Unit 1

 College Essay 

A Helping Heart

I put my plastic gloves and apron on eagerly. I could feel the breeze coming through on this frigid March evening through the wide open doors. This was my first time ever volunteering. The dining hall was decorated with flowers and crisp white table cloths. The tables were all placed with numbers on them. The lighting was bright and welcoming. Another volunteer handed me a pale green tray with a  pen and paper. It was my duty to serve food to the families who attended the event. I went up to each table filled with families of all different backgrounds. No matter the family's background we were able to connect with one another and through conversation we were able to realize there weren't many differences between us. 

In this one dining room we were all able to connect with one another. I was greeted with smiling faces despite their circumstances. At many of the tables the children with their families were the same age as me. I was 12 years old at the time.  At such a young age this showed me that anyone could be going through hardships. I felt a sense of self while sharing my time with these families that particular evening. I felt as though I was able to help someone and I truly was making a difference to someone else.  I would spend my time after school or on the weekends doing volunteer service. While doing this service I felt gratitude for my life as well as a deep appreciation for the ability to help others.

This outlet of volunteering I discovered allows me to show empathy, kindness and compassion for others. I feel it's important and impactful to spend my time volunteering, especially helping those who are in urgent need. The desire I have to help people is innate and it doesn’t matter the circumstances. I am beyond grateful  to be able to serve a meal to an individual or a family or provide dry socks to someone knowing that a little bit of compassion will ultimately change their day or even their life.  I always believed a small act of kindness would go a long way and it’s something I have been able to witness.   

All the interactions and real life experiences of compassion with others stems around my core values. All people  can go through difficult times  in their life. While volunteering, it gave me endless opportunities to connect with others and learn about people's different backgrounds and identities. It also built a sense of strength within my community. Directly helping the people who live around me strengthened my community and I could feel the appreciation of those around me that day. It's empowering to be surrounded by a diverse community and be able to interact with everyone. 

This value that I have held so close to my heart should be shared with everyone. 

By contributing a small amount of my time I was able to positively impact multiple lives within my own community. In my education I want to continue to take this value into action. 

Imaginative Writing Piece 

Taliana Grogan

Block 2AC

      Jordan , Adichie and Gladwell are all eating lunch together at Recess Coffee before they attend a meeting. The conversation starts to center around the idea of bias within our world and how it impacted each in different ways . Each author begins to address this based on their experiences. (I used summaries of their ideas) 

Adichie : I grew up in Nigeria and the only books I read about were people who were white and blue-eyed. This idea created a single-story within my head. As a child this is all I knew and couldn’t relate to the literature I was supplied with. This idea of  a single story has been used many times against me. In college I went to the US and my roommate was shocked that I spoke English so well. This was her single story, she assumed that because I'm from Africa that I cannot speak English. 

Jordan: I agree with your idea of a “single story”. While teaching my literature class a student of mine's  brother was fatally shot by a police officer. This was because of discrimination but could also be related to a “single story”. The police officer already had an idea made up about him because of the color of his skin. This affect of racial discrimination is also within our literature. I believe we have all been impacted by this. The two forms of English are white and black English. The way black people have written and spoken English has been deemed unprofessional and been ignored within our society. It’s important to change this and embrace the way we write and speak.

Gladwell: Adding on to the discrimination within literature and how certain ethic groups are ignored this is also true in the college acceptance process. Asian and Jewish people were limited to the amount that could be accepted within a college. They were said to be academically superior which is a single story that admissions placed upon them.  Jewish people were discriminated against at Harvard University and limited to the amount that could be enrolled at once. While I cannot relate to racial discrimination I have become aware of the discrimination in the college acceptance process. Students were once chosen based on race, looks , personality , height and athleticism. Some of these elements are still apparent in the system. 

I agree that discrimination can come in many different forms. It's important that everyone can come together to realize this. If we actively speak out about the discrimination we see or even come in contact with we can help break cycles. The single story that Adichie addresses really shocked me. I was unconsciously doing this. After hearing her story it made me realize my thinking process and change it for the better. 

If I could ask them all one question it would be how do they think we can address and end discrimination successfully ? 

Free Write

Taliana Grogan 

Block 2A/C 

                                                        Single Story Freewrite 

In Adichie’s ted talk “The Danger of a Single Story” she expresses the negative impact a single story can have on a group of people. A single story of a specific group can oftentimes be an unconscious thought. While volunteering for homeless people I have always thought they were always without a home and haven't had the time to go get a job. I was proven wrong when I finally got them time to connect and listen to them. Many of them have untreated mental illness which has left them homeless. Many could not pay hospital bills to treat their illness or could not keep a job while battling with their illnesses. Personally I have never thought about this. I've always just heard in the news or people around me that they don't want to work. But this is not the case for many of them that I have met. After my experiences volunteering and helping them have opened my eyes. I no longer look at them with a single story and look at them for who they are and the stories they tell. 

                                                      June Jordan Freewrite 

June Jordan’s essay discussing the difference between Black and White English confirmed my thinking of the racial oppression within literature. I have always seen the negative racial stereotype  between the difference of Black English and White English. In society Black English is seen as unprofessional or incorrect. I don't think it is fair to make that conclusion. No one should be able to choose what is the correct English and what is the wrong English.  Black english should not be called unprofessional because that is the way they communicate and express their emotions. Black english is ignored and overlooked because of this.  In Jamila Lyiscott “3 Ways to Speak English” she also addresses how the way she spoke with her friends was unprofessional and could not speak that way in school. She had to learn how to speak differently depending on her setting to be heard. I don't believe that the different forms of english should be put into categories of acceptable or unacceptable.