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Sunday, June 4, 2017

M's Animal Hospital

In the last unit of the Entrepreneurship class, we learned a lot about how business are created and where funding comes from. We got the chance to talk with the founder of purple asparagus and the director of 826CHI and ask them questions about their businesses and how they run. For this Action Project we were tasked with creating our own business. It was very difficult to come up with a lot of the information for this but since we had the entire span of this class to work on it, I was able to find my information overtime. Overall I am very proud of the way this came out, enjoy!

Friday, June 2, 2017

The Road To My Future In Law

In the last unit of the Endurance course, we looked into how survivors of an endurance battle came out on the other side. We looked into how they managed to get through and how they were able to come out alive on the other side. For the Action Project, we had to look at our own missions and goals and come up with a survival guide. I chose to take a path in law so I looked into the different things that go along with my mission. It was very difficult come up with some of the parts of the project. I am very proud of the way my project came out and I hope you enjoy. 
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Why?

In my life, I hope to one day change the world. I want to be able to say once I am old that I was able to make a difference in the world. By becoming a lawyer, I will be able to do my best to make sure that no one will be treated unfairly. I really want to be able to not only change someone else’s life as well as my own. I know that with being lawyer I will be able to live comfortably and happy. I think that I have started my journey already by being able to shadow my uncle and see what life would be like. I hope to become someone that can happily say that they help others rather than just helping ourselves.


Lay of the Land

In order for me to become a lawyer, I would need to complete 7 years of study after high school. 4 years of undergraduate studies followed by 3 years of law school (My Future. N.D.). I will be attending University of Dayton for my undergraduate studies. For the 4 years I am there, I will have to take many classes in order to prepare me for the 3 years of law school that follow it. The legal profession requires basic knowledge of the government, as well as its history and processes. Courses in these subjects are advised, so I will have some understanding of the topics before you begin law school. These courses are usually reading-intensive, which is also great preparation for law school. The classes I would have to take are United States and world history, economics, Government, Jurisprudence, Law and/or taxation, and any political science. My legal education will build on writing, analytical thinking and public speaking skills, so courses that showcase my ability to excel in these areas will look good on my undergraduate transcript. The classes I have to take for that is debate, english, literature, logic, philosophy or public policy, public speaking, and writing. Some other helpful courses that I could take are criminology, psychology, sociology, and religion. (Michelle Fabio, 03/19/2017). While at Dayton, I will need to maintain a 3.0 GPA in order to keep my scholarships. When I have to start preparing for law school, I will have to start looking for more scholarships to help me pay for law school. If I maintain higher than the needed GPA to keep my scholarships, it will make my transcripts look better and potentially gain me more leverage to get more scholarships and get into a top law school.

There are many things needed in order to become a lawyer, I would need to earn a bachelor's degree in any subject. Then, I will have to take and pass the Law School Admission Test to attend law school and acquire a Juris Doctor.   Next, I will complete a clerkship at a local law firm to gain experience (optional). Finally I will take state Bar Examination and hopefully find a job at a firm. (Criminal Justice, 2012).

I have decided that I want to pursue criminal and civil rights law. There are millions of lawyers all around the world, there are so many people I can learn from. Law is a very serious and tough subject that requires a lot of time and dedication. There are so many different things that one can learn from lawyers. With the large amount of lawyers that exist in the world I can find thousands for each field of law. There are different things I can learn from different people in each field. In the case of law, there are overarching characteristics and traits that all lawyers follow, but when it comes to the specific sectors of law, I would be able to learn best from someone within the field.


Timeline:

1: Graduate from High School (2017)
2: Maintain 3.0+ throughout my 4 years of undergraduate study (2017-2021)
3: Graduate from College (2021)
4: Get into law school (2021)
5: Graduate from law school (2024)
6: Complete a clerkship at law firm (2025)
7: Take Bar Exam (2025)
8: Get job at firm (2026)
9: Make partner (2030)
10: Retire (2060)



Resources and Materials:

Undergraduate Study (University of Dayton): $229,480
Law School (NYU): 178,674
Bar Exam (NYC): $250


Non- Negotiables:

I think I would be willing to sacrifice the school I attend. I want to be able to get the best education I can and learn everything I can to become a good lawyer, if I have my heart set on one school and I don't end up getting in, I don't want to let that stop me from becoming a lawyer. I think that it really wouldn't matter what school I went to because at the end of the day I am there to learn as much as I can. I would not be willing to sacrifice my job as a lawyer. I am passionate about this and I don’t think I would be willing to give all of that up. I also would not sacrifice my happiness and well being. I think that wherever I end up working, I will need to be happy. I wouldn’t want to work at a place that was not benefitting to my well being because then all of the work I had done would have all been for nothing. I would want to work somewhere that I would be excited to go to every day rather than dreading it.


What if?

There are many setbacks that come with being a lawyer. With the economy and job market only getting worse, I am going to have to work incredibly hard to complete my goal. There are a few worst-case scenarios I could encounter. One could be me not getting enough scholarships to pay for law school or not getting in. Another setback I could experience would be me not getting a job once I was done with school. I think that if one of these things actually happens and I am forced to change my path, I would want to work for a non profit for animals or kids or something. I would work within the finances or something like that. Or I would work within their law division if they had one since I would have to degrees for it. I don't like to think of a backup plan because I want to think that I will not have to rely on a backup plan. I have been working extremely hard all my life and I want to be able to do what I am passionate about and something that I love to do. I want to do my best to help people in any way I can so if need be, if law school or something ends up not working then I still want to be able to complete my mission of helping people no matter what. However I will have to do it, I will do it.


Inspiration:

-You must keep your mind on the objective, not on the obstacle. – William Randolph Hearst

-Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass. ― Napoleon Hill

-Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

-If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents.

-Value what you know and start charging for it. – Kim Garst

-Either you run the day or the day runs you. – Jim Rohn


Map:

law-webinar-presentation-20122013update-6-638.jpg
This is the structure of a law firm. One day I hope to become partner at a top law firm.



Your Choice:

My goal later in life is to one day own a big house with my family and finally be able to see that all of the hard work I have done all my life has paid off and that it was all worth it.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

My Time as an Ambassador

Over this past school year, I have done many things to help and sell the school to people all around the city. I have participated in multiple open houses for perspective families as well as talking to the board about how this amazing school has given me so many great opportunities that I am so excited to take advantage of. Throughout the year I also had multiple perspective/incoming students shadow me to see a day in the life of a GCE student. Doing this week after week allowed me to branch out and become more responsible. I had to make sure I was talking up the school and I had to make sure the students were engaged and enjoying their day at GCE. This was a super cool opportunity I was given and I really enjoyed my time meeting new students that may one day attend school at this wonderful place. GCE is a big family and we are always growing so I am very happy that I was able to be a part of connecting these new students to our lovely school environment.



GCE. 2017

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

My Time in Law

In the second unit of the senior class Endurance, we looked more into Dante’s Inferno and talked about the 9 gates of hell. We looked into a lot of different people’s situations dealing with different physical issues. We talked about David Blaine and Laura Dekker and their very different journeys they took to complete their mission. For this Action Project, we were tasked with doing something for 12 hours that would lead to completing our overall mission. I decided to look into law and work with my uncle for 12 hours to see the different aspects of law and what an average day would look like. It was very difficult to complete this project since it was a lot but I think that I was able to overcome those obstacles and make a really good project.
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Monday, May 1, 2017

Autobiography

In the first unit of Endurance, we talked all about other peoples experience enduring different physically and mental challenges. We also tried to endure some challenges ourselves. the first was sitting without moving or talking for 10 minutes, the next was holding ice in our hands for a minute, and the last one was doing a bootcamp with a karate teacher. For the Action Project, we were tasked with imagining our lives in the future and looking at the things we endured to get where we were. We had to write a chapter to an autobiography all about the experiences that led to out future. It was difficult to come up with how my future was going to look since it is so far away. I am happy with the way that my project came out.

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Chapter 1: The Beginning

As I look around the courtroom at all of the people cheering and celebrating I smile knowing that I was a part of making history. The first transgender supreme court judge had just been sworn in. I look at all of the smiles throughout the room and think back to a time when I thought I would never be where I am today.

Growing up, the words “you can do it” were a part of everyday life. I heard them learning to walk, learning to ride a bike, before a soccer game, before a sprint, and many other milestones I passed throughout the years. When I started to get older, more obsitcles started getting in my way. It started small, teachers or other adults would start saying “let him do it.” or “don’t hurt yourself hun.” Throughout my high school and college years when I started getting serious about my career, the same thing started happeneing. Except this time people were telling me that I should “quit while I’m ahead” or that there “might not be enough room for you in this field.” As a biracial female, working in the law industry has not been easy. There has been countless times where I have had doors slammed in my face or been turned away from jobs that “were not for me”.

All my life I have wanted to help people. I love playing sports and was really into ones involving team work. Outside of school, I was occuying my time with playing sports, reading, and arguing with my cousins about silly things. I always dreamed that one day I would be a part of making history in some way shape or form. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school when I started coming up with an idea for my future. I knew where I wanted to eventually be, but I had no idea all of the stuggles and roadblocks I was about to face. Going through my undergraduate studies was easy. I attended a stellar university that I really enjoyed and hope to one day be able to return the favor by donating money. Once I moved on to my graduate studies, that’s when life became a little more difficult. Since I am a biracial woman, I was not taken very seriously by some of my classmates. Everyone knows about the pay gap between men and woman and how there is some discrimination towards black lawyers. When I started pursuing this dream, I was prepared to deal with all of those things, but I will admit, there were many times where I wanted to quit.

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Production in the OC (continued)

In the last unit of Stage Chem, we dove farther into the idea of stages and the different aspects that go into creating one. We visited the Steppenwolf Theatre and got a chance to learn more about what goes into building a stage and we were also able to walk around a set for a show that just ended. For the Action Project, we were tasked with creating a stage using our blueprints from our first project from this class (you can view that here). We had to build the stage, create two moving pieces, and safety procedures that go along with it. It was difficult at first to come up with the two moving things I would use since my show doesn't really have a place for trap doors or anything like that. I really like the way that my stage ended up looking. Take a look down below!
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This is the model of my stage. I used a scale in which 1 inch =  2 feet. In this stage I would be putting on a production of an episode of the popular tv show "Bob's Burgers". I recreated a section of their restaurant for this production. There are also a few features of this stage that move around to switch scenes.


MF. Model of Stage. 2017

The Movable Pieces: 

LEGO Deck:

For my production, there is a time during the show where time moves forward quicker than it should. I decided to use a moving deck and have one of the actors ride it across the stage with a sign that shows the time passing. I thought that this would be the most efficient and organized way to do this. The actor will ride across the stage from wing to wing.

MF. Moving Deck. 2017


My deck weighs 5 lbs which is 22.2411 Newtons. In order for the deck to move across the stage, there needs to be a force of 25 newtons pushing it across the stage. The deck has to be pushed 15 meters. In order to find out how much work would need to be done to push it 15 meter I used the equation Work = Force x Distance. When I put my numbers in, I got the following:

Work = 22.2411N x 15m = 333.6165 J.

MF. Force Diagram. 2017

Moving Deck

Down below there are some safety precautions for the crew to follow during the production. 
  • All crew should be cautious not to step on the deck.
  • Stow deck properly when not in use to avoid accidents. 
  • Before the actor goes across the stage on the deck, make sure there is a perfectly clear path.
MF. Safety Sign. 2017



Retractable Tables and Benches:

For my production, the story takes place in both a restaurant and a living room. I built the main part of the stage as the dinner style since a majority of the play would take place there but for the small part of the production that takes place in the living room, I decided that taking the time to move sets completely just for a small portion would be unreasonable and time consuming. The booths and tables inside the restaurant fold up into the wall to create space to put in some small set furniture.

MF. Moving Deck. 2017.


Down below there are some safety precautions for the crew to follow during the production. 
  •  Be careful when lifting the tables and booths, they are very heavy.
  • Make sure to properly secure the tables and booths to the wall. 
  • Authorized crew members only. 

MF. Safety Sign. 2017


Reflection:

While creating this AP, I came across a few minor struggles. It was difficult to decide how I was going to build my stage while also having moving pieces included. I had a lot of ideas going into this project that I soon realized would not end up being possible based on the time and equipment I had. Another problem that I came across was finding a way to include those two moving pieces and figuring out the best way to execute it. I finally decided to just use a skateboard-like deck as well as having the booths and tables fold up into the wall in order to have more room to switch scenes. I enjoy building models and designing spaces so this project allowed me to easily play to my strengths to create something I was proud of. I think that this project was very fun and I was able to be creative with the way that I wanted to stage my production.

Monday, March 20, 2017

Production in the OC

In the first unit of stage chemistry, we looked at the basics behind creating a production. We talked a lot about lighting, different types of stages, seating, and other amenities that come with theaters. We referenced different theaters that we have been to and looked at the differences between them. For the Action Project, we were tasked with choosing a space and a story that we would like to make into a production. We then had to look at different amenities that our space had that was bennifical to the audience as well as the artists. It was difficult at first to choose where I wanted my show to take place since there were so many options, but I am glad that I ended up using the OC.
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MF. OC. 2017

I chose to build my theater right inside the GCE location. I chose to use this space because it is a great size and the layout of the room was perfect for my production of Bob's Burgers. Since my production takes place in a restaurant and a house, having the square size room worked very well. I used a proscenium stage because I felt like, with the restaurant theme, the audience would feel like they were sitting in the restaurant with the actors. 

This idea was very easy to bring to life because the room is in a space that I have access too. I was able to easily gather my measurements and figure out the way that my stage could look. I chose to use this space because I was also able to use other rooms that are connected to the OC. I was able to use the cafe as a lounge and backstage area, while it looks crowded with all of the tables inside of it, when removed, the space is the perfect fit for a backstage area. The purple crates can be used for prop storage, they are right near the door to enter the stage so it would be helpful for them to have everything they need for the show easily accessible. People can stay in the cafe until it is their turn to be on stage and they will have easy access to the stage.

There were not very many difficulties with this space. The only one that was a small disadvantage was the lighting. The OC has large glass windows that have no shades on them so the lighting is very hard to control. If I were to do this project over again I would try and use another location that has better lighting so that I can control it.

Goodman Theater: My Theater: %

Area of Stage: 4000 sq ft 140.25 sq ft 3.5%

Maximum Capacity: 856 people 35 people 4.08%

Box Office: 20 sq ft 200 sq ft 10%

Lobby: 1912.5 sq ft 486 sq ft 25.4%

Prop Storage: 525 sq ft 212.5 sq ft 40.4%

Concessions: 168.75 sq ft 200 sq ft 118.5%