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