Fake It Till You Make It

If there is one thing in my life that I excel at, it would be talking. I don't know why I love it so much. In middle school, I got the most talkative superlative. My Grandmother always tells me that she is convinced that I like hearing my own voice and that's why I talk so much. However, I would have to disagree with her and concluded that I just love having a conversation with others. As much as I love talking, I'll be the first to admit that the minute I get in front of an audience everything changes.  It's as if I forgot how to speak. My palms become sweaty, I start to stumble through my words and talk extremely fast. The thing is, though, I talk abnormally fast to begin with, so when I public speak and I become very nervous, I tend to speak 100 times faster

The thing about public speaking is that I'm not the worst public speaker known to mind kind nor am I the best. I would consider myself right in the middle. There are a few things I need to work on, however. The pace at which I speak when I'm nervous is very fast, this happens to negatively affect my speaking the most. The quicker someone talks the harder it is to understand them. So first I need to work on slowing down when I speak, and not rushing to catch my breath after every sentence. Next, I feel that I say many sentences, and go from one idea to the next but I forget to pause. I need to add pauses that effectively separate my ideas so that my audience doesn't become to overwhelmed with all the information that I am throwing at them. These are two things that I believe need to be improved in order to be a more successful public speaker.

As I mentioned before I'm not the worst public speaker known to mankind. When I speak in front of people I tend to talk pretty loud which many of my teachers have told me is a positive. Think about it when people speak quietly, you end up turning to the person sitting next to you and asking them, what are they saying? I do believe that my voice projects when I speak, which helps to engage the audience. My second greatest strength while speaking is that I tend to make eye connect with many in the audience. This also allows for those who are watching me speak to be engaged and feel connected. It's always awkward when the speaker is talking but looking over everyone's head. Then you find yourself turning around to see what the speaker is staring at. I believe that it's very important to maintain eye contact with your audience when you're giving a speech.

All and all, I believe that everyone can public speak. The reality is that everyone gets nervous when they have to talk in front of an audience. In fact, it's okay to get nervous, but when you're nervous you can't show that you're nervous. My mom always told me, that you have "to fake it till you make", and that's what I tell myself before every big speech!

Are Women More Powerful Than Men Now Days?

The beginning of World War Two sparked a change in time for women. No longer was their only job to be a homemaker, caretakers and cook all while tending to their husbands needs. According to the History Channel, more than 350,000 women served in the armed forces both at home and overseas. In addition, the History Channel claims that "the female percentage of the U.S. workforce increased from 27 percent to nearly 37 percent, and by 1945 nearly one out of every four married women worked outside the home". The second world war sparked a new era for women becoming the pioneers in our society, which ultimately lead to the success that women have today.

In my essay, I will first discuss how World War II impacted women becoming Pioneers. This will be my starting point due to the fact that I see this war as the spark of it all. From there I will go through each decade and discuss how Women were becoming more prominent in society. I will also touch upon the counter argument that though women were becoming successful they were still faced with some adversity. I will mention things for the counter arguments such as the fact that according to Tavaana.org, " The 38 percent of American women who worked in 1960 were largely limited to jobs as teacher, nurse, or secretary. Women were generally unwelcome in professional programs". Yet, I will prove, however, that this adversity was small compared to the success that women were encountering. Throughout each decade, I will touch upon influence Women as well as Women's movements that were taking place.

Toward the end of my paper, I will brush up on all the successful Women that there is today. I will compare their salaries to men's and mention how women don't just work at home anymore. Today, we can find them on Wall Street as well as teaching at the top of the line institutions. Some women today manage their own business while others are CEO of their companies, some are in Congress, others are Supreme Court judges, Police, Doctors, and Lawyer. Their success has come over time and many have sacrificed for their success. I will lastly touch upon how times have changed and there are many stays at home dads. Think people in 1930 never would of saw that coming?

Through this process, I hope to explain that World War II allowed for Women to come out of their homes and be pioneers in our society. If it wasn't for this shift Women wouldn't be as successful as they are today.

Sources:

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii

https://tavaana.org/en/content/1960s-70s-american-feminist-movement-breaking-down-barriers-women

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/07/16/the-20-best-paying-jobs-for-women-in-2012/

Times Do Change

Ever since I was little I noticed that my Grandparents always said, “yes sir and yes ma’am”. I guess this rubbed off on my Father because he tends to do the same. This way of communicating never rubbed off on my brother or I.  As times has gone by social interaction has changed greatly. I know that the way I speak to my Mother, by saying “sup Mom”, she would never even dare to say to her Mother. Also, over time addressing people by their last names has diminished as well. We tend now to address a vast majority of those we know by their first names. Even my professor, for example, want my classmates and me to call them by their first name.  To my mother, this is a foreign concept.  She insists that she would never be able to call her professor or authority figures by their first names out of respect. Over the years, the way that people socially interact with each other has changed greatly. Some may see the way we interact now as rude and disrespectful.  While others would say that this interaction is the way of the future.

Changing gears completely, there has also been a major transition in civil rights, specifically Women’s right. We’ve come a long way since the 1900’s when women weren't able to vote. Truly if you think about it back then Women weren’t able to do much of anything besides be wives and homemakers for their families. Their role in society has done a complete 360. Nowadays, Women are CEO of companies, members of congress. In addition many votes in political elections, work on Wall Street and in the World Trade Centers like my Mother once did. Some own their own business, teach at top institutions across the country. They do all this and still have time to be a Mother as well as a  homemaker. In the 1900’s many would have never expected that Women would have made such tremendous gains.  The role of a Women and the rights that they currently obtain have come very far since the 1900’s after all they are now the pioneers in our society today. 

How Does One Be Civic?

We happen to be citizens of the so-called greatest democracy in the world.  A citizen according to the novel, Rhetoric & Civic Life “is a person who has full membership in a political community”(Schudson 2). One who is considered a citizen has many forms of legal identification such as a birth certificate, a passport, etc. But let's put aside the legal stuff and ask ourselves when we are born, do we just automatically become civic? Better yet, how does one even become civic?

Whether we realize it or not, we do many activities in our daily lives that make us civic.  Take for instance recycling.  As I walk around University Park every day, I come across mass amounts of blue recycling bins.  When, I recycle my plastic Berkley & Jensen Purified Water bottle, am I being civic?  As a matter of fact, I am.  In elementary school, as well as high school, every morning students must stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance,  This is a civic act.  Last summer, the ALS ice bucket challenge was a huge hit on social media.  Participating in the ALS ice bucket challenge or even running a five K race for breast cancer can all be considered a civic act.  After all, you're raising awareness for those in society who need support.

Many Americans attend church, go to the synagogue, the temple or the mosque.  Attending one of these places can make people feel as if they are connected with others.  After the attack on the Twin Towers, on September 11, 2001, George W Bush talked about citizenship in many communities throughout the United States.  Believe it or not, many Christian and Jewish women were taking Muslim women who were afraid to come out of their homes out shopping (Schudson 7). One who is civic serves a purpose in their community such as these women did.

One who is civic attends to the public agenda that is called upon by our nation's political leaders.  One who is civic asks what they can do for their country, not what their country can do for them (Schudson 6). One who is civic votes in primary, local and presidential elections.  One who is civic volunteers to work in the voter registration office.  One who is civic attends local rallies for their local representative.  One becomes civic by doing all these duties.  One who is civic does a majority of these things without realizing what they are doing is their civic duty.

                                                  Work Cited

Schudson, Michael. "How People Learn To Be Civic." Rhetoric and Civic Life. 2nd ed. Boston:

Pearson, 2013. 1-11. Print.

Food Critic, or Shoe Critic?

    Ever since I was a child, my mother made it very clear to me that cooking was not part of her motherly duties.  When my mom goes to the grocery store, which is probably once a year, she has to ask the grocery attendants where to find different items. If it were up to her, we wouldn’t have a kitchen in our house, due to the fact that it takes up way too much space and she hardly ever uses it.  When I tell people that my mother doesn’t cook, they usually say, “Don’t say that about your Mother, she probably is a great cook”.  However, she will be the first to admit that she’s never in the kitchen and that my father is the main chef in our household.

   Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have my father cook for my family most nights.  In addition, I was able to go to many different restaurants and this is how my passion for trying all different types of foods and being my own little mini food critic developed.  So I’d love to write a passion blog about the different places to eat around campus and the environments that they have.

   On the other hand, after only being at University Park for a week or so, I’ve come to the conclusion that navigating the campus requires a lot of walking.  By the time I get back to my dorm in East Halls, I can’t feel my calves and several blisters have developed on my feet.  It’s safe to say that I walk an average of six miles a day.  It's very interesting to see all the different types of shoes that students and faculty wear around campus.  As for my second blog, I would like to write about the different types of shoes that I encounter, as well as where you can buy them and how much they cost.