My name is Sasha Dorvil. I am in my the first semester of my Freshman year at City Tech. My major is Fashion Marketing. I’d like to tell you a little bit about my background, interests, and hobbies. I am 18 years old. I was born in Manhattan, and raised in Long island. I have many interests and hobbies such and listening to music, playing softball, photography, Youtube, sketching, blogging, and much more. In addition to those interests, Fashion is what makes me, me. Some milestones of me figuring out that fashion was what made me, me, was finding myself as an individual, High School, First impressions, and Youtube.

Finding myself as an individual. What is being an individual? As we all can google up the meaning of what an individual is and it brings us to a definition such as being single or separate. But being in a world with billions of people, what makes us truly different from each other? What defines you, as you? That’s what I was in search of. Approximately 1 in 30 births produces an identical twin pair of babies. Being an identical twin has its pros and cons. As a twin, individuality doesn’t come easy when you’re identical. Being known as “ that twin” or even “ that girl who has a sister that looks exactly like her”, you start to become known as a set instead of just one person. Weird to say, even when our friends and family call both of our names, it even starts to sound like just one name. Ever since we were little, being typical twins, we did what every other pair of twins did. Such as, dressing the same, having our hairstyles the same, attending the same classes in the same school, and not spending a day apart from each other. With growing up, you learn that life throws a lot of setbacks. I wouldn’t say being a twin is one,it just comes with many challenges. People expect because you are twins, you have to be glued to each other at all times. At a point, being separate really wasn’t a choice. Therefore, coming to realization that being known just as “that twin” wasn’t who i wanted to be seen as anymore. You’re probably thinking, it’s hard to not be known as a twin when we’re technically clones. From dressing completely the same to the same colored barrettes, down to the same colored socks. So, how was a twelve year old girl going to stand out from her twin sister? It all started when it was back to school shopping for my first year in high school. This was the first year my mom ever let my sister and i choose our own clothes. Hard at first because it came so natural for us to pick up the same thing but in different colors. After picking up my first piece of clothing I liked and my sister did not, made me realize that i finally had the chance to be different from her and being okay with it . After a while of choosing my own clothes, i’ve realized that my sister and i were more different than we actually thought. We discovered that our style and the way we projected ourselves was what makes us individuals, it was our choice of clothing that accessorized our different personalities. It was what made me, me and her, her.

High school, the period of time when kids find new hobbies, interest, new people and themselves. High School, doesn’t define who you are as a person or who you’ll be in the future but i truly can say high school does characterize you as a type of person to those who view you. High school wasn’t like survival of the fittest for me, or even those false and overly dramatic movies that caution kids that finding a certain group would make or break your high school experience. It was mainly me finding who i was and what made me different from about 2,000 other kids that went there. After finding out that fashion was a way of expressing myself and showed people who i was, without me verbally saying it, I imaged my first day of high school as a fresh start. A start where i could finally be me and people would actually like it. I’d walk into my class and people would be amazed at what they saw. A girl who isn’t afraid to wear what she wants and likes. People would think that i was outgoing, creative, and spontaneous. But, boy was i wrong. Instead i came of weird. But the weird thing i found was that everyone looked alike. Not by their skin color, hair type or even eye color, everyone dressed alike. Walking through the hallways all the boys had the same sneakers and all the girls had the same tops. High school is place where i would say you chose to be with the crowd or stand out of it. I chose to stand out of it. It took time to feel comfortable with what i wanted to wear in school. Seeing what other people wore and thought was “cool”, did make me question what i wore. Everyone has a point where they want to fit in and think that being part of the crowd is a “better look” just for the acceptance. But, following the crowd does get boring. And standing out and being yourself can get you much more. Even though i dressed different compared to everyone, i had character, originality and courage. And all those things that some people saw help me make new friends and meet new people. Being “weird”, helped me gain pride and self-esteem in what i wore that i knew what was showed who i was in the inside. Many people would tell you not to wear something because it doesn’t look good on you or because it’s not so called “fashion”. But fashion isn’t because it’s a trend or because of the price tag. Fashion is the person wearing it. Its how it expresses feelings and emotion through clothing. Fashion is how it makes you feel and the person daring enough to wear it.

First impressions, as i got older in my high school career, meeting new people wasn’t just for making new friends, it was a way of introducing myself not just in high school but also as i got into the real world.I used the words “real world” to describe the different situations and responsibilities of growing up. Such as, going for an interview, volunteering, or even simply going on a vacation. Are first impressions worth the time and energy we put into cultivating them? And are they really as important as other say they are? Well, from experiences i can strongly agree. I can list a handful of situations where my first impression was just as important to what i had to offer, but then you’d be reading pages and pages on it. One major experience would have to be my first retail job. Being young and had a lack of education on professionalism, my friends and i decided to apply to jobs together. A weekend at the mall that consisted of shopping, talking and eating became a weekend of applying for jobs. Around the end of October it was time to find a job and any job that hired sixteen year olds. After many weekend of apply and not receiving any phone calls back, our choices started to get limited. And point we gave up. But while walking out of the mall, we entered an elevator, this lady approached me a nice big smile. As she walked in her style instantly caught my attention. Couldn’t hold it, i had to let her know about the things i loved that she was wearing. As i complimented her she complimented me back. Having a long conversation on the stores we shopped at, the pieces we loved for this season and fashion trends that should die off, she asked me questions like what school I went , how old, and if i had a job at the mall already etc. Not knowing why she wanted to know this information, i found it a bit strange, As we started to walk out she stopped me and said “i like your style, it will fit extremely well with my store in this mall. Stop by and i’ll hand you an application”. After hearing that i felt strongly about getting this job as my first ever job. After three days of waiting, i got a call back saying they wanted me to work there. This had me thinking if i didnt walk in dressed the way i did would i still have gotten the job? I learned that first impressions are important and should be thought out if given the change to. You should always dress the way you want people to see you and how they see you. As many people would say, you never know who you could be standing next too.

Youtube, many people can say they don’t get the point of youtube other than for listening and watching music videos. But, i’d be the first to disagree. I’ve been on youtube ever since i was little and only using it for little things and didn’t know much. Youtube is difficult interest to explain to people that aren’t usually familiar with it. Best way I can explain it, is that it’s like little communities of people with similar interest. For example, fashion, makeup, music, comedy, vlog etc. I truly can say this was probably the most important thing for me while growing up.Starting at age twelve when i got really into youtube. Instead of being a weekly thing it became a daily yo night routine. I could watch makeup, fashion and vlogs for hours. So much that i can it became a hobby. Makeup videos that opened up my creativity to fashion videos that opened up my variety of taste in new styles and clothes by finding out new brands, websites and even making my own clothing at home. You’re probably wondering, what is vlogging? But no it is not the same thing as blogging. Vlogging is another little community that youtube has. It’s all about people who record their lives. sounds people weird that many people would sit down and watch some in their daily lives but after awhile like me you’ll start to think nothing of it. It’s like have little built in relationships or friendships with the people you watch. From learning so much about them and relating with them.
Although, i didn’t get through every little that affected and influenced my decision on fashion, these are the key that i stated in my essay that help molded my way of thought and how i feel toward fashion. Fashion is a part of me and fashion is an art. I get to wear and live the art of fashion everyday of my life and that what truly makes me happy.

Jolleli S. Garcia

Jason Ellis

English

October 5, 2015

Honduras 2015

                 My name is Jolleli Sarai Garcia but everyone calls me Sara. I come from Los Angeles, California but I was raised in Brooklyn, New York. I am liberal arts student at City Tech.  In addition to my studies I am interested in politics, religion and reading about world issues, but my passion in helping others and providing support to their lives. In this personal essay I will explain how I came to be this way as a result of a very influential experience I had in Honduras. In the summer of 2015 I volunteered to go to Honduras for a week  with a  non profit organization called Hearts united foundation.We all go through experiences that can transform the way you live. Out of the 52 weeks in the year of 2015 I spent one week in Honduras. The trip to Honduras was not any ordinary trip, it was a humanitarian aid trip where medical help was provided, clothes were given out, food was given. Throughout my essay I am going to focus in three main things, I’m going to tell a few life stories that changed me, the work I did, and how I’m planning to use this experience for my future career.

            Honduras is the second poorest countries in Central America. During this humanitarian aid trip I met hundreds of people in extreme need.  They were in need of things like water, safe shelter, medical help and food, simple things we take for granted everyday. I went to three different parts of Honduras, the first day we went to El Porvenir, Honduras. We were in a small village called “El Terrero.” As we set the small clinic, and the place we set the small clinic, and the place where the clothes was going to be distributed. Around 50 people were lined up desperately wanting to see the doctor. I began to take names and calling them in. Each person had a special story. However, there was a young woman whom her  baby was 11 months but looked like he was a newborn child. The boy was born premature, he did could not grow because he did not have enough nutrients in him. The mother with tears in her eyes told us she was not able to afford the milk the child needed. She said she would need around $40.usd  month for her to buy the special milk her child needed. The doctor told us that if she could not get the milk her child would die in less than 6 months. We immediately made her a special case and thankfully we have been able to offer the milk. The next day we want to Talanga, Honduras “ casillas.” As we did the day before we set the areas so we can all work in our designated area. We were set to leave at 4pm it was 3:30 and there were two teen girls who were waiting and afraid they were not going to be able to see the doctor. I  went over to them to ask them their symptoms. The girl in the blue began to say she had a pain in her uterus she told me she fell while she was pregnant and had a miscarriage. She said the baby came out completely but she did not get to the hospital because she could not afford the transportation. I was able to get her in to see the doctor. I then asked the other young teen with the bright brown eyes what was wrong, her eyes began to fill up with tears, you were able to see the sadness in her eyes as she began to tell me she has had two miscarriages. She told me her first miscarriage was early in the pregnancy. During her second pregnancy she was able to reach 3 months, but one day as she walked home from getting water, she began to bleed and later in the night she had lost her child, she claims the child came out incomplete. The young girl believes some parts of the child are still in her. I promised her I would do my best to get her in. I was moved by her story I began to talk to ask her more questions. She began to to tell me she has a boyfriend who she lives with. Her boyfriends is pressuring her to have his child. She was desperate to know if she could have a baby. If she didn’t get pregnant soon her boyfriend would leave her. I can’t forget the look in her eyes. Likewise the next day we went to Danli, Honduras, “Los Higueros Colorados.” This was one of the poorest place I’ve ever been to. This place was stuck in between a developing community, which means the city above them have working toilets and running water. The water flushed went down a drain to the local river water, and the river water went into the people’s water wells. Without knowing people fetch this water and use it to drink, cook and shower. There was a lad there who greeted us with pleasure and then asked us if we could see her child who suffered from epilepsy attacks. During her consultation we noticed her eye was swollen and bright red with tears streaming down, she told us the smoke irritated her eyes. The doctor told her she needed a surgery or she would lose that eye.  She began to cry and told her son to leave the consultation area. With tearful eyes she began to tell us she could not afford the surgery because all the money she makes she saves up to go see her children whom the government took away from her. We asked why the government took her children away she began to cry and said she let her drug addict sister stay over one night and that by the morning her sister had killed her 2 month old daughter. She called the local police they came and took her sister and all her kids. When she went to court they told her she was an unfit mother and that she put her kids at risk by letting her sister in the house, they took her 4 kids away and told her she could come visit them in the institution but until they were 18 the government would have them. She begged us not to add more to her burden she had already lost all her kids, she had a son who had epilepsy. The doctor told her that she would give her special eye drops but she had to cover that eye when she cooked. She promised she would. The last place we went to was also a poor community, it was at the tip of a mountain. This was in Reitoca, Honduras “Cerro del Senor” over there the people were very humble, I was not able to talk to anyone because we very busy. However, I did meet a women with 5 children who my dad helped build her a home. She recently had a baby boy and when I asked her for the child’s name she had not chosen a name for her son. She then told me I could name her child. One of the helpers and I argued for 10 minutes trying to figure out a name, we finally decided to name the child “Jonas Marel” I was so honored to have had named the child, I am hoping to sponsor this child so he can have the best education. Until this day I can’t forget their stories or faces. Their stories changed me I am not the same person anymore I appreciate everything I have, I learned to value things I took for granted. I am forever thankful for this experience.

                   When I first went to Honduras I volunteered to work with children. When we got to the place I change my mind. I wanted to be in the medical field, I wanted to be where all the action once. I started working in that field and I loved it. It was three of us working with the medicine, the doctor prescribed them and we had to look for the pills and give the medicine to the patient. People thought it was easy but it was not, we woke up at 4 o’clock in the morning and work all day when we got home we organize the medicine from the afternoon making sure we had brought everything and then we packed the medicine for the next day. By the time we went it was around 1 o’clock in the morning. There were nights where I would lay on the floor while organizing the medicine and go to fall asleep. I liked the work and enjoyed working with the medicine but I just knew that I did not want to pursue this type of career.

                 I have always known that I wanted to help people. I always knew I wanted to give back. At first I was stuck in between two careers. I was stuck in between being a teacher for being a pediatrician. Through the humanitarian aid work trip I learned becoming a doctor was not something I’d look forward to do. I learned that I’d like to help and if I ever became a doctor I would not have the time to help in the way I wanted. Although I enjoyed distributing the medicine and learning the names of the medicine and learning what they were used for. I learned that I would want to go every summer and hope the medicine but being a teacher back home. My goal now is to pursue my teaching career and go every summer vacation to Honduras or whatever part of the world the organization takes us,  I will always help in the medical field in a way I would have best of both worlds.

               As stated before my plans are to pursue a teaching career here in the United States and go every summer to a different country with hearts united foundation. Through this organization we will continue to provide health care, clothes and food to people in different communities of Central America. As heart united foundation blooms we are hoping to expand to different parts of the world. We are hoping more people will join and help this noble non profit organization. I will forever cherish this experience, I am thankful for all the people I met and I am thankful for everything I learned. I learned to appreciate things I took for granted. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me.

Hello, my name is Emmanuel Casseus, I am eighteen years old and my major is Computer Engineering. I am currently a student at New York City College of Technology. If there was anything that I would like you to know about me from the get go, it would have to be that I have a great fascination with computers. Although I am very intrigued with computers, there is also something that I equally enjoy in comparison to computers which would be video games. You see, computers and video games have been the two things that have entertained me the most since I was a little child. I gained a strong passion for video games first, but over time I started to become interested in technology and eventually I came to fall in love with computers. If there is anything I would want you to understand, it is something that I have always thought of in my life and that is: “Computers are one of the many important aspects in my life that helps me learn new things” and I stick by this quote. From here I shall discuss my history with computers, my history with video games and how both of these subjects coincide with each other to help you better understand me and further information to help prove my earlier quoted statements of why computers are so important to me.

I have been very interested in computers since I was rather young, and that would be at the age of seven. Although, I never had the chance to use one personally outside of my computer class in middle school until the age of eleven. When I started to use computers it was one of those interesting experiences of my life, one of those feelings you get when you try something completely new and within only a few minutes of using it, you end up falling in love with it. Of course I was still only a small child so my knowledge and use of the computer was very limited. However, at the age of 14, I started to become more acquainted with computers and began to use them more frequently. No one in my house used computers as much as I did so I couldn’t exactly ask for help when I got stuck on an activity. I mean, at the time my dad was the only one who currently had the most knowledge on the subject but he was far too busy for me to ever bother asking him to help me. So instead of having someone to help me better understand this electronic device, I chose to teach myself how to use computers over the past few years. Each and every day, I would take two to five hours out of my day to learn about the ins and outs of the computer. I learned how type quicker, download things, use various browsers, understand the differences in image file extensions such as .PNG (Portable Network Graphics), .JPG (Also known as .JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group), .GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) and understand how programs work like .exe (execution) files, etc. Now here I am today with a lot more knowledge in regards to computers and I am now pursuing the field in which I shall manufacture and build computers, that being my major of being a Computer Engineer. In addition to computers, I very much enjoy video games. In fact, I’d say out of all the inanimate objects in my life, I honestly prefer to enjoy computers and video games equally. Most people just use their computers for their basic needs like searching up information, writing papers, talking to friends, social media and etc. I on the other hand went beyond these activities, and went more in depth into the field and learning the basic concepts of how a computer works. I taught myself how to remove a motherboard from a desktop, how to replace broken wires, troubleshoot computers for problems, learned something on how computer registries work and various other concepts regarding the machine. I’m not saying I’m an avid computer genius but what I am saying is that I like to do my research on subjects that interest me the most.

As I’ve said, before I started to use computers I was an avid gamer and I still am an avid gamer. Video games honestly have done a lot for me, like teach me lessons from various subjects that I wouldn’t know naturally. For example, a popular and well received video game titled “Persona 4: The Golden” has taught me quite a few things that I had not learned about yet in school. You see, Persona 4 is an RPG (Role-Playing Game) where you take the role of a young teenage male in high school who has recently moved from the big city into a rural country town named “Inaba” where you live with your uncle and his daughter. The game itself fuses elements of real life situations as well as the elements of a turn based game. A turn based game is, as you can imagine a game whose combat is structured around how many actions you can perform in one sitting. So for example, if I casted a lightning spell on an enemy and they lived, I would not be able to attack again until the enemy has finished its action. So as you can already tell, a turn based game is when you and the enemies take turns attacking each other. Back to the actual game, the way it uses real life elements is your experience of going through school. Like everyone in the real world does, the main character also has to go through his high school life. As the story progresses, you will start to meet various important characters who will become your best friends and allies in the video game. It is the high school aspect of the game that has taught me some new things for a while now. This is due to the fact that on various different days, you will find the main character of the video game inside of a classroom listening to a lecture of various different topics and subjects. Sometimes however, the teacher will ask you a question and you will be given a choice with a few different answers and you have to choose which answer you believe is correct. It is some of these questions that I haven’t learned in high school yet so I would have to guess which one is correct. Whether I was able to answer the question correctly or not the teacher would give a more detailed explanation of why the answer is correct or why the actual answer is correct.

Computer and Video Games as a whole are very important aspects in my life as you may have already figured out from reading the previous statements. The reason these two are so important is because they blend well together. Video Games are able to teach me different new things whether it be through a sci-fi action game, a fun and adventurous journey through a fictional land or in a school setting where you bond with other individuals and learn new things from talking to NPC’s (non-player characters) or reading notes form other players who may have been ahead of you in the game itself through online features. Just like Video Games, Computers are able to not only teach many various things and aspects but it is also able to allow me to enjoy my two favorite things all in one package. Computers are able to teach me various new things like history, how to do something I am unfamiliar with, research, as well as play video games on my monitor screen. As time has progressed and improved, technology has not only improved video games and output quality but it has given personal computers the ability to play certain games on the computer itself which effectively allows me to enjoy two of my favorite things in life perfectly in one sitting and one screen.

I’m running out of space so I will keep this simple. Although I did talk about how much I enjoyed computer and video games equally, I would like to say that if I had to choose between either, I would have to choose computers first and foremost because it would benefit me the most. Knowledge on computers are mandatory and needed for my field of work for my major so it is only natural that I would vastly prefer computers over video games, but the thing is, by being able to build computers, I’ll not only learn how to build and create one of the things I enjoy most but with the knowledge and expertise I’ll even be able to manufacture electronics which in return can very easily be useful and influence the creation and performance of video games.

Hello my name is Fernando Rivera. I am a student attending NYCCT. It is my first semester here at City Tech. I am studying to become an architect. I am one of the first in my family to be attending a four year college. During my high school career, I was a decent student. I would never get myself into trouble, always attended class, and never gave my teachers a hard time. I was the quiet type in school. I was not that popular as well. I don’t honestly like to hangout in huge crowds. I made friends that I had some things in common. I met some amazing teachers. I also befriended some teachers that teach math and that love soccer, two of my favorite things in the world. Despite meeting such great teachers, I always thought that school was not for me. I love to learn new things and research it in depth on my own. The school environment was something I just did not like because it is no fun to sit in a classroom. During high school, I was very hesitant to apply to college. I always thought that school was not for me. That all changed when my mother had told me that I should attend college. My mother is the reason why I am attending college today. My mother is such a great influence for me and has a positive impact on my life. This piece is dedicated to my loving mother.

My mother was born and raised in Mexico. To me she seemed to have a harsh childhood, but to her it was a “normal” childhood. She grew up as the percentage of people that lived below poverty rate back in Mexico. She only has a 3^rd grade education as I was told. My grandfather had the mentality that school would not move the family forward and education would hold back the family because of the fact that it would be a waste of time and money, which the family did not have at the time. My grandmother thought the complete opposite. She knew however that the family did not have money to send her kids to school. Soon after, the family had started to grow crops on the territory that my great-grandfather had owned. My mother grew up with 5 other siblings. The family suffered tragedies along the way. My grandmother had lost about five other children due to many different reasons such as miscarries and accidents. I learned that mother had suffered so much. I learned to be grateful to be alive and to live life no matter how the odds are against you.

At the age of 17, my mother had decided to travel up north towards the United States. She became the first to take such a daring decision. She arrived to New York. She worked in a factory for some years. She would save up money to send to my grandparents so that they can somewhat rely on an income. By the age of 18, she had saved up money that she purchased some land that my grandfather owned and started to build her own house there. I knew my grandparents were proud of her because she somewhat started to move the family up on the social ladder. After seeing her progress, her other siblings started to follow her in her footsteps except for one of her brothers. From her experience, I learned that sometimes in life one has to take decisions that seem almost impossible to see changes. I myself would have never taken such a decision, but my mother did. This is a life lesson that my mother had taught me. It is also something I will always apply to my life.

At the age of 18, she had met my father. I cannot honestly remember where exactly in New York they met. Fast forward time a bit, they had four children. My parents never got married. Until this day I do not know why. They’ve been together for over 15 years. I appreciate everything they have done for me. They worked hard to get to the point where they are now. My life seems to be good. I have nothing to complain about. But there is something in particular that my mother is doing that I appreciate her more every day.

Time with my family has been great growing up. I thought my parents were perfect. I thought my family was perfect. That was until now that is… A few years back, my father fell to alcoholism. I see that as a misfortune and not as a “disease”. My father would arrive home intoxicated from work, but never angry to the point he would cause any harm to my mother, my siblings, and myself. Growing up I thought it was part of life. I did not see any harm nor did I have the capacity to understand that at such a young age. My mother had dealt with my father and his misfortune for many years. I know my mother loves my father but I know it got to the point where she could not take it. I know that because I’ve seen it so many times with my own eyes that now it bothers me. I would get angry and frustrated with him. When he would be home, I would only have small talk with him.  My mother would speak to him on many occasions but he said “I promise I’ll change. I got myself into this and I’ll get myself out.” I got tired of waiting to see this change. It would get to the point where it made my mother cry. That is something I cannot bear to watch it because of the fact that it would make me feel awful and helpless. My mother has been strong and has been holding back so many tears throughout her life.

I appreciate and love my mother so much because she did not abandon her children. She stayed with us because she loves her kids more than she loves her self.

The simplicity, complexity and evolution of technology are a worldwide phenomenon one must be a part of to completely understand why it is the core of our society. Technology continues to evolve as well as its usage. We evolved from a period of horse carriages to assembly line, black and white television to colored and beepers to cell phones etc. From a personal standpoint, technology influenced my career goal, makes my life easier, helped to develop my social skills and is a main component in personal entertainment.

At Approximately 8 years old, shortly after migrating from Jamaica, I had to adjust to the climate change, and the white foreign phenomenon that fell from the sky. My mother explained that it was snow. What caught my interest was the big shovel attached to a very large truck that removed the snow. I questioned “How can a shovel be so big?” “How it is possible for a shovel to be attached to a truck and what made it moved up and down.” My young mind wanted to understand the nook & crannies of how such a device/vehicle operated. At that moment, I developed a passion for technology and how certain devices work. As a result my goal is to be a Computer Technician where I will be able to develop new software, assess, repair and maintain computers.

People of this generation thrive off the new advancements of technology daily, some are well informed and others learn as they go. Technology has been integrated in our daily lives throughout the world. Majority of the population are utilizing ATMs for banking, Laptops or desktops, cell phones & tablets etc. and the list goes on. Technology has its role in everyone who is involved lives but, technology itself is one of the main cores that are a part of my life.

This can be traced back to the development of the human brain and how it continues to evolve through each stage of life. At the burst of life for most children, their motor functions start to develop and they grow used to doing certain functions without thinking. This is due to the use of muscle memory: if you do a certain activity more than once, your body gets use to doing the task and the repetition makes it much easier. The same applies to “Most” modern day technologies.

When you go to the bank to make a withdrawal or a deposit, the machine tends to know what task to do when information is input in a fast pace. This is done due to 1. The machine was made to do that main task only 2. The main function of an Automated Teller Machine has to do with the handling of money. This topic connects to the simplicity of technology meaning it is there for our convenience. For instance, the subway trains we use on a daily basis, which many of us take for granted is used to get us to and from our destinations. Also, the smart boards most teachers use in high schools and colleges (Prior: Was a chalk board) to display and edit work for students.

4 years after coming from Jamaica, I had to adjust to the climate change. When it was cold n the United States, I was just trying to get use to the temperature when it was cold because in Jamaica it is always a constant, almost the same, kind of heat all the time. My first experience with winter was the bitter cold; I had no knowledge of the substance. Similar to just come experience” (As my fellow Jamaicans would say), technologies has always intrigued by interest to dissect each device works.

At a young age, I always received compliments on my quick advancements when using cellphones, and gaming devices. As I grew older, I fell in love with the feel of having technology literally at my fingertips. As time went by, I found myself very fascinated by the new introduction of technological devices that emerged. Many children were eager to get the most recent cellphones and gadgets. On the other hand, I questioned, “How does this work? What is inside of this device that brings this piece of technology to life?”

Technologies have many uses and basis to start from when you really think about it that is the reason why technology will continue to be one of the main components of my life. When speaking about technologies it doesn’t always have to be about the modern day technologies but, it can also be about the uses of the past. In the past (Late 1800’s- Early 1900’s), everyone relied on their physically ability more because technology was still a fresh concept. For example, the first type writer was invented in 1868. This piece of machine was used for inputting information which is the same as a laptop. It was beneficial until it evolved over time into something much better which became the laptop. This one of the many beautiful benefits of technology, it will always keep evolving and will never stop. One last reason technology is so beneficial to my life is because; it is my own stress relief and my “Break from Reality”. When it comes to stress, the only way I can think of dealing with it is, to pull out my cellphone at any time I am feeling down or upset and listen to music. As music keeps evolving, technologies will also keep evolving alongside of it. As my cellphone keeps getting upgrades and updates, so will my love and respect for technology.

I started to love technology because; it benefits me in various ways. If you happen to know me through association of my friends, they can tell you that I am a very social person and also how I like technology a lot. When you are actively social on a daily basis, it is not an easy task but it is very rewarding more mentally than physically. I could be in the most serious of meetings (Job, Club etc.) but always find myself thinking of ways to win the opposing person over to my side with my convincing argument. When you are social, you find yourself having the ability to talk to almost anyone as long as the other person is in favor. Technology greatly syncs to my Social ability because, I need it to help me in situations which it is required. For example, when meeting new friends anywhere you venture out to on a daily basis, you don’t just introduce yourself, have a good time with, and then walk away. Adding a person’s contact information is a tradition that been useful for years now just in cases you need assistance or just for future reference. Speaking of references, now-a-days you can’t fill out a job application online for a majority of jobs because, you need references. There are other ways Technology and being Social are connected. When it comes to Social Networks, they are one of the most beneficial and highly used technology based communications that a person may or may not require today. I mainly use Facebook, Instagram and Snap-chat daily for Entertainment, resources, and communication reasons. A lot of people use Facebook to connect and contact friends to make plans for work or just to plan a date for activities. Snap-chat and Instagram are mainly used for entertainment. When going through the stress and the slow hours of each day, you need something to balance out the work you did when you get home. This is basically why I keep up to date in most recent applications out today on the market. No social network would be available to use unless there was correspondent technologies to support the updates and the platform of these new resources.

While I try to better myself physically and mentally for whatever the future hold for me career wise and financially, I know technology will always have my back if I need any type of assistance. As long as technology exists, so will evolution of it and my interest in it. When I achieve my goal of being a Computer Technician and owning my own company, I will spread my knowledge and commitment to Technology to another person who need an inspiration to get far in life. In the future, I look forward to seeing how far technologies will advance before I take my last breath.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jason Iraheta. I am currently a student at City Tech, in my first year as a student in college. I’ve learned many things throughout my education and introducing myself is something I’ve had to do every now and then. As a person, I have been influenced by many things. I’ve had a multitude of interests that are some of my favorite things to do. These include reading comic books, playing video games, using my computer, drawing, doing gymnastics, and watching television, to name a few. In addition to these interests, gymnastics is an important part of my life. I’ve had a lot of success doing gymnastics in high school for three years. To me there is nothing like the thrill that you’d get when you compete. Along with this thrill, I’ll be talking about some of the memories I’ve had the chance of making. These include my first year doing gymnastics and being named the Rookie of the Year, having had one of the highest scores on my team, my last time competing as a part of my team, being one of the top 5 competitors in the city on a specific event, and the overall influence that gymnastics has had on me and how I’ve changed over the three years I’ve done gymnastics.

As I mentioned before, there is a certain feeling that I would get each time I would go up to compete and perform my routine. In the beginning, I would be very nervous and I could feel my hands shaking. After some time had passed and I had competed much more, I was no longer nervous. The feeling had been replaced with a sense of confidence, something I hadn’t always had, and it had affected me outside of gymnastics as well. It made me more talkative and no longer insecure about myself. The thrill of competing was something I couldn’t really explain but it was something I enjoyed, it was a feeling I couldn’t find anywhere else, which made me treasure it much more than I already did. The thrill I got from the competition was something that, in a sense, became a part of me just like my limbs are a part of me. I feel like that thrill I’d get was, more or less, one of the main reasons why I consider gymnastics to be such an important part of my life.

Continuing from that thrill, it eventually led me to work harder during practices in order to find an even bigger thrill. This eventually led to having been named the Rookie of the Year. For me, it was very gratifying to know that all my hard work had finally paid off and it was being acknowledged by everyone on my team, including my coach. The award is something I hold very dear to myself, I consider it to be my most treasured accolade as well as one of my biggest achievements in my life so far. The award is as much a part of me as my glasses. To this day, I still believe that I wouldn’t be as proud of any other award I received if it wasn’t the Rookie of the Year award. Earning that award made me more sure about myself, it made me confident, less insecure, and overall it made me happy. After I had gotten the award, I had decided to push myself to work twice as hard in order to live up and exceed the expectations and standards that I felt were put upon me after I had received the award. The award is also one of the main reasons I had become passionate about gymnastics and ingrained gymnastics as an important part of my life.

The Rookie of the Year award had made me much more passionate about gymnastics and definitely made me focused on scoring as high as I possibly could. I started to focus more on gymnastics and it lead to me reaching my goal of scoring a specific number. It turned out that this number was one of the highest that anyone on the team had ever scored, and it made me realize that having set this goal made gymnastics such a huge part of my life. I was starting to notice that gymnastics had become more than just a sport I participated in and that it became part of my everyday life. I would catch myself thinking about practices, competitions, and watching videos about gymnastics. To me, gymnastics has been such an integral part of my life.

In my last year as a competitor for my high school team, the most memorable moment was the final team competition. The final competition was, in a sense, a “rude awakening”. It turned out to be the last time I would be able to compete alongside my team.  However, this moment lead me to fully realize just exactly how much gymnastics had become an incredibly important part of my life.  The final team competition was what made me appreciate all the years spent with the team, working hard to be one of the best on the team, having fun during the practices, enjoying the competitions, and being grateful for having had the chance to be on the team at all. This moment was what led me to realize just how much I enjoyed gymnastics and how much I enjoyed the fact that it was such an important part of my life.

At the end of it all, one final individual competition took place and I placed second in my specialty event (although the person who had scored first place was a club gymnast, so in technicality I would be first place out of all the non-club gymnasts). Although this was an individual event, I consider it to be a team event because I credit all of my success to my teammates and my coach because of their support and encouragement. For me, I have accomplished as much as I possibly could and after all this time, gymnastics will still be an integral part of my life and I don’t see that ever changing.

Explaining how important gymnastics is as a part of my life is difficult to do without going into immense detail about it all but I believe that I’ve been able to do it as best as I can here. Although the stories are from previous experiences, there is still the future left to look forward to. A hope for the near future is that I will be able to share my experiences and be able to give an insight as to how much a part of me gymnastics is. Within the near future, I hope to also be able to return to my old team and support them in any way possible and share my knowledge of the sport and hopefully the same passion I have for the sport. In the distant future, I hope I can eventually pass on these stories and appreciation for gymnastics because of the overall influence it has had on me and how it’s helped me to become the person I am today. To me, gymnastics was, is, and will continue to be such an important part of my life that without it, I would feel like there was an important piece of my life missing. If I was given the chance to relive the time I’ve spent with my teammates, relive the very first time I competed, and relive the very last time I competed, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Hello, my name is Younis Alsallaj. I am a freshman at New York City College of Technology, and my major at the moment is Accounting. I am 17 years old, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I enjoy hanging out with friends, playing sports, and working out. In addition to these hobbies, I also enjoy driving. I started driving when I was 16, which was when I got my driver’s permit, and until now I still enjoy it. About 7 months after I got my driver’s permit, I got my junior license. After I got my junior license, I started working for my dad’s company as a taxi driver. When I become 19, I would like to apply for my TLC license, so that I may start driving a green cab or an uber.

My hobbies all involve movement, and physical activities. I really do not enjoy anything that does not involve movement for too long. I get very bored, annoyed, and I get an itch to start moving. My favorite hobbies are working out and playing sports, but on top of my list has to be driving. Driving plays an important role in my life. Not only is it something I enjoy doing , but it is also my job. Moving from place to place at a very fast pace is one of the funner things to do in life, and something that is very hard to get bored of. Driving is something my family has pride in, as most of them drive or their jobs involve driving.

I was about 16 and a half when I started to think about taking the permit test, which is a written test. I was so confident that I would pass that after 20 minutes of studying I started telling my dad I was ready to take the test. My father did not believe I was ready, so he waited a few more days until I take the permit test. I still did not study, and it was on the way to the DMV where I started to review to brush up on some things I may have forgotten, and hoped for the best. The main things I tried to remember were the questions about alcohol, who is entitled to the “right of way”, the signs, and when to use signal turns. I went inside the DMV, and waited on line for an hour for the permit test. When I went inside they asked me for my ID and my social security, then directed me to take a seat for the exam. I sat down and was handed the permit test which consisted of 20 questions to answer. There was approximately 7 questions about the signs, 3 questions about alcohol, 1 questions about a blind man crossing the street with shades and a guide dog, 4 questions about when to use the signal light, and 5 questions about who is entitled to the “right of way”. I handed in the test, and took a seat in the section where the results were handed out. I waited about 30 minutes for my results. The results came up to me answering 14/20 answers correctly, so I barely passed, but passing is passing. I went outside, and the first thing I asked my dad was if I could drive us home, and he replied “so you passed”.

I took a break from driving, and when it was time for me to apply for the road test, I started driving again. It was May where I said to myself that I had to practice driving for the road test. My practice consisted of me driving my dad to work and back, driving with a few of my dad’s drivers, and parking with my dad’s car in front of his office. Driving is really easy, it just requires you to stay alert to what you are doing and the position you are in, and being more alert to what is going on around you. Being alert to what is going on around you, to me, is the number 1 thing a driver should focus on, because there is alert of crazy drivers that do not pay attention to the road and for you to stay out of accidents, YOU have to be the attentive one.
There is 2 requirements to taking the road test, the first being you have to wait 6 months after passing the permit test, and the second is you have to have a certificate stating that you have taken the 5 hour class. May 15, I took the 5 hour class, which was really boring and was a waste of time to me. The only thing I really got out of it was when to move on a stop sign, and that’s about it. The driving school then registered me an appointment for the road test, which was June 1st. The rest of May, all I practiced was my parking, because if I was to hit the curb while parking on the road test, that’s an automatic fail. One of the drivers working with my father gave me good advice, which was to use my mirrors while parking to measure how far you are away from the curb and to know when to cut the wheel to turn into a parking spot.

The day of the road test, I was so excited that I woke up extra early to go with my dad to work, so I can get a boost before the test. Also, right before the test, I had a driving lesson. It was a good thing that I had a driving lesson right before the road test so that my memory could be on point, and to be sure I wasn’t missing out on anything I did not know. Turns out there was one main turn that appears on the road test called the “k” turn, or the 3 point turn. The 3 point turn is basically a broken U turn, where you make the U, and go reverse and then back into drive. The road test itself was really short. I thought I was going to be tested on a range of 7 to 10 blocks, but my driving instructor judged me off of 3. When it was all said and done, she was telling my all my mistakes and how to learn from my mistakes from the future, so I thought it was a bad thing, because she was listing all my mistakes first. Then she handed me a receipt, meaning I passed, so I thanked her and told her ill try my best to stay safe on the road.
I then started working part time for my dad, taking some customers, and just enjoying driving in general. My dad got me a Nissan Altima 2013 S car to work in, which got me even more hype than I already was. Thank god, I have never got into an accident, and I have a clear license. When you are having fun doing something, you cannot get too crazy. You always have to be on point, and take advantage of what you have, because it is for the better. I plan on having a clear record, so that way when I apply for my TLC license, it would be easy. Then soon after that I would start driving my dad’s green cab or make my car an Uber X car. Car service is something I enjoy and it is something that is in my blood, as most of my family owns a yellow cab, green cab, or black car. Having your own set time for your job is awesome, and if it pays then it works.

Brandon Richardson

Jason W. Ellis

ENG1101

10/4/15

My name is Brandon Richardson. I am Twenty years old and I go to New York City College Of Technology and my major is Radiology and medical tech imaging and after college I plan to go on the pursuit of being a radiologist and entering the medical field as well. I love playing football and I love watching football as well. I am a die-hard fan of the NY Giants. I have been a big fan of the organization for about 9 years. It has been a long time watching them go through there hardships and victories as a team but I also enjoy reading, swimming, relaxing, and photography. But those are preliminary things that I like. There are 3 things however that I love equally. Those 3 things would be Football, Music and Traveling. Those 3 things hold a special meaning to me because my happiness is at the highest of its extent when I am enjoying any of these 3 things at a time. But if I had to choose honestly 1 of those 3 that truly have a special meaning to me It would have to be Traveling around the world. To travel around the world has so much of a meaning to me because it really makes me have a huge outlook on life that I will explain further. Without the opportunity to travel I would feel honestly trapped within my own hometown.

When I first traveled somewhere I went out of the United States of America. I felt really scared at first because of the plain fact that I didn’t like planes but luckily I grew out of that thought as I got older. My first place I went to was Paris. I had dreams when I was younger to travel all around the world and explore different places and area’s around the world to see and understand and realize that you can see there are so much more things to life than rather staying in one place in your home area. The reason why I say that because the world has so much different things to offer from the people of different countries and continents or even from the cultures and area’s themselves and even the people and food and the lists go on going from area to area. Also the memories that come with traveling are things that stick with you as you move on to travel and I realized that on my first trip going to Paris and my first time being on a plane which is and was a truthfully weird experience. I say that because ever since hearing about how crucial and destructive planes are back when 9/11 happened planes always gave me a weird feeling but however it was actually pretty cool to take my first flight.

When I went into Paris I realized this place is truthfully like another world like most of the places you go to that are different when walk out of your home area. The air was different the place was different it felt like an old vintage area about the place. I learned a lot about the French and overall the whole history behind France and how it was used in the 1800’s and how important it was in Europe to most of the other countries in Europe. I then realized this whole trip by discovery of new things that I truly want to travel the world and experience new things of another country or area. Paris was my first love of traveling experiences. Especially when I went to see the Mona Lisa and the Eiffel Tower I realized so much about me and about how I was meant to travel around the world. Also the year after I ended up going to London I realized when I went there I noticed things were actually beyond different than living and growing up in NY and that the people there and the culture and the different types of things they do here are so different. London was a place of just history and beauty all at once. You learn so much from the history of London that makes you realize no matter how old it is, you’ll always see that it has its own type of culture and organic history of its own. Without that I believe traveling to a new area is really not all that if you don’t see anything new or learn anything about the place and gain knowledge of the place. Everywhere in the world has it’s differences and can be discovered of learning new things about it. So going to Europe was an experience because it was like a different world from NY and it shows why you should travel.

Traveling truthfully can have someone in complete wanderlust. What I mean by that is that when you travel to all types of different area’s all around the world you start to notice to see that there are so many different things that come with the place that may change your overall outlook on life. I always used to think to myself (well why do people always spend money to ravel to all these different places?) but then once I started doing it myself I realized that what comes with the plain fact that you can travel to a different place and learn new things is the memories that come with it. With a flash of a camera you can take a picture that’ll overall come as a memory to you or at least a reminder to your brain of a memory. To me as I grew up ever since going to Paris then going to London the year after I grew to realize that experiences traveling are worth so much more than materialistic things or things of technology or just things money can buy. But those experiences you can’t buy them. To travel to a different place that you’ve never been to is like creating a new memory within your memory bank that just stays with you when that place comes to mind. As I grew up from going to London when I was 13 I ended up at that same age having this dream of going to California and when I realized that, I had to make it my goal that I ended up accomplishing in 2015. To travel somewhere as I grew up made me understand that you have only 1 life to live and sometimes it’s worth the risk to go to new places because you never know how much life can be throwing at you and what you can be missing from this world. It has a special meaning to me be able to travel and have the opportunity to see different things around the world to learn new things and just overall make you a different better person to appreciate more things about life.

When I had this big dream of going to California It was for sure something I knew had to happen in order for my goal to be accomplished. Thinking about it for years there was so many things that made me think about how much of a different world California was. From the weather itself to the whole atmosphere, the palm trees, and overall the city area of the things you can do there. It just really looked like a dream world to me that I had to go to. So once this year in 2015 I finally made that the case. Going to California changed my life and overall made me realize one of the most illustrious things of life and that would be that dreams do come true if you stay on them consistently. Growing up I wasn’t to big on dreams because I wasn’t such a positive person overall because I always was a honest person and always hoped for the best but knew the best wouldn’t always happen. But as a I grew up I realized through traveling that when you go to other places all around the world you really get to see how blessed you are and how much knowledge you can achieve through learning about new places all around the world. The wanderlust is something that will always keep me going to dream about going to places and from there I will always make traveling a big deal every year of my life.  Traveling has taught me that anything is possible in life and when you realize that, the mind becomes unbreakable to have goals in mind always.

I am Shamani Patton, I live in Brooklyn, NY, and I am the “girly girl” that is into everything. I performed danced recitals, did poetry and was in cooking classes all at the age of 5 years old. I wanted to do those things, and ever since then I knew I wanted to do what made me happy in life. I also swam at the YMCA, went on camping trips, joined my HS, Health Professions and Human Services cheerleading team and played in the DeRados steel pan orchestra, which is a band that was born in Trinidad and Tobago where my family is from. In addition to those interest Fashion is an important part of my life, which helped shaped me as a person. As I was growing up, I was inspired by different people’s style and as I was maturing I developed my own sense of style, I was all about fashion. What was really motivating to me was how many compliments I would get and that made me want to keep going. I knew my talent and wanted to turn it into a career.  I am motivated to become a Fashion Merchandiser and a stylist. I currently take a English, Pre-Calc, Principles of selling, Marketing and Business class at City tech. My goals are to get my Bachelor/Masters Degree in Fashion Merchandising, establish my own business and earn the title “the queen of fashion”. Also I plan to have my work featured in many magazines, and show my fashion touch on different celebrities, by them modeling and expressing an attire I put together for them. Some milestones of Fashion includes, different genres of music, the story that art tells, and the glam of makeup.

My passion for fashion flourished when I started middle school and other people’s outfits first mesmerized me. At age 12, I began to care about my appearance and personal fashion to such a degree that, I feel as if I was born to love the fashion world. I began dressing myself in unique ways, which earned me compliments on my outfits. After awhile, friends began to ask me to shop with them if they had an event to attend. In middle school a lot of thing started to change, I mostly looked up to my older cousin, it wasn’t about fashion with her though I just loved the confidence she had in everything she did. I didn’t really care what other thought about how I dressed, because I was comfortable with it and multiple people loved that about me. I had friends that was into art and photography, they would shoot me in front of a graffiti background. I also started wearing makeup here and there and saw how much it glam’d an outfit which was an addition to my creative mind. Unfortunately, I stop dancing in ballet and jazz classes during middle school but that didn’t stop me from pretending to be apart of my favorite artist music video in my mirror.

While my friends told me what they thought were the best careers, I was afraid that those careers delivered success but not happiness. I knew doctors made a lot of money and it was time for me to pick a major for High school, I was so under pressured and I picked a medical school. Now that I’ve matured, I realized that I liked doing business and styling so this is what I wanted my purpose to be. Once I learned how to sew at the Fashion Institute of Technology during an 11 week pre-college program, I was determined to open my eyes to more roles in the fashion world and challenge myself to doing these things. I’ve grown up to like many different genres of music, because its another form of art, I also like to attend art galleries in Brooklyn, and I was always into makeup. I would watch makeup videos on Youtube and hope to one day make one of my own. In addition to those interests, I feel like fashion is the most important to me and plays a big role in my life, because I view it as a big form of art on a daily basis. You can inspire someone just by walking down the street with a “artsy” outfit on, and it shows your personality before you even have the chance to say something to them.

Attending an art gallery for the first time was an influential experience to me. since then, I have learned about and followed the work of up-and-coming artist. At the galleries I’ve attended there were many designers, painters, bands, and poets all in stylish attire, it was my cup of tea. Along with all of this they were playing different types of music and I was influenced by everyone’s creativity. The fact that everyone was different goes to show there’s art in almost anything, you just have to have an eye and an ear for it which is what I have, and I feel comfortable to say I am creative. I was easily influenced by the paintings and raw talent and the galleries, I interpreted into an outfit I would wear. Whether it be a dark and scary painting or a colorful painting, I can construct it into a well put together outfit or maybe I have compared it to an attire I saw in Marc Jacobs or Givenchy’s fashion show. I know many others can look at a painting and interpret it into different things but I can’t help how captivated I am by fashion. Many people loved how I was dressed at the galleries, as if they knew it was my style and I was comfortable with what I had on, I feel like everyone there had no problem being themselves and dressing for them, instead of caring about what other people thought and this is why fashion and art is most important to me. There was even art put up on the walls at Fashion Institute of Technology which was then construed into an outfit and was presented on the walls inside the building.

Just like fashion, makeup changes rapidly. Its all about what’s trending and how you can interpret it as your own. I started off using one or two makeup products but over time I became by own makeup artist. It’s always fun to make-up your face, from the different color eyeshadows, to the red lips, I’ve loved makeup since I started to wear it. It was never a self-esteem thing, because at the time I started wearing it, I was already comfortable with my whole being. Once I started wearing makeup, I noticed other’s wearing it to and I would try to recreate the look to fit me. Youtube is growing tremendously, and a lot of people are starting to make videos on different makeup looks, this surprised me because I’ve notice a lot of people with the same passion as me. Many people that are into make-up also has a thing for the fashion world. As the seasons change their would be a change in the outfit and makeup and people on youtube do their own take of it. Of course everyone inspires someone, which is what I would love to do, whether it be an outfit, the makeup or both. A makeup look can easily inspire an outfit and vice versa. On runways and videos or even shows, the actors/models have makeup on which compliments their outfit.

Fashion has a huge influence in my life, it’s something I think about daily. The thing a lot of people confuse is fashion and style, fashion is popular trends, style is how and what you do with those trends. I feel like everyone has their own preference and style their clothing to what makes them comfortable. That is the only way I love to wear my clothes, I follow my own style and I’m comfortable with what I put on. What greatly influences my fashions statements are magazines like Elle, Vogue, Glamour and InStyle, I have subscriptions to these magazines and the different seasons brings on different designs. Whether its’s a poncho with skinny jeans and booties for the fall or a body con dress with a kimono over it for the spring, I can always do a look similar to it and make it even better, because it’s what I think looks best. My favorite designers are Givenchy, Marc Jacob, Betsy Johnson and Vince Camuto, they are all different but their products are made with quality, its exceptional. My favorite stores to shop at are Zara, H&M, Nordstrom, DSW and Asos, I will admit I can literary shop all day long. When designers are creating clothes, they’re creating art, the different techniques of sewing and what you sew together shows this. This is why I view peoples outfits as moving art, everybody is different and they wear their wardrobe differently.

In addition to having an eye for art. I have an ear for art, too. I understand the relationship between the body and music, or the harmony between the body moving to a rhythm. Any music that can make me dance is my type of music, whether I need an escape or to just listen to my favorite tunes and dance. It’s the different beats, rhythms, sounds, and words that creates a stimulating form of art. I know I will never get tired of music, because its rapidly changing just like fashion and thats what I like, change. I will always love trying different things. Music influences me to dance, which is also another form of art and it gets creative once you freestyle and do whatever you want to do. I use to dance ballet, jazz, tap and modern when I was about 5, up until I started junior high school. My favorite music artist are J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Beyonce, and Drake, but I listen to earlier rappers, too. I just love how some artist can take older music and make it modern. Music videos always had the latest fashion attire, it would be trending for about a month,especially if it’s a hit song which encouraged people to go out and buy the outfits maybe even turn it into their own style. Sometimes I can just picture a certain outfit being in a certain music video, and different celebrities dress according to their music. I’ve been to multiple photoshoots and fashion shows and most of the time music is playing in the background, this is for the model to connect to by outfit by listening to it, its catches more attention. You hear music all around you and the more music you know the more you open yourself up to a whole different type of art.

My ability to style myself as well as others, has benefitted me in a way that I can make a career out of something I love to do. The fact that many people say that they can see me in the business of fashion is motivating. I love to see how fashion evolved over time, and how quickly it happened, I did projects at FIT which showed the evolution of fashion overtime. I would love to go to fashion shows around the world in the near future. I also will love to work with upcoming designers and bigger designers and style their clothing to be in magazines, on billboards, music videos, and movies. I would love to own my own company as a Fashion Merchandiser and travel to different places to expand my company. Fashion will always be changing, and it will always be apart of my life.

Sandra Gil
Prof. Ellis
Eng 1101

    My name is Sandra and I was born and raised in Queens, New York. I attended school all my life in Queens and I am 18 years old. When it comes to what my interest are, a variety of thoughts either come up or I’m completely blank. For a person like me, it takes a lot of self evaluation to realize what I do or don’t enjoy. I am into art, photography, writing, travelling and cooking, but what has the most meaning to me is fashion. Fashion can be a broad topic, but for me it has much more meaning than just putting on clothes or trying to put fabrics together. For me, fashion is how you show your clothes to express who you are as a person as well as be creative with what you own.

Growing up as a middle child with 4 other siblings, money has become a major milestone in our lives. Although my mother makes enough money to buy what we want, there was always a saying she used that I still follow up to this day. She would say:

                        “ I only buy you things you NEED, not things you WANT”

By that she meant that if you want something that was used for entertainment or was unnecessary such as electronics, toys and accessories, we had to either earn the things we wanted or save up and buy it ourselves. Now most of us remember that time when our parents or guardians took us back to school shopping as a kid and forced us to try on clothes from department stores. My mom took me to this store called ‘Kid City’ and I wouldn’t really understand what suited me. I think as kids we don’t really care how we looked or whatever we wore would have a meaning behind it later on in life. Usually once you hit puberty and all the kids around you start to change, its when you start to realize not everyone is going to stay the same. I started to find myself through clothes and also YouTube; there were many YouTubers who had their own videos on how to create either a shirt or a hat and change it into something else. For someone who is finding themselves at a very young age, seeing other people take a simple piece of clothing that anyone could own and changing it into something new was mind blowing. I got inspired and it was hard for me to experiment new ways of wearing clothes since I had to wear uniform to school. One day I saw my mother sewing my dad’s shirt and I asked her to teach me so I could fix my baggy uniform pants. There were times when I failed, but to be honest, I wasn’t upset because most of things we want to do has to fail first in order to motivate us to get better.

My aunt also showed me how she knits, but I didn’t own any knitting equipment to follow her steps. She came over for christmas and stayed the night; when I woke up the next morning I saw her knitting and she saw that I was interested. She gave me one of her red yarns and she also gave me the sewing stick that only required one because I just started. After she left, I honestly had no idea what to make, but then I thought of a sweater. Looking back, I don’t know why I thought it was possible for me to make a sweater because I didn’t have that much yarn. The yarn was probably the size of an apple. I remembered the technique was really quick and then realized I was going nowhere with this because I ran out of yarn. Then I just eventually gave up because my mother wouldn’t buy more for me.

After knitting didn’t work out for me, I went back online a year later (I was just beginning high school) to search up what I can do with sewing. What I got out of it was recycling old material and reusing it to create something new. I realized that I had a lot of old clothes I could use to do all that. I would start with something I definitely didn’t need to use and used my old uniform since I went to a uniform free school. I took some fabrics such as cutting an old pink shirt into any shaped I liked and sewed it onto my old white uniform shirt. I took my uniform pants and transformed them into shorts. I always watched Youtube videos in order to help me get the gist of how to cut lines on the pants or where to draw lines in order to cut the legs of the pants. I had to put the pants inside out and fold the cutted parts then sew all around the folded parts. The left overs from the pants I would cut them to sew onto a hat or something, I honestly can’t remember.

Since I was just a freshman, I started to become interested in shopping for my own clothing. It was nice creating my own clothes for a while, but I started to run out of unwanted clothes and didn’t want to use the clothes I already used to go to school with. I was already getting paid to babysit my sisters and saved enough money to go to the mall with my cousin. We honestly had no idea how to control our spendings and bought a lot of expensive items such as shoes, shirts, pants, jewelry and food of course. I would end up saving money just to buy clothes, which isn’t a good idea, and then I got interested with buying band merchandise. I use to be into bands a lot that I would save money to buy their magazines, bracelets, CDs and mostly their shirts. After I realize I was spending too much money, I started to budget on how to spend and made sure I was really going to wear whatever I bought. When I was younger, sometimes I would buy clothes just because I thought it would look cool. When I got older, I realized that I should start buying what I liked and what made me happy, not what type of brand a clothing was.

As the years went by, there was a time where name brands became everything. I think up to this day, name brands still and will always seem important to usually teenagers. Kids in high school are still trying to find themselves and even when we grow up, I still believe everyone tries to understand who they want to be or what they want to be. It becomes difficult for most teens who want to experiment with what they wear because of the fear of getting judged or picked on. I didn’t realize the way someone dressed could play a big role until high school almost ended for me. There was a debate in my senior year of high school on whether we bought necessities just based off of name brands or the quality of the item, Many said yes to brands and a few said that it was based off of quality. The way I saw it, many of the students were just following what their friends were saying because in society, we are shown that if you wear brands, you are presented as a well dressed person. It took me until that year to realize that we should be able to wear whatever we want whether it was an outfit to express our cultures or expensive clothes from a high quality store. Culture also plays another role when it comes to expressing your rights as a person to wear what makes you happy and also shows that you could be proud of where your family is originated from.

My father came from Mexico and my mother was born in Brooklyn but is Mexican and Puerto Rican. Clothing in my culture are generally hand made. I do tend to wear mainly the mexican clothing out in public sometimes because I love expressing who I am and where my family came from. When I was younger, I would visit Mexico with my family for the summer, there would be flea markets and would have handmade bracelets, bags, hats, clothes and necklaces. I was taught how to make most of the items I’ve listed by the workers who were selling them. Growing up in an environment like New York City where people are exposed to other cultures besides their own, many of the kids in school would show me or teach me a thing or two about where their families came from. I would question why most of the people in my school would have common clothing and I learned that it was also based off religion.

As we grow older, life just becomes harder trying to find where our places should be whether at the workplace or still in school. With fashion, I hope in the further future that I could be able to create more clothings and learn new skills. Also I could learn a way to teach younger kids how to knit or sew simple items and help expand other minds into finding themselves.