Winter Break Blog #1

Every night this break, I have went to family dinners. It was my 6 month old niece's first Christmas, so it was nice to have her with us. We also had our first Christmas Dinner at my house and a lot of family and friends came over. I was put on the spot to sing at a few dinners, which happens every year. Another highlight of this break is that a few of my best friends came home from school, so I've been spending some time with them also. During this break, a friend of the family offered herself to be my mentor when I move to So-Cal next fall. She lives out there and she told me that she would love to look over me as I continue to grow. I thought that was really nice of her because my real mentor lives in the Bay Area. This break has started off pretty well.

Internship Readiness Blog Post

Qualities that someone who is internship ready should have are proving to a boss or manager that you will take initiative to go beyond your work, for example, if you complete an assignment simply ask, "Is there anything else I can do?" also prove to your manager that you are highly dependable and that you stand out from others. Do not show arrogance, or cockiness, but that you are willing to learn on the job and process that knowledge that you take in. respect everyone in the workplace, and stay professional.

To demonstrate internship readiness, I will show that I am ready to learn and also take on any new challenges. Being on time and making sure all assignments and work is submitted by the due date is another way I can show that I’m ready for internship. I will also make sure I continue to learn how to separate outside issues from the workplace.

A few changes I could make is to show great attitude; enthusiasm to work. Another thing is participating a lot more to show that I am engaged. Apply every feedback to my everyday life, for they are given to me so that I can improve my abilities. One major thing I could change is to develop time management, therefore, I could get enough sleep to perform better, high-quality, work.  

Job Blog Post

Out of all the jobs I’ve had, there was one that was the worse and one job that was the best.

The worse job was when I worked at this career development institution. Some responsibilities were answering the phones, filing documents, using excel and access for data use and creating appointments between case managers and clients, running local errands, and giving out tests to students. But that wasn’t the worse part. The worst part was how unprofessional the building ran.

The best part of working there was being able to gain the experience and later on in life say that I have worked there. This job is where I first had to dress professional. I got along with my coworkers, I loved my boss, and the pay was very good. It was such a great experience to have worked at a business place like that before I even graduated high school. They were very understanding towards me and made sure I had all of the resources I needed to carry me through college.

 It taught me how to be professional, hardworking, and patient. I had to deal with a lot of people. Many people with different personalities came through the place; some with great attitudes and others with rude attitudes. Before this job, I wouldn’t have known how to handle those situations professionally. What I learned about the workplace is that the responsibilities there are far different than the responsibilities in high school. Nobody is babysitting you. You have to know when to wake up and be there on time, and also fulfill your responsibilities while you are there. What I learned about myself is that I became a zealous employee, and I can do whatever I put my mind to.

Diego Rivera's Mural vs. Occupy Movement?

 In Diego Rivera’s Frozen Assets mural, he is showing all of the big corporations/ banks, which hold all the power over the un-wealthy. He is clearly showing the truth behind the industry. A lot of people would oversee what the industry really does to our working communities, or people who do not have the resources needed to survive. His mural speaks what’s behind our economy, and how it ties in closely to the Great Depression in the 1930s. 

With the Occupy Movement today, people are just trying to stress the fact that all citizens should have equal rights. It isn’t right that the government and the wealthy live off of the working people, or people who are struggling to make a living. With the way that this is going, the US could go into another Great Depression again just on how the government treats its citizens. Money is being misused and taken away from the middle and lower class. This is how it connects so in depth with Diego Rivera’s Frozen Assets mural. During the Great Depression, people couldn’t get their money from banks. The main reason for Occupy Movement is their money is being taken from the banks.

The BIG connection with Diego Rivera’s mural and the Occupy Movement is that in the mural, there is a gate that separates the money and the people from getting their money. Today there is block from people getting their full money from the bank. The mural then shows in an image above that there are bodies lying on the ground, not dead, as a result of not getting their money. They decide to camp out and the police are standing around. This is what is happing with the Occupy Movement now. Lastly in the image above the last, Diego Rivera shows all the banks and corporation where many people are standing in a line. During this Occupy Movement, hundreds and thousands of people are lined up. Even from state to state.

There are many things in life that inspire me. One that sticks out to me the most is when I see people on t.v. singing and performing. They could either be singing on a show I would love to audition for, or just someone famous performing at a concert. The first thought that comes to my mind is, “That could be me…” I also share this inspiration with my best friend and my God sister who are also singers. Being inspired by other singers or even celebrities, it all gives me a mixture of feelings, hopes, and my cherished dreams.

The feelings this inspiration brings me are happiness and desire. I get so happy when I see something on t.v. about a singer or shows that are coming on about singers. Anything that has to do with what I am trying to go after makes me want to get it even more, especially if it’s something I really want to do as a career.

I don’t know if singing will always be my ultimate goal, but as far as 10 or 20 years lies ahead I definitely see myself singing in the future. I see myself as a singer now, or maybe that’s just the hope in me, who knows? In this inspiration, hope comes around so many times. “I hope I could be on that show one day,” is something I always think to myself. The more I think about it, the more I believe it will happen. And like I said, it just might be the hope in me, who knows?

My dream is to be on a t.v. show that I would love to sing for. I love when it comes to auditioning because although I haven’t even got to the first round yet, I see myself living out my dream already. I always dream about what I could be doing, or where I could be singing. I don’t know where this dream will take me, but I know I’m enjoying this ride.

"I don't sing because I'm happy; I'm happy because I sing." -William James

COMMUNITY

As a community, we come together to express our love and passion into dancing together. All of our movements are combined into one performance. This is how we tell our story.

Before people become members, they already have an idea in their mind of what they're getting themselves into. It is a lot of discipline and hard work. Blood, sweat, and tears are definitely the main feelings of rehearsals. I feel that this shows commitment, and their commitment is also what rises in the atmosphere. During rehearsals you can feel the hearts of everyone in the vibe we bring to express ourselves through culture.

We meet every weekend and get ready for rehearsal. We then have performances where we dance in our costumes, have great food and music, and become united.

The benefits are that everyone can show people what we have worked hard on as a whole together. The success out of every practice and performance is that each individual was able to show a piece of them through their movement. It is so fun, powerful, and uplifting that the only problem is that it has to end at some point.


-Mecca Janae

• Afro-Haitian Dance
• Caribbean Dance
• Hip-Hop
• Modern Dance

Plus and Deltas

One thing that I learned about myself is i know how to code switch. Before Year Up, I didn’t really know what that meant, but it means to separate the “outside you” to be professional in the work place. I didn’t really surprise myself by doing this. It was just something I naturally picked up as a skill.

There were many ways I was proud of myself. The main one is working hard on assignments. I wasnt always the homework person, but in Year Up I have completed all assignments and turned them in on time. I was especially proud of that. Another thing I was proud of was timing. I use to be late all the time. Although I was late a few times, I have been pretty good on making it to Year Up and to class. One last thing I would say I am very proud of is being organized. When it comes to assignments and papers, I usually had everything all over the place which made it difficult to relocate what I needed for class. So far, I’ve had everything together and I have been able to find all assignments.

Certain things I weren’t so proud of were infractions, getting discouraged, and swearing. Infractions affected me the most because they were mostly for timing. It is something I am not proud of for the reason I started to earn them consistently and not changing what I could have done to improve them. I also wasn’t proud of getting discouraged. When something happens that goes against my goal and what I am trying to maintain, I often get ready to give up. Everyone at Year Up and the staff is here to help so I know I shouldn’t feel that way. Lastly, I am definitely not proud of swearing in the work place. Even as a young lady it is not something I should do, but it is something I am so used to. At the work place I should leave it at the door so I can maintain professionalism.

My Neighborhood, and I.

I believe that neighborhoods can make a person who they are. I, personally, am based off two different neighborhoods I have lived in. I would definitely say between the small, southern town in Arkansas, and the urban area in California, they have both developed my character.

Malvern Arkansas is known for the strict ways of raising children, even the schools were run by a strict system. My mother was a single parent and even though we didn’t have much, she raised me at high expectations, and made sure I was going to finish school. I believe that it gave me the mentality that I know I can and will be successful, but with the limited resources and opportunities, made it really hard. Because there weren’t that many chances, trouble and failure was a lot of youths’ common comfort zone, which was another obstacle I had to make it through.

I now live in Berkeley California which is known for all the free spirits. Since I’ve been here, I have developed a stronger mindset. Not only did I believe I could be successful, I eventually took on challenges that were given. That is the difference between living in Malvern and living in Berkeley, opportunities are more available here. Berkeley, let alone California, has given me the attitude that I feel I need in this life to survive.

People, who have grown up in rough neighborhoods with hard lives, don’t press on their potential. All through their lives, they have been told that they can’t, or will never succeed. I feel like when people, mostly blacks, colored, and urban, don’t prove themselves they prove others to be right. That brings me back to the opportunity divide. All through life, I never really knew what that meant. Now that I know, I realize I have witnessed it all.

"Poverty Business" Topic

To start off, I honestly feel that almost everything in this world that has to do with life expenses, are corrupt. Companies and corporations are connected to the government, and they basically have control over lives. The lives I am referring to are people who can barely make it on their own. Living in this world is very expensive, especially if you have a family or children. You have to worry about a home, food, life necessities, and still have money in your pocket to live on. The government always stresses the fact that we need to put an end to poverty, but at the same time causing poverty. They have control over the way things are run in a state or city that can also help the U.S. Therefore, I believe that the government holds responsibility for raising these issues. The corporation and government are very much aware of the problems that go on in life, having to do with expenses.  Instead of trying to help poor people, they make life harder for them. They force credit on many citizens they know they could take advantage of just because they have no money. Life expenses are higher for people who are poor rather than people who already have no money. This brings me to my question as to why be it that someone who is barely getting by have to pay more in this life? It also brings me to believe that people of higher wealth are living off of the poor. Now going on to what this does to the opportunity divide, I believe that it proves it. The opportunity divide is basically opportunity not given to people because of their background and disability to gain resource. Not saying that these people are not smart, or capable of doing things, but they are discriminated on such. When a person is overlooked on their abilities based on judgment, it causes them to do whatever they have to do to get by in life, and that’s just not right. I am truly fortunate to be a part of Year Up that gives people the chance to succeed.

Me and My Success

My name is Mecca Janae Id-Deen and I am currently a student at Year Up. I come from a community where success is not seen, but with the love and support from my family, I am able to see past that. I love to sing, dance, write, and read. My passions are what motivate me along with the will to be successful. In order to pursue my goals I have involved myself in programs and having summer jobs. I want to do so many things in life to where I know nothing can stop me. The corporate world is where I mainly point my career towards. I also want to be in the music industry, photography, child care, the medical field, and even own my business. Even though that seems a lot right now, and I can’t do all at the same time, I would love to do these things as my future careers. Throughout school I have been a part of 4-H clubs, show cases, talent search, America Idol, and many other great programs and events. This is just to show my passion and perseverance through my goals and hobbies I love to do. Also to present that no matter what background or history you came from, you can be successful through strive and desire.

Current Event in the Bay Area. Nurses on Strike.

All over the Bay Area, many nurses are striking for the need of patients. Just to mention a couple, Kaiser and Alta Bates, are facing many disagreements with the hospitals and all of the people over them. The hospitals are very shocked that even the nurses they recently hired on a 3-year contract have decided to protest alongside other nurses as a sympathy strike. The nurses gathered together early in the morning to show their care and concerns for the patience. They want to change the ways of management.

One issue that the hospitals are dealing with is the wait for patients to be seen. Many people have said that they had to go through terribly long waits just to be seen to make an appointment. The nurses want all patients to be seen immediately or as soon as possible. Making someone wait too long to be helped is not a good thing to do, but it seems as if the manager s of the hospitals are starting not to care.

Another issue in the hospitals is that many are understaffed because of staffing cuts and retirees’. With all of the nurses leaving, there are any other nurses there to fill their spot leaving the hospitals with fewer staff. This is dangerous because it is causing patients to continue suffering. For every staff cut or retired nurse the hospitals should have immediately replaced them so, that the patients can feel tended and helped.

I cannot say if I agree or disagree because I feel both ways. I respect the nurse protesters 100%, but at the same time, when they decided to protest they should have thought about the patients then. What will happen to the ones who need help while they are all on strike. I do agree with the reason they protested simply because of the care for the patience. I honestly believe that there could have been an alternate, more efficient way for their points to get across because now even more nurses lost their jobs.

Dear Ol' High School (My high school years)

During my 4 years of high school, I went to two different high schools. Both had high expectations, but one was just more advanced than the other.

Ninth grade, I went to a school called Malvern High in Arkansas located in a really small town and it was very, very disciplined but there were not many resources. Because of the town it was located in, it reflected on our site and everything was limited. Plus there were only about 400 students.

I spent my 10th, 11th, 12th grade at Berkeley High School here in California. It had too much freedom, and had many resources. Because Berkeley High is an extended high school, it is known as one of Bay Area's top high schools with about 4,000 students.

Combining the two there was a big difference between Malvern High School and Berkeley High School, and even though I didn't have the best years, I can definitely say that I had great classes, teachers, help, and awesome friends and family throughout my 4 years of high school.




-Mecca

Reading Colleague's Blog and Commenting

SO I CANT POST COMMENTS ON MY BLOGGER PROFILE FOR SOME ODD REASON, I BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO HELP ME OUT, SOOOOO I DECIDED TO TURN IT INTO A BLOG SO I WOULD HAVE STILL COMPLETED MY HOMEWORK. BELOW I HAVE LISTED SOME COMMENTS ON A FEW BLOGS..

***There are three blogs I would like to comment on:

• Shakila: I can start off by saying that your blog is very genuine. I can relate because I grew up with the same speech background.

• Nick S.: I agree 100% because most of what a person knows depends on their bakground and how they were taugh/raised. I liked that.

• Jay: I like how you started off with [power] of speech!! I actually learned a lot from reading your blog. It was real and very genuine as well.

Blog Post #1

The way I speak outside of the workplace is mainly influenced by my friends and family. When I leave the workplace, the way I speak with my friends and family changes automatically without me even realizing it. If I speak to my friends and family the way I speak in the workplace, they may not understand certain things I say or the expressions in my words.

The reason my family influences the way I speak is because they are from the south, so being raised around them is how I grew up with the kind of words I use. In the work place, I would never use common phrases such as “all dat” or “come ova hea.” With my family that is the way we communicate and that’s what we have grown to know and understand.

The reason my friends’ influences the way I speak is simply because of the common slang use among youth. Ever since I started public schooling, my vocabulary and grammar hit a sudden change when I made friends. With young people, so many new words and phrases are made to where a lot of kids use these words as another language with each other. I believe that the reason people don’t realize why the way they speak changes automatically around their friends and family is because they’re so comfortable with that style of speech.


-Mecca