Outside TMA

Human Biology classroom at City College.

As many may know, I work immediately after school at the TMA lower school. I also take college classes on Saturday mornings from 9:00am - 1:20pm at City College through a program called College Now. When I began both the job and the college courses, I never thought much of it besides getting paid and having a good looking college application. However, both my job and college class have offered me a whole new realm compared to the one I live in TMA. They both require a great amount of responsibility and self teaching. These opportunities have ultimately given me the upper hand when it comes to tackling rigorous classes such as AP Biology. As a result,  I've become more independent in my studies, and enhanced my leadership skills.

I started taking college courses at city college about 2 years ago. The first course I took was Criminal Justice. My experience there gave me a taste of how college classes would be like. The teachers were less lenient and straightforward. They would hand you a syllabus the first day of class, which would display all the dates and topics to be covered every week. The syllabus basically outlined the entire class and all the required assignments which were pretty much three test or quizzes (depending on the type of class) I found it very difficult to juggle college classes and regular school work, but I still tried my best. (by 'trying my best' I mean procrastinating all week up until Friday night where I would try to cram a weeks worth of studying for Saturday morning.)
The commute from school to work is such a hassle; the bus never arrives on time. Therefore every single day I have to speed walk a distance of about 20 blocks. Many times I have contemplated quitting my job. I never get enough to for homework or even spare time to finish up college applications. Then one day as I entered my job tirelessly, I was greeted by 10 swarming bodies that were happy to see me. I was surprised (well I wasn't that suprised because I knew what an awesome after school counselor I was). But seeing how much my kids appreciated me, warmed my heart up so much. Now despite the struggle to get to work on time, it has become the best part of my day.


All in all, I am glad and blessed to have experienced these moments. They have only helped me with my transition to adulthood. Unknowingly, they have made me a a very independent student who has learned how to self teach herself. I have learned to appreciate these extracurriculars for more than just pretty words on my college applications

"Reaching Back to Move Forward"

This past Saturday I attended a SNMA Region 9 conference that was held in Albany Medical School with some medical program called MSI AHEC. During this conference, I, as well as around 75 other students(high school, undergraduate, graduate, and medical students) were able to participate in a day full of workshops, tours and lectures. The workshops that were set up for us were very distinct. There were some workshops that gave a lesson on how to suture, and other workshops which focused primarily on an high school audience and gave helpful tips on filling out FAFSA.

We also received a tour on Albany Medical school. During this tour we were able to see one of the many lecture halls which houses 125 students per class. The thought of so many students in one class was overwhelming to me. Later during the tour, the kind tour guide showed us the “hangout room” for all of the medical students. It seemed pretty cozy and comforting. The tour guide began to tell us about how much time she devotes to studying for her classes. She said that on average she spends from 8am to 8pm studying because the test in her class are every two weeks. She warned us that she does not have a social life ever since she’s enrolled to medical school. This immediately started a riot in my brain. Would I be able to handle such a studious life these upcoming 8 years of my life? On top of that, all those long years of schooling only to end up in a heap of debt. At that moment I felt like all my plans prior to that day had been crushed. I no longer felt as if I would be able to make it.

During the conclusion of our trip, we all headed to one of the Lecture halls to receive a lecture from a very inspirational man named Doctor Adam Aponte. Dr. Aponte stood in front of a projection that read “ Reaching back to move forward”. During his lecture he explained to us his life story and his journey into becoming a Pediatrician. He grew up in East Harlem with his Puerto Rican family. Ever since he was younger, he would always tell his parents he wanted to become a doctor. However, many doubted him and did not believe an underprivileged kid from East Harlem would be able to become a doctor. He told us that there will always be people trying to divert you from your dream career but you have to prove them wrong. He then said that after we become successful, we must never forget where we came from. Being able to inspire and advise your community is one way of making a change. This ultimately touched me. I never really noticed how important it is to actually remember where you come from. Being able to give even the slightest advice or help to someone in need can really change their life around.

After such a horrible day that had appeared to crush my whole vision, Dr. Aponte’s speech brought peace to my mind again. So what if I have to spend the next 10yrs under a rock. So what if I might not have a social life. All that matters is that I will be fulfilling a field that I am most passionate about and that’s helping others.

ID

Last Thursday in Participation in Government, I presented to the entire class my assigned Supreme Court case, which was Good News Club v. Milford Central School. I actually enjoyed researching this case.
The case was primarily about a dispute between whether or not a private religious program should be allowed to use Milford Central school’s facilities after school. Milford Central school denied the Club from using its facilities because they feared that by allowing the Club to use it’s facilities they were violating the Establishment Clause. The school also believed that the Club was clearly trying to convert younger kids into Christianity.
The Club believed that the school was simply violating their 1st and 4th amendment, which protected their freedom of speech and their equal protection under the law. They also argued that the Club’s purpose is not to convert children into Christianity but to guide and teach the kids into good morals.
Ultimately, after the very long process that moved up to the Supreme Court, the final verdict was for Good News Club. This case set a precedent that now allows religious programs to use school facilities without discrimination.
As I read more about the Good News Club, I realized how similar this organization is to Yogi Bear, which is also a program that promotes Christianity typically in project areas. This reminded me of when I used to attend this “event” of some sorts every Friday, right downstairs from the projects I live in. They would always award the children with some type of candy or item that would serve as an incentive to praise a god, that these younger kids were not able to make sense of yet. After making the connection between Good News Club and Yogi Bear,the purpose of these groups seemed so wrong to me. It’s as if our children are the indigenous people of America and these religious groups are the colonist; imperializing and stripping our youth from making sense of the world on their own.

My First Love

I vaguely remember those moments when my step father would take me to church on a Sunday morning. I was about 5 years old. I would take the best naps on his lap throughout the pastor's whole sermon. However, I would always awaken to the sound of the pianist playing the same song my mother blasted on Saturday mornings, when she did her daily cleaning. I am not quite sure what had gotten in to me, but I would always courageously volunteer to go up to the podium and sing in front of a small group of enthusiastic believers. Singing gave me a feeling that was unexplainable. It gave me  a rush I had been unfamiliar with. It was the same type of rush you feel when you fall in love for the first time and you feel the butterflies kicking in. Singing was my first love.

As I grew older, I began to lose my courage. I became extremely shy, as entering school was something new to me. It wasn't until middle school that I stepped out of my comfort zone. I volunteered to sing Long Distance by Brandy for the TMA Fashion Show in 2010. Only this time it wasn't in-front of a small group of church folks, but an audience of nearly 200 people. My music teacher helped guide me through my performance. She eased some of the nervousness I had. When the day of the show came, chills ran through my body. As the host introduced my name I took a deep breathe and that's how it all began. The first 5 seconds of the song I was forcing each and every syllable out because stage fright had began to creep up on me. Suddenly, I stopped focusing on how I sounded and began to focus on the actual words I was reciting. I began to feel each word and I began to live each word and that's, when I became lost in the music. It was just me on that stage. I was at home, with a brush in one hand where my microphone once was, and I'm singing my heart out.
Singing is my passion and it is the one thing I am most confident about. It gives me this escape where I can express myself in a melodic and clever way. I would not be the same person I am today without it.

CRR

These first weeks of classes have been totally new for me. Juggling work and school is certainly something I'm not used to. There is no organization in my life. I can't keep track of when homework is due and that has been my major problem. I even almost forgot about this assignment as well.
To be strictly honest, I hate grammar rules. Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy AP Literature, but all these intricate rules and details to grammar is very hard to get used to. I find myself struggling a lot with grammar rules.

Also, I have basically procrastinated the whole summer work packet. It taunts me every damn day, knowing that I still haven't gotten over with it. While I attempted to complete the assignment, there were moments where I was completely interested in the poems but then as I got to the RA's, I immediately became discouraged and began to refuse to complete it. This is still a working progress.

On the bright side, I really enjoyed the article "How Does A Poem Mean". I admired its comparison to the baseball players in the Bronx. I honestly just wished that more people in the class would have taken that article seriously because it gave a lot of persuasive points, in my opinion, that would have most likely sparked someones interest in writing. One productive thing that we did this week in class was that we made note cards that represented a different book on one side and on the other side we wrote down important things to consider such as archetypes, symbols and themes. At first I thought it was just a regular assignment but than I realized this would be extremely helpful when studying for the AP Literature exam. On the exam, there is an essay prompt that asks you to write about a book your read this year. The only tricky thing though, is that in order for you to get a good grade on that essay, the book you talk about must be at a high reading level. I believe that by May, our class would be familiar with a ton of challenging books.

Happily Ever After

Once upon a time, there was this girl who lived in her own imaginary realm. This realm was filled with glistening snow and a huge forest filled with tons of trees that led to a path she was unfamiliar with. Everyday she would pass by the same Forest with bursting curiosity of what was on the other side. Until one day she gained the courage to step foot into that mysterious land. As she slowly entered, she noticed a huge dark hole that was centered in the middle of all the tall trees. She took a step. Then another. Then a few more until her last step was a narrow edge from the dark abyss. Before she knew it she was falling. Falling into this unknown dark hole that had seemed to suck her in deeper. It was completely dark and all she could feel was the air rushing through her hair as she kept falling. She was so scared she tightly shut her eyes and hoped for the best. Suddenly she no longer felt as if she was falling. She quickly opened her eyes to this new realm where everything seemed so green and fructuous. She allowed herself to briefly examine this foreign territory. She noticed how different things were on this Greenland compared to her cozy white place she called home, but for some strange reason she began to love this new land she had found, that held truth, nourishment and hope. She refused to ever go back to that old shiny place again. So for the rest of her life she made Greenland her new home and she lived happily ever after.

If you're wondering why I began my introduction like this, it's because; 1. I'm really into fairy tales. 2. I wanted to be extra and describe myself through a fairy tale and 3. I REALLY like fairy tales.

In my short (or long) anecdote, as you might have guessed, I am the the girl in the story. The changes this girl goes through are similar to my personal changes in life. Her original homeland which is described as white and shiny would describe me when I was young innocent and naive. Then, her being tempted to explore the Forest, which is usually filled with wild creatures, represents my strong curiosity and courage in taking my first step. As the girl fell down the dark hole, she was scared. This in my life, represents how at first I believed I had done the wrong things by exploring out of my comfort zone or by being exposed to differing ideals and perspectives than my own. Finally, The Greenland represented a place in which I have come to my own beliefs and perspectives, that holds truth, comfort and hope that my curiosity actually led me to the truth rather than lies. So there you have it. My life in about 484 words.