All for you!

Shhhhhhhh… Breathe, bounce… bounce…bounce, arch and backspin, shwushhhhh. It’s a rush when that beginning whistle blows. My mind is at ease, because at that moment I forget every worry, doubt and question. I am officially in the game.

            My life has always been sports. Soccer. Swimming. Figure Skating. Horseback Riding. Track. Tennis. Basketball. Lacrosse. Name it, I played it.

            But, no experience compared to my senior basketball season. Because for the first time I had a purpose beyond my own desire, to play my best.

Her name was Chantice N. Caruth.   

After a year on the team, Chantice showed potential to be a great basketball player. But the next year she was forced to switch schools, and began to focus on her swimming talents. The team kept in touch with her, but the season just wasn’t going to be the same without her.

It was late September and basketball season was approaching, I was sitting at my computer late one night, when Chantice facebook chatted me. “Hey Sara, how have you been?” It was a short conversation…

…Little did I know it would be our last.

Two days later, September 30^th 2009, I received a phone call,

“Sara, Chantice just passed…”

Passed the ball? Passed you by in the hall? Passed her test?

I was wishing something would come after that word… but in the end she was gone.

It was our season opener. The crowd was cheering and the team was pumped. The anthem played and we sat down for introductions. I bowed my head knowing this was going to be a different season. Above our bench was her jersey Number 24 hung. We huddled…

Our cheer… “Chantice it’s for you”.

We won.

For you.

This was my best sports experience.

‘

Where Each Path Leads.

                Sitting in a boat, cutting through the dense waters of the Amazon River, looking only to see deep rainforest on either side, I found myself in the most amazing educational experience of my entire life. At my high school a program was run at the end of each year called the Extended Study Week (ESW). Students traveled all over the world, focusing on specific subjects. I was lucky enough to travel to Peru to do community service with tribes there. In that one week, I gained a curiosity for international development, a work field I am considering pursuing in the future.

                My school made me and my senior class their guinea pigs for their new teaching method. My worst educational experience was this year, when I had two teachers for my most important class; humanities. This class covers 4 credits per year of high school; it’s the deciding factor for graduating, and now had two separate people to report to.  Both teachers graded differently, had different discipline methods, and worst of all, different ideas about the curriculum. The worst scenario, was when I received a bad grade on a quiz and sought out the teacher who did not grade it for answers, and was accused of “going to mommy, when daddy said no”. The classroom, in my opinion, should have one direction, not two leading different ways.

(Word count: 210)

The End to "The"

At the age of 16, I decided to stop doing what everyone else was doing! I was finished with trying to be The Girlfriend, The Party Girl and even The Popular Girl. For the first time as an adolescent, all I believed in, was wanting to be me and no one else.
Middle school and High school were the years when everyone was trying to fit a title; The Athlete, The Computer Geek, The Queen Bee. At first all I could think about was how much I wanted to fit in, to conform to what everybody saw as “cool”. It was after 10th grade, when I realized just how un-cool trying to be like everyone else is. My life took a 180 turn, facing me in the opposite direction. After being talked about behind my back by girls who called me their best friend, and after having hair loss due to stress from trying to be The Event Planner, The Three Season Athlete, and The Straight A Student, I hit rock bottom when I realized I couldn’t fit the roles the way I was supposed to, the way THEY expected me to.
My Junior year, I spent focused on who I am on my own, separated from that discouraging, hard to fit title of “The” which preludes each and every stereotype given to students pre-college. I was then, what, if you really must title it, The Sara. Never in my life had I felt so comfortable with who I was than, that year of school until now. I have been able to do the things I love, like soccer and drawing, singing and writing, praying and dancing, without being titled and hidden behind a name.  I believe that the word "The" is dangerous, that it limits who we can become, and that if we focus more upon who we are as indivituals we can live more fullfilled lives.

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Drive Thru My Generation

If there was a word to describe my generation, it would without a doubt be, impatient. I am a member of the Impatient Generation, where our main concern is getting things when we want them and in the most convenient manner! Drive thru’s, internet, cell phones and on-demand television are all examples of things which our generation highly values. It is almost impossible to think about what would happen if pizza took longer than 30 minutes to be delivered or heaven forbid that you would have to make it on your own! We are a generation that can’t wait for tomorrow.   

Be honest. Would you press it?

Where Culture Is Grown

The warm sun beats down on the fuchsia petals of a tulip leaning into a wooden gazebo that overlooks the colorful picture of nature which Brookside Garden in Silver Spring, Maryland paints for its locals. Nature is something that is both created and used by people, it has a direct relation with the culture of any location. Brookside is a place where any person can both observe and interact with nature. The preservation of such a place is of the utmost importance for it is a place where culture and nature meet. 

From when I was 8 years old till today, I have gone with my family to Brookside for their winter lights show. They hang lights from the highest trees to form pictures. It is a lovely sight to see from down below on the snow blanketed paths. In the summers, I spend many days drawing and writing amongst the reflecting pools and sitting below the vine covered pergolas. I connected with nature in a relaxing manner.

                                (Picture Taken by Sara Castelino, Summer 2009)

Without a stimulating environment where individuals and groups can go to for congregation, there is break in the understanding of where communities come from (nature itself). Trees are used for building, water is used for drinking, fruit and vegetables are grown for eating and so on. If people do not see this connection then where their culture comes from is questioned. At Brookside, there are fountains and benches for sitting to relax, programs for children, light shows and more. It is an inviting location for interaction. Everyone should make time to visit and learn about their environment.

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Where Culture is Grown (Place Matters Draft 1)

The warm sun beats down on the fuchsia petals of a tulip leaning into a wooden gazebo that overlooks the colorful picture of nature which Brookside Garden in Silver Spring, Maryland paints for its locals. Nature is something that is both created and used by people, it has a direct relation with the culture of any location. Brookside is a place where any person can both observe and interact with nature. The preservation of such a place is of the up-most importance for it is a place where culture and nature meet.  

            Without a stimulating environment where individuals and groups can go to for congregation, there is break in the understanding of where communities come from (nature itself). Trees are used for building, water is used for drinking, fruit and vegetables are grown for eating and so on. If people do not see this connection then where their culture comes from is questioned. At Brookside, there are fountains and benches for sitting to relax, programs for children, light shows and more. It is an inviting location for interaction. Everyone should make time to visit and learn about there environment.

"Zebra for Life" (Repost of Blog 3)

Cell phones are no longer a means of simple communication; they have become a great describer of personalities and an aspect of style for the world’s youth.  From the Motorola Dyna-Tac, the first working cellular prototype, to todays I-Phone 4, the world of cell phones has impacted the generations in between.  With the mass production of these devices there has been a mass change in today’s youth style.

Over the years cell phones have gone from 16oz to as little as 3 oz. Size and weight are not the only things that have changed though. When purchasing cellphone, people also can choose colors, between touch screens and keyboards, blackberries, smart phones etc. The decision one makes on the phone they purchase can say a lot about their personality and style. People who choose to invest in smartphones, such as the I-phone or Blackberry, are usually more social than those who choose to go with the simpler texting and calling functioned phones. Smart phones allow communication on a greater scale of technologies, for example, email, Facebook and Twitter, making youth more social.

The youth at UMBC is a great example of a highly effected community by cellphones. The school itself has an application for students to use on their smartphones to get info about the events on campus. The student population which own these smartphones tend to be more active within the school or have more vibrant social personalities. These students fall under a new style born only recently as tech savvy. Even with simple phones, style can emerge. One student, Eric Tagese Pfund, has a sticker on the back of his Nokia phone which reads “Zebra for life.” He said that he got the sticker when on his study abroad in Botswana; the zebra is the mascot for the soccer team there. He keeps it there show his knowledge of a culture abroad. Eric represents a style supporting diversity through his phone.

Cell phones have the capability to support and even create styles. Today’s youth are the most exposed generation to these expedients and have embraced them and given them a place in their daily style. Cell phones and style are most similar in that they are constantly changing, sometimes even by a week or two, so what’s next week going to be? A pink I-phone with matching chucks?
(370 words) 

Urkel Meets Plain Jane

The clean cut style never got old.  Conservative clothing; sweaters, knee length skirts, ties, polo’s, long pants and high socks, were the basics of style of UMBC college students in the 1960s. Such elements of style are also reflected in the UMBC Warhol Exhibit. Today, the youth of UMBC explore several different styles in the hope of being unique. Fads are present, but over the years, with the increased diversity of the campus, not only regarding races but also religions, there is no longer a single look which students strive to accomplish. Despite this vast change in selections of styles, the conservative look of the 1960s managed to find its way into most forms of current fashion at UMBC.

        Students at UMBC in the 1960s had a more conservative, almost formal, way of dressing. The guys wore long pants with t-shirts and sweaters or sweater vests and the girls would wear skirts and tops. Most of the body was always covered for both sexes. The Steve Urkel look of the sweater vest and suspenders, was not only fashionable in the 1960s, but has come back into style for some UMBC male students. At fraternity events, when males are asked to dress up for Greek events many will resort to the sweater vest choice. The plain Jane long skirt can also be found not only in the Skipjack but also on many girls today on Campus, usually with a pair of sandals rather than high socks. The styles even at that time were being changed by the students to be more rebelious, but the photos of the UMBC yearbook were only of the "properly dressed." But in the end, the orginal style has been broken down and distributed to new styles.

       The Warhol four frame piece in the library exhibit is a great link between the past UMBC and the new. Although they are the faces of famous celebrities of that day and age, such as John Lennon and Aretha Franklin, they are shown in such a modern way through the bright and eye catching colors. Currently at UMBC, the idea of a “style” is to grab the attention of others, so vibrant colors can help to make ones style more noticeable. Even though there are a wider variety of styles to choose from, the clean cut and conservative looks of the 60s have maintained even in the slightest bits. They do say that fashion repeats itself.
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A "Real" Athlete

The word I, is utterly confusing. I walked into my Gender and Woman Studies class two weeks ago, and the meaning of who I am, was suddenly turned upside down. Never before was I so aware of the gender roles in my own life. I was faced with the truth of all the stereotypes forced on me my entire life, specifically that I am not good enough at sports because I am a girl. I have been playing sports since I was little and have always struggled with the simple fact that it is less likely for me to be accepted as a “real” athlete just because of my sex. I know that I could beat several of my guy friends to a ball on the soccer field and that I have out hustled boys on my high school basketball team at defense. But still I am labeled under the category of woman which automatically creates an illusion that I can’t play. As I perused through the text books given to the class, I was intrigued by the way in which our society views gender. Before two weeks ago, I was just as narrow-minded as the majority of our world. I agreed that men had their place in the world and women another. Now I choose to think differently. I will not allow others around me to belittle my abilities, and I will be the athlete, because that is who I am.
(242 Words)

Traveling (I am me)

My name is Sara Castelino and I love to travel. I am the only member of my family born in the United States of America; my parents immigrated 6 years before my birth. My ethnicity is Indian, but I speak nearly fluent Spanish. I went to the same school from the age of 2 till 18. I had a best friend for 11 and a half years; he died. May 9^th 2010 (Mother’s Day); he was my dog and the trip we went on together was full of unconditional love and wet kisses.  I have traveled to 18 other countries, and crave to taste more of the world.. I have felt love and had heartbreaks, I regret neither. I am young. Today I find myself excited to know where my trip will take me 20 years down the road. I hope that no matter where you travel you will never meet another person like me. 

(153 words)

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