Changing the World with Optimism in Mind

Ghandi's Top 10 Fundamentals for Changing the World

Change Yourself: As a developing leader this has been very important for me. I always emphasize the importance of role models and to improve the world we must change ourselves to show others the way we ought to be. Many times we forget how much influence we have on the lives of others around us and it is important that we keep that in mind when making decisions or acting a certain way.

You are in control: This point was helpful for me because too many times I forget that I control the way I respond to situations. I have to remember to think before I allow myself to get upset or stressed about something.

Forgive and let it go: I have never been the type to hold grudges but this point was still a good one. as mentioned in the post we must forgive people because if we do not it only holds us back and prevents us from gaining all that we can from life.

Without action you aren't going anywhere: I feel that with everything we say we must back it up with an action or else our cause is futile.

Take care of this moment: We must not be too worried about the future or mistakes we made in the past because it keeps us from the joys of the present.

Everyone is human: This is important to remember because if we expect too much from people it can be a great, stressful burden on them. We must keep in mind that all people are subject to mistakes and we have to love them anyway.

Persist: The point made in this fundamental is important for leadership. As touched upon in the post, many of us do not get the things we want because we give up too soon. It's imperative that leaders posses this attribute because they must be determined to achieve both personal and collective goals even when it gets rough.

See the good in people and help them: After reading this tip my eyes were opened. Looking for the good in people is been something I rarely do. Although I do not intentionally focus on the bad, I do not necessarily look at the good either. I am glad that the author brought up the point that seeing good in others help us to be more willing to help them, which is good for growth.

Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self: This point focuses on being aligned in every aspect possible. Being consistent in your feelings, thoughts, and actions is key to functioning with others.

Continue to grow and evolve: This final fundamental is something I value, growth and development. I have noticed that development is a process that can only be initiated by the individual. We all have no choice but to physically grow (in height, age etc.) but to evolve as an entity is a choice. As a leader I am always willing to help others grow and I hope to inspire with my everyday actions.


Be Optimistic, it Builds Your Self-Confidence

The Optimist Creed has many valid points that I think are important to remember. One of my favorite points from the "Promise Yourself" section it was:

"To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best." 

I notice a lot of people in my life who tend to settle for less than the best. It hurts me to see that they do not recognize their worth. If we were to all give our best and only accept excellence we could live more fulfilling lives. As a leader it is important to me that everyone reaches their pinnacles and to ensure that happens I will encourage them and help them become aware of their value.


These articles were great reads with many nuggets that I will continue to apply in life! On a more personal note, my e-portfolio is going pretty well. I now know what I need to do for it, so all there is to do is to add the material because I have a template made and my blog embedded into it. I am sadden that STARS LEAD is coming to an end soon. I am going to miss our weekly meetings and everyone from the group. Luckily, in the fall semester I will still be involved with STARS by being a mentor for the program. I am excited about the opportunity and I can not wait to begin!

Truths and Ways to Live

18 Truths to Start Telling Yourself: http://www.marcandangel.com/2012/03/22/18-truths-to-start-telling-yourself/

"5. My actions and words directly affect the lives around me. – Lead by example...People watch what you do more than they listen to what you say.  Inspire, challenge and encourage people to their best, by doing YOUR best.  And when someone else is doing a great job, tell them that you’re proud of them...recognize their effort."

This truth is basis of every thing I do. From past experience I noticed that there were very few people in my community that I could look up to. Extremely saddened by this fact, I decided that I would be the role model that I once longed for. A role model for someone else who needs inspiration. Its imperative that we have leaders in our communities that not only tell others what is important but who are epitomes of that very thing they emphasize. As the blog mentions, people look at actions more than they listen to words. When dealing with children I would argue that words account for a small percentage of influence on behavior. At a young age it can be difficult to internalize words because the physical is more influential.

So if we as leaders want to show the importance of education, we can not do so by simply saying "School is important." We must go to school and earn degrees our selves. In our homes we must show our children (brothers-sisters/nieces-nephews etc.) that we value education by helping them study, complete assignments, and read books. As the fifth truth mentions, we must praise students when they do well. If we do things such as these by being great role models, I believe we can fix many societal problems.


15 Ways to Live, and Not Merely Exist: http://www.marcandangel.com/2012/03/19/15-ways-to-live-and-not-merely-exist/

"8. Recognize those who love you. – The most memorable people in your life will be the ones who loved you when you weren’t very loveable.  Pay attention to who these people are in your life, and love them back, even when they aren’t acting loveable.

12. Leave enough time for fun. – Sometimes you need to take a few steps back to see things clearly.  Never let your life become so filled with work, your mind become so crammed with worry, or your heart become so jammed with old hurts or anger, that there’s no room left in them for fun, for awe, or for joy."

I believe that these two tips on how to live are important things that many of us tend to ignore. I noticed that many (not all) people who have demanding jobs and busy school schedules tend to forget to have fun. From personal experience, I would forgo going out with friends and fun school events because of my school work. I would always be bogged down with work and studying. Many times I would neglect family and friends. It was not that I did not want to spend time with them, I was just so focused on doing well academically that I failed to do so. But now I understand that school is a priority but my family and friends are as well. My ability to balance school and family has improved substantially, but there is still room for growth.

Last Friday's session was great! It felt good to be relaxed with the STARS LEAD group, to wind down from the week. Thee capstone video project is coming along, we shot everyone's scene over the past few weeks and then comes the editing process. I am excited to see the finished product!

Making No Excuses, Being a Good Ally, and Becoming A Scholarship Junkie

Finding your Power

http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/2012/03/17/finding-your-power/

Rising above excuse making can be a difficult task. When I get behind in school work it is because I make a ton of excuses. I tell myself, "You deserve a break. You've done a lot of work today. You are tired, you need to rest." But when I start to notice the way this negatively affects me and my school work I snap back! I have to tell myself to continue on and to understand that taking a break does not mean putting my tasks off until tomorrow. I literally talk to myself out loud and say, "Lauren you are not tired. You can do this work, it's not a big deal." As I complete my readings/assignments I encourage myself by saying, "Wow! Look at you, you did it!" And as silly as it may sound, it actually works. That's the way I rise above excuse making. A way to prevent others from making excuses and blaming is to not do it ourselves. When we make excuses and blame others it makes everyone think it is acceptable to do so. If we stop making excuses it can help others to rise above excuse making and blaming.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Being a Good Ally

http://mikkikendall.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/the-dos-and-donts-of-being-a-good-ally/

I can apply this information to STARS LEAD when I interact with the leaders and in my personal relationships. The article mentioned the importance of being open to talk about things even if they make you feel uncomfortable. I had not thought of that before. I think it's probably because I have not talked about any issue that made me feel uncomfortable, but it is good to know in the event that something does happen where I am asked to respond or listen about an offensive issue. The entire post was informative on being a good ally. 

Scholarship Junkies

This past Friday was the Scholarship Junkies presentation. The presentation was given by the site's organizer Sam. Sam's story was very inspirational and the fact that he opened up so candidly was great! I think that by doing that he allowed everyone else, particularly the high school students, to feel safe enough to share personal experiences. Throughout his entire talk Sam was very encouraging and invited the participation of the students. Overall, the session was great. 

The very thing Sam was exposing the students to is the key to obtaining higher education. With scholarships, college becomes a reality for so many students. When students of different cultures and social classes get scholarships, that means that more diversity will be introduced into colleges. It is this factor that promotes social justice because students would have more opportunities to climb the social ladder and fight for justice for those who are living in poverty. So, I appreciate Sam for sharing his story and teaching the students from Amundsen about scholarships because they are what we need to end social inequalities. I was happy to finally meet the students and I look forward to seeing them again!

Lauren L. Adams

...with Liberty and Justice for SOME.

The "Waiting for Superman" video brought out so many emotions in me. It just frustrates me to my core that things are not equal. One thing that really sent me off was when the kids were reciting the pledge of allegiance; the line, "One nation under God, indivisible with Liberty and Justice for all." Justice does not exist in its entirely because schools are not equal. The video brought up the fact that there are so many students who go to schools and learn at such a slow rate compared to other students. And they do not get the same opportunities. This damages our children it makes it more difficult for individuals to climb the social ladder and live what we consider a better life. Another thing that left me appalled was the fact that on a national level we spend so much money per person in jail that is roughly the cost of putting a child through private school from grades K-12 and there would be money left over for college. This just baffles me, it makes more sense to provide a child with a good education first rather than spend money on jails and prisons. Because I believe a lot of crime can be attributed to idleness. If kids don't feel comfortable or smart in school they are more likely to drop out hence being idle. So using the money to make good schools available for everyone is the best option.

A lot of kids aren't doing well in school because many of them have been labeled as dumb/stupid and they exude just that. Another reason is because their peers don't do well. They have few role models to teach them the right way. As a people we fail to understand that we learn not only by what people say but by what we see as well. It's the process of socialization where we interact and learn what's socially acceptable based on how people respond to our actions. And their response can reinforce or discourage behavior. And if Superman were to rescue students like those in the film, he would change society's view of education. Society would then think of being educated as a necessity, as 'cool', as the norm. The entire socialization process would be turned around. Then students would be more willing to actually apply themselves in school. Another way to fix the problem is to get parents involved. We can do so by changing the way parents view education. Make them believe and know that it IS important. What our parents value is typically what we like to embody and this would ecourage more students perform better in school.


Another way to ensure that social justice prevails and all things are equal is to vote. I believe that many of our issues would be solved if we we're to vote. We need to know who we elect and hold our leaders accountable. We have problems and voting is medium to express our concerns. People don't understand the power they have and a part of that is unawareness of what's actually going on. We are more preoccupied with Bad Girls Club or Basketball Wives or Jersey Shore. We glorify those shows and people in them, and I'm sure if you asked someone who the speaker of the houses people they probably wouldn't even know. But they could name every star on a popular show. It is sad that as a society, we praise the irrelevant things and neglect the important issues. In Illinois, election day is tomorrow, TUESDAY MARCH 20, 2012. USE YOUR VOICE AND VOTE IF YOU'RE A REGISTERED VOTER IN ILLINOIS. IF YOU AREN'T REGISTERED BE SURE TO IMMEDIATELY DO SO! IF YOU ARE NOT AN ILLINOIS VOTER BE SURE TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR AREA.

Define Who You Are, Be Happy on Life's Journey, and Smile :)

On Friday, March 2, 2012 we had a more relaxed STARS Lead meeting. We did an activity that was great for reflection. We folded an 8x10 sheet of construction paper in half and wrote words/drew pictures that define us. In the past I completed various activities in which I had to figure out ‘who is Lauren Adams?’ but they were not as easy as this. Thinking back I can see that I am developing, and defining who I am. Collectively, we shared our words/pictures. This was interesting because I was able to get to know everyone on a personal level. We do interact at meetings but most of the things we talk about are about topics on social justice and servant leadership, not necessarily topics about our outside interests. I really enjoyed opening up and receiving what others had to share! 

http://www.marcandangel.com/2012/03/01/10-ways-happy-people-choose-happiness/

After reading this blog post, I felt refreshed. It is encouraging and inspirational! According to this blog, if you...

1. Choose to be the best YOU can be.
2. Choose to be around the right people. 
3. Choose to focus on what you have, not on what you haven’t.
4. Choose a good attitude.
5. Choose to smile more often.
6. Choose to take care of your body.
7. Choose honesty.
8. Choose to help others when you’re able.
9. Choose to let go when you know you should.
10. Choose to embrace the next step in your life.

...you will choose HAPPINESS :)

I agree with this list presented by ‘Marc and Angel.’ It is important to do your best in all things. Not only that but being satisfied with your best without worrying about others and comparing yourself to their standards. We are all different and if we work at a pace that is best for us we can work collectively at our bests and create something better! Choosing to be around the right people is significant. If we surround ourselves with positive energy we are more likely to exude the same. Focusing on what you have and not on what you haven’t is also a great point brought up by the authors. It can be depressing if we think about the things we don’t have. But if we can be grateful for what we do have we can be happy. A good attitude is crucial to our happiness because if we believe we can accomplish tasks, no matter how difficult, it makes life easier. 

After a tough moment of the day, nothing is more rejuvenating than a nice smile. Such a simple gesture, but with so much power and umph! We also have to take care of our bodies. A well rested body in good physical shape means less stress and fewer moments of feeling exhausted. This contributes greatly to our happiness. Choosing honesty and helping others is also great in obtaining happiness. There is just something about helping someone that makes me feel good. Just to know that I made a difference brings me joy! Daily we have conflicts within our relationships. It is best to try to work out disputes. If they are settled that is great!, but sometimes things do not always work out. In that case, we have to understand that its okay to move on. Who knows, moving on may be the best thing for your happiness. Finally, we must remember to embrace our futures! I like this post a lot and I’m going to forward it for others to read.

I began my e-portfolio about two weeks ago which makes me happy! I am having trouble figuring out what I would like to include but I have some ideas. Currently, I am still brainstorming about our end of the year STARS Lead Capstone Video Project but it is in the works. This week was spring break and it has been great! Although I spent most of it studying for midterms and reading I enjoyed it. The fact that I had a break from school was the best part; so studying didn’t ruin it at all! I am eager to return on Monday (March 12) so I can get this spring semester over and get ready for the summer. Over the summer, I will be taking a couple of courses. It is not THAT bad. I just look at it as something I have to do to be on track for my degree, so I’m ready for it! 

As you go through this week think about this quote,

“Life itself is a journey after all, and what matters most is not what you are getting, but who you are becoming.”  

—The Secret Letters of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma

Also, please watch this video it makes me laugh and hopefully it will make you smile,

Lauren L. Adams

The Time is NOW!

Tonight's meeting with the STARS Leaders went well. On our agenda we were supposed to meet with students from Amundsen High School. I was really looking forward to interacting with the students but unfortunately they could not make it. Although the students were not able to visit, I am not completely sadden by it. Our group had the opportunity to meet with Nicole and two young ladies from the Empowerment Pipeline. The goal of the Empowerment Pipeline is to empower/encourage students to succeed. The Empowerment Pipeline members are there for students to answer questions that they may have about college or life in general. I think that their efforts are commendable! The fact that I was able to hear about the experiences of the young ladies involved in the Empowerment Pipeline was helpful. It allowed me to develop an understanding of what the STARS leaders will be getting into as we talk with students during future visits. I'm excited and ready to share/give the students all that I have!

An ideal place to meditate. (Photo: Lauren Adams)

Meditation: Before reading the article, 'Why We Find It Hard to Meditate' via Mindful.org, I hadn't given much thought about meditation. I am aware of meditation in general but I don't do it regularly. I think that I probably should meditate at least once a week. I'm sure it would make things so much more bearable. I believe it will be beneficial to me to organize my thoughts or at least just be aware of what's going on in my life. Often times I become overwhelmed by the many tasks I have to complete and just being aware of them I think will remove some of that stress. Next week, I'm going to try meditating for fifteen minutes. I will definitely take advantage of having such a beautiful campus at Loyola (Chicago) and meditate. I'm really looking forward to that experience.

Finding a balance in life has been especially challenging for me. I would say that the pendulum theory developed by Dieter Pauwels is completely accurate and applicable to me. In my life there are times where I feel great, other times not so much. Moments where I feel accomplished and moments where I feel like I haven't done anything. The list goes on, but bottom line is I have to remember that I will bounce back and get on the right path. My not so great moments are just as much apart of my growth and development as the high points. The article was uplifting and I will try to remember the important points when I am going through my low points.


W.E.B. DuBois said,

“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.” 

I completely agree with DuBois. If we wait for convenient situations we may never get anything done. We just have to jump into things and handle them right away. The final statement shows that when effort and hard work is put in initially, you'll reap the benefits. As a student I take on that type of attitude with my work. I work hard in school now so that I can get a job of my choosing where I am comfortable and satisfied.

Here is a video clip from one of my favorite movies, The Great Debaters.  This clip highlights many of the things I have mentioned in this post. It is appropriate because it also deals with educational inequalities, which is a topic hat we've talked about during our past STARS LEAD meetings. Although it focuses on inequities within education as a result of segregation in America many of the points made are still relevant today. It's a great film and I recommend that you watch it, if you have not seen it before. Enjoy the clip!

Lauren L. Adams

Exploring Inequalities, Gaining Inspiration, and Finding Motivation

Explaining the Inequalities in Education in Chicago http://vimeo.com/27784440

This video is full of statistics that clearly show educational inequalities. As an American you would like to think that all things are equal but in reality they are not. I personally experienced something that clearly shows inequalities in education. When I was in elementary school there was a major snow storm/blizzard and there were many inches of snow everywhere. Since there was so much snow, the school bus services were cancelled and I had to go to my neighborhood school for the day. I was placed in a class of my grade level and the teacher would ask questions that I could immediately answer with ease but the other students had difficulty. Then the teacher gave us worksheets. I completed them effortlessly. The learning standards were no where near the standards I was exposed to at my school. This just shows you that we do have opportunities to learn and go to school but it is NOT equal.

Louder Than a Bomb: High School Training Ground http://vimeo.com/22448349

Malcolm London’s poem was brilliant, accurate, and left me speechless. He brings up many great points but the one I would like to focus on is when he says, 

“I hear that education systems are failing but I believe they are succeeding at what they’re built to do, to train you, to keep you on track—to track down an American dream that fails so many of us, all.”

One of the reasons I think that the ‘American dream...fails so many of us’ is because of inequalities within schools and social barriers, which are considered ‘barbed wire’ by Malcolm London. Regardless as to what the ‘American dream’ may mean to an individual, the chances of actually living it are not equal from group to group. 

Inspiration : How Bad Do You Want It? (Success) http://youtu.be/7X38PCf7kao

This video on success and what it means was very inspirational! I believe it is motivation that allows you to be successful. My motivation comes through many different channels. I am motivated to achieve great things so that I can be the example for others. Gandhi once said “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I have truly applied this to my life because what the world needs is people who are not just telling others what to do, but who are also showing them what is right and acceptable.  As a society we are easily influenced by what we see. Because of this it is important to have an endless supply of great role models to show people the way. I live to be a role model for those in my family, community, and on a larger scale, the world. 

I am also motivated by those who have come before me. As an African-American my ancestors fought for all of the rights I have today. And to do nothing to further the African-American community and to neglect my rights would mean their efforts were in vain. Many have died so that I may have the right to read, to learn, to go anyplace unrestricted, to vote, and to be treated equally. 

Another thing that motivates me is my family. They have faith in me and I feel that I owe it to them to make them proud. 

In the end, GOD is my everything! He gives me the courage to endure and the strength to succeed. Through the numerous modes of motivation, I push to reach my full potential.

Here’s a video someone posted on Facebook earlier today, that I found very revitalizing. 

What Makes You So Strong?

Lauren L. Adams

Instead of Jimmying/Kicking/Hitting Our Toilet We Need to Hire A Plumber

After reading the “Locating the School-To-Prison Pipeline” article it is clear that there is complete disregard for the well-being of children in America. I completely disagree with zero-tolerance policies. Under such policies students are punished severely without looking at the circumstances.

Shakespeare (playwright) viewed the world as a stage and a constant theme seen in his plays is appearance versus reality. The characters in his play seem to be one way but in reality they are another, most times they’re the complete opposite. For example in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth (who was next in line to the throne) and his wife Lady Macbeth planned to kill King Duncan to gain rights to become King. Duncan, upon arriving to Macbeth’s castle, viewed both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as welcoming hosts. The irony in the scene is that they had every intention to kill him and eventually did. To Duncan, the Macbeths appeared to be friendly and hospitable but in reality they are not. Another example is this student (top left) appears to be studying but he's actually texting. My point is we should not automatically make conclusions about people based on limited amounts of information. But we should instead actually investigate what is going on.

One of the major problems that I think comes up when thinking of this school-to-prison pipeline is a term called ‘labeling theory.’ In my criminal justice class I took last semester we talked about the role labeling plays in the criminal justice system. Basically, if you constantly tell a child negative things like, “You will never amount to anything. You’re going to end up in jail. You’re not smart. You’re going to fail,” they will be more likely to exhibit such behavior. If teachers are labeling students with negative roles, there is a great chance that they will be a fulfillment of those roles. I believe that labeling goes beyond the verbal; it is also done through the way you treat people. If a school hires police officers as enforces of punishment, then that would say to a student that they are a criminal. So we MUST be careful about what we say to each other especially to children.

This school-to-prison pipeline is a major problem. I think that having zero tolerance policies and police officers just shows that no one actually cares about students in schools. I think it is just a way to get out of actually working to help individuals. There needs to be empathy and concern for students. We should never handle things by temporarily taking care of the issue. I think it should be our duty as humans to figure out what the problem actually is. When issues are handled on the surface they will never disappear. Let’s say for instance there your toilet isn’t flushing properly. You notice that if you jimmy the handle, kick the bottom of it twice, and hit the back of three times it will flush. Temporarily it solves the problem but eventually you will have to call a plumber to fix the toilet. It is the same thing with this school-to-prison pipeline situation. Imposing zero-tolerance policies and hiring security workers is similar to jimmying/kicking/hitting our toilet. We don’t truly solve the problem we just do something to get it out of the way. I honestly think that we all know that we need to call the plumber―have empathy and care for our students. But in today’s society a majority of us lack compassion and understanding.

To change that I hope to impact some of the students who will be visiting the STARS leaders this Friday. I just want to let them know that they can be successful in life and let them know that all it takes is hard work and persistence. I also want explain to them the importance of building others up when they do reach the pinnacles of their success. I am looking forward to meeting the students from Tilden High School!

Lauren L. Adams

Care's Role in Servant Leadership

“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.” —Maya Angelou

One of the most important things I gathered from the STARS LEAD presentation given by Dr. Patrick Green this past Friday was the definition of ‘servant leadership.’ Servant leadership according to the findings of Larry Spears (presented by Dr. Green) is defined by ten characteristics:

1. Listening
2. Empathy
3. Healing
4. Awareness
5. Persuasion
6. Conceptualization
7. Foresight
8. Stewardship
9. Commitment to the Growth of People
10. Building Community

At least half of theses characteristics relate to Maya Angelou’s quote because caring for others is important in servant leadership. As a developing leader I hope to master all of these skills but mostly focusing on caring for others. I believe that social justice can only be accomplished if we look out for others and learn to care for them. If we do not care about other people, we are more likely to make decision based on our selfishness. When decisions are made based on personal interests social barriers are created. And these social isolations stunt the growth of social justice. 

Currently, I am a student at Loyola (Chicago) studying Forensic Science. I chose the path of Forensics as a career because of my interest in promoting social justice. While I was in 8th grade I participated in a program held at DePaul University where we were introduced to the basic procedures of Forensic Science. Then during my senior year of high school I took a Forensic Science class. In the class we watched a video on the Innocence Project which is an organization that helps exonerate wrongly convicted criminals though the use of DNA Fingerprinting. The video documented the lives of those who were exonerated. While watching the video I was able to see the difficulties the exonerees faced when returning to the community. They had troubles finding jobs, people viewed them as if they were criminals even though they weren’t, their families experienced the pain of their absence and many other things negatively affected their lives. I felt the pain of these people, and even writing about it now makes me emotional. No one should have ever experienced what those innocent people did. Their lives were ruined because of an unfair conviction, families were broken. This made me want to do something to help and since I had an interest in forensics it was a no brainer that I wanted to do DNA analysis. My hope is to provide a service though this medium to free not only those who are innocent but to also assist in the conviction those who are threats to society.

I know that I will not be the sole deciding factor in court rooms as to if a person will be convicted or not, but I want to be available to provide the service of DNA analysis as an option. To make the technique of DNA fingerprinting widespread and available to all people to promote justice within our courtrooms is my goal. The day I learned about the Innocence Project was the day I found it in my heart to care for someone else, to succeed in promoting social justice.

Here is a photograph I took a while ago that is perfect for this post:

Trees are our communities. The roots are social justice. Without strong stable roots we can not grow together or produce beautiful fruit.

Lauren L. Adams

An Introduction to the E-Portfolio

In yesterday's meeting the group was introduced to the e-portfolio by Ashley Kehoe (Center for Experiential Learning). I found the session to be very informative and beneficial in learning about e-portfolios. I just think that the advances of technology is amazing and an e-portfolio just embodies that awesome-ness. I think it's a great outlet because there's many things from videos, to powerpoints, and writing samples that you can share with others. It makes it easy for users of the e-portfolio to show prospective employers work that they may not be able to see at an interview. For example with the videos, chances are you won't even have the means to show an employer your video during the interview. So it is a great way for people to see other sides of you.

On a more personal level, I plan to include my experiences as a college student as part of my e-portfolio. I hope to show my creative side by uploading photos/projects and creating an awesome design for my homepage. I am really looking forward to building my e-portfolio. I can't wait!

Today (1/28), I attended Loyola's Student Leadership Conference. It was truly an amazing experience. I went to a total of three workshops; 'You at the Core of Social Justice', '"Expressing Your Voice Within"', and 'Strategies for Effective Time Management'. I learned so much from each of the facilitators. After the first two sessions we had lunch and there was a moment for students to share and reflect on the workshops. One student said that he learned leadership is not a position but it is instead an attitude. I had never thought of leadership in this way and it made me think. I was able to see leadership in another way because of that statement. I am glad he brought it up. Following the students' sharing their experiences, Mia Henry was the Keynote speaker. Listening to her I gathered a lot of great information. There were some new things I learned as well as some things I have known that were simply reinforced and confirmed. I had a great time at the conference it will definitely incorporate the things I learned in my daily life!

Lauren L. Adams

A New Experience...

I am very excited about the STARS LEAD program this year! The first meeting went well. Not only did I enjoy getting to know everyone, but I also enjoyed the manner by which we introduced ourselves to each other. Given the task of finding three items to describe ourselves, I chose a pack of Trident gum (it's my favorite), Burt's Bees Cuticle Cream, and my photography business card. It has been almost a year since I have experimented with manicuring my own nails, hence the cuticle cream. I hope to master the skills and techniques to create an at home but salon-like manicure. My third item, my photography business card, has the most significance. As a college student, busy with readings and assignments, I don't shoot as often as I would like to. I think of the business card as a reminder of the work I did and will eventually come back to enjoy, once I am not as busy. I found it very entertaining to get to know everyone in that way and to share my items with them. The first meeting was great and I can not wait for the others!

I believe leadership is being able to stand for what you know is right regardless as to what everyone else is doing. At the same time it is trying to be an example for those who aren't necessarily going down the right road. Leadership also involves being able to see things from different views and being open to new ideas. Flexibility is key. Leadership encompasses a lot of things and I am looking forward to learning more about the definition of leadership in this LEAD program.

When the spring semester comes to an end I hope to have made great lasting friendships with the STARS leaders and develop strong networks with the various speakers who are to give presentations at our sessions. In addition to that, I want to become an even better leader and be able to learn about the many roles that are attributed to leaders and how those roles are to be applied in my daily life. I want to grow and develop as an individual by getting as much as I can from this program and my peers, while bringing something to the group to help others strengthen as leaders.

I am looking forward to every meeting of this semester and most of all getting to know Joe, Molly, Kema, Willie, Armando, Karina, Alana, Conrad, Angee, Esperanza, Elana, Syed, and Kassandra!

Lauren L. Adams