fun and interesting making new friends, as well as seeing how different school is in a different country. We also had the chance to become tutors by teaching some English to people from the town. I had the duty of teaching kids, so it was really fun, but also stressful.

History Day. 2016

One day that I won’t ever forget is poverty day. That day we traveled to the city dump, where we learned and saw that people actually go there to find resources. It was very heartbreaking to see the conditions of this place where so many children and people spend their time at. My group was also assigned a community action project. We were assigned to help build a wall, a door, a ceiling, and a mural for a organization called Infancia Sin Fronteras. I helped with the building of the wall. The wall was put into place because there was nothing separating the classroom from the doctor office in the facility, which meant that it was really easy for a disease to pass. The ceiling was built to prevent the heat from bothering the young children who were sitting in the classroom. The door was put into place to prevent break ins. Finally the mural was installed to give the building a splash of color, and to also bring something positive to the community.

I won’t ever forget this amazing trip. Even the little things, like late night card games, late night convos and reading nights with the ladies of room 9. Every little thing made this trip unforgettable. I encourage others to take opportunities like this. I promise you won’t regret it!

What Is The Meaning Of Life?

In the first humanities class of my senior year, Journalism, we are learning how to analyze,observe, and report through media. Those forms of media include, image, sound, and text. In the first unit of this course, which is called Image, the class studied photojournalism and saw how it can help us see the world. For the first action project, the class was assigned to interview a person, and ask them what the meaning of life is. Along with the interview, we were also asked to take a picture of our interviewee. Throughout the course, we learned that pictures have the power to capture so many important things. I have always been interested with photojournalism, so it was really nice having a unit focusing on just that. I was really excited to conduct my interview because the person who I interviewed is full of wisdom. I hope you enjoy reading below!

When you ask someone what the meaning of life is they,without a doubt, have to ponder about it. I know I do, and to be honest, I still don’t have an answer for it. I decided to interview someone who did have an answer though. I conducted my interview on Wednesday night. A cold night filled with rain, so when I saw her smile, it warmed me up. Suzy, who’s been a close family friend for 3 years now, was sitting in my dining room joyfully waiting for the questions I was going to ask. She’s older, and she’s always giving me so much good advice, so I really wanted to hear her story on this question. She constantly feeds me words of wisdom, so I was excited to hear what she had next.

Once I entered my dining room, she was sitting there with her usual smile, a smile that always makes me go in for a hug. Once I explained what kind of questions I was going to be asking, her facial expression automatically let me assume that she too, needed some time to think about it. I sat there, wondering what she was wondering about. Finally, I asked the question. What is the meaning of life?

She was very fast in answering because I already had given her time to think about it. “Life is a gift.” I thought her response was really interesting. She went on to talk about how she sees God as the owner of life, and because of that, she consults him with everything she wants to do with her life. “That’s what I feel about life”.

Has life always meant the same for you? That was my follow up question. She brought up her childhood this time. “Well since a child, life has been of importance to me.” I wanted to hear more about that, so I asked her to elaborate. She talked about how her mother was the one who inculcated her to go the right way. “ I could see the wisdom going in the right path that could lead me to not get in trouble with the law or with family and friends, so I always kept up with the way she taught me to do things, and to be good to other people.”

Next was my favorite question. Is there a story that explains your meaning of life? She was silent for a moment, and again, I was curious. This question also took her back to her childhood. She explained how many years ago, her mother met a woman who showed her how she could get a true meaning of life. The woman also gave some advice to her mother about family, because there were some problems going on within theirs. Suzy told me that this woman shared her meaning of life with them, and it appealed to them so much that they decided to follow it. “It stayed with us until now, which is has been 60 years.”

I thought it was crazy that she stuck with some advice that was given to her 60 years ago. I think about all the times I’ve been given advice, and how I sometimes shrug it off. I give her credit for sticking with it. That’s one thing that I learned that day. You never know if one piece of advice can change your life.

I also wanted to know if there was a certain object, book, person, picture, or anything of value to her, that represents her meaning of life. “Well, I would say I have a favorite book, and that book is the Bible”. Suzy talked to me about how it has divine principles, and how the Bible has guided her throughout her life. “It’s not an object, or a person, but the principles in this book by God.”

I already knew Suzy was a religious person before this interview, but after this, I saw that it was basically her whole life. She values it so much, that she doesn’t even see her life as her own, but Gods. She’s aware that many people have different opinions, and she respects that. That’s one of her many qualities that I admire.

I finally ended the interview, and asked if I could get a picture of her. Of course she quickly went to fix her short hair and adjusted her glasses, something I found to be so cute.

RD. Suzy. 2016

I think it’s a very simple picture, but I love it. I wanted to make sure she was smiling because that’s what she’s always doing. I decided to snap this picture right after the interview in the exact same place where I conducted it. I wanted it to seem as natural as possible because what’s the point of taking a picture of someone if it’s not capturing their true selves.