English Class

I am taking English class and it has been a wonderful experience. There are only Summer Scholars in my class and it is great because we communicate better. My teacher is Mrs. Rocha and she is one awesome teacher. I was nervous at the beginning, not knowing how the teacher was going to be and if the class was going to be hard. When I went to my English class, I knew couple students in the room from the school I go to. I sat by them and we started to talk. The teacher arrived and right away she came in with a smile and with great spirit. It was great because instead of just sitting down and going over what we were going to be learning in the next five weeks, we did activities in class and she went into deeper meaning about things that I would never thought of. Mrs. Rocha likes the class to participate, for her their is no right answer. All she wants to hear is what you think of the topic we are going over. With the activities we have done, mostly in groups or in partners, it has brought me closer to them. We have been learning about poets and writers and in these weeks, I have learned a lot. It was a challenge as well because on the weekends, we had to write a three to four essay about our life basically, but it was difficult at times to think about yourself and what to write about. I am used to writing a page and a half in school which it made it hard, especially over the weekend, but I liked it though because I like to challenge myself. For me now, essays are easy to write. I really like this class and I hope that when I go to college, I do as well as I am in this class!

Career Shadowing

The career I want to pursue is Business. My career shadowing took place in the Mutual of Omaha. At first, I did not know where this place was, but I did recall the name. When I got there, I recognized the building. I went in and inside it was nice and people were everywhere. I meet up with my person and we started to talk about what this business was about. I was interested in all she was saying. It is not just a typical insurance company like it is thought to be, but it has many benefits. The Mutual of Omaha has helped in many situations. She told me that it is great place to work at and that maybe in the future I will consider working there. She told me what they offer and I think that I might go and apply there. After, we went to the auditorium to hear an Olympic swimmer named Josh Davis, a three-time Olympic medalist. I liked his presentation because he was funny and very inspiring. By the end, he passed out to the public his medals so they could see them. The gold medal that I saw was big and heavy, but it was amazing. After the presentation, I got a tour of the building. It is very big filled with great sites. It has a gym, many food places, a bank, laundry room, a dome, and many other things. When it was time to leave, I got her business card and I am sure going to keep it because I might need it in the future. Overall, I liked it and I hope that it was not my last time going there.

Personal Statements

My goals are to finish high school and go to college. Also I hope to apply for many scholarships as i can. It is very important for me to get many scholarships because college is not something cheap. I will also have a job and save up money because it is still a necessary thing to do. The thought of receiving scholarships makes me happy and it especially makes my parents happy. They are really proud of me because they want a better future for me since they did not have many opportunities when they were in school and did not get far in their education. Being a senior in high school is exciting because it is really the beginning. I am getting closer to what my future holds. I am ready to make the best out of my last year in high school and enjoy being with my friends as well. I think going to college is going to change my life in a better way. Also I want to help others achieve their goals in any way I can because I like it when others help me. Helping others is one of the things I like to do because it makes me feel content to see them succeed.

Many problems are among us that we should try to solve. One issue that concerns me is that half the world, nearly three billion people, lives in poverty. Many country's leaders do not promote polices that meet the needs of their people and thus the world's poor are forced to live on their luck. It all starts with not receiving health care and diseases spreading out and becoming worse. It is sad to see innocent people die every day of starvation or preventable diseases, especially children.
Another issue is the downturn in the economy recently. It is making life harder by prices rising dramatically. Almost every job is getting paid the same and others are losing their jobs. With this, we cannot keep up with the situation. People are now spending more money on their needs and are not having much money left for themselves. Many restaurants and entertainment places are likely not doing as well because people can not go spending much money like they used too.

Many individuals have influenced me in many ways throughout my life. One person that has been by my side and that is never going to let go is my mom. She is my hero. All she wants for me is to do my best in everything I do, especially in my education. She says that she wants me to have a better life than her because she does not want to see me doing something like her job which is in a factory. She works very hard every day, getting up early and coming home in the afternoon. Just by seeing how tired she is when she comes home from work is tough. I want to make her proud of me. When I get older and have a good and stable job, I want to earn good money so I can save up and help my mom pay bills and take her on vacations. She has a lot of stress upon her, but I know that soon, in a couple of years, she will have a better life. What I most admire about her is that she understands me in any situation I have. Sometimes I do not even feel like she is my mom, rather she is a best friend.

I want to attend the University of Nebraska at Omaha because I have had many experiences in the college. Having been in meetings at UNO through the Latino Leadership program, taught me many things. The University offers great opportunities for minorities. The programs that they offer sound great and I know that if I get in to UNO, I will make the best of it. I will join in programs that can help me plan ahead in my education and meet as many people as I can. I think that the more I know and get involved, the better my future will look. Also, being a Summer Scholar has definitely brought me to my conclusion in attending UNO. I experienced staying in the dorms for a week and did well in my college English class. Hopefully by next year I can call myself a UNO student.

Bolg #1

1. What was most encouraging and motivating to me was being in this summer program. This program has been very positive because it is teaching me how to be prepared for college. Having an idea of how college can be as a high school student is preparing me for the real thing. I think that when I am going to be a college student it will not make me as nervous because of this program. Before, I had the idea of college being very hard and having a scary image of it. But that has changed how I see it now, which I am really glad it is not like that. I want to experience more and have great opportunities like I have had in this program. It has made me want to learn more.

2. The most challenging I think has been the homework part. I have been used to having days to do an essay and reading like two to three, not that long, chapters. My class I am taking is English and it is a really fun class. My teachers is a great teacher that she does small activities for us which does not make the class boring. But when we have homework, it is to write a three to four page essay or when it is about reading, we read about 30 pages in one night. I think this is a challenge for me, but at the same time I like it because it is preparing me. Even though it is a pressure, I know that it is in a good way.

3. I have been learning many new things about myself that have surprised me. When the program took us to Ashland, Nebraska to go on a high obstacle course, which was really high. I am extremely scared of heights and being up there and looking down was very terrifying at first. To get through, we were in small groups and we had to work together as a team. Working as a team was a relief and I made new friends. But than after being up there, it was not as scary. I got used to it and I was really proud of myself for being brave. Also I learned how to not be too shy. I am very shy when I am somewhere new with new people, but in this program I feel very comfortable. If I have a question, I can easily ask for help.

4. This whole summer program has been a positive experience. Staying at the dorms for a week really gave me an idea of how it can be away from home. And being with three other strangers, made me nervous, but after meeting them, they were feeling the way I was. And they were really nice. And having to take a college class is great because I am also getting credit for it. Also by having speakers to come and talk about college and answering any question or concern, helps a lot. I am learning everyday.