I had some students ask me to post my written speech on my blog because they wanted to print it out. I was told they found it very inspiring and would like to print out the words. You can also view the video of the speech on my last Blog as well as the recording on the Berkeley website of the graduation ceremony.
Here it is…
-Good morning fellow Graduates! As your student body president I would like to congratulate all of you for accomplishing your goal and achieving a college degree.
-First, I would like to speak on our behalf and thank everyone that helped us get to this point.
• Administrators, you were always there to help us in any way that you could,
• Professors, you set us on the right path by giving us knowledge, and
• Parents, you helped us when the going got tough.
-I would like to say a special thank you to my dad and Stephen for always being my rock when I was feeling shaky.
-Now, let’s take a look at the road ahead of us:
-Berkeley gave us the foundation, but what happens from this point on is what will leave a permanent fingerprint on our souls. Follow your heart and don’t spend your time trying to win over your critics because your destiny is determined by YOU, not your critics.
- You were given one life, so make the best of it. Respect others but most importantly respect yourself because every one of us has something to offer that nobody else can.
-Strive for self improvement. Instead of trying to break bad habits, try replace them with good ones. Happiness does not depend on your circumstances; it’s a choice that you make. Live your life in a positive way and smile because a smile is a cheap way to improve your looks.
-When one door closes, stay positive because life is just waiting for you to open a better one. Don’t get discouraged, faith does not instantly deliver to you, but it does carry you though.
-Lastly, you attract what you constantly think about. Stay passionate about life and be grateful for what you have, not what you are missing. Take each battle as a challenge and not as a problem and you will grow strong.
-Remember, learn from life, smile and appreciate the journey. You only have one chance to do so.
-Your first journey with Berkeley is over, but it doesn’t have to be your last one. Become proud Alumni and don’t forget that Berkeley is here for you!
-Congratulations class of 2009!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Graduation!
Graduation went great!!! The overall ceremony was really nice, everyone had fun and we all got some great pictures. The whole ceremony lasted about three to four hours but it went by so quickly we barely noticed the time go by.
My morning started very interesting. I accident set my alarm clock for 6PM instead of AM and my alarm clock never went off. Lucky for me I’m used to waking up at 6AM to teach so I woke up anyway. I got ready and I left the house at about 7AM. Hit a little bit of traffic but I knew I didn’t really need to be there until 8AM. I was worried that it would be complicated to get there because I have never been there but it was quite easy. I figured they have to make the stadium pretty dummy proof since it is made for the public.
I got there at about the same time that Ale did. We ended up walking in together and greeting everyone. It was great to see everyone because we have not seen them in a long time. When it was time to line up Ale and I had to separate. She had to go on the line to sit with the graduates while I sat up front since I had to give a speech. My dad and Stephen sat very close to me at the bottom so it was very easy for them to take pictures. Everyone looked so good!
The ceremony started off with talking from different board members and deans. After that we got right to handing out diplomas to the graduates. Sitting up front I felt like I was at a shoe fashion show. Some girls wore beautiful shoes and some wore crazy shoes that made you wonder how they don’t hurt. When it was finally my turn to get my diploma my biggest worry was that I don’t trip. Lucky for me I did great, but I did see about three girls almost fall if it wasn’t for Mr. Wood catching them at the bottom of the stairs.
Following the distribution of the diplomas was my time for the speech. I was very nervous but I don’t think I showed it. I walked up the stage and stood right behind the podium. My feet were wobbly all over but I had a great smile on my face. I had to make sure I’m not speaking too fast or too slow and that everyone got the message across. I think I did a good job. When I was done I got a loud cheer and a lot of clapping. It was a great feeling. On my way down from the stage my sleeve got stuck on the railing and I had to unhook it! It seemed like everything went in slow motion for me. I remember every tiny detail of those 3 minutes that felt like 3 hours.
After the ceremony was over Ale and I had to find Ms. Young because she said she had something for us. Ms. Young has done so much for us already that I was surprised that she had something else for us too. We got really nice Berkeley Alumni t-shirts with a graduate picture frame and a card that was signed by everyone at the Garret Mountain campus. It was a really nice surprise. My dad and Stephen got me two dozen of roses and my friends got me cards. We took a ton of pictures and the event went really well.
I am so excited that I have finally completed everything there is to college. Done with classes, got my diploma, and now walked graduation. Even thought the economy is not doing too good for current graduates we have to stay positive and take this as a learning experience of how to get though in hard times. Its better we learn now when most of us don’t have many responsibilities like mortgages, families etc. Eventually everything will turn around for us, but for now, let’s be happy and excited that we have completed a very important step in our lives!
Pictures!!!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Bad Economy Hitting Me
One more day until graduation day and I am slowly starting to get anxious. Lucky for me I don’t really get nervous, I just get anxious and excited. I never had a hard time talking in front of people and doing presentations. I know for some people it’s a very hard experience to go through and it creates a lot of problems for them. I hope that I can sleep well tonight so I am well rested for tomorrow morning!
The economy has been doing very poorly for a little over a year now where people have been really feeling the stress of everything sinking. People can’t retire because their retirement plans sunk, families are losing their homes because they can’t make payments, children are living in stress because they see their parents worry and cry and the nation is suffering. It seems like everything just turned sour with a snap of a finger.
The poor economy has not been affecting me personally because I am fortunate to have a good job, a home to live in and I am still able to bring in a paycheck each month. This all changed yesterday when I got my first punch from the economy. For the first time I saw people I know and care about get fired right in front of my eyes because of the economy. Two days ago was the budget election for public schools to see if the budget passes or fails. The budget ended up not being passed and some teachers had to be laid off. The high school was already going to lay off 7 people because of lack of funds but now they have to lay off even more. There were three additional people that I know of that got laid off all in the same day.
It was such a hard sight to see because I know and care about these people. Some cried, some looked very upset and some just tried to laugh it off but you could see that they were really hurt and devastated on the inside. Some of them were very good teachers but when it comes to jobs its last in first out. If you were to last one to be hired, you are likely to be the first one fired. It’s a really scary world out there. You are living paycheck to paycheck and you don’t even know if you will have a job next month to take care of your family with.
I hope that things change soon. We are bailing out these huge companies where the CEO’s and owners are sitting happy and won’t contribute any of their money to fix the mistakes they made. While all these bailouts are going on people are starving and losing their homes because the money instead of going back to where it came from (taxpayer’s money) it’s going to companies that many of us are not even associated with.
The economy has been doing very poorly for a little over a year now where people have been really feeling the stress of everything sinking. People can’t retire because their retirement plans sunk, families are losing their homes because they can’t make payments, children are living in stress because they see their parents worry and cry and the nation is suffering. It seems like everything just turned sour with a snap of a finger.
The poor economy has not been affecting me personally because I am fortunate to have a good job, a home to live in and I am still able to bring in a paycheck each month. This all changed yesterday when I got my first punch from the economy. For the first time I saw people I know and care about get fired right in front of my eyes because of the economy. Two days ago was the budget election for public schools to see if the budget passes or fails. The budget ended up not being passed and some teachers had to be laid off. The high school was already going to lay off 7 people because of lack of funds but now they have to lay off even more. There were three additional people that I know of that got laid off all in the same day.
It was such a hard sight to see because I know and care about these people. Some cried, some looked very upset and some just tried to laugh it off but you could see that they were really hurt and devastated on the inside. Some of them were very good teachers but when it comes to jobs its last in first out. If you were to last one to be hired, you are likely to be the first one fired. It’s a really scary world out there. You are living paycheck to paycheck and you don’t even know if you will have a job next month to take care of your family with.
I hope that things change soon. We are bailing out these huge companies where the CEO’s and owners are sitting happy and won’t contribute any of their money to fix the mistakes they made. While all these bailouts are going on people are starving and losing their homes because the money instead of going back to where it came from (taxpayer’s money) it’s going to companies that many of us are not even associated with.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Lower Your Interest Rate
The other day I have received my first loan payment for my student loan that I have taken out. I ended up with about $17,000 in student loans. It’s a large number but when I think about what kind of loans other people have it doesn’t make me feel so bad. The original plan was that my family was going to help me pay for the student loans and I wouldn’t have to worry about them. What happened was that I needed a new car because my other car broke down and we switched responsibilities. My family paid for my car and I took on my student loan because the interest rate was much lower than I was going to get for the car.
My payments are about $200 a month which is not that bad. I will likely pay much more a month to get rid of the payment faster, but it still ends up being a lot in the end. Something really interesting I learned this week is that if you set up an automatic payment plan you can lower your interest rate. How cool is that? When you get your first payment you have an option of paying three ways. One, you can pay by check. Second, you can get e-mail reminders and pay online. Third, you can have automatic payment set up. Check out this link for LOWERING YOUR INTEREST RATE. It’s located on the right hand side and it says Lower Your Interest Rate. I have not yet don’t it so I don’t know how much my interest will go down but I will keep everyone informed.
There are many people who struggle with student loans these days especially in this economy. Something as small as a change in interest rate can help you make the payments each month. Many people don’t know that even if you file for bankruptcy you cannot get rid of your student loan. It is a government given loan and you cannot get rid of it until you pay it off. It’s a loan that sticks with you but many students would not be able to go to college without this loan.
I heard that the state is trying to take away they TAG grants for students. TAG is a government program where they give money to students in need. I know many students who get it and without it they would likely not be able to go to college. Next Tuesday the SGA of Berkeley is going to Trenton, NJ to try and fight against them taking away the loan. Too many students rely on this money. The government is bailing out companies where the CEO’s are going on vacations but yet students are struggling daily to make ends meet. I hope something can be done about it.
My payments are about $200 a month which is not that bad. I will likely pay much more a month to get rid of the payment faster, but it still ends up being a lot in the end. Something really interesting I learned this week is that if you set up an automatic payment plan you can lower your interest rate. How cool is that? When you get your first payment you have an option of paying three ways. One, you can pay by check. Second, you can get e-mail reminders and pay online. Third, you can have automatic payment set up. Check out this link for LOWERING YOUR INTEREST RATE. It’s located on the right hand side and it says Lower Your Interest Rate. I have not yet don’t it so I don’t know how much my interest will go down but I will keep everyone informed.
There are many people who struggle with student loans these days especially in this economy. Something as small as a change in interest rate can help you make the payments each month. Many people don’t know that even if you file for bankruptcy you cannot get rid of your student loan. It is a government given loan and you cannot get rid of it until you pay it off. It’s a loan that sticks with you but many students would not be able to go to college without this loan.
I heard that the state is trying to take away they TAG grants for students. TAG is a government program where they give money to students in need. I know many students who get it and without it they would likely not be able to go to college. Next Tuesday the SGA of Berkeley is going to Trenton, NJ to try and fight against them taking away the loan. Too many students rely on this money. The government is bailing out companies where the CEO’s are going on vacations but yet students are struggling daily to make ends meet. I hope something can be done about it.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Career Fair Spring 2009
Only three days left until graduation and I have finally started practicing my speech. I know it’s late but I have been very caught up with other work where it was hard to find the time. I invited everyone that I could think of and I’m very excited to see everyone there. I will be going to JCPenney’s to have to graduation pictures taken because it is much cheaper. They only change $3.99 for a sheet which includes any type of pictures that can fit on a piece of paper. They really have a great deal. Here is the link for their Photo Studio.
Last Friday was the career fair which was held at the Radisson Hotel in NYC. The location was beautiful and I had a really good time. I woke up early so that I could get to the bus station and for some reason I felt very draggish all day. I was debating with myself about 10 times if I want to go or not even thought I knew that I had to go. I got to the bus at about 9am, and I arrived in the city at about 9:45. I got really lucky because the day was beautiful.
The hotel was very easy to get to from Port Authority. Google maps helps when it comes to directions. Not only can you get driving directions but you can even get walking directions too. It took me about 15 minutes to walk to the hotel. I arrived there and at first I was confused where to go but then I asked the front desk. The career fair was on the second floor in a very large rooms. There were about 50 different companies there. A lot of them were fashion companies, state and government jobs and then there were a fair amount of private companies as well.
I knew that I would likely not find a job there because I am looking to relocate to South Jersey but I figured I would go network and give it a shot anyway. I spoke to many students because I wanted to let them know that my company is expanding as well. I was unable to have a table at the career fair because Berkeley already had a company that covered the financial field. I didn’t mind walking around and talking to students because it seemed much more personal than just sitting down and expecting people to come to me.
Everyone seemed to be so excited about the graduation. They all couldn’t wait to walk up that stage and show everyone what they have accomplished. I ended up leaving the career fair around 12:30. I took a slow stroll through the city, eating my Nuts 4 Nuts peanuts, relaxing and enjoying the pace of the city. This was my first experience going to a career fair in NYC and it was a great one. I look forward to attending another one.
Last Friday was the career fair which was held at the Radisson Hotel in NYC. The location was beautiful and I had a really good time. I woke up early so that I could get to the bus station and for some reason I felt very draggish all day. I was debating with myself about 10 times if I want to go or not even thought I knew that I had to go. I got to the bus at about 9am, and I arrived in the city at about 9:45. I got really lucky because the day was beautiful.
The hotel was very easy to get to from Port Authority. Google maps helps when it comes to directions. Not only can you get driving directions but you can even get walking directions too. It took me about 15 minutes to walk to the hotel. I arrived there and at first I was confused where to go but then I asked the front desk. The career fair was on the second floor in a very large rooms. There were about 50 different companies there. A lot of them were fashion companies, state and government jobs and then there were a fair amount of private companies as well.
I knew that I would likely not find a job there because I am looking to relocate to South Jersey but I figured I would go network and give it a shot anyway. I spoke to many students because I wanted to let them know that my company is expanding as well. I was unable to have a table at the career fair because Berkeley already had a company that covered the financial field. I didn’t mind walking around and talking to students because it seemed much more personal than just sitting down and expecting people to come to me.
Everyone seemed to be so excited about the graduation. They all couldn’t wait to walk up that stage and show everyone what they have accomplished. I ended up leaving the career fair around 12:30. I took a slow stroll through the city, eating my Nuts 4 Nuts peanuts, relaxing and enjoying the pace of the city. This was my first experience going to a career fair in NYC and it was a great one. I look forward to attending another one.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Benefits of Being Involved
When I was in college it seemed that students thought that getting involved in their school was a waste of time for them. Since Berkeley College is mostly a commuter school students were in and out and didn’t do much more besides go to classes. When I look at students at Berkeley now, I see a totally different atmosphere around the campus. There is a much better attitude among the students.
I always loved getting involved because it kept me occupied and I was able to stand out among my peers. I was able to participate and be involved in great things that many were not. These things involved Leadership Retreats, Leadership seminars, meetings with the President as well as various Board Members and much more. All the experience that I got was very helpful to my resume.
I still try to get involved today and reap the benefits of it. The other day Amy Young, the Student Development Director, asked me if I would be interested in a ticket to see Jesus Christ Superstar at the NJPAC. Jesus Christ Superstar is a musical that was very popular about 30 years ago when a group of people tried to remake the story of Jesus into a fun and entertaining musical. They got a lot of negative feedback because people were offended about what they have done but they kept the show going anyway and made it into a very popular musical that is back today. Of course I said that I would go! The show was on Saturday and it was so much fun. I got to see a lot of Berkeley students I have not seen in a while and chat about what is new on campus. We had really good seats, front row on the third tier. I didn’t end up getting home until about 11pm, but it was very well worth it.
Only two more weeks until graduation! I still have not practiced my speech but I will get on it today. I don’t want to over practice it because it won’t sound natural if I have it memorized like a poem. I still have to let everyone at work know about the graduation and that they are all welcome to come. I can’t wait, I am so excited.
I always loved getting involved because it kept me occupied and I was able to stand out among my peers. I was able to participate and be involved in great things that many were not. These things involved Leadership Retreats, Leadership seminars, meetings with the President as well as various Board Members and much more. All the experience that I got was very helpful to my resume.
I still try to get involved today and reap the benefits of it. The other day Amy Young, the Student Development Director, asked me if I would be interested in a ticket to see Jesus Christ Superstar at the NJPAC. Jesus Christ Superstar is a musical that was very popular about 30 years ago when a group of people tried to remake the story of Jesus into a fun and entertaining musical. They got a lot of negative feedback because people were offended about what they have done but they kept the show going anyway and made it into a very popular musical that is back today. Of course I said that I would go! The show was on Saturday and it was so much fun. I got to see a lot of Berkeley students I have not seen in a while and chat about what is new on campus. We had really good seats, front row on the third tier. I didn’t end up getting home until about 11pm, but it was very well worth it.
Only two more weeks until graduation! I still have not practiced my speech but I will get on it today. I don’t want to over practice it because it won’t sound natural if I have it memorized like a poem. I still have to let everyone at work know about the graduation and that they are all welcome to come. I can’t wait, I am so excited.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Eva's Village
This week was a breeze because kids had spring break so I did not have to teach during the week. I actually spent my week down in South Jersey where I am planning on moving and trying to do some job searching. I also contacted career services to see how they can guide me since that service is available to me.
Thursday I had Amy Young, the Student Development Director contact me if I would be interested in coming back and participating in an activity since they had some spots. I said of course I could! The activity was one that Berkeley has been doing for quite some time, Eva’s Village Soup Kitchen. When I was still the president we did Eva’s Village Trips very often but I was always unable to go because it would conflict with my work schedule.
When I arrived on Friday at 10am I met Amy and everyone else in the Student Center. We all got to wear Berkeley t-shirts to show where we are from. We arrived at about 11am and we got right to work. First we put the napkins, rolls, cups, and each person got a desert too. Then Mike, who was the person in charge, took us to tell us about the program and how well it has been doing. They are the only program that has been running for 25 years solely by food donations from Private businesses. I was really amazed. They offered us all the food for us to have a little bit of a snack and then we got back to work!
Everything seemed to be so well organized. When time came to let the people in, they only allowed 8 people in at a time to sit at each table. Everyone sat quietly and was very respectful. I was in charge of coffee for my row of tables. It was really nice to greet everyone as I was passing out their coffee to them. For lunch that day they had Tuna pasta salad which was REALLY good! After everyone ate we cleaned up and ended the day.
It was such a great experience especially right before the holiday. It makes you count your blessing and not complain about what it is that we don’t have. I met really great people who showed me how important it is to stay on track in life. You just never know what life is going to bring your way, so be prepared for anything!
Check out the pictures from the event:
Thursday I had Amy Young, the Student Development Director contact me if I would be interested in coming back and participating in an activity since they had some spots. I said of course I could! The activity was one that Berkeley has been doing for quite some time, Eva’s Village Soup Kitchen. When I was still the president we did Eva’s Village Trips very often but I was always unable to go because it would conflict with my work schedule.
When I arrived on Friday at 10am I met Amy and everyone else in the Student Center. We all got to wear Berkeley t-shirts to show where we are from. We arrived at about 11am and we got right to work. First we put the napkins, rolls, cups, and each person got a desert too. Then Mike, who was the person in charge, took us to tell us about the program and how well it has been doing. They are the only program that has been running for 25 years solely by food donations from Private businesses. I was really amazed. They offered us all the food for us to have a little bit of a snack and then we got back to work!
Everything seemed to be so well organized. When time came to let the people in, they only allowed 8 people in at a time to sit at each table. Everyone sat quietly and was very respectful. I was in charge of coffee for my row of tables. It was really nice to greet everyone as I was passing out their coffee to them. For lunch that day they had Tuna pasta salad which was REALLY good! After everyone ate we cleaned up and ended the day.
It was such a great experience especially right before the holiday. It makes you count your blessing and not complain about what it is that we don’t have. I met really great people who showed me how important it is to stay on track in life. You just never know what life is going to bring your way, so be prepared for anything!
Check out the pictures from the event:
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Online Help For Students
I’m not sure how many students really know all the benefits that Berkeley really offers. Whenever you need help with anything you always have someone there to answer your questions. If you have writing questions you go to the ASC Center, you have activity questions you go to Student Development and if you have technical problems you call the IT department. Everything is made so convenient for you.
About a week ago I was trying to log into my Blackboard account and it was just not allowing me to log in. I was getting very frustrated and I finally gave up thinking that Blackboard might be having some issues. About a week later, which was yesterday I was once again trying to log into Blackboard and I was unable to do so. I tried it about 5 times thinking that I was putting in the wrong password since Berkeley changed all of our passwords to more secure ones. The passwords used to be our last 4 digits of our social security numbers but now they are a certain code that you use within Berkeley. I like this system a lot better.
I really needed to get into Blackboard because I needed to look up some staff e-mails. I knew that I had to contact the IT department but I really didn’t want to sit on the phone. Well a great feature that Berkeley has is that you can get any help that you need right online! It’s like talking on AIM to the help desk where they will answer any of your questions. I spoke to someone named Greg and they were very helpful. He was able to reset my password within 5 minutes and I was able to log into my account without a problem.
A few minutes go by and I checked my e-mail. In my e-mail I was e-mailed the whole conversation that I had with Greg. This shows me that Berkeley is so confident in their services that they have no problem e-mailing you proof that your problem was solved properly and efficiently.
About a week ago I was trying to log into my Blackboard account and it was just not allowing me to log in. I was getting very frustrated and I finally gave up thinking that Blackboard might be having some issues. About a week later, which was yesterday I was once again trying to log into Blackboard and I was unable to do so. I tried it about 5 times thinking that I was putting in the wrong password since Berkeley changed all of our passwords to more secure ones. The passwords used to be our last 4 digits of our social security numbers but now they are a certain code that you use within Berkeley. I like this system a lot better.
I really needed to get into Blackboard because I needed to look up some staff e-mails. I knew that I had to contact the IT department but I really didn’t want to sit on the phone. Well a great feature that Berkeley has is that you can get any help that you need right online! It’s like talking on AIM to the help desk where they will answer any of your questions. I spoke to someone named Greg and they were very helpful. He was able to reset my password within 5 minutes and I was able to log into my account without a problem.
A few minutes go by and I checked my e-mail. In my e-mail I was e-mailed the whole conversation that I had with Greg. This shows me that Berkeley is so confident in their services that they have no problem e-mailing you proof that your problem was solved properly and efficiently.
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