In A Snap

    Last weekend a group I am apart of had our first round of interviews for some grant money we are giving away. Until we began to interview different groups, I never realized how much good is happening in my city in which I had no idea about. I have always known that the city I reside is fine, but I guess I never fully understood the capabilities the people within the city had to make a difference.

    There is one interview, I'm not saying it was good or bad, but it stood out. The man came in dressed in overalls with a big smile on his face. Not typical interview attire. As we began to talk to him, within a split second he began crying. Flustered ourselves, we frantically began flipping through the books we had and writing down random words. He was crying for something he is passionate about, but was this crying staged or necessary? As he calmed down and told us the ideals of his project, we continued to look around flustered. When the man left the room we erupted into whispers of shock. Asking one another if what we thought just happened actually happened, and sure enough it did.

    This experience and man I met reiterates the concept that anything is capable of happening within a snap. As humans we need to be prepared for anything and everything because within a snap everything can change.

The Truth Prevails

    There's always the one person in a grade who has a bad reputation or just is known for sleeping around and partying all weekend long, you know the type I'm talking about. They're the ones who wear way too much makeup and always seem to wear clothes as simple as a t-shirt in a slutty way. They even seem to suck up to teachers in the creepy-touchy way, making everyone squirm in their seats. Well no one who isn't already friends with that person ever thinks they are going to talk to that person, however this idea is wrong.

    I try to talk to whoever. I like to talk and many people have stories to share. Well there is this girl in one of my classes who has the bad reputation of the grade. I truly know she is a smart girl, but got mixed with the wrong crowd and tends to follow their lead on the weekends. If only she could see her own potential. Anyways, I attend a kickboxing class during the week and she happens to be in the same class as me. She has always been nice to me and says, "Hi." I run with one of her friends and asked if she was some fake person or something and the answer was pretty much she has her enemies and friends due to the things she does.

    Today, when none of my friends I do the kickboxing class with showed up, I talked to her. Interestingly enough, she was incredibly nice. I know she's known for being fake and everything, but still, she was acting genuinely nice. We talked for a bit about our post high school plans and believe it or not but she has dreams of making a difference in the world just like myself. She told me how her sister was in the Peace Corps and the way the experience wasn't all her sister had ever imagined, but she still wants to join someday and clean drinking water for children. The girl with the bad reputation wants to be a environmental engineer.

    After our talk I realized even more so just how much potential she has. We can all fake who we want to be and get mixed in with the wrong crowds, but this doesn't mean our dreams change or intentions go askew. The truth prevailed; she was just an ordinary girl with a bad reputation who will most likely make a difference someday, and then everyone will see her true colors.

Citizens Who Never Receive A Thank You

    Yesterday I had my first drug test to get a job. I have never done drugs in my life nor do I ever care to. I am pretty much an anti-drug freak. I refuse to take aspirin, and when I get sick I prefer to not go to the doctor because all they like to do is prescribe drugs. Most think I'm crazy, but I believe that any unfamiliar substance I consume is detrimental to my health. And I'm not going to lie. I was scared to go to this testing. I kept on thinking what if they mix my test up with someone else's? Or what if I have had something, even though not drugs, but it shows up as drugs? I haven't yet heard the results of my test and I'm positive they will be fine, but let's discuss this experience as a whole.

    I went in for my interview on Monday night. This was a group interview and kind of strange considering everyone had to answer the same question in a circle. I of course was first and my answers were pretty good considering how easy the questions were. I want to become a lifeguard and there's a skills check session I need to attend after I'm hired. I'm a little nervous for the skills check as I haven't used my skills since November, but with some review I will be fine. They told me at the interview that I need to go for a drug check the following morning. This is a little inconvenient as I had to get up at five just to make it to the screening place before school.

    When arriving at the lab, the ladies behind the desk didn't have my information. Creating a frustrating situation for me, they decided to test me anyways and call the city later in the day. When I was called back to go "pee in the cup" she explained the instructions and turned the water off so I couldn't tamper with anything. Problem was, I couldn't fill the cup. Having gone earlier that morning, I was incapable of filling the cup at all. I resorted to an embarrassed smile and handing her a half full sample. She was capable of stretching out the sample (thank the Lord), so I was able to leave. Now it's waiting time of whether or not I get the job. I'm confident that I will be hired because they hire just about everyone, but there's still the chance I may not.

    More so, however, I would like to talk about the ladies who work at the lab. Quite incredible people, wouldn't you say? I mean, I know that they are not saving the world or changing lives or anything like that, but it takes a lot of gut to deal with urine everyday. Most people probably go into that lab and treat those ladies rudely. Some of the people find it funny to mess with them if they are drug users creating even more issues. But I think these are the citizens who never receive a thank you. Don't they deserve one? These very special ladies keep job situations in check, making sure that drug users are not being hired, especially if they plan on going to work under the influence. They truly keep environments in check and are the true, quality citizens of working situations.

Mrs. Nan Mattai: More Than A Parking Spot (Part II)

    In 1993, Mattai and her family moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa where Mattai accepted a position as a software engineer at Rockwell Collins in a newly developed department, Data Links. Mattai continued to stretch herself and traveled frequently throughout the world meeting customers and discussing innovative solutions to business problems. In 2001, Mattai was promoted to Vice President of Engineering for one of the company's business segments. This role required Mattai to assume leadership of 1,500 engineers. In recognition of her ongoing excellence in both the technical and leadership areas, in 2004, Mattai was promoted to her current position, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology, reporting to Chairman, President, and CEO Clay Jones. Mattai now manages the company's engineering workforce, which is one-third of the company's 20,000 employees. Mattai's role requires significant external interface and public speaking on the importance of STEM education and innovation. Mattai's advice to those interested in pursuing a career in mathematics is "to take on challenging assignments and stretch beyond your comfort zone, deliver results that exceed expectations, and seek out mentors in the field."

    Mattai loves to travel and cook. Though she has visited much of the world, Mattai is still mesmerized by the beauty of other countries. Although Mattai failed to mention her numerous awards for leadership, technical excellence, and innovation, she continues to be an inspiration for others. Named as the 2010 Women of Innovation, Mattai is clearly more interested in making a difference than winning awards.

    Mattai's focus on hard work, excellence, and innovation has helped her succeed in numerous positions, while her leadership skills and accomplishments have gained her respect, and an elite parking spot. Mattai's philosophy of "if you keep at your goals you will get what you want" has brought her to remarkable heights. The lesson her parents instilled in her – "there are no boundaries to what one can accomplish" – is now being nurtured and instilled in others, as Mattai continues to educate and encourage, specifically young women, to follow their dreams, break down barriers, and join the workforce in math and science related fields.

Mrs. Nan Mattai: More Than A Parking Spot (Part I)

I gazed down from the third story of my mother's office building looking at the reserved parking spots. Wow, I remember thinking, it would be impressive to have a reserved spot. As I read the names of the "important people" listed upon the markers for each spot, I realized that only one of the spots belonged to a female. At Rockwell Collins engineering is key, so this fact did not surprise me, but as I asked my mother about this woman, she simply smiled and began to tell me about this well respected colleague, Nan Mattai. I was impressed with what I heard and wanted to meet Mattai.

A while ago, I was serving as a volunteer coordinator at a regional competition designed to encourage future engineers, when Mattai walked through the door. I realized this was a perfect opportunity to introduce myself to Mattai. Apparently, surprised by the respect and admiration I demonstrated, Mattai gave me a pleasurable nod. Recently, I had the opportunity to learn what an outstanding role model Mattai is for all young women as well as a prime example of someone living her American dream.

Born in Georgetown, Guyana as the third child of seven children, Mrs. Mattai learned the importance of education at a young age. Raised in a middle class family, where neither parent possessed a college degree, they realized an education was the best thing they could provide for Mattai and her siblings. Mattai distinctly remembers her mother saying, "An education is better than silver and gold." Mattai was competitive with her brothers, so when they chose math and science classes, she signed up for advanced math and science classes. Intrigued by math and its applications at an early age, Mattai would add up the cost of items in her mother's grocery cart when shopping. As she grew older, Mattai learned more about science and applied mathematics and Madame Curie became an inspiration to her. Because Curie was the first woman to earn the Nobel Prize for Science, Mattai established her career aspiration of becoming a scientist and researcher in math and physics.

    After graduating with a degree in mathematics and physics from the University of Guyana at the top of her class, Mattai received the President's medal and pushed onward to accomplish her dream. With consistent encouragement from her parents, Mattai earned a masters degree in nuclear physics from the University of Windsor in Canada. The transition to Canada was, however, difficult as Guyana was a melting pot of many cultures who worked on sugar plantations in a warm climate. Due to her Indian descent, Mattai stood out because of both her appearance and her speech. With perseverance, Mattai overcame challenges and took advantage of the plethora of scientific instruments and equipment to further her learning. Mattai's work was very well respected and she was honored with her photograph on the Guyana postage stamp.

    Mattai's perfectly planned future went astray due to "life's circumstances." While in school at the University of Windsor, Canada, her oldest son was born, a premature baby weighing just 4 pounds 13 ounces. With her husband still in school, no immediate family to help out, and day-care unaffordable for two students, Mattai remembered her parents' words, "Family comes first." As a result, Mattai left her doctorate program to care for her new son.

    When the time came to restart her career, Mattai considered her options and decided to apply what she knew to make a difference in engineering and math. Mattai's first engineering job, at Magnavox Electronics in Southern California was as a software engineer. Doing what she loves – continuous learning – Mattai learned about Global Positioning Systems, a move that would prove beneficial for her future. Moving up the management ranks, Mattai began to focus on helping other technical contributors while enhancing her own skill set.

Don’t Get My Sister Involved

    In the last months I have been working on a project to incorporate a volunteer club into the elementary school I attended. The project has been slow as I continue to run into problems. The first is contacting. When I contact the principal of a school I would expect a response and some sort of action, but not in this situation. He kept telling me he would take care of something then would pass it off to someone else's responsibility. I even showed up for a meeting (not going to my classes to do so) and he ended up not coming. Supposedly he had another meeting he didn't know about. Aren't principals supposed to be responsible?

    Well as I finally got the approval for my project ideas, an e-mail was sent out to the Gibson staff asking if they would help with my ideas and facilitate the project. My sister still goes to that school, but she barely knows anything about what I'm doing. She does know that she wants to participate however. A day after the letter was sent out a teacher made quite a rude comment to her. They told her that it's nice what I'm trying to do and all, but they believe there are plenty of programs for the students to volunteer in. The teacher then proceeded with making a list of all the charity things students can do.

    When my sister relayed this message to me it broke my heart. I'm trying to do something good here and teachers are not only tearing apart my ideas, but my sister in the process too. My sister asked if I'd wait a year to do anything since she moves on to middle school next year. Of course this is not what I want to do, as I want to make a difference now. The part that gets me even more upset is that my sister, who has nothing to do with any of this, is getting ridiculed. She doesn't deserve this. I used to respect this teacher tremendously, and with a few words from my sister about her, all respect is lost. If she has something mean to say about my program talk to me, not my sister. I worked hard to put everything together and if the school leadership team approved, I think everything is worth it.

Maybe someday all the people I ever knew will be encouraging. But for the time being I just need to keep reminding myself, "If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway."

Differences Solve Mysteries

    I vividly remember standing over my grandmother's bed, tears pouring down my face, as she took her final breaths of air. Just like many others, her life, too, was cut short because of cancer. All throughout the world, scientists are frantically trying to find a cure for the ferocious disease before it takes any more lives. One such researcher may have found it.

    Just recently published, a researcher in southern Ecuador, may have found the cure to cancer and diabetes – dwarfism. In a city where cancer rates our high, the one-hundred dwarfs that live there have not developed signs of cancer or diabetes. After studying these people for twenty-five years, Dr. Geuvara has come to a conclusion. The mutation that causes dwarfism, may also prevent cancer.

    A few years ago at University of Southern California, the same finding was found, but in mice. This confirms what many believed. With this information, drugs can be made sooner, trials can be performed, and more lives can be saved. But what if these drugs don't work? I am an optimistic person, but still, what's next? Do we have a plan "B" for all of those people who have put their trust in us, or are we going to start mutating genes so everyone is a dwarf?

    Then comes the next question. Would you want to be a dwarf for your whole life and be guaranteed to not have cancer? Or would you rather roll the dice and take your chances? Dwarfs don't live as long, but cancer puts many through a lot of pain. Either way this is a huge finding and needs to be expanded upon.

    We may have the dream of solving the problems of cancer within our fingertips, we just need to jump and grab it with our hands.

Click here for the link about the finding.