Archive for August, 2008

11TH AND 12TH GRADE OF HIGHSCHOOL HOW IMPORTANT ARE THEY?

August 11, 2008 at 11:38 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

BY, SHELBY WILLIAMS

DURING A STUDENTS’ JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL, IT IS SAID THAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THE FOUR YEARS. JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEAR ARE IMPORTANT JUST FOR THE SIMPLE FACT THAT THEY ARE THE ONES CLOSEST TO COLLEGE. REALITY HITS THAT IT IS NOW CLOSER IN TIME THAN FURTHER AWAY. JUNIORS AND SENIORS HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY WANT TO DO IN LIFE, WHAT AREA THEY WANT TO GO SCHOOL IN, FIGURE OUT THE LENGTH OF TIME THAT THEY WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL OR IF THEY EVEN WANT TO PURSUE HIGHER EDUCATION AMONG OTHER THINGS. AS SOMEONE ENTERING THE 11TH GRADE IN THIS UP AND COMING SCHOOL YEAR I AM ALREADY STRESSING OUT. I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE SATS AND THE ACTS, MONEY FOR COLLEGE AND HOW FAR AWAY I AM GOING TO GO TO COLLEGE. PLUS ALL THE WORRIES I KNOW I AM GOING TO HAVE ONCE I GET THERE. A BIG ONE IS THE BUDGETING PROBLEMS ALMOST ALL COLLEGE STUDENTS HAVE. HOW DO OTHER STUDENTS FEEL ABOUT THE PRESSURES? ARE THE STUDENTS OF TODAY PREPARING AS MUCH AS THEY SHOULD? OR DO THEY EVEN KNOW HOW?

YOU CAN HEAR THIS DISCUSSION AND MORE ON THE WEB AT WWW.YOUTHRADIO.ORG

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LIFE CHANGES

August 4, 2008 at 11:45 pm · Filed under Education, Family, Racism, Society

By, KYLE GREENLIE

I’M 16 YEARS OLD AND I’M JUST STARTING TO THINK OF WHAT COLLEGES I WANT TO ATTEND, MY FUTURE GOALS, AND WHAT I WANT TO PURSUE IN LIFE. WHEN I WAS YOUNGER ONE OF MY FRIENDS WHO BARELY MANAGED TO GRADUATE FROM BERKLEY HIGH WAS ABLE TO CHANGE HIS LIFE AROUND AND ATTEND A FOUR YEAR COLLEGE. DURING HIGH SCHOOL HIS COUNSELOR HAD LITTLE HOPES TO SEE HIM GRADUATE FROM A UNIVERSITY. BUT DURING HIS WINTER BREAK HE THOUGHT HARD ABOUT WHAT HIS COUNSELOR HAD SAID. HE WAS TOLD THAT BEING AN AFRICAN AMERICAN THE CHANCES OF SUCCEEDING WERE ALREADY SLIM. HOWEVER, WITH PRAYER, FAITH IN GOD, AND SOME CONFIDENCE HE GRADUATED COLLEGE WITH HONORS AND WAS VALIDICTORIAN OF HIS CLASS WITH A 3.75 GPA. SOON AFTER HE RECEIVED CALLS WITH JOB OPENINGS IN ENGINEERING WHICH LANDED HIS CURRENT JOB AT M.I.T. MY FRIEND WENT BACK TO HIS COMMUNITY, TALKED TO YOUNG PEOPLE ON HOW GOD HAD CHANGED HIS LIFE AROUND FROM NOTHING TO SOMETHING. THAT’S WHY NOW, MY FRIEND’S STORY HAS MOTIVATED ME TO ACOMPLISH MY GOALS AND DREAMS. MY GOAL IS TO COMPLETE HIGH SCHOOL NOT JUST PASSING; I WANT TO PASS WITH SATIFYING GRADES. WHEN I GET OLDER I WANT TO DO MORE WITH JOURNALISM AND MAKE A CAREER IN THAT POSTION AND TAKE IT FARTHER THAN BEFORE. I ALSO WANT TO GO TO A GOOD FOUR YEAR COLLEGE WERE I COULD GET A GOOD EDUCATION THAT WILL GET ME ONE STEP TO ACCOMPLISH MY DREAMS. DOING THESE THINGS LIKE ACCOMPLISHING MY GOALS AND DREAM IT WOULD DEFINALTLY BE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT TO MY FAMILY AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN MY C0MMMUNTITY, AND JUST LIKE MY FRIEND I WANT TO GO BACK TO MY COMMUNITY AND SHARE MY SUCCESS IN HOPE TO ENLIGHT ANOTHER YOUNG PERSON WITHIN MY COMMUNITY.

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LIL’ WAYNE N ME

August 4, 2008 at 11:32 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

I’M FIFTEEN YEARS OLD AND IVE BEEN LISTENING TO RAP ALL MY LIFE.

 RAP IS ONE OF THE MAIN GENRES I LISTEN TO BECAUSE THE BEAT MAKE ME FEEL GOOD WHEN I’M SAD AND I LIKE HOW THE RAPPERS PAY TRIBUE TO THEIR LOVE ONES. ONE OF MY FAVORITE RAPPERS IS DWAYNE MICHAEL CARTER, JR BETTER KNOW AS LIL’ WAYNE. I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO LIL’ WAYNE SINCE 2006 BECAUSE OF HIS STYLE OF RAPPING WAS DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER RAPPER. IN LIL’ WAYNE’S MIXTAPE ALBUM “DA DROUGHT III” I WAS ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THE  SONG “SKY IS THE LIMIT” WHEN HE SAID IM PROBABLY IN THE SKY FLYING WITH THE FISHES, OR MAYBE IN THE OCEAN SWIMMING WITH THE PIGEONS,  THIS LINE GOT MY ATTENTION BECAUSE HE IS SAYING THAT HE’S DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS WHICH IS HOW I FEEL. I DON’T CONSIDER MY SELF TO BE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE BECAUSE I DON’T LIKE TO BE A FOLLOWER. THIS IS WHY I LIL’WAYNE IS MY FAVORITE RAPPER RIGHT NOW.

 

FOR YOUTH RADIO I’M IVAN DELGADO. YOU CAN LISTEN TO THIS COMMENTARY AND MORE AT WWW.YOUTHRADIO.ORG

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YOUTH VIOLENCE AFFECTS EVERYONE

August 4, 2008 at 11:24 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

THREE YEARS GO A FRIEND OF MINE WAS SHOT AND KILLED IN EAST OAKLAND, THE VICTIM OF A DRIVE BY SHOOTING. I THOUGHT THAT YOUTH VIOLENCE COULD NEVER AFFECT ME. I THOUGHT NONE OF MY FRIENDS WOULD EVER GET WRAPPED UP IN STUFF THAT WOULD GET THEM SHOT, OR KILLED. IT NEVER CROSSED MY MIND THAT I WOULD HANG OUT WITH SOMEONE WHO WAS AT RISK OF BEING SHOT. WHEN I HEARD THAT ANDREW PORTER FROM THE FREMONT SWIM TEAM WAS SHOT AND KILLED IT NEARLY BROKE MY HEART. MY FIRST REACTION WAS, WHAT DID HE DO TO DESERVE THIS? HE WAS THE FUNNIEST, MOST OUT GOING PERSON I KNEW. BUT I REALIZED THAT VIOLENCE EFFECTS ANYONE AND EVERYONE. I WAS WRONG TO THINK THAT VIOLENCE WAS NEVER GOING TO HIT ME. I LEARNED THAT SOME OF THE VIOLENCE THAT GOES AROUND IN MY COMMUNITY OF OAKLAND ISN’T ALWAYS INTENTIONAL. I FEEL THAT PEOPLE NEED TO BECOME MORE AWARE OF WHAT GOES AROUND IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND TAKE ACTION. TEENS NEED A SAFE PLACE TO HANG OUT AND A SAFE PLACE WHERE THEY CAN BE THEMSELVES. PROGRAMS THAT HAVE TEENS INVOLVED IN THINGS THAT THEY CARE ABOUT HELP KEEP THERE MIND OFF OF POINTLESS THINGS LIKE DRUGS, VIOLENCE, AND PEER PRESSURE. GO OUT AND BE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON YOUR YOUNGER BROTHERS AND SISTERS BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY NOT REALIZE IT THEY ARE FOLLOWING YOUR EXAMPLE, WETHER IT WAS GOOD OR BAD THEY ARE WATCHING YOU.

FOR YOUTH RADIO I’M SOFIA GARCIA. YOU CAN LISTEN TO THIS COMMENTARY AND MORE AT WWW.YOUTHRADIO.ORG

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AFTER LIFE

August 4, 2008 at 11:22 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

WHEN PEOPLE DEPART FROM EARTH, WHERE DO THEIR SOULS DWELL? tHIS QUESTION HAS BEEN LINGERING IN MY MIND SINCE THIS YEAR BECAUSE i’VE REALIZED THAT LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR IT TO BE WASTED.

iN ORDER TO SATISFY THIS CURIOSITY, i’VE HEARD PSYCHICS AND SPIRITUAL LEADERS ON TV AND THEY BOTH SEEM TO HAVE A DIFFERENT ANSWER. fOR EXAMPLE, PSYCHICS BELIEVE THEY CAN HEAR VOICES FROM THE AFTER LIFE AND THE VOICES ARE ALWAYS VISITING LOVED ONES. BUT THEN A SPIRITUAL LEADER BELIEVES SOULS CAN COME FROM HEAVEN OR HELL TO EARTH TO SHARE EXPERIENCES WHEN SOMEONE IS TROUBLED. BUT INSTEAD OF HELPING ME ANSWER THIS QUESTION IT’S ONLY MAKING ME MORE CONFUSED. I WATCH LISA WILLIAMS, A PSYCHIC WHO BELIEVES SHE CAN SENSE DEAD PEOPLE AROUND HER WHEN  A SOUL IS AROUND. ON THE OTHER HAND, RELIGIOUS LEADERS AT MY CHURCH HAVE A different PERSPECTIVE ABOUT AFTER LIFE, WHICH SIMPLY CONSISTS IN HEAVEN OR HELL.

 i WANT TO BELIEVE SPIRITUAL LEADERS BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN IN CHURCH ALL OF MY LIFE AND I FEEL OBLIGATED TO TRUST THEIR WORDS. ALL THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS AT MY CHURCH SAY THAT IF YOU GO TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY AND DON’T COMMIT SIN THEN YOU ARE GURANTEED TO GO TO HEAVEN. tHE THOUGH OF GOING TO HELL SCARES ME SO MUCH THAT KEEPS ME FOCUSED IN LIFE, THAT IS WHY THIS IS AN IMPORTANT TOPIC FOR ME BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT MY FAMILY GETS THE CHANCE TO REST IN PEACE ONCE THEY PASS AWAY.

 

fOR YOUTH RADIO i’M RENITA MURPHY. YOU CAN LISTEN TO THIS COMMENTARY AND MORE AT WWW.YOUTHRADIO.ORG

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