One Student Day

11.1.11 is One Student day so wear orange today! One Student is a non- profit organization committed to reducing sexual assaults on college campuses. They provide cutting edge programs, resources and opportunities that engage students to create social change to reduce sexual violence.


One Student believes that: One sexual assault is too many and one student can make a difference!


You can help by doing any of these things. The first thing is to sign the pledge and accept responsibility to be a part of the solution. Another fun thing you could do would be to paint your palm with the number 1 and take a picture and tweet or post it on the One Student Facebook page, use their festive hash tag #onestudentday. Tweet and post about One Student Day! You can make a difference and help end sexual assault!


"Rape is the only crime in which the victim becomes the accused." ~ Freda Adler


"Always do right, this will gratify some and astonish the rest." ~ Mark Twain


"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." ~Helen Keller


"You really can change the world if you care enough." ~ Marion Edelman


"Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve a lot of others, they send forth a tiny ripple of hope... These ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." ~Robert Kennedy

Halloween!

If you think about it, it is a very unique holiday/occasion. Who's idea was it to create halloween and scare the pants off people? Well after doing some research there doesn't seem to be a definite answer to that. One theory that I came across was that it was thought to have originated with the Celtic Festival of Samhain, when people lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. The word Halloween was first used in the 16th century and represents a scottish variant of All-Hallows-Evening, that is the night before All Hallows Day. The carving of jack-o'-lanterns springs from the souling custom of carving turnips into lanterns as a way of remembering the souls held in purgatory. America adopted this custom in 1837, but used pumpkins instead of turnips because they were larger and readily available.

What does the term trick or treat even mean? Wikipedia says - Trick-or-treating is a customary celebration for children on Halloween. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, "Trick or treat?" The word "trick" refers to a (mostly idle) "threat" to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. In some parts of Scotland children still go guising. In this custom the child performs some sort of trick, i.e. sings a song or tells a ghost story, to earn their treats.

It is interesting to see how the occasion differs for each age group. When one is just a baby, moms dress them in the  most adorable costumes they can find (which a 5 year old would surely object to). Then some kids look forward to Halloween all year so that they can get bags of treats. Some adolescents and teenagers try to trick - or - treat like they are 10 and some think they are too old. Then college students and young adults use this occasion (like any other) to go out and drink, dance and party. Some girls use it as an excuse to dress in scandalous costumes (which I will never understand why- I mean you only get one day to be a doctor or an astronaut or luigi, why waste it dressing scandalously?).

As a kid, I never went trick-or-treating for the candy, I just liked to dress up. I used to throw/give away most of the candy I collected. All of my favorite candies are from Europe and include: Maltesers, Cadbury anything, Kinder eggs, Topic bars, Lindt truffles, and Toblerone bars - I know I sound like a snob, but my mom is from England so that is what I grew up on. And Halloween is never complete without watching Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin :)

"One need not be a chamber to be haunted; One need not be a house; The brain has corridors surpassing - Material place."
~ Emily Dickinson


"Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold."
~Judith Olney


"There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin."
~Linus Van Pelt (Charlie Brown)


"Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain."
~J. K. Rowling


What happens when someone is scared half to death twice?

Equality

I wonder if I will ever see true equality in my lifetime. Some may say we already have equality. but when women are still only getting paid $0.77 cents for every dollar men get; and when people are still discriminated against for the color of their skin; and when gay marriage is only legal in 6 states. How can you call that equality?!

Be treated equally. 

Love is blind. Why does it concern straight people if gay marriage. If you are not gay I don't think you should have a say in the matter. (Just like if you don't have a uterus I don't think you should be allowed to vote on abortion laws- but that's another topic for another day). I wish that people could see how unfair and unjust it is to not allow everyone to marry the love of their life. And how is it fair that women are getting paid less money for the same work as men.  We can pretend that there is equality in America, but we have a lot of work to do before equality for all is actually a reality.

"They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." ~Andy Warhol


"We need to guarantee equal rights and civil rights and say that, here in America, workers have the right to organize-women have the right to choose- and justice belongs to everyone regardless of race or gender or sexual orientation." ~Senator Kerry


"Never look down on anybody, unless you're helping them up." ~ Jesse Jackson


"I laugh, I love, I hope, I try, I hurt, I need, I fear, I cry. And I know you do the same things too, so we're really not that different, me and you." ~ Colin Raye

Leadership

I was just watching Invictus and it got me thinking about what a great leader Nelson Mandela was. He suffered so much in his life, yet he never let that bring him down. He always led by example and inspired an entire nation.

Being involved in many different leadership roles around campus I've seen good and bad leadership. I've worked with an assortment- Leaders on power trips (those are the worst, sometimes they just need reminding that they are only in charge of _____ program and not the entire world) on the other hand I've worked with respected empowering leaders who inspire me to become a better person (I would insert names here but don't want to forget anyone- you know who you are- thank you). I've also seen people who were great leaders during the day and then far from it at night. I believe that a leader should always lead by example. They should empower and inspire those around them. I think that a good leader should be enthusiastic, confident, tolerant and show integrity. I don't think that you need a fancy title or position to be a leader. Leadership is all around us. Some of my favorite leaders (besides all my lovely Lehigh staff and friends) are Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, Gandhi, Princess Diana, Steve Jobs and my parents.

"Leaders are just servants to people" ~ Devanshi Patel 

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~ Gandhi

"It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership." ~Nelson Mandela

"Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better." ~Harry Truman

"A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves."

Miss Representation - Women & Media

Katie Couric the first female evening news anchor

The media has more power over our lives than we would like to think. I just watched a documentary on how the media treats women, and quite frankly it's appalling! The documentary was on OWN and featured Katie Couric, Lisa Ling, Rachel Maddow and many more powerful women. The documentary depicted stereotypes and how the media affects men and women. The media is so derogatory to the most powerful women. "The Bitch and the Ditz"- was the title of a news article talking about Palin, and Hilary Clinton during the presidential nominations. People learn more from media than any other source, it shapes our politics, our children and our future.

Tinkerbell...

Girls see themselves as objects, this leads to low self-esteem, depression, & eating disorders. 78% of 17 year old girls are unhappy about their body. And 65% girls and women have had eating disorders. In G rated movies characters are equally as likely to be wearing sexually revealing clothing as in R rated movies! 

51% of America is women, 17% of Congress is comprised of women this means we have made no gains since 1979! America is supposed to be a democratic society and an example to other countries. 67 countries in the world have had female presidents or prime ministers. The U.S. is 90th in the world in terms of women in national legislatures- Cuba, China, Iraq, and Afghanistan have more women in government than the US! America has been choosing their leaders from 6% of our population (no wonder why we are in trouble) : male, white (until 2008), married, heterosexual, over 35, college educated, and a professional degree.

In 9 states, women who are victims of domestic abuse can be considered a pre-existing condition and denied health care coverage! (what?!) A lot of times it's women who have a problem and are critical of women in higher positions. As women we need to be more supportive and encouraging of each other; not jealous and judgmental. Rachel Maddow said that she gets about 14% hate mail and 100% of that 14% is about the way she looks or homophobic comments!

Was this angle necessary? Palin's legs.

The documentary showed footage of Hilary Clinton when she was campaigning, and men had signs that said "Iron my Shirt." "Look at the skanks that make up the female leadership of the democratic party" ~ The Lee Rodgers Show.  "Nancy Pelosi get another face lift lady." ~ Chris Baker Show. What's the down side of having a women in the oval office? "You mean besides the PMS and the mood swings." ~ Fox News."The first female vice-presidential candidate, size 6" ~ introducing Geraldine Ferraro in 1984. "It's all over the media- did you or did you not get a boob job"~ an interview with Sarah Palin. 97% of media is run by men! When a women proposed another network for women the reply was why do you need another women's network - you have lifetime. (Meanwhile there are 22 ESPN channels).

Pat Robertson said "the feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians." (that's my dream... not) The Christian Voice said "America's decline as a world power is a direct result of the feminists' movement for reproductive freedom and equal rights."

What?! We are living in the 21st century. Come on America, step it up. Women have come very far in the last couple of decades but this documentary showed how far we have yet to come. 

"The most common way women give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." ~ Alice Walker

"Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as a man, to be thought of as half as good, luckily that's not too difficult."

TAKE ACTION TODAY: at  http://missrepresentation.org/ and stop violence against women with http://onestudent.org/.

Friends :)

my elementary friends in high school

13 years of friendship and counting

I don't know where I'd be without all my friends! I am so lucky to have had good friends from elementary school (basically my girl scout troop). And had this group of friends since then and then I went to Lehigh and met tons more amazing people. I just wanted to thank you all for being there through thick and thin. You are all amazing! Sorry I couldn't put pics of everyone, but I love you all!

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down." ~ Oprah Winfrey

"Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends."

 

"True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island..to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.”

high school graduation

senior formal- 2011 officers

“Even after all this time

The Sun has never told the Earth

“You owe me,”

look what happens

with a love like that,

it lights the whole sky.”

Some lovely lehigh ladies

my lovely sister!

back at Lehigh for YAR

sophomore year at Lehigh