I’m a fifty-nine-year-old student at Cedar Valley College. Having been a single dad raised six kids that have thirteen kids of their own. I am known as an active member in my church. This is my last semester at Cedar Valley College in the fall I will transfer to the University of North Texas at Dallas. Back in the nineteen eighties I graduated from Ohio Diesel Technical Institution. After graduation, I worked for over ten years as a bus mechanic for Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Twenty years ago, I injured my back and developed degenerative disc disease in my spine. Since nineteen ninety-four I have become disabled and unable to work. It kept developing until I ended up in a wheelchair as an incomplete quadriplegic. It was so bad in twenty …show more content…
Yellow fever is a name given when a horny old white man has a fetish for young submissive Asian females. A big strong willed old American man like me would crush a weak, fragile Asian woman into nothingness. Grace is only a twenty some year-old girl that is too young for me. I will die twenty years before her. People told me to my face that it is wrong of me to love her. That it is wrong for me to date her because she could be somebody’s wife someday. They also told her to her face that even though I’m a good person I’m still just a ruff old diesel mechanic that would consume her. Some accused her of just waiting to get a green card. While all this is going on her friends are telling her to stay away from the American. Her being a strong-willed person she could damage me somehow. So, we just sit around laughing when these two sides figured out it will be to too late for them. While there is some truth in what they say that is I am a horny old man, but I do not have yellow fever. To think Asian women are weak and submissive is pure racism. Most that oppose our marriage base their reasoning on stereotypes. They do not know the facts about us. Also, I am a strong-willed person. Grace matches me as a strong-willed woman. She is not a twenty some year-old girl, but a forty-year-old woman. We are like two broken pieces that we fit together. Together we are stronger and we fill up each other’s
Disease and war go hand and hand in war. Throughout history, any major military conflict opens a can of worms of disease and death, by moving people to new environments, as well as, cramming them into confined quarters the perfect habitat for human pathogens to prosper. At the turn of the last century Cuba was seeking independence from Spain, which the Spanish resisted by relocating rebel groups. This relocation and increase in density escalated the already problematic yellow fever epidemic. The fear of relocation caused many Cubans to immigrate to the United States, many with yellow fever in tow. While the United States joined the war effort for many reasons, including the prosperity of the sugar industry, the spread of freedom, or the sinking of the Maine, it was the pressing fear of disease that led to an imminent threat to the people of the Gulf Coast. This threat materialized after the US forces landed in Havana and experienced the disease firsthand. In response to the overwhelming number of infected soldiers, the US Government sent a group of Army physicians to undergo a major sanitation effort to clean up Cuba. The work of Walter Reed and the second Yellow Fever Commission through their sanitation efforts led to many advances in the understanding of disease and population health. Starting with the threat of escaping Cuban refugees to the treating of infected Soldiers to the advancement in epidemiology, yellow fever had a major impact on not only the US entrance to the war with Spain, but to the development of modern medicine and the first American Empire.
While growing up I had many ideas of what professional career I wanted to obtain, although until recent years, occupational therapy was not even a thought. It was not until my grandmother had a stroke that I even knew what occupational therapy was or entailed. I watched my grandmother participate in therapy leading her to learn how to tie her shoes again, and the things I thought were so simple as to dress herself again. It was during that time as high school graduation was approaching that I realized I wanted to be apart of that. I wanted to have a role helping others learn and exceed as she did because I seen how much joy it brought her. This experience opened my eye to the things we so often take for granted, that some people lose the ability of doing or lack the ability of doing. Throughout her journey of facing and overcoming these problems, it led me to a yearning to pursue this
In Natalie Porter’s article, “The Butterfly Dilemma: Asian Women, Whiteness, And Heterosexual Relationships.” , she suggests how whiteness works by understanding the construction of whiteness and
...ding white, male superiority. Back in high school, I dated a non-Asian male from my class who often talked about how Asian women are “hot and sexy” yet “more faithful to men and less aggressive than White women.” At the time, I thought this was a compliment and I often tried to conform to this stereotype in order to satisfy my partner. Images of Asian-American women as both innocent and dangerous have legitimized any racist and sexist policies directed at Asians and women.
Putting into words how I feel when I’ve made a difference in someone’s life is almost impossible. It’s something I feel deep inside and very passionate about. Working with geriatrics and terminal patients is where my passion lies. Maybe it’s because of my close relationship with my grandparents. I honestly don’t know. One thing I know…I’ve always loved the elderly. I was always the little girl wanting to visit and talk with them when my friends were off being typical children. Nearing the end of one’s life is a difficult and emotional time for everyone involved, and it’s my desire is to make this transition as smooth as possible. Applying to the social work program is the first step of my journey to achieving my ultimate goal…becoming a geriatric social worker.
I was the average student and athlete at school, I wasn’t known for anything amazing though. The only thing that I notice that stood out from me was that I always had a big heart for other people especially ones who live with a disability. I respect the children to adults that have disabilities and live life to the fullest, I don’t know how they do it. They really know how to live life to the fullest compared to those who have no disabilities. This is a story that tells you how I met the most amazing people and how I became so close to them.
After over 15 years of working as a CNA and Caregiver, I decided that I wanted to continue my education in the medical field. In 2013 I took the first step towards gaining a better future with more experience as a medical professional. I enrolled into a Medical Assistant program at IBMC college of Longmont. It has been a long road and I am almost to the finish line having gained essential skills needed to move further into my career. It has been a grueling and eye opening experience for me being an adult learner returning back to school at 33 years of age. I persevered through these pass two years with courage and determination, never letting my short comings get the best of me. As I approach the end of my journey with IBMC I have realized that I have a passion for helping those persons who
I have always considered myself a very promising student. I have worked extremely hard and received high grades. I have a close knit group of friends and my teachers and I have mutual respect for each other .Although I would consider myself at this present stage ‘fulfilled’ something was missing. I realized it wasn’t a materialistic aspect of my life. Through a tragic incident I finally discovered what fit perfectly in that vacancy. The consecutive hospitalizations of my grandparents evoked great pain and sorrow. However, out of the scorching intensity of this tragedy I was warmed and comforted by realizing what I was devoid of: community service.
In the short story "Waiting for Mr. Kim," the main female character Gracie understands what it means to be an Asian female, but she does question the meaning because of her sisters. Her sisters ran away from home and eloped before their marriage could be arranged. This is totally against Asian culture, and it causes Gracie to question her heritage and her Asian femininity.
A way to overcome my disability, I tried by joining clubs, helping others, working and focusing on my grades. One of the things that has helped me has been in Link Crew. Link Crew is fun way to help the incoming freshmen so their experience won’t be as bad as mine. I enjoy trying to help anyone as much as I can. Work is nothing easy but I still do it to help my mom
I found a job as CNA for the patient who had disabilities. One patient in particular changed the direction of my life and started me thinking about working in medicine. I took care of an older woman who was unable to ambulate due to her diagnosis of stroke. She experienced chronic weakness of bilateral lower extremity so I supported her with my arms to steady her. When I looked into her eyes, I could feel her saying, “you truly care about me, understand me, and thank you for taking the time to sense my expression and desire.” That’s the care all of us have deep inside, where our motives no longer become self-seeking but other-seeking. This care has the power to exponentially change that person’s life and the lives of others. It is true that other patients helped me decide to go into medicine, but Stacy had the biggest impact in my
Secondly, I have been a community volunteer worker for several years. Being a community volunteer has helped me to understand that by obtaining a college degree, I can help impact the lives of many homeless individuals. Recently, as a volunteer of United Methodist Metro Ministries, many of the homeless individuals were amazed that I am almost finished with high school and plan to go to college. One man that I had the opportunity of meeting saddened me because he could not even write his own name. I thought about how his life is forever impaired by his inability to read and write. Perhaps that is one reason he is economically poor. My relationships to persons such as this man have inspired me to want to continue my formal education so that I can help people who have somehow seemed to have lost their way.
In these past few months, my life has been dramatically changed for the better. I have gone from hiding under a rock to sparking on fire for God 's sake. In all of these changes, there is not exactly one easy event that will influence my academic journey moving forward, but a whole series of God speaking to me that will guide my through it. To fully comprehend the Grace that has led me to knock on the door of college again, the experience can only be explained through a story. That being said, this story will begin around December of 2014 where I found myself missing a Christian summer camp I use to work at, and really wishing I could be a part of the conference I once loved so much. I began debating with myself (and a little bit of God when
Have you ever had a time in your life where you felt like everything was just dumped on you? I did, and undoubtedly it happened just as I came to school at State University. That saying, “When it rains, it pours,” just seemed to fit me perfectly. Within a two week period one of my friends from high school committed suicide, my grandma went in the hospital, and my boyfriend broke up with me. Yet, from these experiences in my life, I grew, more than I have ever grown before. This is why I am writing about it. Although, everyone goes through hard times, there were not many people out there who related to me. That is why it was hard to get help when it was needed. Maybe someone can learn from my experience and be just as strong as I was.
At the age of 36, mom decided to return to college to obtain her nursing degree. This wasn’t a hard decision for her to make. In April before she enrolled in school, my great grandmother passed away. This major dilemma played a major role in mom’s return to school. She had taken care of my great grandmother for months before she passed away, and decided that she wanted to make an impact on the lives of geriatrics.