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.