Week 10: Degree Engagement

This week we began by discussing our degrees and career maps. I learned that we can find the career map by simply searching it through Google. It was also good to learn that if our program decides to update its program map while we are in college, we have the opportunity to choose which one we want to follow in order to graduate. This is helpful because it gives us as students some control over the classes in which we choose to and have to take.

Next we discussed our values by looking at a value guide. This activity was very helpful and eye opening because it showed me what the things are that I care about the most. Some of my top values were family, wisdom, self-improvement, honesty, and sincerity. I learned that I can look for ways to use these values in my future and in my career path. This is good because it showed me the things that matter to me and the things which I am passionate about. For example, family was one of my top values, and I want to find a job which allows me to start a family of my own and provides me with plenty of time off where I can spend with my children and wife. I think that is one of the big reasons I am currently majoring in education because it provides weekends and breaks throughout the year.
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In my group with Charlotte and Bry-Anna we discussed our top values and found that we had some that were the same while others were different. Two of the most common values were in family and in love. I think these two are very important in our lives because they give us a sense of belonging and of relationship with others. I think this activity was very good for us because it allowed us to reflect on what matters most to us.
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We also watched a video called Working Backwards to Solve Problems. In this video Maurice Ashley discussed the strategy he uses in chess to . This strategy is called retrograde analysis which means to look ahead, it pays to look backwards. This is helpful because it allows you to steer difficult chess positions into easier situations to play. He also applied this to life by giving a few examples of situations where it pays to work backwards. My favorite was the math problem because it looked like a really difficult problem but all you had to do was work backwards. After the video, we applied this kind of thinking into our future careers, and I learned that instead of just sticking with a set career path, I should look at my values and research careers which use those values.
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Overall, this week was very helpful because of the values activity. I think that it is always good to just look back to what things matter to you the most in order to see if those values are being displayed in your life. Thanks for reading this weeks blog!

Week 9: Discussion on last weeks speech and topics

This week we focused on discussing the controversial speech and topics from Jennine Capó Crucet in order to bring unity and understanding to everyone in the class. At the beginning of the week I was feeling as if the speech was made in order to bring down white people by speaking with negative tones and words. However, through the class discussions I began to see the speech with a different set of eyes which helps me to understand the perspectives of others.

We started class on Monday by answering some questions anonymously. The information given by the class showed that the majority of people in the class had felt uncomfortable at some point throughout the speech. I think this was interesting since the author should have been there in order to encourage growth and unity within our school. Anyways when I see some of the reasons we were uncomfortable I realize why we were so frustrated in the speech. Most of the feelings came from the discussion about race and privilege. Therefore, I want to discuss the things I learned throughout the week in this area.

Prior to this week I never truly understood what the meaning behind the term "white privilege" meant. I just thought it was a term created by others in order to cause controversy between people. However, I have learned that white privilege is real and it is common among our society today. The article 11 Ways White America Avoids Taking Responsibility for its' Racism, explained this in more detail by discussing some of the ways white privilege can be shown and it explained why it is is so hard to recognize the problem. White people often don't recognize the issue because they do not like to be confronted by others when they are wrong. Confrontation can often lead to anger and outrage by people because they don't see themselves as racist. The article showed that racism is rarely intentional but it is usually done unconsciously. Therefore, this confrontation is needed in order to improve the situation and make it better!

I also learned more about white privilege by listening to other's experiences and thoughts. Dra. McGrath shared her story of when she walked into a store holding her friends baby of a different color and was treated differently because of it. Then the class discussed how white males do not have to worry about walking outside late at night but black females especially have to think about it before they go outside. These two stories shed some light onto what white privilege is because its the fact that as white people we are not as generalized with the entire group, but we can be more individual. It was also sad to hear how worried and emotional Ebeni was to talk about her brothers. All three of these conversations touched me and made me want to help others who have a closed mindset on this matter to open up and expand their minds and hearts.

Overall, this week was good because it provided a safe place for us to talk and learn about the ways we can grow closer to each other as a University, nation, and a world!

Week 8: Make Your Home Among Strangers

This week we read and discussed the book Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capó Crucet. This book touched on several different topics, and it led to some conflict around the campus this week. Anyways, the book explored a Latina woman's journey to college. One of the topics that the book focused on was the question on what constitutes a home. Is it the place you are born? Is it where you spent the majority of your life? This theme was displayed several times, but the one which affected me the most was of Ariel. He was a six year old bot who made it to America on a raft, but his mother passed away on the journey. Through the class discussions I discovered that this was based on a real story. Elian Gonzalez was brought to America in 2000, but since his mother passed away, there was a huge debate on if he should be able to stay in America with his cousins or if he should be sent back to Cuba to be with his father. America and Cuba both attempted to get the two sides to reach an agreement, but sadly, that never happened and he had to be forcibly removed from the home in Florida. The debate was on the base of what his home should be. Should it have been with his father or with his family in America where his mother had been trying to get to. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/722917.stm 
While we were discussing Ariel and Elian, we were also told the story of a former Georgia Southern professor who made the journey from Cuba to America. Gaspar Leiva was an English professor in Cuba, but he wanted to escape in order to provide better opportunities for his family. To make his story shorter, he built a boat to sail across to Florida, and it passed the initial inspection so he was able to sail it because he claimed to be a fisherman. Then he encountered a Cuban spy out at sea who reported him to Cuban authorities. He heard them near him, but thankfully they were not able to see him. After three days out at sea, he and his two sons were losing their hope and were beginning to feel the hunger and thirst. Just as they were losing hope, Gaspar saw the signs of a lighthouse, and shortly after this they caught the attention of a fishing boat. They called the Coast Guard who gladly helped Gaspar and his children make it to shore safely. After this he was able to get certification to teach Spanish. Stories like these and Elian's show me just how much some people are willing to go through in order to reach America and to call it their home. Therefore, to me a home is the place which you long to be and the place where you would give anything to be.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article118282148.html 
Another theme from the book was about privilege. Crucet spoke on this during her speech on campus Wednesday afternoon. She posed this question," How many professors do you have which look like you?" I believe she just wanted to show that there is a gap between different cultures, and I think she wanted to point out that some people are categorized based on their race or traits. She stated how Latino's are often asked how their people feel about things. By this she was pointing out that whites are privileged because they have the ability to be independent but others are known by their race or ethnicity. This message was a difficult one to hear for some of the people in attendance, and the question and answer session got heated. I think that the question regarding why she chose to come speak at a white college was out of line and should have either been stated differently or not said at all. I also think the book burning that happened later that night were way out of line. What do y'all think of the incident? What about the speech from Crucet, did you get anything else from it? 
                                                 


https://firstgen.naspa.org/book/make-your-home-among-strangers

Week 7: Diversity and Inclusion 3

This week we watched the film, Instructions not Included. It was a very good movie after the beginning of the film which was a weird introduction. However, once I made it past that moment it was really good. The movie was about Valentine who was portrayed as a player who slept with a different woman every day, but his life was quickly transformed when one of the ladies, Julie, brought a baby to him and left him alone with her. This event required Valentine to grow up and become a man in order to support his daughter, Maggie. Throughout the film, Valentin focused on overcoming his fears in order to best provide for her. He also decided to take her to America so she would have a better life. When he made it, he performed an amazing jump from the tenth floor in order to save Maggie from drowning in the pool. Because of this he was given a job as a stuntman which he used to provide the very best life for his daughter. Towards the end of the movie, Julie came back into the picture and tried to take Maggie away from her dad. I won't spoil the ending, but you won't want to miss it!

Throughout the movie, there were many themes that came up. Today I want to discuss a few of them. One of the biggest themes was about discrimination. The movie had several references that could be viewed as offensive to some. For instance, the movie suggested that all Americans are tall and white with blonde hair and blue eyes while Mexicans are short and dark. The movie also referenced transgenders and lesbians. This was in order to show these through a different light and bring inclusiveness to them. It was successful in accomplishing this because it showed several different groups. Another theme in the movie was overcoming fear. Valentine accomplished this because he wanted to be brave for his daughter. This was important because Valentine taught his daughter not to fear death because she was struggling with a sickness. Overall, the movie was very successful in getting its points across and it was a very interesting movie!

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.