Summer 2012 Newsletter - LaGuardia Community College - CUNY

More documents

Recommendations

Info

“Love, School, and Experience” John Michael D. Borja It is called the city that never sleeps. Public transportation is open 24 hours. The City has a population of 8 million and counting, with 36% of its current population born outside the United States. It has one of the lowest crime rates of U.S. cities and is the safest city overall. It was the fashion capital of the world (thanks to the recession, it no longer is.) From hot dogs to pirated DVDs, thousands of vendors grace its streets. Its nickname is “The Big Apple”, New York City. No other city can compare. Recently discharged from military service, in the summer of 2012, I loaded the U-haul truck and drove to New York City for love, school, and experience. I met her while I was stationed in Las Vegas, Nevada in the summer of 2009. She was from New York City. It was just another weekend, another party, and another new face. I wouldn’t call it love at first sight. We laid eyes on each other and being the courageous man that I am, I walked up to her and simply asked for her name. We had an exciting conversation and realized how much we had in common. I, of course, asked to see her again. The party ended, and even though she was moving back to NYC two weeks later, we knew we had a connection. We took a chance and created a long distance relationship. Three years later we were still together. I graduated from John F. Kennedy, class of 2007, in Guam, USA. Ever since high school I wanted to get into the medical field. To pay for college and to serve my country, I decided to enlist in the U.S. Air Force as a medical technician. After being discharged from the military, I had three places where I could attend college. The first was to stay in Las Vegas, NV. The second was with my girlfriend in New York City. Lastly, I could go back home to Guam. I needed a refresher course to get into college without taking remedial classes. All the knowledge I had been taught in high school had diminished. Basic math problems and even thinking of the structure of an essay had proven to be a challenge. I needed to find the right school with a program that I could benefit from in a short time. I found the LaGuardia Community College Veteran Upward Bound program. It was the perfect fit. I couldn’t qualify for Upward Bound programs in colleges in Las Vegas and Guam. Worse, a course like this would cost hundreds of dollars. I did more research and found LaGuardia had the classes I needed for the career that I wanted. It’s a win-win. Welcome to the small island in the middle of the pacific, Guam, the place where I grew up. The perfect picture of paradise, tropical weather year round, ocean the color of blue skies, half an hour drive to white sand beaches, and a “chill” attitude way of life. Why trade a “chill” way of life for New York City? Growing up, I was very sheltered. I was always told to come home at a very early time, I would even be home to practice penmanship, and I was not allowed to participate in pretty much anything unless chores were accomplished daily. I always wanted to live life to the fullest. I wanted to experience and see different cultures and different lifestyles. With the love of my life and school in place in NYC, it all made sense. In conclusion, I moved to the great city of New York for love, school, and experience. I moved to NYC in the end of the may, 2012. My girlfriend and I took a road trip on a little over 2,500 miles drive from Las Vegas to New York City, which took about five days. It was my first and longest road trip. My relationship continues to be going strong, along with its ups and downs. (What relationship doesn’t.) I have been accepted to LaGuardia as a freshman and awaiting to start the fall semester. So far, I see life in NY as “straight to business” and I am quite enjoying the rush. Muhammad Shah I still remember when someone asked me in high school what I wanted to be: I replied “dentist.” But due to my family`s economic condition I took maritime studies, became Chief Mate in the merchant marines and moved all across the world. Meanwhile, I completed a master in Information Technology. I also worked as a software designer. I always say that working on shore is far better than working off shore. I began to reconsider my life's course when my grandmother succumbed to the grips of renal failure. Usually I was with her at the dialysis center. I felt powerless by my inability to alleviate her suffering 2
so I aggressively researched her condition to understand its cause. I became increasingly fascinated with the medical literature I had been exploring. The health-affirming, regulatory mechanisms between organ systems reminded me of the cooperative algorithmic relationships essential to the functioning of computer software. My grandmother ultimately passed away, but this loss personalized my developing interest in medicine. Over time, the fascination I derived from the study of living beings outweighed my prior interest in manipulating inanimate software. I`m determined to help out my friends and family members in a better way and don’t want to feel again that I am in a state of powerlessness. My father had already spent a lot of his money to build up my career in the computer engineering field and so I decided to make my life in medicine using my own money. I talked to different recruiters from different branches of the military but only Navy recruiter James Kawne showed me the way to get on the path in the field of medicine. I joined the military as a hospital corpsman dental assistant. The best thing in my life happened when I took an oath to solemnly serve the country in the United States Navy as a military hospital corpsman. The Star-Spangled Banner has given me a lot of respect across the world. Now this is the time to pay back that trust. The navy gave me a great opportunity and a new way of life. I can start a Postbaccalaureate program by the Montgomery GI Bill; when I will get admission in a dental college they will start a stipend for 48 months along with full college tuition. While in military training I tested my aptitude for medical study in the classroom. I completed an intensive Hospital corpsman (EMT, nursing) and dental assistant course. Armed with a clear sense of purpose and maturity, I now had the academic confidence to be a more focused and improved student than I had been in college years ago. Indeed, superior study habits and passion for the material propelled me to the top 10% of my EMT class and a superior performance in the Navy Dental Assistant Program. My path now leads in one direction, and I go forth resolute and self-assured. My initial ventures into a computer science career underscored my affinity for scientific reasoning, but a firsthand exploration of a physician's work have taught me how to apply such reasoning to directly benefit the lives and wellness of human beings. Although I haven't taken a traditional route to medicine, I consider every twist and turn of my life's post-collegiate course a funnel. This journey has matured me with a well-rounded perspective of my inner motivations that now fuels a strong work ethic. I am confident that I have the intellectual potential, intention, focus, and readiness to commit my life to medicine. Endurance and tenacity power the inertia to overcome the future challenges of medical school, while passion and dedication energize the gravity accelerating me toward my goal. I ask for the education – the tools – to empower me with the knowledge and skill-set necessary to use my life toward the betterment of others. Jason Ortiz Every person goes through some type of change in his or her life, whether it is through a certain age being attained, life being birthed, death being wrought, or a number of different things. I am no exception to this. I have not had what would be called a steady and good life thus far. I have had to go through many changes, some good, and some bad. Overall, despite the events that unfurled, how I changed to become who I am now is better than what could have possibly been in a different life had I allowed some events to fully engulf me. I initially had a normal life (or at least what I perceived as normal at the time) and knew of nothing wrong going on. Upon my sixth birthday passing, I thought I was older so I wouldn’t go to sleep when I was supposed to. Most kids do that for whatever reason anyway. Upon sneaking out of my room, I saw something that changed how I saw everything. What I saw was what I would call now “the truth behind the scenes.” What it was I will not say, but regardless, for the rest of my “childhood,” I had to be wary of my father, whom I harbor a deep hatred for to this day. Further into my childhood, at age nine to be exact, I had the unfortunate event of going into foster care . Upon choking back any strong emotions I had about leaving, I came to reality that now I had to be the protector of my sisters through these hard times. Months after that, we were taken in by our grandmother, and I feel as if we would have fared better with 3
Page 1: Veterans Upward Bound, LaGuardia Co
Page 5 and 6: person and could have been perceive
Page 7 and 8: The boy scouts taught me how to be
Page 9 and 10: eak this cycle, by following throug
Page 11 and 12: sure you look fantastic without a s
Page 13 and 14: compilation of mental abuse, unjust
Page 15 and 16: were the black shirts given to pool
Page 17: ough of Manhattan while other train

Summer 2012 Newsletter - LaGuardia Community College - CUNY

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?