"Prom is Over time for Graduation"

High School Graduation could be a scary feeling and it also could be a good feeling. It all depends on the plan that you have after graduation once all the celebration is over. What fits you - college, trade school, join the army, or work? No matter what you decide to do, you have to have a strategy. No one can plan your goals for you; other people can encourage you to do a certain thing after high school but it’s up to you if you go through to choose your own desire. I challenge all of the seniors and upcoming seniors for the year 2008, how would you make sure after graduation you pursue positive changes for the rest of your life.

Some think that since they’ve graduated from high school everything is all said and done with. The road only gets tougher and tougher and it’s up to you to stay on the right path. Many people probably doubted your ability to graduate but you successfully succeeded in that area. Now its time to prove the doubters wrong again, but this time for the rest of your life. This phase is just the beginning of your life and your future.

If school was challenging for you, maybe college is not for you. But if you are a dedicated person when it comes down to fulfilling different tasks then maybe working would be good for you. No matter what you decide to do, you can still change the world for the better. Graduation is a celebration of you completing high school and moving on into the real world.

What are you going to do next?
What does graduation mean to you and what do you plan to do for the rest of your life?

"Making History"

We all know the honorable Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who participated in the Civil Rights movement when segregation was present. His oldest child Yolanda King died on Tuesday. She was only 51 years old; she died in Santa Monica, California. She was one who used public speaking, plays, and movies to get people to understand that its time to make a change in the world. Just like her father she stood up for the rights of others, and the injustices that are still occruing this day. Yolanda King was a motivational speaker and every where she went she tried to get the message of what her father had been fighting for all his life. Yolanda felt it was her calling to further the goals her father carried during his life. She continued to do so all throughout Mississippi where she grew up at.

How many people would be willing to do something that Dr. King and his daughter Yolanda King has done for the people. The legacy does not have to stop right here. They called for the future to be different and to make the world a better place in every aspect. People that we read about in history books are leaders, but we too can be leaders. What we do for the good could change the world forever and make it more meaningful to live in. This just goes to show that life is precious and we should do something meaningful for the world before it gets too late.

Yolanda King died at an early age but the with time she spent on this earth she made a powerful impact. In conclusion, how many people think that they could walk in her shoes and lead a group of people in a positive way?
How would you inspire change?

" Mario's Story"

Some of the students went to a screening on Friday for workshop. There was a boy by the name of Mario Rocha who was convicted of a murder at the age of 16, but he was innocent bystander who just got caught up in the mix by association. He let the streets and the gangs that he hung around define who he was. Mario never pictured something happening to him like this but it did and although he was innocent he was still held responsible for his actions. It took a lot of time, effort and consistence from the fellow people around him to get his voice heard.

Mario started to get the best attorneys and all the right people that he could possibly get to help him be free. His family always stood by him and they supported him because they knew that he was innocent they just had to make the judge and the victims family realize that he was indeed innocent. Mario has been on trial for over the past ten years and he is currently getting retrial early in the early part of May.

What do you think the outcome of the retrial would lead up to in court?

If you were in Mario’s shoes how you do think that you would have handled this even though you knew you was innocent?

"Shocking News from a Nearby College"

Devastating news came from Virginia Tech College. It was a typical day like no other, everything was the same but this time something was different. A senior by the name of Cho Seung-Hui who attended Virginia University started a massacre. Some witnesses say because of his girlfriend but the truth of the matter was that he had problems within himself that made him react this way on that particular day.

Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 people and injured at least 29 other students and teachers. Cho was the 33rd person after he shot himself in the head. Everyone says he was a smart kid. The ones you least expect can be plotting your death right in front of you and you don’t even know it.

A lot of students feel that it is okay to pick on the less fortunate or the ones who are slow but you never know what they have or are going through. When you get on a person’s bad side you never know what they are capable of until you become the victim. This entire madness just tie into reality, danger is everywhere and you have to be careful of what you say and do to people because you never know what they have in store for you.

Reality check: How do you feel as a senior going off to college, would this change your judgments of going to college, or would it make you more aware of the various things that could happen in college?

What do you think would have prevented Cho Seung-Hui from shooting his fellow peers and professors? (i.e.) friends, change of mind set, psychologist, etc.

"Sanjaya Advances on in the American Idol competition"

If you all watch American Idol, you probably have your own opinion of who should win in this competition. America continues to vote for Sanjaya- are they messing with his head or do they really love him?

Judge Simon Cowell thinks that Sanjaya continuing in the competition is a mistake, but this mistake could excel into a disaster. Sanjaya’s song choices, performances, and hair dos are getting talked about more than the actual competition – but maybe that’s the point of being on American Idol.

I personally think it is time for Sanjaya to get kicked off for his bad vocals. He can’t sing, and he’s too immature for the competition. When the American Idol top two finalists come before the world, I hope that Sanjaya Malakar is not in that category. There are only eight people left, time to make the next cut.

How do you think Sanjaya continuing in the competition affects the ones who can actually sing?

"Making the most out of Work"

A lot of people complain about their jobs, sometimes it could be you or sometimes it could be the environment that you’re in. Not everyone is going to get along with their boss or their co-workers but you have show that you have potential in whatever situation that you are faced with.

A lot of jobs that we get offer us good work experiences that could take us far in life. It seems only about a money situation when you’re first starting out your job. But after the training and hard work that you have put in, you realize you have developed some useful knowledge that you didn’t know about before.

Do you feel challenged with the jobsites that you received? Why or why not? If not, what could you do to change it?

" Conflicts Between Teachers and Students "

Conflicts between teachers and students is a common issue today’s society. Students and teachers find themselves arguing in class because they both don’t agree on everything. Teachers are sometimes rude to students, so it’s only a student’s reaction to respond in their defense. Teachers need to learn how to speak to students in a way where they would listen. Others feel that the culture of disrespect is centered around student’s attitude towards teachers.

I think students and teachers can bridge the gap in communication and reduce conflicts by being respectful to one another. If teachers show some type of love and affection then maybe the students wouldn’t disrespect their teachers. If students stop being rebellious then teachers would be able to help the student. It goes both ways for the students as well as the teachers - both parties play a part in the conflict with each other.

What are the effective ways of dealing with conflict? How do you resolve conflict and keep both parties happy?

New National's Stadium

The new National’s stadium is being built as I write. The stadium will be located in Southeast Washington along the Anacostia River bounded by South Capitol Street to the west, M Street to the north, First Street to the east and Potomac Avenue to the south. It will take $535 million, maybe more, to publicly finance 41,000-seats. The stadium is scheduled to be completed in spring 2008.

Mayor Anthony Williams should use that money to give DC students new books and better teachers that will actually do their job and teach. The stadium money could help DC kids who have a desire to go to college but simply cannot afford it. This is big money that we are talking about and spending it on a new stadium is just a waste of my future. Besides we already have the RFK stadium it might not be the best stadium but it’s not the worst either – why couldn’t it have been renovated? With all the money that they are putting into this new project, they could have used it to benefit something that is much more valuable - our future.

How do you personally feel about the new stadium, is it worth the time and money?

"Ground Rules For UA Blog"

Purpose: The purpose of this blog is to share other interns’ opinions about how they feel about the Urban Alliance Program, School, and Life as a senior, and other general questions, comments, or concerns that they might have.



Ground Rules: There would be different ground rules that the interns must follow in order to take part in the everyday blog activities.

- No use of profanity in the comment blogs
- No putting others down; everyone is entitled to their own opinion
- No starting drama with anyone in UA.
- Express your feelings or concerns in a professional manner
- Commit to writing in the blog at least once a week
- Address any new ideas that UA can do to make the program fun but also meaningful


Name for the blog: - Blog-it-Out