Sky Profita, Period 8, 11/6/20 (Late), Day C

 11/05/2020

Sky Profita

PD 8 

Goal Setting and Growth

For the entirety of my high school experience, I have heard teachers reinforce a statement that can be roughly summarized to, “Make sure not to slack off second term senior year! It’ll seem like the hard part of senior year is over, but slacking off will get you nowhere!” As someone who considers themselves to have a decent sense of work ethic and scheduling, I knew that I wouldn’t be one to slack off, even if presented the opportunity. What I was more focused on was the fact that the beginning of senior year was depicted as this huge hurdle of stress and late nights. Why is everyone making it out to be such a big deal? Surely, it can’ be that bad, I thought to myself. How naive I was freshman year. 

Now, not to sound like a complainer, I will say that the process of balancing schoolwork, extracurriculars, and college applications is entirely doable. However, as someone who likes to always be ahead of the game, the late nights that were mentioned by the grades above me have certainly come into play. Coincidentally, I am writing this blog at 1:30 A.M., two days before it’s due, in an attempt to clear out my schedule for my college supplements and Science Olympiad tryout tests. Again, entirely doable, but it does take extra effort.

I have found, as I’m sure most of my peers have as well, that setting weekly, monthly, or even just general goals is quite helpful in organizing your time and concentrations. As for my goals right now, I have quite a few, which will all take various amounts of time and effort to complete.

My first set of goals, as expected of a classic tech kid, can be grouped under the academic category. My first priority and goal is to get all of my college applications started/ turned in as early as possible. I’d like to have 10 of 15 schools submitted by December 8th, and the last five shortly after. Again, I like to remain on top of my work at all times, so being able to submit my college applications fairly early is a weight lifted off of my shoulders. For the applications I’ve submitted so far, pressing the submit button gives me a great sense of relief, and being able to focus on my other work besides college applications is very useful to me. My next goal is more extracurricular, although it involves studying as well. This goal is to have a successful tryout test for all three of my prospective Science Olympiad events. This goal is something super important to me, because Science Olympiad has been one of my main extracurricular activities for the past few years. Science Olympiad has been a great way for me to make friends, bond with my existing ones, and work on projects I love. Last year, I was able to medal in all of my events at regionals, and even snagged first place for the plane I built, so it’s really important to me to continue the trend of upward growth. My last current goal is more oriented towards dance. Since SING has been postponed at the very least, and Dance Team has been as well, I haven’t been able to dedicate as much time to doing what I love. So, I set a goal to choreograph at least one new dance by the end of holiday break. Dance is something that has been so important to me since I was a child, and I don’t want to lose my flexibility or creativity. 

With any of these goals, my resilience is shown through the time I dedicate. For college applications, that means sitting down for hours on end, phone on Do Not Disturb, and writing many essays in a much shorter span of time than I’ve ever been used to. For Science Olympiad, that means attending and hosting a decent number of study sessions (which reminds me, I have one November 5th in the evening). It also means spending a n unhealthy amount of time researching oceanography and geology topics which I may never even get to use. For dance, it means doing my homework in the splits, or doing my stretching/ cardio while listening to my Forensics podcasts. By dedicating time and effort, I know I’m putting my best foot forward and giving myself the greatest chance at success. 

As we all know, the world around us, specifically the country we live in, is in a bit of turmoil right now. As I write this, the votes for the 2020 Presidential Election are still being counted, and I as well as many others am on the edge of my seat, hoping to hear the candidate I support announced as winner. I’m not going to go into my personal views, as I feel that is inappropriate for this time, and I am always open to private, civil conversation with teachers or peers about anything currently going on in the world. However, I will speak about how the current state of our country has put a negative damper on my perception and path to obtaining my goals, and hope that I seem as neutral as possible to anyone reading this. I am someone who is extremely environmentally conscious, and the current state of our environment is completely heartbreaking to me, as well as the fact that our government has done so little to combat these issues. On top of that, the recent protests, and talk of reopening a discussion on various topics such as women’s and LGBT+ rights has helped me come to terms with a lot of things that I do not like, that have me scared for my process of applying to and attending college, and that have just generally affected my mental health. The first is that so many people, no matter how book smart they may seem, are so politically and socially ignorant. This is not to say that we have to agree on things such as the economy, trade deals, or gun control, but it is to say that when discussing these topics, so many are blinded by lack of education and research on these topics. Another, more crucial factor of the current world that has affected us all lately, is the intense amount of hatred I have recognized over the course of recent events. This especially comes to play in the political world, which seems to be straying further and further away from an ideal government, and which seems to be unable to distinguish basic human rights from personal feelings. For instance, who’s to say that you cannot chose to have an abortion, just because they personally feel that it is wrong? Who’s to say that gay marriage should be a political debate, instead of letting everyone love who they love? Who’s to say that I should have to worry about receiving hateful, stereotypical comments because of the religion I practice? These are all topics that although they should be viewed as givens to be nice to everyone, are instead ones that are being debated like some trade deal by government and citizens all over. The amount of outright hatred I’ve witnessed, from those around me, from the world in general, is something that will always resonate with me, but not in a positive way. It has put a sort of cloud over my head, and some days I wake up too stressed about what’s going on in the news, what climate policy or women’s rights discussion is going on that could affect me in the future, to even think about school and college applications. This is not the way any good person deserves to feel, and I can only hope that with time those around me, those worldwide will become more loving of each other. Until then, it will remain a hindrance to my goals, a thought to sit on, but I have been and will continue to do my best to push down this negative mindset and follow through to my goals.

Chloe Nguyen, Period 5, 11/10/20, Day B

Chloe Nguyen
PD 5
11/10/20
Day B

Socio-political Consciousness

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

*TW: rape

I have always had a morbid fascination with true crime stories, from dissecting the method to the madness behind infamous serial killers to critically examining how authority figures tackle cases of fraud, abuse, etc. More often than should be permitted, the court of law fails to properly indict the criminal with an appropriate sentence for their offense and diverts the blame onto the victim, as observed particularly in situations of sexual assault; police fail to thoroughly investigate and walk away from crime scenes that could have been prevented if they had just taken a second longer to notice the truth in plain sight.

Recently, I read the memoir, “Know My Name” by Chanel Miller, in which she elaborates on the personal details of her experience with rape, both the legal proceedings and her constant healing process. Previously known as Emily Doe, Ms. Miller was raped behind a dumpster at a Stanford frat party by her assaulter, Brock Turner, who had managed to insert his fingers inside her naked, unconscious body before two Swedish transfer students bicycling through saw what he was doing and had to physically restrain him so he couldn’t attempt to escape for the second time. Waking up at the hospital with pinecones in her hair and her underwear missing, she only learned the extent to which she was truly violated over a week later, when it was published in the news for the world to see. You would think it would be very obvious her assailant was undeniably guilty, judging from the state she was found in, but no. Due to the fact that she was unconscious, that she could not fully remember, Ms. Miller could not confirm there was a lack of consent, that she should be prepared to stand trial and lose. For more than a year, lawyers would make her relive that evening, poking and prodding at her private life to paint her as a loose, frivolous woman and make it seem like it was inevitable; all while, there was article after article portraying her rape as the fall of Brock Turner, successful swimmer whose future has now been ruined because of college campus drinking culture. Reading her story, I was truly able to grasp why so many victims are afraid to report sexual assault because the legal process was not designed to give closure. It is designed to close a case. Yes, Chanel Miller may have won the trial, but all her struggle and suffering was not just for her rapist to be sentenced to six months in prison, only to actually serve three since he “behaved well” and make it out unscathed, living his best life and working at an entry-level job five years later.

Another example of people in power failing to properly protect the victim can be noted in one of the Jeffrey Dahmer murders, in which the serial killer manages to lure the fourteen year old boy into his apartment, drugs him, sexually assaults him, and drills a hole into his skull where hydrochloric acid is injected into his brain. Against all odds, the boy manages to escape and seek help from a group of women who call the police. Yet, when the cops arrive, they do not look at the boy who is terrified, naked, and bleeding from his but, nor do they listen to the women or their justified concerns. Instead, they believe Jeffrey Dahmer when he introduces the boy as his drunk nineteen year old boyfriend who was causing a scene. They even escort the boy back to the apartment, where another corpse is added to his collection that night.

These kinds of stories always fill me with an unbridled sort of rage. They make me realize that power can only ever be considered “powerful” if it is actively used to help defend those who are vulnerable to their circumstances. Otherwise, it becomes another tool to further oppress already disadvantaged groups of people. Specifically, in relation to these types of cases, I would hope to see change surrounding the stigma of sexual assault in media and have these changes translate systematically into law as well.



How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

I find that the best way to reflect on my own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences is to be open minded and consume a variety of media from different sources before forming a concrete opinion on something. It is important to gain exposure and become more educated and self aware about a topic, rather than simply spoon-feeding myself the information I want to hear. Of course, this is not only limited to news, but also books, movies, games, TV shows, music, etc. At the root of it all, we must remember that prejudice is taught, not born with. At a young age, people may “learn” prejudice by adopting influences from the cultural environment they were brought up in, or by being raised in such a way that they associate negative emotions and qualities with minority groups. For instance, such social bigotry is especially relevant to this current time, in which the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked ignorant animosity and hatred towards Asian Americans who are somehow correlated and held responsible for the “Chinese virus” by a hefty segment of the general public. Therefore, how the media portrays Asian Americans plays an essential role in determining society’s treatment of us and how we measure ourselves against Western standards. I believe that it is especially essential that the media give a platform for diverse creators to share their own stories and voices.

Ayman Rddad, Period 2, 11/8/20, Day A

Ayman Rddad
Period 2
11/9/2020
Day A 

Socio-political Consciousness

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power? 

I grew up watching international news with my parents who believe that a decent intellectual should have a global perspective and experience the world beyond his/her immediate environment. As a result, I was exposed to so much strife in other countries, so many atrocities and injustices, so much political and social instability that I grew to see the U.S. as a safe haven in the midst of a tumultuous world. “One should appreciate our political and social stability,” I always thought. My rather “naïve” conceptions, however, were subverted from time to time when my parents would teach me how to respond if someone attacks my religion or race. I started to realize that I was “different” and that my difference put me at a risk of being discriminated against. I drew strength, however, from the fact that the vicious things I heard about Muslims were all wrong. I am a Muslim, but I am neither violent, nor intolerant, nor do I believe in a vengeful God.

Yet, at no time was I forced to reckon with the issue of inequity in our society like I was when I saw black men die at the hands of policemen. The scenes were extremely disturbing and brought to light the ordeal of African Americans in their dealings with law enforcement. As protests erupted, and the “Black Lives Matter” movement emerged, the racism that has been plaguing our society suddenly became too obvious for anybody to ignore. It has been there, it has disenfranchised the African American community for so long, but somehow we have managed to ignore it and see our society as a paragon of social equity.

I was especially moved by the example one public figure used to illustrate the difficulty of being black in American society. He recounted that African American parents teach their sons to keep their hands on the wheel and not make any movement when they are stopped by the police on the road. The underlying assumption is that any movement on the part of a black man is likely to be interpreted as an attempt to reach out to a weapon to attack the police. How hard it must feel to be always seen as a potential wrongdoer! The legal system treats defendants as innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Yet, in the case of black men, it seems that they are often viewed as guilty until proven innocent. What a hard reality!

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed yet another facet of inequality in our society. The pandemic did not affect all sections of our society similarly. The poor and disadvantaged communities suffered higher rates of infection as well as higher rates of deaths. And African Americans and Latinos were at the forefront of these communities. It sounds heartbreaking that the health care system of the most democratic country in the world should fail the poor and people of color. Nobody should be more likely to die of an illness because of her/his race or socioeconomic background in 21st century America.

While the latest developments in our country have been sobering, I believe we should never lose hope nor stop dreaming of a truly equitable political and social system where everybody is represented and treated equally. We should never lose sight of the fact that we are all humans who came together for our common interest which transcends race, creed, and all other factors that are secondary to our common humanity. 

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

Since the rise of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, I have come to reflect on whether our institutions treat everybody fairly and whether our country offers the same opportunities to all its citizens regardless of color, creed, gender, and intellectual and sexual orientation. This questioning of our institutions caused me to question my own assumptions and beliefs. I have always thought of myself, for example, as a highly tolerant person. Yet, I now catch myself often making assumptions that are not necessarily based on facts, or forming an opinion about someone without getting to really know him or her. In a sense, I am self-policing in an attempt to practice that which I would like to see prevail in our society—tolerance of difference and understanding and appreciation of the other’s position.

In the context of the clashes that happened over the summer between the police and the proponents of the “Black Lives Matter” movement and the ensuing call for debunking the police, I tried to see things from the perspective of the police, too. Upon doing so, I came to realize the difficulty of the police job, and to appreciate the sacrifices they make to ensure security. I also came to realize that the excessive use of force against black men by certain members of the police force should not cause us to condemn all police men and women, nor blind us to the sacrifices they make. Hence, looking at the situation from the multiple perspectives of the different parties allowed me to have a rather moderate take on it. Racism is an urgent issue that should be addressed to relieve the just grievances of a large and long disenfranchised community in our society, but we can definitely do so without necessarily debunking the police.

I have learned in the process of reflecting on inequity and the unfair distribution of power in our society that solving a problem starts by recognizing it. Racism can be eradicated only if we recognize its existence in the same way defeating the pandemic starts with recognizing that Covid-19 is a real threat that has to be addressed. Similarly, equity starts by recognizing and combatting the various factors of inequity. We must realize that a powerful society is one whose members are equally empowered.

I have to admit that my belonging to a minority that is often discriminated against helps me see the human beyond the prejudice, makes it easier for me to see things from a different perspective, and definitely allows me to put myself in other people’s shoes. Yet, it always takes a degree of critical reflection and the courage of moving outside one’s comfort zone to achieve real tolerance.

Tiffany Pan, Period 2, 11/4/2020, Day A

Tiffany Pan

Period 2

11/4/2020

Day A

Goal Setting and Growth

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

    

    In the midst of Covid-19 at its peak, it grows harder to set goals and systems and exponentially harder to stick with routines and habits in hopes of pursuing these goals. The world seems to be dragging all of us down everyday, as we read headlines that seems to only strip our remaining optimism. However, at this moment right now, I don't want to lose motivation in my work and hobbies, or let my passions get lost in the mess that we call reality. My main goal as a whole would be developing myself as a person and that includes both aspects of my academic and personal life. More specifically, I want to be able to still make the most of this school year and all that it has to offer. Although school is mostly remote right now, I still want to make sure I'm able to stay motivated in terms of understanding and connecting the information that I'm learning in more creative classes, but also stay focused while learning new concepts in more number and logic focused classes. In terms of my personal life, my goals revolve around delving deeper into my hobbies, including more unique ones. To me, hobbies are a nice way to remind myself that no matter how dark the world gets, there are still going to be things that you love doing out there and a reason to carry forward. Moreover, with new hobbies and work piling up, another goal of mine is to be able to time manage better. Sometimes, the 24 hours we get within a day just does not feel like enough time to do everything I'd like to do, but recently, I've realized that managing your time properly makes a big difference. It's a personal goal for me to be able to figure out what I want to accomplish in one day and how much time I should be giving myself to complete each task efficiently. It forces me to be more aware of tasks that I'm spending too much on, as well as prioritizing certain tasks properly. All in all, Covid certainly has brought bad times upon us in all aspects of our lives, but I believe in a way, it also gives us a chance to improve on ourselves and achieve these specific goals that we set. 

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?) 

    Certainly, it's been getting harder to go outside and for outdoor activities to take place. I recently picked up skateboarding over quarantine (no tricks, just plain ol' cruising) and sometimes, it's been a struggle to find the chance to be able to go outside and skate. However, I've been very persistent about asking my mom to take me outside, since she's very wary of me going out alone. Despite COVID restricting me from constantly going outside, I made the most of my time when I was allowed to go out. Now, I'm able to properly skate with no problem and I'm still constantly looking to improve the next time we go out. In addition, towards time-management, I've started to write down tasks that I need to complete by a certain date and procrastinating less by planning out my day. Sometimes, I fall into the hole of getting caught up with distractions and waste a day away, but time management is definitely still something I'm still improving at. 

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?) 

    The only person I've been around is my mom during this past quarantine. She's helped me immensely with my time management and goal of personal improvement. Everyday, she loves to listens to podcasts and watch shows that constantly encourage improvement, and it inspires me to take steps that allow me to be a better version of myself. She makes my perception of this goal become much more realistic and practical. My mom allows me to see that my goal with improving time management is very much attainable, as long as I actively work on it. Although the world does drag us down at times, my mom is a figure that continues to be my light every single day, whether in terms of reaching my goal or just becoming a better person. At times, the world around me does cause me perceive my goals as much more unattainable, especially as times get tougher and the city gets messier. However, I'm constantly reminded by the people I love that everything will be okay, and to hold onto my goals. 

Stanley Mui, Period 5, 11/8/20, Day B

Stanley Mui

11/8/20

Period 5

Seniors 2020

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

    During this current point in time, I have many goals that I want to achieve for myself. First of all, like everybody else, I want to be able to complete all of my common apps and CUNY college applications. I am not applying for an early decision, so I still have some time to write my essays and answer all of the questions that the colleges are asking. However, this is very hard for me because I have a hard time balancing my time between school work and working on my college applications. So I want to set this goal and make it a priority because I want to get into a good college, and it takes a lot of hard work and sacrifices.
    In addition, having this much work on my shoulders, I am feeling more stress and anxiety than I ever had before. As a result, it is difficult for me to sleep at night because of the constant stress and procrastination. I am sleeping at 4 A.M every day. This is a bad habit that I developed because of staying at home. It is affecting both my life in school and outside of school. In school, I feel like I’m beginning to slack off because of the lack of focus and sleep. I’m not putting in the effort to succeed, and I am not doing my best in school. Outside of school, I’m talking less to my friends and family because of my lack of energy and COVID-19. Therefore, I want to set a new goal for myself to sleep earlier so that I can be the best version of myself. Also, I want to study more and take my work more seriously.
    Finally, due to the weather and the pandemic I am not physically active. Since the start of the pandemic in March, I have put on 5 pounds of weight which is not ideal. Without access to gyms and playing sports with my friends, it was hard for me to keep my physicals in check. I’m not happy with the weight I have gained, and I want to be more physically fit and active by the end of this year. I have even bought some resistance bands and weights to help me gain muscle and get the body that I want and feel comfortable having. I don’t want to feel self-conscious about myself and my weight gain. That is why I want to set a goal for myself to be more physically active and to gain more muscle for the benefit of my health, physically and mentally.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)
    

    I can demonstrate resilience towards achieving my goals by making a daily plan and schedule to help me manage my time better. I feel that my time management is the root of most of the problems because I’m continuing to push things back, and I don’t have the initiative to start my work. If I make a solid game plan to make sure that I write all of my essays early, I don’t have to worry about them later when I have school work to complete as well. I also want to continue to eat healthier and make time after school to make sure that I can get my workouts in. Including the gym equipment that I have just bought, I can also use items around the house to substitute workout equipment. In addition, I feel like I can also demonstrate my resilience by continuing to motivate myself to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I want to do this by continuing to sleep earlier and to spend more time studying. A way to keep me motivated could be a reward at the end to help create an incentive for me to work harder. This is also important because college life is going to be way tougher, and I need to build these skills now to prepare me for the future. Lastly, I want to have a more positive mindset and emotions to help me towards achieving my goals. For me, I can be very harsh on myself, and I’m mostly a pessimistic person so I want to change that and be more positive. Instead of worrying and having so much stress I should be happier and use a more positive approach to help me solve my problems to achieve my goals.


How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

    The world around me affects my perceptions of these goals greatly. We are still currently in a pandemic that has affected the lives of many people. It has also affected me because since we are currently approaching what could be a second lockdown, we have to stay at home. Being at home helps me keep the focus on what I need to do without outside distractions. I can spend more time at home and allow me to finish all of the work that I need to get done for college. Also, with the election results coming up, there is a nasty political climate that is beginning to form between the two biggest political parties. America is right now a very divided nation that is not allowing for the peaceful transfer of power. This affects the perception of my goal because it makes me motivated to make a difference in America. Seeing the chaos and the fighting between the people in our nation, it makes me want to continue working and attend college someday, and make a difference in the world that we live in today.


Student Reflection:

    Overall, after writing this blog, I realized many of the strengths and weaknesses that I have. Both as a student and adult learning to become integrated into society. I feel that by taking my work more seriously and using my time wisely, I will be able to achieve the goals that I have set for myself. I know that if I’m able to motivate myself, I can also complete these goals. I can demonstrate resilience by having a positive mindset and creating a schedule and a plan to help me reach my goals as well. As the world around me is hurting, I know that through my hard work and perseverance, I can achieve my goals. I can not only improve as a student in the classroom but also as a better human being who can make a difference in the world.

Nethya Samarakkodige, PD8, 11/3/2020, Day C

Nethya Samarakkodige
Period 8
11/3/2020
Day C

Socio-political Consciousness

1. What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

During this past year, many issues regarding inequity, oppression, and power struggles under our government and socio-political systems have become more concerning. As a student, I didn’t pay much attention to elections or events in politics that occurred prior to 2016 because of my young age, but in recent years, I have become increasingly aware and passionate about political issues that concern the rights and livelihood of the American population. Unfortunately, multiple groups, such as racial and religious minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, and women experience inequity and oppression every day. There are multiple clear instances of inequality and oppression in our country that have become normalized or blatantly ignored, such as the gender wage-gap, systematic racism, and a struggle for equal rights for women and LGBTQ+ individuals. We as a country have become more divided, to such an extent that people are worried about their safety and expecting an eruption of anger and violence in reaction to the results of the 2020 Presidential Election, no matter who wins.

Issues such as police brutality, homophobia, climate change, and sexism are still controversial and debated topics, rather than concerns that are actively being resolved. There are many areas for improvement in our country, but I am optimistic about improvements that will come with future elections, as younger people find their voice and have a say in the government. I think it’s extremely important for younger generations to become knowledgeable and form their own opinions politically in order to make educated decisions because it directly impacts peoples’ rights and access to a happy, healthy life.


2. How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

I reflect critically on my own beliefs by making sure that I am considering the rights of people in America despite race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc. I also try to respect and understand the reasoning behind people with differing beliefs. My personal values definitely impact how I perceive myself and others, and while tolerating all beliefs is important, equality and equity for all should be the ultimate goal for us as a country. It’s important to acknowledge the fact that the rights and freedoms of marginalized groups should not be politicized, but as adolescents, we are still forming our opinions and learning how to make a difference.

I also think that it’s difficult to get accurate and unbiased information from many news sources, and social media complicates the matter even further. I try to reflect critically on my beliefs by forming educated opinions using multiple sources and facts, rather than blindly following reports. Ultimately, we are all inherently biased, especially when it comes to socio-political beliefs, but I believe it is important to remember that there is always room for improvement, growth, and maturity.

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Brandon Luo, Period 5, 11/2/20, Day B

Brandon Luo

Period 5

11/2/20

Day B

Modern Mythology 2021

Goal Setting & Growth

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

The specific goal I have in mind right now is to determine which colleges to apply to which will best fit my interests. I feel internally conflicted upon which colleges I wish to go to because my parents want me to go to a specific college in New York City, Macaulay Honors, and only focus on that one university. However, I greatly wish for not staying in NYC because my parents have always decided which paths I must take since I was small. From whatever school I must go to, to whichever activities I can participate in, my decisions have always been under the direct control of my parents. Now, I am becoming an adult, and I hope not only to have independence but also to rely on myself. If I stay in NYC, I will probably have to live with my parents and not have any freedom by relying on them. Nonetheless, my parents definitely do have some good points such as Macaulay Honors being completely debt free and my brother being able to help me in college with his experiences in Hunter. I certainly agree with them to a great extent that it’s financially irresponsible to go to college purely for the experience and to ignore the ever increasing student loan debt. However, if I take the specific path that they drew out for me, I believe that I won’t be living my life, but rather, my parents’. Thus, I am ultimately trying to strike a balance between relying more on myself and paying as little student loan debt as possible. 

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

Since I was small, I have listened to my parents for almost everything. Now, I am trying to make more decisions by myself and rely on my parents less by asking less and less for their help and depending on myself more. I understand that in the end, I am the one that chooses which college I want to attend and my parents cannot convince me otherwise if I insist on choosing to attend a college they do not wholeheartedly support.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

When quarantine started, to now, I began to realize how suffocated I feel in my own home. I am not complaining about living in a house, but rather, since my house has 4 people and is quite small, I feel as if I have no sense of privacy or sense of self. The more time I spend in lockdown and around my family, the more I realize how much I want to go out and have freedom over my own choices. I have also come to the ironic conclusion that because of the quarantine, the experience I am searching for in college will most likely not be the one that I expect. Rather than having fun with friends or even going outside, the lockdown will prevent me from being able to go out the dorms in college. Nevertheless, I still believe that going to a college outside NYC during the lockdown is the best path for me to take.