Equality Means Give Everyone a Chance!

1.)  Response to Heterosexual Privilege: I often forget how difficult it is for homosexuals to openly broadcast their relationships, or love life. I am proud to say that I have heterosexual privilege because I don’t have to live in shame or fear that others won’t accept my sexual orientation. Although, I have homosexual friends and we never judge each other’s relationship even if we do not agree with their love style. I like the fact that I can choose to celebrate my wedding openly anywhere and travel the world with my “MR. RIGHT.” I do understand that for homosexuals it can be frustrating to not express your happiness in the presence of others, without being judged, shamed, or unaccepted by society. I can have kids and know that at school they are taught lessons or activities that support our family unit and values. My kids can have a male and female parent as a primary role model for any and every situation they encounter. It is important to me, that both motherly and fatherly parents are represented in the household for my children.

2.) Response to Videos:

It amazes me how the U.S. government gives one piece of paper so much power. It’s just like money to them, giving access to opportunities to the elite. How could a social security card detrimentally affect your future? I understand it is important to have one, but I know a girl at my school who did not have one and she was from a wealthy background; yet she was able to obtain opportunities that lower class families could not. She got into college with no problem but there are people who are struggling to achieve success because of this documentation card. I have empathy for those families who work so hard to be successful to show their children and relatives that they can succeed. They may raise children who are undocumented and later on that child suffers when they had not say in the decision. Although my parents were not citizens, I encouraged them to do it and they knew it would affect the futures of my brother and me, especially I was getting ready to graduate high school and further my education. So I was fortunate enough to attend a university of my choice. I respect immigrants who come here to seek a better future and work hard to provide for their families and be a positive role model. They could come here and participate in illegal activities like some current U.S. citizens, but instead they want to better themselves with available opportunities. It upsets me that sometimes the government decides to send immigrants back to their homeland, often times leaving their children behind because they were born here. It breaks my heart when families are separated because of immigration laws and government policies. I know of a girl that was sent back to Mexico alone because she was undocumented she graduated high school and could not attend college. She was forced to leave the United States and then seek papers to become a citizen the appropriate way. Social justice issues such an immigration, inequality, racism are commonly faced by undocumented individuals.      

<-- This picture is what individuals face today as minorities being under qualified for success, which is not necessarily true. Minorities are often denied immediately when trying to better themselves but are quickly named for illegal activities or crimes. Give them a chance!! 

Microagressions & Pick-Me Up Inspirations

·        Reflection: The STARS event was fun, playing the ice breaker people commonly known as "Winds of Change" I'm not sure what it was called at the STARS event but it’s my favorite icebreaker. I enjoyed listening to different microagressions that I may use, or encounter, when meeting new people. 

·        Microagressions:

1. Not all black people are late, and irresponsible. We all deserve equal treatment! 

"Apartment-searching with my brother in LA. The landlord set up an appointment. When my brother arrived 5 minutes early, the landlord was showing around a white couple. When he turned to my brother, he said that he wouldn’t show the apartment and that it now cost $400 more per month. The neighbor later told us that the landlord always does that when he sees black customers. We are both young black men, looking for a place to live."

2. I'm Jamaican but considered black but it does not mean I know everything about BLACK HISTORY. People often look at me funny if I am not aware of black historical figures. My parents were both born in Jamaica and just because I'm black does not mean I can validate statements in regards to black culture. 

"I had an English teacher who loved to talk, and whenever she’d say anything about race or black culture, she’d turn to me (the only black kid in the room) as if to validate/confirm the statement."

3. Can a black female not speak proper to be themselves, not all black people speak slang and curse like a sailor. I have black and white friends; I'm not "ghetto" either.

"My black friends:: You aren't really black though, you act like a white girl.

My white friends:: You aren't really white though, you're like dark.

All of them telling me I have to be one, I can't be both. I'm just me though. Makes me feel like I can only be a certain race if I look and act a certain way."

·        Response to blog article:"18 Chances You Will Not Regret Taking in Life"

This article was a pick-me up and quite inspirational. I have to remind myself daily that I have the ability to make or break my future. I have to keep my eye on the prize while enjoying the moment. I have had some struggles here and there but I have to let go of the past. There are some situations that I have to deal with and understand that worrying and stressing only makes it worse. Letting go of the past is a building block for me to reach greatness and live with no regrets. I must continue on my journey by pushing through my trials and tribulations. I remind myself constantly that God has a plan for my life and knows what he is doing. I must humble myself and let God work in and through my life. As a result, I began mentoring because I enjoy helping others reach their goals; in a way it also helps me to refocus my goal and strategies to achieve them by leading as an example, or role model. I give back out of love not because I have to, helping others truly makes me happy because I get to see the outcomes and growth.  

Privileges lead to successes!

Being privileged is an opportunity that an individual is chosen for but not attainable by everyone. Everyone has rights but when one is privileged means you have the ability, or permission to experience a given opportunity. I believe that an individual who is privileged is held responsible and at a higher level than other, they are expected to be be role models. When you are held at higher expectations, it may consist of failures that turn into successes after reaching goals. Individuals may not always be recognized for their successes but must remain humble with their accomplishments, and take pride in failures because after all it is not about how you failed but how you overcame your defeats. 

I learned, or was reminded, that there are different types of privileges. Everyone has the right to be themselves but that doesn't mean they are to be treated any different. People should strive to become allies with those groups that they may not identify with or are unfamiliar with because they can become aware of people's feelings and attitudes. Sometimes us, humans, are so quick to judge those who are different from ourselves which is a bad habit. Not everyone is going to agree on topics but we must remember that we are all human.   

Finding a safe place is very important especially to those individuals, or groups, who feel that they are constantly target or prejudged because they may need a place to vent, seek support, find an ally, and encouragement. I am glad that Loyola has a safe space policy for students of color, students with various sexual orientations, religions, and gender. Often times having a safe space makes people feel comfortable and open to communicate and interact with others. Leadership can be informed by those who are privileged to share their story of successes and failures, creating allies with new groups, or people, and making people comfortable by being open when interacting. An example of this is participating in STARS Lead as a mentor to students who may not be as privileged as I am and possibly seeking an outlet to converse their struggles or achievements with. I also use this as me being a student here at Loyola makes me privileged because not everyone is given the opportunity to be a RAMBLER!

Reflection of workshop: I thought the e-portfolio workshop was interesting to learn about different ways to make our e-portfolio professional but also to express our personality. I plan to use a variety of methods to describe myself and my experiences like photos, flip book, or possibly videos. I plan to try at least one of each method in the future.

Reach Out & Make a Difference

Reaching Out:

In the article “Create Meaning by Helping Others” I realized that sometime we give too much of ourselves that we forget about have “me” time. When we overwhelm ourselves with meeting the needs of others before our own we tend to get hurt, taken advantage of, and sometime feel unhappy. It is important to help others but remember to set time aside for yourself. It is very easy to get caught up with taking care of others and letting their problems or worries become our own because we care so much about that person(s). I thought about the part in the article where a long distance couple had broken up and it really hit me because my boyfriend and I are apart for college. I often catch myself worrying too much about what could be going on in his world of college or what he’s thinking and the last thing I ever want to happen is for us to break up due to distance. Long distance can be a challenge because it takes a lot of dedicated time and constant communication but the outcome is definitely worth it; that’s why I continue to push through the conflicts to make ends meet. But I always put the needs of our relationship and others before my own needs which sometimes can be stressful. Sometimes you may have to reevaluate the help you are giving others is it for selfish desires of accolades or is it because you truly care for the individual(s). Be honest and keep open communication when helping others so you do not feel compelled to always help even when you honestly are busy. It’s okay to say no but you do not want to make a habit of it.

In the reading of the article “Create Meaning by Helping Others”, the question why serve is because we want to help others rise above and achieve greatness. Serving is an act of giving time to the needs of others. This contributes to my leadership because you lead others by listening to their concerns and needs, then help by leading them in the right direction by either giving advice or being their confidant. My feelings towards service work with Family Matters is that we are being a great asset to their community, it is so exciting to give back to the community and help children with school as well as being a mentor. 

   

Make a Difference:

After watching “Hide Your Schools, Hide Your Homes, Hide Children, Cause He’s Wrecking It All” I am not sure really how to relate to the “New Chicago” because I am not from Illinois. However, with the government shutting down school I am not in the least bit condoning closing down education facilities. Education is an asset to life and without can be very difficult to survive in a world of today. I do honestly believe that more money should be spent on improving and bettering the education system rather than only focusing on achieving high test scores to get more money from the government. I am assuming that building a “New Chicago” will be more focused on the higher class needs. Which means the finances of the city would take away from education. My service in my mentee’s life or time in school will encourage him to push through challenges and keep your eye on the prize by never giving up. I encourage my mentee to always finish tasks never give 50% instead aim for 110% and stay focused. The value of education is worth so much more than anyone can imagine it often times sets individuals apart from others. It can be beneficial in several ways never a disadvantage to have an education. Education should always be preserved and never destroyed, it should always be improved to better society. Although, student of color tend to have more struggles and difficulties with their studies than the average white student because they are not accessible to services that improve educational skills and understanding of school materials. We, as students of color, can overcome this obstacle by seeking help from outside sources or looking for organizations that want to see growth in students. We can all work together to overcome these challenges.   

Servant Leadership

"The greatest movement for social justice our country has ever known is the civil rights movement and it was totally rooted in a love ethic." This quote, by bell hooks, relates to my leadership because during the civil rights movement African Americans had to work twice as hard as a white man to get their voice heard, on behalf of their race to achieve equality and freedom. I feel that my leadership is not for me but for others to notice. Social justice is when an individual has a focused mindset on a specific issue and is determined to seek a change for the better. Therefore I do not seek accolades, or praises, for my leadership but I hope that my leadership leaves an impact on others. When I think of leadership I think to be selfless, serve others by reaching out to lend a helping hand whether that is in giving advice, leading from behind, mentoring or being a active listener. A leader is not one who dictates, but leads by example, cares for the needs of others, is not bias, has ambition, and always seeking self-improvement. 

The Servant Leadership Workshop was interesting because majority of us, STARS Leaders, have common ideas of what it means to be a leader such as determination, organized, honest and etc. In regards to Servant Leadership Characteristics, I feel that I have Empathy, Listening, Building Community, Awareness, Foresight, Stewardship, and Persuasion, just to name a few. However, some characteristics that I plan to obtain are Healing, Conceptualization, Commitment to the Growth of People, and still work more on Awareness. I can practice Servant Leadership by continuing to develop people but also to share power with others who are working with me.     

My dream job was to become a pediatrician. I have loved children all my life, when I was younger I used to pretend to be a doctor every time someone got hurt or was not feeling well, I also babysat relatives in middle and high school  I have now altered it, just a bit, so that it will be manageable and enjoyable. I am planning to become a physician assistant and specialize in mainly pediatrics but also anesthesiology, obstetrics and gynecology, hospital medicine, and psychiatry. I would love to work with just adolescences in the medical field as well as starting my own mentoring program. 

School-to-Prison Pipeline & Leadership

My reaction to the “Locating the School-To-Prison Pipeline” article was that I do not like what they are doing to these minority students. I do agree that safety is important in the schools but what makes it reasonable to point out minority students as if they are the only ones causing problems within the school. Also, if these students are put in these juvenile detention centers they become behind in their schooling, even if they do decide to mature and change their behaviors. These students deserve the equal opportunity to make mistakes but they should have mentors to help them when they are running astray or misbehaving. Often times when students are stripped from the opportunity to be themselves in the home they tend to misbehave in school gain attention they are seeking, so they will blurt out comments in the classroom, not aware of their boundaries with adults, and even play fight during the school day. These are all a part of students growing and developing into adults. They will make mistakes but if they are put in these detention centers they at least need to have mentors with experience who can help them stay focused. The misbehaving that goes on during school are not “threats” but just need redirection of what is expected from the students. You never know what these students can be going through at home that may cause them to misbehave in school. School should be a home away from home that way teachers can help these students because being a teacher is not just an occupation but also a lifestyle, because they are leaders and mentors for these students when they are away from home.  

            As a STARS Leader I can address the educational inequalities that exist in the city of Chicago by encouraging my mentee to give his absolute best and full effort in assignments and developing ways to overcome this issue for example setting yourself apart from the wrong crowd and setting an example for others to follow. Family Matters will help me to develop my leadership skills through bonding with my mentee, being a listening ear at all times, and allowing me to practice expressing my abilities in mentoring. I can learn from my mentee and help better my role in his life. I will lead by example and frequently give my personal advice on situations when needed but sharing some of my past experiences and mistakes can help with advising. 

Mentoring 2/12/14

          Reflect on our first site visit to Family Matters:

My first site to visit Family Matters made me very excited to meet my mentee, Savion. I saw a few of the children and how active they were. I could not wait to meet Savion and I’m excited for all the fun we are going to have while getting to know each other and assisting him in his academics work. As of Monday we are off to a great start we did a fun ice breaker where I asked him to choose between two things which one he thought was better.

On Friday in our STARS Lead meeting my mentoring style was Cooperative. This mentoring style can be beneficial because I will seek to a joint vision of compromising ideas and methods with my mentee. I can contribute to larger group settings by looking for methods in solving problems, being a listening ear, giving everyone their own space but letting them know I am available if anyone needs to talk. But my main mission is to focus on cooperation with others.