Untitled

[amangano-blog]

Extra Credit Blog

          For this blog topic of choice, I wanted to pick something that means a lot to me and how it has affected my life. I chose to write about someone who has changed my life. A lot of people have people they’ve met along the way change their life but mine is someone whose been there since the day I was born and that would be my grandma. My grandma has been by my side since day one teaching me new things, supporting me, and showing me how to live life happy.          My grandma taught me that you can learn anything you want to as long as you put your mind to it and try hard. She also taught me how to be there for people even when you don’t know what to say to them or how to help them. Lastly, she taught me how to face mean people and that is to kill them with kindness. My grandma taught me all kinds of things like how to do crafts, sew, crochet, and cook. I could never picture myself learning these things but I knew I wanted to so I worked hard to learn. Whenever I needed someone to talk to, help me make decisions, or even help with home she was always there to help me no matter what. My grandma got me my first job at the dry cleaners she worked at and I couldn’t have been more excited. She trained me and taught me everything I needed to know except the stuff I had to figure out for myself and that would be how the customers act. I found of very quickly that all customers aren’t going to be the nicest and when I came across my first encounter of this I went right to my grandma. She told me that some people just don’t know how to be nice but that’s no excuse for me to be mean and she said next time that happens just kill them with kindness. Throughout my life, I’ve met and put up with some very mean people but I always live by my grandmas saying and be the nicest I can be.           For 16 years of my life with the one person who made me a better person I learned something more important than any of that. I learned to cherish every moment you have with the people you love, to never take them for granted, and to show how much you appreciate them because you never know when it could all end. I wish I could tell her everything I’ve accomplished since the day she left but I know I only got this far because of everything she taught me.

[amangano-blog]

Unprotected Sex

         My project is on unprotected sex among teenagers across the country. My question is “do teenagers really realize the consequences of having unprotected sex?” We know the statistics behind teen pregnancy and teen STD rates among different ethnicities and countries. We also know about the lack of sex education amongst schools around the world. Parents also don’t have the sex talk with their young teens as done in the past. I found that pregnancy rates were high for young teenagers, then the numbers started going down. Within these past few years the rates have being going back up and there are a few reasons for this. Although we know all this information and scholars have already done research on it, I am still going to include background on it so people know that statistics and reality. The question I want to know is if teens really realize the consequences and how serious they can be.          To fill this scholarly gap, I am going to conduct a survey. My survey is going to consist of about nine questions to get to knows the mindset of the participants. The participants are going to be teenagers from about 17 to 20. I am going to survey around 40 teenage students in CWP 102. The object of the survey is to get peoples personal opinions and to understand their thought process when it comes to sex. To also know how many teenagers are actually practicing safe sex and how many are taking chances every time they have sex.          By researching this topic and conducting a survey amongst teens I am hoping to learn about every aspect of my topic. Most importantly I am hoping to learn the most from the surveys. I want to learn about the way people think and the actions they take when it comes to my topic. Unprotected sex can have a great effect on people’s lives and I want to know about how they got to that point and what they wish they would’ve done better.  I also want to find out this information so I can figure out ways we can teach students in a way that will be more affective to their decision making when it comes to sexual activity. One way we could help the situation is with a better sex ed program throughout schools. With better programs, we need teachers and parents who support programs like this. To convince teens to make better decisions we need other tactics that will give them the full effect.

[amangano-blog]

Scholarly Gap

    I researched the topic of “Why Young Teens are Having Unprotected Sex?” Throughout my research I found numerous statistics. I found statistics on how many girls under the age of twenty get pregnant every year, how many girls in each race get pregnant every year, and the status of the girls that get pregnant in their teen years. I also found reasons as to why young girls could possibly be having unprotected sex. Each girl has her own mindset and reason for doing things but generally speaking the majority of reasons are the same. Being a teen is hard with all the changes going on in their lives and I found this out through research and experience. Another thing I found out that was surprising is the influences different things have on why teen girls get pregnant and the number one influence was parents. I found this surprising because you would think that parents would be the last thing having to do with teen pregnancy. I would of thought that because parents usually fear their child getting pregnant at a young age so they do everything they can for it not to happen.

   Researching this topic also taught me more about the whole concept and way people think about things. What I didn’t find in my researching process was why teen girls have unprotected sex even though they know the consequences and they know they can’t afford it. Logically thinking teens having sex would use protection because accidents happen all the time and the result of that is a baby. Most teens are still living their lives at this age and taking care of themselves but they know that could all change with one mistake. So, I would want to know why?

    To continue my research, I would also like to take a survey asking a few questions. I would ask if they have protected or unprotected sex. I would also ask why they do if their answer was yes. Then I would ask how many people they know who got pregnant as a teen. By doing this survey I could get more answers as to why people make the decisions they do as well as students actual experiences they have themselves or by their friends. This could help me make my project more student based on real people and do my own statistics based on the experiment I did. As far as researching I could also ask more specific questions to get more detailed information about this topic.

[itssjakefromstatefarm-blog]

College

I think one topic we should discuss in class is about the life of a college student. Many people don’t think about how hard we work; during and after college. To the outside it might seem like a breeze. We do four years, get a degree and move on with our lives onto better things, but in actuality it’s more complex than that. Well for most people. Some students have money and can just do their work without the thought of stress. There are students that have to balance working long hours and studying tons of work while aiming for for a 3.5 and up GPA. It takes a lot of motivation and focus to pursue this goal. College students aren’t commended enough for this effort. Loans have to be taken out and this puts students into even bigger holes due to paying off debts. The loans take years to pay off even after college. It is important for people to understand that college isn’t as easy as it seems. Some students aren’t even able to make it through the four years. It puts too much stress and pressure on them.

College is very expensive and of course not everyone is lucky enough to pay for everything on their own. Although we get the help from grants and financial aid and of course loans, it isn’t enough. The price of college expenses should be lowered. It discourages many people from even going to college because they know they will have trouble paying it off. This is an injustice. People have to put their dreams on the backburner because of the cost. I think almost every college student can agree the prices should be lowered. As an alternative, to the cost not being able to change, the quality should be better. For example, the food, the beds. MAny people complain about these things on a daily basis. The beds are too small and the food isn’t as good as it should be. The dining hall should stay open later, things like that. College is meant to be a new experience or chapter in one’s life. Nothing is perfect but there are some things that could better the time spent here. People should be be happy about making it through college and going on to better things and not worrying about paying off others. People on the outside don’t understand the things us college students go through and it should be made more aware.

[amangano-blog]

Life as a college student comes with many aspects that people may not realize. I think we should talk about this in class because we can all relate. College is very stressful especially if you are aiming for a high gpa. I know some people might just be ok will passing by and just getting through school but there are other people who work their absolute hardest and do everything in their will go get all A’s. Plus taking five or more classes can be a lot because they all require homework and studying. Then aside from school you are supposed to have a social life but it seems as if most students spend their days doing school work which doesn’t seem fair. I think we could talk a lot about this topic in class.

[incrediblechildd-blog]

College Tuition!

There’s so many things going on in the world right now it’s very hard to just pick one. But there’s one that I want to talk about, and that is college tuition. This is something that is very important to students and families. College tuition is something that many students are afraid of in order to start their college journey and further their education. Because the tuition is so high many students is unable to pay it, because their loans doesn’t cover it all, or they don’t get financial aid from the government.

Students isn’t getting enough help they need, and that’s the biggest concern we are facing today. Because they aren’t getting the help they need, they’re forced to quit college or worst, they can’t even attend college, because they can’t pay the bill. I think we should discuss in class ways that we can help prevent that. There’s so many ways in my opinion that I think can help them. The government needs to realize that these students are very committed to their study, and they should get the help they deserve.

Under tuition there’s so much more that a student have to go through on a daily basis. Some of these students have to work 2 jobs just too keep up with their bills. We as students already have to buy the expensive textbooks that is required and get no help what so ever. Tuition shouldn’t add on to the stress that we’re already facing. We need to figure out a way on how to help solve this issue. How we can all go to college to further our education and make our dreams come through. It hurts that some students can’t make that happen and nobody is doing anything to help solve it. We need everyone to be aware that this is a problem in our society. A problem that we need solutions too. and make it possible for everyone to have the right to attend college.

[amangano-blog]

College tuition is very important in students’ lives right now that they struggle with daily. I think we should discuss college tuition in class and the affects it has on students. When you mention how it causes students to drop out or not even attend at all you are right and its becoming a problem. They are so many kids who want to further their education and attend college but they can’t because they don’t have the money for it. I think that it’s sad because nowadays you will most likely need a degree to get by in the world. Also if we discuss this in class we might get different stories on what happened to them or people they may know.

[hellobobsburgers-blog]

Let’s Talk.

In class we try to talk about a lot of things, so far all of the topics we have discussed to me have been important. One topic that we should discuss that I feel very strongly about is pollution and preserving the planet. We talk about this briefly when it comes up but we never go too much in depth on the issue. Our planet is slowly deteriorating right in front of our eyes and we are the main cause of it. Pollution affects everything around us, birth defects in babies, IQ points dropping and even the lowering of life expectancy.

 The major types of pollution are land, air, water, light and noise. Even though some of these things don’t affect us humans directly they do affect the environment. In some places damage is way to irreversible, for example, China’s air is so bad that sometimes they cannot even go outside. It is said that pollution in China can even change weather patterns in the United States in which can stop clouds from producing rain and snow. All it takes is a jet stream five days to carry the heavy air pollution our way. We should talk of ways to help preserve what we have left and ways to prevent it. If we don’t preserve what we have now what will be left as time goes on?

 The world changes around us everyday now imagine if we continue neglecting the issue of pollution what it will be like.  There are many ways everyone can do their part and help out. We may not feel like it or think oh we don’t need to but in reality we really do. Ever since we were kids they told us about the risks of what could happen if we don’t help out and do our part. Now that I actually opened my eyes to what is going around us it scares me to think of what will the future hold for this planet. Looking at the earth now and in years to come we need to look and question whether or not it will get better or worse. If we continue to neglect the pollution going on around us we may end up just like China or maybe even worse. The future is in our hands and we seem to not really see it, we can control what happens. But the real issue is what happens if we wait too long to change? What if?

[amangano-blog]

This blog was well written and I think we need to talk about this topic in class. I like how you gave background on pollution and the affects it has. I also like how you told us about the pollution in China. This shows the readers how bad pollution is and how it might only get worse. Talking about pollution in class might open people’s eyes and make them realize that it’s us who are making the environment worse. The environment can only get better if we help and stop polluting. It is also scary to think about how much worse it could get in the coming years if it is not emphasized enough. I also like how you asked questions throughout your blog because these are questions we can discuss in class.

[gottaloveprettyinpink-blog]

Textbooks breaking my pockets

I think an issue we can talk about in class is the amount students have to pay every semester when it time to purchase textbooks for class. I myself am a broke college student and having to come out of pocket when a textbook has to be purchased makes me want to cry every time. The thought of having to look at the syllabus a professor hands out and I see under required materials textbooks need to be purchased. It’s very draining when you have no support and you’re trying to be responsible and do everything on your own. Coming into college I said I would get a job and not ask for any assistance but lord I think I made the wrong decision trying to do everything on my own.

Each semester textbooks can range from $80 dollars to $145 dollars. I had a class once that needed 3 books for one semester. I got lucky because they weren’t that expensive then I had another class and the textbook price was out of this world. I really started to question do I really need this book because I would hate coming out of pocket buying a textbook that will only be used maybe a couple of times. Students are also giving the chance to rent/buy the books used but it’s like a scavenger hunt trying to find all the books you need at once with all the other students trying to do the same thing.

I was reading an article and it was based on how much college students have to come out of pocket. It also stated that since 2006 the cost of textbooks went up 73%. That’s crazy! It’s bad enough students have to worry about making tuition payments, and trying to take care of themselves a cost of a textbook is the last thing I would want to think about.

I hope and pray the next time I have to buy a textbook it won’t be expensive or even when I open up my next syllabus and look at required materials there won’t be nothing there or maybe I’ll get lucky and won’t need to purchase a textbook.

[amangano-blog]

This is a great topic and I think we should discuss it in class for a few reasons. First, every college student can relate to this topic and I’m sure have a strong opinion about. College is expensive as it is and then with the price of text books it is outrageous. Also, professors might say you need an expensive text book and then might only use it a few times or might just need to access code out of it. Another thing is some people have parental help with their expenses but other people might not so it is hard to manage it on your own. If we discuss this in class I’m sure everyone would have an opinion on it.

[amangano-blog]

Health Care

     A big issue people are facing every day is health care. Health care is supposed to be one of the biggest things to help and support people. Every day people are getting hurt or sick and need health care. On top of getting hurt or sick they are struggling to even receive health care.     A big problem is that the health care system is losing numerous patients every day. One of the reasons they are losing patients is because of errors and accidents. With errors and accidents comes money loss due to deaths and procedures that didn't need to be done. Oftentimes medical facilities provide too much time and money to patients who don't need that kind of care.      Each year the cost for family health checkups have increased. This can add up quickly depending on a family’s health throughout the year. As the cost goes up the number of doctors decrease. While the U.S population keeps increasing greatly there is not enough doctors to care for them all.     When someone gets severely hurt people think that they can just go to the hospital and everything will be fine. That's where people are wrong. When a person gets hurt you do go to the hospital and they do fix you but infections play a great role on your healing. Infections are one of the leading causes of preventable death.      With health care comes people who have a career in the medical field. CMS is making physicians go through additional programs, on top of all the other stuff they have to do, so we can improve health care. These programs include things physicians need to be more careful about and keep a log of patients health.      As you can see health care can be one of the greatest things or one of the worst. Health care has its pros and cons by in today's day with all the advancements there should be more pros. We are struggling with making it more affordable and decreasing the amount of deaths. The running candidates for president both have their own views on how to make health care a more positive issue. I think the topic of health care is very important because it is what we need to get through the sickness and accidents to survive. Health care is a part of our everyday lives and as much as we may not really care to change it, it has to be improved.

[amangano-blog]

Education

     One issue I think is important to this year’s presidential campaign is the topic of education. Education is a popular topic in today’s world because it is basically needed to be successful in the future. Education is supposed to be a great thing that all kids have access to across the country. Unfortunately, education is talked up to be somethings it’s really not. Depending on the parts of the country you live in education is not as advanced or in the settings you hear about. Some schools have more opportunities and have better settings then others. Part of the issue with this is not having enough money to make it better for students.  Voters/citizens need to realize that every child deserves the right to an advanced education in a comfortable, clean, and safe setting. They need to know that in todays day it is harder to find a job and support yourself without an education.

    They should take Hillary Clintons views and concerns on this issue into consideration. Hillary wants to make it so that every school gets the same opportunities and education they deserve. By doing this she first wants to launch a national campaign to modernize and elevate the profession of teaching. Hillary wants the best education possible for students. Next she wants to provide every student in America an opportunity to learn computer science. In today’s day technology is so advanced that eventually everyone will need to know how to navigate computers.  She also wants to rebuild Americas schools. Some schools are falling apart and have bugs and mold which is very unsafe for children. Lastly, she wants to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. Hillary thinks that punishments in schools shouldn’t be so harsh and she wants to minimize it, especially because it really affects certain students.

    I think that the topic of education is the best course for citizens to consider because it has such a great impact on our lives. Education is one of the most important things in our lives and we will need it throughout our childhood and adulthood. We need it to learn, grow and have intelligence when we get into the work place. Clinton is willing to put a huge amount of money in to schools to help students get the greatest amount of opportunities they can while receiving a good education in a safe environment. We need to realize her concerns and support her on this topic because she wants what is best for students.

[elitelambd-blog]

As I dream

As a child I watched Scrooge McDuck, from The Mighty Ducks, swim in a pool filled with money and I knew that can be me in that pool one day. But, I didn’t know behind every dream was tremendous work. When I first started school, I didn’t really care about the importance of an education. As a shark in a fishbowl I just thought I would always be the strongest of the strong. My thought process changed when I visited Lincoln University.

When I was on the road to Lincoln, I didn’t think it would be a life changing experience for me; I expected just another college trip. As the bus got to the rural side of Philadelphia I slightly got scared, because I lived in a city for most of my life. However, when I met the 17 other people who attended this program with me for the week, they became really close friends, almost like family. We got a jam packed schedule and a project to accomplish during our time there. Waking up early in the morning for workouts, and sleepless nights spent working on my project on the environmental effects of global warming, gave me an idea about what I’ll experience when I attend a university. As I worked on the project I couldn’t just give facts and be done. I had to put my own spin on how to fix the problems in a realistic manner. Usually on group projects I do the majority of the work but this time around it was a true collaboration with my partners.

We experienced different lectures from professors and alumni that provided information about the university and life before and after college. There was a slight realization when I saw my peers involved in student government, scoring a 34 on there ACT’s and having incredibly high GPA’s. I wasn’t a shark in a fishbowl anymore. I was a dolphin in a school of sharks. I felt excited that these people could be my peers after I graduate, but I realized that my current academic behaviors weren’t going to cut it. I needed to be the best on my track team, get involved in student government, get a higher GPA. I was the only person to achieve the Lincoln legacy award at the end of the program, but just being the best was not enough. Carrying the Lincoln legacy showed that the college students and staff saw in me a prime example of a leader.  Keeping commitments, speaking my mind, listening to my peers, I demonstrated my capabilities for the best outcome possible.

[amangano-blog]

      I like how you started off by comparing yourself to that show and giving us some insight on who you were as a person. Giving us information about you before and after you got a college experience really shows us that you are willing to work hard to get where you want to be. I also like how you went into detail about experiencing it with a group and how you instantly connected and work on things together. At the end you also showed us how hard work pays off when you received the award. I think your blog was well written with great detail about your experience.

[cramnewton-blog]

“.. at least for me.”

[amangano-blog]

     As I was reading this blog I was a little confused throughout the reading. I felt as if your blog was all over the places leaving ideas or topics unfinished before you went on to talking about something else. Maybe next time I would try to focus more on one or two ideas. I liked that you used multiple ideas to compare things that the audience is familiar with, you just had some unfinished ideas. For your next blog maybe you could add more detail in so you can connect with your audience more as well. I also feel as if you should conclude your blog a little bit better.

[claudeqramsey-blog]

Power

[amangano-blog]

        Even though I don’t know what the show power is, I feel like I now have a pretty good background about it and I like that because you were thinking about your audience when you wrote this. You assumed that no one knows what the shower power is and you explained everything about it without giving away any details about the episodes themselves. I can somewhat relate because I watch the show empire and you mentioned that in your blog. By the sounds of it it looks interesting and if its similar to empire I think I would like it. You have me convinced to watch it when I get the time. I feel like you opened some people up to a new show, especially by comparing it to another well-known show that is similar to it.  

[bengal-ideas123-blog]

What is courage?

Sometimes when I’m upset or scared I like to think back to a time when I was a young girl who randomly met a mystifying person who gave me courage.

This person was an elderly woman with an enthusiasm for life!

It all started at the Fantasy Island theme park. It was mid summer and I had nothing to do since school was out and camp wasn’t going on that week, so my mom had the brilliant idea of taking a trip over together. (Of course, as a kid you think that it’s going to be the best day ever just because you get to go to an amusement park.) So needless to say I was jumping all around destroying everything in my path and overall chipper to say the least. I could barely contain my excitement. As we entered the park I had a huge grin on my face that wouldn’t go away! That is, until I walked up to the first ride…

Once I actually got up close to the “belly of the beast” I was frightened. This particular ride was named the ‘Jack and the Beanstalk.’ It was a kiddy ride but it looked so much taller up close then it did when we were further away. I looked at my mom with disbelief as she smiled and shooed me towards the line. Without wanting to disappoint her I took a gulp and stepped up to the line. She went to sit down on a bench close by. I was just avoiding eye contact with the monster so I wouldn’t be too afraid once I got on, and waiting as time went by so slowly.

I guess it was obvious to everyone around me that I was trembling from great fear and at one point a passerby tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was alright. I slowly looked up with eye’s opened wide to see a woman in about her 80’s or 90’s peering over me with a look of genuine concern on her face. I didn’t know what to say as I could barely mutter out a word. But as it so happened, I didn’t even need to answer. It’s as if she knew what was on my mind. She answered with, “Aww honey, you aren’t going to let this ride defeat you are ya? Sometimes when we are scared we like to give up. But it’s all about facing our fears and not letting them get the best of you. Do you know what courage is?” I stood in wonder absorbing all of what she had to say in instead of trying to reply. She saw this and then continued by saying, “I learned that by acting fine you will be fine!” Then she started laughing loudly until she caught her breath and asked if I wanted her to go on it too just to prove that it isn’t that bad. So of course, I nodded my head yes until the line moved and we walked slowly up to the seats.

Before it took off, my fear was still high but I looked over at the kind stranger who was giving me a thumbs up and I had hope that everything was going to be alright. Therefore, I gave a thumbs up right back and off we went! Everything after that was a blur but in between my screams and unfocused vision, I noticed the lady putting her arms up in the air waving them around and cracking up with joy. I thought to myself how silly this lady is but also how interesting and wise she is as well. I didn’t know her but I aspired to be like her from there on out.

The amusement took it’s course and just like that, in a blink of an eye, it was over with and I was relieved! Once we exited through the gate, I said a meaningful thank you to her as she focused on me and said “You’re welcome!” revealing a toothless smile -her dentures must have fallen out. She started to walk away, but before totally leaving she stopped and stated “Oh and dear, courage is when you are scared of something but you do it anyways. Always remember that.” She shot me a quick wink and then walked towards a crowd of people going in the opposite direction. When I looked for her to come out on the other side she had vanished. I didn’t see her anywhere.

I was definitely puzzled but I was mostly grateful. I learned an important lesson that day from a very unexpected stranger. 

[amangano-blog]

       I have to start by saying that I really enjoyed reading your blog. Your story had me so engaged the whole time I was reading it. It was also so relatable because I’m sure we’ve all been to an amusement park and have been so scared to go on some rides, I know I have anyway. I really like how this story was based on a life lesson because that’s how you learn things and certain people can leave such an impact on our lives. This story was well written and was filled with good details. I felt like I was actually there based on the detail you gave us. I wouldn’t change anything about the way this story was written or how it was put together.

[amangano-blog]

A Lesson I Never Realized I Was Getting

        Anyone who knows my grandma and grandpa knows about the love they have for horses, especially their own.  For several years now, they have had the same three horses that they take on trips to go trail riding. As I continued to see the joy these horses brought them, I was curious to know why. So the one day I asked my grandpa about horses and he taught me everything I needed to know. He then asked me if I would like to ride one of the three horses they had. As nervous as I was, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity so I said yes.       From that day on my grandpa gave me riding lessons whenever I would visit, which eventually became quite often. Would also take me to watch him ride so I could see what years of experienced looked like. Eventually, he signed me up to take lessons at a barn with a girl he knew from riding. I would go to this barn to receive lessons every week. I eventually had a designated horse named Joy that I rode every time I had lessons. This horse made me love riding even more. She was such a nice, calm horse that I never felt scared on. My instructor started to see the progress in my riding so she signed me up to participate in a few riding events at the horse show. To my surprise, I received two first place awards and a second place award. I could tell my grandpa was proud of me and the hard work I did to win that.        A few months later, my grandpa surprised me with my very own pony. It was one of the happiest days of my life because I knew my grandpa and I now had this connection. As a newer rider he wanted to get me a young pony so we could learn together. My grandpa would then come over a few times a week and give me, and my pony Annie, lessons. This process became overwhelming and frustrating for Annie and I. as a young, untrained pony it took a while to train her. As a somewhat experienced rider I had little patience. One day, during our lessons, Annie got spooked and bucked me off. My grandpa calmed her down and told me to get back on but I was too scared to. I eventually listened to him and got back on until she threw me off again and again. My grandpa just kept making me get back on and I couldn’t understand why he was doing this to me.        Years later I realize that he was trying to teach me a lesson. He wanted me to learn that if you fall you get back up and face your fears. Now I apply that lesson to any challenges I come across in school or in my everyday life. That lesson helped me get where I am today and I couldn’t be more thankful.

[amangano-blog]

Multimodal Composing

           Multimodal is a term used to describe multiple meanings of communication that are more than just words and letters. Multimodal examples are podcasts, blogs, collages, videos, storyboards, etc. Multimodal composing is when you analyze these other means of communication. Analyzing requires you to determine the genre, features, purpose, and the meaning.            As I work on project one I think it is important to pick out images that have a significant meaning behind them. I also think it is important to choose images that have to do with the everyday life of a Buffalo State student. The way the students express themselves and how they do. I think that picking pictures people are familiar with gives the project more meaning in the way that you can connect with the audience more. If you pick pictures the audience isn’t familiar with it might be harder to connect, but it also might give students the opportunity to learn and explore new scenes.           Within the five images I am considering using, they each have significant meanings individually as well as together. The first image I am considering is a buffalo. I want to incorporate a buffalo because that’s the city our school is in and there are some amazing things Buffalo is known for. Next I chose the yellow loop outside of the Albright Knox Art Gallery. I am choosing this to represent the curves life throws us but also the strength to conquer them. I am also picking a horse and its rider to encourage students to keep riding on even when they are willing to give up. Times may be tough at the time but they will always get better if you just keep moving on. Another sculpture that caught my eye is the tree behind the Albright Knox Art Gallery. When this tree caught my eye, the first thing I related it to is individuals standing tall for what they believe in and I think that is huge for us as we grow up. Especially being the college students we are we need to step up and make big decision. Lastly, I liked the bridge/tunnel at Delaware Park. This image can be considered a bridge or a tunnel depending on how you look at it. Either way it represents crossing over to bigger and better things in life. As college students we are going to eventually move on to bigger things such as getting jobs and starting our careers. It could also represent trying new things, even if they are out of your comfort zone because you never know where it could take you.  

[amangano-blog]

Frog Blog

          Every year, for seventeen years, my whole family plans all year for our annual family vacation to Sunset Bay Beach, New York. When I say whole family, I mean parents, brother, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and sometimes even our friends come. Sunset Bay is a quaint beach surrounded by numerous cottages and summer residents. Every year we rent the same two cottages for a week. So just imagine how many memories come from this family vacation!            Being the animal lovers that my cousins and I are, we rush to go see the ducks, toads and fish as soon as we arrive. This rush kicks off our sense of adventure and sends us into “toad- searching” mode. We excitedly flip over all the logs, we look under the cottages, and we even scan the weeds carefully. My competitive nature kicks in as we look for as many toads as we can, usually little ones, in hopes of a prize we all know my grandma will have ready. We also know she always has a huge toad house that includes a pool that is completely enclosed. This always gave us kids a chance to take pictures, count, play with, and admire all the toads that we managed to catch on our hunt. Loving nature as much as I do, I always knew when it was time to free the toads back into their natural habitats. One particular year that stands out the most was when my cousin Kayla and I found these extremely fat toads with big bellies and bulging eyes. Instead of playing with them in the pool like we usually did, we decided we wanted to do something very different. Both of us having vivid imaginations and free-spirited ideas, we came up with this marvelous plan. When no one was watching we decided to artistically paint these fat toads we found. We painted them to look like they were going into a race. One side of the toad was one color while the other side was a different color. They almost looked like the horses that wear the face blinders during races. With a sense of pride we took pictures of our colorful creations and giggled with an uncanny sense of joy. We then announced to our family that we were going to have a surprise creature race. After seeing the looks of confusion on their faces, we awed them with our fancy, colorful toads. Their mouths dropped and silence set in as they tried to comprehend what my cousin and I were about to begin. We then started the race with a ready, set, go as the two toads began hopping. My entire family began yelling and cheering with excitement for their favorite looking toad to win. My sense of winning carried me through the week as the real prize was seeing my entire family smile, laugh and be filled with excitement.           Seeing this, made me come to the realization that my cousin and I got our entire family to bond in a unique way. Although we’ve grown out of the stage of catching toads, it’s a memory that will never be forgotten amongst all of my family. The memories that we were able to make, and will continue to make, at Sunset are irreplaceable. It is completely satisfying to know that I was raised to be able to take the simplest things and turn them into some of the happiest times.

[amangano-blog]

A Little About Me and My Interests

CWP 102 is a class that is going to help me out a lot socially. By participating and doing group activities this course will allow me to be more outgoing. I also think that by blogging I will be able to interact more and see different opinions on different topics. This will allow me to see what people are thinking and how they are thinking.

Now a little about myself. I am a very shy person when it comes to meeting new people, but once I get to know them I start to become more comfortable. I am up for listening to different types of music such as rock, pop, rap, and country. For fun I like to be outdoors going on adventures. I like to go hiking, creek walking, and biking. I also like to play different sports for fun. Being the outdoorsy person I am I have a love for almost all animals, especially my cats. my favorite food is tacos and my family is big on taco Tuesday. All throughout high school I read nothing but Nicholas Sparks books and he became my favorite author. Although I haven't read in awhile I wish to read the few I didn't get a chance to.