Follow Your Passions!

We started off the class with our Group C Amazing Women Presentations. I knew that in the afternoon it was going to be my turn to give my presentation. I was a little nervous, but I decided to not think about it. Instead, I focused on all the wonderful women that were talked about.

Shortly after Group C was finished, we were broken down into groups of four. Kisa gave us a big piece of paper in where we drew a shirt. Inside that shirt, we wrote down qualities that we agreed that a feminist should have. Outside of the shirt we wrote down negative things that people classify feminists as being. For instance, feminists are not "man haters". Since there are many misconceptions about feminists, my group and I decided to call ourselves "womanists" instead. We all want equal opportunities as men, but that does not mean that we hate men. We talked about how we need from one another and that all we need is to work together.

After we were done sharing our thoughts on feminism, we had four guest speakers come in and talk to us. They talked about some of the challenges they had to face when they were younger because they were girls or because of their race. One of the women was Puerto Rican. She talked about how her counselor told her that she was wasting her time applying to Ivy League schools. That did not stop her and when she went back and showed him all the acceptance letters she received he just said that it was because she was a minority. This story really stayed in my mind. The counselor was wrong. It was not just because of her race that she was accepted into an Ivy League school, but because the woman was really smart and determined.

All of the women examples were really encouraging. I felt even more motivated to try my best. I will also follow my passions just like the women did. Now they are all happy with what they do with their lives. They advised us to not go that hard on ourselves. We shouldn't spread ourselves too thin or try to do everything because we should just focus on what we love to do.

Furthermore, we met with Mercedes during lunch. We were able to ask any questions we had. Since I am interested in Business but also like art, Mercedes encouraged me to try to do something with both of my interests. I shouldn't just limit myself to one thing. We talked about the admissions process and about interviews. She said interviews were strongly recommended. I had such a great time with her. However, the clock turned to 1:20 PM and we had to head back to class.

I was the first to present my Amazing Women Presentation from Group D. I was oddly not that nervous. I felt comfortable talking in front of my peers. Everyone was so encouraging. It was fun to give my presentation from Oprah's voice. It made me feel more connected to my amazing woman. After I was done, I got to hear many more great presentations. Then we all tried to refresh our memory by mentioning some important points on each of the women talked about in the presentations.

Then we had some time to talk about Ethics and Leadership. We didn't finish talking about the topic because it was time to go. This shows how fast time goes by in our classroom. We lose track of time because we are so focused on what we are learning. I really like this class.

At 7 PM, we met with Ms. Stewart in the Ratty to talk about our trip back home. It was sad to get reminded that we have only 2 days left. I wish I could stay longer. I have met so many new friends. I am having such a great time here that I don't even want to think that its almost over. Sadly, I know that my days here are limited.

Overall, I had another great day today. Tomorrow we are presenting our Action Plan in class. We'll see how that goes.