Do not leave for tomorrow what can be done today.

After reading the article "Why We Find It Hard to Meditate" it was not hard to begin to relate to some of the main points. I tend to be the kind of person that likes to keep herself busy if not I feel like my day is wasted, thus, setting time aside for myself is seen as the ultimate luxury. The points on how one thinks that they don't have the time or have to much on their mind to relax are usually my excuses. When I do have the opportunity to actually take sometime for myself and relax is usually when I am ready to go to bed. It is usually a time when all that needs to be done is done, thus making it easier for me to relax, meditate and fall asleep.

Life is full of highs and lows. After reading the "Personal Balance" article it was reassured to me. There is time for everything and things come at their given time is something that I've always had in mind. In this article the author explained how one should make the most of its moment because things come at their given time. To keep this balance in my life I try to take each moment as it comes. Right now I am in high school and so far my first year is flying by. Therefore, I am taking the opportunities that I can and making the most out of my college experience by making myself involved on campus, making connections and expanding my circle. As the time goes by I will like to continue doing the same and just making sure that I keep myself on the "right path" and make the choices that are best for me, not anyone else. With that, making the most out of the good days and the bad days is what I plan to keep in mind.

“Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year. It is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow. Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest and the playtime.”~W.E.B. DuBois

This quote reminded me of something that I had heard from my parents before, the work that you do today is the reward that you will see tomorrow. From this quote I received the message that one must do the hard work today, because there will not be a more better time for it. The future will bring the benefit for this hard work. I try to apply this to my life because by being in college right now, putting the hours of hard work, the sleepless nights, working the part-time jobs will build up to the comfortable career that I plan to "harvest."

Esperanza:)

Educational Inequalities...

After watching the "Explaining the Inequalities in Chicago" video clip the statistics magnified the problem to me. I have known that the educational inequalities in public schools are of serious matter but these statistics just reassured me of how bad the problem actually is. They were really shockingly low numbers.

The video clip, “Louder Than a Bomb: High School Training Ground” was like an uncensored spoken reality from a CPS student himself. It showed his thoughts and opinions being affected directly by the Chicago Public School educational system. He was telling the experiences of the students and how they feel like their paths have already been chosen for them because they attend CPS schools and things at home are no good. This really gave an insight to the listener about the struggles of "an average" student in a CPS school. It told how the system has failed them and is not really interested in helping the student but rather has condemned them to the sad reality that they live. The teachers make little money and the students have lost the interest to learn. There are stories behind every student that perhaps are not heard, like the bully that is in need of affection or the girls that hid their insecurities through exposing everything else. It is to show that the students at CPS schools are in need of much more than just good teachers. Because of the low school funding there are more students in a classroom than books, thus the students do not have the equal opportunity to receive a proper education. Also, the school board over looks at those problems because they really don't have an idea that they are actually occurring since they themselves are "successful" professionals. It is a peaceful cry for help.

To be honest the "Inspiration : How Bad Do You Want It? (Success)" video made me feel like I need to work out harder, push myself past my limits... But in actuality it did serve as a great motion to push myself mentally aside from the whole "I need to work-out harder" athlete mentality. It reassured me that if I want to be successful I need to push my self past my limits and not sleep of on the opportunity. In order to be successful I must work hard for what I want. I get my source of motivation to be successful in school from my parents. They have done so much for me that I don't think I could ever thank them enough. Not only do they inspire me but they motivate me and are the reason why I work hard for making a career for my self to do better than where I came from, it is not that I am ashamed of where I came from but my parents have worked so hard for me to do better that they are my source of motivation to make them proud.

Esperanza:)

A leader is a dealer in hope.

Reading the "Locating the School-To-Prison Pipeline" left me in awe. I had known that there were injustices in the educational system especially toward minorities but after reading this article the information in it made me extremely upset. The fact that the school-to prison pipeline is relying on the law to handle the students' minor conduct issues rather than the school taking the time to work with the student is ridiculous! I honestly cannot believe that it is to the extreme such as "students who enter the juvenile justice system face many barriers to their re-entry into traditional schools" The method in which they have come about to not even putting the time to serve as a support system for the students and actually helping them out rather than automatically incriminating them because their race fits a set stereotype. This situation truly angers me because it is a problem that has spread out for years and people are still so ignorant as to let go of the stereotypes and actually help beat the negative expectations for these students of minority. These students are basically being told that they will never be good enough to be successful in school and that there are low expectations for them. 

Also, after viewing the "Black Males, Black Dreams" video I was filled with mixed emotions. The story explained throughout the video hit close to home. It reassured me of the inequalities that my cousins in an public school in Los Angeles, California had told me about. I did not believe them that the teachers would not take the time to help them outside of hours when necessary or that they would be as to tell them that they were not going to graduate or succeed in school because of where their family comes from. It really upset me that there are not many that would actually take the time and serve as mentor or a guidance for students on the border of fulfilling the stereotype or accomplishing school. I really would like to serve as a mentor for students in this situation and help them realize that there is actually many obstacles that they can overcome with a honest support. 

As a STARS Leader I am hoping that through the Empowerment Pipeline program I can serve as a support system for students here in the Chicago area. These educational inequalities are really affecting students not only in Chicago public schools but also in inner city schools throughout the country. This is such a wide spread problem and I feel like I can do my share of helping for a better tomorrow by being a support /mentor to the students in the program that we will be working with, specifically beginning with the students of Tilden High School this upcoming Friday. I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with these students and help encourage them to attend school and achieve higher education that is available to them. There is sooo much more that I can ramble on about with this topic but I think it is time to wrap it up and give my keyboard a break from the hard typing haha.

Esperanza Benitez:)

To lead the people, walk behind them.

Leaders instill in their people a hope for success and a belief in themselves. Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals. ~Unknown

This quote reminds me of when I used to be a peer tutor in high school. I always enjoyed encouraging the students to help find the solutions to their math problems on their own through examples that they had already done with my help. It was important that I recognized their accomplishments as minimum as they might be because sometimes a little push is all they need to build up their confidence and thus they can have more faith in themselves to master the subject.

To me social justice means looking out for what is fair for all in a society. It means that the needs of everyone in the society are met and respected. No special treatments to some just because "they may be better." Social justice means quality for all. 

The Servant Leadership workshop was motivating and mind-opening. It helped me discover a new definition for a leader that I hadn't necessarily thought about before. A servant leader is someone that works beyond just leading a group of people. A servant leader is one that helps build community and help them grow. 

I feel like listening without judgment is a characteristic of servant leadership that I try to practice. When someone approaches me with a problem I always give my full attention and just listen. I do not conclude or assume things. It is important for me to put myself in their shoes and help them figure out a solution that works best for them.

I would like to learn to poses the characteristics of helping build community and share power. It is important that if I wish to be a good servant leader that I know how everyone plays an important role and their contributions are crucial to success. Not only for me to know that, but for them to know their importance too.

Being an indecisive person makes it hard to have a dream job. One day I may want to have one job and the next day I may find something new. For the moment I know for sure that whatever career I end up deciding one I will want to serve others. Something in like a human resources field has always been on my mind. I want to let people know the opportunities that they can have that they may not be aware about for say because of the lack of education. I wish to be someone that they can approach to help them find an answer to their questions.

Esperanza Benitez :)