lrglobeeportfolio

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Taming the Wool Editorial 

mixed media prints 

20x30″

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Venice, Florence, and Pisa. 2017, Study Abroad 

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Exhibit at Art 29 Gallery, Qatar 

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Doha, Qatar Study Abroad 

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Doha, Qatar Study Abroad 

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Cultural Enrichment Fair Proposal for Falling Creek Middle School, Richmond Va

LaRissa Rogers, Kristina Nguyen, Chelsea Simpson

Ms. Ingber and Christina Marino

Gled 302

April 25, 2017

 Cultural Enrichment Fair Proposal for Falling Creek Middle School, Richmond Va

 Introduction

 Cultural Enrichment Fair (CEF) is a proposed after-school event held twice a year that will expose students to a diverse college campus with multiple cultures, races, religions, and backgrounds that come together to create a thriving academic environment. The pre-existing after school program at Falling Creek consist of sixty to seventy, sixth through eighth graders that will participate in the Cultural Enrichment Fair. The afterschool program at Falling Creek is led by Mr. Monroe and Ms. Reynolds every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30pm to 5:30pm. The after school students from Falling Creek will be used for the event because it makes the Cultural Enrichment Fair a more feasible event to hold. It would be ideal to host this program for the entire school, as the issues are present in all grade levels and classrooms, but in order for the event to run smoothly a larger venue, more funding, and more resources would be required. Furthermore, because the afterschool program reflects the same demographic of Falling Creek as a whole, the afterschool program is a great way to address cultural awareness while keeping the event manageable and productive.

CEF is important for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, it will allow the afterschool students to interact with college students who are from different cultures and have overcome obstacles to get to where they are now. Secondly, because VCU is a very diverse college campus, the Falling Creek students will be able to experience how VCU students embrace each other's differences to create a welcoming and thriving community. Thirdly, the event will give Falling Creek students hope and provide them with information about the importance of education and cultural awareness. Lastly, diversity is an important part of the classroom, whether it is in middle school or college. Many students do not realize the diversity in their classes, until they have gone out of that environment to compare their diversity to others. At Falling Creek Middle School, there are many countries represented in the ESOL class as well as the Math 6 Honors class, and CEF will encourage the after school students to come together and embrace the diversity within not only the classroom, but day to day life.

           CEF will be held once a semester (or twice a year) at VCU Globe. The first event will be on Wednesday September, 20th 2017 and the same event will be held again on Wednesday February, 21st 2018. CEF will act as a field trip to the Falling Creek after school students and is held during the time designated to the after school program. At VCU Globe, where CEF is taking place, rooms 1030J, 1030 A/C, and the kitchen area will be used from 3:30-5:30pm. In 1030 J, there will be a variety of cultural performances and activities for the students to recognize and appreciate the diversity in their classrooms by various cultural organization on campus. In 1030 A/C, there will be a VCU student panel composed of Globe students, cultural orgs, and Student Admission Ambassadors (SAA), where the students can ask questions about getting into college, the college experience, and how the college students overcame obstacles to get to where they are now. The students will be split into two groups of 30 to 35 students, and each group will spend 30 minutes in each room, leaving 10 minutes for a snack break in between. Overall, the purpose of this program is to expose students to people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, races, and religions who have overcome issues and thrived through appreciating each other's differences and working together in academia.

 Rationale

 Falling Creek Middle School consists of a diverse population of a majority minority students from various cultural backgrounds. A large population of the diversity in Falling Creek are Hispanic Students, many of whom have little to no English proficiency, and African American Students. Specifically, “575 students, or 48.2% of the student population at Falling Creek Middle identify as African-American, making up the largest segment of the student body, and 35.6% of the student body identify as Hispanic”(Rate Limited). Although the demographic makeup of  Falling Creek Middle School is predominately Hispanic and African American, the demographics of the teachers hired do not reflect that of the student body. A majority of the teachers hired are African American or white (Rate Limited). Not having representation from the demographics of the teachers has an adverse affect on the ability for these children to effectively relate and learn. The predominant hispanic populations do not have anyone relatable teaching them, or breaking language barriers which causes them to fall further behind. This is significant because it adds to the lack of zeal and motivation that the children have for obtaining higher education. “Research confirms there are social, emotional, and academic benefits to having teachers of color for both white students and students of color. Currently, however, a child’s chance of having an African-American or Latino male teacher during his or her K-12 experience is one in 50” (Closing Gaps). In Falling Creek Middle School, this has caused marginalization of Hispanic speakers in the classroom, they are grouped together and typically only speak amongst themselves due to the severe language barriers.  They have no source of representation or translation until they get home, not even in the After school programs.

Furthermore, there is a significant need for representation and motivation to continue to higher education for these marginalized students in Falling Creek Middle school. Without the proper exposure to individuals who have overcome adverse circumstances that represent their demographics, these students will continue to have no motivation for learning or increasing in education. The Falling Creek After School Program Cultural Fair and collaboration with VCU Globe and other multicultural organizations on campus will serve as a pathway towards , reestablishing a zeal for education, a chance for the students to see that there is power in education and power in diversity, so that the students are aware that,  despite the lack of representation in their schools from teachers, there is still a chance for them to flourish in higher education, and that in academia no matter what obstacles one faces, no matter the color of  skin, there is always opportunity to overcome these obstacles and become successful.

 Resources

 The Cultural Enrichment Fair requires a variety of resources from the students at VCU to Globe Students to snacks and transportation from the teachers at Falling Creek Middle School. Listed below are the resources needed for CEF to be successful:

Students from Falling Creek     Middle School

Snacks for 60-70 people

Transportation to and from VCU     and Falling Creek Middle School

2 room reservations- 1030 J and     1030 A/C

6-9 Cultural organizations

Volunteers

Tables and chairs

Signs indicating where     important locations are i.e. bathrooms, 1030 J, 1030 A/C etc.

Printed evaluation

             CEF will have participation from Falling Creek Middle School, VCU Globe and VCU students. The supervisors of the Falling Creek afterschool program have been contacted about the resources asked of them. Mr. Monroe and Ms. Reynold will be providing the students from their afterschool program. This program is held every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30-5:30pm at Falling Creek. In this program, there are 60-70 students between sixth to eighth grades. However, CEF will be a field trip for the students, and thus the transportation to and from VCU and Falling Creek Middle School will be provided by Falling Creek. In addition, the students already have snacks (Pop Tarts, juice boxes etc) during their afterschool program, which will be provided by Falling Creek as well.  The experience of the staff here is essential, as they know their students and know how to keep the group focused and controlled. There will also be volunteers who are familiar with the schedule that will help move the event along smoothly.

           Resources that will come from VCU Globe include the room reservations of 1030 J, 1030 A/C, signs and the printed evaluations will be provided by Globe. Mr. Ross will be emailed for the room reservations, and should the proposed dates not be available, then dates around the original date will be chosen, depending on the availability of the respective rooms. The tables and chairs are already in these rooms, and those will be used. Paper and ink will be used from the printer in the Globe Office. Christina Marino was already contacted and agreed to print said materials.

           VCU students will also be used as a resource. Students in the different living learning communities will be asked to volunteer. The students in the VCU Globe will be asked first, and then it would be open to the rest of the living learning programs: VCU Aspire, VCU Lead, VCU Innovate, and the Honors College. There will be an incentive for the VCU Globe students because it will count as a co-curricular for students who attend, and a CPS for those who participate in the student panel. In addition, students in the Spanish English Translation and Interpretation (SETI) program were contacted to improve communication between the Hispanic Falling Creek students and the student panel. The students in the SETI program will ease the language barrier by interpreting for the Hispanic Falling Creek students who are not as proficient in English. The goal would be to have between six and nine organizations present. Student Admission Ambassadors (SAA), Vietnamese Student Association (VSA), Chinese Student Association (CSA), African Student Union (ASU), Latino Student Association (LSA), Muevelo, and Filipino Americans Coming Together (FACT) have already been contacted and they have expressed their interest. In addition to those six organizations, Muslim Student Association (MSA), Indian Student Association (ISA) and the Business Student Association (BSA) will be asked to participate in CEF.

    Objectives

 The objective of CEF is to expose Falling Creek students to new cultures while showing them that students from different cultures, backgrounds, races and religions can thrive within an educational setting through accepting each other's differences and realizing that everyone is in it together. In the classroom there is a tendency for some Falling Creek students to become frustrated because they do not understand what is being taught to them. Furthermore, they feel as though they are not getting the attention and patience from the teachers that they need in order to succeed. Home life, language barriers, etc carry over into the classroom and affect how the students learn. This problem occurs in many classrooms, and through not only observation but by talking to the students they have voiced that this barrier results in the students becoming disinterested in education. In order to combat some of these issues CEF will be able to show the students that through education many things are possible. Organizations like Student Admissions Ambassadors will be able to talk to the students about what VCU has to offer, and how the school and education has affected them. Also, Asian, African American, and Hispanic organizations will talk to the students about diversity, culture, and how identity has impacted their journey with education. Dance, costume, information tables, personal statements and a question and answer panel/share and tell will provide the students from Falling Creek with ample opportunities to interact with college students and each other in a fun and encouraging setting. While at school, students are forced to assimilate to the rules, culture and language of the United States behavioral expectations, and learning. This event will give the students a chance to connect and talk about their culture (during the optional share and tell) while interacting with college students who are able to understand the impact diversity plays in school and life. This will enhance motivation, create cultural awareness, curiosity, hope, connections and expand the possibilities for students and their relationship with education. While the language barrier is one of the main obstacles for students that do not speak english as their first language, all of the students would be able to benefit from cultural awareness and the role education can plays in one’s life. Also to make sure that the Falling Creek students are able to understand and communicate during the fair, interpreters will be provided by the SETI program. At the end of the event, a survey will be passed to find out what the students took away from the event. The surveys be used as a quantifiable way to understand the impact that CEF had on the students.

 Methods

 The Cultural Enrichment Fair will be held twice a school year, once in the spring and again in the fall. The afterschool program has agreed to schedule the event as a field trip and bus the students to VCU. The students and chaperons will arrive around 3:30om. West Grace North rooms 1030J, 1030 A/C, and the kitchen area will be reserved for the event. When the students arrive on Wednesday September 20th and again on Wednesday February 21st, they will be greeted followed by an ice breaker game by LaRissa, Chelsea, and Kristina. The ice breaker game will be focused on diversity and allow for the afterschool students to interact and get to know some of the VCU college students from various cultural organizations. From there, the after school students will be split into two groups of thirty-five. One group will stay in 1030J, while the other group will move into room 1030 A/C. In room 1030J, there will be a fashion show performed by ASU, followed by VSA, Muevelo and FACT who will perform using music and dance. Before performing the organizations will give a brief synopsis of their act and how it relates to culture and identity. Through this activity the students will be able to see diversity and how culture is represented by different groups in an educational setting. This will fulfill the goal of cultural awareness. It will allow the students to feel connected and not neglected (as they often do because of the confusion and unfamiliarity they share with the teacher, language, cultural identity, and school material). The students will be provided with a safe place to ask questions and express themselves. They will also be able to see how a diverse community like VCU can thrive through coming together, overcoming obstacles, and embracing one another's differences. In 1030 A/C, the other group of Falling Creek students will be participating in a panel discussion with VCU students. For the first fifteen minutes a student panel made of the VCU organizations (Globe, SAA, ASU, VSA, Muevelo and FACT) will briefly share what their organization does, why that particular individual decided to join, and how college and specifically that organization has impacted them. After the panel discussion the afterschool students will be allowed to ask questions and learn more about the VCU students and the organizations. This panel discussion will allow for the students to gain knowledge and tips for dealing with cultural obstacles that may arise within the academic setting. They will also be exposed to students who have had to deal with obstacles to get to where they are now. This is important because it will provide the afterschool students with potential role models. This discussion will serve as motivation for achieving higher education despite cultural differences, backgrounds, and obstacles that may get in one's way. After thirty minutes, both rooms will come together for a ten minute snack, then switch rooms for the remaining thirty minutes. This will allow for both groups of students to experience both aspects of CEF for the same amount of time. After both groups have visited both rooms, we will all come back together and debrief for the final ten minutes. Everyone will be allowed to share what they have learned, and a survey will also be passed out during this time asking for feedback from the afterschool students about their experience at CEF.

 Evaluation

 The surveys will be passed out at the end of CEF to each of the students and the after school program coordinator. The survey, which will be in English and Spanish, will be on a piece of paper and it will have questions pertaining to the goals and outcomes this fair hopes to achieve, as well as number “zero to ten” to rate their level of satisfaction: zero will signify “unsatisfactory and ten will signify “very satisfied”. The questions that will be asked are: “Do you feel that the Cultural fair helped you as a student?” “Did you learn something new about a culture you were not familiar with?” “Did the student panel help you understand why college is important?” “Did the activities and panel make you feel comfortable enough to express yourself freely?” “How can you change your attitude towards different cultures?” “What was your favorite part?” The students will also have a section where they can choose to mark their ethnicity so that a clearer understanding of which demographics are receptive to this project will be apparent. Also, the students will have a comments/feedback section where they can leave suggestions or general comments/concerns about the fair so that they can be reviewed and improved upon for the next sessions. This survey will help hear directly from the audience of this project, which are the after school program students, and will clearly show whether or not the needs are met by the average responses received from the evaluation survey.

Below are the evaluations that would be handed to the Falling Creek Middle School

 Name_______________________    Date___________   Ethnicity________________________

 Rate the question below from 0 to 10. 0 being unsatisfactory and 10 being very satisfied.

 1) Do you feel that the Cultural fair helped you as a student?

        1           2            3            4            5            6            7            8             9             10   

2) Did you learn something new about a culture you were not familiar with?

        1           2            3            4            5            6            7            8             9             10   

3) Did the student panel help you understand why college is important?

        1           2            3            4            5            6            7            8             9             10   

4) Did the activities and panel make you feel comfortable enough to express yourself freely?

        1           2            3            4            5            6            7            8             9             10   

5) What tips did you learn today?

 6) What was your favorite part?

 7) How can you change your attitude towards different/ new cultures?

 Nombre _______________________ Fecha ___________ Etnia _________________________

 Contesta las preguntas abajo de 0 hasta 10. 0 representa insatisfecho y 10 representa muy satisfecho.

1) ¿Sientes como que este programa te ha ayudado como un estudiante?

        1           2            3            4            5            6            7            8             9             10   

2) ¿Aprendiste algo nuevo sobre una cultura que no conocías?  

        1           2            3            4            5            6            7            8             9             10   

3) ¿El panel estudiantil le ayudó a entender por qué la universidad es importante?

        1           2            3            4            5            6            7            8             9             10   

4) ¿Las actividades y el panel te hacen sentir cómodo para expresarte libremente?

        1           2            3            4            5            6            7            8             9             10   

5) ¿Qué consejos aprendiste hoy?

 6) ¿Cuál fue tu parte favorita?

 7) ¿Cómo puedes cambiar tu actitud hacia diferentes / nuevas culturas?

 Budget

 Below is a table with the resources, and the anticipated cost for the resources. For the resources indicated as provided by Falling Creek Middle School and VCU Globe, the respective groups have been contacted. VCU Globe (via Christina Marino) and Falling Creek Middle School have agreed to provide the resources below via email.

  Resources

Cost

Provided by

Snacks (Pop tarts,  Rice Krispies, Juice)

$75

Falling Creek Middle  School

Transportation

$200

Falling Creek Middle  School

VCU Globe Room  Reservations

$0- No additional cost  because CEF is during the week.

VCU Globe

Volunteers

$0

VCU Students, SETI,  Student Orgs

Tables and Chairs

$0

Provided by the Globe  classrooms

Signs

$17.73 (for 1 ream of  paper)

Printed by VCU Globe

Printed CEF  Evaluations

Using same ream of  paper

Printed by VCU Globe

Ink and Toner

$15

Provided by VCU Globe

Additional Costs

$0

Total

$0

 Personal Perspective

LaRissa

As an African American and Asian biracial person, identity and my relationship to identity and culture has impacted every facet of my life. Before coming to college, I was the minority at school and felt misunderstood and ostracized. I was disconnected from my own culture and forced to assimilate into the culture that my (predominantly rich and white) private school had created. I did not feel as though people tried to understand my background nor did the community value diversity. I can relate to the students at Falling Creek because I know how it feels to overcome obstacles relating to culture and diversity within the educational setting. Through presenting students with an outlet to explore diversity, and exposing them to a vibrant university that values culture and their differences, the students will hopefully gain a new attitude towards different cultures and see each other as equal.

Chelsea

As an Ghanian-American Child in the United States, I first hand know the power of representation. Growing up in the suburbs of Gainesville Virginia, I was lucky if I had another African American that was in my class. This lack of demographic diversity caused me at a point in time in my life to see diversity as a negative aspect, there was pressure to fit in, where my hair straight, dress a certain way if I wanted to be seen as “normal”. Not until the area in which I lived diversified, I was always identified by my skin and not my attributes. As more and more people from various backgrounds moved to my neighborhoods and filled the classrooms, there was a different vibe felt throughout the classrooms. More people were free to express themselves because they knew that they were not alone, the school system began to hire more teachers of color to fit the growing demographics and the students who were once ashamed to be different, now wore their heritage on their sleeves. International night was once a function that was laughed at, but slowly and surely it became the hottest event of the year. This project that we are implementing with the falling creek middle school students, aims to help the students who feel outcast and marginalized happy about where they are coming from. We want these students to have a voice and use their difference to stand out and make a difference in their schooling system. This cultural enrichment fair will help them see that there is power in diversity, and power in their cultural differences. They should not see their language barriers, or accents as a blockade towards their education, but rather they should look at these as avenues for success. We hope that through the testimonials, advice and insights, as well as education from VCU students will be the start of a different way these students choose to view their lives and their education.

 Kristina Nguyen

           I came as a freshmen in fall of 2014, and the diversity at VCU opened my eyes. I realized that throughout my education, from 1st grade to 12th grade, I was actually surrounded by a diverse student population. For elementary school, I attended a magnet school for a Spanish Immersion program. Here, I was the minority for 6 years since the students population at Bailey’s Elementary School resembled Falling Creek Middle School’s student population, but there were more latinos at Bailey’s Elementary School. Throughout my middle school and high school years,  the diversity grew even more. At the high school I attended, there were over 90 countries represented. Michelle Obama even came to present a speech because of the diversity!

Anyway, I feel like the diversity that I experienced growing up gave me a different perspective on the world. Thus, I am a proponent of the Cultural Enrichment Fair because it would open the students at Falling Creek to different culture, while hopefully opening their eyes to the diversity in their school. While Falling Creek is mainly hispanic and African American, there is still diversity among the students because everyone is  not from the same country. I also am a proponent of CEF because after having spent over 30 hours this past year assisting in Mr. Monroe’s classroom, I see that each and every one of them have a potential to do amazing things. Mr. Monroe’s student all have the intelligence and ability to do so much and impact the world around them, but many of the students do not apply themselves. Students at Falling Creek Middle School are at a pivotal age, where their minds are impressionable. CEF would open their eyes to the diversity around them, while also showing them their possibility in the world and beyond middle school.

Works Cited

 "Closing Gaps." Educators for Excellence, e4e.org/what-we-do/policy-solutions/closing-gaps.

"Rate Limited." Rate Limited, public-schools.startclass.com/l/94024/Falling-Creek-Elementary#School%20Staff&s=41OnHV.

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For my photograph, I chose a pink shirt because it is the color that red and white makes when it it combined together reinforcing the idea that these two cultures combined make up who I am. Also, the color allows for the viewer to see my hair better. Secondly, I changed the lighting. It was said that the harsh shadow being cast in my original photograph was distracting and not necessary, so for this go around I used different lights in conjunction with umbrellas to get rid of the harsh shadows. This change also helped with illuminating the area in a attractive and effective way. Thirdly, I added a table, table cloth, and more objects. The table allowed me to add more objects into the frame like the grape soda and kool-aid for African american culture and Korean pop, kimchi, and soy sauce for Korean culture.  I also added more rice and piled it up on the right, and mimicking its pile I have a mixture of fried chicken and watermelon on the left. The pile represents excess.

Also, In order to make these objects more personal I held the objects; fried chicken in my right and rice in my left. By holding my arms outstretched I also wanted to convey this sense of vulnerability while also “serving” these stereotypes back at the viewer. The table cloth also adds another aspect to the conversation as well. I decided to split the table half red and half white to mimic the background but I switched the order to reiterate that both sides are equally as important and make up who I am. Red as a color is intense and represents love, passion, violence, and caution and it also catches the viewers eye. White on the other hand represents purity and cleanliness. By switching the colors on the table cloth I was trying to put both cultures on the same playing field and not put one culture over the other. They are both equal in their own rights. Even though they are different that is all they are, one is not worse or better than the other.

Through my self portrait I also wanted to raise awareness to the stereotypes that others put on me and on different cultures on a daily basis subconsciously. My expression is meant to be strong yet accusatory. I am embodying these stereotypes because they are inevitable and make up who I am even though they are a messed up part of society. Also when most people see me they label me as African american without even knowing or asking me if that is my ethnicity. Because my skin is brown I automatically get labeled. Also, as a culture we  have a lot more offensive African American stereotypes than Korean stereotypes (which was an obstacle). So while keeping my body central and evenly distributed through the two sides I tried to use larger objects (not more I wanted to keep the sides visually balanced) on the African american side to reinforce this idea that African Americans get labeled with negative stereotypes more. I did this instead of positioning my body more towards one side (because it was said in critique that it looked like I was favoring that culture by doing so).  

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The Perfectionist

Upon seeing the painting for the first time at the age of seventeen, I was disturbed; it had an ugly edge and, despite the bright colors an unsettling anger and violence seethed under its fractured surface. The boy in the painting did not become a man, but rather a skull with no body. The childlike drawings, scribblings, and letter printing could be mistaken for rubbish, but Basquiat transmuted human emotion into images that were not pretty, but profound and beautiful nevertheless the presence of the boy in the painting was expressed by absence. Basquiat changed contemporary standards for art: taking art off of the gallery wall and into the street, skewing traditional perspective with primitive scrawls, and ultimately, changing me.

I wasn’t always inspired by messiness. When I was little, I hated getting my hands dirty. Sandboxes were too messy, play-dough smelled funny, and anything short of a clean line would set me on edge. I was a perfectionist; maybe I still am a little bit. Mentally, physically, spiritually, I wanted to achieve excellence, and failure conditioned my satisfaction. I wasn’t able to admit the truth of that old saw -- “nobody’s perfect” -- until I saw a giant beautiful mess of scribbles and shapes.

“Untitled, 1981” by Jean-Michel Basquiat is the opposite of what I would have considered "perfect" growing up. Angry and "childlike" to the uneducated eye, his work manifests the complexity of consciousness itself, the way we see things as ourselves and as our former selves. Beauty lies within chaos and imperfection; it builds on our past perceptions. In this painting, Basquiat taps into emotions that are not easily expressible, but this painting found a visual way to express the complex emotions I had felt but not been able to convey.

I always felt misunderstood and complicated, as if no one truly knew me. In eighth grade I started to become friends with the “popular pretty girls.” Before I became part of their clique I envied there supposed perfection. They had glamorous big houses, nice clothes, and a perfect “Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants” type of friendship. So when I began to have lunch with them and get invited to their parties I felt honored. But, I soon realized that their perfection that appealed to me originally was not perfection at all. They made fun of girls at the lunch table calling them fat and pointing out their flaws. Most importantly certain people were not to be associated with because they dressed different, were not thin enough, did not have enough money or were not pretty enough. Soon, the morals that I had been taught from a young age began to waiver and I could no longer pretend to hide behind this fake persona to please my new supposed friends.  

           The combination of harsh and blurred lines in Basquiat’s painting created a paradoxical effect that I could relate to. This one picture portrayed life, and the harsh lines showed the real self hiding behind my false front, but the blurred lines left the sense of ambiguity that is part of life. Like the painting, I was complex and had many layers. The colors, while disturbing were honest, true, and direct. This one picture reflected life as a journey, with ups and downs, triumphs and failures, beauty and ugliness. The transformation of the boy into the skull was a visual reminder of how destructive and toxic perfectionism could be. Perfectionism not only tore down my self-esteem by convincing me I was never good enough, but it left with overwhelming feelings of anger and depression similar to the black and red accents of color in the painting. My thoughts and perception of myself stopped me from reaching my full potential, which could be directly related to the stitching of the skull within Basquiat’s work. The stitching links everything together, the color, and the emotion into one. It’s the backbone of not only the picture but in my case, what made me, me.

            This painting made me realize the extent of damage that I was causing myself, and how oblivious I was to my own corrupted outlook. It was like a prophecy in a sense, if I stayed on the path I was on I would slowly decay and become a skeleton fragile and without flesh or depth. Basquiat was scared and trampled by the art world, confident as an artist, haunted by prejudice, he was always on a quest for the acknowledgement and appreciation of his own artistic expression, never quite accepted or appreciated for his brilliance. I felt the same, misunderstood.

I wanted to be perfect because I wanted to get good grades, have a lot of friends, and achieve success. But at the same time I loved and hated the idea of having to be perfect. I loved the idea of perfection because it is virtually programed into every human being to see it, but on the other hand perfection was stressful and impossibly difficult to achieve. This idea of me having to be perfect can be seen through an art assignment I was given in kindergarten. I was asked to paint a tree with leaves. The teacher gave the class an array of colors to use for the project, but in my mind none of the colors were good enough.  Instead of using the colors given, I mixed my own fancy pastel colors and then and only then did I deem the colors “perfect.” But, I also remember not being able to run the mile in gym class, and as I walked around the field praying to God that I wouldn’t die I envied every pretty, thin, white girl who could. I remember being called fat and not feeling comfortable to sit at the desk, tie my own shoe, or change for gym class in front of my peers. I remember the tears and hatred that I inflicted onto myself for not being “perfect” in society’s eyes. I wasn’t thin, pretty, or confident because I wasn’t able to reach this perfect physical state. I pretended to be happy, I pretended that I didn’t cry myself to sleep, and I pretended that I didn’t care what others thought of me. And because I wasn’t perfect in those aspects I focused on being perfect in everything else that I did-- down to my handwriting.

This one piece of artwork unsettled me because it was the simple truth with no sugar coating. It surprised me how honest Basquiat was able to be, but also simple and complex at the same time. Simple in the fact that his paintings were childlike and mimicked scribbles, but complex and highly sophisticated in the way that he was able to load context, emotion, information and meaning into one painting. His stripped down wordplay that is disguised by a top layer of scribbles combined with images suggest the human consciousness, and defines art in a way that had not been done before. By scribbling over his initial words it seemed as another way of reinforcing this idea of suffocation of not only the mind but the struggle between two choices, similarly to how I felt. Art embodies the reality of everyday life; imperfect and beautiful. The words act as a sword, cutting through the initial completion of the painting and unveiling its ugliness. The painting was a revelation, and made me examine myself. It felt as if the painting was a mirror reflecting my personal secrets back at me, forcing me to open my eyes and face reality. It showed me the beauty in imperfection.

After realizing that imperfection is beautiful I no longer worry about being perfect in everything I do. I am the beautiful intense colors in Basquiat’s painting, and I am also the childlike scribblings. I have flaws and imperfections, but those imperfections complement the beauty in a way that intensifies its presence. Perfection is not universal, and even though it took me seventeen years and a disturbingly beautiful piece of artwork to realize that, perfection is not everything. Perfection is an ideal and cannot be reached, and there is beauty in imperfection.

[lrglobeeportfolio]

Falling Creek ESL Reflection 2016

While working with Mrs. Newell’s ESL class at Falling Creek Middle School I feel like I have accomplished two things. Firstly, I have helped the students learn concepts faster and more in depth. Secondly, I have helped to make the learning environment more efficient for the students and teacher. When I first started working at Falling Creek I realized that the students had lost interest in class because they either did not understand the concepts being taught or the langue it was being taught in. On occasion, the teacher would prepared activities and give the students an English and Spanish version of the instructions, but many times the students where left confused and frustrated. Due to there being only one professor, when the students where working on individual assignments it was hard for the teacher to delegate her time amongst each student. I was able to help, by giving the students another person they could ask questions to. Also, since I mainly worked with students individually to catch them up on missed work, I was able to incorporate engaging ways of learning (through stories, pictures, drawings, phrases). This helped the students learn the material better which could be seen through their improved quiz grades after I had worked with them. The students were also very happy to see me each week and I began to create individual relationships with the students, in return the students felt more comfortable asking questions started to use less Spanish and more English in the classroom.

In conclusion, for my proposal I have worked mainly with Mrs. Reynolds the cite director, not my individual ESL teacher. My team and I have been in constant email communication with her asking about what she would like to see happen through our proposal at Falling Creek. Due to the large size of the school and the complex class schedule, Mrs. Reynolds and my team members decided to use the afterschool program for the Cultural Enrichment Fair Proposal. The time commitment, transportation, and resources were more feasible and the afterschool program mirrored the demographics of the school. We collectively agreed that this event would allow the students to experience a diverse college campus with multiple cultures, races, religions, and backgrounds that come together to create a thriving academic environment. Due to the cultural divisions at Falling Creek, cultural awareness and the importance of education seemed to be important for the students to grasp. Through email, we were also able to figure out the logistics of the fair, for example, snacks, transportation, and chaperones which would all be provided by Falling Creek.

Looking back on this experience as I am approaching senior year, I have realized that that this proposal taught me a lot more than I thought it would. I was able to learn how to thoroughly express my ideas not only in writing but in person. I have learned how to communicate with a multitude of different organizations, professors, leaders and students to organize an event that brings different cultures together while impacting the lives of many middle school students. I have learned how to communicate and conduct myself professionally to people in positions that I look up to, while creating an event that I am passionate about. The Cultural Enrichment Fair goes hand in hand with the issues and topics that I talk about in my artwork and have experienced in my own life. Culture, diversity, identity and inclusion are very important discussions that need to be talked about and through our proposal my partners and I are able to create an outlet for those discussions. Community outreach and in particular the proposal process has prepared me to write personal statements, artist statement, apply for scholarships and jobs, while also teaching me how to carry myself professionally within the workforce, communicate my ideas clearly, become a leader, and strive to make a difference within my community.

[lrglobeeportfolio]

ESL Teachers Assistant Reflection 2015

           For my GLEN imitative I was a student ambassador for ESL students, meaning I helped teach English as a second language to foreign students. This was a great opportunity because I love to teach and help others, and I could see my work helping others directly. One student that I became really close to was one of the lower level English speaking students and required a lot of explaining and extra one on one time. But, through working with her and finding ways that to remember words and definitions more efficiently through methods like story telling, she improved tremendously in a short period of time. At first quite, her improvement gave her the courage to become more outspoken in class and confident while speaking.

           Through this experience I was able to teach people of different cultures about my language and culture, while also learning about theirs. In every class we would have small group conversations dealing with topics about the vocabulary being taught that week. By doing so we asked each other questions about music, architecture in their home town, their mothers and fathers age etc.. This time to gave me the opportunity to connect with the students and share my personal experiences. I was also able to learn about the students and create relationships through shared situations and hobbies. For example: Fahad loves going to the gym and is a personal trainer in his home country and Muhammad is trilingual and has studies in Europe, the Middle East, and the US. I was able to learn little facts about each student that made them feel special and paved the way for a better relationship and also made it easier to help teach the students in a way that worked best from them. 

           Looking back on this semester I have not only become more globally competent, but I have learned patience and the ability to connect to others in a way that makes them feel more comfortable and welcome in the community.