Module 1

What are some of the things you learned about yourself as a student or a professional in Module I? Did you surprise yourself in any way? Were you proud of yourself? Were you at all disappointed in yourself? Why?

Some of the things I learned  about myself in module 1 are how to be a team player, we did a lot of group activities the made me enjoy working with other regardless of our differences. I learned how to code switch and be more professional. I also learned some study habits that I never had before. I really surprised myself big time, I received two awards for module 1 that I most definitely did not expect to get. I am so proud of myself; words cannot explain the joy I feel. It feels good to know I accomplished something in such a little time. With all that I am still disappointment with my points because I know I can do better as far as making it to school on time every day, which is something I plan on changing for the remainder of my time here at Year Up.

My neighborhood

To what extent does a person’s neighborhood shape who she or he is?

 I am who I am because of the neighborhood I lived in. I grew up in a neighborhood called Alice Griffith (Double Rock). It is a community located by the 49ers stadium. Some will say it is on the south side of the Bay View Hunters point. Double Rock is now a gated community that they’re planning on tearing down and remolding in the near future. It was not always gated so I feel like we came along way, just to find out that was only the beginning of all the changes to come. It hurts me to know that one day everything is going to be different. You see everybody is like family; we seem to have this togetherness that most communities do not understand. Growing up there was one of the best things that could have ever happen to me. It made me strong, stronger than most people my age in some sense. At 24 years old I have some really tough skin because of some the things that I have seen or encountered. It installed a smarts in me that most young women do not obtain. It also showed me what I didn’t want to become or where I would never want my daughter grow up. They say you have to know where you are from to know where you are going, so that’s y I appreciate my neighborhood. Without it there is no telling where I would be, probably somewhere lost. For most of my life I isolated myself from the rest of the world only caring about what went on behind them gates, which now has turned me into a woman that is fascinated with traveling. My dream is to see the world from every angle and do all the things other cultures have to offer. I have seen people lose their lives, end up in jail or fall victim to drugs, those things showed me so much and what path I was never going to follow. This is only a small introduction to the small world that made me who I am called Double Rock.

The Poverty Business

The companies that profit from low-wage earners are exacerbating the opportunity divide by keeping them in debt. They portray the image that they're out to help the low income people but in actuality they are not. I have been a victim of this scandal. My situation is not nearly as big of a deal as some of the people I have read about in the article but that does not change the fact that it has happened to me. I recently got myself into a contract with sprint under the impression that I was going to be paying one price for my monthly bill and it turns out that there were other fees and taxes that were written in the fine print that I knew nothing about. Yes I know that it is very much so my fault for not reading every little detail before I signed my life over but as I am asking questions trying to get all the details the total amount I would be paying they forgot to mention what I later found out once I receive my first bill. I called sprint to get some clarification and they showed me nothing but absolute disrespect, saying I should have read before signing. All the kindness and respect I received before they got me to sign went right out the door. There was no need to give me an explanation because for the next two years they would have me on leash. If I wanted to break out the contract, I would have to pay two hundred and fifty dollars that I didn’t have. Long story short, the companies that profit from us (as in the low wage earners) exacerbate us by overcharging us for the things we want but cannot afford. Making it seem as if we are getting a deal, when we are paying much more than the item would cost if we paid up front. Instead of financing and paying all those interest rates, they put the main information in fine print knowing most folks are so excited to get what we normally could not afford.