Writing As A Whole.

          When it was time to select my classes for the fall, I was thrilled that a writing class was only required for the first year in college. English was always my least favorite subject and writing was my weakness. But after completing my English class my first semester in college, my perspective on writing changed entirely. I did not only grow to love writing but I realized the importance of writing in life. There are many different forms of writing and knowing how to properly format each writing piece is, indeed, beneficial for me in the future. I realized that writing is not only required in college but in the real world. Writing is an important skill to acquire that can have a positive impact.

            Writing is a major aspect in life. Susan Blau and Kathryn Burak stated, "...you will be evaluated not just on your ideas but also on how well you express them" (60). In college, almost every writing piece has a thesis which is supported throughout the essay. But how the thesis is supported is what matters. Illustrating the purpose of the writing piece to the indicated audience and closing with a memorable remark makes the writing piece effective. Bringing life to a writing piece makes it highly valuable. As important it is to obtain good grades on every writing assignment in college, it is important to acquire these writing skills, continue to make use of them and improve through college and beyond. With this, writing can certainly impact any job opportunity in the future.

            There is a wide range of different writing pieces that I can come across in the future. As Blau and Burak stated, "In education, in business, and in the arts and sciences, employer's biggest complaint is the unclear writing produced by their new hires" (60). Each job requires a different writing format and having the knowledge of all the formats will make me more qualified. To demonstrate, if I was given the task to write a report on an incident to be published in the New York Times and I was unaware of the lead required at the beginning of the report and I included my opinion, it will not be published and I will lose my job. Learning how to write in every form will prevent this from happening in my future.

            Even though I am not required to take anymore writing classes after the first year, I would still have writing assignments for other classes, write an essay when I apply to graduate school as well as my cover letter for jobs and writing in the job itself. Writing definitely matters in college and beyond. Although I have not learned every single writing style, I am still ahead of the game only being a freshman in college due to my writing projects this semester.

Blau, Susan, and Kathryn Burak. Writing in the Works. United States: Eckman, 2007. Print.

Diets Lead To Weight Gain.

            Diets are supposed to consist of smaller and healthier meals throughout the day including salads, fruits, vegetables, and more. However, that has changed over time. People all around the world go on diets changing their eating habits, getting rid of all the junk food and bringing in healthier snacks which is the usual way to begin a diet. But while on the diet, people begin to modify the way they eat and how much they eat after seeing a change in their body and weight. The idea of a diet takes a turning point as people start to feel good about their body. In some cases, it leads to rewards that persist of candy, ice cream, or a delicious, juicy burger. At this point, the diet has comes to an end and weight gain returns. The diet went from losing weight to gaining the weight back and there is a reason to it. Diets are leading to weight gain because of its misconception in society today.

            There are studies that show that diets successfully help you lose the weight you want to lose and many people are and stay committed to the diets. On the other hand, not everyone stays completely committed or know exactly what a diet is. The primary misconception today about diets is that eating less a day leads to weight loss. But according to Best Health, if you suddenly reduce your food intake, your body will slow down your metabolic rate in order to store energy more efficiently. This is why people on a diet crave snacks like chocolate, which gives a quick boost to their energy levels. Slowing down your metabolic rate causes more appetite, makes you more vulnerable to junk food and increases your weight.

            People believe that eating less allows you to lose weight faster and is the basic function of a diet. But eating less is not how a diet works and, in fact, it has a negative effect on your body and weight. If you eat one meal a day, your body will store the fat from that meal and when you eat again, it begins to accumulate. It slows down your digestive system and you then have a week's worth of food accumulated in your system for more than a week which is unhealthy. The proper way to lose weight is to eat throughout the day in little portions and not fall into starvation. Starving yourself should not be an option but even if you do fall into starvation, you will simply turn to junk food for the energy you need which leads to weight gain.

            As you see, dieting is one big cycle and most people end up gaining the weight back due to starvation and cravings. In society today, people have to be more aware on what diets they decide to go on and what effects it will have on your body. Limiting what you eat a day does not help you lose weight as well as increase your health. If you continue the cycle, it will negatively affect your body and your health in the future.

Casual Analysis

            Imagine you are a college graduate seeking for a job relating to your major. You have applied to a good amount of places hiring and now waiting for a call back. After a couple weeks, you finally get a phone call from one of the jobs, setting a time and date for an interview. During the interview you are informed that many incoming customers speak Spanish and only Spanish. You are then asked if you speak this language or any other language other than English which brings you back to your freshman year of  high school. You now realize why learning a foreign language was a requirement in your high school and how it effects you when applying for a job. Today in society, the qualifications for a job are changing as more applicants with the ability to speak more than one language are more likely to get a job. 

             Charlotte Mission states in her article "What Are the Benefits of Bilingual Jobs?" on eHow.com that bilingualism is useful in any job and creates many jobs incentives. When seeking a job, speaking another language is an advantage and can increase your chances of getting hired aside from all the other qualities needed for the job. By obtaining the knowledge of speaking another language other than English, you are out to be more valuable for a job. Therefore, the importance of being able to fluently speak more than one language is beneficial for you. But being bilingual can be of assistance to the customers and allow you to be attentive to their needs.

            According to the United States Census, there are 39 language groups. As a result of this, communication is one aspect of how speaking more than one language is important in a work place. The United States is very diverse and being able to speak more than one language allows you to easily communicate with those who only speak a foreign language. Apply this to the work place: the more bilingual people hired, the better the chances of that customer returning. Why, you may ask? Since the United States has a wide variety of different languages spoken due to all kinds of people from all over the world coming to America, the work place needs employees who can communicate and translate for them. If a customer's questions and/ or concerns can be answered, they are satisfied and are more likely to recommend or return which is extremely beneficial for a business.

            To sum up, bilingualism is, in fact, very useful in a work place. It opens more doors and more opportunities come your way. Speaking more than one language is not only beneficial to you but also for the job itself and the customers. Suffolk freshman Thays Tejeda says her school has a large amount of international students. "Because I am bilingual, I am more valuable at my job since I can communicate better with those students who do not have English as their first language.”

The Road Review.

            Breaking and entering into homes and grocery shops are actions survivors commit after America is burned down and taken over by cannibal tribes. In a world where there is no light and possibly no tomorrow, The Road directed by John Hillcoat and based off a novel written by Cormac McCarty, takes the guide of survival to a whole new level where giving up is not an option for anyone. This post-apocalyptic fiction is based on an unnamed father and his son's journey to the south where it is envisioned to be filled with life and warmth. But even after facing many life-threatening obstacles, the father's relationship with his son ascends as their love for one another becomes their motivation to keep moving forward and maintaining hope. The Road is a remarkable film that depicts the ending of the world in such a way that almost seems comforting.

            Viggo Mortenson stars as a protective father, like most fathers, to his innocent young boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee). He appears to be one of the few fathers left, covered in dirt and layers of clothing to protect from the cold. Seeking new shelter with food and running water day after day, he begins to reminisce his life before the unknown world-wide disaster which are the only scenes where light appears. The young boy possibly being the only child left in the world is still hopeful of seeing a world he never got a chance to see. Each scene presents a dreary and gray landscape along with sadden, but yet, peaceful music bringing out the gravity of this kind of life. But even through it all, the love of the father and his son allows us to keep believing and hoping their journey to the south is what it has been made to be, a new life. When all starts to come to an end, there is always something worth fighting for and it is for those you love.

            This film portrays exactly what our future may come out to be. A preview of the horror and sorrow, the "how to survive" guidelines, and the role play of love. The way the characters approach each obstacle they encounter as well as the world as a whole seems possible to make a life out of nothing and be fearless. 

Two Sexual Assaults. One Man.

            Roxse Homes arranged a meeting on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Roxse Homes community room to initiate a plan to ensure the safety of young woman as they are in danger of a sexual assaulter still on the loose around Roxbury.

            Two attacks occurred earlier this week involving two teenage girls. Both victims were sexually assaulted on Camden street where they are living in the Roxse Homes Apartments. "Both victims were able to escape the attack without injury," stated Boston's NRP news station, "Boston Police suspect the same man attacked both victims."

            A description of the assaulter was provided by the first victim as she describes the attacker as a Hispanic, possibly Dominican, male in his late teens, standing 5 feet 7 inches, with a stocky build, medium complexion, flat nose and “baby face.”

“It’s scary. My daughter is 13 and she goes to the school nearby, and there are times when I’m running late and just let her walk over by herself, but not anymore,” Eva Lopez, who lives on Camden Street, told The Boston Globe.

            As the parents in the Roxse Homes community began to take precaution of their girls from possibly coming across the assaulter, the Boston Police and the mayor's office called up for a meeting at Roxse for all the residents. All residents had to be aware about this dangerous person trying to hurt (rape) young innocent woman. The residents had to be informed on the details concerning the incident, know what exact actions to take and spread the word to others in the area.

"Many advice's were given in the meeting." stated Felipe, security officer for Roxse Homes, "For instance, under the circumstances, avoid walking alone. Begin to walk in groups and do not talk to strangers. If you are going out, tell a family member your exact location or destination. If you happen to be alone, walk on a street where people can see you."

           While the assaulter is still on the loose, the residents continue to take extreme precaution for their children.

"I am not even safe in front of my own house. What is this world coming to?" stated Reiniris Uribe, 17-year-old resident living on Camden street.

A Germs Real Home.

                Growing up, you probably remember your parents telling you to wash your hands after using the bathroom and seen flyers posted up on the bathroom walls that said "wash your hands". It has been implanted in your mind that bathrooms are the filthiest places surrounded by germs. With the use of soap, it gets rid of some germs you may have caught from using the bathroom. But is that really the main place you can catch the most germs from everyday? Actually, no. Bathrooms are not the home of the germs.

                Germs are tiny organisms, only seen through microscopes, that are all over the world. People believe that a bathrooms is the one place with the most germs since different kinds of people use the toilets, touch the doors, etc. But, let us be honest. There are people that do not wash their hands every single time they use toilet, which increases the germs in the bathroom and is one reason why the bathrooms are imagined to be so filthy. Sometimes washing your hands does not satisfy the feel of freshness after using the toilet since you will come in contact with germs again on your way out. But the bathroom is not the only place with  germs. Truth be told, germs easily gather in objects you use every day. As Furchgott states in the New York Times, "Phones are, in fact, the carriers of germs".

                Every day cell phones are used to make calls, send text messages, check emails, etc. People allow their family members and/or friends to use their cell phone to use the internet or make a call, where they are careless to think about to what germs that person may already have when they used the bathroom and if they even washed their hands.

                Every part of the cell phone is touched and is never cleaned. Why? Because people do not think a cell phone could contain germs. Well, it does. Matthews states in My Health News Daily that "while toilets tend to get cleaned frequently, people associate the bathroom with germs, cell phones are often left out of the cleaning routine". Even though toilets are viewed to be filled with germs, they are cleaned more often than a cell phone itself. What does this mean for you? Clean your cell phone more often, since it is the real home of the germs.

Bibliography:

Furchgott, Roy. "Gadgetwise; Now, the Germ-Fighting Phone Cover." The New York Times. 20 May 2010. Web. 3 Nov 2012.  

Matthews, Susan E. "Why Your Cellphone Has More Bacteria Than a Toilet Seat." Live Science. 30 Aug 20120. Web. 3 Nov 2012

My Best Friend.

         Karina Pena-Seda was determined to join the Navy at ten years of age. The stories she heard from her uncle and cousins in the Navy assured her desire to join and follow their footsteps. Traveling to different countries and experiencing a little of everything is what she wanted to gain through the Navy, along with the dedication and hardship. But little did she know the impact her hearing could have on her future.

            "I am going to join the Navy." she would say as she stood next to men twice her size. She is a small girl, perhaps 5 foot 2 weighing about 105 pounds. Her black hair, styled specifically for the Navy, did not even touch her shoulders. She kept her head held high as people around her looked at her as a lost cause. No one believed she could do it. No one believed she would survive.

            But the news she got from her doctor the day of her physical for the Navy changed her life. She was informed that her hearing had gotten worse over the years which will prohibit her from being able to join the Navy. But Karina is committed to her excellence and did not let this personal defect did not ruin her or her future. 

            Completing her senior year as CO of the school's ROTC unit and graduating with honors, she continued to move forward as if her bad hearing was never established. But it caught up to her."It was too good to be true." she said when she found out she lost her full Navy scholarship to Norwich University. "But I cannot see myself doing anything else."

            After getting turned down from multiple Navy programs from different universities, she began to think about other alternatives. "Nothing came to mind." she said. Feeling like her life was over, she put her foot down and took control of her life. "I was not going to allow my hearing destroy my future." She began to make calls and soon got an acceptance letter to Mass Maritime where she is majoring in facilities engineering. 

           Although she had to switch from Navy to Marine and could not officially join, she is living the life style that she envisioned along with her bad hearing. All black uniform, Garrison cap, and shiny shoes is what she wanted. 

A Change of Heart.

           I stood there, staring at the answering machine on the night table in my mother's room. Her room was dark, no light shinning through her windows or the usual smell of coffee. I could feel my mother's presence in the room without having to look back. The house was silent and all I could hear was the sound of my breath, inhaling and exhaling. I pressed the blinking red button to hear the new message. It began to play.

"Hey Wanny, it's Shana. I am calling to tell you that Acia's house caught fire early this morning and passed away with her little sister Sophia. Raymond survived the fire but he is in the hospital. All the eighth grades are all meeting at school today at 10 AM. Bye." said Shana.

            My mind went blank as I stood there, still. The room suddenly got cold. The hairs on my neck rose. My hand began to tremble as I reached to press "stop". I turned around to leave the room, trying to keep myself together. But as soon as I walked to up to my mom, standing next to the door, I fell into her arms. Tears ran down my cheeks, my heart began to ache as my cry's got louder. My mom held me tight and rubbed my back. I hid my face in her chest to cover my pain. But you could hear it. Throughout the house, you could hear my pain. But I pulled myself together, wiping my tears with my shirt and began to get dressed.

"We are going to wait for you in the car. Take your time." said my mom.

            When I finished, I walked outside and got into the car. I looked out my window, gazing into the dark, gray sky. There was no sight of the sun anywhere. The cars made splashing noises as they drove through the puddles on the ground. The car ride was quiet and all you could hear were my sobs.

            Arriving to school, I seen a groups of students huddled together. I looked around noticing everyone dressed in black with red eyes and noses. Tissues were passed left and right. Every time someone arrived, the cry's got louder. Her name was called out several times."Acia, Acia, this can't be true. Tell me this is not true." one said. Hearing about her death was not even the worse part. A couple days earlier, I was displeased with her and her choice of friends. I distanced myself from her like normal friends do at times, not knowing what was going to happen to her that Sunday morning.

            The moment I heard about her death, I had a change of heart. I let go of all the anger and frustration that caused me to push her away and others whom I care about. I became an expert at holding grudges without realizing that it might be the last time I speak to them. I never got a chance to tell her I still cared, that I was not really mad, or even a goodbye. From that moment on, I brought peace with those who I pushed away before and began to cherish each moment as if it was the last.

Transfer Application

Discuss your interest in your major. Tell how your interest developed and describe a related work or volunteer experience.

          "I can see myself going to college and becoming a child psychologist", is what I remember telling my friends my freshman year of high school. When I was little girl, I observed everything and everyone around me. I never asked any questions but paid close attention to the way people behaved in different situations.

            As I got older, I was told more and more that I had a way with kids. At first I thought it was because I let them make a mess in my room. But soon I realized it was because I listened and held conversations with them. I put myself in their shoes and made them feel comfortable talking to me about anything and everything. Patience was also a big part since sometimes they got out of control. But I managed to seek different ways to settle them down and always it worked. I began to wonder, "Why psychology? Why not a social worker or a teacher?" I soon got my answers when I volunteered to be a mentor.

            In my community, there is a tutoring center where I use to go for extra help. Being a freshman in high school allowed me to be a mentor. I met with the kids twice a week for about three hours. I assisted them with their homework, projects, and helped them create study guides for any upcoming tests. But it did not always go as smoothly as I intended.

            Some kids did not understand the homework or what they were learning and did not want to understand it. They would give up so easily and it made me question why. I wondered how they were raised, what kind of environment they lived in and how they viewed school as a whole. Although they were "too young" to think about college and their future, some answers I received were quite sensible and interesting.

            Over time, some shared that their parents were hardly ever around when they needed help or their parents were too strict and they just wanted to play. One even said that they barley attended school and always got into fights. Now you would think a child is too young to notice these things about their parents, but they did and it had a negative impact on them.

            After three years volunteering there, I better understood why they behaved the way they did and was able to change their state of mind. They did not have the guidance or a set role model like I had when I was younger. I realized I have a lot to give back based on my own experiences and was more certain of what I wanted to become in my life. Making a positive impact on a child's life is a grand thing. To achieve this goal, child psychology is what I decided to pursue at the end of my junior year of high school.  

A Rhetorical Analysis on "Girl"

            As the prose poem begins with listing commands, it can be inferred that a mother is leaving her daughter in charge of chores while she is gone as she tells her to "wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap." But what is revealed in the poem encloses a deeper meaning than a simple to-do list. Instead, the mother focuses on giving her daughter the guidelines on "How to be a Lady" at a young age. In "Girl", Jamaica Kincaid portrays the hardship becoming a lady and obtaining independence at a young age during times of poverty.

            Kincaid's sentence structure in the poem avoids rhythm and lines but includes one, long run-on sentence filled with commands and advice from the mother such as "don't walk bare head in the hot sun; cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil." The word "don't" demonstrates a command while cooking in "very hot sweet oil" is something the daughter can take into consideration. Kincaid's use of commands and advice's from the mother to the daughter presents the basic guidelines on how to become a lady. She continues to point up symbols such as food and cloth which have a double meaning. To illustrate, the mother informs her daughter on how to make medicine, okra, pumpkin fritters, etc as a way to pass down traditional recipes. Also, she tells her how to wash cloths and set them on a table as a way for her to become familiar with housekeeping.

            In order to be independent from a man, one must gain the skills and knowledge that men acquire. The mother informs her daughter, "this is how to catch a fish; this is how to throw back a fish you don't like..." to prevent her from having to rely on a man for food and/or shelter. The voice that Kincaid gives to the mother, making her open and knowledgeable to the different ways of life, makes the daughter resent her mother and her methods. In times of poverty, there is more work for a woman who is poor than one who is wealthy. The mother attempts to display their condition during this time, but the girl begins to resist.

            The poem concludes with the mother angry as she says, " you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won't let near the bread?" As the mother struggles to teach her child how to be independent and be able to overcome anything, the resentment the daughter has for her mother blinds her from seeing these advice's coming into place in her future. Kincaid presents the life a mother, in times of poverty, trying to direct her daughter at an age where she is still considered too young to take in all responsibility.

Writing for a Public Audience.

                 Up until college, all of my previous writings were written for my teachers. I never realized the difference between writing for one of my teachers and writing for a public audience until I created a blog. A blog allows you to post your work online where all kinds of people can read it. Since that moment, my perspective on writing changed. I became more aware of who I was writing for and how I want to present my work. Writing for a public audience has made me pay closer attention to the context and tone.

                 Before I posted anything on my blog, I revised until I was confident that all aspects were covered, including the context. Every post will address a certain topic that will be discussed or analyzed. Paying close attention to the context, I made sure to stay on topic and include supporting evidence and facts. This ensures my blog post to be reliable and accurate. There will be many different types of people that will come across my blog and share their own opinions. How I address the topic will determine the comments I receive. By this, I assure my work does not offend or acquire any bias that may cause the reader to disengage. Without losing focus on my big ideas, my readers will be able to follow along and I will be guaranteed a successful post.

                Writing on my blog has made me concentrate more on what tone to utilize. Deciding on how I want to sound throughout my blog post determines whether to use a formal voice, a plainspoken voice, etc. I focus on the sentence structure and make sure each sentence keeps the reader engaged. By this, I decide on whether to include humor, irony, etc. For instance, if I am writing a blog post that relates to the army, I would use a serious tone given that they are honorable citizens fighting for our country. Tone plays an important part in writing since it sets an image for the reader. If a blog post lacks a sense of sound, it is guaranteed that the audience will move on to the next post.

                Since I began to write for my blog, my way of writing has changed. I am more attentive to what I write, who may be reading my work, and how I want the reader to respond to me. Touching base with every aspect for a successful blog post will keep my audience coming back for more.

Becoming a Writer.

                As the years passed by, I never took time out of my day to acknowledge the importance of writing in my life and my future. When my junior year came to an end, I reflected on the past three years and realized all the fun and games had to stop. I had to begin preparing myself for the college process and college itself. While brainstorming for my college essay, I blanked out. It was as if all my knowledge of writing just went down the drain. At that moment, I received a call and was congratulated on my acceptance to a program at Suffolk University. I grasped this second opportunity to focus on improving my writing skills. This experience at Suffolk University allowed me to build my confidence and realize the importance of writing.

                After given the terrific news, I put my college essay aside and began think about the benefits of this program. It included taking four college-level classes where three of them consisted with massive writing. I was assigned a mentor to assist me with my classes and prepare a study schedule. But that's not all. I was also employed at City Hall. I realized that college professors were going to be examining my essays, not my high school teachers. This brought a great amount of pressure, but wanting to leave a good impression became my motivation to building my writing skills.

                That summer, I was in college balancing school and work. Each week I had 2-3 papers due for my classes. Instead of trying to work on it on my own, I seek out for help. I took advantage of my mentor, taking her advice and writing tips into consideration. I became skilled at focusing on the content of my essays as well as being aware of grammatical errors. I created outlines for each paper I wrote and found myself following it. While revising my essays, I read them aloud, listening closely to the sound of the paper. Carrying on these steps, I aced each one of my papers, completing the program just how I planned.

                That was the moment of my becoming a writer. The moment I realized the meaning of literature and the importance of writing in life. I realized that writing reflects who you are and will always has a purpose. This program built my confidence and brought me to success. It brought me to where I am now, a writer. 

A Writer's Purpose and More.

            Every writer has to make choices on how to present their work to a specific audience, using certain vocabulary and including information to steer the reader to their main goal. In the music review "Lavish Worlds, and the Headwear to Match" written by Jon Pareles in the New York Times, he focuses one of Lady Gaga's performances, touching base with her style and creativity. Also including background information of her career and achievements thus far. Pareles does not only focus on her performance as a whole but informs his readers to understand that there is more to Lady Gaga than what is said or shown.

            Starting the review off with, "When Lady Gaga finished her thumping, strobing, razzle-dazzle song-and-dance numbers at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday night...", Pareles hinted  his readers on a music review of a pop performance. The use of words like "thumping" and "razzle-dazzle" presents an enthusiastic, descriptive but serious tone as positive feedback on Lady Gaga's performance is given. Pareles appears to have a great deal of knowledge about this performance as he provides details from the opening act up to what she was wearing at the end of the show. He draws his readers attention to the different headwear Lady Gaga utilized throughout the show as a way to present her style and a possible message.

            It is shown that Pareles has carefully chosen his audience by including background information about Lady Gaga and her achievements. He states, "--has made Lady Gaga a multi-million-selling, Grammy-nominated star in less than a year and a half..." which asserts that he is taking in account that not all subscribers to the New York Times are aware of Lady Gaga's journey. He also distinguishes Lady Gaga's music from other pop artist, those who influenced her,  and exploring the many talents she presents from her strong voice to playing the piano. Pareles's choice of words towards the end show he is also considering current Lady Gaga fans. He states, "she ascended in an orb of rotating silver rings, like a disco angel." in which such detail may targets those fans who happened to miss the show. With this style of writing from Pareles, his readers are obtaining an understanding on who and what Lady Gaga is bringing to society influencing them to recognize her acts.

My Journey

            Can you envision a life that contains a host of challenges and pressure to succeed at the age of ten? Being a first generation Latin American, I grew up in a family where no one has ever attended or even conceived the idea of attaining higher education. My parents migrated from the Dominican Republic to New Jersey in the early 1990s and had me on June 8 in 1994. Four years later my brother, Henley, was born. My parents then decided to move to Boston for a new beginning.

            From the moment I enrolled in school, my parents made sure that I started and continued on the correct path to success. Raised in an environment where failure was not an option, I received honor roll more than once each school year. My mother always told me, "School comes first." This prohibit me from joining any clubs or sports in school to avoid any distractions. But I made sure I finished my homework early enough to watch a horror film or play with my friends.

            Starting a new journey at John D. O'Bryant High School, not only did I want to excel in my classes but be involved inside and outside school. Entering my first year of high school, I knew I wanted to become a child psychologist. My passion to work with kids allowed me to become a mentor for ESL children in my community. Being bilingual, I was able to communicate and teach these kids who were struggling with English.   

            Although  my main goal is to become a child psychologist, that did not stop me from exploring other options. I was employed each summer starting off as a sports camp counselor to a secretary in the MRI Department in Brigham's and Women's Hospital to assisting Councilor Collonny in City Hall with research on upcoming projects. In school, I joined the softball team, made varsity my junior year, and became captain my senior year. Also, I became a member the Cape Verdean Culture Club and participated in their dance performance for pep rally my senior year. All of these activities have shown me how much I am capable of and how much more I am able to learn.

           Being the first is not always as glamorous as it sounds. I was faced with many challenges that seemed impossible to overcome, but my hard work paid off and my leadership skills were recognized. I realized how important being involved is to me. It has shaped the person I am today and will allow me to make a difference in the world.