Is St. Katherine Drexel happy? Sunday, Nov 30 2008

I am not sure if St. Katherine would be happy with all of the aspects of Xavier University, but I think that she would be pleased over all.  She would be happy to see all of the minorities being given the chance to go to college. She would be especially excited to see those that were able to come to these university by the full scholarships provided by the school, itself (which are not very common).  She would be glad to see so many minorities getting into medical school.  This gives them the opportunity to be on the same playing field as those from other colleges. Though there are many things that St. Katherine would be happy about there are some things that would dampen her spirits.  For example, she would not be pleased by how high the tuition to go here is.  She wanted this to be a school that was accessible for minorities.  With the rise in the tuition it is hard for them to be able to come here, if they do not have some type of aid. She would also not be happy with the evil monopoly that Sedexo has on campus.  For some reason I think that her being a saint, she would want us to have a wider variety of choices when it comes to our food.

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Why I came to Xavier Thursday, Oct 23 2008

I never really thought about the specific reasons why I came to Xavier.  That question really reminds me of the type of question asked on the first day of freshmen year in high school, but I guess that is beside the point.  Now that I think about I came to Xavier for many reasons.  The most important reason I came to Xavier is that it is known for producing African American students that get into medical school.  And I want to go into the field of medicine.  The second reason is because I was offered scholarships for both academics and cross country.  I was recruited to join the cross country team so I did.  This combined pay for the majority of the flat expenses that Xavier requires.  These or important reasons by themselves but there are more reasons that are closer to my heart.  For example, the fact that it is in the city that i was born and raised in.  Therefore i a surrounded by familiar people and my family is only a drive away.  Another positive for coming to Xavier are that my two best friends come here with me.  Before Katrina happened these reasons would not have been as important to me, but now they are.  Before the storm I wanted to go far away for college, but from my experience in another city after the storm I knew that I should stay in New Orleans for college.  I truly appreciate the people around me and cherish this great city.    

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Political leader Thursday, Oct 23 2008

Im not going to act like I know about politics in depth or follow presidential campaign to the t, but I do think that I could offer some unrealistic characteristics that should be looked for in a political candidate.  I say unrealistic because I believe that it is virtually impossible for any politicians to posses all of these qualities.  First the person should be honest and trust worthy.  Most of them go into the system but once they’re in they forget their platform of honesty.  Secondly, they should not be easily influenced by the negative, and they should not have the wrong motives for the actions that they perform.  A political leader should also strive to be morally sound. Not saying that they should be required to go to church all the time, because that does not make a person moral.  Instead they should uphold the basic human and family values that are taught in most homes across the Unites States.  Lastly and most importantly a political leader should have a yearning for knowledge.  They should not simply surround themselves with yes-men and women that believe in all of the same ideals that just agree with everything they say.  Instead they should receive advice form multiple sources and then try to devise a plan of action that is the most beneficial to the people.  Now that I have written all of these characteristics out I have notice something.   Presidential candidate, Barack Obama, seem to be in possession of all of them.      

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My professional plans Thursday, Oct 23 2008

My professional plans for the future have just recently become clear to me, and it is subject to change at any time.  When I started at Xavier, I believed that I wanted to become a psychiatrist which would require me to go medical school.  I desired to be a psychiatrist because I knew that I would make more money that way.   I have grown a little sense then and now I realize that the acquiring of money is not everything that life is about.  Now that I am actually in this place called college, I am pretty sure that I do not want to go to medical school.  With that said, I plan on getting my doctrine in psychology.  After getting my PhD, I may open my on practice…depending on how my life plays out.  I want to help those who would not normally be able to afford a psychologist or therapist to talk to.  Poor people have the same disorders, or even worst than rich people, but they are never given the opportunity of being diagnosed.  So they live there lives without treatment, which should be unacceptable in the United States.  This goal in my life is deeply rooted in Xavier’s mission. The mission of this university “is the promotion of a more just and humane society.”  By helping those with mental disorders I will be able to make there presents more noticed.  Therefore, the public would not be so ignorant to the struggles of those select individuals.  Because the primary cause of prejudices is ignorance.

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New Orleans and poverty Thursday, Oct 23 2008

It is kind of weird to say that poverty has benefited New Orleans, but indeed it has.  Poverty is woven into the very fabric of the culture and heritage of this city.  There are countless traditions that are rooted in the poverty of the early New Orleanians.  A prime example for this are the foods found here. For instance, it is a tradition to always eat red beans and rice on Mondays.  This is because the poor did not have enough money to buy meat so they had to make due with what they had.  The beans provided protein and the rice was the starch. Another example of this resourcefulness is gumbo.  This dish was an adaptation of an African dish brought here by the slaves.  They basically made rue, put water in it, added different scrapes of meat and vegetables, and putting this mixture over rice.  Though there are some benefits of poverty there are negatives which are much more obvious.  I believe poverty is the main cause of the majority of the problems in this city.  If people were not poor, then they would be able to get a better education, then they would get stable jobs, then they would up standing citizens.  But too bad this is not the way it works when one is born into poverty.  Instead they will probably go to a corrupt public school; they may or may not graduate. They will start working at a minimum wages job, and have kids that they cannot possibly support on their salary.  Then the cycle of poverty begins again.  This isn’t always the story but it is a common one.  

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Favorite class Thursday, Oct 23 2008

Well whenever a teacher asks “What is your favorite class?” I always think that subconsciously they want the students to say that that particular class is their favorite.  But whatever that’s just me.  I don’t know if it is correct for me to say what my favorite class is.  I think of it as the class I dislike the least and are the lease pointless out of all of them.  The only reason why I didn’t say hate is because my mom always says not to use that word so loosely.  I guess my favorite classes are English and psychology.  I enjoy these classes because I think they will truly help me.  First, because my major is psychology, also I think that the topics that are discussed in that class are very interesting.  Even thought my psychology teacher is unclear on some things, she is able to hold my interest.  This is because we share the same sense of humor.  She has a dark sense of humor.  For example, once she played a trick on her friend that was colorblind.  Just for the record, my humor is not as dark as hers is.  I enjoy English because it will help me explain the subjects in my psychology class and it helps that the class is not boring too.  Another reason why I like my English class is that my teacher is very entertaining.  The last reason that I like these two classes is I am able to fully understand what is being taught in them.

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Best Mardi Gras experience Thursday, Oct 23 2008

Since I was born and raised in New Orleans it is kind of difficult for me to choose a single Mardi Gras experience that is my favorite, but I will try. Well I’ll star off by saying that my family has certain traditions when Mardi Gras rolls around.  Almost everyone on my mom’s side on the family comes down for the celebration. They always stay by our grandmother’s house, they will make it work no matter how pressed they are for room.  I enjoy being surround by my family because there is always a warm feeling that when I am around them.  It is like our unofficial family reunion.  The first day they come my grandma always makes gumbo for the whole house.  All the adults sit at the tables while the younger people sit everywhere else.  That was part of the tradition, but here is one of my favorite experiences.  I guess it would have to be the first year my parents stared letting me go to some parades by myself, with friends.  This was like two years ago, I went to dinner with my friends them we went to some parade.  It was so much fun because I didn’t have my parents telling me what to do and not to do.  More specifically, I really enjoyed the year that I knew like everyone that was ridding in the truck float parade on Mardi Gras day.  I go so much stuff that I needed help to carry it all back to the car.  Getting beads doesn’t matter as much anymore, but is was all I cared about when I was younger.     

 

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