The Importance of Family

When I first got into UMBC three years ago I could not wait to get out of my parents house. Now however, when I only get to see my family for a few fleeting hours each Sunday, I have a different view of my home and of my family. The reason I am in college is not because I am smart. I am here because my family expects me to become someone, to do something with my life. I am in school not only because of their financial support, but because they instilled in me the importance of education in order to succeed in today’s society. Thinking more about how I got here, I have realized the importance of family and just how much they have taught me.

All my life I have had the best of things—loving care,never-ending support, and even the grace of material comforts. Looking back I have found these blessings to be the basis of my being, which have helped me, evolve into who I am today. These things taught, though indirectly by my parents, were regarded as important values to learn. I cannot even imagine what my life would be like without their guidance and instilling values. As a result, I have adopted the same principles my parents regarded as fundamental, as my own personal morals and in return it has created my general outlook on life.

The positive perspectives I have developed can be attributed to the upbringing my family has given me. I was always surrounded by people who cared. Whether it was about schoolwork, sports games, an injury-- or anything really, my family has been there to give me the reassurance of help if I could not handle things on my own or if I did not have confidence in my abilities. Even then, I was never made to feel inadequate or disappointed in. I believe this kind of support was integral in building my self-esteem and let me know I could be who wanted without feeling afraid of not being accepted.

Spending time with my sister and my parents has increased my patience, understanding, and awareness of how short life is. I have learned to embrace them with their all their quirks and flaws because after all, “they are family.” I am reminded every day of how wonderful a family I have when I look in the mirror because I am a reflection of them. Family, is what I believe in.

Word Count: 413

The American Ideal

The most common American "ideal" job is comprised of what you can show for it with the paycheck you receive. However, I hold a completely different view of what that ideal is and what it can be.

Ever since I was young I had no financial burdens resting upon my shoulders. I was actually a spoiled kid and pretty much got whatever I wanted-- granted, always in moderation. Even so, I never adopted the notion that you need material things to be happy. This may have been due to my parents, or maybe I just had never developed the desire to find happiness in money. Whichever path led me to here, I realized I have adopted a very humanitarian view on the ideal job and the American dream.

As my major is social work, I have a strong opinion as to what the ideal job is, and what my American dream is. I believe the title of "social worker" suits me perfectly. Helping those who are not in the position to help themselves is what I want to do with my life. I am content and satisfied in knowing that I will enjoy what I do and live by the quote, "if you find a job you love, you will never work a day in your life."



However, the American ideal looks down upon dependency and those who cannot help themselves. After all, we live in such an independent and everyone-for-themselves kind of society. Therefore, I feel like my American ideal greatly contrasts with the view of what many other Americans may hold as the quintessential job, and that may be why teachers, social workers and other social service employees get paid the least amount for all of the efforts that may be making the most impact on our society.

Analyzing the "Route of Administration"

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term Route of Administration, it is mainly used to describe the way in which drugs and alcohol are taken in to the body. For the purposes of this class though, I am talking about the way in which I have taken educational material in for the past umpteen years.

As a young student I never seemed to do well in the classroom setting because of all the distractions I could find in almost anything-- other kids, my snazzy notebooks and colorful pens, etc. However, when I started to get serious about my schooling, I found I could focus when I was interested in the material presented to me and if I simply liked and admired my professors.

One of the worst experiences I have had educationally was when I was taking a course with a professor who was extremely monotonous, only read off the slides, and could not relate to the students he was teaching. The reason why this class was so "destimulating" for me was because I did not feel connected to the material or the professor. We were in a lecture hall setting and it was just not a conducive environment for learning.

On the other hand, one of the best learning experiences for me was when I was in a small , bright classroom setting last semester, with only 7-8 other students. We all sat in a circle facing one another and had discussions in every class. Not only was this fascinating and stimulating to me, but I loved to learn more about the material with each passing day!



Because of these two experiences I can see what helps me learn more material and better. I need an approachable and interesting professor coupled with the right learning environment.

Making Sense Of It All

Seeing "The Black Panthers: Making Sense of History" was a surreal experience, like something out of a movie.

One of the photos that really stood out to me was of the funeral of George Jackson. The picture was of his casket in a Church with many fellow black panthers gathered. Huey P. Newton gave the eulogy while they listened in silence. What caught my eye, was that two armed panthers were standing beside Jackson's casket-- even within a church, a holy and sacred place.

I believe all of the pictures being in black and white gave a striking and memorable effect, especially this particular photo. The vectors that gave a certain impression were, that while everyone was gathered to remember a fallen panther, safety and security could not be forgotten even for a moment. The two armed men stood as a symbol of their struggle and forced people to acknowledge their presence. The perspective of the picture is focused towards the two men and Huey P. Lewis giving the eulogy. Like most of the photos in the exhibit, the gaze of the subjects were away from the viewer, engaging a person in both direct and indirect ways.

Analyzing the faces of the people in the photos, taking into account the time they were taken, and they environments they were in-- the pictures represent a very hard time for Blacks in America and show the real struggles they faced day in and day out. From a historical context, looking at all the people involved in the movement through the photos taken was like reliving the moment, though I have not seen it with my own eyes before. This is a part of history that we rarely see and it is a powerful, inspiring and unforgettable time that we should never forget.

H&M = Happiness and Me

For many years there have been the Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, and Aeropostale clothes followers. Now, a new culture has emerged among young women that is more sophisticated and tries to appeal less “brandy.” These kinds of brands are culturally significant because brands such as H&M (Hennes and Mauritz), Banana Republic, Forever 21, and Express have learned not to write their label all over the clothes they are trying to sell.

This new approach to marketing is definitely a result of too much advertisement of mass produced clothing. People are shunning the clothes with the huge logos and icons away and it says a little bit about our culture today. It says that we are going to be intolerant to companies trying to market their products in such an unfashionable and ostentatious way. It also says that we do not care what brand we are wearing, just that it looks good.

H&M portrays my identity as one that is not totally concerned with popular brands, but just with fashion. These two do not have to go hand in hand and it is easy to see that H&M has developed this view as well. My taste in clothes can be defined as being eclectic, which is what is popular today and what H&M tries to sell. Shopping around, finding good deals, and buying the not-so-ridiculously-expensive clothes is what’s in. The brand expresses my values because of its price range and clothing style. It is on the more affordable side and is a little conservative, without plunging cleavage lines and short, short miniskirts. Because H&M represents my style so well, I secretly believe H&M stands for happiness and me.

Media Habits

Analyzing my media habits, I have learned that I do not have good ones. I only read the news when it is right in front of my face when checking my email on Yahoo, or on TV when I feel guilty about my lack of knowledge on a specific subject. Somehow I seem to think that Yahoo news is sufficient-- after all, they would not put up just any old random thing, right? If they did, it probably would not be as popular and it would not be put on the front page.

I think the specific resources that influence my media habits, are internet technology and television. I can honestly say that I do not remember the last time I picked up a newspaper and browsed through past the first page. I like to be "in the know" when it comes to politics, serious disasters, important issues among other countries, mass murder and major celebrity happenings, such as the death of Heath Ledger. After these subjects though, I am not that interested in what is going on. One of the main reasons I do not like to read the paper or watch the news is that every bit of information the media relays seems to be negative with no positives in sight. I feel news online however, tries a little bit harder to show some good or entertaining things throughout their presentation of the news.

The worst aspects of my media habits are that I only check the news when it is convenient for me to do so and when something looks interesting to me. If something seems mundane or boring, the best bet is that I will not read or listen to it. My best media habits are that I try to look through most, if not all of the headline news when I get the chance. I also try to learn about what is going on in other countries rather than just in the US.

Some steps I can take to improve my media habits would be to expand my "media horizons." I can try to pick up a newspaper every now and then and actually take the time to peruse the current news stories, not just the popular and exciting ones that catch my eye.

Hi,
my name is Liz Chemmanoor and I am a Social Work major at UMBC with a minor in Psychology. This is my junior year studying at UMBC, and I really like it here. I am interested in a lot of things. I am obviously into social work & psychology, but I like other things such as playing lacrosse & badminton, art, dancing and performing, a little bit of politics, and working. I work on campus in the Commons at a lot of service areas: in the Bookstore, the Information Center and the Gameroom (my favorite). A website I think is pretty cool is youtube because it gives people an opportunity to display their talents, or their lack there of, on the world stage.