Extra Blog : March

Executive Paywatch

High Paid CEOs & the Low Wage Economy

• In 2013 the CEO-to-worker pay ratio was 331:1 and the CEO-to-minimum-wage-worker pay ratio was 774:1. America is supposed to be the land of opportunity, a country where hard work and playing by the rules would provide working families a middle-class standard of living. But in recent decades, corporate CEOs have been taking a greater share of the economic pie while wages have stagnated and unemployment remains high. 

• Highly paid CEOs of low-wage employers are fueling this growing economic inequality. In 2013, CEOs of the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index companies received, on average, $11.7 million in total compensation, according to the AFL-CIO’s analysis of available data from 350 companies. 

• Today’s ratio of CEO-to-worker pay is simply unconscionable. While CEO pay remains in the stratosphere, production and non-supervisory workers took home only $35,239 on average in 2013, and a full-time worker making the federal minimum wage earned only $15,080. 

• Even as companies argue that they can’t afford to raise wages, the nation’s largest companies are earning higher profits per employee than they did five years ago. In 2013, the S&P 500 Index companies earned $41,249 in profits per employee, a 38% increase. 

• It doesn't have to be this way. Politicians should raise the minimum wage. Corporations should pay their employees a living wage. And workers should have a collective voice on the job to demand their fair share.

1983 : 46
1993 : 195
2003 : 301
In 2013 the CEO-to-worker pay was 1:331*

*2013 CEO to average worker pay ratio calculated based on AFL-CIO analysis of 350 available companies in the S&P 500. Average worker pay according to the Bureau of Labor  Statistics data for production and non-supervisory workers.

• Side Fact : 49.6% of workers making at or below the minimum wage are 25 years of age or older.

Women: 25+ = 31.8%
Men 25+ = 17.8%
Women: 20 - 24 = 16.4%
Women: 16 - 19 =14.1%
Men: 16 - 18 = 10.1%
Men: 20 - 24 = 9.8%

Percent of workers, by race, earning, at or below the minimum wage:
Black - 4.9%
Latinos - 4.4%
White - 4.3%
Asian - 3.3%

Some College - 34.3%
High School Graduates - 29.7%
Some High School - 23.6%
Bachelor's Degree and Higher - 7.9%
Less than 1 Year of High School - 4.4%

CEO Race Demographics:
White - 95.4%
Asian- 1.8%
Latino- 1.6%Black - 1.2%

CEO Gender Demographics:
Male- 95.4%
Female- 4.6%

• Side Fact : Tipped workers live in poverty at 3 TIMES the rate of the U.S. workforce.

• If the minimum wage would have kept up with productivity and the income gains of the top 1% since 1986, it would be $18.30 and $31.45, respectively. 

CEO pay in California: 

California Companies for the fiscal year of 2014:Location of the company's HQ's, the company's CEO,  as well as their total compensation.

Total Compensation: determined by adding the following components:

1. The Salary
• salary paid to the CEO for the fiscal year
2. The Bonus
• bonus paid to the CEO
3. All Other Compensation
• All Other Compensation: the value of perquisites and other benefits provided by the CEO. THis could include personal use of company cars and airplanes, country club memberships, tax reimbursements, insurance plans or payments to saving plans. Payments to saving plans are part of Change in Pension Value and Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Earnings.
4. The value of stock and option awards
• Value of Stock Awards: in the form of stock or restricted stock that is either time vesting or performance vesting
• Value of Option Awards: the right to purchase a specified number of common stock at a stated exercise price for a specified period of timed
5. The value of non-equity incentive plan compensation and the change in pension values 
• Non-Equity : This compensation earned pursuant to non-equity incentive plans. This includes incentive plan awards that are not stock or equity. Incentive plans generally provide for compensation intended to serve as an incentive for performance to occur over a specified period.
• Change in Pension Value: increase in actuarial value to the executive officer of all defined benefit pension plans and earnings on non-qualified deferred compensation plans over the past year
6. Non-qualified deferred compensation earnings
• increase in actuarial value to the executive officer of all defined benefit pension plans and earnings on non-qualified deferred compensation plans over the past year

Text & Graphic Sources: 

• 49.6% of workers making at or below the minimum wage are 25 years of age or older. 
• Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2012, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

• Tipped workers live in poverty at 3 times the rate of the U.S. workforce. 
• Recipe for Success: Abolish the Subminimum Wage to Strengthen the Restaurant Industry, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United.

• 21.3 Million workers--of which nearly 6.8 million are Latino--would be affected directly by raising the minimum wage to $10.10.
•  Raising the Federal Minimum Wage to $10.10 Would Give Working Families, and the Overall Economy, a Much-Needed Boost, David Cooper and Doug Hall.

• From 2009 to 2012, the top 1% captured 95% of the income gains in the first three years of the recovery. 
• Striking It Richer: The Evolution of Top Incomes in the United States, Emmanuel Saez.

• In 2013, S&P 500 companies made an average profit of $41,249 on each employee. 
• S&P 500 LLC.
• 2013 CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio
• CEO-to-worker pay ratios from 1983 to 2003 calculated by Bloomberg Businessweek, as reported in Executive Excess 2005, Institute for Policy Studies and United for a Fair Economy, Aug. 20, 2005 (p. 13). CEO-to-worker pay ratio for 2013 calculated based on an AFL-CIO analysis of average CEO pay at 350 available companies in the S&P 500 Index, and 2013 U.S. worker pay data calculated from the BLS Current Employment Statistics Survey—Table B-2.

• CEO compensation data was obtained from proxy statements filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the latest fiscal years. It includes data for some 3,000 corporations, including most of those listed in the Russell 3000 Index. The compensation year reported on the website denotes the fiscal year as reported in the proxy statements. This data is updated, usually monthly, throughout the year. Industry classifications are based on Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes obtained from proxy statements. 

• Hourly CEO pay assumes 52 40-hour workweeks using the CEO's total compensation. All data are actual, derived from proxy statements.

• The average annual income earned by workers is taken from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Current Employment Statistics Survey—Table B-2: Average hours and earnings of production and non-supervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls. The average weekly pay is multiplied by 52. 

• The BLS Occupational Employment Statistics Survey is the source for the data on median annual income by occupation.

Blog 18 : Fourth Interview Preperation/Questions

Interview #4

I want to interview Genithia Hudley-Hayes. She is the Education Deputy that oversees The Los Angeles County Board of Education and Countywide education policy issues fore the 3rd District. Prior to joining the 3rd District staff, she served as a member and president of the Los Angeles Fire Commission, and as a member and President of the LAUSD Board of Education. She was appointed as Special Trustee to the Compton Community College District and is a mediator for the State of CA. Her career spans work as a teacher and a curriculum specialist with LAUSD, principal of Holy Nativity Episcopal Day School and Executive Director/Executive Vice President of SCLC/MLKLA. She received a B.A. from Texas College and an M.Ed from Pepperdine University.

Questions:

1) How would you define underprivileged

2) Where do we see that term introduced for students?

3) Of what you've seen through all of your work experience, especially in LAUSD, why do some kids make it through staying in school, despite difficulties, and go to college and some do not?

4) For the kids who have the drive to do well or get to college, where does the motivation come from?

5) From what you've seen, does high school sufficiently prepare a student for college?

6) How or where do you think underprivileged kids can be most helped? What is the number one factor in ensuring that an underprivileged youth is successful? Or, are there many factors that contribute, not just one?

7) Because of what you know from your experience with LAUSD and seeing kids that come from low-income backgrounds , do you think that the government provides enough support for kids?

8) Is college the best route for an underprivileged youth to break the poverty cycle? or Are there those outliers who don’t graduate high school, who don’t go to college, but are still successful? or Is college the best way to get out of poverty? 

9) To sum up everything that you have said, What is the most effective support system for an underprivileged youth to break the poverty cycle?

10) I read that you found it extremely difficult to change some things in the school district? Why is is so hard to implement school reform?

Extra Blog : February

Interview #3

On February 24, 2015, I interviewed a high school out reach specialist at Mt.SAC named Elmer Rodriguez. I decided to film the interview because I didn't know what to expect. I found that he had a lot of information on the local schools and inside intel on the way our school system has pockets of holes and losing students right through the chasm. I thought he brought up many important points about the path from high school to college and that in life, it's not about where you start, it's about where you finish.

Here's the link: 

He was insightful and a pleasure to interview. He brings up many great points and provides a different type of perspective on how underprivileged youth can be helped and what kids today really need and want from school. 

Blog 17: Answer 3

• My Essential Question is: What is the most effective support for underprivileged youth to break the poverty cycle?

•  My first answer is: One of the most efficient support system for underprivileged youth to break the poverty cycle is the Social Development Strategy as given by the Pomona Youth and Family Master Plan.

• A second answer as an efficient support system for underprivileged youth to break the poverty cycle is when a child has intrinsic motivation or extrinsic motivation to achieve for something greater than what their current circumstance offers them.

• My third answer is that schools must prepare students with the proper skills of college preparedness and have embedded the goal of college to all underprivileged students so that - with college- they can have the best opportunity to break the poverty cycle.

• Real-life examples:

1. When I interviewed Elmer Rodriguez, a high school outreach specialist at Mt.SAC, he explained to me that not all high schools are the same. Some counselors don't give all the effort in their power to do whatever they can to benefit their students ; whether it is 1) money, 2) grades, or 3) any disadvantage that students from low-income backgrounds face. 

• A printed sources that helped me most with my examples was: 

• To ensure that underprivileged students break the poverty cycle there must relentless support. Support from parents to expose their kids to the possibility of college. Schools to support that dream of college, letting kids know from a young age that college is a possible option, and that there is financial assistance to make this all possible. Teachers must be relentless and not give up on students that have a hard time with reading and writing. Teachers need to know that underprivileged students are less likely to 

Blog 16 : Answer 2

Presentation

1)  My Essential Question is: What is the most effective support for underprivileged youth to break the poverty cycle?

2)  My first answer is: One of the most efficient support system for underprivileged youth to break the poverty cycle is the Social Development Strategy as given by the Pomona Youth and Family Master Plan.

3)  A second answer as an efficient support system for underprivileged youth to break the poverty cycle is when a child has intrinsic motivation or extrinsic motivation to achieve for something greater than what their current circumstance offers them.

4)  a.) A child that lives in an impoverished situation growing up with constant struggling does not want live the life his parents lived.  As a result, his motivation for having a better life is intrinsic. b.) A child has an underprivileged life, and his/her parents do not want their child to have the life that they had. As a result the child is given extrinsic motivation from a parental source to achieve greater. c.)If a child is poor and has extrinsic motivation but no intrinsic motivation, there is no guarantee of success.

5) A teaching guide taken from the Vanderbilt University, Center of Teaching website. (http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/motivating-students/ & (http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2012/05/dopamine-impacts-your-willingness-to-work/)

6)  For each of my independent components, I am working on a documentary interviewing people from different backgrounds, most underprivileged, that are high school students, high school dropouts, college students, college dropouts, and college graduates. Everyone has unique circumstances, but the one's that are successful have a clear view of their goal and how to get there.

7)  For an underprivileged youth to succeed, their needs to be some sort of inner motivation and vantage point despite personal setbacks and unfortunate events.

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

Independent Component

Content:

1. For my second Independent Component I would like to continue my documentary. It was approved by the Senior Team/Teachers that I would complete my first Independent Component by February 20. I had a discussion with Mr.Rivas and Mrs.Ortega about splitting my first Independent Component(IC) in  half. Since I am attempting to create a documentary, the first  IC would be interviewing and filming people. The second IC would consist of actually editing the interviews, shooting filler shots, watching documentaries to notice their methods of editing and storyline and reading books about how to create an actually documentary. To ensure that my documentary is the best that it can be, I can show a rough draft of my full documentary to the class, my peers, professionals, etc. and have them fill out a survey accommodations and recommendations of my film.
2. Because the second IC is only editing film, shooting transition shots, and reading books on documentaries I believe that I can, a) give little snippets of completely edited scenes of my documentary, b) I can make a month's extra blog post about a book I read on how to create a documentary or actually watch a documentary and use the extra blog post of the month to explain their methods of storyline and editing, c) I can present actual tangible evidence of the surveys that the class, my peers, professionals, etc have filled out with accommodations and recommendations. 
3. With this component, I am able to have a clear and concise representation of my second answer for my EQ. My EQ is : What is the most effective support for underprivileged youth to break the poverty cycle? This Independent Component will be a finished product of the hours of research it took to find my second answer. This IC, focuses on finding the driving force between youth who have intrinsic or extrinsic motivation to succeed or look towards success in life. Success is relative, but for my IC, success is being able to break the poverty cycle. 

Blog 14 : Independent Component

Independent Component 1

• Literal

(a) I, Natali Valle, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 9 hours of work.

(b) An source that was extremely useful to me was a government publication called the Pomona Youth and Family Master Plan.

(d)What I have done is interviewed/filmed high school students, high school drop outs, college students, college dropouts, and college graduates. I wanted to see if there was a significant factor that was apparent in those who are successful and those who are not. 

• Interpretive

What I have as of now are unedited videos of people I have interviewed. The videos represent some hours of work. Other hours include transportation to locations such as Mid-Town Los Angeles and the University of Riverside to be able to interview some people. I have only dedicated a few hours to editing the videos.[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFakdfg-Igk] These interviews were a crucial part into understanding what motivates people from similar background to want to succeed, or to realize for others that situations in life come-up unexpectedly and prevent oneself from achievement. I needed to do these interviews because I wanted to see if I could find a common personality trait among those who had motivation, regardless of intrinsic or extrinsic motivation, despite difficult situations.

• Applied

This component allowed me to peer inside people's lives and see their endeavor and their "ganas".

The phrase "tener ganas" is a spanish phrase that does not really have an english translation, but it means a person's desire or strong want but much more extreme to where they will do anything to reach their goal. I realized that those who had a difficult up bringing were more likely to be self-motivated to want a  better life. Those who were underprivileged and were not able to continue school all explained how they felt as if there was no one in their life to help them want to do better or even expect better. 

Blog 13 : Lesson 2 Reflection

Presentation

Content:

1)   What are you most proud of in your Lesson II presentation and why?

I believed that I proposed my topic with a lot of information. I went into depth with defining certain terms from my EQ and I gave background information to assist my audience in understanding my first answer.

2)   What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson II presentation (self-assessment)? 

I would have given myself an AP. I should have inserted a video for the visual learners in the audience. I also should have had a more fun/interesting activity. I could have found a better scenario for my third example scenario. I also should have had a stronger conclusion.

Blog 9 : Lesson 1 Reflection

Presentation

Content :

        1 ) Positive Statement :
             I am most proud of being able to gather my research and information into a ten minute presentation. I had to cut out a lot of my small, vital points but I was still informative

       2 ) 
            a)I would have given myself an AE.
            b)I am confident in my ability to demonstrate reliable and accurate information to my audience with a clear and concise tone. I was able to inform my audience with my words instead having paragraphs of words in my power point. I knew what I was talking about and I was confident with presenting in front of my audience. 

       3 ) Having minimal words and visuals in my powerpoint worked well. I was able to maintain the attention of my audience. 

       4 ) I wish I would have been much more factual in my presentation. Because I was so limited with time, I was unable to become specific with my answers and I barely scraped the surface on my topic. I wish I could have had time to go in depth and beneath the surface.

Extra Blog Post : October

I haven't had any real breakthroughs in my project this month. I chose to stop going to my current mentor ship at the La Casita Teen Center because it was more of a day-care than actually relating to my topic. At the moment I am trying to still get in contact with Andrea Rico. Andrea Rico is the Coordinator for Pomona's Youth & Family Master Plan (YFMP).  Pomona's YFMP is basically my senior project and holds the answers to my senior project. It goes into depth about Pomona's issues of gang violence, to dropping out of school, to early drug use, and so on. It then goes on about how the community and several programs/organizations can help decrease these issues. It even contains a questionnaire given to high school students in 2010 about their community.

I sent Andrea Rico an email about a month ago. I have called her office twice but she has either not been in the office is unavailable. I left her a message today and if she does not respond back I will attend a Community Meeting specifically about the YFMP. Ms.Rico leads these meetings and I hope to be able to get into contact with her and be able have her as my mentor.

In the month of November, I hope to start my independent component. I believe that I am going to make a documentary/short movie regarding questions  about the questions I have about one's individual drive/persistence/motivation; if it has any impact on one's success. I have started writing questions and I hope it turns out well.

If all goes well with securing Andrea Rico as my mentor, then I will feel more confident in my project.

Blog 8 - Research and Working EQ

Research

1.   What is your working EQ?

• How do leaders/officials use their power to benefit the underprivileged youth in Pomona?

2.   What is a possible answer to your working EQ? 

• The city provided countless programs that aid youth and students to stay out of trouble and become involved with community service.
• The city has created what they call a "Master Plan". The Master Plan is a strategic idea implemented once a child is born and raised in Pomona. The plan lasts all throughout elementary, intermediate and high school up until a student receives their AA degree in college. This plan is to make sure a student doesn't fall through the cracks and isn't "left behind".

3.   What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?

• A lot of it is personal experience. I have been able to go through the Pomona system and learning about the programs they offer for the youth as well as talking/working with city council members/employees that help create the ideas and approval for such benefiting programs for youth.

4.  Who is your mentor, or where are you doing mentorship, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

• At the moment my mentor is Alejandra and she is in charge of La Casita Teen Center at Palomares Park in Pomona. This relates to my EQ because I am getting a taste of how Pomona offers after school programs for youth who do not have the means to go anywhere else after after school.

Blog 7 : Independent Component 1 Approval

Independent Component

1 ) Describe in detail what you plan on doing for thirty hours:

•  First Part
• What I plan on doing for 30 hours is a mix of two parts. The first one is on the effective use of programs the city of Pomona offers to the youth. The reality of it all is from what I am seeing, the taxes we pay aren't being put to good use. They are being put into a good cause and a good idea of wanting to help but they aren't really making changes. For example, I volunteer at the La Casita Teen Center. I go almost everyday after school and no kids come in. There is a high school right across the center and a skate park resides right next to the center but still, no kids come in. There is a literally a center that offers, games, homework, tutoring, board games, ping pong, billiards, etc. and still no children go to the center. Instead, there are high school boys smoking pot by the near by skate park. The park has many men that hang around the park all day deeming it unsafe to the community and unsafe for children. So I am trying to find the disconnect between the center and the kids at the skate park and near by high school. The entire point of the teen center is to help the youth who do not have the resources and means of an after school program and to keep them off the streets away from drugs. But what we see is just next door, that is not the case. How is it possible that there is a completely good teen center, but no teens. This is what I plan on figuring out for my independent component

•  Second Part
• I am confused on whether or not kids aren't successful is because they don't give enough effort or if they don't have a support system, or both. I want to find a solution of why kids aren't getting the support they need in order to have graduate from high school, finishing college and have a successful career. Through my research, I've found out the most efficient way a person can escape the poverty cycle is through graduating high school and receiving a college degree.  Kids aren't succeeding because its too hard or because they do not have the will, its lack of good study skills/habits. Are schools teaching these skills? Are schools being too lenient with not holding kids back a grade that aren't ready? Yes, I understand that being held back is a "traumatic" experience for a child but are we really going to let that hinder the unprepared child for another year of hard school? What I want to do is a social experiment.  I want to interview young adults from the same background who went to college versus those who didn't go to college/who dropped out of college.  So far I have over 10 - 15 people I can interview and see the differences in personal will and personal circumstance. For instance,  I want to know how it was possible that out of three brothers, why only one successfully went to college. I want to get accounts of students in high school currently, those who are in college currently, those who have dropped out, and those who have graduated. I know people under these four categories. I also want to be able to interview parents of these kids and if they feel that they had anything to do with the outcome of their child. The parental aspect might be too much to do but it will help me see things from a different perspective and more insight of how much a parent has influence on the child. Between those who went to college and those who haven't, I want to ask them how their life has turned out as a result of attending/not attending a post-high school education and if they regret their decision. Yes these are personal questions. Yes they put people in an uncomfortable position, but for some, it's a sense of pride that they made it into a university. I need to ask these questions to determine whether or not the incapability/ability of success is defined by self will, the influence of a positive, outside force/person/role model, or both. I'm expecting it is different for different people but I really am hoping to see whether its the failing of a school/societal failure or a lack of self motivation/circumstance; or maybe it's something completely different and I will find an answer I never once presumed to a possibility. I'm honestly open to whatever answer comes my way.

2 ) Discuss how or what you will do to meet he expectation of showing 30 hours of work (e.g. transcript, essays, tests, art work, photographs) as digital artifacts

•  For the first part of the independent component, I'm planning on getting first hand interviews and surveys between students and city officials and ask them if they even know about the teen center and/or if they even know that is highly ineffective because it isn't being used to its fullest potential.
• I plan on playing out the second part of my independent component with either a video or a segment of interviews and photographs. I am leaning toward making a full scale short documentary of the interviews and show how this led me to help answer my question of the second part of the independent component.

 I'm thinking these are two really big projects and I'm expecting that I may need to split them into two independent components rather than one.

3 ) Explain how/what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth

• My newfound curiosity has posed me to ask questions that are somewhat relatable to my EQ. Because of this, I am thinking about reforming my essential question all together. I have connections with Pomona City Council members and I am yet to interview them. As of now, I am seeing flaws in the system, for reasons I want to find out through the first part of my independent component. The city of Pomona offers many programs for the youth and these programs are created by those on the city council. Yet, with what I am seeing these programs aren't being taken advantage of and I don't know why. I hope to find out through the first part of my independent component. This related to my EQ: "How do leaders/officials use their power to help the unprivileged youth in Pomona break the poverty cycle?". What is in bold is what I am thinking about adding to my EQ  but I'm not sure if that is the smartest move at this moment because my questions and answers are changing constantly. Once I find my answer to the first part of the independent component, I plan on talking with city council and further documenting what they do with the new found information; if they even bother doing anything at all.
• The second part of my independent component, I hope, will help me decipher whether or not I am asking the right EQ. If I am getting first hand accounts of those who have succeeded and of those who have gone off track in life. If I can find a commonality in their accounts then I will be able to focus on the fault in the system/school or whatever may be that case.

I believe that the reason underprivileged youth fail is due to a lack of positive influence. I think that the school system is too focused on testing and that it lacks creativity. The world doesn't care about what you know; it's more concerned about what you do with what you know. Because of this, I believe that schools are stunting the growth of successful young people. I believe the government has the right idea about how they are trying to help their young citizens but are not doing it in the right places which connects to the first part of my component. I want to know the influence parents have on their children's success. I want to know if students lack the internal drive to be successful. I do believe its all of the above. To tie everything together, I see this independent component an integral part to my overall Senior Project.

Extra Blog Post: September

I finally found my mentor ... FINALLY. A potential one at least. Through the process, I originally tried  to contact Debra Martin, a Pomona Council Member because she's pushes importance on giving back to her community. The only problem is Council Members for the city of Pomona only work on Tuesdays & Thursdays. Another person I got in contact with was Katherine Berger. Ms. Berger is the volunteer coordinator for the city of Pomona and over sees all community events.  I have her as a potential mentor to possibly shadow her and see her job process. Though I sought to her as a mentor, she informed me about a organization called the, Teen Value Club. The Teen Value Club (or TVC) is a group of teenagers who work closely with City Staff in the development of volunteer opportunities and specialized projects for youth and teens. The teens in the TVC serve as mentors who promote education and support community non-profit needs and City response events through their volunteer efforts. Once Ms. Berger led me this direction, I instantly tried to join the TVC.  To join the club, you must go to the city police station and have a background check and have my fingerprints. After that long process of signed forms and basic information, I was able to go to La Casita Teen Center at Palomares Park in Pomona. The coordinator of the TVC is Alejandra Jimenez, who is a Cal Poly alumni and is a current student getting her Masters degree in Hospitality. For now, I am in the TVC Club and simply going to volunteer at the Teen Center with Alejandra. My first day was Monday September 29. Today was my second day, but tomorrow will be my first TVC meeting. There are only two meetings a month and I'm not sure what to expect. Other than that, I'm satisfied with finally not feeling complete lost. I'm on a path I'm okay with but I will probably still get in contact with Ms.Berger to see if she can give me anymore resources with other programs or herself to help me find the answer to my EQ which is: How do leaders/officials use their power to help the underprivileged youth in Pomona? The TVC club is one way I could answer my EQ because this club focuses on youth helping youth through government funded programs. The officials/leaders section of my EQ could refer to Ms.Berger and/or Ms.Martin. For now I'm taking baby steps to getting to the roots of my answer. 

Bus Ride

 La Casita Community  Center

Pomona City Hall

Walk Home

Blog 6 - Second Interview

Interviews

1 )  Who is your mentor and where do they work?

   My mentor is Alejandra. She is the coordinator of the Teen Value Club and is in charge of La Casita Teen Center in Palomares Park. The Teen Value Club (TVC) is a year-round volunteer program for teenagers ran by the City of Pomona. Teens will have the opportunity to gain community service hours while learning leadership skills, responsibility, and empowering their community. La Casita Teen Center is supported through the City of Pomona and located at 499 E. Arrow Highway at Palomares Park. La Casita provides a safe and supportive after-school program for teens Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 2:30-5:30pm; Wednesday 1-5pm and Friday 2:30-5pm. We provide help with homework, free activities including a pool table, air hockey, and sporting equipment. Any teen can come to La Casita and fill out a registration form to enjoy all of our amenities for free. 

2 ) What five questions will you ask your mentor?

1 ) Why did you decided to become the administrator for the TVC?

2 ) You are aware that for the past few years, the TVC isn't what city employees say it "used to be".

Do you plan on bringing the club back to its top-tier status or do you want  to completely     reinventing the club and take it to different territory?

3 ) What are your plans for the TVC? 

4 ) How do you plan on using the La Casita Center to assist the teens in this area?

5 ) Do you think this center is effective and is used to its full potential?

Blog 5 - Mentorship and Research Reflection

 Research

1. I have not been able to find a mentor. I know what my senior project should be about, but I'm not sure where to start and who to contact. 

2. I have not had a focal point on what exactly to research, but so far I believe is a 3 year case study of fiscal sustainability in the City of Los Angeles. It shows how ethnic concentration in neighborhoods lead to similar outcomes of a person's future for those who live within those neighborhoods.

Extra Blog Post : August

  This month has been a bit of a struggle in all honesty. I am realizing the consequence of not finding a summer mentor but am on my way to finding one. I'm in the process of having Debra Martin (Ms. Martin is a council member for the city of Pomona) as my mentor because she places emphasis in giving back to the community.

   At this moment my EQ is: "How do officials/leaders use their power to benefit the underprivileged youth in the Los Angeles area?".

   Background:
   I chose this EQ because I find importance in the belief that the youth is the "future of tomorrow". It started when I found inspiration through figures like Dr. Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, the Dali Lama, Jane Goodall, Cesar Chavez, Simon Wiesenthal, Angela Davis, Mother Teresa, etc. for wanting a greater change in their world, and they did just that. The ability to change the circumstance of the disadvantaged. I saw these people and pondered how I could possibly dedicate my life to the human race. In other words I thought, "With this one life I have, How could I contribute to the benefit of the world?". I believed a good way to do this would be by becoming a humanitarian and volunteering with Peace Corps in third world countries. This idea changed when I had a senior presentation of a student that went to the Philippines to do surgeries that weren't available to the locals. Throughout his presentation there was one sentence that stuck out to me. He said, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life". He gave emphasis on how trying to help people that have limited resources is truly hurting them because they rely on the assistance rather than trying to learn themselves. This brought me to want to help the children of these underprivileged countries because they are the play makers. They know how their culture works and what their society needs, not the foreigner. I won't live there ; They will. The only thing I can do is to give those kids the first step to make the changes for their country to progress. This should not be limited to a western way of what we think is best but the techniques of the east as well. To accomplish this, there is the gift of education. This is what I wanted to do my senior project on but I was unable to find the help or resources to do so. I was given the idea from my father that in order to do big things you must start small. Like those who are an "overnight success" there is usually years of hard work that are hidden under the surface. I sought to find the places where we lack as a society (there are too many to count). I chose to focus on the social gap or "poverty cycle" a.k.a. the Urban Paradox. I live on the border line of Pomona and La Verne. Two completely different cities. La Verne: clean, low crime rate, safe communities, good schools, family environment, regular and upper middle class, quiet. Only a mile away lies Pomona: the streets aren't in the best condition, crime rate has lowered but not as safe as La Verne, schools could be better, low and middle class. I was contemplating how is it possible that La Verne could prosper but as soon as you pass the city limits into Pomona, it's a completely different world? This is sort of the underlying base to my Senior Project. To find out were our country is failing its citizens. Where does the problem begin and How can we prevent this from happening all together?

    I chose this EQ because I find myself wanting to move toward the root/core of the problem and how to stop it with a plan that lasts. There have been many ways different organizations have tried to help. For instance the government offers welfare and subsidies but is this really hurting the communities in need? Are those on welfare truly appreciating the help? or are they becoming comfortable with the bare minimum and not giving effort to attempt to be better and strive for more? Are the taxes we pay, (which are high enough as it is) going to a lost cause? All these questions fall under my EQ and I hope by the end of the year to find answers to, if not all, most of them.

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

Interview

1 )  I plan on interviewing Dr. Jose Rodriguez. He is a principal at Gates Elementary school in Lincoln Heights. I plan on interviewing him because he has an active role in the lives of students and is knowledgeable in the way the LAUSD school system functions.

2 )  My questions are:

1 ) What is the philosophy you want students to leave with when they graduate from your school?

2 ) How & Why do you network with international elementary schools?

•       What goals are you trying to achieve with this?
•       Can you see this happening with all public schools?

3 ) How has LAUSD helped the underprivileged youth?

• Helped in the context of graduating high school; lowering the drop-out rate

4 ) Where (in your opinion) does the school system fail?

• What are its weaknesses?

5 ) How do you think you are/will contribute to the academic success of the students at your school?

Blog 3: Topic Choice & Working EQ

Research

1 ) Politics in the L.A. County Board of Supervisors

2 ) What do the Board of Supervisors do for the County of Los Angeles to help underprivileged youth?

Blog 2: Summer Mentorship Component

Mentorship

Literal:
1)I have no hours.
2)I do not have a mentor.
3)I realized to never take a summer course when you need senior mentorship experience and hours. It's likely I won't do that for a second time.

Interpretive
4)To learn how to be more time responsible. I've learned to never be to indecisive and to be sure of what you want; to not be on the fence about my choices where there is a due date involved.

Applied:
5) I have no idea what my topic will be about. I've considered to study open heart surgery or to focus on brain cognition. I've considered to focus on politics and have networking opportunities to have new L.A. County Board of Supervisor Hilda Solis as my possible mentor; to focus on how to incorporate effective political changes in the Los Angeles region. I have considered to focus on the psychological and/or spiritual reasons of artists an where creativity comes from. I've thought about studying how the brain works during meditation. For a while I wondered if I wanted to do some sort of a social experiment on how people see the world (specifically experts in their field, i.e. a botanist, a surfer, a student, a parent, a policeman, etc.) from their own point of view. I have considered attempting to figure out if third world countries had public education in its rural areas, would you see a difference over time, how the country would be governed.To be honest, I would really enjoy is to do something that involved humanitarianism but specifically in 3rd word countries. I have looked for programs that offer this opportunity like Peace Corps and UNICEF, but both of those programs only look for college graduates. I have looked into programs for teens related to humanitarianism, such as GLA (Global Leadership Adventures [offers a week or two weeks in a third world country to provide help around winter break]) but I cannot afford their trips. Since the opportunity of going abroad to do hours is not a price I can afford I was unsure if any of the teachers could refer me or know of something similar to what I would like do focus on for my senior project. As a result of my inability to join GLA,  My only fear is that I will end up doing a project that I won't enjoy and suffer from lack of interest in my topic. I feel that my ideas are spread way too thin. I've been extremely lost on what to choose for a senior project. I have no idea where to go from here.