I am going to be poem....

The years have gone by and the lessons I’ve seen others learn are endless in their wisdom.

The English grammar and math problems I’ve completed only prove that my life like those math and grammar errors can be fixed and so far I’ve done all the problems right.

So far, through my short fifteen years of life I’ve become someone who I’m proud of and I know that all my effort both in school and personal life will help me become who I hope to be in the future.

PWA Essay---

   What do you do when your life is full of problems and you can't seem to get past it? The book Kindred from Octavia Butler is about a woman named Dana who time travels and must conform in order to survive, But she has many barriers and obstacles that will try to make her insane and impatient. Octavia Butlers message in Kindred is: Sometimes life is full of barriers, But you must conform in order to survive.

   In the book Kindred, Dana conformed to her barrier, which was time traveling without her consent. She was in one place one minute, and the next, BAM, she's gone. "I heard him move toward me, saw a blur of gray pants and blue shirt. Then, just before he would have touched me, he vanished." (Pg. 13) This quote explains how Dana time traveled the first time to the past, She saw everything disappear with a blink of an eye. Although I've never time traveled or done anything of this sort, but I've had to diffuse problems. They escalate to their boiling point and I put then out and at the end it's like they weren't ever there.

   A second scenario where Dana conforms to her barrier is when she time traveled to the present without her husband, Kevin and he was stuck in the past. "I lifted my head, started to sit up, and my back suddenly caught fire. I fell forward, hit my head hard on the bare floor at the bathroom. My bathroom. I was home." This quote shows how she time traveled back to her home. She returned home real hurt and without her husband beside her. I can relate to this quote because When I got my wisdom teeth extracted they sedated me and I didn't fully wake up until about three hours later the extraction. When the anesthetic wore off completely I found myself in my house, In my couch with my blanket on me.

   A third scenario where Dana conforms to her barrier is when she time travels with her husband and he had to pretend to be her master and she had to pretend to be a slave because it was the time period when slavery wasn't abolished yet. "I glanced at Kevin, not wanting to contradict what he had said. He gave me a slight nod, and I assumed I was free to make up my own lies." This quote shows that both Dana and her husband, Kevin were both pretending to be something they weren't in order to survive because if they didn't they could have been killed by someone. I can relate to this quote as well because when I'm speaking to someone I don't know I wait for my sister to give me the nod and or look so I can approach them.

  In conclusion, I would just like to state once again that Octavia Butlers message was: Sometimes life is full of barriers, but you must conform in order to survive. I think we all sometimes conform to our barriers just because our life is shaped a certain way or because we think that we can't overcome a barrier, but we can... We must just put our mind to it and believe that we can overcome anything. We sometimes think that the only way to overcome something with the help of others, but sometimes it's better to work alone. A quote from Kindred that really caught my eye while reading was, "One of the women from the agency told me the typical slave- market candor that he and I were, 'the weirdest- looking couple' she had ever seen." (Pg.57)

Fleeting Thoughts...

I haven't seen you for month,
Where are you staying at?

I want to know if you're okay,
But you hide from me in the shadows of the streets.

Your face gets lost in my fleeting thoughts
And your image is blurring into nothing.

In the crowded streets I see your face.
I hear your voice, But the illusion fades.

I want to know if you're okay,
In the brightest days, and the dreadfully cold nights.

You are my brother,
My blood,
My kin.
You are part of me.

College For All

  "Is college for me?," I asked to myself while driving to the trip. The experience in the colleges was awesome, I really enjoyed it and had all my questions answered as I was hoping for. The best part of college for all was that I got to know all my friends more and that I got to expand my options in life and college. I now know the resources to attend college and be successful; staying positive, doing community service, and AP classes. The thing that I didn't enjoy from the trip was that I got sick and I was far away from home.
  My favorites colleges were UC Santa Cruz and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The reason I liked UC Santa Cruz was because I loved the campus, it has a lot of nature and it's not too close or too far away from home. Another reason I liked UC Santa Cruz was because the town seems very calm, and also because it seems as if you get one on one with professors (That's what students said.) The reason I liked Cal Poly was because it reminds me of a city, but a very calm city. Also the reason I really liked Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was because it has a lot of centers such as the Woman's center and The Alpha Phi Omgea program; these programs are very helpful and sometimes make a difference in the community/ campus.
 Overall college for all was a great experience besides the whole feeling sick and missing my daddy. I would love to go to more trips like this and just get information of colleges and explore. To conclude, I would just like to state that all colleges were great in their own way, but my favorites were: UC Santa Cruz and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Stephanie(:

Hello, my name is Stephanie. I'm fourteen, living in a place that is considered 'ghetto', but who is constantly trying her best to succeed. I live with my siblings and my dad; they are constantly pushing me to do my best and do better than them. I enjoy playing soccer with my older brother and shopping with my older sister; we're very united! We try to be united as much as possible even more, now that my mom passed away, because each other is all we have.  I'm very fortunate with what the family I've been blessed with for multiple reasons. They're very supportive and lovable. I don't know what I would do without them!

You'll get liberation!

  My groups study and area of focus is alcohol and drugs. Alcohol is defined as: A process where vegetables and drugs get fermented to become alcohol. Drugs is defined as: A habit- forming medicine or illicit substance, especially a narcotic.
  People of all ages are being oppressed by alcohol and drugs. Some people don't really try to free them selves because they believe they're too weak to get out of alcohol/ drugs, but those who actually try to get out of this, they try to get professional help, go to rehab, or move away from bad influences. I believe that getting professional help, going to rehab and moving away from bad influences do help, but you also have to have some sort of confidence in yourself and believe you can change to liberate yourself because it's a new start to a new life style. The advice I would give anyone who is going through this situation is: stay positive and always believe that you can accomplish any thing in this world. In order to overcome this type of oppression they must stay positive and believe in them selves, but not always depend on others... you must do the initiative to change and be eager to change!
  As said before, people of all ages are being oppressed by alcohol/ drugs. People who are being oppressed by this have many methods such as: rehab, counseling and so on. These methods truly work, but only if you're truly committed to making a change in your life.
  Something that makes me joyful is when I see people trying to change for good, and try to unlock all those chains and bondage's with alcohol and drugs and also when they admit they have a problem with alcohol/ drugs because this shows me that they're being true to them selves and are seeking for help.

Oppressed by Alcohol and Drugs?

  My area of study and focus is alcohol and drugs. Alcohol is defined as: whiskey, gin, vodka, or any other intoxicating liquor containing this liquid. Drugs is defined as: A habit- farming medicinal or illicit substance, especially a narcotic.
  Gang members, bullies, and some teens are oppressors because they were oppressed in the past and the reason they drink and do drugs is because they sometimes want to fill an emptiness in them or plainly just to look cool and known with others. Alcohol and drugs can pretty much harm anyone because alcohol and drugs don't care whether you're old or young, people have easy access of it and it's very common in the community. Alcoholic advertisements try to tell us that if you drink or buy a buy a certain kind of drink you'll become cool, known, and attractive, but in reality alcohol and drugs just mess up your life... it'll just hurt you. People have internalized that in order to fit in they must drink, get high or what not. This system is a barrier in peoples lives because it shortens peoples life.
  Certain types of beer companies are responsible for this oppression such as: Bud-light, Corona, and Jack Daniels. As stated before this system contributes to harm others and oppress others by the advertisements, billboards, and commercials they show and present to others. This system hurts others by making them believe that they can't live without alcohol and drugs also by making them believe that alcohol and drugs is all they have; they're making them addicts. Alcohol and drugs has internalized to others that alcohol will make them look cool and appealing towards others. This system is a barrier in others lives because when someone is lonely and in need of help they immediately run into the arms of alcohol and or drugs as if that'll help them in some way, but really that'll just make them feel worse because after when they are sober they will regret what they did, but they may feel lonely again and do it over, and over again.
  Some oppressed victims don't realize that they're being oppressed by alcohol and drugs just because of the fact that some become addicts and don't want to see reality also some don't realize what this system has done to them 'cause they're in denial and they're afraid to get out of that habit/ addiction, but some know they're being oppressed and they feel awful because they feel they can't get out of that darkness. Some people who experience this type of oppression say it's their fault or they say it's just temporary when in reality it's just partly their fault for letting it go to far, but it's not entirely their fault, and it's not temporary because if it was they wouldn't be stuck in it for very long. People who care about them selves tend to seek for help by going to rehab, and or moving to away from the negative influences, but sometimes... we need to face our problems and deal with them. Others internalize that they will never get out of the dark hole they're in and some actually internalize the positive comments which motivate them from moving forward.
  My brother at a young age started doing alcohol and drugs at a very young age, about at the age of fifteen because he had just came from mexico a year before and he wanted to fit in, in the world of High School. Months later after trying so hard to fit in he joined a gang in San Francisco where he and my family were currently living and the gang was obviously know as 'the surenos' the guys that always wear blue. I honestly believe that the reason he joined that was to impress those around him. Thank God he is no longer in gangs, but unfortunately, he is now thirty-three and father of four and is still in that darkness, he just doesn't seem to find a way out, he doesn't get anyones help.

my experience ...

Expo and the whole process of it was amazing! I really enjoyed working with my group, they were VERY hard- working, helping and anxious to learn more. This experience has helped me be more open minded. During these past weeks all we've done is learn, connect to our lives and voice our thoughts. It sounds simple,but for many it's hard to open up, and share personal experiences to others, but now we are more into reality and have learned a lot. As said before learning about alcohol and drugs wasn't easy, but we were so into the topic that we put our selves out there and showed others what we learned. I noticed that not only our parents were very proud of us, but so were our teachers (Ms. Johnson.) I also noticed that while we were sharing our ideas in our Expo Discussion with our family and friends they took very seriously and we all voiced our thoughts equally. I really enjoyed Expo and I would love to work with this group again! (:

College For All.

  I'm a teenage girl who came from the love of her mom and dad fourteen years ago. My mom was a very positive influence in my life because she shaped my dreams and aspirations by always supporting me and always believing i can do anything. Ever since my mom passed away my dad has been both my mom and dad. He's a working father and I thank him for that because he is also the reason why I have my mind set to what i want to become. He and my mother are the one's to thank, because now I've become a strong and brave young woman.

  In these passed years that I've lived in the OUSD I've had the opportunity to visit: U.C Berkley in both the fourth and seventh grade also I had the opportunity to visit a couple of Community Colleges in the seventh grade . The two visits in U.C Berkeley have really inspired me to try my best in school to get accepted to a U.C.I know that I can go to a Community College, but I want to aim higher than that, that is why I want to try my best to get into a U.C in the future. Visiting multiple of colleges has really inspired me, and it's also expanded my thoughts, feelings, and opinions of both college and life.

   A major issue that confronted my family and I was when my mom passed away on December 2008; When she died I felt as if I was never going to get back on my feet because my life took a big turn, it had changed so much. Living in a city where you see violence and drugs is not easy, but I manage to live with it because I want to demonstrate to those who are and who did go through hard times that nothing is easy, but everything is possible.Living and growing up without my mom in my adolescence has made me very mature and look at life differently; I've been through a rough path, but that doesn't change my perspective about anything, my moms death just made me stronger and more mature. As a resident of Oakland, it has given me strength to believe that I can graduate from High School and go on to College and graduate from College as well because not everyone in Oakland has to be a drop out,  violent person, failure, and so on. I will prove them and their stereotypes wrong because I know that I can do anything that I put my mind to.

   As a young teenage girl who believes that can accomplish and overcome anything that comes through her life, I've encouraged friends, cousins and nephews to go to college, try their best and to make a positive difference in their life, family and community. Looking at whats happen in my life so far, I've come to realize that God, and close family is all you have when you're struggling. I've also learned that in order to feel good about your self, you must think about your self sometimes, and not so much about what others think of you because at the end you're the one who will succeed in life not them; their negativity's should just make you stronger because they just want to see you fall, but you know whats best.

FREEDOM

Free is what I want to be
Rid of all my worries
Erase my troubles
Ease my pain
Dreaming is my escape,
Opening my minds eyes to
My freedom.