SUMMER MAGAZINE AUTOGRAPHS
Columbia College Chicago Upward Bound Program 2013 SUMMER SESSION (July 1st – August 9th) Class Teacher Room Tutoring Staff C501/C421/C302 Period /Time (0) 8:10 -­‐ 9:00 (1) 9:05 -­‐ 10:00 French Speaking Countries (Jr) Voltaire C421 Modern Literature (Soph) Yontz C302 Intro to Algebra (Fr) Mynaugh C314 Essay Writing (Sr) Kirsch C304 (2) 10:05 -­‐ 11:00 Intermediate Comp (Jr) Hochman C304 Intro. to Literature (Fr) Yontz C302 College Math Seminar (Sr) Mynaugh C314 Intro to Chemistry (Soph) Dean C421 (3) 11:05 -­‐ 12:00 Global Issues (Sr) Hochman C304 Intro to Geometry (Soph) Mynaugh C314 Introduction to Genetics (Fr) Dean C421 Intro to Physics (Jr) Wilkerson C302 (4) 12:05 -­‐ 12:45 Lunch – University Center 525 S. State (5) 1:05 -­‐ 3:00 Photography Reily-­‐Fitzpatrick AA1107 Studio Art Scott-­‐Rudnick STE405 Music Dzis MC411 Video Production Sandherr EC318 (6) 3:10 -­‐ 4:00 Tutoring Staff C302 Field Trips: FRI. July 12: AM: Urban Gateways Performances: History of Jazz & Voices of Chicago, PM: Chicago History Museum, FRI. July 19: AM: Planned Parenthood, PM: Museum of Surgical Science, THURS. July 25: Northwestern University, PM: Film: “Fruitvale Station” MON. July 29: Visit to Northern Illinois University, FRI. Aug 9: Afternoon Arts Festival. The Residential Week is week five (July 29 – August 2) at North Central College. Students will live in a dormitory, attend their classes and participate in other organized activities. The 21st Annual UB Summer Awards Banquet is Saturday August 10th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at a Maggiano’s Restaurant (516 N. Clark). The banquet features lunch and an awards ceremony. Stipends: $15/week. CTA Student Riding Cards are also provided. UB Office: 624 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1401 Phone: (312) 369-­‐8830. Columbia College Upward Bound 2013 Summer Staff Profiles
Jose Barragan, Tutor. BA, Anthropology, University of Illinois at Chicago.
Nancy Cambron Perez, Recruitment & Administrative Assistant. BA in Sociology &
Latino/a Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Candidate for MA in Cultural &
Educational Policy Studies at Loyola University Chicago.
Jiamin Chen, Tutor. Candidate for BS in Industrial Engineering, U. of Wisconsin-Madison.
Kellie Dean, Science Instructor. Bachelor of Science Degree, Michigan State University. MA
in Education, DePaul University.
Marlena Dzis, Music Instructor. Bachelor of Music, Loyola University New Orleans. Master
of Music, Northwestern University.
Emily Hochman, English & Social Studies Instructor. BA, English & Afro-American Studies,
University of Wisconsin, Madison. M.Ed. Secondary English, Loyola University Chicago.
Parth Joshi, Tutor. BA in Classical Civilization, Loyola University Chicago. PostBaccalaureate student in Classics, Loyola University Chicago.
Craig Kirsch, Director (Also English Instructor). B.A., English, Grinnell College. M.A.,
English Education, The University of Chicago. M.F.A., Film & Video, Columbia College.
Adrian Munive, Tutor. BA, Instrumental Performance, University of South Florida, Tampa.
Candidate for Master of Music in Instrumental Performance, Roosevelt University.
Lindsay Mynaugh, Math Instructor. BA, Secondary Education in Mathematics, DePaul
University. M.Ed., University of Illinois at Chicago.
Belle Reily-Fitzpatrick, Photography Instructor. BA, Visual Arts/Photomedia, Australian
National University. Graduate Diploma of Education, University of Canberra.
James Sandherr, Film/Video Instructor. BA, Communication, DePaul University. MA in
Communication (Media & Cinema Studies), DePaul University.
Rachel Schoenbeck, Tutor. Candidate for BS in Mathematics & Secondary Education, Bradley
University.
Michael Scott-Rudnick, Art Instructor. BA, Studio Art, Grinnell College. M. Ed, Teaching
and Learning, DePaul University.
Carolle Voltaire, Counselor (Also French Instructor). B.A., Foreign Languages, St. Xavier
College. M.S.Ed., Education, Northern Illinois University. PhD in Higher Education &
Organizational Change from Benedictine University.
Theresa Wilkerson, Tutor & Physics Instructor. Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics,
University of Illinois at Chicago. MS in Physics, University of Kansas.
David Yontz, English Instructor. BA, English from The College of Wooster.
FACT SHEET
WHAT IS IT?
Upward Bound is a federally funded program designed to help
students with limited financial resources prepare for college.
WHO CAN APPLY?
Any student (Grades 8-11) who
1. Attends or will attend Benito Juarez or Foreman.
2. Has the Desire & Commitment to pursue a college degree.
3. Meets the Department of Education’s requirements.
WHAT SERVICES DOES UPWARD BOUND OFFER?
Tutoring
Saturday Classes
A Summer Program
Counseling Field Trips & College Visits
Career Exploration
ACT Test
Preparation
College & Financial
Aid Application
Assistance
A Monthly Stipend
Summer Internships
HOW CAN I APPLY?
Obtain application materials from program staff, target school
representatives, or community agencies. Return the completed
materials in person to a target school representative, Upward
Bound staff or mail them to the address listed below.
Mailing Address
Columbia College Upward Bound
600 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60605
Office Location
624 S. Michigan Ave.
Suite 1401
Phone number:
312-369-8830
http://www.colum.edu/Academics/Upward_Bound
Ignacio, Noel & Pablo (Studio Art Class)
FROM THE ESSAY WRITING CLASS
JOURNAL RESPONSES
By Christina Villalobos
Annie Dillard wrote “Living like Weasels” to prove that we may learn a few
things from weasels and how to apply it to our everyday lives. She compares how
animals, unlike humans, don’t complicate their lives by making choices. Weasels “live by
necessity”; there is no preference in nature. “If you expect the world to be fair with you
because you are fair, you’re fooling yourself. That’s like expecting the lion not to eat you
because you didn’t eat him.” In the story Annie Dillard compares humans and animals by
the way we conduct ourselves in the world. She talks about how she first encountered a
weasel… “Our look was as if two lovers, or deadly enemies, met unexpectedly.“ She
describes that at that precious moment a human being was able to peer inside a weasel
head. She detected no rage, no consciousness, no prejudices. She discovered emptiness.
“The weasel and I both plugged into another tape simultaneously, for a sweet and
shocking time. Can I help it if it was empty?”… Annie Dillard explains how a weasel
doesn’t think. It just does in order to survive. A weasel doesn’t kill because it hates you,
because it’s jealous, because it judged you. A weasel kills by instinct. Dillard opens up a
good point that we have an advantage to be conscious of what we do and yet we find this
to hinder us… A weasel takes advantage of what is in front of them. He never gives up,
never thinks twice and never regrets… We might be domesticated, we might be tamed,
and we might be emotional. But we are capable of learning something from a weasel. “I
might learn something of mindlessness, something of the purity of living in the physical
senses and the dignity of living without bias or motive.” It is intriguing how she
reproaches humans for being so corrupt and suggests that we cannot discard our nature
but we can refine it. She says this is not some impossible task. She mentions how,
“people take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience--even silence-- by choice.” We
humans are built mechanically to make decisions. A weasel does not...
By Nancy Galan
When I read “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, it reminded me of my family and
how religious they are. The part that I remember the most is when he’s sitting down in
that bench waiting for Jesus to come. He wants Jesus to come and forgive all of his sins;
he wants to experience what everyone told him he would. At the same time he wants to
make his aunt happy by letting Jesus into his life but the only problem is that he doesn’t
see the light and he definitely didn’t see Jesus. It is sort of a disappointment for him and
in some way I can understand him. He wanted to believe in Jesus, he wanted him to come
into his life and he really wanted to be forgiven and accepted by everyone around him.
My family is very religious and they have always criticized me for not believing and for
not praying so that he can forgive my sins. When I was little I did want to believe. I
wanted to feel that Jesus would be there for me when I most needed him but so far I
haven’t seen anything. Just like one of the themes of the story says Langston learned that
life was full of disappointments. I have also learned that. I believe that the reason I’m not
religious is because one of my aunts took me to church when I was little and I was scared
by the image of Jesus crucified and covered in blood. Ever since then my family has tried
to make me believe. They talk about how he died for us and how the Bible is very
important, but what they don’t understand is that I was disappointed for so long because I
believed Jesus didn’t want me to believe and I decided not to believe in him because I
don’t have faith like other people.
Arthuro Garcia (Photography Class)
By Janire Bravo
The part that I like from the passage “Once more to the Lake” was when the
narrator E.B. White compared himself to his son. His son would wake up early and get
dressed up just like he did when he was little. It reminds me of how my 10 year old
brother gets everything he wants. I was once spoiled too. White compares himself to his
son and remembers memories. He feels lost when it comes to realizing if it’s him, the
little boy, or “the one in his pants”, the grown man. I wonder if I will ever feel like that
with my kids. Every time I see my little brother getting home and talking about his
activities it reminds me of when I was a 4th grader back then. I can honestly say I miss
times like that. Also I have been living in the same neighborhood for 6 years but I have
been moving a lot in between that time. Every time I come back to my neighborhood it
still looks the same as when I left. Yeah, there is a bit of different things but other than
that it is entirely the same. The houses still look the same. E.B. White realized that time
has passed because the boats at the lake were different. I remembered how my mom and
aunt used to take my cousin and me to the pools every Saturday during the summer. Now
instead of taking us they take my brother and cousin. My cousin and I have grown and
have things to do. We don’t have time to hang out like we used to. We grow up and don’t
realize that time is passing nor cherish the memories that we have. Now that I look I say
to myself, “Damn time has passed by fast.” It is amazing how the narrator remembers
every single detail from his trips to the lake. Every little detail counts in life….
Ignacio Saucedo (Studio Art Class)
DIALOGUES FROM THE FRENCH SPEAKING COUNTRIES CLASS Arthur (Arturo Villalobos), Anne (Grabiela Martinez), Dominique (Victoria Torres)
A-Salut, Arthur !
Ar-Salut, Alain !
A-Comment vas-tu?
Ar-Magnifique, et toi?
A-Très bien, quelle heure est-il ?
Ar-Je ne sais pas, pourquoi ?
A- J'ai rendez-vous avec Isabelle, aujourd'hui.
Ar- Oh là là! Moi aussi. J'ai rendez-vous avec Dominique.
A-Vraiment ! Voilà Dominique.
Ar- Où ça?
D- Bonjour!
Ar and A- Bonjour!
A-Enchanté!
D-Enchantée! Il fait froid!
A-Au revoir!
D and Ar – Au revoir!
Antoine (Enrique Ubau), Anne (Grabiela Martinez), Isabelle (Yamilex Toledano)
A1: Bonjour Antoine!
A2: Bonjour Anne!
A1: Voilà Isabelle
A2: Bonjour Isabelle!
I: Bonjour Antoine
A1: Où vas-tu ce matin, Isabelle?
I: Au café
A1: Pouvons-nous venir avec toi?
I: Oui vous pouvez venir avec moi. Voulez-vous venir avec nous?
A2: Oui, je veux venir avec vous.
(tous les trois à pied au café)
(entrer maintenant dans le café)
Isabelle: Un sandwich et un coca-cola, s'il vous plait.
Anne: Un chocolat chaud, s'il vous plait.
Antoine: Un sandwich, s'il vous plait.
Le garçon: Tout de suite
A1: Ça va Antoine?
A2: Très bien Anne, et toi Isabelle?
I: Très bien.
A2: Quelle heure est-il?
I: Il est cinq heures. Pourquoi?
A2: Le film commence à six heures!
A1: Zut alors!!
Arrivée au ciné
I: Oh là là! Le film est magnifique!
A1: Oui, très magnifique!
A2: Oui!
I: Et quelle heure est-il?
A1: Il est huit heures.
A2: Pourqoui?
I: Le concert commence à huit heures trente et un.
A1: Zut alors!
I: Au revoir Anne. Au revoir Antoine!
Les deux: Au revoir Isabelle!
Artwork by Coraima Espinosa
Chantal (Chantel Silva), André (Andres Villanueva), Honoré (Raul Oliva)
Chantal: Bonjour.
André et Honoré: Bonjour.
Chantal: Je m’appelle Chantal. Et toi?
André: Je m’appelle André.
Chantal: Vraiment! Et toi là-bas?
Honoré: Je m’appelle Honoré.
Chantal: Enchantée.
André et Honoré: Enchantés.
Chantal: Ça va?
Honoré: Ça va très bien.
André: Comme ci comme ça. Et toi?
Chantal: Ça va bien. Voulez-vous tous aller au concert ?
André : À quelle heure ?
Chantal: À dix heures, pourquoi?
André: Non, j’ai rendez-vous avec Yajaira.
Chantal: D’accord. Et toi?
Honoré: Oui.
Chantal: D’accord. À bientôt Honoré. Au revoir André.
André: Au revoir.
Honoré: À bientôt.
Dominique (Victoria Torres), Arthur (Arturo Villalobos) &
Alain (Alan Quirarte)
A:
Salut, Arthur!
Ar:
Salut, Alain!
A:
Comment vas-tu?
Ar:
Magnifique, et toi?
A:
Très bien, quelle heure est-il?
Ar:
Je ne sais pas, pourquoi?
A:
J'ai rendez-vous avec Isabelle, aujourd'hui.
Ar:
Oh là là!, moi aussi, J'ai rendez-vous avec Dominique.
A:
Vraiment! Voilà Dominique.
Ar:
Où ça?
Dominique approche.
D:
Bonjour!
Ar et A: Bonjour!
A:
Enchanté!
D:
Enchantée! Il fait froid!
A:
Au revoir!
D et Ar:
Au revoir!
Melissa Ortiz, Roberto Hernandez, Mireya Rosas
Melissa: Bonjour!
Roberto: Salut!
Mireya: Salut! Qui est-ce?
Roberto: C'est mon amie, Melissa
Mireya: Enchantée!
Melissa: Enchantée! Comment vas-tu?
Mireya: Très bien. Et vous?
Melissa: Très bien. Merci.
Roberto: Quelle est la date aujourd'hui?
Mireya: Je ne sais pas.
Melissa: C' est aujourd' hui le premier août.
Roberto: Zut! Quelle heure est- il?
Mireya: Il est une heure cinq.
Melissa: Pourquoi?
Roberto: Zut alors!
Melissa: Oh! Le film commence à une heure!
Mireya: Allons- y!
Melissa: Attends... combien sont les billets?
Roberto: Dix dollars l’unité.
Melissa: D' accord. En courant.
Isaiah Flores & Teaching Assistant Parth Joshi (Video Class)
ESSAY WRITING
From the Personal Statements (college application essays)
By Cristian Martinez
Before I entered high school my grades were horrible. My first school was a
public school, and that’s where I began to learn English. But the next year I changed to a
catholic school and for four years I learned a lot of my Spanish. I never liked doing my
homework or my class work. I always got in trouble. I was basically a troublemaker
anywhere I went. Spanish was not hard to me because we spoke it in the house; the
writing part was the hard part. My dad was the only one that could help me. My mom
told me that I taught her some English, but since I had gone to the catholic school I had
forgotten the English.
In the middle of 8th grade many things changed. My baby sister was about to turn
one year, and I noticed that raising a child was hard because you needed more money.
My parents were working harder than they ever did and didn't buy me many things. Since
they didn't get a good education they were working their butts off just to raise me and my
younger brother and sister. Then some people from Upward Bound came to my class and
they talked to us about college and it got my attention. If I wanted to be successful I
would need to work harder to do my work because I wasn't used to doing work in class.
Upward bound is a college prep program, and they helped me to do my work and to stay
focused. Also seeing my sister every day made me think about the future. I have been
trying to do my work and getting help from the program. During in the school year we
have 2 days of tutoring during the week, Saturday classes twice a month and 6 weeks of
summer school. I visit many colleges with this program and found out stuff that I never
knew about. The program also gives me a week of living on campus, a new experience to
teach me what it feels like to go to college. I'm still struggling with English and writing.
My vocabulary needs improvement and my reading skills also. But, I’m determined to
keep on going and succeed.
By Ephraim Natano
When I was five years old my brother, mom, and me moved to America. My mom
had a stable job and was one of the best accountants in the Philippines, but she knew that
the educational opportunities in the U.S. were better than in the Philippines. So, when she
had an opportunity to go to the U.S. she took it. Our grandma told her it would be easier
not to take us but my mom wanted us with her because she knew what it felt like to leave
us with our grandparents from when she worked. My dad was not in the picture because
he had no job so he couldn’t take care of us; so in a way my mom was also our dad.
When we first arrived to the airport I felt the chills of the winter, which was a
shock because I was used to tropical weather. When my brother and I went to school for
the first time we felt like outcasts. All the people in the school were Caucasians while we
were the only Asians. They had no ESL (English Secondary Language) so we were just
put in the regular classes. In my class I saw the eyes staring at me while I was sitting
alone at my table. When I got home I wanted to learn English so I started to read a
Filipino to English book that my mom gave me and started to watch T.V. shows. After a
couple of months I learned a lot of English and didn’t feel like an outcast. I talked to a
couple of kids and became friends with them.
When we moved to Chicago it was a whole new experience; moving was difficult.
I felt scared seeing the busses, the cars honking at each other, and people walking fast.
We didn’t have any money so we moved into a homeless shelter. My mom was looking
for a job so we could move into a house, and while she scrambled we had to move from
shelter to shelter and switch from school to school. There was one point when my mom
considered putting us in a foster home, but she found a job and she rented an apartment.
We finally had something good happening. It was summer and she couldn’t leave us by
ourselves so she took us to work. We took the train for the first time, and I saw this map
of Chicago and grabbed one. I opened up the map; it was huge and stretched from one
side of the table to the other. I saw many streets and all the different trains that run
Chicago. I played with the map following the color lines (train routes) seeing how to get
home and different places. When I got this map I felt independent because I’ve always
moved a lot and now I felt that I knew Chicago.
Going into high school was an easy transition for me because I joined this
program called Upward Bound, a 4-year College Prep program that helps low income,
first generation students. This program helped me meet some students that were entering
the same school as me, and when I needed help from a class they helped me by having
tutoring sessions during school. The program also has a six-week summer program where
we take classes that help us get ahead and prepare for the school year. I always have been
the type of person who likes to go ahead of the lesson plans. On the 5th week the program
goes to a college for a whole week and lives on the campus. So, I have lived for a whole
week on a college campus every summer during high school learning to wake up early
for classes and be more independent. This experience showed me how college life will be
living on a campus.
Each month my high school selects and gives a congratulatory breakfast to a
student of the month, a student who excels, and I was twice chosen student of the month,
once as a sophomore and once as a junior. My favorite classes are my science classes. I
took biology and chemistry classes and liked seeing all the cells, the human body,
periodic tables, and all the different chemicals. I remembered when I was a little kid my
mom bought me a stethoscope and I loved it. I used it on my brother and my mom, who
would ask me, “Can you hear my heart?” I want two things in a profession, science and
to help other people. That is why I want to go to college and become a doctor.
Ephraim Natano (Chicago History Museum Field Trip)
By Gabriel Otero
It was the month of July. I was graduating from high school in Mexico. I come
from a small town in the state of Guerrero, southern Mexico. My family made me a party
to say goodbye because I was leaving to the United States. Growing up in Mexico was
very hard because my family has never had a strong economic position. To be more
specific we were very poor people. This is why I decided to come to study here, to the
U.S. My aunt and uncle accepted me in their house and have supported my education
and basic needs. It was so hard to say goodbye to the people I grew up with, all my
friends and family. But I had to do it because it is my only way to succeed, and it’s nice
that they understand it and support me in my decision. I want to succeed because I want
to give my parents and sisters a better life.
In Mexico, we suffered because of the poverty. We also suffered by corruption.
It’s gotten pretty dangerous to the point that people have lost their faith. Not even the
government helps; they don’t do their job at all I would say. Cartels have taken control
over the country, and the police have joined them. It is all corruption. I have seen very
sad things; some of them I prefer not to tell. But I can tell you that I have seen how
people with guns and dressed in black with their faces covered assault students from high
school and take them away just to kill them. But we all know that these kids were
sometimes working with them. Still, it is disturbing to see how people you know are
taken away to be tortured and killed, and you can’t do anything about it. It’s frustrating!
Since the level of poverty is too big, people join cartels just to survive because at this
point it is the only well paid job you can have because most of the people don’t finish
their education, a result of, again, poverty! Sometimes we couldn’t even sleep because
gangsters would be driving and chasing others around and shooting them. There’s no
place safe.
Jessica Ocampo (Photography Class) Edison Angamarca (Photography Class)
By Christina Villalobos
As long as I can remember I have always had a craving. As a child I was always
absorbed with my future. I would always boast to my parents all the things I would be
such as a chemist, an environmental scientist, a poet, a musician, an astronaut, or a
photographer. Since my parents didn’t know where to start and what to teach me I had to
seek it all around me. My parents came from Guerrero, Mexico. In Mexico they did what
they could with their surroundings by mostly working in the fields. My mom also helped
people in a pharmacy to support her family. There were limited opportunities so my mom
only made it to high school and my dad got up to elementary school. In 1995, they
crossed the border and a new life began for them in America. I was born in 1996, and
they had to settle down, find work, learn a new language and get accustomed to the
climate. I knew that other kids had the leverage of having parents being born in the U.S. I
wanted to prove that even if my background wasn’t as rich and cultivated as other
children it wouldn’t stop me from achieving in my studies and my careers.
In high school I found refuge and support in the Columbia College Upward
Bound Program, a four-year college prep program for low-income students that provides
tutoring, Saturday classes and a six-week summer program. They prepare me for what I
can expect in college. Upward Bound has exposed me to the world of literature and helps
me lay a foundation on which I can stand on. I started reading classical literature such as
Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, many Oscar Wilde novels and Wuthering Heights by Bronte.
In school, I worked laboriously on my studies covering countless AP and honors classes.
My AP courses ranged from AP Human Geography to AP Spanish Literature and AP U.S
History. I have acquired many skills such as being disciplined, resourceful and organized.
Freshman year I decided to play with Fate when I joined Swimming. As I waded
into the pool I knew it was going to be no effortless task and applying my goggles I
expected the worst. After a few weeks I was aching, but I increased my pace and
improved my form. My teammates who trained me and who saw my potential, my
strengths and weaknesses became more than idols to me. They became my family and I
fastened on to them for inspiration. Through swimming and water polo I matured as a
human being. I cannot express how through these sports, I gained control and the
confidence necessary for life after high school.
I further strove to practice my social skills as well as refine my character. Starting
in September 2010 I became involved in my public library tutoring kids. Every day after
school I would spend 3 hours working with kids both from private and public schools to
guide and educate them. I assisted in any way I could, teaching them ways to understand
various subject areas. I met many who reminded me of myself because they also had that
same passion and perseverance to learn. I did not want to watch them struggle like I had.
This opportunity benefited me because I had the chance to help someone who, like
myself, didn‘t have much opportunity to get help from their family. This triumph of
impacting someone’s life signaled a turning point that strengthened my passion for
assisting others as well as my abilities to analyze and lead others through hard work.
I know that with my experiences, the skills that I developed in high school, my
volunteer work, and my perseverance, I will prosper in college. One thing I learned from
my parents is to never give up. They showed me to attempt things with patience. If you
set your mind to a goal you’ll surely achieve it. My motivation and my appetite to learn
are not only to enrich myself but to hopefully benefit those in the world who lack
opportunity. I wish to accomplish my dreams as a first generation American in my family
to go to college; that makes my drive all the more the stronger. What I have undergone
was a metamorphosis in discovering myself through influences and, as a result, benefiting
others. I am confident of my character and what I can bring to the table at your school as
well as making a difference to the people I am devoted to.
Christina Villalobos taking photos. Photo by Victoria Torres.
By Chenxi Wang
It was a cold winter day, February 24, 2010, and I was on an airplane to the United
States. I flew fourteen hours, but I couldn’t sleep. I thought to myself, “This is it. My
time for my future and my life. I must try hard. It is not easy to be lucky enough to have
this opportunity to enter this new world.” My mom went to the United States in 2000.
She had divorced my dad and we didn’t have lots of money. She wanted to come to the
U.S to try to make more money to support the family. I stayed with my grandparents
when she left. I was only four. She put me down to sleep, and when I woke up, she was
gone. I couldn’t find her anywhere until my grandma told me she had left us to go to the
United States. I was shocked. I sat on the ground cried out loud with my grandma,
knowing that there was nothing we could do to make her come back.
“You don’t have a mom,” “Your mama has died.” “Your mama has left you.” “She’s
never coming back.” This is what followed me from kindergarten all the way through
elementary school. I used to get bullied at school every day because they knew I had no
one, nothing, and nobody to rely on. I cried every night. When my grandma asked me
why, I could not tell her because that would make her cry too. I was hopeless. When I
saw my classmate’s mom pick her up every day from school, they were smiling, and she
would always call out “mama” and then gave her mom a big hug. They were all filled
with happiness. I knew right away that I didn’t belong there. Since my grandma was old,
I couldn’t expect her to pick me up from school. I already expected too much from her.
Therefore, I was always walking home by myself.
August twenty-fourth, two thousand eight was a memorable day. Eight years had
passed by, and it was the first time my mom came back to visit. She gave me a surprise.
Nobody knew she was coming until she stood in front of me. I still remember I touched
her arm to make sure she was real. Tears filled my eyes the whole time. She took me
shopping, to eat and to the zoo. For the first time, I felt loved. I was filled with happiness.
I wished time could stop at that moment. We talked for a long time that day. She told me
why she moved to the United States and how she wanted me to move with her. This was
the first time I thought of going to the United States to live with my mom.
On February sixteen, two thousand nine my first visa to enter the U.S. got rejected. It
was horrible and unbelievable that the U.S government would reject a person who hasn’t
seen her mom in ten years. However when the officer said, “No, you’re lacking
information,” my heart broke into a mixture of sadness, disappointment, and
hopelessness. I waited almost a year to get my visa approved. Finally I could go to see
my mom and start my new life.
Life in United States wasn’t as easy as I thought. The first year in the United States
was hard because I didn’t speak English. It took me a long time to learn the language and
the culture. However, my mom is always the one who pushed me to learn more. I started
to learn little by little. She also showed that she cares about my education and my future,
but at the same time she continues to put pressure on me. She doesn‘t want me to be like
her, working days and nights without making a lot of money. “No pressure, no action,”
that’s what she always says. It really worked on me because I don’t want to disappoint
her. She would always go to the “parent session” and try to talk to the teacher with her
broken English. It really touched me that she cares so much about my education. That’s
why these years in high school I have tried my best to excel in all my classes. I always
want to be the best one. I have participated in different clubs: Multicultural club, Jewelry
club, and Chinese club. I also went to the history fair and the mock trial competition to
gain more learning experiences. I made it to the National Honor Society (NHS) as well
where I helped others accomplish their goals. In the summer, I attended different
programs. The one that most benefits me is the Columbia College Upward Bound
Program, a College Prep Program that provides tutoring, Saturday classes, a summer
program and assistance with the college application process. It helps me improve my
reading skills and now I enjoy reading. I have done almost 300 service learning hours
with Build On, a community service program. I like to help people and try my best to
make our society and country better. My thought has changed; I don’t just simply want to
live with my mom forever, but I want to help people with my knowledge. That is the
reason why I want to be a doctor. Not just because I have a great desire to help but I have
seen the work of doctors and other healthcare professionals who more or less saved the
lives of some of the most important people in my life. One of them was my grandma who
suffered from a heart attack and sadly didn't survive. I remember feeling so helpless; my
grandpa told me that the ambulance took over an hour to get to them. I blamed myself for
a long time, thinking that she might have lived if I was there to support her. However, I
realized, even if I was there, I couldn’t do anything. This experience has made me want
to be involved in a caring profession like health care. I see it as an opportunity to help
families. Today, I’m here in the United States where my new life begins.
Jacob Sanchez, Chenxi Wang & Jorge Moreno
FROM THE GLOBAL ISSUES CLASS
(Students read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
Montag Kills Beatty Essay
Nancy Galan
Montag decided to kill Beatty for both self-defense and to preserve something that
is lost. Montag wanted to prove that he could be a hero and that he wanted to preserve
books because he wanted to learn about literature. With killing Beatty he avenged the
murders of Clarisse and Mrs. Hudson because Beatty did not care about them. When Mrs.
Hudson died Beatty said, “You know the law…Where’s your common sense? None of
those books agree with each other…Snap out of it! The people in those books never
lived. Come on now!” (Bradbury pg. 38). Beatty didn’t care about the woman’s beliefs.
All she wanted was to be with her books and Beatty had to say that those books were
false when in reality most of them teach a lot. Beatty showed that he didn’t care about
what happened and Montag didn’t appreciate that because Mrs. Hudson was human and
she had feelings but Beatty showed no regrets about it because it was part of his job.
Beatty also talked about Clarisse but he didn’t understand that she actually cared about
the world and she had ideas, which apparently made Beatty mad because for him society
was fine the way it was. “She didn’t want to know how a thing was done, but why. That
can be embarrassing. You ask why to a lot of things and you wind up very unhappy
indeed, if you keep at it. The poor girl’s better off dead.” (Bradbury pg. 60). At the time
Montag listened to what Beatty said but he realized that Beatty didn’t care about them so
why should Montag care about Beatty. Beatty believed that Clarisse was better off dead
but why? Was it because Clarisse could actually change people the way he did with
Montag? Clarisse could change things if she wanted to and Beatty didn’t like that.
Montag could’ve killed Beatty for many reasons and one of them could be because he
didn’t care about people like Mrs. Hudson and Clarisse dying so Montag proved that
people wouldn’t care if Beatty died. Montag also proved that Beatty was a problem when
he said, “Beatty, he thought, you’re not a problem now. You always said, don’t face a
problem, burn it. Well, now I’ve done both. Good-bye, Captain.” (Bradbury pg. 121).
Montag got revenge on Beatty and he did it in a way that was so right. He repeated the
same words Beatty said because Montag wanted to prove that Beatty was a problem and
the only solution he could come up with was to burn him. Once Beatty was dead Montag
got rid of the oppression Beatty had on him and now Montag felt more free to continue
with his plan without worrying that Beatty was going to be on his way. Montag killed
Beatty for many reasons, it was a step that Montag had to take in order to free himself so
that he could learn about books and change society for good. Beatty was sort of blocking
that from happening and if he hadn’t died he might’ve stopped Montag and he would’ve
ended in jail or worse. In that aspect Montag was a hero because he decided that his cause
was more important to him now than following orders from someone who wouldn’t
understand.
Juan Vargas
People have many interpretations of what a hero is. Personally I feel Montag was
in the right to do what he did, but it wasn’t moral. I believe Montag kills Beatty to
preserve something lost and for self-defense. I do not believe he has avenged the death of
anyone because the past is the past, and vengeance doesn’t bring anyone back. Although
Montag had burned Beatty for whatever cause I believe he can justify it in the name of
books, but it is also much bigger than that.
Montag kills Beatty in the name of self-defense, but also to preserve freedom
and books. He burns Beatty knowing that if he put that flamethrower down, there would
be no going back, and all hope was lost. Everything he worked for would be for nothing.
In the name of self-defense, I just think Beatty running his mouth convinced Montag
even more to burn him. I think that’s what gave him the extra push. “What a dreadful
surprise. For every one nowadays knows, absolutely certain, that nothing will ever
happen to me. Others die, I go on,” (pg.115) This proves that Montag had, had it and that
he couldn’t let a person like Beatty take control for the rest of his life. Although I do
believe Montag burned Beatty for the cause of books, I also think that it was much bigger
than that. Montag saw that the people around him became immune to emotions and that
they couldn’t think for themselves. He also saw that the world he lived in, in fact, wasn’t
humane at all. And so Montag soon became part of this “resistance.” For example “that’s
the good part of dying; when you’ve nothing to lose, you run any risk you want.” (pg.85)
In this quote Montag has said in many words that the world he lives in is already dead,
and that to die would be losing nothing, because there’s nothing to come back to anyway.
Beatty was one of those risks Montag didn’t mind taking, even if the consequence was
dire. That’s why I still believe burning Beatty wasn’t out of his own hatred. He has
everything to lose now; his books, his chance of exposing something better, and a chance
to show the world different, even Faber. So I don’t believe he would just throw it away
by burning Beatty out of his own will. It was a part of something bigger like sending a
message about freedom. “It seems so right. It rushes you on so quickly to its own
conclusions your mind hasn’t time to protest, ‘what nonsense’,” (pg. 84) The freedom to
read in Montag’s world is justified by lawless behavior. Otherwise no one would break
the chain. How many guys like Montag come along? None, he’s like an extinct species.
Furthermore, these claims justify the death of Beatty, and any other actions Montag has
taken. To live in a better world, there had to be sacrificed. Burning Beatty wasn’t just
about books, but freedom from slavery of societies rules. I do not agree it was moral, but
sometimes you have to do what you have to do, and Montag had proved that through his
knowledge and actions. Montag believed in what was right, nothing else.
Ricardo Rangel
Bradbury portrays Captain Beatty as a literary expert to show the reader that Beatty is
educated, but to also show that Beatty is the law. Beatty can bend and twist the law so it
can come out to his advantage. The reader knows that Beatty has read books because he
sounds educated, especially during the conversation between Montag and him when
Beatty tries to confuse him. “’Do you know, I had a dream an hour ago. I lay down for a
catnap and in this dream you and I, Montag, got into a furious debate about books. You
towered with rage, yelled quotes at me. I calmly parried every thrust. Power, I said. And
you quoting Dr. Johnson, said ‘Knowledge is more equivalent to force!’ and I said, ‘Well,
Dr. Johnson, also said, dear boy, that ‘He is no wise man that will quit a certainty for an
uncertainty’” (Bradbury p. 106). Here the reader sees Beatty confusing Montag by yelling
out various quotes from the same author that contradict each other. Beatty knows how
intelligent he is and uses it to his advantage. After Beatty’s death, Montag also thinks
back about what Beatty once said and uses it to his advantage. “Beatty, he thought,
you’re not a problem now. You always said, don’t face a problem, burn it. Well, now I’ve
done both” (Bradbury p. 121). Montag shows how Beatty uses the law to go towards
Beatty’s own advantage. If Beatty ever had a problem, he burned it. If he couldn’t solve
the problem, he burned it. Beatty is the literary expert because he knows how to deal with
his problems, either by burning them or using his knowledge against them. Bradbury uses
Beatty’s final words to show the reader that Montag is still not able to comprehend books
and their meanings as much as Beatty. Beatty is the expert, while Montag barely learned
the meaning of books. “What traitors books can be! You think they’re backing you up,
and then they turn on you. Others can use them, too, and there you are, lost in the middle
of the moor, in a great welter of nouns and verbs and adjectives” (Bradbury p. 107). The
reader realizes that Montag still doesn’t know how to use books towards his advantage,
but just like anybody else, he is still learning. In the end, Bradbury uses Beatty as a
comparison between an expert on books and one who barely found their usefulness
(Montag).
Catalina Campoverde
In Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag has an altercation with Captain Beatty. During
the argument they had, Guy Montag kills Captain Beatty. Montag kills Beatty for both
self-defense and to preserve something he lost an example of this is so he would stop
burning books and hurting innocent people. Montag has avenged the deaths of Mrs.
Hudson and Clarisse because he really cares about Clarisse because she was the only
person that would talk him. Montag cannot be justify in murdering captain Beatty
because he burned books because that was not his reason of killing him his main reason
was in self-defense. Now that Captain Beatty died there might be a freedom in where
people can start to read again but still they might have the fear in them that they can get
caught by the firefighters. The three pieces of evidences that support my response for this
is first to start off with “ A shotgun blast went off in his leg every time he put it down and
he though, you’re a fool, a damn fool, an awful fool, an idiot, a damn idiot, and a fool
look at the mess and what you do”(Ray Bradbury,pg121) in this Montag is saying in
which Beatty is a great fool and an idiot because he did bad stuff for all the fires he put
on and in burning lot of books. Second of all “But everything at once, but everything one
stop of another Beatty, the women, Mildred, Clarisse everything” (Ray Bradbury pg. 121122) in this quotes it explains in which Guy Montag says that how he start to say the
people that die in the time and how everything is gone for him so in loss of something
that meant to him he killed Captain Beatty. In final analysis “Beatty wanted die, in the
middle of the crying Montag knew it or the truth. Beatty had wanted to die. He had just
stood there, not really trying to save himself, just stood there, joking, needling though
Montag, and the that was enough to stifle his sobbing and let him pause for air” ( Brad
Bradbury pg. 122) in this quote explains t in how that Beatty wanted to die so in a way he
was helping him. He didn’t know what else to do so in that way he found a solution in
killing him. In conclusion Montag did everything on his hands and what it was better for
society. But in reality there was no change for people get the freedom of reading books.
Censorship by Ricardo Rangel
Censorship plays throughout my life because my parents don’t want me to swear in front
of them, but I can still swear with my brother and my friends. I know to censor myself
whenever there is an adult or a stranger present because they don’t know and/or
understand me. Personally, I don’t like censorship because it violates our freedom of
speech and swearing is considered adult language, but adults say that it is childish to say
such words. My parents did not let me listen to Eminem when I was younger because he
said many “awful” things, but now he is my favorite artist. He speaks his mind and
doesn’t give a damn about what other people think of him. That is his way of being and
no one should take such a thing away from anybody.
Beatty’s Reasons Response by Ricardo Rangel
Captain Beatty gives Guy a lot of reasons why books must be burned. Some of them are:
to make everybody equal, to stop people from hating each other, and to destroy books
that some people don’t like. These are not very good reasons to burn books. It seems as if
people want to be equally as stupid. A person with a book might have more knowledge
than a person without a book and that person might not like the smart person for that
reason. People are afraid of others who are more intelligent. Some people might not like a
certain book because it talks critically about a group. If a person doesn’t like a book, then
that’s not a reason to burn it, better yet just don’t read it. Beatty said that people want to
be happy, but not all people find the definition of fun the same. Some might love doing
extreme stunts, while others might have fun reading a book. The definition of fun is not
doing the same things as other people, but rather to do the things you, personally, enjoy.
Ephraim Natano
Edward Snowden is a whistleblower, not a spy – but do our leaders care?
When I read about Edward Snowden didn’t really know who he was and what he did. But
after reading about him I can see why it would tie to the book Fahrenheit 451. I read this
article in the guardian.co.uk. When I read the title and looked up whistleblower it was a
person who leaked information of corruption. Edward Snowden, an American who
worked for the CIA leaked information through the Internet about top-secret America
where it talks about the surveillance of phone and Internet communications. In the article
it points out that it’s not like he gave the information to North Korea or Al-Qaeda. He
gave it to the Washington Post. Then it makes them seem like they're not spies because
their giving it to a newspaper company not adversaries. So I think in the distinction
between whistleblower and spy he fits into more a whistleblower…This can relate to
Fahrenheit 451 by Clarisse McClellan she went against the principle of society by being a
human, socializing with people even though everyone says she is weird. In the book
Fahrenheit 451 the government is not letting anyone read books; they got the firemen to
burn the books and use that as fear or intimidation. What I learned from the Article was
how the government is different when their secrets get out and how they are oppressing
one person for telling the truth. Letting people hear the truth is a bad thing but that’s
politics for you - lying and empty promises. This information can affect my life by how I
view the government as there’s always something fishy going on inside those buildings.
Gaby Martinez (Photography Class)
Helen Hernandez (Studio Art)
Catalina Campoverde
Clarisse McClellan was seventeen years old and she was crying. She met Montag and
started to talk. She asked many question. Montag was surprised when Clarisse was
talking to her because he expected her to be scared of him. She wondered how come the
fireman start fires and do not stop fires. “I’m seventeen and I am crazy my uncle says the
two always go together,” (Bradbury pg. 7). Yes, I agree with this quote because 17 year
olds are crazy. They’re crazy because most get to do whatever they want and they go to
parties and come in late. Well, I know most of my friends do which they are not supposed
to do. They also get crazy because they know they are close to being 18 years old which
determines you are an adult and not a teenager anymore.
Journal Response by Coraima Espinosa
I will agree with Charles M. Blow about Trayvon Martin. The whole system failed
Trayvon Martin. I found it frustrating that everyone was hooked on this case for over a
year. In my mind, they should have given the second degree murder to Zimmerman and
just be done with it but that didn’t happen. There’s many African-Americans, MexicanAmericans, all kinds of ethnicities being killed every day and no one takes time to notice
them. Yes, I felt sad for Trayvon. He was left on the street without anyone to notice, not
even the police. It’s horrible to leave a kid unnoticed for hours on the streets. I agree with
this statement that the police didn’t do their job, but most of the time they don’t. I
couldn’t believe that Zimmerman was a free man. I got mad at this issue. The guy
needed to be put in jail. Why will a “stranger” follow a young black boy in the middle of
the streets even though the police told Zimmerman not to follow the young black boy?
Clearly, the system did fail Trayvon big time and I found this unjust. Everyone knew
Zimmerman did it. Why didn’t the jury think the same thing as well? He wasn’t sent to
jail or convicted. The government needs to be better at their work and actually do their
job right.
Pablo Santamaria (Studio Art)
Chenxi Wang
In the article “ The Whole System Failed Trayvon Martin” written by Charles M. Blow,
he talked about how the system never intended to protect Trayvon Martin based on his
race and how it intended to allow George Zimmerman to kill him. The story all began in
February 2012 when Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old African American, was killed by
George Zimmerman for self-defense according to the “ stand your ground.” First, I
couldn’t believe that the court is allowing the use of deadly force so long as a person
“believes” their life is in danger. To me, it is just saying that it is okay to pull the trigger.
Now I am concerned that my neighbors may hurt or kill the ones we love as a result of
some nonsense about protection of property. On the other hand, in this case, the reason
we have juries is that they are people’s last hope. It is just made nonsense for them to
pick only homogenous jury. I totally agree with Mr. Blow. He made lots of good points.
He wants people to realize that racial bias plays a huge role in criminal trials in this
country. The court is supposed to be just fair and equal but what is wrong today? A
young man is dead, and the person who killed him is not punished. What is wrong with
this “stand your ground” law? People should focus on the reason “why did Zimmerman
take a gun with him?; “why did he not listen to the advice of the police and to stay in his
car?” I believe Zimmerman intended to kill Trayvon, but nobody even bothered to find
out. It is such a tragedy and a shame in our society. The law and people are messed up.
God knows who’s the next target.
Cristian Martinez
This boy Trayvon Martin who was killed by a white man, and the man was let go to walk
home after admitting killing a black boy. I think in this place it’s still racist, or in general,
racism is never going away. The whole jury was white, where’s the black people? The
boy could walk at any speed he wants. It’s his freedom to walk “slow” if he wanted to.
The boy didn’t look for trouble; he just stood up because he was being followed. The
white man should have listened to the cop but NO he knew he had a gun to kill him if
needed. He was the one for looking for trouble. If it would have been the opposite the
boy would have been in jail for the rest of his life.
Diana Lopez Journal Response
The whole system failed Trayvon Martin by Charles M. Blow
This article really caught my attention because of how they handled Trayvon Martin’s
case. They didn’t even keep Zimmerman under custody; they just let him go after they
asked him a few questions. Zimmerman shot Martin because he looked suspicious and
because he was walking at a slow pace. Zimmerman called the cops. The cops told him
not to follow him; they would be there as soon as possible. Zimmerman didn’t listen and
followed Trayvon anyway. Zimmerman caught up to Trayvon and confronted him. They
got into an argument and Zimmerman took out a gun and shot Trayvon. Zimmerman said
“it was self-defense.” In my opinion Zimmerman should have been guilty because he had
no right to take a young boy’s life just because he “looks suspicious.” It upsets me that
there is so much racism. What if it was a white boy? Would Zimmerman have called the
cops? Would he have shot him? This could happen anywhere even in Chicago. There is
so much hate mostly because of the gangs. Gangs are like a color of a race if you look
like a gangbanger they’ll go up to you and try to intimidate you.
BIOLOGY & CHEMISTRY CLASS SURVEYS
What do you like most about your summer class at Upward Bound?
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What I like most about my science class at UB is the labs we do, and the fun
teacher. She makes science fun and easy. – Chavell Gonzalez
I like them because they are helping me to improve my science – Pablo
Santamaria
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What I like most about my science class in UB is the way the teacher has energy
and makes the class fun, and the LABS ARE AWESOME – like the day we made
ice cream in class. – Jessica Ocampo
What I like most about my science class at UB is that it helps me to prepare for
my science class next year. – Alex Moreno
This science class was the most easy and fun class I’ve had. Ms Dean
continuously makes sure everyone is up to date on everything and no one is left
behind. She uses different resources to help us get what we might not
comprehend. I like this class because I’m never backed up or unsure about
anything. – Aliyah Casas
What I like about science class at UB is that we get more help than in my normal
classes. – Gio Briones
I like basically everything, because Ms Dean is preparing us to be more academic
and aware of what is coming to us in HS. – Danny Estela
What I like most about my science class is that we learn about new things
everyday and that is kind of difficult, but we always do lots of practice. – Jennifer
Olivera
What I like about this class is that I learn something new that I’ll need in high
school. – Denny Martinez
Why is it important to have general scientific knowledge?
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It is important to have scientific knowledge because science could help find new
things, and save and know about our bodies, the environment, etc. – Jennifer
Olivera
It is important to have general scientific knowledge so that we can know about
how things get made and what things are made of. – Arthuro Garcia
It’s important to have science and math knowledge because they are always
everywhere. – Yajaira Moreno
Science is basically in everyday life so it’s good to know science stuff. – Jocely
Vazquez
Maybe because science is everywhere! - Salvador Sandoval
You should have general scientific knowledge because you should know how
your body works. – Andrea Lopez
It can help you later or in the future. You might even need the knowledge of
basic science for a law issue. – Helen Hernandez
How will this class help you in the future?
• When I start sophomore year in the fall, I will understand the basic stuff in
chemistry. – Rolando Trujillo
• To be a person with knowledge. – Hector Martinez
• This class will help me in the future if we want to become scientists or doctors
then we will know about the stuff early. – Naomi Cox
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It’s a head start to learn so when you start school you’re like “I got this.” – Edison
Angamarca
It’ll help me a lot since I’m focused on the medical field and I’ll need to know the
basic science at the least. – Helen Hernandez
Do you think all high school students should be required to take science classes? Why or
why not?
• Yes. I think that all high school students should be required to take science
classes because we use science in our regular life. – Xiaja Canty – Valentine
• Yes!!! Because it is a wonderful expecience that everybody should take advantage
of. – Jason Aguila
• Yes, because they are going to use science in the future. – Guadalupe Gonzalez
• Yes, because science helps us know about things that we should know about and
if something is dangerous or not. And, in four years (of high school), every
science class is different. – Julio Ortiz
• Yes, so that most people have the common knowledge, - Isaiah Flores
• Yes because it will help them through school, and by having an idea about how
nature/global issues work. – Jessica Ocampo
Visit to Northwestern University
Noel Guzman (Studio Art)
The Field Trip
By Christina Villalobos
On Friday July 12, Columbia College Upward Bound hosted two performances
from Urban Gateways and visited the Chicago History museum. The Urban Gateways
performances consisted of “History of Jazz” and “Chicago Voices”. When listening to the
Jazz performers we were all exposed to jazz music, an American music that has a little bit
of everything such as African and European influences. Jazz is said to be a “gumbo” soup
that transforms into something unique. Coming from a generation that really doesn’t
bother with soft orchestra or jazz I guess this was a new experience that Upward Bound
gave us. Throughout the performance we learned the different jazz beats by interacting
with the musicians who had us clap along to the beats that are the foundation of jazz
music. Some of these beats were first introduced by the African-American style
drumming, which was slowly incorporated with European instruments. The combination
of the piano, the cello (a string instrument) and the drums composed a sound pleasant to
the ears. We learned much of the history of Jazz when we learned that Jazz originated in
New Orleans and then migrated to the north in the 1920‘s to cities like Chicago and New
York. The jazz performers demonstrated many of the styles that emerged over the
decades such as the Big Band music, “Bebop”, and Latin influences. In the1960’s new
bands like The Beatles brought much competition to the Jazz players. In order to survive
they created a new form of Jazz called “Bebop” where they incorporated fast-paced beat
and high-pitched sounds. As it adapted and changed, we also saw many of its earlier
influences decrease and much of the Latin and Cuban movement began to dominate.
The most anticipated thing of the day was the poetry slam performers. They
walked in with so much confidence to share their stories that they opened up to strangers
like us. It was such inspiring poetry and it didn’t even have to rhyme to move the
audience. We learned that just letting your voice be heard is capable of such power. I
admired listening to their obstacles and their experiences and that their focus was right
here in Chicago. The girl really used the five senses to create a picture to describe the
situations and surroundings she was in. I loved how the girl compared the violence in
Bosnia to violence in Chicago. I loved to hear it from her perspective because she was
new here and no one here ever questions why this happens. We have lived here long
enough to get used to it. Another person I found interesting to meet in the field trip was
the one who took the show away. The founder of the program was very outgoing. His
stories took you on a ride with his words and actions. He was in control of his poems and
you didn’t know your destination. He did more than perform. He made you feel like a
child again.
Having had our laughs and goodbyes we left to lunch. After lunch we waited a
pretty long time for the bus. We were said to have patience. But after we left we went out
to explore the Chicago History Museum. There were many interesting artifacts and colors
even as you walked into the door. The most exciting to a photographer that took the floor
away was Vivian Maier’s photography. It is sad how her photography was never
recognized when she was alive. She had a voice to share even through her photography.
One of her photographs I clearly recall was one where a girl was floating on water on a
beach in Chicago. I feel that she was undaunted when she took pictures of people up
close. It takes courage and it’s even a little intimidating.. Her documenting life in
Chicago really captures the people and the 1950’s to the 1970’s mood. We also viewed
much of the crossroads of America with many of the trains that we were able to walk
through and sit on. It makes you realize much of the luxury and comfort we have lost
compared to today. It is a real treasure to observe. After appraising such valuable artifacts
of our past we headed back with much greater knowledge of where we came from and its
history as well as the music and poetry that made up Chicago.
Julio Ortiz & Edison Angamarca Waiting for the Field Trip Busses
INTERMEDIATE COMPOSITION
Students were inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem” and wrote their own
versions of poems that represented their communities, dreams, struggles, and their
hope for the future.
I Live by Roxanna Torres
The world I live in
Many may ask
Where should I begin
I live in a false world
People act like nothing’s wrong
They walk the streets like controlled robots
They see no evil, hear no evil, and say they do no evil
My community, my people
Are treated like dogs with fleas
We are constantly pushed down
Maybe farther as the ocean
I dream of being somebody
But right now I’m a nobody
I hope my people will make it
For the future lies within them
I work to show that it’s a possibility
But I feel like days fly by and
I’m not moving like a sculpture in a museum
I dream, I hope, and I work
That’s all I can do
You ask what world I live in
But you already know
Open your eyes and you can see it
Success by Roxanna Torres
I’ve never really seen it
It doesn’t happen much around
People like me don’t make it far
But I will not die down
I won’t stop
I will rise to the top
And one day you’ll see me
Not in a dream but in a screen
I will walk on many stages
For my family and the neighborhood kids
If I can make it
So can they
Ephraim Natano & Isaiah Flores at Evening Study during Residential Week
Remember by Melissa Ortiz
There are things everyone can remember,
It can be important, it can be stupid
It can be positive, it can be negative.
But not matter, it stays in your head
You can remember and smile,
Then at times sit down and cry.
You can laugh it off and later on,
Or you can run away in shame
We can take pride in things we remember,
and at times we regret doing that.
Sometimes you remember things,
And realize how you felt then.
Life is a good reminder.
It keeps us from repeating things.
Dreams by Melissa Ortiz
My dreams, my ambitions.
My life, my goals,
Some may not see it,
but hopes and expectations scare me.
They're like the changing weather,
They remind me of the moon.
It's a constant change,
And it goes through phases.
Observe by Melissa Ortiz
The process of moving up...
I realized something growing up.
I saw and learned you needed to be noticed,
And not seen as another tree in the forest.
You had to work to get what you desired,
And get that dream you've always admired.
Dreams and fantasies keep you going.
And has my life continuously flowing
Idiot by Arturo Villalobos
Driving you insane
Mental pain
Distressing wane
Sticking your brain
Intensifying pace
Nothing to gain
Arturo Villalobos – Residential Week
This is Chicago by Alan Quirarte
This is Chicago, the place where you have to work really hard if you want to be someone.
The place where if you’re not fully American you don’t have the same chances as
someone that is. The place where not even a man of color has the same chances in life as
a white man. But after all this, this is also a place where you can find a lot of friendly
people. A whole variety of ethnicities and cultures, people of all sizes and colors live
here. You may even become friends with the guy that delivers the newspapers. This is
Chicago, a place where you can have any kind of life.
I Can by Enrique Ubau
Everybody has a dream
I have a dream
My dream is to become a doctor
Some people think why?
My answer is sincere
I want to help the poor people
I will achieve my goal
Because I never give up
My family, my teachers, Upward Bound all help me
and I know
I can make it
I will do it Why not?
Because I don’t speak English
This will not be a problem
Because I can make it, learn it
I will do it
You can do it
We all can do it.
Chavell Gonzalez & Arthuro Garcia at Residential Week.
Motivation by Jorge Moreno
Motivation, when I think of this word it gives me a sense of hope.
I think of all the things that keep me going day and night.
The support of my family is what keeps me up and running the most.
I use every wonderful moment that I live, as motivation to strive for the best and to never
give up.
Every day is a struggle, but I know I must overcome every obstacle that is put in my way.
When there is little hope, I think of all the positive things that can happen if I put in all
my best. That is what I do, I put in all my best towards everything I do in order to get a
good impact out of it.
There are many things that can be used as motivation for everyone.
My will to change the world, and motivation are the things that shape me into the person
I am today.
Yamilex Toledano
Started from the bottom, now raising to the top as if climbing Mount Everest. Getting
what I need, dusting off the bad, bringing in the good. Started from zero like the number
line now I'm at 10 and you? Bringing all my people together to make harmony like a
well-tuned song taking parts of broken and shattered dreams to make one and that's how
we get to where I'm at.
Life’s Documentary by Andres Villanueva
Look, I rapped a verse and the world fell
Some might not like my flows but oh well
Can’t get mad toward someone who don’t comprehend the message that I send
I am not ever lying so I’m no pretend
You see coming up wasn’t all that easy
But now I’m trying write it out so everyone can understand me
Trying put it all together and I know some people will be free after hearing my rap
documentary
Like when I first called Mentally in my elementary
Proved everyone wrong when I graduated with B’s
They say what’s rap to me I say it’s my dream
Started from the bottom now I’m trying get my life cleaned
Now all I’m saying better keeps your dreams tight
Correct myself now because it’s my life, instead of drugs I’m overdosing on raps
As I strive to be the greatest of my kind
Going make my Latinos proud with actions and sounds
Moms told me to ignore those who were ignorant
To forget those foes that we’re bad influence
Have to change the music but my roots I won’t forget
Every one hatches but only few leave the nest
I rap I stick to the properties, the philosopher of rap now everyone calling Socrates
This might be just a talent show, but it’ll inspire those across sea
My mind is set only to one goal, to graduate and intimidate others who discriminate those
being gay or by their race
Adults saying I’m too young but they know I’m trying do something
Knowing I could become someone even thou grew up with nothing
I see those being isolated by the way they look, how they judge the youth and
Tell them how will you judge if were all humans
I stand beside them all the way through
Won’t let them hurt them just because they choose,
Put a gun to my chest to leave my music but I’d rather die than refuse
I might have not given the answer to the problem but I probably gave you a little
something to think through.
Cristian Adrian Suarez
Our motivations shall be our Fears
It lets you know when it is near
Yet it makes it harder to steer
But it motivates you to see clear
I know it’s kind of weird
But it shall be our Fears
If it consumes you, you’ll disappear
Get past them and sunlight will appear.
A forgotten dream is like a shattered memory
A forgotten memory is like a shattered dream
I already know my dream is hard to reach
It seems as if it’s too late to give out my speech
A voice that can’t be heard is like a bell with no ring
However, I believe I lived long enough to see
that my actions should do my talking instead.
With these actions I soon will reach my dreams
I shall move forth even if it’s harder than it seems
I will achieve my Dreams
Self Portrait by Ignacio Saucedo
Roberto Hernandez
Animals are people
and people are animals
We eat
They eat
We think
They think
I hate when people get mad when some say
You act like an animal
That's like saying you act like a human
Some people are dumb
and so are some animals
While others think
So do animals
the only difference is
People kill just because they want to
Animals kill just to survive or protection
Animals were here first
I don't know why humans try to take over
They let us to their world
Humans should let them be
and not kill them for fun
If not for fun
for survival
That's what animals do
They show that they are the bigger people
They only kill humans
because they try to protect themselves
If you don't want to die by an animal then leave them... ALONE!
Fruitvale Station Response by Gaby Martinez
Sitting down in the train, watching people standing, waiting for their train and listening to
one of my favorite songs. Reminding myself about that movie, "Fruitvale Station" and
thinking what Jorge said was so right -- we get influenced by everyone else, thinking it’s
funny. Like the Macklemore song said,
“It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins
It's human rights for everybody, there is no difference!
Live on and be yourself”
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE! Yes, we should be treating each other like equals. You
can’t change who you are. No government can change you like the song says, “I can't
change Even if I tried Even if I wanted to.” This all hurts me every time I think about it
my chest hurts, it’s sad how the people can be so harsh to others just because of their skin
color, their sexuality, and the way they look.
Response to the "Fruitvale Station" by Arturo Villalobos
There are many thoughts to the events and effects that happened to Oscar Grant. To begin
with, the cop shot a man that was on the ground laying face down to the ground,
handcuffed and as if it wasn't enough another cop was also holding him down. The cop
cannot say his life was at risk because he could have stopped for just a second to realize
the difference between his gun and his taser, if he even had a taser. The fact that the cop
had “confused" his gun for his taser was not believable because the gun does not weigh
the same as a taser. It does not look the same and is probably not the same size either.
Also, afterwards the cop only got two years in jail of which he only served 11 months.
Comparing that to what you would get if you would have killed a dog; it is 4 years in jail
if you would have killed a dog. When you think about it do they mean to show that
Oscar's life was worth less than a dog’s? The cop got nothing of what the cop deserved.
He should have gotten the same treatment as if he was a regular citizen because he is a
regular citizen or is he worth more than any one of us regular citizens? Also I believe he
should have gotten more years because he was unable to perform his duty as he was
supposed to. I also believe he should have gotten more years for the violation of the
rights not of Oscar but of her wife for stealing her right to a husband, the right of his
daughter for stealing her right to a father, the right of his mother of the right to her son,
the right of his father of the right to a son, and the right to his whole community to watch
him grow and become what he could have become.
Students were inspired by Richard Wright’s autobiography and wrote their own
narratives of childhood disenchantment and struggles in the style of the author.
Dog Days
by Raul Oliva
It started out as a calm, relaxing day at school. Everything was great. I was feeling
pretty awesome, you know, usual stuff. This was way back in Kindergarten when I was
living in San Antonio, Texas. Life was pretty good until this horrible day that will forever
haunt me. (I got over it a while later but I’m still kinda afraid of dogs… but then again
what sane person would be if this happened to them.) Anyway, it had been a good day at
kindergarten, finger painting, eating glue, all that good stuff. Then the day was finally
over and it was time to go home.
There’s a usual routine at the end of the day: say goodbye to Ms. Rodgers, grab a
piece of candy and head out the door. I would always take two, which was probably a
good thing, to give me that little boost of energy for what was about to happen next. So I
walked out of the classroom and saw the principal, Mr. Meyers. As usual, there was a bit
of a hold up because he wanted to give a high five to pretty much every single kid in the
goddamn school. I guess he thought he was cool or something and maybe back then I
thought it was kinda cool, too. So I walked toward the door as he was high-fiving some
kids. I thought he would miss me but sure enough he put his hand up in front of me and I
raised mine awkwardly with a grimace. Come to think of it he was kind of a jackass.
So I walked to my grandmother’s car, spent from an exhausting day at
kindergarten. I was already in a bad mood and on top of that it was hot and I was tired. I
opened the door of the “in perfect condition” Chevy Astro van, got in, and pulled it shut.
All of the sudden I heard her screaming. I don’t remember exactly what she said, but she
was giving me some crap about how the door would get stuck if you slammed it too hard.
She told me to open it and close it the right way. This is where my day got bad. I gave the
door a tug to open it. It didn’t open so I pulled it even harder and soon enough I was
using all my strength. Which wasn’t really that much because, c’mon, I was like six. So I
came to the conclusion that the door was stuck. However, I did not want to admit this to
her because I knew she would just tell my mother about it and that was just a situation I
didn’t want to get involved in. Finally she came to the same realization and got out of the
car to open it from the outside. Keep in mind I was only a six year old. I watched her
outside struggling to get the door open. After about a minute I thought maybe I should be
helping her from the inside. As I looked down at the door handle I noticed something.
There was no red light. Which basically means I was about to get into even more trouble
because the door was locked. So my grandmother had been standing in the heat
struggling to open a locked door. I flipped the switch and Voila! Like magic the door
flung wide open. Only, one more problem arose, I hadn’t informed my grandmother that
it was okay and the door was just locked and I was about to unlock it as she was pulling
on the handle. So as the door flung open my grandma stumbled over and fell to the floor.
I had remained seated in the car for about twenty seconds before the thought of helping
her up had popped into my head so I jumped out of the car, walked over, and stretched
out a hand. She slapped it aside and got up on her own. She pretty much said, “You’ll
walk home you dumbass!” There were a lot of other Spanish swear words mixed in there
too, but you get the idea. Also, I don’t know if that was like some parenting thing to teach
me a lesson but making a six year old walk home alone… seriously?
So as she drove off leaving me in the dust I let out a sigh and started walking. I
got lost a few times, but I don’t blame myself. I don’t know any expert six year old
navigators. I swear I passed the school about three times. I looked to my left and thought
to myself, “Hey there’s a road I haven’t been down yet.” So I started walking. Everyone
on my block owns like three dogs so I knew I was close because I could hear an army of
dogs barking away, and they didn’t sound too happy. I was at about the middle of the
block when I heard something. Then it happened. As if Mr. Burns had just yelled
“Release the hounds!” (And if you don’t get that reference you really need to move out of
that rock you’re living under… just saying.) Then they all turned to me in unison. Which
to this day is the most frightening thing I have ever experienced. They all came running
at me like a dog stampede. I didn’t actually stop to count them all, but my six year old
estimation skills told me that there must have been about 18,973,632 dogs chasing after
me. (Or twelve- most likely twelve.) Either way I was pretty damn scared. I ran for my
life and suddenly things started to look familiar. I was on my block. I was so close to
home now all I had to do was spot my house and run in. There it was! My salvation.
What would take me to a place of happiness and joy and rid me of these feral merciless
beasts.
My brother had just happen to walk out the door. He noticed me and had the
audacity to ask “what are you doing?”
“Stop being a dumbass and open the damn door!” I yelled.
As if he had just noticed the dogs he began to run toward the door. He got in but I noticed
he closed the door behind him.
“You asshole!” I yelled in disbelief that he would actually run in and close the
door behind him when his younger brother was being chased down the street by a pack of
wolves.
He made me run around the block about three times. Each time he would open the
door until the dogs got close he would just slam it shut. Until finally I yelled “leave it
open!” He left it open for about 10 seconds and I didn’t know if that would be enough
time so I dove for it. I dove straight through the door and slid about 10 feet across the
floor, like James Bond jumping away from a burning building after he sets the timer to
007, which makes him seem like a badass because he is 007 but what if he doesn’t make
it out in seven seconds? Does he just die and the story is over? Anyway, it was pretty
badass. I got up and ran toward my brother and he opened his arms for a hug, but I didn’t
want to hug. He left me for dead! I wanted to hurt him. But he was twelve, so he pushed
me to the floor and said, “Calm down, it’s not like you died or anything.”
Then I laid there crying for about twenty minutes thinking to myself. I should
have taken more candy… I wish I had some candy.
Julio Ortiz (Photography Class)
Leslie Martinez (Photography Class)
Little Brother by Mireya Rosas
Since the day my mom brought my little brother home for the first time, I always wanted
to take care of him. I never thought taking care of someone was hard. It was a piece of
cake, right? I didn’t know that with great power, comes a great responsibility
One day, my little brother and I were playing pillow fight. My brother was five and I was
nine years old. Nobody ever got hurt when we played, until that day. My brother was too
close to the couch. The couch was made of wood. By accident, I hit my pillow against his
head hitting him into the wood couch. It didn’t look like I hit him hard until he looked
up. He was covered in blood from his forehead. He didn’t scream or anything. I think that
hit almost knocked him unconscious. But then the pain started causing him to scream so
loud. I was panicking; so, I tried to cover it or clean it up with a towel I found on the
floor. I knew I would get in a big trouble for this. But, my mom came to the living room.
It was too late; I was doomed. She saw my brother bleeding and was shocked. She asked
what happened. I told her, he hit the couch when he slipped. For a second, I thought she
believed me and I could get away with it. Until, she saw me holding the pillow. She
knows we play pillow fight, and asked us to stop because someone was going to get hurt
one day. I didn’t believe her, so I kept playing. I thought every mother says that because
they’re so over protective with their children. Who knew she was speaking the truth.
Later on I confessed to my mom after we got to the hospital. She knows that I was lying
to her in the first place. She was waiting until I told the truth. She prefers the ugly truth,
than a pretty lie. The hit opened my brother’s forehead a little bit and he needed to get
stitches. The doctors asked my little brother what happened. They thought it was my
mom’s fault for his injury. They never thought a nine year old could have done this to
their brother. I was scared they were going to call the cops or something. I was about to
tell them it was my fault, until my brother spoke up. He told the doctors he wanted to be
Spider-Man and he was trying to shoot spider webs, so he can swing like him; causing
him to fall and hit his head. I didn’t know why he lied to the doctors. I was shocked, but
later I find out he was trying to protect me. He told me that doctors are scary and they ask
too many question. He didn’t want me to get asked so many questions from the doctors
and get in trouble. He knows that it was in accident and didn’t want to get in a whole
mess with the hospital. He was a smart and brave boy to do that, at a young age. Since
that day, I knew that my little brother will always be there for me. I thought at first he
went delusional and nobody was going to believe him. Luckily, they believed my
brother. He was kid, and like people say, “Little kids and drunk people always say the
truth.”
Who Let the Dogs Out?
By Victoria Torres
When I was young my father would always go to Puerto Rico by himself. He
would sometimes forget about us. He only gave my mother enough money to pay rent
and some bills. We didn't have enough money for food. My mother decided she would go
to a food pantry at a church and ask for food. She took all of us with her. It was my older
sister, my twin, my new little sister, and I. I didn't pay much attention to what anybody
said. I would play a game called, “Ding, Dong, Ditch.” I would go to people houses and
ring the doorbell, open the gates and run.
On the way back to the house, my mother was happy. She had received two turkeys,
fruits, vegetables, and some other food. My little sister was only about 3 months and
Christmas was just around the corner. The lady from church had given her food because
of my new little sister. I didn't really seem to care, seeing as that the lady didn't even give
us candy. On the way back, I started opening gates. Now, I was about 3 years old. I didn't
know how to read. I came up to a sign that at the time said, “Beware of dogs,” and I
simply opened it. Just then, two Rottweilers started running towards me very mad.
Somehow, they caught a hold of my scent and barked toward me. I was scared I didn't
know what to do. I hid to the only shelter I could find, my mother's legs. I hid between
them. My mother was frantic. She was very scared. She yelled for help but all she got
were cowards. The dogs had bitten my jacket. Luckily, I wasn’t hurt. My mother
suddenly out of nowhere grabs the turkeys and throws them at the dogs. She used the
time and ran to a house. She had me and herself between a door and a screen. She rings
the doorbell screaming for help. Finally, a woman answered. My mom told her in
Spanish we needed help. However, the woman didn’t understand Spanish. The woman
brought her fluent son to try to help us. My mom told him about the situation, I was just
sitting down shaking, and when I got a chance to look I saw the food all over the place
and the stroller broken to pieces. My mother began to cry. Not only the stroller was
ruined, but we had no food for Christmas. I couldn't bear the thought. I ruined Christmas.
After animal control came and took the dogs away I was finally reunited with my older
sister and twin. The whole time they hid between a tree. The woman tells my mother not
to worry because in the end we were all safe. My mother could barely look at me. The
woman offered us a ride home.
When I got home I was hungry. We had no food. No money. My jacket was
ruined. I felt disappointed in myself. Hours later the doorbell rings. My mother answers.
When she did it was a life changing event. The woman who had opened the door was
now standing in front of me with her son. They came in with baskets of food. They
brought us new jackets for all my sisters. Seeing as I was “traumatized” they even bought
clothes for me. They bought us a new stroller for 3. They gave my mother a $100 from
target. My mother thanked her as many ways as possible. I never saw that women again,
but I thank her for being there when no one could. I don’t know why she helped us. She
didn’t have to open the door. No one forced her to take us home. She didn’t have to bring
us back gifts, yet she did. Maybe she knew how it felt to be helpless. Maybe her motherly
instincts kicked in. Maybe the women wanted to help because someone had once helped
her. From that moment on I never opened gates. Never played “Ding, Dong, Ditch.” I had
a fear of dogs during my childhood. However, as I got older I outgrew that. I became
cautious of what I did. I began to think what could happen if I did something.
Chantel Silva
I remember lying in bed at night, trying to fall asleep while listening to the yelling. I
would block my ears with my pillow to make it easier, only to find out that it didn’t work.
I was around seven years old and shared a room with my little brother, who is two and a
half years younger. I looked down to find him sound asleep, as if he was wearing
earplugs and couldn’t hear a thing. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew that my
parents were not happy. Arguments almost every night, which woke me up to find my
dad leaving the front door and not returning until the next morning. While my dad left the
house, my mom would tell me and my brother to sleep in her room with her. I was on the
wall side, my mom in the middle, and my little brother on the edge. During some
arguments at family parties, my dad would leave and take my brother with him; I would
stay with my mom. We lived on 18th when all of this started. A little while after we
moved to 19th street, which was closer to my grandma’s house, and the arguments
stopped. I knew that they would begin again. The way they looked at each other and
spoke to each other made me know that things were not going to be the same anymore.
One day my mom got all her clothes and left to stay at my grandma’s house. Of course, I
went with her, only my clothes stayed with my dad. By this time, my mom now had all
her stuff in my uncle’s house downstairs from my grandma’s, and since we were so close
to an alley, we had mice. I was terrified and my mom would use this as an excuse to take
me to my dad’s house and she would go stay at her boyfriend’s house. My mom dated
him while they were in high school, just before she met my dad. They got in contact with
each other when my dad was deported to México. I was nine. I believe that was part of
the reason why my parents separated, but my dad also did the same. I remember one
night; it was my dad, my brother, and I in the living room. He was crying to us, telling us
how my mom broke his heart, and that she wasn’t leaving just him. That she was also
leaving my brother and me since we would hardly see her. I remember just crying my
eyes out because I couldn’t stand to see my dad crying with red eyes, holding me and my
brother really tight like we were the only things he had in his life. At this time I was ten,
and felt that I was supposed to be there to make him feel better. But being only ten, I
didn’t really know much and he would ask questions about what my mom was doing and
who she was with. I would tell him the truth, which only broke his heart more. According
to the law, my parents had now been separated long enough to file for a divorce. My dad
refused to sign it many times, as if he still had hope for a relationship with my mom. He
finally realized that there was nothing he could do and signed the papers on my mom’s
birthday weekend. At the time, I was devastated, but being more like my mom, I didn’t
show my feelings toward it. I would just keep everything to myself. Now, I don’t really
see my dad much because he lives with some of his friends. He doesn’t really rely on me
anymore to make him feel better; he must have a girlfriend to do that now because he
really doesn’t seem so interested in spending time with me or my brother. My brother is
now 13 years old and I feel like I still do things to take care of him. I don’t mind it now
because he’s older and doesn’t need much help. My mom is still with her boyfriend, and I
refer to him as my stepdad now. It’s really the same thing as it was before; nothing has
really changed, except my feelings towards the divorce. Now when family members ask
me how I feel about it, I say I prefer them to be divorced. Although this caused me to lose
my childhood at a young age, I now feel like a mature, responsible, young lady and that I
don’t need to rely on my parents so much anymore.
Pablo Santamaria (Studio Art Class)
Juan Vargas (Photography Class)
Self Portrait by Estrella Rosas (Studio Art Class)
Student Writing from Introduction to Literature
“Chicago” By Naomi Cox The city is loud The people are crazy, yet fun. Chicago it is! “Words” By Ignacio Saucedo Love is a strong word Happiness is an easy word. Both are words we use. I Lost My Best Friend By Elizabeth Perez It was a Sunday morning, and it was chilly outside. It was a perfect day to hang out with my best friend, Michael. He’s the person that puts a smile on my face no matter what. I have known him since he was, when my aunt used to take care of him. That day, he was hanging out with this girl that I didn’t like, because she’s a bully, and is known for fighting people for no reason at all. Every time I looked at her, I got so mad my fist just wanted to run into her face so she could feel the pain she caused others. I didn’t like him hanging out with her, because she was a bad influence. It was around 4 o’clock, and I was getting ready to see him. I was so excited! But then my mom had the TV on the news. They said a shooting happened on 23rd street, and I dropped what I was doing and ran to the TV. “Michael Orozoco. Shot eight times by gang bangers.” My heart dropped. I fell to my knees and just cried. I can’t explain the pain I felt. I felt empty. I needed him to make me smile, but he wasn’t there, and I couldn’t accept it. At the same time, I was forced to think of him being gone. The thought kept repeating in my head like a scratched CD. I wanted to stop. It’s been three months since you’ve been gone, and I need you, but I know you wouldn’t like seeing me sad, and I know you’re watching over me. I can’t help it that I need you. It’s like you took half of me with you. Gone but not forgotten. PHYSICS CLASS - Brief Analysis of Coin-Tossing Probability Experiment
T.E. Wilkerson, P.J. Joshi, J. Gelacio, R. Hernandez, G. Martinez, J. Moreno, R. Oliva,
M. Ortiz, A. Quirarte, M. Rosas, J. Sanchez, C. Silva, C. Suarez, Y. Toledano, R. Torres,
V. Torres, E. Ubau, A. Villalobos, A. Villanueva
Abstract: Pennies were tossed by the class a collective total of 800 times. Results were
tabulated and probability was analyzed.
The purpose of this research was to collect probability data by tossing pennies and to
observe fluctuations from equal percentages of heads and tails as the experiment
progressed.
Eight groups of student researchers each tossed one penny 100 times. Class data were
collected in five rounds, after each group had tossed their respective pennies 20 times. In
addition, each student research group recorded and analyzed their own data to find
fluctuations from equal percentages of heads and tails in each round and in total. As more
data were collected, the deviation from a total of 50% heads decreased.
In a coin-tossing experiment, the total number of possible arrangements of heads and tails
is calculated using the formula A = 2n, where A is the number of arrangements and n is
the number of times the coin is tossed. In the class experiment, n = 800, so A = 6.67 x
10240. The number of arrangements resulting in equal percentages of heads and tails is
1.88 x 10239, which is the largest value for 800 tosses, making equal numbers of heads
and tails the most probable configuration. The actual class result was 393 heads, which
could occur in 1.66 x 10239 ways.
The following graph summarizes the decrease in the difference between the theoretical
probability of 50% heads and the experimental results as the number of coin tosses
increased.
The Physics Class (Photo by Victoria Torres)
Spoken Words from the Music Class
The process of moving up...
I realized something growing up.
I saw and learned you needed to be noticed,
And not seen as another tree in the forest.
You had to work to get what you desired,
And get that dream you've always admired.
Dreams and fantasies keep you going,
And has my life continuously flowing.
-Melissa Ortiz
Forgive me for the wrong that I've done. Everything was unintentional. I was probably
meant to leave. Now tell me what I should do, all the sorrow and tears; will it go away
through the years? Physically, emotionally I just can't explain how it feels. One day I will
wake up and see that everything was not real. Our lives were being controlled. We were
blinded by the media, mentally abused. But if you ask me, nobody was being consoled. I
was once told, this is our destiny! Well maybe it wasn't meant to be. Now everything that
we knew is gone. It dispersed into the air and turned to ashes. I sit here and look into the
sky, is there still hope? Gosh, time flies by! It was only yesterday that I was with my
family. I didn't want them to leave. Why did it have to be this way? Now I'm just sitting
here and reminiscing every moment of love. Nothing can wash away all the pain. So I ask
myself, is there still hope? Every one of you can start today and make a better change.
Wake up to reality; see the truth that lies beneath you. Save the world, all the vanity,
insanity, and inhumanity that we live in. Together we can fight until the end. Wipe away
all our tears and fight away all our fears. Yea, so come one, let's take control of our own
lives and build a better world.
-Jorge Moreno
Photography Class
Introduction to Literature Class
Championship Game
By Aliyah Casas
“Area championship against Northwest. Everyone’s going to be there. Your
team’s counting on you, # 20! Your team’s counting on you!”
These words echoed in the back of my head.
Riiiiing!
There goes the bell. Off to Northwest we go! I ran into Northwest, finding my
coach, who was telling everyone to hurry and put on their uniform, and get some shots in
before the big game. I ran to the restroom, and was out in two minutes, jersey tucked in,
laces tied tight, jewelry off, mind focus.
I was ready.
As we started warming up, the place started to crowd. My body started to shake
nerves getting bad, but there wasn’t any time for that.
Bzzzzz!
There goes the buzzer
“Team! Team! Come here! Come here!” Shouted my coach.
My coach gave everybody their positions, and next thing you knew we were on
the court.
Hawks, going left. Panthers, right. Jump ball! My teammate, Melissa, was
jumping ball, and we got it, and the game began! Looking up at the clock wasn’t even a
thought for us! Sweat dripping, heavily breathing, we can’t stop now! Undefeated since
first game, this is the championship. We made it this far, let’s take it to the end!
Great defense! Not enough to defeat the Hawks!
The game flew by like no other. 76-12, #20 with two points and three assists! We
took on our title with being undefeated! Panthers and their fans walking out with anger,
the Hawks took it again. I knew my team, we all worked together and gave it our all.
That’s what being a team is all about.
Lady Hawks were the 2012 champions!
Roxanna Torres (Photography Class)
FROM THE MUSIC CLASS
Follow your heart,
or else your life will fall apart.
The real enemies are not terrorists, the government, or even Lord Voldemort.
They're internal, demons inside all of us.
But it's your duty to take over,
a must for each and every one of us.
We have our demons outnumbered.
Why? Because they're scared of us...
We are all one.
Only our beliefs, cultures, languages, and opinions separate us.
But don't be in dismay my friend, it is all part of Namaste the moment when you feel like you understand someone more than you
understand yourself,
the moment of happiness in you, true happiness,
an enchanted, comforting happiness which suffuses your body, creating
a rapturous glow...
A glow so bright it blinds us from judgment, beliefs, religion,
causing us to begin to see the world the way it actually is,
not just through the limited vision of human eyes,
you begin to see people for who they really are,
how there is not just one person,
there is no "you" or "I" or "he" or "she"
there is only WE.
And that's all there ever was,
and all there ever will ever be,
no matter how large the population gets.
I wake up every morning thinking about the I...
Know humanity and the world is capable of much more in life,
and all forms of life on earth will flourish but
WE - every single one of us all must take the first step and follow our heart.
-Jacob Sanchez
I don't need therapy, I just need a hug,
some friends to show me the real them and
I'll show you the real me.
Let's compare scars and prevent it from ever happening again.
Let's show the world we're not self-help books or a WARNING,
we're just messed up kids,
and we could never have been more proud of it.
Well this one's for the messed up kids who felt how I felt.
We'll strike the world with our scars and in exchange, love for all:
Love for the girl who lives with her grandma and doesn't know how it
feels like to have a family...
Love for the boy who can't escape the grasp of his alcoholic dad
because he has nowhere else to go...
Love for the kid who works a job and watches their sibling because
their parents are never around, yet still tries to keep up in school
and get out out of that environment...
Love for the kid who suffered the worst day of his life and then went
to school the next day and asked by teachers to learn math and analyze
literature while his life was falling apart...
Love for the person who lost their best friend due to racial profiling....
Love for Trayvon Martin...
Love for Hadiya Pendleton...
Love for Richard Wright...
Heck, this one's for all of us.
-Jacob Sanchez
Human Nervous System – International Museum of Surgical Science Field Trip AUTOGRAPHS