last class and the feels

During the class I didn't expect to do the activity we did. I truly enjoyed it because throughout the year we learned from each other but the last class made me feel even more connected to my classmates. It helped me see that we all have been through bumps in life but we've never let us stop us. I'm proud of everyone in my class because they've gotten this far in life even through everything they've been through and continue to face day to day. I really enjoyed being in this class and will truly miss it.

Our Last Class Together

Thank you.

I really want to say thank you to everyone. I was able to come clean about a few things and even make some revelations about myself and I'm happy that I got to do that in a class full of genuine people. I didn't get to know a lot of you but it was amazing being able to learn about all of the different subjects that we covered this semester with all of you. Even when there was confusion and lack of experience with a topic, everyone was always respectful. That's really hard to come by these days.

Thank you K. Stone for making us feel unashamed about sharing our feelings, revealing how big our world is, and how we can improve it. Thank you for also treating us like people instead of just a name on a roster.

I hope that everyone has a successful end to the semester.

Thank you, again.

Last Class

Class on Thursday was a little emotional for all of us. But I feel Stone's class is the safest place on campus for me to express my feelings. It is where I feel the most comfortable, I think we all walk in class with a different demeanor than in our other classes.

I have never had a professor that has gotten this deep in discussions, but I love it. Even though certain topics make us uncomfortable, I think we need to feel that uncomfortableness to learn and grow more with one another.  I have heard and seen so many views over the semester that have taken me on an emotional roller coaster.

From being sad, to mad, to disappointed, angry and confused, it has all made me a better student and citizen.

I just want to thank everyone in the class for being brave enough to share their stories and trust us enough, I feel like we will forever have an unspoken bond.

I hope no one feels alone after our discussion, we all have issues and we are all working through them the best we can, no human being can judge another human being on this earth.

Last blog!

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday and I hope everyone has a good break! I am really glad I got to be in this class specifically because I feel like everyone added something great to it! This class has made me realized how important it is to stay informed and to be open minded about other's opinions. It taught me so much and I learned so much from all of you! Congratulations to everyone that is graduating!

Cheers!

On Thursday we all shared some really personal things about ourselves. Some of the stuff we shared was not easy. I know some of us questioned if we really wanted to let the whole class know such personal information about ourselves. I know I, and others, left the class feeling pretty off.

 Just remember, we cannot change where we come from or who we are. You should not be ashamed of who we are because you have the potential to bring something beautiful and wonderful to this world. I truly believe that everybody in this class will be able to leave this world a better place.

Saying that, on Thursday we will be leaving Family Policy and continuing on our own path. Congratulations to those who are graduating, we made it! Good luck to those who are almost done! You can make it, I promise. I wish everybody the best of luck with their own path. We all have the potential to make a difference in this world, no matter how small.

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who'll decide where to go." -Dr. Seuss

Sanctuary Campus- Texas State

Recently, Texas State students have felt like more than ever the campus need to be made sanctuary to protect any and all students. "A sanctuary campus is a designation for a college or university in the United States that adopts policies to protect students who are undocumented immigrants. The term is modeled after "sanctuary city," a status that has been adopted by over 30 municipalities." With all the recent hate crimes, I think students are scared and reacting to the horrible crimes that have been committed thus far, rightfully so. More now than ever, students want to be heard and understood. I think this is a great idea for the campus and go only further benefit Texas State and make it a safer campus.


http://www.statesman.com/news/local/petition-urges-texas-state-declare-itself-sanctuary-campus/xXM92TqHgpqmDBe5Q0GazN/

Trump and China

Personally, one of my biggest fears with Trump's soon to be presidency is his interaction with other countries. He is not very popular when it comes to his delivery in America, so am I frightful in hearing how he chooses to address another country, especially countries he clearly has no respect for. Already the President Elect is making comments about China via twitter. He posted multiple tweets criticizing  China's monetary policy. Is that really what America's focus should be at the moment, China's monetary policy? I feel like America has much bigger fish to fry. To help keep America from being bombed I request the President Elect's twitter account be deleted as soon as possible.


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-38167022

"We need someone with more experience"

This semester is my last semester of college. Thank the Lord. However, I am having some major issues.. I have literally applied for so many jobs it's unreal, and every single time I have gotten the same response. "You seem like a great candidate, but unfortunately we are seeking someone with  experience in the industry already." Like, seriously?? I am  terribly sorry that I have been going to college for the past four years so that I can have a better future and job opportunities just to be told that I do not have enough experience in everything I have applied for. How the heck am I ever supposed to gain experience if someone doesn't give me the chance to start? It has been stressing me out so bad and literally all semester that is all I have been able to concentrate on. I have a couple internships but apparently nothing to really help me out that majorly. I have supported myself all through college waitressing/bartending and now that all my hard work to graduate is finally coming to an end, THAT IS THE RESPONSE I GET.  I know eventually someone is bound to give me a break but my lesson is learned that when people say college graduates have a hard time finding jobs after graduation it is a definite true fact and it sucks. So if anyone knows of anything, holla at ya girl! It's almost laughable how many times I've gotten the "more experience" response LOL. In the meantime I'll just keep on trying and keep on getting rejected till I find that gem in the sand to give my poor soul a chance.

The struggle is real.

I've been really bad about this blogging thing. I set alarms and still manage to forget.
That said.

Adam Ruins Everything.
Everyone should watch it. It takes events and issues in the world and fact checks them in little skits. Im obsessed. I get like 80% of my knowledge from this show, and the best part is I KNOW it's credible.

This week he discussed private prisons. I had no idea something like this even existed. It's in human and modern day slavery. Keeping people in solitary confinement because there isn't enough room for them in the cells is CRUEL and disgusting, and it's HAPPENING. People are being held in there for WEEKS by themselves for NON-voilent crimes. 90% of those who have been put in solitary confinement have committed suicide within 6 months of being released. People are being written up in situations they don't deserve a write up because the prison needs to keep 95% capacity to be funded. It's disgusting.

Standing Rock

I don't know what to say except for yay! Today, it was announced that the pipeline that was proposed to go through the standing rock reservation is no longer going to happen. This makes my heart so happy; mostly because the reserve won't be disrupted, but also because it proves that peaceful protesting is benedficial and actually works. I'm glad that so many people stood up for this issue and brought attention to what was happening. It's nice to see that some good can come out of 2016.

Yo, I can't focus for anything

Everyone said it. "The closer you get to being done, the harder it is to stay focused."
That never made sense to me, until this semester.  Especially since graduation is 2 WEEKS AWAY
=O
Nonetheless, I am managing to write this short blog 34 minutes before midnight so yay me.

And I'll be honest, I had to take a break from the news y'all.  I was legit getting so far down in the dumps I found it hard to pull myself back out.  I love being informed, love NPR, loved getting a Sunday paper.  But I'm starting to remember why I blocked the news out for so long before taking this class.  It's scary.

I have, however, found solace in completing the Policy Meeting assignment.  Call me nerdy, but I was really into the city council meeting I attended.  I didn't know what they were talking about for the first 20-30 minutes, but once I caught on to things slightly I was like, whoa this is interesting.  It really sparked my curiosity for local politics in a new way and I could totally see myself trying to attend meetings regularly.

Fashion Desgienrs

At the beginning of the week I read an article about the growing list of designers who have refused to dress Melania Trump. Tom Ford said he would not dress Melania Trump because she is not necessarily his image. But he is not doing it because of her husband but because his clothing are expensive. I at first did not get that but when I continued reading it was more clear, his items don't relate to everybody, and as the first lady should she related to everybody. As I had mentioned last week Sophie Theallet also said she would not associate herself with the first lady because she did not suppose what her husband stood for. As for Marc Jacobs who did not read Theallet letter he just said he would rather put his energy helping out those who will be hurt by Trump and his supporters. Phillip Lim and Derek Lam do not know Melania Trump but they do not see themselves getting involved with the Trump Presidency. Out of all these designers Tom Ford was the one who was the most shocking to me because like he said she has to have the image that represents everybody, like he also said he would have not dressed Hillary Clinton either, he only dressed Michelle Obama once for when she was going to meet the queen I believe which he said it was an important occasion. I never did see that the fashion industry would have such and impact as well with this presidency, but like I have learned in another class these brands like to represent what they stand for and a lot of the designers do no stand with Mr. Trump.

feeling about life

Last week was a very hard and draining week for me personally. I feel like a lot of professors are coming down on their students with projects, exams and everything else before our finals. I also really hate finals, but I think all students feel the same. However, last week was one of the first weeks on campus that I felt like other students cared about one another and what our stories are. I feel bad for students who live on campus and do not feel safe. I however do not live on campus but when I have to leave my night class I do not feel safe on our campus at night. I do no know what is going on in the world, but I think that at Texas State we need to look out for one another and be kind to everyone.

Fake news and conspiracy theories

A pizza restaurant  in Washington D.C. was attacked by a man with an assault riffle over fake news allegations that were made during the election. "The restaurant’s owner and employees were threatened on social media in the days before the election after fake news stories circulated claiming that then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her campaign chief were running a child sex ring from the restaurant’s back rooms." Edgar Welch went into the restaurant and pointed an assault riffle at an employee. The employee was able to get away and call police, shots were fired by Welch but no people were physically harmed. Welch told police he went to the restaurant to investigate the claims. Surrounding businesses were on lock down for almost two hours. The surrounding businesses have also received threats since the fake new stories were released. 

Businesses "hope that law enforcement authorities will be prompted to take additional measures to shut down the sites where this hateful material is being spread, and also measures to try to trace the menacing phone calls." It's crazy how fast news spreads and the ridiculous amount of false stories that go around and how many people genuinely believe them.

Stress

After reading about the teenager that walked out onto 35 and committed suicide, it was sort of a reality check about how stressful this time of the year can be for people. We don't know what caused him to do that or if it was something he was considering for a long time but it's so heartbreaking to hear about someone thinking that is what they have to do. I know everyone gets stressed out with classes and work and their everyday life but it could always be worse. It really it isn't that bad in the grand scheme of things. There is always someone who is going through something worse and you may never know until it's too late. I think it's so important to be kind in general but especially around this time of year when tensions are so high and people are so overwhelmed. It is so important to be careful about others feelings and take care of yourself as well.

I Don't Know What To Title This

The semester is getting dangerously close to the end and I can't say that I'm feeling any joy or even any sadness about it. I've been having a bit of a hard time feeling anything for a bit. I know that I have a lot to be thankful for and that good things are happening despite the hailstorm of bad things in this country but I just can't seem to get myself excited about any of it.

There was a teenager from San Marcos, Hunter Thornton, who committed suicide by walking onto I-35 where he was then struck by a semi. I can't stop thinking about him. About his family, his thoughts, and what his life was like leading up to his death. I can understand how someone can reach that point and it's really hard for me to shake the mental image of the scene during the aftermath.

I know that there are a lot of good things happening but for me, it's getting drowned out by the bad things that are happening. I don't want to see another person, like Hunter, take their life but I know  how hard it is to get up every morning when it feels like the world is suffocating you.

Bill Passed to Increase Rape Victim's Rights

According to the Austin American Statesman, a bill passed through the Senate and House of Representatives last week that will help provide resources to forensic labs and reduce DNA testing backlogs. This will increase the time it takes to test DNA from crime scenes, especially those from rape cases. This increases the rights of rape victims by ensuring that their rapist will be found and taken off the streets more quickly than in the past. This bill could help rape victims feel a little safer knowing their rapist has been put behind bars and get justice they deserve.

Travis County has had to send their DNA evidence elsewhere to get tested since May because their forensic lab was closed, assumedly due to lack of resources. Having this bill passed could ensure that situations like this will no longer happen, and help those counties that need resources to reopen their own forensic lab. This bill will also help those that have been wrongly convicted. Having the resources to go back to older crimes and test the DNA could free those who have been wrongly convicted.

I am happy to hear that this bill passed through the Senate and House and Representatives. This is not only ensuring more funding will go to forensic labs, but also increase the rights of victims, especially rape victims. I believe this is a great step in the right direction to increase the rights of victims. As stated by the co-launcher of this bill, Leahy Cornyn:

“It is an outrage when an innocent person is wrongly convicted and imprisoned, and we must not let rape victims live in fear while evidence languishes in storage and criminals remain on our streets.”  

A Not so Jolly Holiday Season

I write this with my anxiety at its max and a heavy heart learning one of my best friends just lost his mother. There have been too many adolescent suicides to keep up with this week and the past and its been weighing pretty heavy on the heart. So many sad things kicking us while we're down as we approach finals and its a miracle any of us are making it. The news of the Dakota Pipeline access being denied and the protestors winning has definitely been the best news we've heard in sometime and thats a win to put a lil pep in all of our steps.

This has been a crazy week...

This has been a crazy week. So many assignments, tests, group projects. I am exhausted. I can't wait until this semester is over but I am thankful for this family policy class. I feel like I've learned so much just from my fellow peers and the discussions we have in class.
The world is an interesting place and everyone has a different perspective. I feel like because of this class I've become more aware of others perspectives and the ability to solve something in more than one way.
I wish more classes could exist like family policy where you learn by all different perspectives and you are not taught in just one way.
What were y'alls thoughts on the class?

Graduation

This is probably the most stressful time for me. I graduate in two weeks, I am searching for a job, and I am struggling to pass all my classes with good grades. I told myself I would make the best grades of my college career this semester. Now I am just trying to make it through. Finding a job is extremely stressful because I have been receiving more no's than yes's and it can be quite discouraging. I honestly felt like I would have had a job by now. So at this point I am sort of feeling like what is wrong with me. I just want to pass my classes, and find a full time job is that too much to ask.

President Letter to the University

I feel as though the President's letter did not hold much weight to students. First of all, because it was novel length, I could barely read through it and all the wording made me feel like "Wait, what am I reading again?" I just feel as though she felt she needed to release some type of statement. No matter if students understood or not. I honestly feel like the wordiness of the letter was to confuse and undermine us. Make us feel like "Oh, she is doing something," when in reality nothing has been accomplished, only words have been written. However, I do feel like the President is in a tough position, people want her to take a stance but their are so many stances in San Marcos its pretty much impossible for her to choose one without offending anyone. She is trying to remain neutral, with emotions running so high, this neutral stance can be viewed as nonchalance. She is in a difficult position, but it is her duty to lead the University even through the roughest times.

Thanksgiving/ Black Friday

This year was the first year I did not have to work on Black Friday and I was extremely happy about it. The year of 2015 my Thanksgiving was pretty miserable. At the time I was seasonal at Gucci, and they worked us like dogs to say the least. I had to go in at 4pm on Thursday, which means I had to leave my home in Austin around 230pm and rush to the outlets to work my 4pm-6am shift with a 15 minute break :) I was delusional by the end and depressed because I only got one plate of Thanksgiving food that whole weekend. I think Black Friday is extremely over rated. In all the retail stores I have worked in, we have a better regular sale than we have during Black Friday week. Its all a scam.

Election Aftermath

Ever since the election has been over, I am so tired of hearing about the numbers. All I see on the news is people discussing how Hilary won the popular vote. I just feel like at this point what does it really matter who won what? Donald Trump won the election, no one is happy with it but it is a reality we will have to deal with. So I just don't understand the point in arguing over who received what vote. What is the use? We should spend more time figuring out how we are going to deal with Trump as president. I just want America to look forward instead of dwelling over what could/ should have happened.

Two more weeks left!

We are officially down to the last two weeks of this semester! I am both exited and stressed at the same time, there is still so much to be done and not enough time. I have homework, assignments, power points to make, tests to study for, and finals to prepare for. So far I have been keeping up with everything that is due (my planner has been my best friend) and I am not procrastinating as much as I usually do in the past semesters, so that is already a big stress reliever for me. I am actually quite proud of myself because in previous semesters I would typically pull at least two all nighters each week and I would start studying for tests the night before. This semester I decided to take time for myself, not to procrastinate as much, and make sure to get enough sleep which has definitely helped me be a better functioning adult. I hope these next two weeks are productive for everyone and that we all get through finals week without any major breakdowns!