FORBES FEATURE

Hey All! I am featured in FORBES Magazine, no biggie! lol....yes, WAY BIGGIE! The print copy magazine releases December 16th.

The article is about the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and the man himself who created it. I know Uncle Jack is smiling down. I am featured in the article. Check it out here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryhannon/2013/11/25/scholarships-arent-enough/

Class of 2015 year's for NPHC Greekdom

I know you read that title and said what in the world? Well, as I scroll through my Facebook feed I see that many of my peers from high school (class of 2015) have pledged NPHC Greek organizations this year! I saw two or three ladies that pledged Delta and two that pledged AKA...congrats to you all! This year on Wednesday, Nov. 6th I crossed the burning sands into Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated. I am definitely a better person because of it. There were lots of tears and challenges, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Often when people see you at your weakest, it allows them to point out your flaws or your weaknesses...not like you didn't know them already :) but sometimes you really don't. It often hurts, but the point is that now you are aware, so you can either work towards improving them or say to people "Hey, this is me. This is who I am, this is one of my flaws or weaknesses and you will either have to love me or leave me!" No matter what you decide, now you are aware, you are now in control and you decide what to do with the information that has been given to you (I hope I'm making sense).

Many may think and have asked, "Why didn't Yasmine pledge Delta or AKA?"

Well, my darling let me explain, now let me preface by saying I have no interest in dissing, I am only going to tell you why I joined Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated. 1) We get too caught up into titles, in general...whether it be titles at the job, titles at church and titles in Greekdom. The whole idea is to join an organization in which you believe in their principles and truly believe that YOU can contribute to the organization. I loved Zeta's principles of Scholarship, Service, Sisterly Love and Finer Womanhood...yes, that FINER WOMANHOOD piece was, is and will always be key for me. Lest, I not leave out that we are constitutionally bound to our brothers of Phi Beta Sigma, hence--Zeta Phi Beta Sigma!


Now don't get me wrong all NPHC greek organizations believe in making your academics a priority, doing community service and having a brotherhood or a sisterhood. I truly believe that in NPHC no matter what organization you join, as long as it's one of your choice and you work hard to earn your letters and work hard even after you earn them, that's all that matters...there so much richness to be found....lifetime friendships, a network, business partnerships, a better you, a more disciplined you! Congrats all of 2013's new greeks. I hope you grew from the experience as much as I did and NEVER STOP GROWING!

(If you are interested in joining an NPHC fraternity or sorority please do some research about each and if you decide to speak with someone please be discrete. Or if you would like to learn more about NPHC, when, why and how these organizations were founded you may find this information online.) If you want to ask me more about my experience, why I joined, etc. feel free to reach out to me through inbox on Facebook or Twitter @Yazziespeaks.

My Thought For The Day: Social Media Realm, How Much is Too Much?

I'm not even old and I feel so outdated...too much dagg on Social media outlets, a sista can't keep up...all these Iphone apps (which I still don't have an Iphone--but that will soon change), aside from the obvious there's Pinterest, Branch, Hootsuite, Foursquare, Digg, Buzz, Reddit, blogs just to name a very few (I know most of these aren't new and serve different purposes but there are new ones coming out every day, particularly phone apps) What's a girl do exactly with 20 more social media accounts? Loose her mind! I GOT HOMEWORK AND WORK...LOL

Prezi, Canvas My Campus, Voting Ends Nov. 15th

Hey yall!

So I went on a quest in October to create a Prezi about why my campus is so amazing. Despite my previous rant about the struggles of junior year, my university is still pretty amazing...why? because of the people who are here and the amazing things that they do to help people! I video interviewed professors and students and made videos, uploaded them to Youtube and uploaded them into a Prezi presentation for their Canvas My Campus Competition. (the link is below)

Some students I highlighted:

Two 2013 graduates who won 1st place of $30,000 for Sprite's Annual College Student Film Competition
A football student-player who was recently drafted for the Super Bowl Champion Ravens (Aaron Mellette)
A student who published her first fiction novel at the age of 16 and is now working on the sequel
A student from South Africa who went to Oprah's school and was a part of the first class
Some students who conduct The Cinderella Project, giving prom dresses to low-income high school girls and providing them with a day of mentoring, workshops, and pampering

PLEASE support us and go LIKE the prezi! Voting ends tomorrow, Nov. 15th. If you don't have a Prezi account, it's easy and free to create. All you need is a university/college email account.

My Canvas My Campus Prezi, Elon

THANK YOU!

So Much Negativity, Yet I Still Smile

Hello World!

It's been a really long time since I've been able to just express myself. To vent on my blog. To let everything out.

Junior year by far has been the most hectic, tiring, often frustrating time of my college career. You may say, "Well, Of Course! It only gets harder from here!" Well, if it does, I will literally become a walking zombie. I NEED SLEEP!"

Pledging for a sorority taught me a lot about myself. It taught me more about the kind of person I am. How I deal with pressure and stress. It challenged me to manage my time better, which I managed to do fairly well. It was hard letting people see my weak points or the "emotional" side of me.

And I don't know why, but I've just been getting a whole lot of constructive criticism this year that's too much for my taste, lol. I hate that if you don't do something THE WAY someone ELSE thinks you should do it...then oh it's wrong or not up to standard.

For example, I made a suggestion amongst a group I am a part of for a class project and one of my peers' responses was..."Oh, that sounds elementary TO ME! You would have to convince me!" My thought was WHAT? Why do I need to convince YOU? What is this? A Jury of Her Peers?

Then I just got an evaluation back from a professor based on a short speech we all have to do that said that my poster was perhaps "distracting" from my speech. Now, for those of you who know me, you know I am very passionate about plus size modeling and the industry. I created a collage poster of magazine clippings from plus size campaigns because I wanted my peers TO SEE them! Especially since there is no time for questions after.

Earlier this year, I was giving a presentation of my research and I came in confident, with a handout to pass to my classmates thinking "I know my research! I can do this! They'll understand." And I walked out literally balling in tears of anger and frustration because my peers were so mean to me. One girl came out and said in front of the whole class that she "was worried about me because I am a lateral entry student into the program and that I missed the class on how to write a good research question." Now mind you, I am the only black person and the only black female in that class and I found it highly offensive and unnecessary for her to have to remind the class of that fact. And besides that, what does that have to do with anything? That is why we all have mentors to guide us through our research as our questions will inevitably change and develop.

While constructive criticism can be good for growth, I just really want to hear more positivity. I can't function like this! I just want to go home...sleep and have fun, pet my dog Louis, who always gives me these loving puppy dog eyes, to feel nothing but pure love and encouragement from my friends and family. Though you may say, "Well, Yasmine welcome to the real world"...NO! We all need a person or a place where we can go to to escape all the negativity and find some encouragement and love.

Quite frankly, I've discovered that EVERYONE will always have THEIR opinions of you. The important thing is, how you view yourself. I know that out of all of those situations I mentioned, my intentions were pure and though people thought I was crazy, I KNEW exactly what I was doing. Many times I question my decision to come to Elon. To attend a conservative university, a place where I will always stick out and/or be judged even when I want to just blend in...but YET, I know that all of these experiences, though often hurtful are happening to me to make me stronger. To make me better. To prepare me for something much bigger than myself. I KNOW that this is not all there is to life. I am looking for better and if I don't find it here, I believe I will find it after I die. WHY ARE HUMANS ALWAYS SO NEGATIVE?

If I were as pessimistic as the average person, I wouldn't be able to accomplish much of anything. Ok, enough of me on my soapbox. God is still good in spite of my sin and in spite of negativity from others. If anything, I can always rely on Him to pour out forgiveness, understanding, serenity and strength. This is only a season of pruning, challenge and humility in my life. Yet, I smile. The world can't take away my joy. THIS TOO SHALL PASS :)

Next year the next stop for me is GHANA! Far away from the American world of meanness, judgement, rugged individualism and self-centeredness...on to some community, love, dancing, sharing, laughing and just living in the moment :)

College Success Foundation, If Not Us, Then Who?

The College Success Foundation (CSF) had its 6th Annual Breakfast this Thursday! Costco sponsored the breakfast. The College Success Foundation was founded with the intent to improve the educational opportunities of youth in Washington, DC and particularly those within the 6, 7 and 8th wards of DC who are often forgotten about and marginalized. So far, the foundation has given over $14 million in scholarships. Two young women and recent graduates gave their testimonies about what the College Success Foundation has done in their personal lives--one a graduate of Spelman College and one of Trinity University. The Mayor of DC, Vincent Gray along with the DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson and CEO of American Express, Ken Chenault and many others were in attendance.

CSF also revealed this video. Do you recognize anyone in the video?

Redskins 52nd Annual Luncheon

Hey, I know I'm really late with this, but better late then never right?

This year in August, I had the blessed opportunity to speak at the Washington Redskins Annual Luncheon as a Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation (WRCF) scholar. Every year the WRCF picks one outstanding DC high schooler and provides them with a $25, 000 college scholarship.

Here are some pics from the event. Oh I got to meet RGIII, Rick Doc Walker, and many other folks! Do you recognize them?

Got to Hear Michelle Alexander at Wake Forest Oct 1

YES! I finally made it! I finally got to see Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, speak about her research and experience in person. One of my History Professors and I took a nice 1 hour drive from Elon to Wake Forest, a ride in which my head was nodding in and out because of how sleepy I was. Her lecture was in the Wait Chapel and we ended up in the balcony because the "main auditorium floor was full," though while in the balcony I discovered that there were some vacant seats, but I was simply glad to be there.

She spoke for about 2 hours on her personal experience with her incarceration research. She is a very passionate speaker and well-versed in her knowledge. What I love about her is that she's truly honest to telling our present day situation how it is, with no shame, no hesitation and no cut cards.

She spoke about her experience as a Civil Rights lawyer, where she and her team were heavily seeking out a black man to represent on a case of discrimination on the basis of race, who did not have any criminal background--but she was to discover that that was nearly impossible. One day a man came into her office asking for representation. He was well spoken, but when he admitted to her that he had a criminal record, she immediately said, "I'm sorry but I can't represent you." Because Alexander knew if they tried to represent someone with a felony record trying to argue racial discrimination, it wouldn’t work.

 The man began defending himself, raising his voice and explaining that a police officer planted some drugs on him, beat him up and for fear of receiving a heavy sentence he took the plea (which means he said he was guilty because he didn't want to do the time), when he really wasn't guilty. Alexander repeated, "I'm sorry but I can't represent you. Angry and disgusted the man ripped up his papers, walked out of her office and said to her, "You're no better than the police! I can't even get a job, public housing or food stamps because of my criminal record. Good luck finding a man who the police haven't already gotten to!"

Now, Alexander realizes that her biggest mistake was that she WAS no better than the police, because the moment that man said he had a criminal record, she did not want to hear anything else he had to say. A while later (I believe a year or more later), she heard a case on the news about a policeman planting drugs on minority men, beating them up and taking them in and discovered that it was the same policeman that the man in her office had mentioned to her.

Lots of cops are encouraged to do this, for example like New York Police Force's infamous Stop and Frisk Policy. Police are often encouraged to make arrests, because the higher their numbers, the more of a financial incentive they have. Often times a policeman, for example, after an arrest can sell the person's car and keep the profit from it. And who better to target than poor, urban black and latino men?

She argued that the current prison system operates like a modern day caste system--one that is based on race rather than crime prevention and control.

Alexander said he biggest mistake was believing that she could make a difference in Criminal Justice, without considering or lingering on the racial factor.

She dispelled the myth that imprisonment prevents crime, but in fact has increased it. This is also the argument of Todd Clear who wrote "Imprisoning Communities: How Imprisoning Communities Makes Disadvantaged Communities Worse."

Alexander also gave alarming statics--

"More black men today on parole then were slaves in 1850. As of 2004 more men were excluded from voting than in 1870. Felon Disenfranchisement Laws accomplish more than Polling Tax Laws once did."

Minority men with a criminal record, makes them 2nd class citizens for the rest of their lives. She mentioned that because this infrastructure has grown so big and investors, private prison owners, etc. are in so deep there's no way to make the problem immediately grow away. 

Though this state of affairs, is pretty depressing Alexander offered food for thought for individuals against the Mass Industrial Complex, that we must work as abolitionists os this mass imprisonment movement. To look out for families of those in prison and extend ourselves and resources to people who are transitioning from prison back into society. We must also fight for felon disenfranchisement laws to be changed. The trillions of dollars that have gone into the prison industry should be invested in education among other things. 

It was an extremely deep at at times depressing lecture, but we must all start with ourselves first! For me, I will continue my work with ScholarCHIPS, giving the children of incarcerated people's a second chance and allowing them to pursue a college degree. www.scholarchipsfund.com