Greatest piece of advice I've received recently.....

The greatest piece of advice that I’ve received recently from someone is… “Don’t get distracted by the silly things and stay focused on what really matters”. My step mom, Stana, told me this senior year of high school when I was about to graduate. My stepmom is very strong (physically and mentally) woman and so driven to do her best at everything she does. Whether it’s with her workouts or in the office. When I first met, her I was just starting sixth grade and by seventh grade, she was living with us. I look back now and thank god for her. My family has never even thought about college. Especially living with my mom and dad. My dad didn’t finish high school and my mom had to decline HBU acceptance letter because she got pregnant. So school wasn’t important you could say, or it just wasn’t something you gave an idea.

When my stepmom moved in things got tough just a tad. She was starting to monitor everything we did and questioned my we weren’t more involved in school when we should have been. Seventh grade was the transition from not sure what I’ll be doing after high school to now starting to look at school I potentially like. My siblings and I went to an Arts middle school, so there were so many electives to choose from. She made sure we were in at least one sport and one elective. Later before we left middle school and moved on, we all ended up participating in 3 sports each and two electives.

“Don’t get distracted by the silly things and stay focused on what really matters.” This advice is very useful in all sorts of ways. It helps you have a clear mind when you're troubled. It makes you ask yourself, if whatever you are doing now, how is it going to benefit you or your goal in the future. Through high school, that’s when my stepmom started to get stricter on her rules. My mother never disciplined us unless she needed too because she knows that we’ll mess up and we are ones to acknowledge our faults and confront them with a solution. However, my stepmom would be a tad pushy. More forceful with her words. She was around more often than my mom because of work hours. So there were a lot of lectures.

I wouldn’t trade my life for anyone. I think I am truly blessed to be where I am today. I blessed to have such amazing mothers that are so successful in their careers. I’m blessed that I was given someone to help me when I needed help. Without Stana, I would not be here, I would have not been able to do all the things I wanted throughout the last 7 years of school. I hope others like this advice, it’s very useful if you’re stuck on what to do, or even if it’s making friends.  

Hanson vs. DeJong

David J. Hanson and William DeJong both had some great point of views regarding to their side of the argument. Hanson, as you can read in the second paragraph is for lowering the legal drinking age in America to 18-20 years old. DeJong, in the first paragraph you can already infer that he is against the whole idea of talking about the topic. The question is “Do you believe the legal drinking age in America should remain at 21 or should it be lowered to 18?” I agree and disagree with both Hanson and DeJong. I believe that the drinking age should not be lowed as low as 18. I agree with DeJong as for at 18 you are considered an “adult” but not yet reached to your full maturity. Some young adults are just barely getting their drivers licenses at this age and now you want them the legal right to consume alcohol? How does that sound reasonable in one’s head?

Here’s where I agree with Hanson. He agrees with lowering the drinking age to 18-20 years old. Although I don’t agree with 18 or 19 years of age. I do think his logic and idea is what makes me love his article compared to DeJongs’. Hanson was explaining the ways we young adults where taught how to drive as well as be educated on the importance of what we do on the road before even getting behind the wheel. He suggests that we take that effort and put it towards alcohol consumption. Hanson claims making a specified alcohol-education course for young adults to take when they turn 18-20 years of age as they do for driving, would help a huge part in young adults who are alcohol abusers. Only those who have never broke the law or violated any of the state’s alcohol laws are to be allowed to take this course and receive their drinking licenses at an early age. I believe if we just gave this method a try then it can work. It will not only educate young adults that abusing the right to consume alcohol is wrong doing, but to also reduce the number of underage drinkers that can’t wait to turn 21 consuming as much alcohol before going out.

William DeJong doesn’t like the idea of us even discussing the topic because he states that “The age-21 law is working for us. Let’s leave it alone” I Disagree on this because what makes 21 a good age to start drinking? Does it just mean that you are out of the teen stage and not a newly 20-year-old? Does this mean when you turn 21, you are at your full maturity to handle alcohol in your system?  I don’t think those are valid reasons to keep the legal age that high. DeJong states facts about what happened when we lowered the drinking age and the amount of traffic crashes increased. However, times have changed between now and 1970. DeJong also states facts about New Zealand in 1999, Yes although these are great facts about 15-19-year old’s getting into accidents and becoming intoxicated with alcohol. We aren’t talking about lowering the legal drinking age to fifteen-year old’s that would be obscured.  

I believe if we use Hanson’s movement then we can really see a difference in college students. Lowering the legal drinking age to 20 and have young adults from 18-19-year-olds take a specified alcohol-educated course allowing their mind and body to mature out of the teen years and fully understanding the importance and critical conditions to alcohol and if its abused.

Instructing

Something that i am “geek out” by would be teaching little kids. For the past five years I have worked at a Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Houston and was promoted to instructor coordinator my second year working at the J. Becoming the Swim coordinator was a huge blessing. I have so much love and energy for my students, that includes adults, and it just makes me abetter person honestly. 

I’m obsess over the fact that every summer i get returning students or even new students that are trying out the camps and private lessons. I work with students as little as one and half or just turned two, to twelve years old and then sim team is around seven years to eighteen , and my private sessions range from new borns to elderly. I love teaching because i love to see progress in my kids through out the lesson. One thing that always gets me up in the morning is as soon as the kids come out and usually my retuning students always run to me and just yell my name in excitement. Another one of my favorite things that happen is that since I am an older instructor and have more experience than my fellow instructors that i taught I always get handed the babies, and sometimes toddlers that have never stepped foot into a body of water other than their bathtub at home. These students that have the fear of drowning makes me love what I do, It may sound bad but i swear its not. Something about these students that just met me a day ago I even 30-10 min before class and now they have to trust me with their life? There a lot of screaming i can tell you that. However, When you can connect with a child on a different level and let them know that yes you are listening. its only uphill from there. I always tell my instructors in the mornings when we get our babies first that it is okay if we do not get in the water on the first week. The first week is more of a get to know you, I try to find little things that my students love and if it means googling a cartoon or reading a short story just to understand their interest then so be it. They’ll love you by the next week no doubt about it.This isn’t for everyone and for the longest time I really thought i wasn’t gonna find anything that I’m really good at and i was so fortunate to have this patience and have the willing to learn and teach muscle memory things. So there it is, this is my obsession.   

Blog #5 Spring break

We’re all excited for Spring Break. I know I was until my two amazing mothers decided to tell me last minute that I was wasn’t going on the New York Trip with them and my Brother and Sister anymore. My household back home is all about family trips and we planned to go to this New York trip together for months now. New York wasn’t going to just be our typical go out and eat and order everything on the menu or visit a CrossFit box. It was meaningful because my Step mom was going to show us where she proposed to my mother and where the wedding will take place and all the details and to now see that I’m not going just because she “forgot” is a little upsetting.   

Of course, knowing me I don’t let this get to me fully I try to see the good out of it and now I can let my friends know I’ll be staying in College Station and available for the plans they made. When Second semester came around most of the people in my apartment building got a dog as well as I did. Exactly 16 of us all became good friends and found each other hanging out every weekend or just visiting each other’s place to do homework or just relaxing and maybe playing games.

All of us are big Baseball fans, and enjoy going to the games. So, we are going to make a trip to Austin for the Texas A&M vs. University of Texas baseball game. I’m excited not just for the road trip but to just go to Austin. I’ve never been and I hear that there are some fun places to eat at which I’m all down for.

I don’t expect to spend my entire break just being lazy, considering I can’t do that but I’ll be working nights and maybe mornings just to stay on track and put in extra hours for when I can’t because of school. Even though New York would have been amazing to go too. If I’m not with family then friends are the second best thing… Actually, My Dog is the second-best thing then its friends.

Blog #4 The Equalizer

The Equalizer maybe the most underrated movie on planet earth. Scratch that; It is by far the most underrated movie on planet earth. It’s 2 hours and 12 minutes of nothing but cutting edge action, mystery, and more of Denzel Washington being a smooth criminal. If you had any doubts on who the best actor in the history of movie making was before, then this move will give you the certainty that you needed to figure that out. Denzel Washington stars in this Antione Fuqua directed movie.

 A very good job was done in finding, what I would consider, some very good under the radar actors and actresses. Martton Coskas plays Denzel Washington’s enemy. He does a good job of portraying a Russian mafia member. Chloe Grace Moretz plays the innocent prostitute that gets Denzel into all of this mess. Denzel Washington plays an ex-CIA agent who has changed his identity due to retirement. He now lives a normal life. He works at a home improvement store making an honest living. He often spends most of his free time reading books at a diner. At this diner, he meets a young lady who just so happens to be a prostitute. That doesn't stop him from becoming very good friends with her. She ends up getting into some trouble with her pimps and they decide to make an example out of her to the other girls and wind up putting her in the hospital with some serious injuries.

 Denzel catches wind of this and decides to tap into his inner CIA Agent and decides to get revenge. He ends up taking out several of what he assumes to be pimps but ends up killing several members of the Russian Mafia. The mafia sends their best to go and find Denzel and who he is. Denzel sends them on a wild goose chase and ultimately ends up killing the entire Russian Mafia. Denzel Washington adds a new definition of smooth in this movie and I would recommend this movie to anybody

blog #3

I was absent on the day of the test last Thursday, but instead of just spending my time in bed and feeling all nasty I've decided to take care of other business that needs to be resolved in the next 2 weeks. Jaxx is my 5-month-old purebred Pitbull that I was blessed with on November 10th. This precious 6-week blue-eyed baby was the answered to all my problems that had to do with stress, school, and my family issues. Before I bought him and took him home, I asked all my roommates and made sure they were okay with having a dog in the apartment since we didn't sign up for one. All three of them agreed and actually seemed really excited about the idea. As long as he didn’t bark in the house, pee on the floor or in their rooms and the typical puppy stuff.

After having Baby Jaxx for a week I had him housed trained and the barking was never a problem. He knew his boundaries, like not going into the girls room or getting on the furniture 

It wasn't until 2nd semester about 1 week ago that I got a paper saying I need to remove my pet from my building within 1 day prior to receiving the letter. I found out that two of the girls made some calls to the clubhouse and apartment management that Jaxx was an issue and needed to be removed immediately. I was not only upset but confused as to why they didn’t come and talk to me first. But it was understanding because prior to this event we all were having issues just living together. A good friend of mine was talking to me about Jaxx and what are some options that I can do to keep him here, I just explained why I couldn’t let him go and that Jaxx was a huge stress reliever for everything that was going on in my life as far as… money, school, work, and family. So, my friend Christian told me to just make him my Emotional Support Dog since I fall under the categories. Christian helps me register Jaxx so now I have an official ID badge for Jaxx with his information and address. I showed the front office the card and told them that there’s no way Jaxx is leaving me and they respectfully approved the card but asked for a doctor’s note with it so they can have it on file and Jaxx can stay here with no problems.

It’s hard to get a doctor to give you an assessment within a week or two so I’ve been calling lots of places with a low price to set appointment(s).  So far, I’ve found one but they won’t be able to squeeze me in until two more weeks which in all honestly, I’m just happy that things are going the way I hoped they would. Its’s crazy how much we can love an animal and crave the attention that only they can give that no human can.  

Blog #2

Dear Mr. Rollins

I completely agree with your point of view as for not letting these other students who were or still privileged and had everything handed to them “make you feel that you have in any way been dwarfed or outclassed” and that we must go for our own and make a statement. Letting anyone ruin your future or make you feel unworthy of the same thing just sucks. I really enjoyed you mentioning that for me to do it my way I must do it single-mindedly. That we students who aren’t blessed to have as such money shouldn’t let that get to us and we need to deal with it and try harder and make that difference to stand out. And for the kids who did have it handed to them to where “more doors opened, where college was a given, it wasn’t was not a student loan it was something that dad paid for. To where a ease in confidence was a birthright. Where for you it was a very hard climb.” This was also a great topic. I myself did not get here or go to the schools I wanted because I had too and it was just “part of school” I had to work hard for whatever what was driving/motivating me at the time. Throughout school, elementary through high school I had ADHD and my mother would always make sure I took my Ritalin medication so she knew I wasn’t messing around in class. So, I can relate not just by the same prescription but anyone who is taking that pill knows the side effects are terrible. Including the weight loss, loss of appetite it’s just not a pleasurable experience.

            You mentioned that we will encounter people who will “test our patience” or “never have to pay anything in full, they get to wreak the room and not have to clean it up” as well as “getting all the way through high school and not understanding where a dollar comes from” these are all very true things although I can agree and disagree on this. I feel that because they have all these privileges there is no way their parents can see them failing because they provided them with everything they needed to succeed. It’s a very tough and rough life and some of us still don’t know how things work, or just trying to live in the moment. Thank you for helping me see what I couldn’t understand. For basically telling me that as long as I work hard and keep pushing myself there’s nothing in the way that should phase me.