Alanah Williams’ blog

PLEASE REVISE & GIVE OPINION FOR CORRECTIONS or IDEAS

After graduating high school I was relieved of a great pressure. Getting my diploma on time was very important to me and my family because we witnessed so many of my cousins drop out of school. They allowed themselves to become part of a statistic here in the United States. The one that says 49.8% of Black students don’t graduate on time or at all [Amanda Paulson, The Christian Science Monitor] I was determined not to know what it would be like in their shoes even if I had to pass a class with a D. That pressure to get through each day knowing that I might not pass made school difficult. I was unmotivated as many teachers described. However, when the opportunity to attend college at Olive-Harvey appeared my AP English teacher told me to apply and no matter what I have to attend college.

The Olive-Harvey scholarship was the direction needed for a student that didn’t have a clue what to do after high school. It provided me with something to look forward to. Ms Thomas had reminded me that I would be the first generation to graduate from college and with that note making my family proud became important as well. The main thing most parents want for their children is for them to live a better life than they did, which is why I will take on the responsibilities as a young adult and do what’s necessary to live a comfortable adulthood in the future. I will become a self motivator and become the best student that I can be.

Like Ms Thomas said no matter what I must go to college. I needed no further explanation why. I have been told so many times by countless of people that education particularly college education is the key to living a good life. "At most ages, more education equates with higher earnings, and the payoff is most notable at the highest educational levels" [Jennifer Cheeseman Day, About.com] By earning a degree I will be already a step ahead in the job market.

Throughout high school until the end of my senior year I remained undecided about a lot of things. I had several interests in what majors I would like to take but no idea of what career to go into after college. However, I believe that OHC give me the help I require in planning out my future. This will be a great opportunity for me to start off slow so I can get my study habits together, eventually work my way up to a University of my choice and then decide what I want to do with my life.

Alanah's opinion

As a black female youth, I havent personally encountered violence in my neighborhood unless you count school fights, which is a typical generalization of any school. My mother was overprotective and kept a tight leash on where I went wandering around. My opinion of violence comes from the behavior I've witnessed amongst my peers. I realized that people are natural born followers and there is a continous cycle of followers in the black communities. There is more negative influence than positive that these youths grow up into. What I want to find out is how and when will the cycle be broken? So in the previous interview I found out my friend's opinion of violence and what she thought about it. Apparently, she has more experience than me.

A BLACK YOUTH'S OPINION OF HER PEERS

An interview

Alanah Williams: How would you describe the mind set of your peers?

Renee Jordan:   "Its come to the point where they accept any form of ignorance and anything thats positive has become somewhat like a joke."

Alanah Williams: What do you think is lacking in the black community?

Renee Jordan: "Blacks are disconnected with each other. Its the result of poor child-parent relations, poor child-school relations, and many other factors."

Alanah Williams: What are the major influences?

ReneeJordan: "Obviously the media is the problem for today's youth. Its the what we look up to when there isnt any positive influence in the household."

Alanah Williams: Why do you think so many youths say the media isnt an influence?

Renne Jordan: "Its simply just denial of a truth they hear constantly. They're defending their culture. The hip hop culture is the only thing most black youths identify with."

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