Hi! Let me start by introducing myself, my name is Alexis Calderon and I'm one of four finalists for this scholarship (obviously). So how did I arrive at even hearing and applying for the scholarship? Simple.
I was tricked.
Yes, I was tricked but the outcome was well worth it. My friend wanted to stay after school for tutoring and like the good friend I am I stayed with her, staying unwitting to her true intentions. After about ten minutes of "tutoring" she dragged me to Mr. Gallin's classroom to get some imaginary paperwork, where she soon after ditched me, only replying "Its for your own good!" when I asked her where she was going. I didn't know it at the moment, but my friend had put me in the right place at the right time whether I liked it or not. In that room that afternoon I received an application for the scholarship and decided a closed mouth doesn't get fed so I started writing an essay.
About 3 grueling hours later I came up with an okay rough draft. The same teacher from earlier helped me revise and through that I found my biggest problem (besides grammatical errors) was that I didn't know enough about the actually place. I only knew that Ireland was the native home of fashion designer JW Anderson. I became culturally aware that Ireland was alike New Orleans because of educational and economic reasoning. This essay was no longer about going to Ireland to see if i could shop at the United Kingdom retailer Primark it was my chance to get out of my little fishbowl of ignorance and explore a place I've never been. American can be known for its lack of knowledge when it comes foreign affairs but I didn't want that to be me. So this could really be the first step in a globally aware me.
After completing the essay I waited and waited until the email arrived. Once I read that I was a finalist I was past excited, past ecstatic, words can't and won't ever describe that feeling I felt. I worked on my video the next day at school and sent off my finishing touches to my final entry, praying and hoping. Fast forward through the gala and those minutes after winning with the other finalists due to the generosity of the people in the room and people I've never seen will probably be the most exhilarating moment ever. I felt vindicated. It felt as if the weight of the world was finally lifted off my shoulders after weeks of doing of no sleep and random mood swings. I can finally breathe and now in the weeks before the trip of a lifetime, I'm back to those random mood swings and no sleep, not because of stress from the unknown but because of excitement for what's to come.
Showing posts with label Alexis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alexis. Show all posts
Monday, July 1, 2013
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Alexis's Essay
Why is the connection between New Orleans and Ireland important in 2013?
The connection Ireland and New Orleans may not be apparent to some but there are strong, distinctive qualities that bring both places together in ways that are still important and relevant in 2013.
Both New Orleans and Ireland have faced hardships head on and have come back with a resilience that has made them stronger than they were in the past. The collapse of Ireland’s economy in 2008 parallels New Orleans going through Hurricane Katrina. Ireland’s economic crash caused a huge spike in unemployment, foreclosures, and expensive bailouts for big businesses, sending them into a recession. Hurricane Katrina had similar impacts; the misplacement of residents and billions of dollars of destroyed infrastructure. Though Ireland’s and New Orleans’ loss wasn't a disaster of the same origin, both places came crashing down from being the best. The restructuring done by both places is inspiring and sheds an even greater light on the importance of their connection. New Orleans has come back with a fighting spirit, quickly building from the ground up. Since Katrina, New Orleans has rebuilt many of their blighted neighborhoods, has hosted major events like Super Bowl, and survived the Gulf oil spill. Ireland has also come back in amazing ways, such as changing g in banking structure and reform of the labor market and taxation.
Also New Orleans is trying new measures in education, just like Ireland. The connection between these two efforts is that both places are moving away from private institutions and beginning to strengthen their public education system. This connection is especially in that both are taking the risk which will affect many students’ education and future. New Orleans can take a valuable lesson on what does and does not work when it comes to education and the same goes for Ireland.
In 2013, this connection is important because as two very different places going through similar things of equal relevance, both Ireland and New Orleans can learn from each other and grow beyond belief. The connection between Ireland and New Orleans is stronger than most and is more important than ever. This connection is a great resource for both places, which is probably the best part of the alliance between them, and is greatly appreciated this just shows how the most unlikely of relationships can work out to be truly magical and helpful to both parties.
Alexis Calderon, 2013
The connection Ireland and New Orleans may not be apparent to some but there are strong, distinctive qualities that bring both places together in ways that are still important and relevant in 2013.
Both New Orleans and Ireland have faced hardships head on and have come back with a resilience that has made them stronger than they were in the past. The collapse of Ireland’s economy in 2008 parallels New Orleans going through Hurricane Katrina. Ireland’s economic crash caused a huge spike in unemployment, foreclosures, and expensive bailouts for big businesses, sending them into a recession. Hurricane Katrina had similar impacts; the misplacement of residents and billions of dollars of destroyed infrastructure. Though Ireland’s and New Orleans’ loss wasn't a disaster of the same origin, both places came crashing down from being the best. The restructuring done by both places is inspiring and sheds an even greater light on the importance of their connection. New Orleans has come back with a fighting spirit, quickly building from the ground up. Since Katrina, New Orleans has rebuilt many of their blighted neighborhoods, has hosted major events like Super Bowl, and survived the Gulf oil spill. Ireland has also come back in amazing ways, such as changing g in banking structure and reform of the labor market and taxation.
Also New Orleans is trying new measures in education, just like Ireland. The connection between these two efforts is that both places are moving away from private institutions and beginning to strengthen their public education system. This connection is especially in that both are taking the risk which will affect many students’ education and future. New Orleans can take a valuable lesson on what does and does not work when it comes to education and the same goes for Ireland.
In 2013, this connection is important because as two very different places going through similar things of equal relevance, both Ireland and New Orleans can learn from each other and grow beyond belief. The connection between Ireland and New Orleans is stronger than most and is more important than ever. This connection is a great resource for both places, which is probably the best part of the alliance between them, and is greatly appreciated this just shows how the most unlikely of relationships can work out to be truly magical and helpful to both parties.
Alexis Calderon, 2013
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