Reflection Of Community Project

   From doing this project, I learned a lot about the history of my community. It was very interesting to know the changes of my community over the years. With these changes came changes in the demographic makeup of my community, thus changing people’s dreams. Since the change in the community, the place became much more safe, and a hub for education. My community is a melting pot of dreams, and goals of students as well as working people. From this project, I learned that the American dream and where you come from go hand in hand.

   The end result of the project differed from my original outline. I thought that the American dream would be defined as being wealthy or success, but most of the answers I got were about providing for future generations and security in their lives. I was challenged by this project by having to break out of my shell to do interviews with people. I am very happy I did this project because I was able to go deeper into what motivates people to do things, and the dreams of others.

Community Proposal

·         What neighborhood do you live in?

University Village/Little Italy

·         How would you describe your neighborhood?

My neighborhood is very unique in terms of the people that consist of it. In my neighborhood, there are many UIC students, families who have lived here for a while, as well as hard workers in the various stores.  My neighborhood is also very unique in the landscape. It is made up of very old buildings spanning back to the beginning of the city, such as the Holy Family Church, and St Ignatius. It has consists of intertwined streets filled with many restaurants, known as Taylor Street, which is famous due to famous Chicagoan mobsters.

·         What are the Demographics of your area?

1.       Mostly African American, Caucasian

2.       Large Hispanic community on Pilsen

3.       Many students outweigh families

·         People I plan on interviewing

1.       My sister Theodora Okiro (UIC Student)

2.       Owner of a Restaurant of Taylor Street

3.       Holy Family (church) member

·         What part of the American Dream is present in my neighborhood?

I think a part of the American dream that I think is present in my dream, is the dream to build a better tomorrow for the generation to come. I think the adults in my neighborhood, through many neighborhood events and projects, try to help the youth to find their way thus ensuring that the youth can keep the community strong. I also think a part of the American Dream that consists in my neighborhood is a change is a change in what is viewed as the American dream. I think that this is especially prevalent in my neighborhood, since it is made of many students, making the community modern, and changing the means of achieving things and how you achieve those things.

The American Dream

The article Giving Children a Chance, from the New York Times, relates very much to the ideals of the American dream. The author, who emigrated from Haiti with his parents to the United States, fled here for freedom from the war happening in his country. This is related to the American Dream which mainly preaches about freedom, because he saw that relocating to America meant a freedom that could not have been obtained in his country, so in that he was able to achieve the American Dream. After relocating to America, his father worked very hard obtaining jobs in order to pay for his son’s school fees. This related to the American Dream in that, his father relocated his family to America in order for a better life and worked tirelessly to give his son a good education that wasn't offered in his country. Working so hard, overwhelmed his father, and led to a heart attack at the wheel of his taxi. This relates to the essence of the American Dream, which is sacrifice for your children and loved ones, in order to provide them with things they need.  The author, after completing college, became a writer for the New York Times, and also created a nonprofit organization to improve educational opportunities for children. This especially relates to the American Dream, in that he kept the cycle going of well educated children, and also will bring up new generations of strong individuals able to achieve their own dreams, and thus keeping the American dream alive.
Word Count: 230

Scary Movie Review

The Sixth Sense

My Favorite Scary movie is the Sixth Sense starring Bruce Willis who plays a psychiatrist named Crowe. This movie is based upon a troubled and isolated boy, named Cole who is able to talk to and see dead people, who sometimes don’t know they are dead, and due to this fact has to visit a shrink to help him.  Cole seeing dead people, pertains to the title of the movie, which means that you notice or see things that are necessarily on the surface and knowing things that others don’t. Cole is taught by Crowe to accept ghosts in his life and to use his gift to help people, which he later does. During this time, Crowe notices that his relationship with his wife has deteriorated, and believes she is ignoring him due to an affair she is having. Crowe later realizes that he died months ago due to a gun shot by one of his deranged patients.  Crowe recalls Cole’s advice, saying that he can set him and his wife free, by whispering to her that he loves her. This is ironic because the whole time Cole was explaining to Crowe on how he saw dead people who sometimes didn’t know they were dead; Crowe never knew that he was also dead. In this movie, the viewers are captivated in one way of viewing the movie and what they believe will happen which is altered by the twist ending. This is my favorite scary movie because it is not just meant to be scary, but shows the character’s paths to self discovery and acceptance, and of learning to communicate. I also really liked the fact the movie wasn’t just a thriller and a ‘lights off’ scary movie, but was also a love story between Crowe and his wife.

Word Count: 300 

A link to my Nature Portfolio!!!!!!!

http://stephanieokiro.blogspot.com/p/nature-portfolio.html

Thanksgiving Post

A classmate I am thankful for this Thanksgiving is Kierra Jordan. For one I never feel awkward walking into class late, because she is right there with me. Most of the time, she also explains assignments to me, since in the morning at 2^nd period I am not fully awake. Outside of the class she and I have a lot of fun at Track practice, and also at seminar. I am grateful for her, because I have someone to keep me company at time when I am bored.  

Word Count: 88

Community Stories

An Account of Experience with Discrimination

                “It is hard for the old slaveholding spirit to die” means that even though slavery was abolished, people still believe in the ideas of that time. This goes with the idea that a community shapes your beliefs because it shows that those who grew up around slavery and around segregation, were influenced by their community to believe that this was the right way.

                Primary documents such as letters or journals differ than a reporter or short story because the primary document give a firsthand perspective on the community being that the person actually is a part of the community and have also experienced what it is like to be a part of that community.

University Days

                A way university classes didn’t live up to his expectations were that he never really was able to fit in with his teachers and wasn’t able to fully ‘see’ things as clearly as others.  An example of this was in his botany class where he couldn’t see the flower cells like everyone else could. This class didn’t live up to his expectations because he believed that he would be able to get the full experience out of it. He didn’t live up to his teachers expectations because he wasn’t as   ‘good’ as everyone else. For example when he was in his drilling camp, he didn’t live up to the expectations of his General because he had to always retake the class unlike everyone else. I think these expectations formed his experiences in the community because by him going into college with certain expectations of how his experiences would be, and by it not ending up how he though, shaped him and made him stronger. In the last sentence when speaking about his experiences with his General he says “I don’t think about it much anymore” meaning that he has moved past his bad experiences which made him stronger.