Identity

A lot of different things shape identity. Here are some of the major factors that have shaped my identity:

Personal Experiences: The experiences in my past shape who I am today. I think one of the most influential parts of my past has been my family doing foster care. Seeing the pain in so many innocent children’s lives and seeing a tangible way to show them love gives me direction as to what I want to do in my future. It has given me a passion for justice and caring for the oppressed and underprivileged.

Family: My family has also greatly influenced who I am and what I believe. I share a lot of values and beliefs with them. I admire my parents and seek to be like them in many ways. I value the advice of my family and look to them in my times of greatest need.

Faith: As a Christian, my faith plays a large part in shaping my identity. Although most of my relatives are not Christian, it is something I hold to with all of my heart. In everything I do I want to be serving God and loving others. I know that I often fall short, but I have a purpose and something to live for.

Reading Response 6

Tony Morrison´s Nobel Lecture demonstrated a profound argument on the power of language. The recent hate crimes at UC Davis an UC San Diego reveal her point of language’s destructive capability. She states “oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge.” She voices an opinion entirely different than the commonly known rhyme “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me.” In reality, words often have an incredible capability to inflict pain. As Morrison explains, words themselves can be a form of violence, not only a symbol of violent ideas. The spray painted words at UC Davis and the spoken words at UC San Diego caused incredible pain although no physical violence occurred. The words in themselves were acts of ignorance and violence.

Words are powerful because they can be used as a weapon of evil or a source of good. I often fail, but my goal is to filter my language according to Ephesians 2:29 of the Bible. It says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” What a change that would be if the words we used would benefit others rather than tear them down. That is definitely something we should strive for.

Blog 6

After living in the dorms last year, I moved into an apartment in Fountain Circle. We have six girls living in a 3-room, 2-bedroom apartment. Overall, I like my apartment, but sometimes it gets crazy living with 5 other girls. I love how we often have baked goods to share. Another great aspect is I always have someone there to talk to if I’m having a rough time or hang out with if I need a friend. They are all awesome girls, and it is nice to know I always have people around who are willing to help me out and be there for me.

The benefits outweigh the costs, but living with so many other girls can be hard sometimes too. Our kitchen gets really crowded and messy when we are all trying to make dinner at the same time. Also, our bathroom sink and shower get really dirty and covered in hair. I think it is a valuable learning experience to live with a bunch of other people. I signed my lease again and I am planning on living there next year (after studying abroad in Spain). It helps us all to develop patience and selflessness. I think it is preparing me for my future when I will hopefully have a big family.

Blog 5

The Olympics are one of my favorite times of the year. I love the balance of patriotism alongside the world coming together. I feel so much pride in rooting for my country. It is such a cool way to compete against other countries in a respectful and fun way. Although the premise is competition, the Olympics still bring the world together. Despite differences, countries from all around the world come together to determine who the top athletes in the world are. It is a time when life-long dreams are realized.

Also, the Olympics are so full of history. Many athletes have come and gone, some fulfilling their dreams, others going home devastated and empty handed. Despite the ups and downs of the Olympics, they continue on every two years. A tradition worth keeping.

I am happy to report that currently the US is leading in both the medal count as well as the gold medal count. Although some people believe the medal count in the most important, I believe that the gold count is the most important. It is best to have the most athletes best in the world, rather than the most athletes in the top three. Having both honors is even better though! I become very patriotic during the Olympics and I am excited to continue rooting on my country!

Reading Response 5

Often when writing papers in high school, the sources students use for their papers is questionable. At least I know when I go back and look at my papers I’m not sure they would hold up to high research standards. A problem that I often notice is that instead of doing a lot of research and basing an argument off of it, we find research that fits our argument. I know in the past I have chosen a topic and then found research that supports it. Even good research can be twisted to fit the needs of a writer. A better and more reliable for of research is to pick a topic, but not narrow down a thesis until after much of the research is done. That way, the true story is told. Another problem is using old research for contemporary issues. Old research may support your thesis, but it is useless if the newer research contradicts it. The most recent research is important for the accuracy of the information. As students, sometimes we just try to get the paper done and fulfill the research and sources requirements of our essays. However, if we are going to spend hours of time researching and writing a paper, we should care about the integrity of what we are learning. The grade is one aspect, but for me personally, I’d like all the information I learned to be legitimate and worthwhile.

Reading Response 4

Both of the dumpster diving and the egg donating articles were well-written and passionate. It was cool to see how both authors chose topics that they clearly were interested in. The article on dumpster diving eloquently used a personal experience but combined it with a lot of outside sources to strongly describe and explain “gleaning.” The author showed a lot of passion and commitment to the topic by going out and going on a true dumpster diving outing. His own experience was a powerful example, and the many other sources provided a well-rounded article.

Malinda Barrett also picked a topic that was clearly relevant and interesting to her. She went beyond the requirements of the essay and dug deep into the topic of college girls and egg donation. She took a small add in the California Aggie and expanded it into a complex analysis. I thought her Humpty Dumpty subtitles were witty and a cool way to tie the different sections together.

I think the reason both articles were well-written and interesting was because the writers cared. It did not seem like just another assignment, but a interesting task. The best way to write a good essay is to be passionate about the topic and dig deep into the many factors contributing to it.

Reading Response 3

Wow, Twilight was a fascinating reading. When I sat down to begin reading the booklet, I was not excited about the amount of reading ahead of me. As I began to get through it, however, my attitude changed. There is something very powerful about reading personal stories in regard to history. It really makes it come alive. The mixture of monologues come together in order to give a comprehensive understanding of the Los Angeles riots of 1992. I loved the use of multiple personal perspectives. The perspective of the jury member was very eye-opening. When he described his horror at receiving a note of encouragement from the KKK, it really showed that he was not an evil person. Sometimes we judge too quickly. The pastor was also an interesting perspective. His use of “the collar” for protective purposes although he hadn’t worn it in years epitomizes how the fear changed people’s way of life during that scary time. I appreciated the raw reality of what was going on. These speeches did not dilute or hide the truth even when it is hard to hear. Each person captured my attention by the vivid imagery and honesty. Although they were each different, somehow they came together in a powerful way.