Summer 2012 Newsletter - LaGuardia Community College - CUNY

celebrating right now? I was the older of the two by 22 days but he was the one who always
looked out for me. I never experienced a death in the family and the fact that I was so close to
him only made my emotions worse. Everyone watches gangster movies and our favorites were
“Blood in Blood out Bound by Honor” and “American Me” so we already knew what we had to
do, right? Needless to say this was the start of me being involved in gang violence but it wasn’t
due to drug wars or even to “represent my hood.” For me it was simple revenge. I was filled
with nothing but hate and I was out for blood. At first I got involved in street fights and I made
sure they knew who I was. From there we used graffiti art to let them know we were watching
them to keep them on their toes.
All these things were done to us by them because of our uncles who were involved in
gang war with their family, and so the cycle continues. I didn’t care too much about the gang
stuff before because I wanted to be better and rise above all of that. It all changed when they
took my best friend/cousin. As I got deeper involved I was also messing up big time. My grades
dropped dramatically, my relationship with my parents was so distant they didn’t know what to
do with me, and I missed so many days of school I was kicked out. I also realized that everyone
in the gang weren’t all into it as I was. The same guys that were the first to start
problems were the same ones to be nowhere in sight when fights happened. They also did it
for personal gain i.e. get girls and because they were cowards. I also saw my uncles who lived
their whole lives watching their back and never being able to fully go out in public with their
family because the rival gang knew who they were.
In the end I did what my cousin and I always wanted to do and that was to join the
military. We always talked about military school and what guns we wanted and even went as far
as to examine every war movie just to learn the movements so when we joined the military we
would have a head start. So the same event that made me hit rock bottom was the same that
smartened me up. My cousin and I never wanted to be in any gang even if it was “in our
blood”. We wanted to see the world and when I did I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say that I felt
my cousin’s presence next to me.
Suad Hadzijic
Change is to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from
what it is or from what it would be if left alone: to change one's name; to change one's opinion;
to change the course of history. If it wasn't for our abilities to adapt and overcome, we as humans
wouldn't be where we are to this day. Change is an important and powerful verb. It’s all
around us and is happening right before our eyes.
We as humans are known for our exceptional abilities for adapting to any environment and or
situation. During our earths’ gravitational journey around our sun, we here in the United States
experience 4 seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring , and Summer. During this change in our weather, we
feel the change in the temperature and we then change our clothes to adjust to the varying temperature
and weather conditions. In this case we change in order to survive. You would be considered
crazy if you went out for a stroll in 10 degree weather with a T-shirt, flip flops, and booty
shorts.
Then come other circumstances of why we might make a change. One place where we might
make a change is in a social situation. We would change our behavior in order to fit in and make
sure everything goes smoothly socially. An example of someone changing their behavior is when,
lets say Joe is out for a night on the town, Joe wants to make some new friends outside of his
normal social circle. He’s a very loud, sarcastic, and blunt individual who never sugar coats anything.
He happens to run into a bunch of people at an art show who are all for the most part
intelligent but sensitive people who enjoy discussing the deepness of a good masterpiece. In order
for him to successfully make a social interaction and connection he will need to adjust his
behavior accordingly. In this case we are making a change for acceptance.
You see the weather is getting warmer and it’s gonna be beach season soon. You want to make
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