"You Know You're Ready For Internship When...

At Year Up we talk a lot about being Internship Ready, and what makes a good Intern. As students we have established what qualities and characteristics someone should have in order to be an all-star at their internship. This person should be dependable, willing to learn, punctual, professional, sociable, and ready-to go. During my time at Year Up I have been able to work on developing these skills. So far I've demonstrate my skills by being consistently professional, positive, upbeat, wiling to learn, and punctual. In module three I plan on continuing these behaviors as well as becoming more consistent with my attendance. As of right now I do feel like I could walk into a Corporate setting and be a good Intern  because it is easy for me to adapt to my surroundings. I feel confident in the tech skills that I have learned, but even more confident in my people skills. I know that I have struggled with attendance, and that is the biggest improvement I need to make before going to my internship. I really feel confident in my ability to blend in with the Corporate crowd, and I am sure I have shown throughout my time at Year Up that I can be a consistent professional adult. I have an easy-going personality, and I am determined to be sucessful. I know if I keep pushing myself even harder throughout Module 3 to really focus on my growth areas then I will be 100% ready for my internship.

Dead End Jobs

I have been working since I was 18 years old. My first job was a cashier at Little Ceasar's Pizza. I ended up working there for over a year. I knew I was working a dead end job, so I started seeking out something else. I figured I would enjoy doing something with phones, and or typing since I took some office training classes in high school. Thankfully I landed a job at an answering service, Direct Line. Here I was in charge of answering phones for clients that have paid for our services. Basically I was the person you talked to when the real person you wanted to speak to rolled their phone lines over for various different reasons. I was so excited to have this job. It paid 5 more dollars than my previous job, and I got to be on the phone all day. I also had to type messages, relay messages, and dispatch. I enjoyed the atmosphere because I had a cubicle with about 15 other people in an office. I felt very official and important, and I thought I had achieved an actual adult position. Unfortunately I was let go due to attendance issues. The last full time position job I held was at Panera Bread. I worked on the food line making sandwiches, salads, pouring soups, and consolidating orders. I really did not enjoy this job, only because they put a lot of pressure on us to have all orders out in no less than 1:30 seconds. It was called "Speed of Service Standards". We were constantly told we weren't fast enough, good enough, and we basically could be replaced at any moment. The restaurant was a close knit group of people. We were all young for the most part, and our personalities were very compatible. I stayed in this position for over  a year only because of the close bond that I created with my co-workers. I constantly felt under appreciated by the management team, and was aware that they did not lead by example. I went above and beyond my duties, and I noticed other people getting promoted over me. I begin coming to work late, not working as hard, and some days not going at all. Eventually I quit. I still have kept in touch with a few people from there, and overall even though I hated my actual job, I am thankful for the people I met.

"Penn State Scandal"

In the Article, "Penn State Scandal, the author discusses the case on Jerry Sandusky. "Jerry Sandusky, a longtime defensive coordinator under Joe Paterno at Penn State, was arrested in November 2011 on 40 counts of molesting eight young boys over a 15-year period." http://espn.go.com/ncf/topics/_/page/penn-state-scandal.
The article is an overview of the case against Jerry Sandusky, starting from Nov.6th. This was a huge story due to all of the media around it, and the popularity of the school, and the people involved. When I first heard of this story, I didn't realize it was about a well known assistant college coach. I merely thought it was a high profile sex offender case. Either way, my reaction to it was the same. Outraged at the fact that no one came forward to accuse Jerry Sandusky until almost 10 years after he commuted these crimes against these young men. As I found out more, I realized that Mr. Sandusky was protected by his fellow colleagues, and I could only assume it was because the school was so well known on the college sports circuit, that his colleagues feared what consequences a story like this could have. I wasn't as shocked at the allegations as I was the blatant disrespect for the safety of the children involved, as well as future victims. If I were a parent of a child that was being sexually abused, I would not only expect my child to come forward, even though I know that may be hard for some, but at least an adult witness. The fact that this man was protected for so long, and no one did anything to stop him really makes me upset. It just goes to show that a lot of people in a power position put morals way behind a nice paycheck. Jerry Sandusky was convicted, but still claims his innocence. Thankfully someone decided to come forward and his victims hopefully feel some sense of justice. I would hope that this is a lesson to anyone out there that may be keeping information like this from law enforcement in an attempt to brush a serious matter under the rug, to escape ridicule and a lost reputation.

"My Dear Mother"

Throughout my life I have one source of inspiration.My mother Deborah. She raised my sister, my brother, and myself as a single parent. Working full-time as a counselor at Juvenile Hall. For years she has been my rock. It took me awhile to appreciate her strength. She never let us see her as a weak person. She had strict rules, and high expectations. Her and her sisters grew up in the projects with my grandmother and grandfather. Luckily all of them made it out of the projects and established careers for themselves. My mother always told me anything I want I can have, and not to let anyone tell me otherwise. She is the smartest woman I know, and I respect her for everything she has taught me. Don't get me wrong, we've had our up's and downs, but I never once doubted her love for me and my siblings. When I got in trouble, she would put me on a punishment, but she would also spend hours talking to me. Asking me how I felt, and actually listening to what I had to say. My mother has a lot of insight, and that has definitely rubbed off on me. She is a very intellectual, caring human being. She never let me make excuses for myself, and always push me to be the best I can be. I took her for granted for many years, assuming that everyone was suppose to be the kind of mother she was. I never understood how much she sacrificed to raise us, and make sure we never wanted for anything. She made it to every game, every dance recital, and was there anytime one of us got hurt. My mother has gone through a lot to make sure my siblings and I lived a comfortable life. She educated us on matters some parents have a difficult time talking about. She respected the fact that we had our own minds, and never stopped any of us from going after something we were passionate about. I've always said that the way I was raised is not a reflection on the decisions I've made for my life. Actually it's quite the opposite. For many years my mother and I butt heads, because of course I thought I knew better. I sure was wrong. My mother is the strongest, smartest woman I know. I look to her for advice, a shoulder to lean on, and endless jokes. My mother is a great person, she takes care of her family, as well as all the kids she encounters on a daily basis at work. I still don't know how she did it, but I assume she just didn't see any other options. She never thought twice about providing for her family, even if it meant her life had to be put on hold. My mother will never stop inspiring me to be a respectable, educated, compassionate, self-aware individual.

Community: Recovery

Throughout my life I have been a part of quite a few different communities.Unfortunately not all of them were positive communities but for the most part I have gained a lot of knowledge in some kind of way by being involved in them. I am choosing to spare the details about past communities I've been in, but the one I am choosing to write about today is directly connected to my past. Today I am apart of the Recovery community. For those of you that don't know what I mean when I say that, it's the community of Drug and Alcohol Recovery. I partake in this community everyday, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly. I've been apart of this community off and on for about 2 years. There are many different aspects to this particular community. Some days I go to Anonymous Support group meetings and interact on a closer level with people that have made similar decisions as myself in their lives, and are now trying to get help. Other days I am simply a part of this community by just choosing to stay sober each and everyday. The members of this community are people of all walks of life. There is no particular race, sex, or financial status criteria that one must meet in order to be a member of my community. There is a lot of inspiration, honesty, and struggle within in this community. It is in every state, every city, and ever community. Obviously I don't interact with every person in this community everyday, that would be impossible, but I do stay connected directly to the people that have become a support system in my life. I enjoy being a part of this community because it offers me a chance to meet with people that have been through similar struggles such as I. No matter what meeting I decide to go to, I always feel a since of belonging because I know the people that are in the room know me better than some people I've known for my life due to the fact that they also struggle with addiction and everything that comes a long with it. Our community is strong in numbers, and strong in spirit. The members are changing everyday and their are some that stay the same. There is nothing one must do to become a part of this community, other than share the same goal which is to live life as a clean and sober individual. I am thankful for my community and I am thankful for my past because the things that I've done in my past are the reason I am a part of such a loving, safe environment today.

Looking Back

What are some of the things you learned about yourself as a student or a professional in Module I? Did you surprise yourself in any way? Were you proud of yourself? Were you at all disappointed in yourself? Why?

During my first seven weeks at Year Up I learned so much about myself as a student. I have never applied myself in school before. I have always been told I have so much potential and if I were to apply myself I would be a top student. Coming into Year Up my attitude was entirely different. I wanted to be a top student, I just wasn't sure if I could. I was so surprised at myself when I would find myself staying up late working on homework assignments, or getting frustrated with myself if I felt like I wasn't reaching my level of potential. I remember having a conversation with my mom one night; I told her that I'm now the student that doesn’t want to just scrape by with a D. I told her I wouldn't even be happy with a B and I'm shooting for A's. I tried to keep this attitude every day and it paid off. I turned in all of my assignments, with only one or two late. I studied for my quizzes, midterm, and final until I felt comfortable with the material, and I made sure that I participated in class and stayed on top of my work. It's a really great feeling to know that I've actually managed to apply myself and see the results pay off. I was very proud of myself for being able to have such a positive attitude and actually maintain it. There were moments that I was disappointed in myself and that was due to being late, absent, or turning in an assignment late. I received a lot of infractions for these things which made me feel pretty terrible. I allowed my outside life to interfere with my school life and was either late or absent due to these factors. I know I can do better for module two as far as making sure I am here, and on time every day. Overall my experience so far has been great, I am making goals for myself and keeping them. I'm breaking bad habits that have had a negative impact on my life thus far, and creating new habits that will help me continue to be successful.

"My Roots"

I grew up in South San Francisco. Most people think that South San Francisco is actually located in San Francisco. This is not true; it's actually located about three cities away from San Francisco. It's a pretty small town; there is only two high schools. Mostly everyone knows everyone in some way or the other. I grew up in a small neighborhood in South City. There were a lot of families in my area, with kid's my age. I went to elementary, middle, and high school with the same people I had been playing with since I could remember. The neighborhood I grew up in consisted of mostly middle class families with children. It was a tight knit community, and everyone knew everyone. The best thing about growing up here is I always had something to do. My friend's and I would spend our days playing in the park across the street, riding our bikes or roller blades, building clubhouses, or just hanging out. Since I was the youngest in the family, I had a lot of surrogate older brothers and sisters, or people that looked out for me. I really enjoyed my neighborhood. I don't believe that the person I am today is solely based on the community I grew up in. My personality was probably influenced by my community, but I feel like the decisions I made as I got older aren't a direct result of my neighborhood. Hanging out was always something that I liked to do, and I always had lots of friends. It seemed like everyone just wanted to have a good time, so that may have had an influence on my choices as I got older. It was always easy to find a party, or a friend’s house to hang out at instead of going to class, or doing homework, and that's basically what I did. I could have chosen to hang out with the kids that were getting good grades, participating in extracurricular activities etc., but for whatever reason I seemed to gravitate towards the ones that weren't doing anything productive. I suppose growing up with a lot of people my age, made it easier for me to adapt a social, party lifestyle, but I made that choice on my own. Overall I feel I grew up in a very supportive community, and I lived a fairly comfortable lifestyle. I do believe if I grew up in the ghetto, or non-suburb area, my lifestyle may have been different, but I like to believe I would still have the same morals, and personality that I have today. It seems like the people that are mostly influenced by their communities are the ones that have to grow up in less than desirable surroundings, such as theft, drug addiction, and poverty. That is just an observation and I am sure there are exceptions to the rule. All in all I love where I grew up, and I wouldn't change it for anything.

The Money Train

In our society making a profit is the number one goal. No matter what gender, race, class, age etc., as a whole we are taught that making money is the key to survival. With that thought in our minds it is not hard to believe or even understand the motives behind a lot of these Businesses that are profiting from low-wage earners. Unfortunately a lot of today’s low-wage earners, are also on the other side of the opportunity divide. The opportunity divide issue is most definitely exacerbated when companies continuously prey on lower income households. Instead of providing education or financial counseling to low-wage earners, they rather take advantage of these situations making it so these low-wage earners never find themselves out of debt. On the other side of this we have to ask ourselves, is it really the responsibility of these companies to worry about the education, and financial means of their customers. Yes, it would be a nice to believe that these companies actually want to help, but at the end of the day they are designed to make a profit. It is just as much as the customers’ responsibility to educate themselves, before allowing a company to assist them when it comes to finances. It’s not fair to say one side is more responsible than the other. Whenever going into a situation where your money can be affected if there is no excuse for not gathering information about the company you are dealing with, the papers you are signing, and what the entire process means. Until low-income families are offered more education or resources to better assist with finances then it is up to the individual to educate themselves.

A peek into my life

Usually when asked to write about myself, I tend to get nervous because I don't feel I've made the best decisions thus far. However, I would rather focus on my positives and the present, rather than harp on the negatives. Today I am proud to say that I am currently a student at Year Up Bay Area, studying Business Communications, Information Technology, and Professional Skills. My main motivation for starting this chapter in my life would defiantly have to be my fear of going back to the lifestyle that I was previously living. I use to find school boring and pointless, and I had no real motivation. These days I find that I have a lot of inner strength. I am motivated to have a better future for myself, and to hopefully pave the way for younger generations. I know this is a broad statement to make, but for me to even make a statement about my future goals is a huge achievement. I find myself excited to get up in the morning to go to school, to get my homework done, and to make plans and goals for my future. When I look into the future now, I see a successful, achieved, intelligent young woman. I hope that I can inspire others in my position to remember that as long as you keep trying you will succeed one day. I have been through a lot, and I have been at my lowest but my past is a constant reminder of where I can end up if I don't stay on the path that I am creating for myself today. The most important thing I would like you to know about me is that despite my past, despite the decisions that I've made, I have been given a second chance to prove myself, to myself. I never thought in a million years that someday I will be an active member of society, that will hopefully one day be in a position to empower those around me. I have learned from my mistakes and I will keep up the hard work to reach the level of success that I know I am capable of.

High School Days

When I think about my high school experience, a few words come to mind,fun, crazy, troublesome, exciting, and mostly a learning experience. I attended two high schools. The first one was in a neighborhood that I grew up in my whole life. I attended that high school my freshmen and senior year. El Camino High school was actually a nice place to be. It was pretty diverse, the teachers were interested in teaching, and there was a lot of school spirit. Unfortunately my main goal when I was in school was to party, party, hang out, and party some more. El Camino was one of two high schools in my district. Most of the students had known each other all the way from elementary school and from around the neighborhood. I enjoyed going to school because I felt my teachers were actually interested in teaching, and they took time to get to know the students, the way they learn, and how they can enhance their learning experience. I was unmotivated to learn, and only cared about socializing and going out, me and my friends were considered to be the popular kids, whatever that means. Due to my out of control behavior, I was kicked out of El Camino my sophomore year I was also informed I couldn't attend the only other high school within the South San Francisco school district due to all of my behavioral issues Unfortunately for me being kicked out of the district meant I would have to attend school where I didn't know anyone. My cousin lived in Daly city, a town over, and attended Jefferson High. My mother decided going to Jefferson would be the best alternative for me, too bad she didn't do her research. Jefferson was terrible in comparison to El Camino, and I hated going there.. The campus was low in school spirit; we didn't even have a cheer leading team. There were a lot of students with bad attitudes. The teachers seemed to hate their jobs, and no one seemed to care what the students did. Needless to say I got away with murder at this school, which only furthered my unhealthy lifestyle. It didn't take long for me to find a crowd of people to spend my time with. Of course all of my friends were fellow druggies. My own drug use was quickly turning into a problem rather than something to do for fun.I cut school almost every day, and when I did show up I was under the influence or coming down. Telling lies to everyone around me except for my friends became second nature for me. Jefferson's lack of enforcing consequences only made it easier for me to get away with unexcused absences, missed detentions, and everything else in between. Somehow in the midst of all this, I started to get serious towards the end of my senior year. I was still using, but I started taking a bunch of extra classes in an attempt to make up about 120 lost credits. I attended class more regularly, but still wasn't there nearly enough as I should have been. I managed to pull off a couple of c's and an A, but since I failed my government class, and was low on credits for electives, I didn't graduate on stage. I received my diploma in summer school. Looking back, I can't blame Jefferson, or El Camino for the way I decided to act in high school. I was a rebel, and I didn't take any of the opportunities that were given to me. With that said, I wouldn't change my experiences because they are what shape me today.

MY SPEECH IS MY LANGUAGE/NOT MY IDENTITY

Growing up, I remember being teased quite often for the way that I spoke. I found myself in situations where I had to defend the way that I chose to speak, or rather had been taught to speak. For a long time I thought there was something wrong with me. Although I didn't quite understand what it meant when someone told me I sound like a "white girl" when I talked, I felt as though It was an insult because of the manner it was said. As I got older I realized that no matter what I did or what I said, I would never let the way I spoke my words define me as a person. I realized that I was being teased for not meeting a stereotype society had ingrained in our minds. That black people are uneducated and use slang, and white people are educated and speak proper English. I think that is a degrading statement and it’s sad that so many people have views of that nature. I decided that I will get ahead in life because I sound intelligent when I speak. My speech was ingrained in me, and even when I would try to sound more "black" I felt stupid. I really don't like using the terms black and white to define the way people talk. I do believe it is an ignorant statement and no group of people should be stereotyped in that manner. I met plenty of white people that did not speak the way I spoke, or even the way the black kids I knew spoke. I’ve learned to accept the fact that the way I speak is a product of my environment, whether it be proper English, well spoken, or any other term; my language was specific to my upbringing. I didn't really get influenced by the way my friend's spoke, of course I use slang and I do not use proper English all the time, or even half the time. The most important thing to remember is my speech is my language not my identity.