If you love looking at cute pictures of dogs and cats, check out and follow our Instagram page, @LoveFamilyRescues ! You will learn more about the benefits of rescuing and adopting pets, and read real stories from people who gave their pets a second chance at life!
Many people argue that pets are actually family members, and are treated better than human family members most of the time. Would you intentionally abuse or abandon a family member? I don’t think so, and the same should not be done to pets. Unfortunately it is and animal shelters are overflowing with loving animals looking for a second chance to become someone’s new family member. In our advocacy project, we wanted people to know that you can get the same loving pets from an animal shelter and know you are saving a life, rather than spending hundreds of dollars on animals that are bred simply for the money.
We reached out to family, friends, and strangers looking for people who gratefully adopted a shelter animal instead of buying a fancy, expensive pet. We wanted to share these honest stories and pictures to show others that just because you don’t have the hottest, most expensive breed of dog, you can still have a loving pet that is happy with a second chance at life. There are several very popular social media platforms that we could have used to display our project, but we chose to use Instagram as our main site.
I think that Instagram was a great choice for our advocacy project because it enabled us to reach people all around the world, just by posting a picture. Since our main goal was to have a picture of a rescued or adopted pet with their owner and a short story about them, Instagram was the best option. It is a platform known for photo-sharing, commenting, and hashtags. We made our account public so anyone who stumbled upon our page could see all of our pictures. We also incorporated hashtags with our photos so people from literally anywhere in the world could see our pictures. The use of hashtags was a major part of our project. By using certain hashtags, such as #DogsOfInstagram, any person who searched that hashtag came across our pictures and account. We had many people liking our photos and even following the account. One of my favorite aspects of Instagram is the use of hashtags to connect people and pictures together.
There are many positives to using Instagram as our main platform for advocacy. Obviously we are able to connect with people in many different countries, not just our family and local community. Also, many people already follow animal accounts on Instagram because seeing a cute animal can brighten anyone’s day! It was created to share photos, and that is what we wanted to do. One of the limitations is not everyone has an Instagram account. Many people could’ve wanted to help with our project and see the pictures, but were unable to if they didn’t have an account.
Animals are very dear to my heart. I love dogs and cats and I am very against any type of animal cruelty. I rescued both of my cats and gave them the chance to have a loving home and caring owners. When I started this project, I hoped to achieve a greater appreciation for shelter pets and to reach anyone who was thinking of getting a pet to know they could get a great pet at their local animal shelter. I do not want to completely condemn buying a dog from a breeder or a pet store because many of my friends have the cutest dogs from those places, but I really wanted people to realize there are already pets that are facing euthanasia who are looking for an owner. I also hoped to have many people wanting to share their stories with us, because usually people love talking about their pet (just like they’re a member of the family!). While we did receive about 15 submissions, I was hoping for more. The ones we did receive were very touching and I’m glad those people wanted to help.
Overall, I am very pleased with this advocacy project. When I put my accomplishments into perspective, I gained many followers and received a decent amount of stories in only a one month time period. The most rewarding part of this project was having people reaching out to me and wanting to help in any way they could. I also loved seeing the many people who loved their pets so much, and didn’t treat them any differently or like them any less just because they are from an animal shelter. We also got such positive feedback from our classmates, so it is great that many people share the passion for fair treatment of all animals. One of the challenges of this project was the lack of submissions from people. When I started this project, I may have had too high of hopes because I was aiming to have about 20-30 submissions and have more followers on our Instagram page. But, I am very happy with the submissions we received. I know we worked very hard on this project and I couldn’t be more proud to advocate for animals that do not have a voice to advocate for themselves.
If I had to do another advocacy project in the future, I would definitely use a different approach. Many people that wanted to help me with the project wanted to know if there was an actual event that went along with our Instagram page, and others didn’t have any pets but still wanted to do their part to help. In the future, I think it would be great to have an adoption day at a local shelter to raise awareness for the adoption of animals. This way, people could help with the event, the public could learn about adopting animals, and would hopefully even adopt an animal that day! I would also want to do some type of fundraiser to support the animals already in local shelters. Hopefully someday I will be able to make this adoption day idea into a reality!
Tonight, April 28, I attended the Civic Engagement Public Speaking contest. I probably would not have attended if it wasn’t for the extra credit, but I found it very interesting and thought provoking. Each of the student’s speeches was so well prepared, stimulating, and professional. You could tell that these students put quality time into their research topics and their speeches. They all seemed very comfortable and knew exactly what they wanted to say. I found it a bit boring at times because the speeches seemed too memorized or rehearsed, but I guess that is just the nature of these types of speech.
One of my favorite speakers was the first one, Natalie Walden, and her speech about feminism. I am not very familiar with the topic, nor does it really spark my interest, but I thought she did a great job explaining the issue and implementing a way to change that. She was very comfortable speaking, and it was clear she was passionate about the topic. She also added some humor which made the speech more enjoyable to listen to.
My two favorite speeches were that of Craig Saupe and Lynsey Mickolas. Being a criminology major, both of their topics regarding the death penalty and innocent prisoners were very close to my interests. I think both of these subjects are very important, especially Lynsey’s. I’ve actually written a research paper on the exoneration of innocent people who were sentenced to many long years in prison. Although our criminal justice system is not perfect, we need to bring awareness to the thousands of people being imprisoned, or even receiving the death penalty, from the misinterpretation of a victim. I also thought her proposed way to fix this issue is something that is cost affective and able to implemented in police stations around the country.
I am not an athlete, so I did not have much background knowledge on the subject at Ross’s deliberation. With the few facts I did know, my personal opinion, and the exposure to collegiate athletics here at Penn State, I had a good idea about what approach I agreed with the most. I do not believe that college athletes should be paid. I believe that you are coming to college for an education, not a free ride to play a sport. Most collegiate athletes, especially football and basketball players, are already getting many benefits from playing, such as free apparel, transportation, iPads, and in most cases free tuition. They already get great perks and have the chance to be paid after college if they join the NBA, NFL, etc. Why should they get paid for doing their “job” when some students put just as much time into their studies while still paying full tuition and not getting any free things?
Even though I feel very strongly about my opinion, it was great to hear the many different viewpoints and opinions from the guests at the deliberation. I am glad that there were many people in attendance who wanted to speak their mind. I am not one to usually speak up and voice my opinion, but I enjoy hearing what others have to say. I liked the one point a student brought up saying that college athletes could have some form of payment through endorsements from companies. While I still feel college athletes shouldn’t be paid, this was a great point. There are always a few situations where students are on a full ride to a school for sports, but still do not have enough money to feed themselves. I think there should be a separate system put in place for these special circumstances so all athletes have a fair chance at playing the sport they love.
On Wednesday, February 25th, I attended a debate titled “THON Culture is Harmful to Student Academic Success.” I was a bit wary going into the debate because I am an active participant in THON. I personally do not believe that THON itself is harmful to academic success because it is like any other group or activity that you are involved in, there are tasks that need to be completed and time management skills are needed.
While I did not agree with the affirmative side at first, their argument was better and had more substance than the negative side. The affirmative side talked about a ‘culture of competition’ that arises from THON committees and organizations. This competition can come in conflict with student’s academic work but also with other students. There is competition to see which organization or Greek Life group can raise the most money while forgetting about the true reason they are raising the money. THON also poses competition with student’s academic work. Many committees and organizations require weekly meetings, social events, and canning of fundraising weekends. This takes away student’s time for focusing on their work. While this is a valid point, I don’t wholly I agree. No one is forcing a student to join these groups. If a student cannot handle school and extra activities, then they need to drop the activities. Also, THON is not the only organization that requires student’s time; with over 1,000 student groups on campus, there is surely another group that could lead students to stray from their academic work.
The negative side didn’t really touch on many benefits directly relating to student’s academics, but still had good points. They talked about how being part of THON offers leadership opportunities and time management skills. One way this can contribute to academic success is by giving students experience in their line of work. For example, a person who is a finance major could be on the Finance Committee for THON and gain valuable experience that contributes to his academic success. They also said that there are many other factors that contribute to a decrease in academic success, not just one weekend out of the whole school year. This is a very true point, and I event should not dictate a student’s academics for a semester. I believe that the student is responsible for their own success, and should know the limits of what extra activities they can and cannot participate in.
The closing of the debate stuck out to me, and really brought the debate into perspective. Both sides agree that THON is a great thing and they really like it, it is just not a perfect system for students. One of the speakers said “This debate is not about THON being good or bad, but how we can improve it.” Overall, it was a great debate experience and I am glad that I attended.
I believe in working a retail job at least once in your life, especially as a teenager. One month after I turned 16, I knew I was ready to step into the real world by getting a job. I never knew how rude and cruel people could be to a retail worker until I actually experienced it. People are just so generous when it comes to dropping F-bombs when we don’t have an item in stock, or so kind as to call me new insults such as ‘illiterate and stupid’ when they can’t use two coupons. Oh, you used to work here and they allowed you to use two coupons? Well maybe that was back in the 80’s grandma. I really don’t think you need to use two coupons on your $1 knitting needles. And yes, I would love to call my busy manager up here so she can tell you the exact same thing I just told you about our coupon policy.
One of my favorite things about customers is how clean and tidy they can be when they come to Michaels. I just love when they grab one hundred different sheets of scrapbook paper, then decide they don’t want any of it, and leave it in the aisle with the picture frames (because that makes sense, right?). Even when a worker is standing in the same aisle, customers will still be quick to throw what they don’t want in a random spot and walk away like they didn’t do anything. It makes me worry about what their house looks like. One of my favorite experiences was when a customer dropped a glass Christmas ornament, while I was standing in the same aisle, and proceeded to kick the broken glass under the baseboard of the shelf. She just looked at me and walked away.
You wouldn’t believe how incredibly oblivious some people are. I’m sorry you can’t return this here because this is a Joann’s receipt. Yes, you actually are in Michaels. No, this is not Marshall’s and we do not sell lingerie. I like when I answer the phone and say our little greeting, “Thank you for calling your Cranberry Michaels, how may I direct your call?”, and the customer on the phone says “Is this Michaels? The one in Cranberry? (Yes, I just said that) Okay good, I was wondering if you could give me the phone number for the Butler Michaels, and maybe the North Hills Michaels, too.” My apologies, but have you ever heard of a phone book, or Google? How did you get our phone number then? But since I love offering customers the best service, I will definitely hold up the ten people in the checkout line so I can get you those phone numbers.
Sometimes customers truly think they are the only customers that actually need anything. I’m sorry, did you say you needed 25 bows made for a wedding that’s tomorrow? You only came in an hour before we close, I’m sure that we could do that for you. Your daughter’s birthday is today, of course we can have this signed Penguin jersey framed for you in an hour, it’s not like the framer’s had anything else to do!
Even though I sarcastically talk about my work experiences, brush off the rude comments and stresses of demanding customers, I would do it all over again. I believe that working a retail job gives you the necessary experiences that help you grow as a person and learn how to treat others properly, and I think that every person should work a job in retail at least once in their life.
One month after I turned 16, I knew I was ready to step into the real world by getting a job at a local retail store. I never knew how rude and cruel people could be to a retail worker until I actually experienced it. People are just so generous when it comes to dropping F-bombs when we don’t have an item in stock, or so kind as to call me new insults such as ‘illiterate and stupid’ when they can’t use two coupons. Oh, you used to work here and they allowed you to use two coupons? Well maybe that was back in the 80’s grandma. I really don’t think you need to use two coupons on your $1 knitting needles. And yes, I would love to call my busy manager up here so she can tell you the exact same thing I just told you about our coupon policy.
One of my favorite things about customers is how clean and tidy they can be when they come to Michaels. I just love when they grab one hundred different sheets of scrapbook paper, then decide they don’t want any of it, and leave it in the aisle with the picture frames (because that makes sense, right?). Even when a worker is standing in the same aisle, customers will still be quick to throw what they don’t want in a random spot and walk away like they didn’t do anything. It makes me worry about what their house looks like. Do they just throw everything around and don’t clean up after themselves? One of my favorite experiences was when a customer dropped a glass Christmas ornament, while I was standing in the same aisle, and proceeded to kick the broken glass under the baseboard of the shelf. She just looked at me and walked away.
You wouldn’t believe how incredibly oblivious some people are. I’m sorry you can’t return this here because this is a Joann’s receipt. Yes, you actually are in Michaels. No, this is not Marshall’s and we do not sell lingerie. I like when I answer the phone and say our little greeting, “Thank you for calling your Cranberry Michaels, how may I direct your call?”, and the customer on the phone says “Is this Michaels? The one in Cranberry? (Yes, I just said that) Okay good, I was wondering if you could give me the phone number for the Butler Michaels, and maybe the North Hills Michaels, too.” My apologies, but have you ever heard of a phone book, or Google? How did you get our phone number then? But since I love offering customers the best service, I will definitely hold up the ten people in the checkout line so I can get you those phone numbers.
Sometimes customers truly think they are the only customers that actually need anything. I’m sorry, did you say you needed 25 bows made for a wedding that’s tomorrow? You only came in an hour before we close, I’m sure that we could do that for you. Your daughter’s birthday is today, of course we can have this signed Penguin jersey framed for you in an hour, it’s not like the framer’s had anything else to do that day!
Even though I sarcastically talk about my work experiences, brush off the rude comments and stresses of demanding customers, I would do it all over again. I believe that working a retail job gives you the necessary experiences that help you grow as a person and learn how to treat others properly, and I think that every person should work a job in retail at least once in their life.
To be quite honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into by taking an honors Communications Arts and Sciences class my first semester here at Penn State. I knew it was going to be a challenging class, but I also knew that I was going to learn more because I was being challenged. This fact held true throughout this semester. Being an honors class, CAS 137H was a lot of work. I was sick of it sometimes, but I would rather be pushed to my limits than be in a blow-off class learning absolutely nothing. I had no idea what rhetoric and civic life was all about before being in this class, and truthfully, my understanding of the topic is still a bit fuzzy. Rhetoric is many different things used in various situations, advertisements, and communication, and does not have one concrete meaning or definition. I like when things have a solid definition, or one answer to them, not the answer of “it can be anything,” which is why I still cannot completely wrap my head around the concept of rhetoric.
After reading through countless examples, watching videos, listening to Ms. Patia’s lectures, and creating my own pieces, I would say my understanding of rhetoric and civic life has greatly increased. I am now able to recognize rhetoric in places I would have never even guessed used rhetoric; such as the news, social media, many advertisements, and even daily conversations between peers and strangers. I am truly glad that I decided to take this class and stick with it because even though it is challenging, I am learning more than I thought. I am excited to see what is in store for RCL 2 and hopefully continue expanding my knowledge.
When I first realized that I was going to have to give my own TED talk, feeling nervous would be an understatement. I have been watching TED talks throughout high school, so I was familiar with the style of speaking. Since actually giving a TED talk, I have a new appreciation for those who give talks, especially talks lasting longer than five minutes. I did not realize how much work is put into giving a talk; with writing a speech, memorization, and the multi-media aspect of the talk. These speakers always seem very confident in their talk, and it is clear that they have prepared for the situation. I have always found TED talks compelling because they are not just a boring speech about another boring topic. They find ways to connect and interact with the audience, and make learning new concepts fun and entertaining.
The most challenging part of the TED talk, for me personally, was memorization. I had already research the topic and knew what I wanted to say, but not having notecards with hints as a security blanket was very scary. Another challenge I faced was the power point being displayed behind me. Usually, if there is an image behind me that I am talking about, I stare at that the whole speech instead of at the audience. I thought that I was going to use the power point to stare at when I forgot what I wanted to say. Fortunately, I was able to remember everything I wanted to say with only a few glances at my power point. One thing I definitely need to improve is my hand motions. Unfortunately, hand motions are in my Italian blood, but by having the clicker in my hand, I felt the need to play with it. While watching the recording of my talk, I found my hand motions to be distracting at some points. Hopefully for my next TED talk I will be able to be more relaxed, conscious of my hand movements, and confident!
When I first heard the phrase ‘paradigm shift,’ I had no idea what it meant, and started to panic because I was going to have to write a seven page paper about one! But after I learned about paradigm shifts, I had some ideas on my mind. The only problem with so many ideas was trying to narrow it down to one!
My original idea was to talk about how community college, vo-tech, and blue collar jobs are looked down upon compared to attending an accredited 4-year university. Unfortunately, I did not find many sources to support this idea. I feel this topic is based on personal opinion and other personal factors rather than a larger societal influence. Other ideas that came to me were very obvious and over-used: the constant use of cell phones, social media, privacy rights, and so-on. Finally, an idea came to me, and I’m sure you could see the light bulb above my head light up! My idea for my paradigm shift is the transformation of dating over the past few decades.
I believe that dating has definitely changed from what it was when my parents were teenagers to what it is now. Many people do not take dating very seriously anymore, either they are just in it for the hook-ups or they are not putting in the effort to find true love. Dating is very hard these days, especially with the unrealistic expectations set forth by pop culture and social media. Television shows such as “The Bachelor” and “Are You The One?” create love stories in the viewers’ head that are improbable. Also, the introduction of websites and apps such as “eHarmony,” “Match.com,” and “Tinder” make dating seem more of a game than a serious courtship. I have done a little bit of research to make sure there were sources that could be of use for my paper. I found a TED talk on the shift of dating, an article by the American Sociological Review, and other articles that will be useful. I think that this topic is important because dating is something that will always be relevant to every person all over the world. I find this topic interesting because I am helplessly addicted to the dating shows on television, but I also want to understand the dating aspects in my own life and others in our today’s society.
I really enjoyed Chimamanda Adichie’s TED Talk and hearing her speak in person. I think she is a great speaker and really has knowledgeable points about race and differences between cultures. The main point that she made in her TED talk about a single story really stood out to me. She also said that stereotypes are incomplete, because they are based on a single story. I think everyone, no matter how you were raised or the color of your skin; we all have stereotypes about different groups of people. Although we don’t always want to believe that we have these stereotypes, we do. We will never have the “complete story” because we are not a part of that race or group; we can never fully comprehend their side of the story.
I feel that here in the United States, we feel the need to be sensitive to other races and not be stereotypical. This can be very hard, especially when we don’t know their whole story. But in return, other races do not know everything about Americans. When a stereotypical joke is made toward Americans, we are supposed to laugh it off and not be angry. One example that came to my mind as I was writing this was something that happened at work about a year ago. Although it doesn’t wholly deal with race, it was about religious differences. I work at Michaels, which is an arts and crafts store, and this particular event happened around Christmas time. A customer became very angry with me when I told her that we did not sell any type of Hanukkah decorations. She started yelling that we were not accommodating her religion, and asked to speak with a manager. Although I realize this is nothing personal toward me, I thought to myself, “What would happen if I went into a store and started complaining that they didn’t sell Christmas trees or manger scenes?” I would just be seen as an angry, selfish American that can’t see past the fact that there are people who don’t celebrate the same holidays as everyone else. But aren’t these two situations exactly the same? I will let you ponder that thought…
