Due 7/7
My mother worked as the lunch service manager in my school when I was in 3rd to 8th grade. Everyone presumed I got advantages because she worked in the school. However, I didn’t really receive anything from her working in the school that I know of. I was a good student and never got into trouble so there wasn’t much that I needed her to help with. Most kids wouldn’t want their mother to be working in the school they attend but I was OK with it. The only advantage I had was having her around in case I needed advice or support for something, but that’s what mothers do.
My mother followed me to High School too, it wasn’t planned she just received a job as a Teacher’s Aide in my High School the year I graduated. I know what a coincident (haha). I only had a week of freedom before she followed me. Again, I was a good student in High School, I didn’t receive one detention in my four years there (haha). I was a goody good I guess. The only advantage I ever had was that my mom would be there when I needed her to sign me out of school if I was sick. I also ate lunch with her and some teachers once in a while; I was very mature for my age (lol man I’m coming off as a big kiss up and innocent geek). Some people thought I received good grades because of my mother which was never the case. I earned all my grades because I studied and worked hard. My mother never spoke to my teachers because she never really had to.
When I was ready to graduate I applied to a bunch of colleges, none of them knew my mother worked for the Board of Education and I was accepted into every college I applied to. It could have been for Affirmative Action, since I’m half Hispanic, but I highly doubt it since most people who benefit from AA are White females. I could have gone to Cornel University if I wanted to because my aunt works for the University but I didn’t apply because I wanted to earn my spot in college. I earned a full scholarship to Duquesne University but I didn’t accept and decided to go to Seton Hall University, which is a great school, because it was closer. Maybe I should have accepted my aunts proposal and attended Cornel, it’s a great school and would have looked great on my transcript, but I wanted to earn my place in the University and didn’t want people to think I got in just because of nepotism. I guess things worked out, I did a semester in Seton Hall and proved to myself that I could do well on my own, got a 3.8 GPA there, but decided to transfer to Penn State, which was another good idea.

Due 7/7
I agree it shouldn’t matter who your family is everyone should have to work toward a certain goal and not be handed it on a silver platter. However, that’s not how the world is sadly. I’ve had to work hard for everything I have and I’m still working hard, being in college, to achieve the goals I set for myself. I’ve seen other people around me stride through life always getting what they want and never having to work for anything. In a way I feel bad for them because they have no idea what hard work is about and they don’t appreciate anything in life and take advantage of everything and everyone. At least I appreciate the things I have and by working hard my whole life I understand the struggle many people have and I appreciate them and my family for making love and family the most important thing.

Due 6/4

She definitely was ignorant and doesn’t understand the world. She is old and has old ways of thinking. She also sounded southern; it would be an old southerner with that train of thought. I’m Hispanic so I would have felt like ripping that sign off her house but as it is her right to have it up I couldn’t because unlike her I respect other people and their freedom to live in this country. People like that do still exist, as I know way too clearly. It’s unbelievable to think that there are so many narrow minded people in this world and that doesn’t just go for immigration. They still exist though but hopefully there will be less of them but there will always be those chosen few who will be ignorant and idiotic.

Due 6/4

Why do people have to treat immigrants so poorly? I don’t understand this because we are all immigrants, except Native Americans. Today, as we were driving home we saw a Muslim woman totally covered except her eyes in her religious garments. It was 90 degrees out and my aunt commented on her clothes and how the lady could dress like that in this weather and that she should dress like an American since she’s in America. Even though I understand where her comment is coming from being that it was hot, I do not believe it is her business what anyone wears due to their religious beliefs because we have a right to them. I appreciate and admire people who stick to their religious beliefs so greatly and don’t allow anything to come in between their faith and practices. Also, I don’t even know what dressing like an American is. How do you dress like an American?
The guy in the YouTube videos is completely insane! I went to his YouTube channel and he has 686 videos ranting and raving about things. He actually gets a lot of views and more people than not like his videos, maybe because only racist crazy people would actually give this guy the time of day. This guy must have serious high blood pressure. The whole time I was watching him I wanted to jump out of my chair and smack him through my laptop screen! He really has issues because everything he says is complete insanity and who would want to listen to someone who’s constantly yelling at them.
I’m half Hispanic and I love my culture and I would be upset if I had to throw it away just because we are in America. I’m proud that my grandparents came to this country and held on to their culture and language because it’s extremely important to me. Knowing that I have that culture and tradition in my life makes me feel a part of a community. If immigrants came to this country and shed their culture, language and traditions we wouldn’t have all the things we have today. We eat so many different types of foods and I know I love different ethnic foods as much as so called American foods. We wouldn’t have all the different types of foods we have if we all disregarded our culture. That would be sad for me since I love to cook …and eat haha. Different language is a benefit to us so I don’t understand why so many people look down at people who speak Spanish. Most Hispanics/Latinos are bilingual and in this industry now that is something that will benefit them.

Due 6/30
I believe that homosexuals do not choose to be gay they are born that way. Why do we condemn people for something they cannot change? I do not know why we do or why so many people feel that it’s their obligation to belittle and restrict them. Maybe heterosexuals who are against homosexuality are scared that if the laws change and make homosexuals equal then everyone will turn homosexual. Obviously that is an absurd notice but I find it quite funny that heterosexuals against homosexuality are so against it when it has nothing to do with them. It does not affect them in any way because they are not homosexual. People who are heterosexual are not going to be changed or “change teams” just because they are around homosexuals or if the laws change because you can’t change something you are born with.

Due 6/30/10
I have a lot of gay and bi sexual friends who I am close with. I’m a Christian but I accept everyone and their free will to be who they are and do the things that they wish to do. I don’t expect anyone to change their sexuality because just like I can’t change mine, they can’t change theirs. I do believe homosexuals are born homosexual and it isn’t a choice, it’s not a lifestyle. I don’t even like saying orientation because it’s more than that. All my LGBT friends are open with their sexuality and if they didn’t tell you they were gay you wouldn’t know, unless they were dressing in drag that day. I was mistaken for a lesbian when I was in High School because I was sporty and didn’t really care about looking girly. I’m straight but I didn’t really care what anyone else thought because I knew what my sexuality was. I have always been secure with my sexuality and I guess that’s why I am so accepting of others. When I hear other people making fun of or degrading LGBT people I always believe it’s because they aren’t secure with themselves or their sexuality. It has nothing to do with the homosexual but with the discriminator themselves.
I always have arguments with family members who don’t accept homosexuals and believe it’s a sin. I understand their religious beliefs but I do not condone discrimination or name calling. You can have your beliefs but that does not mean you have to be a bigot. I guess I’m a very open minded Christian because I don’t believe in a lot of things that old fashioned, to the book, Christians believe in.
I’m very open to other religious beliefs also. I find them interesting and I like to learn about them. I might not believe in their faith but I understand them and appreciate different cultures and their beliefs. When I hear people criticizing other religions because they don’t agree or because it goes against their religious practices it upsets me in a way. I have always loved Egyptian culture and religious beliefs. It has always interest me and I have always gotten flack for it from my family who are more old school Christians. I don’t care though and I still study different cultures and religions. I also love Buddhist beliefs and I also get grief for that as well.
I stand up for my beliefs but I also understand others who have the right to believe in what they wish. People have the right to love whoever they want and sex shouldn’t be a factor. If I fell in love with a woman, for whatever reason, and I truly loved her I couldn’t let a simple thing like sex get in the way of that. If you love someone it doesn’t matter what sex they are because unconditional love in just that, unconditional.

Due 6/23
I grew up with two very different families, one White and one Hispanic. I was accepted for who I was by my Hispanic side and the issue about skin color was never brought up. It wasn’t a big deal to them. They embraced their Brownness I guess you can say. My White family wasn’t so accepting. I always felt like an outsider even though I’m pretty light skinned. You can tell I’m mixed now but when I was younger I was tanner. I felt like I didn’t belong and quickly noticed I was different. To this day I still feel awkward around them. Like I said, I’m lighter skinned but when I tan naturally in the summer time I get dark and they always have comments to say such as “Wow you got dark, don’t you think you should wear more sunscreen?” I do where sunscreen but I just naturally tan quickly without getting sunburn because I have more melanin in my skin already. I don’t care what they say I love my skin color and I love people who are proud of whom they are and their skin color, from pale white to dark brown.

Due 6/23
I went to a mostly all Hispanic High School and I had a 3.8 GPA. I wasn’t the most popular person in the school but I knew many people and many people liked me. I was friends with everyone; the so called popular kids, the band geeks, the punk/emo kids, the jocks and cheerleaders, just about everyone. I guess I just got along with a lot of people because I didn’t judge them and it helped that I gave them advice that they could trust and trust me to keep it quiet. So in my experience my popularity didn’t really go down when my GPA went up. It pretty much stayed the same. It might have to do with all of us being Hispanic and knowing each other for so long, from elementary school and onward.
When I saw the “A girl like me” clip I cried. It was very emotional to see little girls and boys actually thinking that way. I’m not Black, I’m half Hispanic but I’m relatively light skinned, but it hurts to see that parents teach their children to dislike their skin color that much. I’ve seen women, mostly, who do all types of things to lighten their skin color and also do it to their children at very young ages. That teaches these children to hate themselves and that they will never be good enough if they aren’t light skinned. I think everyone should embrace who they are and that includes their skin color. White girls tan because they want to be darker and Black girls are using bleachers to get lighter, this doesn’t make sense to me. Are we all trying to be the same color? Is a medium brown skin color the ideal color nowadays? This is ridiculous and insane. This type of thinking is hurting their children psychologically as the video clearly shows. It’s not the right message to send small children.
I have an aunt who lives in Georgia, about 25 minutes from Atlanta. I have visited her a few times and I liked it very much. I found that where she lives to be very diverse. I admit when you get to Atlanta there are more Blacks around but you still see other races too and I didn’t run into any type of racism. My aunt is Hispanic and so is her sister, my grandmother, and we were treated very nicely. Most of the people we encountered were Christians and very cordial and nice. Everyone said god bless you, have a good day, nice to meet you etc. I guess my experience was different there but I don’t deny that there could be racism in Georgia. There is racism everywhere I just didn’t encounter it or was faced with any type of racism while I was there. My aunt has lived there for about 10 years and she has never encountered any racism either. Maybe it might be different for Whites but I’m half White and again I enjoyed my visits there. I guess it depends on your individual experiences.

For me personally, I wasn't "comfortable" with it really. I was baptized as a Catholic because my father's family is Catholic but my grandmother was a Christian. I never went to church or followed the Catholic faith at all when I was younger. I would hear my grandmother speaking about Christianity but I never really payed attention. Before I chose to be religious and the religion I wish to have I did research and read about many different religions just to find myself and what fit with my moral beliefs and that was Christianity in the end. I'm not a "normal" Christian though, I'm pretty free and believe in equal rights for everyone, including homosexuals. I'm also pro choice so there are things I don't agree with about Christianity but I do believe in the root moral disciplines and the true meaning of what it is to be a Christian not all these radical Christian beliefs that are out there.

Due 6/16
My grandmother also has Alzheimer's disease. She is just like your grandmother was before she passed away. She can't do anything for herself and can only walk slowly. she refuses to take showers and my aunt, her daughter, must force her to take a shower once in a while. She has fits of anger and will get aggressive with people. She doesn't remember me until someone says who I am and she pretends to know me and makes up an excuse to why she didn't recognize me. It's extremely sad and it's hard to watch someone going through this.