Blog 8

Last weeks class started with Julian explaining to us just how important it is to be involved here at CI. He showed us a PowerPoint of many different clubs that way we could see what they offered here on campus. I was really interested in the Ballet Folkclorico and the different services they offer at the Channel Islands Harbor. We then started talking about the Chik-fil-A issue at Ventura High School. I thought it was a very controversial issue and could have been solved in many different ways but no matter what people should have supported her decision. When we talked about how we probably did not know the whole story it made me realize how so many of us are quick to judge when in reality we only know part of the whole story. The new approach for Non-Conforming Youth article was revitalizing because I felt that everyone took the main points of that article that they thought were important and we got to compare just how many people had the same idea. We then broke up into groups to answer questions about gender differences it was great to be able to hear everyone’s opinion about this current controversy.

My favorite article so far has to be From Homeless to College Grad. I thought it was such an inspiring story and it made realize just how many people could be going through the same situation as him or maybe not even have a friends place to stow their clothes and other possessions. It really blows my mind that so many people could be going through these situations and we would not know unless they spoke out about it. I know how hard it is to pay for tuition and housing myself because I do live on campus and had a hard time paying for that I had to take out two loans because financial aid was not enough. It is a very stressful situation to be in and I cannot begin to imagine what he went through every single day juggling life and school. This is why I think it is such an inspiring story that gives many of us hope. The Where are the Poor Students? Is a conversation about social class and college attendance but the part that really struck me was that residents of his neighborhood are not convinced that education is worth their time. This reminded me of people that start school but do not put in the effort to continue even though they have all the resources to succeed. It is saddening to know that so many people with so much potential do not put in the effort to do something with the gifts and talents they have been given.  The Working Poor Report article was mostly statistics and facts and when I saw the areas of older adults trying to find work it reminded me of a time where my mom, dad, and older brother could not find a job. Neither young or old they were all denied a job when they would apply to so many places it was one of the lowest points for my family. This ties into the Individuals section of the Classism article. It says: “individuals must take responsibility for themselves and their families.” I can understand how this could be offensive because people are trying to do this but how can they achieve this if they do not have a job and people do not give them the opportunity to sustain their family and themselves. All in all I really enjoyed this weeks readings and found them to be inspiring to keep moving forward.