Week 6: Diversity and Inclusion

This week's topic was very confronting. We watched the documentary Documented which is about the life of Jose Antonio Vargas. We learned that he was an undocumented immigrant from the Philippines who came to the US when he was 12. He is a prominent figure in the fight for the rights and citizenship for immigrants. Today I want to focus on the speech he gave at Georgia Southern University a few years ago. One quote that sparked my attention stated, " What have you done, and what are you doing to earn your citizenship?" When I reflected on this truth I realized that all I am is blessed to be born in this country. As we discussed this question in class, my group came to the conclusion that this was also possibly talking about how immigrants are typically some of the hardest working people there are, and we think Jose Antonio Vargas was talking to the people in America who don't even take advantage of the life they are given. I watched a video created by Define America titled What would LA be like without immigrants? This video revealed that one out of every three people would disappear. Not only that but it would be hard to find any food to eat because 76 percent of agriculture workers in the area are immigrants. It would also be difficult to find transportation because over half of the public transit users are immigrants. It ended by saying without immigrants there is no LA. What a powerful video! It shows just how important immigrants are to our economy and to our overall lives.

He also made another interesting point in his speech that I have never heard before. He said that the majority of immigrants aren't even coming from Latin America anymore, but rather they are coming from areas such as Asia instead. I have always assumed that most immigrants were coming from the South because that is the only aspect covered on the news. All I ever hear about immigration is the need to protect the border and secure it with whatever is necessary, but I have never heard the fact about more immigrants coming from Asia. It made me think about immigration in an entirely different light! Overall, this was a good topic because it covered some complicated areas and allowed me to change the way I think.

Week 5: Immigration

This weeks topic hit me really hard. I have never really put much thought into immigration or the impact of it, but all of that changed this week. Through the films and videos I saw just how much immigrants are willing to go through in order to get to America. So what is an immigrant? An immigrant is anyone who is moving from one country to another to establish a new permanent home. As I watched the YouTube video "The Price of Immigration", I was able to hear the story of Jose. He attempted to cross the border five times and was finally able to get over the border by swimming through freezing waters at five in the morning. This seemed crazy to me, so why did he do it? In my blog I want to think about the motives people have for coming to America. 

One of the biggest reason Hispanics choose to come into America is in order to provide for their family and to give them money in order to support them and allow them to get by in their native country. This was the case for Jose who was forced into becoming the head of his family at the young age of 17. That is why he came to America, so he could make money and send it back to his family. At the same time when people move to another country it creates a separation between the family. That is why Jose said the thing he misses the most was his family. In the documentary, "Which Way Home" we saw several examples of children who were attempting to make it into America. Kevin was 14 and he wanted to go to America so he could support his mother and to escape his unloving step-dad. Fito wanted to get to America to make a way for himself and to escape his parents who spent their time at parties. Others cross hoping to be reconnected with family members who have already made it over such as Jose who was only 10 and was trying to cross. To me it is just really sad to see how young these kids are often left without their parents. I would not be able to make it without my parents. It just leads them to grow up so fast. They all leave their countries for different reasons, but they all have to go about it the same way. They are forced to grow up and to begin to make a living for themselves and for others. I can't help but to think if there is a better way to help this situation? How can we change the living conditions in other countries so they aren't as bad as they are? I wish everyone could live as comfortably as I do because after watching this I am reminded of just how blessed I am! At the same time this documentary gave me a burden for these kids and for these people. I want to help if possible, and I really want to be able to go on a mission trip to one of these countries so I can see first hand what they are going through. Overall, this week was just eye opening for me to be able to see the living conditions in other countries, and it was crazy to see how young they are when they start to provide for their families. This really affected me and I hope it affected you as well. Thanks for reading!

Week 4: Growth Mindset and Academic Honesty

We began this week by discussing different types mindsets. There are two types of mindsets that we can have: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. Our mindsets play a powerful role in who we are and in who we can become, and they affect every aspect in our life. In the video titled, "Growth mindset introduction", it explained two of the main areas that our mindset can impact. These were in academics and in athletics. The video gave the example of Lebron James and how he looks at every game with a mindset of how can I get better and improve my team. This saying is exactly what the growth mindset is all about; it is about learning from mistakes and using them in order to improve. In my own life I chose to use this mindset in high school football. I was one of the smallest linemen on my team as a freshman and definitely one of the weakest. I had the choice to either quit trying and remain as weak and bad as I was, or I could get to work and push myself to become the best version of myself possible. I chose to push myself because ultimately I knew that my effort would take me a long way, and I was right; by the time i graduated, I was in the top five strongest people in my school. I was able to understand that skills can be built and that becoming the best is all about a process. That is one example of how the growth mindset works to our advantage, but academics follow the same pattern. When we realize that we aren't the best in a subject or area then we have to decide to keep trying and to not worry about failing because it is through these failures that we can actually learn the most.

We also talked about academic integrity this week, and I found all of the stories told about cheating very interesting. Honestly, it is just sad that this is a problem we have to deal with because it shows just how little people actually value their education. Why would anyone pay to go to college if they aren't actually gaining any knowledge related to their future careers? To me it just seems like common sense that you would want to grow and learn on your own, so you don't waste all of the money spent to go to college. However, it is a big problem in our society, and nearly everyone had a personal story of someone who has cheated. The academic integrity case studies were interesting to look at as well and to evaluate if the cases were actually cheating or not. Case study #5 caught the attention of Matthew and me. It was a difficult one to evaluate because the teacher had said they could work together, but he said they must turn in their own work. We decided that in this situation it was very likely that the students were cheating because they had identical answers on the assignment. Matthew said that it would have been completely fine if they had just changed their answers slightly, and I agree with him, but since they did not it was cheating. Looking at situations like these really just showed me how these issues are a common occurrence. However, in my opinion this should not be an issue to college students who are in college to obtain knowledge.

Week 3: Freedom of Speech

This week we read articles and watched videos regarding class discussions and freedom of speech. This was very interesting to read about because it opened my eyes to several different viewpoints on these topics. The first few readings mentioned in-class discussions. In a chapter from Cathy Berkenstein and Gerald Graff's book They Say, I Say, it was asked if I have ever participated in a class discussion which felt more like disconnected monologues than a genuine conversation? This made me think back to my high school English discussions, and it brought back the memories of how the comments seemed out of place and ruined the flow of the conversation. Why were these discussions this way? I believe that it has to do with people just wanting to get their own point across instead of attempting to reply or trying to show the other person respect for their opinion. However, when other ideas were disregarded that limited the conversation from bringing unity to the group. Another article discussed 12 essential communication skills which can lead to more thorough discussions. The first skill mentioned was empathy. Why do you think this is the first skill mentioned? I think it was first because if you don't have empathy towards others then how can you truly engage in a discussion with them. Without empathy you wouldn't be able to see their point of view or even care about their opinions. Another skill which is important is to acknowledge others when speaking in a group. This is important for several reasons. First, it helps everyone follow your contributions to the conversation by informing them of who you are responding too. It also clarifies if you agree with them or not. Lastly, it shows that you were engaged in what they had to say which shows them that you were listening and that you care. These are just two of the twelve communication skills that can improve discussions. 

We also learned about microaggressions which are degrading comments toward a certain person or group of people that happen in everyday conversations. These comments can be disguised as compliments but they carry negative impacts along with them. I'll be honest before I read these articles I had never even heard of this term, but I admit that I have witnessed some of these take place in my life. One example I remember most occurred in my AP calculus class last year. We had a few foreign exchange students in our class with us, and oftentimes people would call them out by saying "of course you are good at math because you are Asian." These remarks appear to be compliments, but maybe they were negatively impacting the lives of those students. I think this is a huge issue in our society because we all have those little bias thoughts that pop in our minds. However the article describing Microaggressions suggested that we can all make a difference just by being aware of our biases and choosing to change those thoughts. I believe it is important for us to try to change the bias opinions our society creates, and that starts with us! I challenge you to reflect on whatever you might be biased towards and to really attempt to change! Finally, we read about free speech on campus. I agree with John A. Powell and his opinion that free speech should be limited to a point. When speech gets to the point where it is offending someone or causing pain for someone then it has crossed the line and shouldn't be allowed. The problem comes when we have to draw the line. It can be difficult to say how far is too far, but as Powell states we should be working towards a better society which can be inclusive for all people.