The XX Times read: “There was a massive eruption of high-energy radiation from the sun’s surface that caused an electromagnetic disturbance on the earth. This catastrophe has wiped out almost all of civilization. The extreme sun rays have burned skin off of bodies, and burned through eyes into brains killing everyone but 6% of the population. Only the healthiest that could sustain such injuries survived.” The 6% of the population still alive do not look like the common human because they do not have flesh. Their skin is of charcoal color with a flaky texture. Their eyes, because of being exposed to high-levels of radiation, have turned into black, sleek pits. These people were alive, yet completely blind. Since these people were not blind prior to this occurrence they needed to rely on their other senses which, after some time, have become stronger because of their vision being gone. All of their senses have bettered, and gotten stronger. They have grown to have a keen sense of hearing specifically. This sense became so strong that they could hear sound 3 miles out from their current location. Having this attribute in particular, has helped the people survive easier when looking for different.  

Most of the people that remained,lived on one hemisphere of the world. For the past few months they came together to work on surviving. It became extremely hard to grow crops with the harsh situation the earth found itself in because of its arid, cracked nature. The weather was now erratic and the survivors had to endure sand storms that would nearly blow their homes away on a weekly basis . Breathing had become harder and each day more and more died because of the sand in their lungs. The doctors that were still available were trying to come up with a breathing device that will help the survivors. In the meantime rags covered their nose and mouths. Water around the world became scarce. The oceans had all but dried up and the water that was available had to go through a process in order to become drinkable. Deep wells had to be dug in order to have some drinkable water, and distributed amongst the people. Water became the number one priority of the gatherers, it has become so scarce that the survival of the inhabitants of this earth is a huge concern.

About a week ago the gatherers found an area of the earth that had drinkable water 3.1 miles out from their homes but the section of the ruins is plagued with storms such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and monsoons. A few of the gatherers got too close and were sucked in never to be seen again. Because of this, the gatherers are afraid to risk their lives to go back but they realize something has to be done. A group of four gatherers have gotten together to create a plan of how they should go about getting water from the dangerous source. They were aware now that they could not walk too close to the collection of disasters so they had to find a way to access the water from a distance.

“So what do you guys think we can use to collect this water?” Gatherer #1 said.

“Hm..well it needs to be something we can use from a distance..uh how about-” Gatherer #2 said.

“How about a vacuum!! Like a big one!” Gatherer #3 said.

“I was thinking more of a tube that goes underground that connects to the bottom of the disaster area, that way we can directly collect water. And lots of it.” Gatherer #2 said.

“I kinda like the vacuum idea more, sounds a bit less dangerous.” Gatherer #4 said.

“Are you kidding me? Mine is so much bett-” Gatherer #2 said.

“Nothing gets done when we fight. Think about the big picture here guys. Look, #3 and #4, you guys work on building a vacuum. And have it done by tomorrow morning!” Gatherer #1 said.

“I will help you think out a plan for this tube idea.” Gatherer #1 said to Gatherer #2.

Gatherer #2 smiles in reply.

The four gatherers go about creating their plans to getting this water for the people. Everything is completed by morning and so the four set off to the calamity site.

“The trip should only take about 40 minutes if we keep a constant speed.” Gatherer #1 said.

Gatherers #2, 3, and 4 *groan collectively* in response.

The road to the calamity site was not easy, there were many obstacles along the way, cars that were abandoned, debri from burned homes that no one was able to rescue people from. Their senses were very keen to the smells of rotten animals that never made it through the initial catastrophe and others who died afterward from their injuries or starvation. Everything was so dry. The journey seemed longer than 40 minutes but, after a hot trek, they finally got to the site. Upon arriving, the vacuum that was created was set up by all four gatherers. They attached the vacuum contraption to a massive tank to be filled with water that they brought on wheels along with them on their journey. In order for this to work they have to get dangerously close and slowly push the long nozzle towards the storm. They discovered that if the nozzle was pulled up high the four of them could hold it tight enough for it not to fly away so that is what they did. For the first 5 minutes it was working. The gatherers were so excited that they hugged each other. But then the storm became stronger. They held on with all their might and even used a rope to tie around a tree to help them. The tree was no use. The storm pulled the vacuum from their grasps, uprooted the tree and pulled it into the storm.

“Gatherer #4 watch out!!!” Gatherer #1 said.

Gatherer #4 turns to look behind him after hearing what Gatherer #1 had said.

Gatherer #1 gasps.

One of the gatherers was in the tree’s path and before he knew it, the tree knocked him in the head and dragged his body into the storm. The others ran for cover away from the storm site. This death was so disheartening to the group. Not many people are left, and to lose another person was devastating.

“Hey watch out with that hole!” Gatherer #2 said.

“Oh shi- thanks!” Damn…*sigh* Gatherer #1 said.

Gatherer #1 was in love with another gatherer whose mind was striking. She was so intelligent and beautifully determined no matter what. She always fought to get her way, and never backed down from a challenge. She was optimistic. She was sly when it came to him. Carefully choosing her words, so that what she said pulled him in. All qualities that Gatherer #1 adored. He saw some of these same qualities in himself. He was one to think highly of himself and so he naturally wanted the same qualities to be thriving in the person he chose to call his own.

But one day, she  asked something of him that he feared she would ask of him someday. A child. He kept telling himself that she would not and could not be that stupid. But she was to him. He thought Why would someone ever think it is a good idea to bring a child into this awful world? Because of the state we are in, we have to fight for our lives! And he told her this, but she did not care. She wanted what she wanted and that was that. But he did not care either. He cared about what he thought was best. He tried to talk this through with her but nothing seemed to change her mind. They bickered for weeks on end. She threw things at him, and even said “I’d kill you!” on multiple occasions. This hurt Gatherer #1 a lot. So much that he actually considered going against his previous decision upon seeing how hurt the love of his life was. But after deep consideration, he remained in the same mental state, and continued to refuse her request. After some time she began to get quiet. She kept to herself mostly due to her sorrow. This made Gatherer #1 weary, but he did not change the situation, and he felt it was the worst mistake he could have ever made in his entire life. She walked right out of his life forever. Three days after she left, he found her dead in a hole.

“We can not let Gatherer #4’s death get to us too much because we can not give up. If we give up, that means death for everyone and we can not have that. We need to reconvene and come up with another idea fast. This is a risky job, and we need to prepare ourselves for these types of situations. We need to be strong. And move on quickly.” Gatherer #1 says to the group. But is it truly that easy?

The remaining gatherers get back to their homes safely. They collect the encampment people and announce the new death. Everyone is numb upon hearing the news and do not react much. They are used to death. Everyone except one. A new comer, that the gatherers found one day while making their way on their journey to discovering a water source. She was young and beautiful, and Gatherer #4 and her had taken a liking to each other. They quickly became fond of each other and created a big family without thought. Gatherer #4 had 5 children with her, and she is devastated. Gatherer #1 saw this. He watched her for some time sob uncontrollably and felt completely indifferent. He understood that losing someone you love is painful, but he felt that she was dumb because of the mistakes she has made in bringing children into this world. One of her children ran up to him.

“Why is my papa not here sir?” the child asked.

“He is dead.” said Gatherer #1.

The gatherers take a moment to themselves to collect their thoughts and then they regroup to talk about the next plan. They decide to add more people to their crew because they all can agree that it is important to be stronger this time around. They believe that having more people, more minds, will help them be able to be efficient with planning and getting the job done as fast as possible.

“So what’s the plan guys? Does anyone have any ideas?” Gatherer #1 said.

“How about we try my previous idea regarding the tube?” Gatherer #2 said.

“But how are we going to make a tube stable enough?” Gatherer #3 said.

“Gatherer #2 and I thought about having the tube go underground and arch towards the disaster source. This way the tube will be able to access the water from underneath.” Gatherer #1 said.

“Also, this way no one will get hurt because we will not have to be anywhere near the area where we can get harmed.” Gatherer #2 said as he motioned towards the group.

“Yeah I think that is a good idea, but what if the tube lifts up? We need to have something to hold it down.” Gatherer #5 said.

“Yeah!” Gatherer #1 & 2 said in unison.

“How about metal pegs? We can drill them in and push them into the ground through the entirety of the tube.” Gatherer #3 said.

“That’s a great idea!” Gatherer #2 said.

“Alright, let’s get to work.” Gatherer #1 said.

The gatherers collectively build the massive tube that is to go into the ground at the site. They add 180 metal pegs to the bottom portion of the tube; needing one of the gatherer’s to crawl through it placing the pegs down while another goes behind him to drill them in. Another gatherer follows suitly checking to make sure all the metal pegs are drilled securely. Gatherer #1 monitors this whole process, making sure everything is done properly. The gatherers collectively lift the large tube and insert it into the gargantuan tank on wheels where the water will be held. They stand back and applaud at their creation. They then gather the necessary digging materials and the little bit of water they do have for this next trip. They cover their faces with thicker masks and head out to the disaster site one last time. The weather is surprisingly calm this evening for the majority of their trip, with slight amounts of grains of sand filling the atmosphere. A slight wind builds up the closer the group of gatherers get to the hazardous site. Small drops of water collect on each of the gatherers mask as they move forward. Each of the gatherers are holding the tube over their heads with their arms extended at full length. They are walking one by one, behind one another between where the pegs are placed. A gatherer is placed at the back pushing the tank on the wheels that is holding the base of the tube slowly, keeping in consideration the pace of the other gatherers in front of him. Gatherer #1 walks in front of all the gatherers bringing the load, holding the digging materials in a huge sack on his back. He is left with his thoughts. His mind keeps wandering to his the woman he loved unwillingly. He thought of the way his heart skipped beats when he had sight of her. He always immediately grew happy seeing her smile. Her eyes radiated with warmth that melt his heart each and every time he was in her presence. He craved to feel her in his arms again. He loved her with all his heart. His morals simply got in the way of their relationship because they both felt differently about certain things. But he wishes that he would have just put them aside for the sake of her feelings and desires. He wishes he could have just given her exactly what she wanted, exactly when she wanted it. He wishes he could have just gifted her the damn child. He would have just had to work a little harder to be able to provide for him and that is all. So why couldn’t he see this before when it mattered most to the both of them? He grew angry with himself every time he thought about how selfish he was towards her. Every bit of him ached just to have her be on this earth again. A tear stained his cheek.

“We are here guys! Gear up!” Gatherer #1 said.

The gatherers collectively dig a wide hole in the ground deep down. The gatherers tie bungee cords to themselves and to the leveled ground. They drop into the ground to dig more so that the passageway is able to reach the bottom of the calamity site. They dig furiously, desperate to get to their desired goal. But they still move carefully enough so that they do not drink their full supply of water before they are completed with the job. As they approach the water source from underneath, the soil gets a lot softer and easier to penetrate through. The gatherers that are below the surface ask the gatherers at ground level to pass the tube down to them. As the tube is being slowly pushed down the hole the gatherers dig the remaining distance to get to the water. The tube began to brush the back of their feet just as they punctured a hole through the soil in front of them where water began to trickle out. They shouted with joy at the site of water as they started punching the soil desperate for it. It drove them mad having access to so much water they danced around grabbing each other with wonderful success in their eyes. Too much water began to come at once and swept them off of their feet and into the air. They gasped with fear not realizing what was going on until it was too late. The tried with all their force to get their feet on the ground so they could run up to surface. They flutter about the water crazily nearly drowning. Some of the gatherers grabbed onto the metal pegs to brace themselves against the ferocity of the water. That was a big mistake. They were electrocuted viciously and when the water hit them, it made it all so much worse for them. Each of their bodies convulsed too and fro unable to let go of the metal peg. They died. The gatherers running shrieked for help but no one above could hear them over the sound of the water and the convulsing storms beyond them. They waited patiently for a sense of assurance from the gatherers that were down below. After some time, Gatherer #1 heard the screams.

“Holy sh- do you guys hear that?” Gatherer #1 said.

“Hear what?” Gatherer #7 said.

Gatherers from below scream.

“Damn it.” Gatherer #1 said.

Gatherer #1 looks down the hole. In the first moments he does not see anything. He lays along the ground and grips onto the rim of the hole that was dug by the gatherers. He waits and waits. He begins to hear the screams louder but they are still inaudible. He cranes his neck downwards into the hole to try to get a clearer listen to the cries down below. All the other gatherers around him do the same; stretched out along the rim. They grip and listen.

“Throw the rope down!” Gatherer from below said.

Gatherer #1 grips the edge of the circle until his knuckles turn white, craning his neck further into the hole.

“Did you hear what they said?” Gatherer #7 said.

“Uh..no” Gatherer #1 said.

“Throw the rope!!!” Gatherer from below said.

“Oh wait, I heard the word ‘throw’” Gatherer #1 said.

“Yeah me too. But throw what?” Gatherer #7 said.

“Hmm..” Gatherer #1 said.

The gatherer from below approaches the opening and is now audible to the gatherers up above.

“Throw the rope down to me now!” Gatherer from below said.

Gatherers collectively launch themselves towards the bungee that is attached to the ground. They fling it with all their might downwards into the hole through the opening in the pipe. They can hear the water coming hard and fast. They see the cord catching and tumbling about so they assume that the gatherer from below has the cord attached to him. Or maybe he does not.

“Gatherer #1, we need to connect the tube to the tank to fill.” Gatherer #7 said.

“Not yet.” Gatherer #1 said.

Gatherer #1 is calm and waiting with anticipation to see when is the right time to connect the tube to the tank. The water is rushing louder and louder yet they still do not see if any gatherers are going to make it to surface in time. They wait. The gatherers breathe heavily.

“Damn where the hell is he?” Gatherer #7 said.

The gatherers from above say nothing. It feels like centuries are going by while they wait.

“Yell if you can hear me!” Gatherer #7 said.

There is no response from the hole aside from the pounding of the water. Gatherer #7 moves to the end of the tube, grasps it, and moves towards the tank.

“I am going to plug it up. They are dead down there, and we need this water.” Gatherer #7 said.

Gatherer #1 is frozen in place. He does not want to lose another member and is holding on to the fact that they could still be down there. He sent down so many men to dig. He feels in his heart that it is his duty to have no casualties, but he knows in the back of his mind that Gatherer #7 is right. He sighs aloud frustrated because he can see the water now and not a body.

“Connect the tube.” Gatherer #1 said.

The gatherers returning with the full tank of water danced and praised the whole way home while Gatherer #1 lingered slowly at the back of the group in deep sadness. Yes they have water that they can survive with for months and months, but he kept thinking about all the people’s lives that were loss trying to get access to this source. He took it to heart; and felt it was entirely his fault.

As the townspeople collected around the water and chanted, he walked towards the deep hole where his lover was found. He sat on the rim and let his legs dangle inward. He sobbed uncontrollably and no one heard a sound. He called out for her, choking on his tears. He did not want to be this sad anymore. He wanted it to end.

Gatherer #1 jumped down the hole, and there were several snaps that the town never heard.

Siani Davis

English 3

Larissa Pahomov

2Fer #7

School’s are Depression Encouragers

Depression is a more intense feeling of sadness. Along with this comes feeling hopeless, anger and frustration which lasts for longer than just a day. It lasts for weeks, months, or longer. These things make it hard for teens to function as normally as they would naturally. Approximately 20 percent of teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood. Between 10 and 15 percent of teenagers go through symptoms of depression. Having this, even increases teen’s risks for attempting suicide. Depression increases in teens lives because of school's strict expectations of them.  

Depression can affect teen’s performance at school because of the unrealistic expectations school’s have for them. School’s expect every student no matter what their situation is to attend everyday and do their work on time consistently. This causes grades to drop because this teen may find it hard to concentrate and to stay on top of their school work because of the many factors the teen may be experiencing. This includes high or worsening stress levels, restlessness or agitation, or having a lack of enthusiasm, energy or motivation. Being in a school setting where students are getting homework most days out of the week from multiple classes can be really hard on a student that is going through these types of mental issues on a daily basis.

Another challenge that depressed teens are facing in schools are teachers thinking that a teen is not trying in class. This is happening because the attitude the student could be expressing is not adequate representation that the teacher is expecting. The teen could be experiencing withdrawal from activities and other school work. The student can not help that he or she is feeling this way though if they are not receiving the help and care that they need, that is why it is a problem. Teachers need to recognize students that are going through depression and need to make sure that they do not make their lives a lot more difficult.

Peers may think that a particular teen going through depression is too negative and can start giving them a hard time when doing class work assignments. This happens because a symptom of depression in teens is expressing feelings with more hostility. A teen can begin to act in a more aggressive or risk-taking manner. It is difficult for a depressed teen to regulate their mood and emotional responses naturally. So this is why it is so important to have awareness in school, so that there is not this conflict between students. This will be a start of a much healthier environment.

Depression is a serious issue that needs to be treated and respected by school officials. School’s need to create a healthy environment for depressed teens because if depression is left untreated, the issues students face will increase greatly. The symptoms can result in a life threatening situation, and many other bad scenarios. Therefore the school providing therapy or other forms of help of that nature, will be extremely helpful for the many teens that go through this struggle in life.

Works Cited

"Depression In Teens." Mental Health America. N.p., 08 Dec. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2017. http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/depression-teens

National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/teen-depression/index.shtml

"B. Depression, Anxiety, & Fatigue." The Impact of School Start Times on Adolescent Health and Academic Performance. N.p., 06 Dec. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2017. https://schoolstarttime.org/early-school-start-times/depression-anxiety-fatigue/

Jaycox, Lisa H., Bradley D. Stein, Susan Paddock, Jeremy N. V. Miles, Anita Chandra, Lisa S. Meredith, Terri Tanielian, Scot Hickey, and M. Audrey Burnam. "Impact of Teen Depression on Academic, Social, and Physical Functioning." Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics, 01 Oct. 2009. Web. 25 Apr. 2017. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/124/4/e596?sso=1&sso_redirect_count=1&nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+token

Works Cited

“The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare

“Monster in Law”

Video: https://www.wevideo.com/hub/#view/825524522

Siani Davis

Personal Essay

Ms. Pahomov

December 22, 2016

I went through the beginning of my life not knowing who I wanted to be. I went through the beginning of my life accepting what was given to me. And because of this, I found myself not finding happiness. It took years for me to realize myself. And to become a better person overall. The choices I have made, to get me where I am today, I am very grateful for. I have learned so much, and have changed so much in a positive way.

I went to a school full of sameness. The dull green walls and brown floors were filled with people who were not like me. Infuriating loudness filled your ears before you could even reach the doors of the building. It was everywhere. They never seemed to stop talking. Every morning I’d walk into people just being loud, mouths extended to their fullest, blurting rowdiness. People will be sitting right in front of each other, inches apart, but for some reason be yelling. As if trying to compete with the rest of the noise the world itself produces. I hate it here. I do not belong here. I despised that when people get frustrated they deal with it with their fists; not thinking about consequences that could arise when they did these foolish things. I hated that school, a place where I was required to go to, felt unsafe. No place should never be that way. In my old school everyone was so overly judgemental. I felt that I was being squeezed into the person they wanted me to be. Peer pressure was common because of this. “C’mon Siani, just say one curse word!” the kids surrounding me pressured themselves to a closer proximity, “No. I really don’t want to. It’s wrong.”, “Just say bitch, just once!”, and then after years I said it. They wanted me to be rowdy, rude, and foul like them. They wanted me to make choices based on automatic impulse and instead of taking the time to sit back and think. I did not want to be that person. And I never will be.

The first day of ninth grade I arrived at a place of diversity in every aspect. I arrived at a place where I could be free; to have the freedom to embrace myself. And in my early life I did not think it was possible to discover and be apart of a place like this. In the past I was never able to voice my thoughts completely, in fear of judgement. But when I arrived here, it was a total different environment whereas it was okay to be whoever you wanted to be. Everyone was enforced to discover and embrace themselves. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to come to this school and be apart of this community for this reason. Me being here is such a pleasure. I have met someone I love dearly and great friends too. If I did not come here to meet people I have met, and learn the things I have learned, I do not know what type of person I would of become. I might not have liked that person at all. I have learned how to be a better person. Being kinder benefits everyone, including yourself. I have learned that working hard really pays off and that it is extremely important in succeeding in life. Coming to this school has really given me many opportunities to grow. For one, being that we are required to have an internship which is so unbelievably amazing. This allows you to investigate your passions further by getting real world experiences that can truly change your life. Having this opportunity sets you up in a good place when applying for colleges. Because of this, you can have the potential of being favored over another applicant when being viewed by colleges. Aside from the good educational aspects, the people that go to SLA are so strong willed and driven that it really makes you a better person. It is always important to surround yourself in a healthy and smart environment to go as a person positively.

Going to the middle school I went to, made me a stronger and smarter person entirely. It made me realize the type of people I did not want to be around and the type of person I did not want myself to be. It made me grow an urgency to get out of there. It made me work harder to be able to prove to everyone else that I could be in a better place and be a better person. I know that if I believe in myself, no matter how cheesy that is, I can get to the place I want to be. I can fight hard against the people that are trying to confine me in a tight area and get beyond that wall. I know that people can not control me, and that only I can control myself. SLA made me realize that there are truly valuable people out there. People that genuinely want to see you succeed and will even help you get there. At my middle school, I did not know anyone like this. But I knew that there was a place for me out there, so I reached to get there.  

Americans value college a lot. It is encouraged heavily in schools and at homes. But the reality is that money is an issue for a lot of people. People are often excluded from success because the college they want to go to costs more than what their families can afford. One has to chose whether it is worth getting into more debt for a potentially better paying job or living within means and work hard to climb the ladder of success. The result of all of these costs makes a college education more of a barrier to success than a gateway.

College education has never been cheap, but it is more expensive than it has been in the past. According to the College Board,  inflation-adjusted increases were 0.8% in 2013 to 2014, 0.9% in 2014 to 2015, and 2.7% in 2015 to 2016. Average tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities increased by 13% over the five years from 2010-11 to 2015-16, following a 24% increase between 2005-06 and 2010-11. To put into better perspective, Harvard’s annual tuition and fees (not including room and board costs) will set a student  back with a $45,278 debt each year, which is more than 17 times the 1971-72 cost. This is showing how drastic things have changed overtime and is evidence of how the present people attending college are being affected.

With higher ranked universities, graduating from that particular school alone can land someone a better job with higher pay. Potential employees may think that the higher price tag is worth paying for that better job. But only a select few are able to afford to go to these schools, thus creating a cycle of people who can afford college getting paid more than those who cannot. High school dropouts make on average $18,734 annually, while high school graduates on average make $27,915. By contrast, people who can afford to earn  a bachelor's degree on average make a salary of 51,206, and advanced degree holders make an average salary of $74,602. More recently updated websites show an even larger gap between people that go to college than those who do not which shows that going to a college that has higher quality levels will benefit lots of people in the long run.

Reasons given of why some colleges charge more money than others varies, from better technology, to student housing, or expert teachers, than other colleges that do not have the extra perks. Specifically focusing on teachers or positions though, from 1978 to 2014, administrative positions rose 369 percent, according to the AAUP report. While the amount of part-time workers increased by 286 percent; and limited-time positions grew by 259 percent. Contrarily, full-time positions increased solely 23 percent during the same period. “These amenities are extremely expensive and contribute to the escalating cost of college,” [job title] Reich says. “Moreover, they have very little or anything to do with the education of most young people.” Additionally colleges tend to focus on eye-catching things like dining halls or marble staircases instead of focusing on getting quality professors that will actually help the students grow mentally. These aspects do not improve college education directly which makes it a not necessary addition.

College is a huge part of the system that Americans live by, and it being so expensive is not anything but a barrier some people can not overcome. As a potential college student it will be essential to have to weigh was in more important, the perks or the education. Sacrificing getting a high paying job for less debt, eventually will allow someone to be able to prove themselves at a position and get that promotion with the higher wage and be able to afford student loans. In the long run it is really up to the individual. Employers may make assumptions based on where someone graduated from, if that is from a prestigious school they assume that the person worked hard to get that degree because that school is a tough school to get into whereas a mediocre school may let most applicants in and may be more lenient in their courses.

Sources (MLA):

• Campos, Paul F. "The Real Reason College Tuition Costs So Much." The New York Times. The New York Times, 2015. Web. 24 Sept. 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/opinion/sunday/the-real-reason-college-tuition-costs-so-much.html?_r=0

• By 2020, an Estimated Two-thirds of Job Openings Will Require Postsecondary Education or Training.[3]. "Fact Sheet: Focusing Higher Education on Student Success." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2016. http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-focusing-higher-education-student-success

• The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2016. http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/05/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college/257227/

• How To EDU RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2016. http://howtoedu.org/college-facts/how-much-more-money-do-college-grads-make/

• Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2016. http://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2016/03/01/why-college-is-so-expensive-and-how-to-fix-it/#7752370f265b

• US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2016. http://www.usnews.com/news/college-of-tomorrow/articles/2014/09/22/why-college-costs-so-much-overspending-on-faculty-amenities

• "The Real Reasons a College Degree Costs so Much." CNBC. Getty Images, 2015. Web. 24 Sept. 2016. http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/16/why-college-costs-are-so-high-and-rising.html

What I learned about the Coil Plus Company

Coil Plus is a company that buys steel coils and cuts the steel for each customer’s specifications. Some customers used the sheets of steel to make refrigerators, dishwashers, or other products. I took a tour of the plant and got to know what went on in there, and additionally sat with one person from each department to get to know what their day to day looks like and to see how they contribute to the company.

Tour of Warehouse: In the warehouse I learned how they cut and slit the steel to prepare for the customers. The steel coils that they sell way tons so it is very dangerous out there so the workers have to take great precaution when operating. They wear helmets, thick boots, and goggles at all times.There is a huge machine that unravel a big roll of steel coil and cuts into various sized slices and places them on a skid. The material handler then straps the steel down to get it ready for the forklift to pick it up.

Customer Service: The customer service department deal with the customers, hence the name. They get calls from customers complaining at times and have to hear out the problem and then find a solution for that problem. To be in this department, I feel like you definitely have to be a good listener, and also not have a hot temper because you have to deal with upset people day to day.

Purchasing: I spoke to someone in purchasing and what they do is they go out to the mills and decide a price with the managers for a certain amount of coil and they buy it for the company.

Traffic: The people who work in this department schedule pickups of the steel that is going to go out to the customers. They also receive raw material from the mills/where the coils come from. Lastly, they negotiate prices with the trucking companies for how much it is going to charge to ship the coils.

Accounting: The accounting department pays the bills and collects payment from customers for the company. They also create financial statements, forecasts and budgets.

Something I wish I would have been able to do is having actually been able to do an interview with a victim though there was, and still is, a very slight chance that could be possible. I think that if I was to be able to do this, I would of found a lot of more personal information that would of been very interesting to my audience. So what I do want to know is basically just the other side of the story. The more detailed, more visual side. But I do think that what I accomplished with interviewing an expert on helping victims, was a great addition to my findings. This gave me a sense of what goes on from the personal researcher’s point of view and I believe that was what made my argument strong.

I think my overall performance was pretty great. With the resources I had and time frame, I feel that I did well with dealing with this Sex Trafficking issue. If I had to change this, like I said before I would see if I could actually meet a victim or listen in on a conversation of an expert with the victim because of the different type of information I would receive.

My audience seemed to have a positive response towards my project and seemed to have learned a lot from it and fairly enjoyed reading about it in my series of blog posts. I will not be able to know this information, but I hope that the people who stop to read my stickers actually visit the website that is being promoted and inform themselves on the issue going on around them. I also hope that they share the information with more people so that more of the community are aware of the situation.

In Blog Post #1 I talk about my general findings on the topic of Sex Slavery. After that, in Blog Post #2, I furthered my understandings on the issue by constructing an interview to ask an expert. And in this Blog I actually did something about it. Something to help better the issue in the way of bringing awareness.

For my agent of change part, to bring awareness, I have decided to make stickers promoting a website I have discovered in which are experts on the issue. Meaning they specialize in helping victims of Sex Trafficking. They have lots of factual information on their site and they are very honest with their findings. Therefore, I chose to promote them by creating stickers and placing them around the city to bring an incredibly wide range of an audience. My stickers will contain some specific facts from their site directly. I think the stickers will definitely gravitate the viewers’ awarenesses in a way that will make them want to read them and also visit the website. I am hoping for more people to discover the site and to notice that slavery is actually still an issue in the world that people are actually working towards helping.

{Stickers made}

{Stickers I created containing Love146’s quotes}

{Stickers promoting Love146}

I am glad that I was able to further my understanding of the issue that happens today in the world. I am greatly thankful that I was able to share this information to lots of people. I have a lot specifically about the victims of Sex Trafficking and the troubles that have brought them to that particular system. I have learned that this is a huge issue and that a lot of different organizations are looking out to help endangered sufferers. Something I could of done better was probably to make posters along with the stickers to put up in the school. I feel as though a lot of people should realize how much an issue this is and statistics about it. What I have left for other people to do is simply to visit the website present in my stickers in which I was promoting and to share it with others.

Annotated Bibliography

In Blog Post #1, I have written about the general definition of what my topic is, Sex Trafficking. I stated my findings on the matter, specifically: statistics on the occurrence of the issue, and also ways this concern could be prevented.

I have recently discovered this organization in which deals with sex trafficking victims up close. They listen to their personal encounters and help them move past it. This is their website, and I genuinely recommend that you check it out. Thankfully, I have gotten the chance to interview a member, as well as explore their website in great depth, and received amazingly informational responses. I decided to do an interview for my original research. My previous research had to do with personal encounters from victims of sex trafficking, therefore doing an interview with someone that is an expert in the area gave me further insight on the issue. The interview went as so:

What connection or involvement do you have with child trafficking?

The organization I am apart of mainly focuses on listening. They listen to survivors of sex trafficking. Members say “We’re particularly focused on understanding patterns of vulnerability and successful reintegration of survivors.”

In your experience, can you tell me what the typical age of someone that is exploited to this is?

The typical age of someone that is exploited to this ranges from the age of 18 and under.

Who do you think the typical recruiter is? A male or female, stranger or friend?

On their website it states “Too often the stories we hear involve pastors, diplomats, youth leaders, law enforcement, and educators—perpetrating unspeakable crimes against children, using their power and connections as protection and facade. They come from various walks of life.”

People doing the recruiting, do they most likely get the victims through kidnapping, false promises, or by taking advantage of the family because they are poor?

“Most often, children are trafficked through vulnerabilities.”

Once the victims are in the process, do you think they feel as though there is no way out, in your experiences?

What do you think are the long term effects of a victim who later runs away or is rescued?

The long term effects of a victim who is rescued, based on their experiences involve: “Drug and Alcohol Dependencies, Depression and Anxiety, Revictimization, Unplanned Pregnancy, Health Complications, Addiction to Money, Trauma Bonds and Stockholm Syndrome” and many more.

The process for conducting this interview was not easy though. I have in total contacted three people who I thought could help me get through this action. The first expert organization I contacted responded to me quickly, which I was excited about, though saying that they could not fulfill my needs and actually were too busy to be interviewed. The second person I contacted, yet not an expert, knew more information on the topic then them regular person, things did not work out. After this, I was stuck for a long while trying to find someone else to contact and I ended up finding an organization in which I happened to feel very passionate about. After looking through their site, I contacted them and got great results in which I have shared previously.

Some things I am still left wondering about after I have conducted an interview along with the research I have done is how effective are these organizations towards the victims and how many organizations are actually out there and aware of this issue. I also am curious of finding out the locations of these organizations and if there are these people trying to help right in the area of the trafficking. And I expect to find this out in further research.

My plan for bringing awareness to this issue is to make stickers and/or posters containing statistics of some sort of Sex Trafficking. I intend to post these throughout the city and possibly around the school to attract a wider range of people. These stickers/posters will also be promoting the organization I have showed to you today in this blog post.

This is the front cover of the organization that I got results from for the interview > website

I am participating in this project called “You and the World Project”. It was given to me in my English class and basically what we have to do is find an issue in the world and interact with it. So based on this, I chose to have my topic be Sex Slavery.

Many people believe that slavery no longer occurs, whereas that is not the case. Specifically, I will like to inform the world of sex slavery. Sex trafficking is the oppression of women and children being forced into forms of sexual activity. I have done research on many personal stories from women and children who have gone through forms of this. According to this article, I have learned that sex trafficking occurs in places like Cambodia and India, but not only that, they also occur in places in the US such as New York. The sex typically happens in places called brothels, which are houses of prostitution.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/09/world/asia/cambodia-cfr-mira-sorvino-karaoke-brothels/index.html

It is estimated that there are 8.4 million children in slavery or practices similar to slavery. Girls being sold into sex slavery are more likely to be in between the ages of 10-15. There are 215 million child laborers 5-17 years old (2010). Sex slavery is recorded to be the worst and highest in Asian countries. Many girls in Cambodia are said to be dead by the age of 20 with AIDS because of slavery. Mother’s at times sell their girls to sex slavery because of lack of money. According to this site human trafficking produces $9.5 billion a year in the United States. A sex slave can be forced to have sex up to 20-48 times per day. Pimps here in the United States can make $150,000-$200,000 per child each year and pimps usually have 4-6 girls. All the money earned has to be given to a pimp and if the victim does not meet their quota for the day, they may be asked to remove their clothing so they can get a beating. Kolab, a survivor of sex trafficking in Cambodia was beaten with a stick until she fainted, often getting electrocuted and getting cut by a knife by her pimp. One out of every three runaway teens are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of being in the street. Most victims suffer from emotional trauma, are under mental and physical threat and have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

http://www.chestnuthilllocal.com/2014/08/26/sex-trafficking-victims-pa-treated-criminals/

In order to fight against sex trafficking, efforts must be made to eliminate gender discrimination and inequality. Poverty and the lack of protection from abuse and violence perpetuate and feed into the demand for sex trafficking. According to this article “It is critical to implement legal safeguards for women and girls to alleviate poverty and create greater possibilities for non-exploitative options for girls and women”. Sex tourism is also another form of sexual exploitation. A sex tour operator makes it feasible for someone that travels in from another country access to sex slaves in that city. Advocates against this type of tourism have worked hard to criminalize and prosecute sex tour operators under the law.

I am interested in this topic because, aside from women, forced sex happens to children my age! It is a mind blowing situation that needs to be discontinued and terminated. This hurts lots of families all over the world and  I expect to learn more about the personal encounters and stories these women and children have to share.

Annotated Bibliography

Net Neutrality is the term, used to end, when the people controlling the internet control what you can see and not see. They block certain websites that they feel is inappropriate and/or displeasing. The people who control the internet also control the cost for it. They will “raise” the speed if you start to pay more for it. If you do not start paying more money for your internet then they think it is okay to slow down the rate you are receiving it.

Net Neutrality is very important for teens because we use the internet everyday of our lives. Therefore if companies start to charge more for “faster” speed, that will cause a problem because that will limit the amount of time us teens can actually use the internet. Additionally, teens like to see what they want to see. So if you take this opportunity from them, by blocking sites, it will only create chaos.

Barrack’s opinion on the issue is as stated “there should be no gatekeepers between you and your favorite online sites and services”. Obama stands for Net Neutrality, and he says that only the FCC should be making the decisions not the cable companies.

IMAGE FROM FLICKR:

Sources:

https://www.aclu.org/net-neutrality

http://www.whitehouse.gov/net-neutrality

Home Network, Siani Davis

Let me tell you about my home network, it all starts with the internet. My internet server is Verizon Fios. The service travels through a fiber optic cable which is located in my brother’s bedroom. The fiber optic cable also connects to my modem router. The devices that are connected to my network are 4 tablets, 4 cell phones, 1 computer, 3 laptops, my printer and xbox.

Something I learned about home networks in general is that every home network has a different cable. For example, Verizon Fios uses a fiber optic cable while Comcast uses some other cable.

The only thing that is mind blowing to me about the internet is that whatever you decide to post or type is never yours. Even if you delete something, someone can always find it. It is such a bummer that you have to constantly be careful and proof-read what you write or post because it can cause many dangerous issues. It can also possibly create viruses.