Friendship is the best!!!!

Today was a great morning! I had my Algebra test. I have always been so nervous when it comes to test taking, but this time I was more confident than ever. I knew all the material; therefore, the test was a piece of cake. Sometimes I think back and get mad, because I know I have more potential than just regular algebra. Then I realize that maybe algebra is best for me right now. At least I'll have one easy class in college. Not all of college is fun and games, but I'm liking the fact that the tests don't put me under pressure. So far the only pressure I'm feeling is coming from my rhetoric class. Even though it's the funniest class I've had in years, it's also the hardest. Now that I think about it, I'm glad I got the classes I have. If I hadn't gotten these classes I would have never met the wonderful people I know today. My friends are the best in the world. They are there to help me when I need to be cheered up. Also they are there to help me study and make it through the college life.

VoteVets.org

"VoteVets.org was founded in January 2006 by Iraq war Veterans Jon Soltz and Jeremy Broussard."According to VoteVets.org, their "goal as a public policy advocate is to strengthen the U.S. government’s commitment to issues that affect the safety and well-being of the men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces." How will they reach their goal you may ask? Well this is the reason why they created the website, VoteVets.org. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans need the public to elect them into office so that they can defend their troops and stay loyal to their country.

In this ad the national guard soldier is attempting to persuade us to vote veterans into office so that they can help begin a "clean American energy". Their wish is to free America from foreign oil, when in fact our oil joins the same market as other oil companies around the world. In order to convince us to vote for veterans, this ad utilizes small clips of war, the oil company in the gulf of Mexico, and the most important clip of all is when they show the soldiers cleaning the gulf of Mexico. With these small clips the ad appeals to our patriotism and ethics. The ad claims that if we vote for veterans, they will focus on higher issues, like clean American energy. It explains how we should "[put] our people to work [to create clean energy] using all the resources we have." This is an affective claim with which I agree, but how is it that they plan to get rid of foreign oil if all oil, including ours, is put in with the same market. There is no way that everyone will stop using oil as their resources. Some people may change to clean oil, as the veterans wish, but others will continue to be selfish and will prefer the same old coal/oil.

This ad is affective in its some ways but at the same time it has its defects. In my point of view, the ad's argument about switching to clean energy is fantastic, but how is it that they wish to pump our own oil or switch to clean energy if we lease our land to other foreign countries to pump oil. Sometimes we seem to think of the perfect solutions to our problems but we hide the truth of otherwise ignore it. Under these circumstances,we cannot move forward.

My Greatest Challenge

The biggest challenge in my educational life was having a son. Being a mother during high school made things very challenging, both emotionally and ethically. I always had a lot of homework, similar to now. As a student I was determined to do my homework, but my intuition always made me stop my homework to pick up my son as he cried. I couldn’t leave him crying on the floor. I don’t wish to sound like many teen mothers that say that because of their child they cannot do their homework. But my son would literally cry for me every time I began to do my homework. I would end up doing my homework after my son fell asleep, at 3a.m. I would wake up exhausted every morning thinking of ways to keep myself awake during school. Being a mother is not something I regret, but it is something I wish I had waited for a little bit longer. Being a mother brought me behind in school but didn’t cause me to fail. I made it through determination and sleepy mornings.It certainly changed my life, but it changed it for the better. It made me a grown mature adult. I still have problems with leaving my son behind to join the Academic Bridge Program, but I always figured, its for the best.

My Community

Everyone belongs to at least one community. I myself am in a community. I am part of the teen mothers community. Teen mothers have been looked down on for years. People look at us and say, "This is what happens when you mess around." or "You deserved that." But what they don't realize are the obstacles that we have to go through.

By being part of this community, I am able to help others that are in the same situation I was a year ago. I know what they're going through, so I am able to advice them and suggest ideas. Many teen mothers drop out of school. The sudden change in their lives is too much for them. They don't know how to handle their situations, and that is where I come in.

I helped support girls that were in the bare edge of break down. I participate as a helper or a speaker at my High School's parenting class. Of course there are no classes right now, but I will start helping again as soon as school starts. I am one out of a few teen mothers that has magically succeeded. With determination and hard work I have made it through high school and am now in college. This is why I help persuade my high school's teen mothers. I wish to see more young women like me happy, successful, and in college.

My day

Today was a gray day. When I woke up this morning the first thing I saw was a gray sky. I felt upset. Today was the day that not only my sister and husband were going to visit me, but also my son. But if it started to rain, they wouldn't be able to come over, and cheer me up.

As I walked to class the sky still looked gray, but you could still see a small ray of light shinning, trying to break free. As class slowly ticked by all that was in my head was my son. Nothing in the world could make me happier than to see and hear him call out, "Mommy!!!" But yet every time I looked outside, the sky did not seem to agree with my happiness. It just seemed gray, and determined to ruin my day.

As I gave up, I looked out the window and saw the bright, warm, and yellow sun rays break free. they shined as if it was it's last chance to bring light into the surface of the earth. At that moment, I knew that my hopes and dreams we're not in vein. I knew that I would once again hear the voice of my son. I knew I would see the face of my sister and my loved husband.

Today was a beautiful day. The sun was out, the birds were singing, and my son was swimming for the first time in his life.

Introduction/Bio

I am an 18 year old teen mom. I was 16 and pregnant; became a mother at the age of 17. I have always been a determined person, no matter how many obstacles have been thrown at me.

I am the oldest of 5. I have always been forced to grow up, for the same fact that I am the oldest. I was raised by my courageous mother. My father was a cowered who couldn't courage up and face his responsibility. Even with ought a father, my family made it through life thanks to my mother's hard work and our determination. Nobody ever offered us help. Not even our own siblings. When we needed help the most, weather it was financially or emotionally, my aunts, uncles, and even grandparents all turned their backs on us. I come from a Mexican background and as we all know, people from Mexican backgrounds are most likely poor. We had no money. We barely had enough to eat, but luckily for us, our education was free. Therefore, we had to work hard, be determined, and suck up any information that was given to us. Because of my background and determination I, Mayra Jaramillo, am the person I am today.

I am a graduate of North Dallas High School. Class of 2010. I graduated with honors. I was ranked in the top 10% of my class. Number 11 out of almost 300 seniors. I now attend The University of Texas at Dallas on a full ride summer scholarship. I not only am determined to finish college, but I am also determined to raise my 11 month old son to be the best he can be. I wish to pass my ethics, logic, and determination to him so that he can learn to appreciate school like I have done for the past 12 years of my life.

In college I plan to study business administration, this will help me pursue my dream of opening my own Mexican restaurant. I love to bake, and my husband loves to cook. We work as a great team, and together we will be very successful and create a better life for my beloved son.