Financial Aid

Financial aid; one of the most important things that families look at when considering which college their student is choosing to go to. From the FAFSA application, to grants, to loans, to scholarships, to the endless amount of money they pay towards tuition, it never ends. Families will go through ends meet to get their child to attend a great school to pursue an education. LMU’s tuition is over $62,000, so how is it possible for a family to put out that much money? The answer is simple. It would be financial aid, but the problem is there isn’t enough of it, and people don’t even want to go through the process to apply.

I remember being a senior in high school and looking back to all of the schools I applied, to, I managed to apply to every single one that was over $60,000. My mother always told me, “The price doesn’t matter, but I want you to apply to as many scholarships as you can.” And I did. I applied to everything I found, and I educated myself about financial aid. Since I was the first one to go to college in my immediate family, I felt that I had the responsibility to learn what the FAFSA was, or student loans were. Luckily, I came to understand it, because if I didn’t, I would be like the other 80% of my friends and classmates who have no idea about what financial aid entails.

Fast forward to my freshman year of college where I learned more about financial aid. I then got hired at LMU’s financial aid office, and now I am an expert with anything that has to do with financial aid. I enjoy educating and helping my colleagues out with anything about financial aid because I have gained so much knowledge about it. Some people don’t understand its perks, and it is sad to say that some people get discouraged in applying to college because of the tuition costs. According to Money, “20% of all undergraduate students failed to fill out the financial aid application in 2011-12, according to the U.S. Department of Education, and an unknown but undoubtedly large share of low-income students never enroll in college at all because they believe it is unaffordable.”

Now that I understand what is going on with financial aid and how our government works, it’s sad to see how expensive college is, and how people think they can’t attend because of its costs. The NCAN says, “Of the students who didn’t complete a FAFSA, more than half said they “don’t know anything about financial aid.” The government and schools are more than willing to help a student out if need be, but if families don’t know the process of it, they won’t do anything to pursue it. I hope in the future that there will be more information provided to families to figure out how to apply without being discouraged that they won’t get “any money.” College is expensive, but if you know anything about getting help, you must put yourself out there and do your research.

References:

http://time.com/money/4520236/college-financial-aid-why-students-dont-apply/

http://www.floridacollegeaccess.org/2016/10/14/ncan-survey-shows-many-non-fafsa-filers-dont-know-anything-about-financial-aid/

The Current State of Hip Hop

 Currently in Hip Hop there is a very concerning disconnect from the generations of artists that helped pioneer rap. Artists like Pete Rock and the group De La Soul chimed in with how they felt about the current state of rap. Pete Rock stated in an interview, “These Kids Don’t Give a Fuck About The Culture.” De La Soul was quoted as saying, “Rap is redundant now” in an interview with popular hip hop media magazine, Pigeons and Planes. However I think that this is inherently a problem and flawed argument. The “old heads” of hip hop say that the new age rappers don’t care about Hip Hop culture but cultures change and I think they just don’t understand that change is inevitable. Hip Hop at its purest form started with a dj mixing records accompanied by a MC who delivered rhymes and kept the crowd rocking. Then transformed into a mix of gangster and “conscious” rap in the 90s. That seems to me like the culture changed then. If the pioneers of rap changed the so called Hip Hop culture of their time why is it a problem now that the younger generation has begun to shift the current state?

I think personally that artists should be able to express their music in any way that they like. Rap is an art. You cannot tell someone how to express their art. You can not put art into a box and that is what the new Hip Hop artists are truly doing, expanding. Infusing different genres and unorthodox techniques into their music has allowed for the sound of Hip Hop and its fans to broaden into a much more expansive “culture.” There are still new age rappers that still stick to what would be deemed as classic hip hop. Artists like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Earl Sweatshirt and Joey Bada$$ are prime examples of new artists who keep the culture the way older generation prefers. Classic hip hop will always be the best but many new age artists like Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, 21 Savage, and others have pushed the boundaries of Hip Hop that tried to mold artists into the prototypical rapper. They went against the norm and have seen new mainstream success at 18-21 years of age. In an interview with The Fader, Lil Yachty’s father addressed all of the comments the “old heads” had about his son’s music. “His music is for the kids” said the father of the 19 year old star. These new age rappers are making music for their generation many don’t care if their predecessors love their music or not, it is truly for the love of their fans.

Part of this has to do with the internet and the cult like following many of these new artists receive with the help of streaming platforms like Soundcloud where everyone can tweet about an artists song and it can go viral over night. I believe that rap is in a great place right now because of the many different sounds that have come into the game to give  Hip Hop a breath of fresh air. There are still the top notch MCs like Kendrick and company but there are also more melodic rappers like Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi who are creating a wider spectrum for what the culture is. 

Everyone knows that when you think college students you think stress… or partying… depending on the person. Sure, people aka adults in the real world; tell us we have it easy—that we’re living the life. But stress is commonly associated with college students for many reasons; not only are we being prepared for the “real world” but we are constantly in friction with who we are. Who are we? Who do we want to be? What do we want to do about it? Excess stress then leads to hopelessness then depression.  In 2016, according to National Data on Campus Suicide and Depression, more teenagers and young adults died from suicide than from all other medical illnesses combined.

Accordingly, to add to the level of stress is students who have to pay their way through school or have part-time jobs and or internships. As a senior myself,    I have two internships , a job on campus, president of a club, and e-board member, all while being a full-time student and daughter. I live at home so being a full-time daughter is actually a thing to add to that list.  It wasn’t until I was a sophomore that I realized that internships were something else I needed to make time for. How else do I meet people in the work place? How else can I show I am qualified after college when I’ve only worked in the library as a shelver? More people are attaining a bachelor’s degree… how do I make myself standout? Internships.  Reported in 2016, about four out of five students work part-time while studying for their degrees – an average of about 19 hours a week. 

Jaylene Menjivar, a junior at Loyola Marymount University, works an average of 19 hours a week with 16 units, and somehow students are told to allocate three hours per unit—all while having a life. “I wouldn’t be so stressed all the time. I’d have more time to have a social life but also sleep. I feel like I could have a more well-rounded college experience.” She takes a deep breath at the thought of such a thing.

So in light of all these expectations, stress, and “finding ourselves” how do we navigate a better quality of life in such a fast paced lifestyle? Do we just suck it up and keep truckin’? Or do we speak to our professors for guidance…. So many questions. Any ideas?  Time management won't suffice.  

http://college.usatoday.com/2016/01/30/mental-health-by-the-numbers/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/07/college-students-jobs_n_3720688.html

The Feminist Housewife

To my surprise, last night, yet another one of my friends explained to me that she may never want kids. This would be the fourth female friend who has confessed this to me within the past six months. They all repeat the same phrase, “Maybe I’ll change my mind in the future, but right now I can’t ever see myself having kids.” Part of me wants to believe that my friends are just saying this because they aren’t in serious relationships now and are currently committed to bettering their own vocational lifestyle. Kids just don’t fit into any future picture they have hanging in their minds. But the other part of me takes it seriously.

To me, my family is everything. Since practically the day I was born, having a family was my dream. My “dream job,” that has continuously changed over the years, has always come second to that point. I grew up during a time in which women are ferociously still fighting for their place in a world among men. My parents have always had high hopes for me academically and now in the workplace. The words “doctor,” “lawyer,” and “graduate school” have always circled me. I am expected to go farther than both of my parents and my sisters. So this year when it finally clicked in my brain that “mother” was priority, I found myself trying to keep it as a whisper, ashamed of it.

I laugh because I understand that this is completely the opposite of the society feminists are fighting for. My dream parallels the traditional 1950’s women’s gender role. But I am reluctant to ascribe myself to that extreme as well.

I like to label myself as a feminist. I find all women’s issues important and I fully believe in the equality of men and women. How does my real “dream job” of becoming a mother fit with this?

I believe in equality and I believe in freedom of choice.

I believe that women should have the right to any job and are capable of any job a man could do. But I also believe that if a woman wants to be a stay-at-home mom, then that is of equal importance. I also believe in the opposite. If a man wants to be a successful hardworking businessman so be it. But if he wants to be a stay-at-home dad, he should not be shamed for that.

Farnoosh Torabi, from Time Magazine, says “The number of stay-at-home fathers in the past decade has doubled since the 1970s to about 550,000 men, and that figure is expected to grow, especially as more wives take on the breadwinning role in their marriages.”

Torabi goes on to say however, that having one of the parents stay at home is not financially advised. According to CNN, it costs on average $233,610 to raise a child to 18 years old, which means this cost does not cover the expenses of college.

Is finance one of the reasons why my friends are choosing not to have kids? Is it the feminist movement or the shame of taking traditional roles? Whatever it may be, it is their choice as women in society today.

Losing Yourself

During one of my moments of exasperation. Liliana said, “it’s okay I know it's frustrating but we work through it.” Liliana is an LMU alumnus, and similar to myself found out she had ADHD/ADD that same semester she graduated.

The real question here is: When do you realize your brain is fragile because you forget every or most details, you are hardly able to  bring your thoughts to fruition, and have problems organizing every minute (small) aspect of your life (these symptoms, of course; are only a couple and are not encompassing of all disorders or mental illness and vary from person to person). Does this sound familiar?

Well, it didn’t to me I just found out in January.

And lately, I’ve been reading more on the issue. Recently, I read a book called Unravelling ADHD: How I turned my greatest deficit into my greatest asset by Joyce Kubik. In this book, the author discusses her experiences and journey before and after finding out about her condition at the age of forty. Joyce addresses her ADHD with the correct support from a psychiatrist after she had been misdiagnosed for over twenty years.

Kubik, reflects on ADHD and how she grew to believe more in herself and not accept any limitations that others would try to impose on her. She states with strong conviction, “I grew to believe in myself. It was a great feeling to know, I could do anything. I put my mind to. It also felt good to be recognized for my work, instead of being told what was wrong with it. I was beginning to realize how debilitating life was when you couldn’t play to your strengths because everyone seemed to have a better way to do something” (Kubick 47). Kubik clearly offers insight as to why I find myself unable to maintain my levels of concentration which comforted me through the turning of pages that reconfirms some of the ways I have felt for a lifetime.

However, on school grounds mental health or other mental disorders are not advertised and targeted differently and in most cases not targeted at all to students of color which have lately shown a height in need for these services. As Huffington puts it,”many white counselors are often unprepared to deal with stress and anxiety stemming from issues related to a student’s race or ethnic background.” So as a result, many campuses are not aware of how prevalent this is among college students and how it especially affects students of color who often are misinformed or won’t have the medical resources to ask for help.  

The thing about Psychological services on campuses is that help is offered but is usually approached with hesitation. These services are usually susceptible to reaching communities of color on campus and vice versa. Students of color may too, be reluctant to visiting SPS or other forms of wellness/psychological services for several reasons. Some of these reasons include the medication aspect, as well as the stigma it comes with utilizing these resources that may prompt others to think differently of someone, or in larger respect afraid of what family or friends may think.

Overall, losing yourself is only good if you seek help and find a supportive circle of friends, mentors, family and why not a psychiatrist.

With Famine and Drought, Somalian Pirates Are Making A Come Back

The largest famine recorded in Somalian history is creating conditions forcing Somalians to piracy for survival.

            On March 14^th, a group of Somali pirates raided and captured a commercial ship for the first time since 2012. While the pirate life is almost completely dead upon entering the modern era, the Somali pirates remain off the coast of Africa. According to the New York Times, the ship taken was an oil tanker named, “Aris 13” that carried a crew of eight citizens from Sri Lanka. The ship itself belongs to Aurora Ship Management, a business in the United Arab Emirates.

            Somalian citizens may be trying to make a comeback as pirates as a last effort for survival. Sadly, a giant famine due to an extended drought is taking place in Somalia, which may be the cause for an uptick in Somalian pirate activity. Given no other option, local fisherman and other Somalians are making extreme efforts to provide for their families. Volunteers from the Red Cross are currently deployed and trying to help the situation the best they can, yet efforts have not alleviated the conditions.

            An article from the Telegraph says some children, “die without names” being unable to survive long enough to be named. One village in Somalia has experience 10 deaths like this one due to malnutrition. The mother of one boy lives on a single meal of rice a day. Due to the lack of food, she was unable to produce milk for her child.

            Given such a dire situation, one can see how Somalians are trying any method possible to ensure their survival. To quickly resolve such a disaster and avoid more piracy attacks that were common in 2012 NATO along with over deployed nations should pledge aide to build irrigation systems throughout Somalia and other undeveloped countries. Instead of shipping over supplies which are burned through almost immediately, we need to set up these second and third world countries to grow just like first world nations did. The basis for this growth is infrastructure and local government.

            We could not only save thousands of lives, but we could shape the entire world into a model for success based after successful first world countries. These smaller countries would emerge after the successful completion of securing stability. These dreams are not of a far-fetched utopia, but a realistic goal that could be matched with the innovation of technology and the correct philosophy that dictates overall well-being of the masses over special treatment of the elites.  According to Business Insider, the eight richest people in the world have more wealth than the entire bottom 50 percent of human beings on earth.

            Until we sort out those issues within our own politics and focus on bettering the world around us we can escape the threat of not just Somalian pirates, but famine and death. Let’s change the world for the better, not change the world for ourselves.

It’s your job as a woman

It’s your job as a woman

            I had one of the shifts that I hated the most. It was a shift from seven to three. It was on a Friday and I was just ready for the weekend to start. Like always at Dunkin Donuts there is a rush from 7am to about 10:30am. It was about 12 and I was ready for the day to be over. It felt like there was only one person coming in to buy coffee every hour. It had been the slowest I had seen our store. Since there weren’t too many customers and a lot of coworkers we were all just in the back talking and joking amongst each other. Somehow the conversation of children came up and everyone was talking about when they wanted to have children and how many children they want. So, I felt comfortable enough to say that at this point in my life I didn’t want children. Of course, there was an awkward silence from my coworkers. Then they all looked at me and nodded and said well yea a lot of people don’t for many reasons and at least you know what you want. I smiled and thought that this was the end of the conversation. Until one of my coworkers said “It’s your job to have babies.”

            According to the Washington post “Fertility decisions, of course, are affected by a lot of factors besides the economy, including cultural norms and access to birth control.” Although there are many other reasons for all women my decision to not have kids is mine. So, when my coworker told me that it was my job as a woman to have a child it took me a second to really think about what he had said. So, I tried to as calmly as I could ask him why it was “my job” to have children. He then tried to make the argument that it was in my anatomy and that it would be selfish of me and it could make my relationship or partner unhappy. I am usually really good about letting people make their argument and listening to them. I began to feel my whole body get warmer and warmer as he kept talking. Finally, I had had enough I tried to calm myself down as much as possible. I told him that my partner should love and respect me and my decisions and if they aren’t okay with it then that is understandable. Then I had to make a point about saying that I were being selfish. I began to ask him how is it selfish of me to want to focus on my career and not bring a child into this world that I was not prepared for. I reminded him that women have never been selfish because they put everyone else before themselves but this one choice that women still don’t have complete control of is selfish. As for him saying it’s our job I reminded him that women don’t get paid to be mothers. I reminded him women have to sacrifice their bodies, mental health as well as physical health. Women have to put their life and wishes on hold in order to take care of this child. I wasn’t done talking and he began to talk over me. This is when my manager had to pull us aside. He told us “You both have different opinions but you should respect them.”

            Now I understand that he had a very strong opinion about this issue but I do not respect someone’s believes that doesn’t respect me.