Let the Leaders Lead

    As school elections are coming up and people begin signing up for positions there is something nagging at me. Some students throughout my high school have worked incredibly hard to have a good reputation and help improve the school. These students are the ones who have wanted leadership positions all four of their years and for their senior year this is their final chance. Then there are other students who have held leadership roles and continue to work hard in those roles to maintain their position. These students have every right to hold their spot if they are accomplishing the tasks given to them. Finally, there are the students who party all weekend and have just realized they need to improve their grades for college and have some sort of leadership role. Unfortunately, they have realized all of this way too late. Colleges aren't oblivious when a student becomes involved in twenty clubs their senior year; it is obvious for the show. But these are the students who end up taking over the leadership positions. Since they have partied with everyone in the school, these students are quite popular. When people vote, they vote for their friends, not the best one fit for the job. In other words, the leadership positions end up in the hands of those who don't care and have it to just put it on their resume. Really?

    Whenever students do this, I am extremely frustrated. As someone who has worked hard, I realize what it takes and am willing to give everything my all. To be completely honest, I don't really care about my resume. I am confident I will get into college for doing the things I love to do. These positions should not go to the slackers. So a bigger question arises. Should the democratic process be applied in schools? Should there be some sort of application process instead, or will "teachers' pets" get all the positions? I think if we want the school led correctly and a representative organization in the hands of the students, it should be the best ones. No more of this "resume building" shenanigans; let the leaders lead.

Being Myself

    A few summers ago, I traveled to Washington, D.C. for a leadership conference. I find that at all of these conferences I attend, people are so unique. There are those who like to brag about all they have accomplished and those who one wonders how exactly they ended up at a leadership conference. Then, there are the people I find who are a lot like myself - people who have been very fortunate for everything they are blessed with, but don't like to tell others about those things.

    I feel I have this innate sense. It is a sense that when meeting someone I can tell who I will be friends with. Maybe this is just the over confidence effect, but I truly think I can just tell. When traveling to this specific conference, I had one goal in mind, to meet as many people as I could and be extremely outgoing. While waiting for others in the airport I talked to the students around me. There was one girl who I knew I was going to be friends with. She was extremely talkative, but also very friendly. This girl (B we will call her for the purposes of my blog) exposed herself to the world and didn't have a care what other people believed. She was the type of person I've always wanted to be.

    B was from a wealthy family in New Orleans, however B never bragged about her wealth. She knew she was wealthy and it was clear based on the name brand clothes she wore among other things, but she had so much compassion for others, her clothing didn't matter. B was also incredibly outgoing. In a sense, I believe she kind of helped me become a more outgoing person. I distinctly remember one day we danced around her hotel room without a care in the world. I was quite self conscious at the time, and this became a completely new side of me. I realized how much fun it was just to be myself. There were days when visiting monuments that B and I would make new friends. We would talk to other people in line with us, learning their stories as they learned ours. To say the least, it was great.

    During this particular conference, my grandfather passed away. This was especially hard for me as I never was able to say goodbye. From the time I heard the news, I was a wreck. But then B stepped in. The empathy B showed for me was true. Many people can tell me they are sorry for my loss. But are they really?

    People like B are those who seem to come into ones life, change it, and then disappear. With the distance between us, we no longer talk. But I am so glad I met B, who showed me the true meaning of being myself.

Growin’ Up Way Too Fast

    The world is quickly changing around us. I am aware of the cell phones improving and computers having the ability to do unthinkable tasks, however when do we put an age limit on when children can have access to the booming technology and just be kids before then. My younger sister is currently a 5^th grader. All of her friends have cell phones and are constantly calling one another. My sister doesn't have this luxury, not because we can't afford one, but because she doesn't need one. My parents have put their foot down. We just stopped getting cable, so all we have are the "boring channels." I don't have unlimited texting, and very rarely do I spend time watching television, but I seem to be a minority.

    The internet is a crazy place. A simple leakage of one mistake could ruin someone's life and identity. Facebook is no longer needed for staying connected. Facebook has gone to the extreme and created an afternoon hobby called creeping. Yes, I am aware everyone does this, but is this ethical? Should people have access to everything about me? Should they be able to see the pictures I took with my friends over the weekend when we were just goofing around? Well, that is why Facebook has security settings. I try my best to monitor what others can see or who I choose to be friends with, and I'm pretty sure I'm successful at this, but do children really know the implications of what they are doing on the internet.

    My sister's friend (a 5^th grader) just requested to be my friend on Facebook. Wasn't Facebook supposed to be an only high school and older site? Weren't there rules for a reason? Social skills are lacking. People no longer know how to communicate in person. Everything is done through e-mails or texting, but no expression is then being shown. People cannot convey their emotions. Relationships having lasted years are now being broken over a simple message. Where is the emotion? Children are getting fatter; I hate to be mean but this is the reality. Whatever happened to playing outside when returning home from school instead of playing on the internet? Whatever happened to letting one's imagination run wild, instead of cartoons making an imagination for children?

    The fact is, kids are growing up way too fast. As I prepare myself to enter the adult stages of my life, I have realized everything I miss. I miss those nights where laying in bed day dreaming was okay. I miss those nights where I wasn't required to read a certain book but got to choose my own. I miss those days when any long book was considered a chapter book. I don't even think I know how to read books without chapters any more. I miss being a kid. Within society we are encouraging kids to grow up faster. Society needs to slow this process, because these are the days that will create brilliant minds. Don't worry, children will eventually learn how to run the technology. I truly hope our world realizes this and someday I can meet all of the "kids". But for now, let kids be kids.

Anti-Social Personality Disorder

    This past week in my AP Psychology class we were discussing many personality disorders. One such disorder was the anti-social personality disorder which causes people to not really have a conscience while doing things. The disorder affects many mass murders who have committed horrible crimes.

    While in class, however, our student teacher told us of one of the most famous murders. Our teacher discussed how he grew up ten miles away from the man's home. Sons of many of his teachers began disappearing. No one knew what was happening. People reported weird smells from this man's home, but the man was so nice, no one bothered to investigate. Eventually a search warrant was issued. Twenty-two bodies were found with lemons on them, hoping that would preserve the bodies. I find it quite frightening there are people out in our world who are this crazy.

    Maybe this explains why my mom is leery to let me travel or camp with my friends alone. However gruesome and unpleasant people like this are, we can't live our lives in a box. Can't students and parents alike use common sense? I have no interest in meeting mass murderers, I do however have interest in meeting others. So if someday I happen to stumble upon a mass murderer, I will be polite and smart about the situation, because I can't live my life sheltered. Going out into the world is when one learns the most.

Sad Reality

    All students are required to learn about the Vietnam War. Many of us realize the tragedy that occurred during the war, but we don't understand the extent to which it happened. Earlier this week, two Vietnam War veterans came in to talk to my AP United States History class about their experiences in Vietnam War. Listening to the two men talk opened up my eyes (not to sounds cliché) to what a traumatic time the war was for the men.

    One of the men told us about his friend who had a new born child back home, which he had not yet met. The man was expecting pictures of his child in the next few days and would make his fellow comrades read letters written about his child his wife had sent. Two days before the pictures were supposed to arrive, the man who was expecting the pictures, died. As he slowly passed away, he laid in his comrades arms. His comrade was crying, hoping and praying he would make it. Two days later when the pictures arrived, as a respect for the man, his comrades opened the letter to look at the pictures – the pictures of a child who never meet his father.

    Another story was told about a man who always wore a black glove. Although, the soldier who talked to us had never met this man, one day after a big assault, he watched a bag of a dead man being carried. From the side of the bag, dangled an arm with a black glove on it.

    Even though some of the stories were depressing and sad, there were also some funny stories told. For instance, one story discussed the native animals living around the camps. Usually the soldiers only received one hot meal a week. On this particular evening the soldiers were supposed to receive a hot meal and hadn't done so in a while due to the air strikes. The food arrived and all of the men were happy. When taking a bite into the food, the men realized how full of grit and sand it was. One man decided to throw his food to the monkeys that circled the camp. The monkey looked at the food, picked it up, and took a bite. Upon taking a bite and realizing its texture, the monkey could not chew through it, he stretched it out. The monkey, disgusted by the food, threw the food right back at the soldiers.

    Of the two men who talked to us, one clearly had post traumatic stress syndrome. It's hard for me to understand the implications it has on this man's life. He sat in his chair and rocked while telling the stories, often shutting his eyes to block out the horrid memories. Both men had been drinkers when returning home. One of them held 41 jobs within the first 10 years back. The fact bothering me the most about this situation, is our country never welcomed these men back. After multiple years of waiting, a parade was held in their honor. Our soldiers need to be recognized. The soldiers selflessly give up their lives for the future generations, and we need to pay respect.

Prom?: Part II

The list continues:

 

1. If the girl you want to ask plays a sport, bring a poster with prom on it to an event. Go to the sporting announcer and have him announce there's a special poster for (insert girl's name) in the crowd. Have her look up into the stands and stand up with your poster. There is no way she'd be able to deny you.
   
2. Find a local place in town where she goes a lot. Make sure they have a sign that can be changed. Change the sign for a day asking her to prom. Have her meet you there for something. With so many people driving by, it would be tough to say no.
   
3. Buy a cheap alarm at a local store. Put the alarm under her first hour desk and set it for the middle of class. On the alarm put a post-it note asking her. Don't find it alarming, but you will have a date for prom.
   
4. Send the girl on a scavenger hunt. Plan places with riddles and things she has to figure out. At the very end, spell prom somewhere and be standing next to it.
   
5. Buy a local newspaper and in the very center of it write "PROM?" Be sitting in your desk at school and say, "Hey (insert girl's name here). Have you seen the headlines?" Of course she will say no. Then say, "Well look at this," and show her the message.
   
6. Buy a cheap puzzle at the store. Put the puzzle together and spray paint it one color. Paint a design with your asking on it. Let the puzzle dry and put it into a box. Set it on her doorstep and ring the doorbell and leave. Your puzzle of who to go to prom with will be solved.
   

 

These are just the ones I thought were cute and ended up well. I encourage every guy out there to be creative. The more creative and personal you are, the more likely she is to say yes and be excited about going with you. And please, don't chicken out. Every girl wants to be asked and guys are responsible for doing so.

Prom?: Part I

    The time of year is quickly approaching. It's the time every senior girl in high school waits for – getting asked to prom. As the prom gets closer and closer, I continuously see people asking one another. There are so many cute ways a guy can ask. Regardless of how hard the initial asking may be. I highly encourage every guy to ask someone. And don't just walk up and ask her. That is completely lame. Being asked to prom is something every girl will remember; so make it awesome. Composed below are the top eleven coolest askings I've heard about or seen so far in my high school career.

 

1. Light a bunch of candles outside in the shape of "PROM" for her to see. Either do this in her driveway or somewhere where she is likely to walk soon. Stand by the candles until she gets there. Lights out, you will have a date.
   
2. Ask the girl to give you a ride somewhere that you know both of you are going. Leave a general item in the car such as a notebook. On the back of that item write "Prom?". When she picks it up and flips it over, she will notice what it says and come back to say, "Yes!"
   
3. Although this is a generic one, it always seems to work. Get some window paint and decorate her car. To make it a little cleverer do something to make you stand out, such as standing on the top of her car or singing in the parking lot. When she sees what you have done, you will definitely have a ride to prom.
   
4. Go to the beach with a group of people. Before the girl gets there write "PROM?" in really big letters in the sand. Suggest to play a game or something with the group and have someone say, "Woah. What's over there? Is that a sign?" Upon seeing the words in the sand, the girl will say yes.
   
5. Have a bunch of your friends get white t-shirts. On the front, have each friend write one letter to her first name. On the back have each person have one letter of the word "prom" and any question marks or exclamation points for left over letters. Have your shirt be an exclamation point and stand at the end of the line. Line up in a hallway or in her garage. When she opens the garage door, have everyone face forward. As soon as she steps out of her car have everyone but yourself turn around. It will be a sure yes.
   

A Day without Shoes

    Today, April 5^th, marks a day without shoes. This was started by an organization called TOMS Shoes. The organization's goals are to bring awareness to children throughout the world without shoes and for every pair of shoes purchased; a pair is donated to a child in a third world country. TOMS Shoes was started by Blake Mycoskie, who, when traveled to Argentina, realized many of the children there did not have shoes which prevented them from doing basic daily activities. This is when he started the one for one movement. A year later he returned with friends and family bringing 10,000 shoes to give to those in need. Five years later, TOMS Shoes continues to spread.

    I participated in the day without shoes at my high school. Although the day was poorly advertised, I saw numerous students walking around the school without shoes on. Yes, some may think this is gross and diseases can be picked up, however, the idea is for a greater cause. While walking into some classes I would get odd stares and looks asking why I would participate in such a strange event. Students didn't understand that by not wearing shoes myself, I was prompting them to ask questions and hopefully go home to purchase a pair of shoes for themselves. People may have made some rude comments or made ridicule out of me, but I know the action I took was right.

    This morning I truly understood what not wearing shoes felt like. The ground was cold and I was required to walk across rocks to help out with something for one of my classes. To say the least, it hurt. But it brought my focus to the bigger attention. I was no longer just following the crowd, I was suffering for others.

    Some days I wonder what it would be like to deliver shoes to children who have never known of such a thing. I watch the videos on TOMS website, and the videos give me a warm feeling inside. A feeling that, although I am not physically there, I am helping the children who really need it. When reading the statistics on the website and finding out children aren't allowed into school without shoes, the statistics make me even more upset. A simple shoe is preventing hundreds of children from going to school and becoming educated to lead the world, especially in a country in need. Nonetheless, someday I hope to meet Blake Mycoskie and tell him thanks for changing the world and encouraging others to do the same. Most of all, I wish to deliver a load of shoes and meet every child who receives a pair. Their grateful smiles will then be engraved on my heart forever.

 

To learn more about TOMS Shoes visit their website.

Powered by the Heart: Part II

    Upon getting to know Alli better I realized she was far from centered on herself. She would help me get through my tough days, and I began to encourage her to be the leader I knew she always was. It wasn't until last summer Alli told me about her dream. She wanted to bike across the United States to raise money for a health related issue. As Alli told me about her dream, I encouraged her, but I have to admit there was doubt in my head about whether or not this dream would actually occur.

Sure enough this summer Alli will be riding from Canada to Mexico to raise money for the American Heart Association. She will be riding on average 90 miles a day. Her trip will take her across six states in 27 days. Her total trek will cover 2,200 miles. That is a ton! Alli's goal is to raise $10,000 and I've never had more confidence in a project than this one. What truly inspires me is I know she is doing it for the right cause.

Alli applied for college last fall. She entered multiple scholarship competitions and came up a little bit short in the one she really wanted. If Alli had done this project a year earlier, the scholarships would have flowed in like a river. She would be going to school for free, I am convinced. However, Alli wants to do this to make a difference in the world. She didn't decide to do the project for money to get into college or to be the student every college wants. Alli wants to make America healthier.

Whenever I think about Alli leaving next year and the situation it leaves me with, I begin to cry. Alli has been incredibly influential in my life. There has never been a time when she has encouraged me more. Alli will not be going close for college. There is no way my parents will ever let me drive to see Alli on the weekends or over breaks. Hopefully I will be able to raise enough money to buy a plane ticket out there for Thanksgiving or something, but with my college slowly approaching, the chances of this occurring are slim. As other friends, along with Alli, leave for college, I become more and more scared our friendship may break off. I have made a promise to myself, to not let this happen. Alli has encouraged me more than any other person I know, including my parents, to follow my dreams and who I want to be later in life. She has inspired me to make the biggest difference I can in the world before I die. Alli holds me accountable for what I say and do. Even more than these things, Alli is one of my best friends and I hope to keep it that way. I am so glad the paths of me and Alli Koch crossed in life and I hope that someday every person will have a chance to meet Alli or someone similar.

 

To see the difference Alli is making in the world and help her cause visit this website.

Powered by the Heart: Part I

    The most inspiring people in life, I always seem to meet too late, or always wished I had talked to them earlier. For me they seem to be the quiet ones, and despite everything going against them, they prevail. One of my best friends, Alli Koch, is this very type of person. Alli and I ran cross country and track together for the past three years. I can't remember the exact time we became friends, but I couldn't be happier that we did. Alli has had numerous influences on me – from turning me into a vegetarian, to our deep religious discussions to help figure out what I believe, to the inspirational project she is currently working on, she is truly my role model.

    I will begin by telling you a story of Alli before I truly was able to know her. When Alli was a sophomore on the cross country team, she was faster than many of the upperclassmen. Due to being jealous of Alli's unique abilities, the upperclassmen would often ridicule Alli and make jokes about her strengths. Through all of Alli's hard work she ignored what the upperclassmen said and continued to train at the level she needed in order to accomplish her goals. I distinctly remember one practice during which the upperclassmen chain linked their arms so Alli could not pass them on the run. Alli, being the determined person she is, managed to run around the upperclassmen making her point clear and obvious to the rest of us on the team. At the district meet which occurred at the end of this particular season, Alli was not ranked as the top runner on our team. Instead one of the upperclassmen held this position. During that meet, though, Alli's time was better than all of the upperclassmen due to her hard work and determination throughout the season. After outperforming the upperclassmen, Alli did not gloat about her performance, she merely congratulated the upperclassmen, who throughout the season made fun of her, on a job well done. Alli then became the role model I chose to look up to.

The Reality of the Situation

    Today in my Advanced Placement Language and Composition class my teacher made a good point about celebrities; in order to be famous a celebrity has to have their fans and their enemies. This seems to be the case for Rebecca Black, possibly the newest YouTude sensation with her song "Friday." She is famous for this music video. Now personally, I think it is quite bad. Her voice is nasally, the video looks bad, and what's up with the random black rapper.

    Let's just take a look at the dynamics of the video. She waits at the bus stop for a convertible of her friends to pull up. The boy driving the car barely looks old enough to be in middle school, let alone drive a car. Black's side-kick dancers look like they're in pain just being near her, and they have braces. How elementary. She sings about Friday and the days of the week. Thank you Black, for telling me that Sunday comes after Saturday, I was a bit concerned it wouldn't happen this week. I mean really, let's be honest, how in the world could so many people want to watch such a bed video and now Black is a star? What has our society come to?

    Even though I don't think Black is great myself, the criticism she has received is just out of control. People are telling her they wish she dies. People criticize her voice. Some go as far to say she should get an eating disorder. Seriously? On the other hand there are those who love her. Weird right? Well, a star cannot be born without some like and dislike. Black's video has exploded on the internet. She is the next big thing. For the amount of money her parents have paid to make the hit single, she has become a millionaire. From nothing, to a star.

    In this video Black notes her reaction to all of the criticism. Of course she has cried. Her mother is furious with people all around the world. But when asked to sing the national anthem, her voice sounds substantially better than in any video. Was she just auto tuned too much?

    Behind all of the criticism and praise, I spot a star making a statement to the world. Black is still interviewing and doing what she loves despite the displeasement. Sure she has become a ridicule of schools across America, but by doing so, she shows strength.