15-Jacob P.-Man's Best Friend

Man’s Best Friend Are you more like: cats or dogs? There is a reason as to why dogs are widely regarded as “man’s best friend”. These animals have been with us for thousands of years. From wolves to the domesticated dogs that we know today, these creatures have helped us perform a variety of jobs in our extensive history. For example, dogs such as the St. Bernard was bred to rescue people who are trapped in a snowy-frozen environment. Another example would be the german shepherd which was bred to protect its handlers if there was an active and present danger. Even if these different breeds of dogs are not being used for their intended purpose, they still serve as great companions. Dogs also drastically improve the quality of your life since they are essentially a close friend of yours. Nothing matches the great feeling when you arrive back at your house after a long, stressful day and you're immediately greeted by the excited panting and barking of your dog who is ecstatic that you are finally home, not even caring about the hardships you have had to endure that day. Moments, such as these, are enough for anybody to immediately forget about their worries and troubles that they may be having on that day. In my experience, I have never met any other type of creature that I always looked forward to seeing whenever I came back from school or a long trip. I also have never met any other type of creature that has left a major impact on me and my family’s lives. (256)

15 - Abhishek Sahota: Watch How You Treat Others

The way we interact with people in our everyday lives can, unbeknownst to us, have great impacts on the trajectory of their lives. How we chose to carry ourselves and whether or not we treat people with respect can determine how those we speak and work with think of themselves. 

Trying to uplift those around us creates lasting impacts that cause you to be a memorable figure in people’s lives. They will think about you and recall the nice words or considerate actions that may have seemed mundane or not of note to yourself.

Everyone who leaves this earth will leave a legacy. It is up to each person to decide what kind of impact they want to leave behind and how they want to be remembered. Standing up for what is right, spreading positivity when possible, and letting others know how much you value them are ways of leaving a meaningful legacy that does not involve accumulating vast amounts of resources or wealth. 

These can be achieved independently of wealth though admittedly someone with wealth may have a greater ability to help the world. The scale on which you help is not necessarily a big factor in determining the value of your legacy. Because to the people you create a positive impact you are an admirable, respectable figure despite how much a millionaire may have given to a specific cause.

The takeaway is that people take note of how you treat them and then remember it. The legacy you leave behind is contingent on you being an upright individual.

15 - Cecylia B: 4th of july at el rancho

When I was younger I would always go to my tio’s rancho for 4th of July. He had lots of horses and I used to ride them around the ranch all the time. There were also these two dogs that were so sweet that I would always feed scraps to them but most of the time they were herding the sheep. This specific 4th of july though we partied, ate delicious food, and just hung out till it was dark to set off the fireworks as you do. Lets just say, hypothetically we would buy these legal *wink* *wink* fireworks out of someone's trunk the day of. Me and my cousins were told we could pick one thing out but it had to be something we could set off ourselves, and looking back on it now we shouldn’t have been trusted with bottle rockets. Anyways sparklers were my favorite so naturally I always got a box of them but this 4th of july my dumb self decided to wear flip flops. So when I got the sparklers one of the sparks just happened to land right on my foot. I remember it like it was yesterday, it hurt so bad and I still have a scar to this day. Everyone felt bad for me and tried to cheer me up because I was the first born grandchild and obviously the favorite. It wasn’t all bad though because the rest of the night I was babied and given ice cream and basically whatever I wanted. It was definitely a 4th of july to remember.

15 - Em Lin - Lasting Effect

 Week #15 - Lasting effect

    I have always wondered, since I was a kid, why my family in China had shrines and many traditions that we would do every year during Chinese New Years to honor loved ones that have passed away, but I do wonder sometimes if I, myself, will be forgotten completely in a couple years after I pass away or will someone be there to preserve my memory. Leaving a big mark and impact on this world would be the only way for people to remember you once you have passed away and left behind a legacy. I don't really care if I´m forgotten, but I would like to do something one day that would be impactful enough to leave my mark on the world. Many people in history will never be forgotten such as political leaders, and some get forgotten too easily, but deserved far more to be remembered.

    I think that´s one of the reasons I want to be an FBI agent so badly. Not that I want to be remembered, but to allow a chance for other people to be remembered. It would be pretty sad, to see and realize that your entire existence was forgotten like you never existed in the first place. However, I don't really think it´s a bad thing to be forgotten, nowadays people become famous for a lot of wrong things. Whether it be for past mistakes or current mistakes more people are infamous than famous, and if that´s the case, then I would much rather just be forgotten. 

Word Count: 255

15: Kalle Pach's Life

 Every single thanksgiving, we make a signature dish that has so much meaning behind it. Nobody actually likes the dish, it's a dish common in Iran that is honestly unappealing, both flavor wise and looks wise. Yet still, we make it every single year.

            Why would we want to make a dish that barely gets touched? Spend so much time on it, just for the plate to be full still by the end of the night?

It was my aunt's favorite.

            Each year, she would make a small portion, for about 4 people, hoping that one day, someone else would want to indulge in her favorite meal with her. And no one ever did.

            Ever.

            But that didn't stop her. She spent hours the night before Thanksgiving preparing and creating this, and the morning of, more hours on the finishing touches. No one would ever eat it with her, but we all laughed at how much she loved it. 

           When she died in 2013, we were all heartbroken. Heartbroken. I didn't even want to move. But Thanksgiving was right around the corner. My grandma spent all the hours my aunt once did on 4 portions of a dish. It sat right in the middle of our table when the night finally came.

    None of us even wanted to eat without her there, radiating a smile throughout the kitchen, the reflection of her teeth beaming off of the granite kitchen countertop. But the most amazing thing happened shortly after we all began grabbing food.

    My grandma, the main cook, started the Thanksgiving line off, grabbing all of her favorites- the dirty rice, ghormeh sabzi, TahDig, “the works” she called it. But when she came to the Kalle pach (My aunt’s favorite, a sheep head and hoof soup), she didn’t pass by it for once. My aunt always mixed it with her rice, so my grandma put the smallest spoonful imaginable on her plate, and when she sat down, mixed it with a bit of her rice. 

    We all followed her. One by one, no matter how much we all hated it (and only god knows how much I absolutely despised this dish), we put a spoonful on our plate and took a bite with rice. I remember all the wincing faces and slight gags, but the huge grins taking form after.

She will never know that we did this for her, but every year after, we kept the tradition alive-

We kept my aunt’s legacy alive.

She was the brightest face in the room, every second of everyday, and we all actively try to pursue the life for us she wanted- happy. She always said there is no point of life without happiness, and I didn’t see that being true until after she died. Her words ring in my head each morning I wake up and each night I fall asleep.

Doing something so little, once a year, seems like it hasn’t or couldn’t make any sort of difference. But we all realized that it can, and it will. I look forward to each thanksgiving, where we can all pay our respects to my aunt, even if it means starting my meal off with a bite of the chunkiest, worst smelling food you could ever think about.

We do it all, to keep her memory

Alive. 

WORD COUNT: 555

15 - Mel B. - MELativity

MELativity

    I know that when leaving a legacy it's usually a lasting impact that was left on the world. I personally don't want to leave a legacy on the world but I'd much rather leave it to, or impact the people who I consider "my world" such as all the women in my family, my niece and nephew, friends, colleagues, etc. To me they make me the happiest that I've ever been and if I were to leave a mark or affect in a positive way I hope that it is to them because I want to be part of a happy memory in their lives because I feel like it's what I owe them. Well not owe them but they all deserve to have something that reminds them of me, because that's what I know I would've wanted when people walked out of my life or out of this earth. Though I do not know what that legacy is, I ultimately hope to find it throughout my time on earth.

    Creativity, it helps me express myself whether it be through designing the next design for my nails and expressing myself through my nails; people find that so hard to believe, designing and building sets, painting, drawing, etc. People associate me with creativity and use it as a word to express my work ethic and passion. I have my own techniques that I like to use, specific brushes/ tools, certain aesthetics and ideas. I hope that my family can look back on these things and collect my things and reminisce on my life so that they can always have a piece of me. even though it is not me physically but it's a part of me, a piece of something created by me no matter how big or small said object is. The size doesn't matter (do not laugh you nasty) ultimately what matters is the meaning and impact left on them by a piece created by me. 

    My goal in life is to win an Academy Award for best Production and Set Design. Growing up I was never in sports or had to learn an instrument. I have never showcased a talent and have gotten a certificate, a medal, or a trophy like the other kids around me did. I've never received one. I don't really know if I can do that now, I mean I can but every time I've joined an art competition I've always lost but it's okay because that is my humbling experience. But now I have a rational fear of losing and receiving judgment so I try to avoid those kinds of situations. Hopefully In the future I will overcome this fear and I hope it'll be gone by the time I'm nominated for an Oscar. It'll take a while to get there. Not sure for how long but I know that I want to be a part of the representation of women of color working in the film industry. I pulled a Ghandi like he said “be the change you wish to see in the world” I don't ever see anyone that looks like me on screen or a name that sounds as ethnic as mine in the credits. I was tired of it and if I can be part of that change, then I will. But having my name on the big screen, and receiving an Academy Award will just make me feel things that I have never felt before. Maybe healing my inner child. I never received an award growing up but to receive one of the biggest awards in the entertainment industry would mean so much for me and make it feel like all the struggles that I will face on the path to success will be worth it. Maybe if I was to leave a legacy on the world I hope it's to all young children of color who are striving to make it in the film industry. Maybe even inspire Latinos in film that "si se suede" 

    I feel like ultimately I won't know how I would impact or even leave a legacy on my family or this world.. Well maybe I do, since I just gave two reasons but those are two statements that I typically always use. I can't think of anything really too interesting or meaningful but these things are things that linger in a part of my head. As of now they are hopes and thoughts that I have now but, I am only 17. As of now they are just thoughts but I can't wait for the day they become a reality. Like I said I am only 17, 18 in a week but that's besides the point. I still have my whole life to live and experience new things that will change my mindset and give me new ideas. New ones or not. No one and I mean no one can deny my creativity and passion for design. Change or no change, creativity will always be front and center when it comes to the legacy I leave in this world. 

Word Count 847

15- Genecis Z: Soaked Summer Nights

     I hate Summer. I hate feeling hot. I hate sweating. Yet as a child, summer was exhilarating, it was true bliss. One of my favorite memories from my childhood summers, was running through sprinklers. 

    After an entire day of running around. The sun would glaze my skin and a constant layer of sweat would garnish my body.

    And the best feeling would be running home late in the evening, when the sun was already setting behind the horizon and the sky was painted a gorgeous shade of red and oranges. 

    The wind keeping my hair out of my face when I would pass my neighbors house and hear the light click that would indicate that the sprinklers were due to turn on any second. I’d anxiously wait to see them flicker on and start spraying the grass. 

    The second they did, my small limbs would instantly carry me through the scene of water flying high. Every drop of cold water would hit my burning skin and an instant shiver would fly down my spine. 

    After successfully drowning in the sprinklers, my clothes would be soaking and stuck to my skin, and I would continue my way home. As I ran the wind would force every droplet of water clean off my skin with a sharp cold graze. 

    As I ran past the corner stop where I knew my house would be two blocks away, my smile would drop and I’d prepare to enter. The sky now darkening over and the stars shining through. 

    I’d give a last look up to the sky where the moon would wish me good luck as my soaked figure would finally turn the door knob and my shaky legs would carry me through the door. 

Word Count: 289

15 - Zack Rabold - Quality over quantity

Quality over quantity Legacy is a heavy word. Usually when we think of a legacy we think of people with a large impact on the world as a whole. Kobe Bryant, Walt Disney, Serena Williams, Michael Jackson. All people with a massive legacy known by millions of people everywhere. Most people dream of leaving behind a legacy to compare to the legends I just mentioned, but I think a legacy should be something much more attainable. The legacy I want to leave behind isn’t one of history books. I don’t feel like in order to have a legacy I need to be widely remembered. The saying quality over quantity rings true to me in that I don’t want to be known by everyone, but I want to be remembered well. When I die I don’t care what words are written in my eulogy. “He was such a good man,” isn’t a phrase I want to be spoken but instead one that’s thought of. Anyone can write good things for people to hear. I’ve spent the last many months doing that exact thing to you. Writing all these words so that they sound pleasant. I would be lying to tell you some of them weren’t empty. However I tried my best to pick topics I had actual feelings about. When I would write I wanted my words to fill the page with meaning and thought and maybe even flicker a light of agreement in someone’s head that sticks with them past the three minutes it takes to read and scramble out a comment for a grade. I want my legacy to be one that people are thankful for. Many people are remembered for their humor, or how smart they were, or some other quality that while they’re great to have, don’t inspire anything. They are forgetful. Replicable. Everyone we meet leaves somewhat of an impression in our head. The person who held the door for me the other day, or the girl that cut me off in traffic. Each time we interact with them that impression molds and shapes into perception. How I see someone. When the same person who held the door for me the other day hands me the pencil I dropped or tells me my backpack is open my perception of them grows better and better. One day will be the last day I’ll ever interact with them and if they had the right kind of impact on me, I will remember not the shoes they wore or the car they drove but their character towards me, which will remain as their legacy in my mind. I can only hope to leave a good perception of myself for the character I had towards other people regardless of how many people that is. 461

15 - Hailey M; Sleeping Heals

 Sleeping Heals

During an experiment, healthy adults were either given a full night’s sleep, or sleep deprived. The results of the experiment showed that your sleep cycle involves the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex of your brain. It makes sense for the amygdala to be involved, since it’s the main source for your emotions. So, if you were sleep deprived, the amygdala would be extremely active, while on the other hand, the adults who received a full sleep had normal amygdala activity. The prefrontal cortex is like the control center of your brain, which includes control over the amygdala. The prefrontal cortex of the adults who didn’t receive enough sleep, had lost control over the amygdala, so it was no longer being regulated properly, which leads to the explanation of why we get emotional after not having enough sleep. 

I watched the Ted Talk to hopefully find out why I like to sleep a lot, especially after a major change happens in my life. Matt Walker, the speaker of the Ted Talk, found out from his study that when humans have bad experiences throughout their day, they are able to find peace and heal by sleeping. He also said that sleeping away those bad experiences helped us renew ourselves for the next day, and learned to help cope with our emotions. Sleeping was found to be soothing, and act as an emotional first aid to difficult experiences we’ve been through. I figured that would explain why I chose to “sleep away my problems” all the time, and it was interesting to learn about how much sleep we get has an effect on our minds and body. 

Word Count: 274

13 - Zack Rabold - "Necessary Knowledge"

High Schools are offering more and more electives as the years pass by. Automotive, American Sign Language, sculpture, etc. However, one class I don’t see much anymore is home economics. High school is supposed to be a stepping stone towards a life and career and yet there isn’t a class to teach us how to actually live those lives. Parents are left to teach their kids how to file taxes, cook, clean, take out loans, fix a sprinkler, or any other basic life skills. But let’s face it; not everyone has those parents. In fact it seems more and more common lately that parents teach their kids little to none of these skills. I think a home ec class should not only be an elective but a required course class nationwide. My idea would be that entering 9th grade each student would get a balance of say 1,000 “dollars”. As the year goes on the way to earn or lose money is based on your other grades, as if they were their own job. The class would collaborate with all the other classes to offer incentives and penalties just like jobs and such would in life. When a math class is teaching compound interest the home ec class could teach how to take out a loan. When history classes teach about the judicial system, Home Ec could give students jury duty. The class would be a full simulation to real life. Late to class, get a “ticket”. Get a 100% on a test, get a bonus. The class would be the last class of the day at every school and would be longer than the rest. Lessons would teach things like money management, family planning, retirement, how to cook, how to do laundry and more. It would teach a variance of skills from large to small that are used in everyday life. As they progress through high school each year is a new stage of life. From young adulthood in their freshman year all the way up past retirement in their senior year. Each high school would follow the exact same curriculum to ensure that if anyone transfers or moves they can keep their progress. I believe a fresh take on a home economics class would set up millions of students across the country to be successful and simply take the stairs instead of a cannonball into the real world. I’ve often felt that the American education system was so focused towards college and what they deemed “necessary knowledge” that it’s completely forgotten that everyone doesn’t have the same path. Some don’t go to college, or a trade, or sports, or anything else. But instead of having to figure out how to navigate life themselves and feeling pushed towards further education they are prepared for the common ground everyone will have to experience and decide what the right plan for them is after school. 485