Journal 12

 If my life were a movie, it would be a story of how a young woman is discovering herself and who she wants to be. it would open with a scene describing her struggles, such as her sitting at her computer desk at five minutes from midnight, finishing the last of her homework on a Sunday night. It would also reveal other main characters who play a large role in her life such as her brothers, and her parents, although they are having issues and are planning on splitting up. In the midst of the chaos of her life, the viewer would soon realize that she has lost herself in trying to please those around her. She stays home on the weekends to do schoolwork, because she wants to to get into medical school one day, or, atleast her parents want her to. The only break she takes is to go for a run, in hopes of one day gaining the slim figure that all of her friends have. She changes into sweats, put on her brand new Nike running shoes, a gift from Dad, and with a well-deserved twenty minutes to herself, she is out the door.

Journal 15

            I believe that being a positive representation of the female black community is perhaps the most unique and significant quality that I can offer to a college campus. Being a black American, I am a victim of multiple stereotypes, and believe that I am a positive influence to not only black women everywhere, but also to those outside the black community. I also represent the Latin community because I am half Mexican. These are two minorities that I feel passionate about and motivate me to be successful.

            Having a positive black presence on campus is something few can offer, particularly a black female, and no college applicant who had a higher high school grade point average than me or twice as many community service hours can take my unique race away from me.

            I am a strong, young biracial woman, who feels that I have something to offer that many people cannot measure up to.

Journal 3

     One of the most important things that I have learned from school is how to make a difference in my community, as well as being a sufficient planner and leader. I have done so by completing Community, Action, and Service (CAS) hours for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, which are required to obtain an IB Diploma. Within the 150 required hours, one has to fulfill the eight learning outcomes (planning, being a leader, international issues, etc).

    Knowing how to be a successful and amiable leader is a quality that I value highly, and being in the IB program has helped me tremendously. I feel more comfortable setting a good example for others and being able to take charge. This is a quality that I have integrated into my nonacademic life as well, such as on my volleyball team and in my church.

    Completing CAS hours has also gotten me more involved in making a difference in my community. Within our own high school, the IB students have started the Biodiesel and Algae Studies Group (BASG) and are working with the head of Chemistry  at UCSD to make diesel engine fuel that is 100% biodegradable. Fossil fuels are an issue of global importance, and we are making a difference starting in our own school.

Journal 10

    I am a very indecisive person. I try to avoid making decisions at all costs, and when it becomes inevitable, I have a very hard time making decisions because I‘m afraid of making a bad one. Even from the time when I was just a little girl, my father used to always tell me, “You get two points for making a good decision, one point for making a bad decision, and a point taken off  for deciding once it’s too late.” This is probably  the best advice I have ever received, because my father taught me that you can’t just sit around and let life take its toll on you; you have to do something about it. He was teaching me that if I didn’t learn how to make decisions, regardless of the outcome, I wasn’t going to get anywhere in life. Him sharing this piece of advice with me allowed me to look past my fear of a situation resulting badly and not be afraid to make mistakes, but to make them and learn from them.

    Teaching me to never fear major decisions has influenced my character significantly. I used to be very shy and submissive to others, but now I like being a leader. I no longer fear making decisions, because I no longer fear making mistakes. I learn from the mistakes that I do make, and try not to make the same one twice. My dad really matured me as person with this piece of advice and helped change me for the better.

    There are times when I still feel anxiety when I have to think about major decisions I will make in my life, such as which university I am going to attend, but then again, who doesn’t? The only difference is that now I am not afraid to take the time and really think about what it is that I want.

Journal 9

    I would make September 11 a national holiday, in order to commemorate those who died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. These terrorist attacks were probably the most significant event of the 21st century. I was only in first grade at the time, but I couldn’t help sense the devastation and fear that the entire nation faced.

     Many lives were taken during that dreadful event, and I believe that we should take a day each year to commemorate those who passed. My holiday wouldn’t just be a day to re-experience the trauma that I’m sure many people went through, but would mainly be a day to recapture the unity that the citizens of America felt. Nothing brings people closer together than common hardship, and I think that many people have the misconception that nothing good whatsoever came out of 9-11. The unified connection that many felt throughout the nation was a beautiful thing. It is sad to say that we only come together as a nation in times of tragedy, and my holiday would be an attempt to recreate that unity even in a time of peace, making it a national day of service.

    Everyone would have to perform some service that would contribute to the greater good of community, society, or humanity. The last thing I would want for this holiday is for it to become just another day off of school and work. It would be a day to articulate that we as citizens of the same country can always feel united for the same cause, not just during hardship.

Journal 8

"Being stubborn has helped, being selfish is not a bad thing." -Herbie Mann

       This quote describes me perfectly; I am very intent on my ways, and I know my worth. Others often characterize me as stubborn, but I like to think that I just if I don't trust my own ways of thinking, then who can I trust? I am one of those people who thinks that if it wasn't my idea, then it is absurd. I can be selfish at times, but as Herbie Mann says, I don't think it's a bad thing. I work hard and like to earn the things I have, material or mental, so I don't share all that easily.

Journal 13

  

Dear Roomie,

    My name is Olivia Christine Moore, and I am very excited to get to know you over the course of the next year.
    I am from El Centro, California, a small farming town in the desert about 120 miles east of San Diego, California. There I graduated from Imperial High School, where I played volleyball, basketball, and threw shot-put. I was very active in high school, and hope to continue to be in college. I have two brothers, Nicholas and Myles, and a huge extended family. My parents are both the youngest of eight children. My dad is African-American and my mom is Mexican-American. Having such a large family makes me very family-oriented. Some of my best memories are family vacations in Rosarito, Mexico as well as holiday gatherings.

    When I’m not studying I enjoy shopping, especially online, and reading in my spare time. Some of my favorite authors are Maya Angelou, Nicholas Sparks, and Laurie Halse Anderson. I’m also a big fan of the Harry Potter series, both the books and the movies.

    Others would characterize me as dramatic, talkative, and easy-going; I also love to meet new people, so I hope we can get to know each other and become good friends. 

                            Sincerely,

                            Olivia Moore

Journal 18

     I am proud to be a Castle Park Trojan, and I love the school that I go to. It is very spirit-oriented and I like my fellow classmates. With that being said, if I could change two things about our school campus it would definitely have be the school lunch and our daily class schedule, particularly the SMI period.

            Nutrition and physical education are stressed in the education of our country’s youth, but the government-approved lunches that our schools, and many others provide does nothing for our health. We are served tremendously greasy pizza, “chicken” salads, and other alternatives stuffed with fillers and preservatives. As a side, we are given baked spicy corn chips, as if to console the tolerance we are forced to build up to what we are being fed.

            Although I have found that block schedule is an effective method of going about my classes, I do not like the SMI period. Someone like me, who can sometimes scarcely bare sitting in the same desk for two hours and forty-five minutes, thinks that SMI should be used as a study period for the students to have an opportunity to do homework, study, or make up a test. Having an extra hour of instructional time in one of my classes everyday takes a toll on me mentally. By the time the SMI period is over, I’m drained and more often than not still have to report to yet another almost two hour long class. I believe that if SMI were used as a designated study hour, the students would benefit.

            I feel that if these two changes were implemented on our campus, it would change it for the better. Having better school lunches and a daily study hour would help make Castle Park High School a better place.

Journal 19

    I believe that school attendance should be mandatory, however, I also believe that our education system in the United States should include more variety in the ways we educate our youth. Not everyone is made out to be successful in their education because of the way it is structured. There are many people who are still productive members of society who did not receive a high school diploma. I think that education should only be mandatory up to the eighth grade, because by then people know whether they are cut out for school or not. Requiring people to remain in high school against their will, for an education that they are interested in receiving produces more failure as a result. If it is completely mandatory for everyone, there should be multiple forms of education that are less mainstream and more vocational, to appeal to people who are interested in specific trade such as auto mechanics, computer repair, heating and air repair, and carpentry.

Journal 11

I wish a university asked me at what age it was that I decided that I wanted to go to college, and how that decision was influenced.

     I was in the eighth grade when I literally decided that I was going to college, no matter what it took. It was on my trip to New York City to see my cousin graduate from New York University. On my dad's side of the family, which is how I am related to her, not many of my family members have gotten a college education, so practically all of them flew from California to New York to watch her graduation ceremony. Seeing how proud they were of her, and just seeing everyone in awe of her achievements made me realize that I wanted to experience the same feeling.

     I also had a similar experience with a cousin on my mom's side of the family; we flew to Washington D.C. to watch her graduate from medical school at Georgetown University. She is the only doctor on both sides of my family, and she knew everyone was proud of what she had done.

     Seeing these successful family members made me want to be just like them, both of my cousins are my rolemodels, and I consider them the main reason why I want to go to college too.

Journal 20

If I were presented with the opportunity to communicate with any species of animal, I would choose to talk to a chimpanzee. Chimpanzees are intelligent animals that are very cooperative and strategic beings. The human race shares about ninety eight percent of its DNA in common with chimps. Therefore, we share numerous similarities, such as the gestation period of a pregnant female (approximately nine months) and body temperature (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit). I would want to know how they communicate with each other to form functioning societies and would also like to know their how they feel about the human race, in terms of our coexistence.
     According to research done by the American Psychological Association, chimpanzees share many of the same physical characteristics, instincts, and even physical expressions with humans. I would be curious to know how many more similarities they share that we cannot perceive by physical means. I would also want to know how chimpanzees communicate with each other non-verbally.
     Not only individual chimpanzees themselves, but also packs of them that live together, or communities, share social patterns that are very similar to the ones present in the society of human beings. I would also ask how their caste system works, or if there is a lack there of in chimpanzee culture.

Journal 1

     Red is the color of passion. Whether that passion is in the form of love, lust, anger, or rage, red is the fire that fuels us to act on impulse, to disregard our intuition, and devote ourselves whole-heartedly to something or someone. Articulating this type of passion to a blind man is tricky in the sense that you want him to know both the positive and negative forms of passion associated with the color red. I would use a red rose to convey each aspect of passion.

     I would first have him smell the rose, and describe to me it's scent, making sure to tell him that what he smells is what he would be looking at if he could see. After he describes to me the sweetness of a rose, I would have him feel its velvety petals, gently brushing them against his face to get the full effect. I would then have him hold the rose himself, intentionally having him be poked by a thorn. I would explain to him that every rose has its thorns, just as for every positive form of passion, there is a more negative manner. Red is a complex thing, like all colors in general, and I think those of us who can see take it for granted.