Bringing in the New Year

On New Years Eve, I planned to go to San Francisco to watch the ball drop. However, thats what I did last year for New Years Eve and it wasn't really as exciting as everyone made it seem. So this year I am going to stay in and bring in the new years with my friends. I've decided to stay in this year also because of all the violence and craziness thats been happening in 2011. I would much rather be safe than sorry this new years and not only that, I'm guaranteed to have a good time at home with friends. With a few competetive games of dominoes,cards,monopoly,and call of duty planned and some homemade gumbo and deserts, with a side of champaigne I think we all can agree this new years eve will not be so bad. New years Eve is also my cousins birthday. every year we have cake at my grandmas house when I was younger all my bothers and sisters including my cousins spent the night at my grandmas house for new years eve and my cousins birthday. I hope to continue with these traditions and hopefully start new ones too.

New Years Resolution

This year I think my New Years resolution is going to be to stay productive. Actually, that will be the theme for 2012. Last year I accomplished a few minor things thats are really going to help me this year; such as getting accepted into Yearup this might actually help me start a career this year and doing volunteer work at the Martinez Juvenile Hall, helped me gain alot of experience that I will need in my career. I definitely see 2012 going smoother than last year.Besides all the crazy talk that the world is going to end and there will be a blackout in America, Im really looking forward to a fresh start. I have never been the person to make a new years resolution, but someone informed me that people with new years resolutions tend to accomplish more things. So I decided to give it a try and really commit to staying productive in 2012 and see . where I am at this time next year. Happy New Years!

Christmas

Christmas had a little more to offer for me this year. For Christmas I went to a friend’s house. This has been tradition for me the last couple of years since we’ve known each other. My friend’s name is Melissa and hers son’s name is Robert. He was very excited to see me and get his gift that Santa “left” at my house for him. He even cried when I left. I spent the rest of my Christmas time with my boyfriend after he came back from his family’s house. He brought me back some gumbo and I brought him back Pies, Cupcakes, brownies, and cookies. This Christmas was more than I expected it to be from last year’s Christmas. I look forward to Christmas in 2011.

Internship Readiness

The qualities of a person who is internship ready include being professional, detail oriented, knowing how to code switch, being informative, and having personality. To demonstrate how I am ready for internship I plan on following through on all the above qualities that shows what it takes to be internship ready. I plan to be infraction free for this whole module to prove that I am responsible and turn in all my assignments to prove that I am dependable and dedicated. I plan on bringing up my energy level as well as working on my speaking skills to project internship readiness. I will do this by talking to people I have not spoken to yet and having more energy to do things without getting upset that I have to do it.

The Best/worst Job i've ever had!!

The best job I have ever had was volunteering at the Martinez Juvenile Hall.  I loved working there because I always wanted to work with troubled youth and with my Criminal Justice background I knew a juvenile detention facility would be the perfect place for me to gain experience in for a career. Some of my responsibilities included talking to the youth and understanding why they feel the way they do about being incarcerated at a young age; also to provide positive feedback. I also got to do interactive projects with them such as making posters, to get to know them on a personal level. What made the experience enjoyable was working with youth that knew what they wanted to do once they were released.  Those youth were a pleasure to work with because it made my job easier and it made it easier for me to give more positive feedback and better reviews. Some skills that I developed was learning to work under pressure, learning to be patient and a better listener, and taking on new tasks that aren’t always in my job description.  Some lessons I learned about being in the workplace were getting to know my peers and the people I work with because you never know who can help you out in the long run. Before working in the juvenile hall I was unsure if that would be the best fit for me even though I knew that’s what I wanted to do, but after working there I realized a lot about myself and that I have the detention to work there and be successful.  The Worst job I have ever had was working at Jamba Juice. Some of my responsibilities were to wash dishes, prepare smoothies, and maintain cleanliness of sales floor, stock fresh merchandise often. This job was not enjoyable at all because there was not a lot of interaction with the customers, and it was cold and messy! However, I did gain some lessons out of it like, being friendly to each and every customer and that a catchy phrase will draw a customer in. Also, I do miss the free smoothies after every shift though!

Current Event-Johannes Mehserle Guilty this time?

Although Johannes Mehserle was released for the killing of Oscar Grant case he is now pending a new case for an incident that happened just weeks before the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant III at BART Fruitvale station. According to Kenneth Carrethers Mehserle and other BART officers assaulted him Nov. 15, 2008 at the Coliseum/Oakland airport station and are now seeking damages. Kenneth claims after a verbal exchange with Mehserle and other BART officers he was tackled and arrested and had to be taken to the hospital for treatment. The charges for Carrethers were dimissed by the Alamed County District Attorney's Office in February 2009. However after serving a two year sentence in prison for the Oscar Grant incident Mehserle is now expected to testify in civil trial for the Carrethers case November 22, 2011. This new trial is surprising to a lot of people and has a lot of minds racing on new thoughts about what really happened during the Oscar Grant case. The fact that Mehserle got away with the Carrethers incident for a short while is leaving the public thinking why he is not a convicted by now. Although on the other some of society might think why is this individual just now coming forward with information on his accusations? I think Mehserle  should be convicted on the Oscar Grant case because even though the allegations on him in the Carrethers case or late it still shows that Mehserle is a rather violent person and that the harm caused on Grant may have been intentional after all.

*Inspiration*

My inspiration is College graduates. When I see or hear that someone has just graduated from a college or university, it gives me inspiration and the feeling that I can do the same thing. Knowing that someone has put their all into getting a degree, and preparing to have a career rather than just a job, makes want to do the same thing. Every aspect of college has always been something that I wanted to experience and walking a college stage has been and will be my dream until I accomplish what I set out to become. The feeling I get when I see my name on a certificate or award is exciting and I can only imagine what my feelings would be to have my name on a degree in the major of my choice (Criminal Justice). When I see college commercials I always picture myself in my dream career. When I watch TV show such as First 48, Locked Up, or even Cops, I always think about what my life is going to be like once i enter the field of Criminal Justice. I know that I cannot accomplish these dreams or goals until I get a college degree but I am determined to do it. I have a friend who recently graduated from a college in Texas and she has been such an inspiration. She is making tons of money and she loves what she does for a living. I want to be able to provide and give myself and future children the best life that I can. I do not want to struggle or live off welfare or have to depend on anything. or anybody. I know the only way my future will look a bright as my friends, is to go back to college and GRADUATE!

My community

The members of my community are the people who live in my apartments. Elders, young adults, children, animals, and more. We all interact with each other typically those who are neighbors or who know wach other from an outside place. I interact with people in my community everyday. In the laundry room, in the leasing, office, the gym, by the pool, at the mailbox etc. the central thing to our membership is just living in the apartments. We all know if somebody is new to the complex or has been there since before weve moved in. we all have chosen to be  a part of the community. people decide wether they want to move into the apartments by the people who live their already and the rating that people give the atmosphere of the complex. whether its quiet, friendly, or a lot of hustle and bustle people decide if they cant to live here based of those crtitiques and decide if they want to become a part of the community. Some benefits of the community is that we are local. We are nearby a shopping center the local grocery store and gas station. we are also a few minutes walking distance form the busstop for those who take public transportion. These things have given the apartment very success because it is so local. Some problems we have is that we are on a main street and there is always alot of traffic. I enjjoy the people in my community and the enviroment. The people are all humble and they always have a smile on their face. the community is beautiful becasue everyone has windhimes and plants on their balcony or a welcome mat at their front door. I love the community I am a part of because it is very welcoming.

Plus/Delta

Some things that I’ve learned about myself were: I have a strong elevator pitch. I spoke very clearly and loudly the way I should when I’m speaking to peers or even random people. It just shows that I am confident in what I am saying. I also have learned that I can write in depth and readable blogs. I have never written a blog before and I have come to like it. I am very impressed with the fact that I turned the majority of my homework in, on time, and complete. I like that I have learned to be professional in different settings. I have always been mature and respectable but pro skills have taught me a lot of things I thought I never knew I would need to know in the work place. A few deltas I gave myself were taking leadership roles. I always tend to stand in the background and let someone take on the role of a leader eventually. I just like to give my ideas and thoughts. Another delta I gave myself was to work on my prepositional phrases. These were very hard for me and I know in any college prepositional phrases are like eighth grade grammar. So, I need to work more on prepositional phrases. The biggest delta I gave myself was to study harder. I always wait till the last minute to do homework or study and I have failed most of my quizzes and tests. This is unacceptable to so I definitely need to study hard and focus more.

Connected To My Neighborhood

A person's neighborhood does shape how he or she lives. A person living a prodominently white or upper class neighborhood isn't goin to sell drugs, be voilent, posess weapons, probably won't even use offensive language. A person growing up in the hood, where theres violence, and drug selling etc. is more likely going to grow up having a violent behavior. exprience the drug scene. What you see is what you get. You take in your surroundings and learn to adjust to them. For example,

 if there are people always standing outside your apartment complex that are gang bangers and drug dealers you are going to come equipped ready to either avoid those people as best as possible or make friends so there arent any problems. which ist he likely thing to do in a neighborhood.

I am who I am because of the neighborhood I lived in. The neighborhood I lived in was surrounded by bad kids who liked to start fights and that taught me how to be a self defensive person. That is who I am today. My school I went to in my neighborhood had alot of females that didn't like me becasue of certain attributes and that taught me to be confident. The neighborhood I lived in had robbers, and drug dealers that i learned to avoid and that taught me how to be street smart and that is who I am today. My neighborhood played a big role in who I am compared to where or what I would be at today had i grown up in the opposite neighborhood.

The companies that profit from low wage earners are exacerbating the opportunity divide because they are presenting low wage earners with bad credit upon signing agreement forms and leases for things such as loans, cars, houses, credit cards etc. Some businesses, most businesses nowadays, are looking at appliers credit score and if your credit score is lower than their standards some companies will not hire you. The reason companies are targeting low income earners are because they know it will take them longer to pay off their dues or or even get close to paying it of at all, resulting in their credit score to lower and and eventually debt. The opportunity divide is being effected by companies that profit low wage earners because their interest rates in a year are more than a low income earner is making. Interest rates can allow a person to go into so much debt they need a second job and are unable to find that job to pay off those debts. So many companies are making money off their interest rates and debt along with the payments that they don't even hire within their company themselves. I believe so many people sign off on papers they have no idea what it says resulting in debt.

Leticia Davis

My name is Leticia D. Davis. I was born and raised in Pittsburg Ca along with six siblings and four cousins. We all went to elementary, Junior high, and high school together so you can imagine how close we all are. In 8th grade I moved to Antioch Ca for high school where I attended Antioch Senior High. In this city and school I was faced with all kinds of challenges such as meeting new people, adapting to the streets of an unfamiliar city, and adjusting myself to fit in with the rest of society. Though Antioch and Pittsburg are connected cities, I felt as if I was in a whole new world. I graduated high school in 2007, and began studying nursing at Los Medanos College. Things at school were great but things at home were not so good. I got kicked out of my Aunt's house and had to drop out of my first semester in college. For the next two years my only concerns were finding a stable place to live and a JOB! Upon finding my first job, I moved in with my older sister and began college at Western Career College where I studied Criminal Justice and graduated in 2009. I then moved into my own apartment in another city out of my element (Concord) and adjusted very well as I did with Antioch. I am now volunteering at the Martinez Juvenile Hall and attending a non-profit organization called Yearup in San Francisco. I am very independent and am proud of where I've been and where I am going.

High School

I went to Antioch High School for the 9th through 12th grade. Our mascot was Panthers and our school colors were black and yellow. However, unless you were a Senior, joined in a sport, or if there was a pep rally the students did not wear the school colors. We did not really have a lot of school spirit. Seniors always were upper class, Though they were better than no one else going to the school thats just the way it was. They made their way to front of the lunch line, dominated the quad, got their own private section in the gym during rallys, and what really made Seniors a priority were the SENIOR shirts they got to wear repping the last two digits of the their graduation year on the back! The atmosphere at Antioch High was always rowdy. Walking down the foyer the noise level was always at the maximum even during class hours.During lunch the atmosphere was always loud even after school the atmosphere was rowdy, mainly because there was going to be a fight. The teachers were laid back, yet always attentive and aware. As they should be. I got along with most of them but somehow still didn't leave with a "favorite teacher". but I did leave with a lot of good friends and good memories

The way I speak

The way I speak is based on several things. the way I feel, my surroundings, who i'm talking to, and what i'm talking about. When i'm feeling mad i tend to swear a lot. i speak fast and loud! When i'm upset or sad, I wpeak slower. When i'm at school, church, a workplace, or a restaurant, I try to use proper english because I know my surroundings are filled with adults who will mug and scoul at me if i'm swearing or talking loud and obnoxiusly. These are places that my code switching skills come into place.As for schools I also use my proper English out of respect for the student who don't need to see an adult cursing ot using a bunch of "no" words. When talking about certain subjects I do not code switch completely but I switch words to either sound more formal or for emphasis. For example,  If i'm discussing death I will not say someone has dies. I would say someone has passsed away. And for emphasis for example, if i'm discussing how much I enjoyed a movie I would say : the movie was h***a good, as opposed to the movie was hecka/ really good. a speech habit I have developed is the informal texting language. When texting or instant messaging I abbreviate words, take out letters, add symbols and total disreagrd for all use of proper grammar. For example: "I won;t be able to make it today, but I will see you tomorrow" would actually be "I wnt b able 2 make it 2day bt i wll c u 2maro."