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.