Katharine Drexel Tuesday, Nov 11 2008

Katharine Drexel was born in 1858 in Philadelphia.  She was born into a very wealthy family because her father was the head of Drexel Banking Company.  Katharine’s mom died when she was six weeks old.  Her father remarried shortly.  From the time that she was a small child her parents instilled in the girls the importance of faith.  Her parents continually displayed the importance of having great values.  Katharine was able to have the best education money could buy do to her fathers wealth and she some of the best private tutors and got to travel throughout the entire world.  Her father told Katharine that it was vital that they use the wealth they have accumulated to help those in need.  When her father died, he was worth 15 million dollars. She used this money to help those in need.  She first reached out to Native Americans and later on African Americans.

Katharine founded the Sisters of Blessed Sacrament in 1891 and became Mother Katharine.  She continued to believe that education and faith were vital in bettering the world.  When Katharine Drexel opened Xavier Prep she opened it to allow Africna Americans and Native Americans  to have an equal opportunity at and education. 

I think Katharine Drexel would be happy about Xavier today.  It one of the best colleges academically and is still allowing minority students the change to receive a quality education.  I think she would be most impressed with how much faith is still the foundation on which the school stands.  Xavier makes it known that it is proudly a Catholic school.  I also think that she would want it to be more affordable for for students who do not have the means to afford a college education.

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My Future Plans Wednesday, Nov 5 2008

I have always known that I wanted to be in the medical field.  I dreamed for years of being a plastic surgeon.  I loved watching Discovery Heatlh and Extreme Makeovers.  Everytime I saw someone I thought about how I could make them better.  Since I was so interested in plastic surgery, I decided to do an internship over the summer.  After doing this internship, I decided that I did not want to do this anymore.  Do to my love of sports, I thought of the possiblity of being the doctor’s for a professional sports team, especially the Lakers or Bulls.  This would my dream job.  Having a front row seat to ever Laker’s game and getting paid for it would be great.

When looking for a school, I knew that it was imperative that I pick one that was deeply rooted in the sciences.  Xavier University has an amazing track record.  What other school produces the most African American biologists, chemists, and puts the most African Americans in medical school?  Also, the pharmacy school is exceptional.  When making my final decison, I knew that there would not be any school that would come close to giving me the science background that would prepare me for graduate school.

Xavier’s mission statement is very important towards my success.  This is a school that focuses on building strong leaders.  Whatever job I ultimately choose, I want to be on top.  I want to give the orders not receive, and Xavier builds students to lead.  Also, Xavier stresses the importance of service.  There is so much turmoil right now in health care.  It would be my duty to be an advocate of helping those receive health care who can not afford it, especially children.  Xavier’s sole duty is to build strong leaders in today’s competitive society.

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Why I Chose To Come to Xavier Wednesday, Nov 5 2008

Honestly, I did not want to come to Xavier University.  My first choice was the University of Miami.  Never in a million years did i see myself in NEw Orleans.  Unfotunatley, U of M cost 44,000 and my mom refused to pay that much when Xavier offered me a scholarship, so that is why I am here. 

I was in tear when I was forced to send in my acceptance letter, but I had the whole summer to think aboutall the good that Xavier has to offer.  Orignally, I wanted to be in the medical field.  Particulary a forensic scientists or plastic surgeon.  So I knew that Xavier was excellent in that field.   I also had a family member who went here and she said that it was not big socially, but academically, so I knew partying would not be a a weekly thing.  Overall, school is about academics, so I knew that no matter what I do i will have a strong academic base.  Now I am pretty certain that I want to be a sports attorney and the political science does not have many students.  This is good because I will have a relationship with my professors and this will allow me to get great letters of recommendations for law school.  ‘The staff also has the students best interest at heart.  The kids are not numbers but individuals that each teacher wants to succeed.

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Who do I think would make a great leader Wednesday, Nov 5 2008

There is no doubt in my mind that Barack Obama is the best leader this country has seen in a long time. I am not just saying that because he is my state senator, whom I have had the opportunity to meet.  I can not remember a man, white or black, in the public eye who is as articulate, educated, and a true representative of the American people.

One quality that makes Obama a good leader for this country is that he is truly an American.  He grew up in a multiracial and cultural family and lived in virtually every part of the United States.  By being biracial, not only does he know the needs of the African American community, he knows the needs of the white community as well.  Because his sister is Asian, he knows her experiences growing up in America and how to help her community as well.  He has multiple views of what it is like growing up in America, unlike other people who believe that they are a true representation of the American people.  Barack also lived in a number of areas of the United States, including Hawaii, Chicago, Kansas and New York City.  Due to this, he knows the plights of all of the American people, not just those in one particular region of the country. 

Barack Obama, unlike many of his counterparts, represents the common man.  He did not come from wealth and opportunity, he had to find a way by himself.  He worked his way through college and then on law school.  Growing up through much adversity, he overcame and accomplished goals that many would only dream about.  He has allowed no situation to cripple him, but has only let the hardships he faced in life to make him stronger.  He genuinely cares about the people.  Instead of taking a high paying job when he finished college, he worked as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago.  This shows true character. 

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How has poverty benefited/hurt New Orleans Wednesday, Nov 5 2008

Even though I am not from New Orleans I have had an opportunity to see a lot of the city.  I am from Chicago and when people talk about New Orleans, whether through word of mouth or on the news, New Orleans is always described as an impoverished city.  The high crime rates, poverty and ninth ward are famous, but these are not things that should define a city.

I do not think that poverty can truly benefit a city, but maybe help it to a very limited degree.  By New Orleans being one of the poorest cities in the country, it shines a light on what many people are going through.  Many people may feel bad or feel compelled to help, but that does not mean that they will.  People watch the news and do not move and inch because they are not actually living it.

I think that poverty has only hurt New Orleans.  Poverty means higher crime rates.  This means that more guns and gangs are on the street and more kids are in harm ways.  There is only negativity around them, and the ability to get caught up in a life is crime is greater than finishing high school.  I read that only 46% of kids in New Orleans graduate high school.  With less than half of New Orleans residents graduating high school, that means that the poverty will only get worst.  An education is imperative for success, and because many are not receiving one, the cycle only continues.  Also, schools in poorer cities do not receive adequate funding.  This means that although kids are going to school, they are not receiving a good education, so their ability to be competitive is not there.  As a result, these kids are less likely to finish college, and may only fall victim to the streets.

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My favorite class Wednesday, Nov 5 2008

Although I plan on changing my major, their is one class that I love to go to.  This is sociology 1010.  When I picked my schedule, I had the opportunity to pick from psychology or sociology.  I have always wanted to take sociology, and since I had already taken psycholgy in high school, I jumped at the chance to take sociology.

I had heard that sociology was the study of groups and that was about it.  I wanted a deeper meaning so I could not wait for class to begin.  I am more of word person, and this one of my favorite class because it does not involve any numbers or calculations.  It allows you to analyze readings, and not just memorize a certain formula.  Everything in sociology can be applied to everyday life.  Our text books takes basic things such as a regular trip to the doctor’s office  and disects it.   The author brings up things about regular situtations that we would have never of thought of.  Every assigned article is interesting, as what seemed obvious is no longer.

I also love sociology because it is interactive.  Unlike classes such as math chemistry, where the teacher is strickly lecturing to you, sociology allows you to actually talk.  When the teacher brings up a topic, interaction is encourged.  You get to hear other students opinions on a barage of topics.  By listening to others and how they think, your mind evovles, and listening to others allows you to see a sitution from a whole new perspective.

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Mardi Gras Experience Wednesday, Nov 5 2008

I have never been to Mardi Gras because I am not from New Orleans.  I have heard plenty of stories though, and from what I see on tv it seems like a lot of fun.  Hopefully this spring I will have the opportunity to experience my first Mardi Gras.  While New Orleans has the world famous Mardi Gras, Chicago also has a famous festival as well.

Chicago is known for multiple array of foods, including Giordano’s deep dish pizza and Garret’s popcorn. It is onlhy appropriate that we have a yearly festival to celebrate our love of food. Every year, beginning at the end of June and lasting for about ten days is the Taste of Chicago.  This is the most popular event that takes place in Chicago, and each year it brings millions of people of the city.  There are over one hundred booths set up near the lakefront.  These booths cook millions of pounds of food to distribute and include Home Run in Pizza, Harry Carry’s Restaurant, an Robinson’s Ribs.  The most popular foods at the taste are the large turkey legs, ears of corn, and slices of watermelon.  Instead of paying cash for the food, you have to buy tickets and each food is assigned a ticket value.  For example, a turkey leg may be worth eight tickets. 

There is more than food at the taste. Every night there is entertainment, ranging from hip hop to rap and country and jazz.  Some famous people who have come included LL Cool J, New Edition, and Musiq Soulchild.  There are also gives aways and several carnival rides set up. The most popular day at the taste is July the 3rd, where over a million people come to watch the fireworks over Lake Michigan.  The Taste of Chicago is so much fun, but the only way to truly experience this is to actually come to Chicago and “taste” for yourself.

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