Feb
02
2023

PAS3: Letters To Juliet

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I am pretty sure that a lot of people have read or even at least recognize the story of Romeo and Juliet. With that being said, we should be familiar with the location that the story takes place. Verona, Italy. Now, it may seem like a cliche, but I believe that Verona, Italy is one of the most beautiful places to be in and I hope to one day visit there.

Verona is one of the most romantic places to vacation at because of the famous Romeo and Juliet play by Shakespeare. However, this is not the primary reason why I want to visit Verona. For those of you who don’t know me, I am a bit of a movie nut. I am obsessed with any and all movies; whether they are old, new, action, romance, I will watch it. As a side note, if you have any movie recommendations, I highly appreciate it. I have watched so many romance movies that have taken place in Verona such as “Love in the Villa”, “Quantum of Solace”, “Romeo and Juliet” and perhaps my favorite movie “Letters to Juliet”.

The movie “Letters to Juliet” captures the beauty of Verona and how love fills the sweet and savory air. It may seem a little too movie like, but that is why I want to visit Verona; to get to know how it actually is inCasa di Giulietta (Verona) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go real life. The movie also centers itself on Verona’s most popular attraction, Juliet’s House. The house was once inhabited by the Cappello family—a name similar to the Italian version’s Capelletti—and dates back to the 13th century, though the famous balcony wasn’t added until the 20th century. The courtyard boasts a statue of Juliet, and visitors can partake in the popular ritual of rubbing her right breast for luck in love.

Although the story is fiction, the thought of the possibility of love and the emotions that draw people to it is indeed real. Under Juliets balcony, people from all over the world would leave letters to Juliet, asking for advice in their love life. This dreamy custom is what led to the making of the movie “Letters to Juliet” and also inspired me to want to visit Verona.

A volunteer group of 10 women take these letters and write back to the people that sent them. This group of women is known as Juliet’s Secretaries and live in Verona, Italy. The group was actually inspired to form by the movie.

I would also love to learn more about the culture and what else makes Verona such a beautiful places. As I said in my last posts, I am a little bit of a food connoisseur and I would love to try their food. Verona is also known to have their culture revolved around the cafe life. The cuisine is very important to the culture, but ironically most of their cafe’s and restaurants are closed during lunch time. I would also like to learn more about their art culture.

Verona, Italy is definitely on my bucket list of places to go and is definitely top 3.

Jan
30
2023

This I Believe: Beauty of Kindness

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About 20% of students ages 12-18 experience bullying per year. There are even more kids who are bullies. Some children neglect the use of kindness and a positive outlook to make other people feel terrible about themselves. However, in the long run, bullying can affect how all parties involved, even the bully, feel about themselves. 

This is why I believe being kind to others can lead to self-validation. 

From sixth grade to eighth grade, I was bullied for the way that I looked and it affected my self-esteem. From fourth to seventh grade I had a chipped tooth that was visible and not so pleasing. I thought nothing of it when my tooth chipped, but it became much more noticeable when I went to middle school. 

Middle school exposes kids to different experiences and different interactions with people. Most of the time my interactions and experiences were good. However, there were some interactions that were not so great. Many kids, especially, boys would call me names for instance “shark tooth” and “vampire”, because of my chipped tooth.

At first, I didn’t let these words bother me, but then the bullying extended to making fun of my performance in school. As an athlete, I participated more in P.E. than most girls in my grade. The boys in my class would joke about how “manly” I was and how I resembled a boy and had boy-like features. This was a target on my character and appearance and I felt really bad about myself. Back then I thought that the best thing to do was give them a taste of their own medicine. 

I would call people names and say the first thing that came to my mind. I did this repetitively throughout middle school. It was until one day during P.E. class, I let my attitude toward people go a little too far and I made someone cry. This incident made me feel dirty and made me feel even worse about myself. I apologized to him for being inconsiderate of his feelings and not caring about how my actions affected other people. 

I then decided that I didn’t want to be the person that I didn’t like. People should be treated respectfully and fairly. Learning this, through high school to currently, I try to be kind to everyone. Whether they deserve it or not, anyone that I interact with I am kind to because one act of kindness and even just plain words, can make someone feel better about themselves. In the long run, I also feel better about myself knowing that the kind words I say to people have a positive effect on their lives. Being here at Penn State, I find that being kind to others is a lot easier because it is how I meet people and make new friends. 

There is so much strength in the power of kindness. I hope that I am able to continue to make people happy. Some people say that there is a such thing as being too nice, but how can something that can bring joy to so many people be a bad thing? If there is one thing that I have learned growing up is that there will always be someone who wants to tear me down. I can’t keep living thinking that in order to make my life better, I’d have to hurt the people that have hurt me when in reality I am the only one hurting myself by bringing others down. That’s why I choose to believe that kindness can give me self-gratification. Kindness is something anyone can give without losing anything.

Thank you!

Jan
29
2023

C2: What are the Consequences?

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Black Americans have faced racism, discrimination, and inequalities for many generations. The issues that Black Americans face are not being addressed and is continuously being ignored. There is a lack of Black representation in Congress. With the lack of representation, there are multiple negative consequences that the United States government will face.

Black under-representation in the political system can have a tremendous effect on democracy. Many Black and African Americans have a sense of group consciousness and will more than likely recognize disadvantages that they face due to the political system, which upholds racial inequality. They will then blame the political system and trust in the government and democracy will decrease. With a very large group, this distrust will catalyze and lead to mass protest and movements with a purpose of political change.

Kenneth C. Frazier, center, of Merck & Co. is one of only four current Fortune 500 C.E.O.s who are black.Lack of representation in local municipalities is even more costly because they have a more direct connection with its people. Descriptive representation is valuable in these small governments. When a certain demographic is excluded from these local governments, participation is limited between that demographic. Without a descriptive representation of Blacks and African Americans, they tend to pull away from the local governments and political participation and engagement between citizens will decrease. Black and African American lawmakers are much more responsive to the African American community than white lawmakers. They also advocate more forcefully for African American interests during the legislative process, proposing legislation and making speeches that promote African American interests at significantly higher rates than non-African American officials.

Voter turnout will definitely endure a large impact. With lack of representation and especially if there were no Black or African People vote in the Super Tuesday primary at Centreville High School March 1, 2016, in Centreville, VA. (Paul J. Richards—AFP/Getty Images)American candidates running for government positions, African Americans will be less inclined to vote. Voter turnout will decrease and elections will be skewed. Candidates could possibly lose a whole demographic. With ethnic and racial minority populations in the United States rising, there is a growing population of voices that remain unaccounted for. This could also not only effect African Americans but also people who support the idea that there should be even more Black representation. Considering Black and African Americans are majority democrats, under-representation could affect the party itself. Swing states voting will be even more difficult. As discussed in the last blog post, although there is lack of representation, there has been an increase in Black government officials in the last decade but not much. Because of this, Black people are starting to speak up more and vote more.

The solution to overcome this disparity is very simple… include more Black Americans in the political system. With more representation, these consequences wouldn’t affect our democracy. With the recent gains in United States political leaderships, Black Americans are much more closer their goals. These issues that I have mentioned above caused by the lack of representation will soon be resolved or least likely to happen if there were more Black voices in government; especially Congress. In my next blog post I will discuss the under-representation of women in the United States government.

Jan
26
2023

PAS2: 100% Pure New Zealand

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Much like the Caribbean, Oceania has a lot of beautiful islands and countries. By far my favorite is New Zealand. I have always wanted to visit New Zealand (NZ) and perhaps live there for a while. The Nature Conservancy in New Zealand

What I love most is the unique culture and values that the people of NZ share. Māori culture is an integral part of life in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The people of NZ value respect and hospitality to their guests. It is called Manaakitanga. They believe in guided experiences and keeping in touch with the past, present, and future. Amongst the islands, there are over 100 tribes.

Who doesn’t like to eat food?! I know that I do and that is why I think NZ might have one of the best foods there is. Although I have not physically been to NZ, I do have an auntie who has and she brought back one of the best cuisines I have ever tasted. I am a big fan of seafood and NZ has so many choices and seafood dishes such as King Salmon, and crayfish. One popular seafood dish is the Pāua.  The dark green pāua meat is encased in a palm-sized thick oval-shaped shell. I heard the common way to eat it is in a fritter or cooked in a buttery creamy chowder, served with rewena bread. Their most popular drink was created in 1907 and is known as Lemon & Paeroa (better known as L&P). It is a non-alcoholic soft drink made from lemon and carbonated water, the name stems from originally being created in the town of Paeroa.

The flora and fauna or nature and wildlife of NZ are so breathtaking and beautiful. I absolutely love nature; it is therapeutic. Their nature and wildlife are so unique. In many tourist sites, people are able to see dolphins, penguins, Black Labyrinth tour underground tubing. See the magical glow worms while floating down a river. and even seals. Their largest wildlife attraction is the caves filled with glow worms. The glow worms would definitely be the highlight of my trip there. NZ has so many nature experiences on one island like mountain and volcano hiking, stargazing, national parks, and several beaches.

Ideally, my goal is to eventually live in New Zealand for maybe 10 years or maybe even around retirement. I would like to live in this town called Rawene or even Mangonui. They are nice settlements by beaches with beautiful mountain views. It is very quiet and the people there are supposedly very nice and welcoming. I plan to build a nice tiny home new the beach and focus on my art and paintings and enjoy the wildlife and the culture.

I really hope that I am able to fulfill this goal and be able to live in New Zealand. It is something that I have wanted to do for a long time now and it would be very unreal if I actually did.

If you would like to learn more about the culture, nature, and overall life in New Zealand there is an official website that provides so much information including tourist sites. Also if you are a soccer fan, the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be hosted in New Zealand this year.

Jan
19
2023

CI1: Government, Invisible to the Eye

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For my civic issues blog, I will be discussing underrepresentation and short-lived expectations of the U.S. government. When some people think of government they think of security, protected rights, liberty, and control. When I think of government, I think about the things that some people don’t understand or that are invisible to the public eye.

What some people don’t see as a problem will not go away. It will continue to Analysis of black women's electoral strength in an era of fractured politics  be a growing issue. There has been a poor representation of Black politicians in government. According to the Reflective Democracy Campaign research group, eighty-nine percent of elected officeholders nationwide are white. Black Americans are underrepresented at elected positions of all levels from city council to Congress.

There is even less representation in southern state governments. States like Georgia and Florida have increasingly low amounts of Black representation in government municipalities. There are many city councils with little to no Black representation. This can affect cities with a majority Black population where this can affect how policies are carried out and how Blacks are affected by them.

With the lack of representation, there is also a lack of black voices. There aren’t enough people to hear the voices and concerns of Black people that can also relate to these concerns.

Although progress has been made with Barack Obama, being the first Black president for 12 years, and Kamala Harris the first Black female vice president, progress is still slow. Many Black Americans view political representation as a potential catalyst for increased racial equality, according to a June 2020 Pew Research Center survey. Electing more Black political figures will bring about and catalyze racial equality.

Thirteen percent of Congress consists of Black politicians. Although this number is extremely higher than what it was 50 years ago, it is still disappointing at the slow rate these numbers are progressing. Data from the past several decades reveals the upward yet uneven trajectory of Black political leadership in America.

Black women are even more underrepresented in political positions. No Black women have ever held the office of governor and are currently absent from the Senate, according to a recently released report Dittmar coauthored with Higher Heights Leadership Fund, a national organization building the political power and leadership of Black women. Black women in legislation did increase from 2020 to 2021. Remaining biases about Black women’s ability to win statewide and in majority white electorates also contribute to their underrepresentation.

It was not until Joe Bidens and Kamala Harris’s administration that the presidential cabinet consisted of more than 2 Black politicians in the last few decades. In Obama’s first term and Trump’s term, there was only one Black cabinet member. Biden’s cabinet contains 3 black members – Harris as vice president, Lloyd Austin as the first Black secretary of defense, and Marcia Fudge as secretary of housing and urban development.

There are currently no Black governors and there have been none since Deval Patrick retired in 2015. In fact, there have been only four in U.S. history.

What we may see in a government can change once people realize that it is not perfect and that there is still work to be done. Underrepresentation is a really big issue in the United States government and it’s an issue that needs to be dealt with soon.

Jan
19
2023

PAS1: A Whole New World

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In this semester’s passion blog, I will be discussing countries and or territories that I would like to travel to. This blog will be more like a guide for my aspiration to travel to different countries.

The Caribbean has a lot of beautiful islands that people may overlook. Saint Kitts is one of many islands in the Caribbean that has an extremely beautiful culture. My dad, in fact, was born in Saint Kitts and moved to the US at a young age. I did not have the luxury to visit the Island, but I do want to see it someday so that I can learn more about the culture that I have not been told about when I was younger.

Although it’s beautiful exterior, Saint Kitts has had a rather very violent history. There were always struggles and conflicts involving Europeans that have been thought to have discovered this land.

One of the aspects of the island I am excited to see is the volcano, Mt. Liamuiga. It is extinct and the source of a majority of the vegetation and it is the center of the growing rainforests. Saint Kitts is home to a rich sugarplantation because of its fertile volcanic soil. This was later shut down and slavery was abolished. The sugar plantations were constructed and transformed into scenic tourist attractions with breathtaking ocean vistas and many ruins.

Saint Kitts has an accompanying island called Nevis. The culture of Saint Kitts and Nevis is so enchanting. I am proud to say that I was able to experience some of this culture’s traditions as a child. The food for starters is one of the most unique things I have had.

I love beans and rice! One of the dishes that was particularly unique to me was “goat water” which is a stew with beans, rice, neck bones, and goat meat. I am really not a fan of goat meat as I am with beans and rice, but the recipe my grandma always cooks makes me like it a little more. The food is traditionally spicy and has a creole style to it. Lucky for me I love spicy foods. Fruits and vegetables are a lot easier to cultivate and harvest because of the fertile land available.

What I am more curious about and would like to learn more about is social interaction and stratification. There are some values and standards I was taught growing up, but I want to learn more about how society as a whole lives and interacts with each other. What I have understood throughout my life from the Kittitian and Nevesian cultures is that one has to be respectful at all times and be socially appropriate. Manners were a big deal, especially towards elders.

While I know much about the culture, I do want to know what happens politically and what the social problems are, and how they are being controlled. I do plan on visiting Saint Kitts and Nevis pretty soon and hopefully, this will persuade you to also want to visit the islands as well.

Nov
17
2022

RCL7: Parents Are People Too!

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Her Story: Powerful Films From a Female Point of View

I chose this photo to analyze because it addresses something that people are not widely aware of. When seeing this I immediately felt that I should write my concerns about it.

I the picture there is a woman, who seems to be a mother, sleeping on the sofa, while her kids are awake and playing in the window curtains. This image depicts a mother who is stressed out from all of the responsibilities that a mother has.

As a kid or youth, many of us would say that this woman is a bad parent for falling asleep while her children are awake playing around. They might get into some trouble or hurt themselves. What we don’t do as youth’s is trying to put ourselves in our parent’s shoes. This image spread’s awareness to the growing concern that there aren’t enough remedies, strategies, and programs to help parents in need who juggle life, work and kids.

The pajama’s the woman is wearing and the baby monitor that she has in her lap indicates that she fell asleep to what could be a baby she has. Babies are known to be a little colicky in their first few months. It would be understandable if a mother is having trouble sleeping with a baby and 2 kids. What is even more difficult is parents raising kids in poverty.

Poverty increases maternal stress by heightening exposure to negative life events, job loss, chronic strains, poor housing, dangerous neighborhoods, and conflict with partners, culminating in crippling depressive symptoms, the most prevalent mental health threat.Depressive symptoms interfere with the provision of the strong maternal support needed to counter the hardships of poverty, thus placing infants and toddlers at risk. Programs and services helping these parents could decrease this risk.

The toys that are laid everywhere in the image show lack of house care and the ability to clean. The inability to clean coupled with the lack of sleep could show signs of depression. Depression in a parent is much more severe and could not only cause harm to themselves, but to their kids as well. Parents should be able to have access to programs and services that will allow them to cope with these problems and better implement these solutions to their day to day lives.

Parents, grandparents and caregivers who see this might relate to this image because it is widely relatable. They might feel relief that someone might know what they are going through. The audience that are not parents might feel that there should be more programs to help parents cope with issues they might have

 

Nov
17
2022

PAS8: The Future in the Palm of My Hand

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To end my passion blog this semester, I have decided to write about a fashion designer that I personally know. Me.

I may not call myself good at what I do, but I am proud of it. I haven’t designed fashion for that long. I haven’t been to or in a fashion show. I don’t know the pressure of what it is like to be in the fashion industry. However, I do know that I have the potential to make an impact through my designs as the other fashion designers that I have written about in pass blogs posts. I’m not completely sure if I want to pursue a career in fashion, but I do sure like to dream that I will.

In the short time that I have been designing, I have learned a lot of things. One thing that I will always remember about fashion is that its not all about the design or the style of clothing, but it is about the story behind the designs, behind the artist. If you can recall from my previous posts, each and every last designer had a story tell behind their designs. I may have discussed the type of style they catered to or the colors that each designer might have preferred. However, each artist and designer had a story to tell in why they became a designer or why they designed a fabric a specific way.

My story that I want tell behind my clothes will be that I can be able to do the things that I want even though it may not be a permanent career choice. I would like to spread my love for fashion with others who have the same passion as well. Right now I don’t wish to put a price on my work simply because it would hard for people to acknowledge what I can do if they can’t afford. If I was to do fashion full time, I would appeal to the underrepresented audience such as plus size women, people in poverty and much more. All of the designers I have written about has impacted me in every way, shape, and form. I would like to one day influence someone like they did to me. I look forward to being the new Grace Wales Bonner who explores the thorny issue that comes with her identity. I aspire to be the next Virgil Abloh who incorporates street wear to fashion and advocates for minorities. I aspire to be someone big who is able to influence many people whether it’s through fashion or any other career that I choose take.

On this note I would like encourage you to also do the same. Thank you!

 

Nov
03
2022

PAS7: Someone New?

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I haven’t been designing many new designs lately and I thought it would be the best time now to start back designing clothes. I wanted to do more masculine styles since I haven’t done much. In my research for ideas, I came across a designer that I had no idea about, Kerby Jean Raymond. His designs are oustounding and not only did he make womens clothing but he designed mens clothing as well. This has influenced my designs and my Image may contain Human Person Crowd and Festival way of creativity.

Jean-Raymond is an Amercian born from Haiti native parents. His style is inspired by his Haitian heritage and presents them through the black community. He is head of the seven-year-old label, Pyer Moss. The way Jean-Raymond presents his designs publicly, collectively offer a strikingly personal and singular narrative about his own life as a black designer in America. He’s become successful as a result of this, receiving praise from critics and counting among his clients and collaborators people like Erykah Badu, Usher, Rihanna and Michelle Obama.

Jean-Raymond makes powerful satements through his relationship with masculinity. This is strictly influenced and motivated by Jean-Raymond’s father, who he admires deaply. He even made a collection in 2017 inspired by his father. In many of the designs he had hisImage may contain Clothing Apparel Human Person Electronics Camera Coat Overcoat and Suit fathers green card photo attached to them in some ways. Most of the models were his father reimagined as a young man. The designs were in style that honored his fathers sense of style and his fathers home country, Haiti.

Jean-Raymond’s designs from a standard distance look like ordinary and simple clothes but looking close up you are able to see the deep meaning and reveal themselves as surprisingly nuanced. In his spring collection of 202o, Jean-Raymond’s designs were influenced by black blues and gospel singer and guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The swirl of black and white is actually a pattern of varying configurations of the headstock of a Gibson SG Custom, Tharpe’s preferred guitar.

Jean-Raymond continues to set examples and protests through his designs. The runway show for the spring 2019 collection was held in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Weeksville, one of the first communities in New York with black homeowners, and presented an alternate fashion history in which black people were free to dress how they liked without the threat of racist judgment or violence.  These designs pays novelistic attention to detail and he’s very particular on his designs and think of them as peices of art that represents the community that is underpresented.

Oct
26
2022

PAS6: She Can Do All Things Fashion

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This week I will be discussing a designer who has a multitude of careers and made a huge impact through each and every last one of them. Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a singer, business owner, philanthropist, and fashion designer. Rihanna is widely known for her singing career, but she has made an impact through her sense of fashion since the beginning of her career.

Personally, I have looked up to Rihanna mainly because of her fashion style. I was always fond of the statement she left on each appearance she made. Rihana as a woman of color, advocated for inclusivity since she started her career. She has very much acted as a driving force when it comes to inclusivity – be it the 50 shades-wide foundation palette of her makeup brand, Fenty Beauty, catering to every skin color or even the varying of sizes in her lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty.

Rihanna’s rebellious, independent and empowering attitude is what drove her to take risks and possess confidence when it came to fashion. Rihanna has broken down barriers and multiple standards, as the first woman and person of color to start a brand from scratch under the global luxury fashion conglomerate LVMH. Through this, she was able to push the boundaries of inclusivity and impact fashion more than she ever has. She has created a humanized path in both the beauty and fashion worlds. Rihanna understood the beauty gaps when it came to makeup and clothes. She catered to these gaps and this is why her brand is much more popular than other brands that are also changing for inclusivity. She thought about the people who don’t get to see themselves represented in the beauty or fashion industries whether they were trans, plus-sized, or even non-binary.

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Hydrating Longwear Foundation • Foundation Review & Swatches

Rihanna diversified the fashion industry when she presented diverse women front and center of her shows and presentations. She didn’t just cater to one group of women, through her large foundation collection of 40 different skin shades, she included every one of all skin colors. She is titled the most innovative celebrity entrepreneur of our generation. She was able to create something that she could relate to and knew the successful path she wanted to explore. Fenty is a worldwide success because Rihanna, an artist, designer, fashion icon, and Black woman wanted to fill the gap of the underrepresented and celebrate all women of all shapes, sizes, and shades.