I Pledge...

 I have decided to become part of an Organization called, Year Up that gives young adults the possibility to prove their strengths in challenging IT training, Business Communications along with Professional skills in a period of 5-6 months. We are exposed to a vast amount of information that we have to retain in a small period that will prepare us for an internship with a corporate partner.

I have taken a close look of the areas that I need to work on in order to accomplish my goals in order to be successful for my internship. 

I Pledge to become a leader at Year UP by,

1. Learn the material we are learning in depth in order to become a resource in class. 

2. Engage more with colleges, instructors as well as with staff members. 

3. Make my presence be known by participating more, because I no longer want to be overshadowed. 

I pledge to be a successful IT Technician by,

1. Studying my Tech Textbook for 2-3 hours each night.

2. Take control of my learning by, searching up information regarding the field I'm not knowledgeable about and asking more questions.

3. Use software’s, operating systems and devices more often that I'm not familiar with in order to get comfortable with it.

I pledge to become a better presenter by,

1. Preparing an outline about what I will be discussing, with clear topics, explination, and main ideas. I also want the flow of my transition to make sense.  

2. Practice my presentation by myself, in the mirror, on voice recorder, and in front of the webcam.

3. Give my presentation to friends, family and stranger, to get a feel of how clear I present. 

Far From Utopia

For the past twenty one years I have resided in a predominantly blue collar neighborhood in East Oakland, where you will find African American and Latinos (immigrants/Chicanos). My part of the city is known as being unsafe, disruptive and dirty. Although each one of these words holds an element of truth they are not completely accurate. My street has gone through many phases, such as chaotic teens, drug addicts roaming around, and people feeling the need to dump trash. You will also find many families that work hard to maintain a comfortable home who hate the way their environment is being abused.

 As a young child, I had a lot of pride knowing that my mother owned our two floored house, but as I began to get older I came to realize the bad conditions many people were in. I hated the way trash was dumped on the sidewalks, illegal substances and prostitution was sold. I wouldn’t dare invite people over because I felt a great deal of shame due to my neighborhood. I felt like it was a reflection on the type of person I was and therefore, it left me powerless.
            The only escape I had was being placed in the San Francisco school district because the people were different, creative, knowledgeable, and advocated on behalf of their beliefs. The teachers encouraged us to protest for immigrant rights and the funding for our school. It gave me the opportunity to revitalize myself by finding my voice. I put these lessons into practice by personally picking up items left on the street and contacting the city to pick up bigger items such as couches and mattresses. People usually believe that if they weren’t the ones creating the mess, they shouldn’t be the one having to clean it. If we continue having this mentality, we will never progress.  I use to judge the people around me for being ignorant, but as I’ve matured I have come to realize that  many people are not properly educated because they come from unstable homes, the school system failed them or they come from different countries. My community feels limited; immigrants are afraid of being deported or sent to jail for crossing the border illegally and citizens view the authority as the enemy who are looking to detain them.
          Even though my neighborhood has not been the most positive place to grow up, it allowed me to appreciate the positive role models and to take advantage of the opportunities that have been presented to me. My grades in school are a reflection of who I want to be and where I want to go and I will find a way to help my family, along with my community.

Propaganda's influence

Propaganda have been a source of influence around the world to get people act a way, and buy products and services. The German military (Hitler) was one of the major contributors in using this tool help pump a nation after  being defeated in World War I, while portraying jews, homosexuals, and people who oppose his leadership as the enemy. The power of propaganda contributed in the genocide of millions of jews.

            Nowadays corporate companies have made their movement in advertising by promoting products, services and attitudes in order to attract an audience. Agencies think carefully about the consumer they want to attract, such as age, class, ethnical groups, or gender, as well as location. They also make sure to overplay their advertisement in as many places as possible. When it comes to children they know colors,exciting characters, and loud sounds attract them, therefore they create cartoons such as spongebob and Barney as characters who will win them over. In order to get parents in on the buying process, they have added lessons within these cartoons, such as Dora the Explorer a young bilingual character that teaches children how to speak spanish. In this case corporate companies take on a parents need and a child's desire.

            When it comes to teenagers advertisements they have concentrated on the confusing time in their lives. The adolescent phase is a time when they are looking to be independent individuals with voices that matter. Advertisements have gone above and beyond to get their attention. Television has been one of their main resources to attract attention, but you can now find them on popular social networking sites such as facebook. If one were to take a quick look at MTV, you can easily see the rebellious attitudes that are being displayed as “cool.” Jersey Shore is one of the most popular shows amongst American teengers that have encouraged drinking, partying, and fighting as an exciting way to live. The problem with this is that these kids are not being exposed to the truth, that these dangerous activities can end up with severe consequences that could limit their opportunities in the future. In Makers are storming the Schoolhouse, by Michael J. Sandel he goes on to say “The purpose of advertising is to recruit consumers; the purpose of public schools is to cultivate citizens,” he clearly distinguishes the way two sides of society treats young adult, one tries to better their character while the other tries to use manipulate him/her into selling them a product.

            Advertisement/Propaganda has and will continue to be effective sources in society for good and egregious reasons One should pay close attention to the advertisement by thinking rationally about their intentions. As a member of society, everyone should advocate for what they believe is right. Just because advertisements come from big corporate companies it doesn’t mean they are fully in control. Not buying into advertisement is power.