College Summit The Joys of Surprise and Making a Difference (and Even the Travails of a Norovirus)

College Summit The Joys of Surprise and Making a Difference (and Even the Travails of a Norovirus) I recently heard Anthony Robbins say that as long as you have your attention on other people, and as long as you are making a difference for others, there is no way you can possibly be depressed. He is so right. This past week, despite contracting a norovirus that gave me serious gastrointestinal distress as well as flu-like symptoms, I was in as good a mood as I’ve been in in a long time. Why? I was making a difference for a group of low-income high school students at College Summit, a national program that supports young leaders to create a culture where kids go to college. I’m like a proud mother when it comes to the small group of four â€Å"peer leaders† I worked with in Berkeley. Every one of them surprised me in their own way. Let me kvell just a little (names are changed for confidentiality)! Keylon Keylon wrote his first two â€Å"free writing† exercises about topics like his relationships with girls and how he was going to find one that would make him be the man he wants to be. I feared he was bland and would not identify a relevant topic for his college admissions essay. On a break, however, he shared his real story- a story about abuse and how he turned to destructive behaviors and friends to compensate for his pain. It was also the story of how he changed direction, in part through a music program that saved his life. Keylon’s story surprised me when it came forth, and so did how industrious and focused a student he was. When I gave him questions to answer in writing, he sat down and didn’t stop until he was done. And when it came time to edit his essay, he was able to devise seamless transitions where they had been missing, and to cut out excess words without my even pointing out the spots where he could do so. Keylon says he wants to be a singer, and perhaps he will succeed. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds his stride as an editor! Keylon was also a great sport when we got realistic with him about his college choices. His top choices were out of his reach, and he needed to consider community college options. He adjusted course without protest or external upset. We could all learn a thing or two from this young man about acceptance and adaptation. Jaquon Jaquon had a sweetness to him and a clear, passionate life purpose under his non-plussed attitude. On the first day, he slumped down in his chair, hood over head, clearly not 100% enthusiastic about being asked to write †¦ anything. His first free write was not about much, and I had to remind him multiple times over the 10-minute time period to keep writing. Initially he would not volunteer to answer a question and would only participate if I called on him directly (though he always had something great to say when I did). Jacquon’s second free write was the big surprise. A saxophone player, he hit on the theme of music, and I’m telling you, it was pure poetry. He called music a â€Å"20-20 all access path†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and spoke about his purpose in life being to connect with people off all cultures through his gift. This goal was not just a pipe dream; Jacquon has already performed both in concert halls and on the street in the U.S. and abroad. Jacquon mentioned in his essay that he gets nervous when playing only because he is afraid people won’t connect with his music. When I asked him what it would be like for him if they didn’t connect with his music, his answer popped out: â€Å"It would be like I don’t exist.† An excerpt: â€Å"[I] put my all into every breath, note and melodic phrase so that whoever hears that will feel my passion, my struggle, my story, and my dreams.† That’s a man with a life purpose. A purpose, when not fulfilled, that makes him feel like he doesn’t exist. If only every one of us had one so clear. Rodrigo Rodrigo was my volleyball captain. He was a meticulous, methodical worker who edited himself as he wrote. The core story that emerged from Rodrigo’s free writes was about his father, who recently started working as a janitor in Rodrigo’s school. Although Rodrigo had weathered various insults as a volleyball captain for being short and young, he had a thick skin- until the insults started being aimed toward his father. Rodrigo wrote about how his father had taught him to stay positive and not judge others, and how ultimately he used what his father had taught him to rise above his anger toward his insulting classmates. Another thing that came out of Rodrigo’s writing was that he liked to make up words and had a penchant for metaphor. In one of his last drafts, his creativity emerged in a surprise conclusion: â€Å"I’m like a volleyball. You may kick me, push me around, hit me, or abandon me, but in the end I’m still persevering and surviving the ugliest actions against me.† Talisha Eager to participate and answer questions, Talisha was fast out of the gate but as the writing process went on, she somehow found a way to look like she was working when she really was spinning her wheels. I gave her what I thought were clear questions and instructions and she would nod and put her pen to paper, but 10 minutes later she would not have made progress. In my mind, we finally reached a growth point when Talisha realized that growing up as the middle of two sisters and taking care of both of them gave her management skills that have helped her in her production design projects at school. I’m not sure I’ll ever see the essay she writes on this topic though, since she only saw this connection for herself literally at the last hour. Really the biggest surprise from Talisha was what she told me at the end of the program: that I helped her learn things about herself that she might never have known- not just on the last day, but from the time we started doing free writing exercises. And all that time I thought she was refusing to let me make a difference for her. Brenda As I mentioned, there was a norovirus that went around and knocked out almost every one of the writing coaches in the program for some period of time. I barely made it through my part of the Saturday night banquet presentations- but it was worth it to hear Rodrigo say in front of the entire program, â€Å"Your joyous, encouraging, and gentle nature brought us to fully understand how and what to write †¦ [and] created a bond within our group that will never be forgotten. I will definitely not forget the experience I had with these motivated leaders from the East Bay. And I will be back next year.

A House on Fire Essay Sample

Soon I was at the topographic point. Already a big crowd of people had gathered near a large edifice which was on fire. Fires were lifting high. Peoples were running approximately confused. The calls of kids got assorted with the scream of adult females. It was truly a heart-rending scene. Soon the intelligence spread. Some male child lookouts arrived at the scene. They at one time set to work. They brought buckets of H2O from the pat nearby and threw it on the fires. Some of them brought bags of sand. I. excessively joined in the work. Person rang the fire brigade. Soon it came down the street. doing a loud noise. The sound of its bell pealing tardily at dark served as an dismay to the people of the vicinity. They all rushed to the topographic point. Many came at that place to function the panic afflicted inmates of the house. The brass-helmeted work forces of the fire brigade at one time started their work. They took out their hose pipes and directed H2O towards the fires. It was after an. hour’s difficult labor that the fire began to decease out: At last it was extinguished. The edifice now presented a ghastly visual aspect. It was all charred and in ruins. The valuable furniture and dearly-won points of the house lay scattered on the route. The lookouts formed a cordon round the things and did non allow anyone come near them. The proprietor of the house was all but a destroyed adult male. He looked really sad. His married woman. an old lady. was crying bitterly. The kids. excessively. were terror stricken. They barely knew what catastrophe had overtaken the household. The fire brigade went back. The crowd besides melted off. Soon the topographic point was every bit deserted as earlier. No one knew the cause of the fire. It was rumoured that it was all the consequence of smoke. It was estimated that belongings worth one hundred thousand had been destroyed in the fire. Fortunately there was no loss of life. I. excessively. went back place. It was past midnight. I was tired out but happy that I had been of some aid.

Discussions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Discussions - Essay Example The Roman Empire was extensive, but eventually in the 3th century ethnic and cultural forces divided the empire with the blessing of the imperial government into two political entities (Bentley, Ziegler, and Streets 67-78). According to Heather and Streets (2003), the Byzantine Empire owns is birth and transformation to Justinian. The empire in his time became different from the Roman political system and was replaced with new bureaucracy having power in royal palace over the ancient senatorial system. In the 7th century, the Greek language became official language of the state (Bradie and Michael 43-44). The Greeks continued to use a title of the Roman Empire for long time, nonetheless. But with the emergence of the Charlemagne who became the emperor of the large Frankish empire, the Greek descendant stopped to be seen as the continuation of the Roman Empire. The â€Å"byzantine term is rather new; nonetheless, since the 800 onward, the non-Greek world following Rome and Pope considered that restoration of the imperial title to the Frankish kings used own term on Greek state†. For example the 9th century writers and historians from Central and Western Europe refer to various monarchs of the Con stantinople as the emperor of the Greek (Sanders, Nelson, Morillo and Ellenberger 33-55). The empires loss of territory was offset to a degree by consolidation and an increased uniformity of rule. The emperor Heraclius fully Hellenized the empire by making Greek the official language, thus ending the last remnants of Latin and ancient Roman tradition within the Empire, Heather and Streets (2003). Islam means submission to Allah (God). Islam was revealed to the â€Å"Prophet Muhammad who lived from 570 CE to 632 CE in Mecca in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Muhammad was called to prophet-hood when God dictated the Quran to him through the archangel Gabriel† (p. 132). Two years later, in front of the Kaba in Mecca, he declared Islam the religion of the

Guidelines for Communicating Emotions Effectively Essay

Guidelines for Communicating Emotions Effectively - Essay Example e regular subjects of everyday discussions and just how well these feelings are articulated and recognized is essential to interpersonal associations and personal health and well-being. In the same way, in restorative contexts, improvement depends upon, among other stuff, just how articulately the client conveys his or her feelings and how properly the psychologist comprehends and replies to these gestures. In this paper, we seize an interdisciplinary strategy to comprehending the verbal communication of emotion in many different contexts. All of the languages offer speakers with a cluster of verbal approaches for passing on emotions. In English, for instance, we certainly have plenty of both literal (e.g., irked, upset, raging), and figurative (e.g., switching ones lid, whack a gasket) miens that can be used to explain a technically unlimited variety of emotional states (Bush 432-435). Studies of dialect use in psychotherapy similarly are replete with samples of literal and figurative miens for feelings (Bush 57). Emotions go profound and they are strong. It’s possible to shake off control and vital that you get around them the ideal you can. There are many measures to go through to communicate emotions efficiently, and conveying emotions efficiently can be good for everybody (Johnson 153). Before you may convey your feelings, you really have to understand what precisely you are going through. Can it be rage or anxiety? Joy or satisfaction? The very first thing you ought to do is steam everything down and figure out what the primary feeling is (Wood 234). Emotions can be found in packages. In fact, it is a very common occurrence to feel several emotions. however, determining the primary one can assist another person better know what is going on (Bush 57). Everyones way of feeling differs. Unhappiness, rage, thrill are all offered in numerous ways for every person. Making the effort when youre not mentally activated to take into consideration your emotions

Searching for the Perfect World in Literature :: Granny Weatherall Raven Candide

Searching for the Perfect World in Literature Literature often explores the questions raised in life: Who are we? What does it mean to die? What kind of world do we live in? Throughout this course, there seems to have been an underlying theme in most of the works that have been read, concerning human misery. It seems that most of those who experience tremendous suffering, actually allow it to happen to themselves. If one chooses to look at the losses in life, one may never find true happiness, but if one chooses to perceive those losses as an opportunity for growth, one may find the "perfect world" right here. In Poe’s, "The Raven," this idea is supported. As the poem demonstrates, one may torture himself into a life of melancholy and madness if one focuses on the losses in life. The thoughts of Lenore would not go away for him. By focusing on what he did not have, rather than what he did, he went mad. The raven answers his self-destroying questions until ultimately it becomes a permanent fixture in the room -- a symbol of the narrator's self-inflicted mental and spiritual collapse. Rather than to accept the loss and move on, he focused on what did not have and would nevar have. Therefore, he did not find the perfect world, but rather a hell on Earth. Perhaps people are faced with these experiences as tests. Our own reaction to it determines whether we pass or fail. Do we appreciate what we do have and learn from the experience or do we feel sorry for ourselves and let it drag us down? Granny Weatherall is an example of someone who let it drag her down. For 60 years she had pined over the loss of George and it made her miserable. She never stopped to look and see what was already there in her life. John was not a bad husband, but she did not even notice because she was still focusing on the loss of being jilted by George. She overlooked any good things In her life because of this misery. Something that happened 60 years ago haunted her for every day of her miserable life (because she allowed it to), until it eventually killed her.

Two friends

Present, has been efurbished quite a lot but this place still retains the characteristics of the cross- cultural Vietnamese – French The Hanoi Opera House is an architectural work is incomparable with the price outstanding value of history, culture, architecture and art. Can see the Opera House as an integral part of urban and architectural capital, contributing to the establishment of our country faces today in the cultural field. For over 100 years old and works in Hanoi Opera House exists as a symbol of architectural space, cultural and political capital 1,000 years old.Long Bi ©n Bridge Long Bien Bridge is the first steel bridge across the Red River in Hanoi, a length of 1862 built by the French. At that time, Long Bien Bridge is the largest bridge in Indochina and is one of four huge bridges in the world. But do not take pride that the long term, such a tool is built primarily by the purpose of colonization, the bridge soon to bear the buckling his war wounds. Old bridg e is an important transportation hub, became the meeting place between urban and rural, one the banks still appear the floral field bowls, one side of ife with urbanization.Today, trains, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians are still crossing the bridge. Some parts of the bridge is intact, but most have been repaired Dy tne damage. But tne or10ge Is stlll tnere as a slgnlTlcant evlaence 0T war ana history. After more than a century of existence, the Long Bien Bridge has a familiar image for many, many generations and became a cultural icon, the history of Hanoi. For Hanoi, almost everyone kept a memory of this bridge Temple of Literature Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam is a monument rich diversity and contains many recious human values of Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general.Covering an area of 54,331 square meters, including: Lake Van, the Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam and park Glam. The value of history and culture of the Temple of Literature was confirmed during thousands of years. Quoc Tu Giam is where the examinations held important national stature and train talented people for the country and 82 preserved in Temple of Literature. It depicts of the traditional hospitality of the people It is also the encouragement and rged the next generation of today and tomorrow is always to preserve and retain traditional hospitality of the people.Many times repairing the Temple of Literature 9 March 2010, UNESCO officially recognized 82 steles at Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Glam, the legacy of the material world. It is also a lot of domestic and foreign delegations have been visiting the Temple of Literature. With the ancient architecture and the unique human values, Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam is a hyphen history of Hanoi's past and present, contributing to enrich the cultural treasure of the nation.

Essay on The Risks of Plastic Surgery - 1011 Words

While the need to feel good about physical appearance, plastic surgery comes with many life-threatening risks, that often times are not even necessary. Even though plastic surgery comes in handy in certain cases, people manage to take it to a whole other level, even as far as an obsession. That is where something good turns into a psychological problem. If the outcome can do more damage than good, it probably is not a wise decision. Medical Reasons The only reason why plastic surgery is necessary for medical reasons, and life threatening circumstances. A few reasons why plastic surgery is medically necessary would be if someone was to get into some kind of accident and needed the reconstructive surgery to fix their face or body that has†¦show more content†¦Some of the consequences to that are the unsterile operation rooms, and lack of experience that cause infections, deformations, and death. According to O magazine â€Å"318,123 Number of breast implant surgeries performed in 2010, 2,414 Number of those surgeries performed on patients 65 and older, 4,153 Number of those surgeries performed on patients 18 and younger. Twenty Percentage of patients with breast implants who will need them removed within ten years because of rupture, hardening of the tissue around the implant, and other complications (according to a recent FDA report). 133,511 Number of nose jobs performed last year, 9,094 Number of nose jobs performed on patients 18 or younger, 33 Percentage of potential nose job patients who have moderate to severe symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder (according to a recent study in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery). 84,685 Number of cosmetic surgical procedures performed on patients 65 and older in 2010 (including 26,635 facelifts and 24,783 cosmetic eyelid operations). 91 Percentage of cosmetic surgical procedures performed on women in 2010. 184 Number of members of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) in 1967 (the year it was founded). 2,069 Number of members today, 1.35 Percentage of members of ASAPS who are women, and 10,677,415,674 DollarsShow MoreRelatedWhat Are The Risks Of Plastic Surgery?1077 Words   |  5 PagesWHAT ARE THE RISKS OF PLASTIC SURGERY? 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