“With Plenty to Prove” A Maricruz Marquez Interview

            “Prove people wrong,” that is Maricruz Marquez’s motto. Often random, she is very spontaneous and unique. At the age of eighteen, Maricruz has lived up to her slogan by learning to overcome the shame of her past friends’ doubt on her graduating school. Now she is the only out of her former friends to ever graduate Pacifica High School’s class of 2010. Furthermore, she is the only one who had the will continue her education by going college. She currently attends Oxnard College as undeclared, but in five years, she hopes to achieve and earn a degree at the age of twenty-three, so she can earn a job that will keep her satisfied for a lifetime. She also hopes to be able to later feel the power of independence by possessing her own house, and maybe raising a small family.

            Maricruz is the middle child of two siblings, and she lives in a ranch with two supporting parents. Along with her parents’ motivation, she receives the strength to achieve high for a better education. However, her deepest motivation is her grandmother, whom she is very close to. Her grandmother inspires her everyday to be strong and supportive of her family.

            Carefree and lighthearted, Maricruz enjoys her morning schedule at Oxnard College. She likes how college is convenient and close to home. With only three classes to attend, she calls herself an average student. No longer wanting to procrastinate, she hopes to improve her study habits and to avoid all the mistakes she made in high school. She also wants to improve her grades and her skills towards mathematics. By attending college, she has realized how everything is ruled by choice, whether it is to choose to succeed or not. Therefore, she chooses to succeed, so she can prove the stereotypes about her culture wrong.

Link to Maricruz Marquez's blog:

http://maricruzmarquez18.blogspot.com/

Why Don’t We Just Turn Off that Phone and Give it a Short Rest

Billions of text messages are sent each month. I should know this because my younger sister is one of these victims. Her messages alone are over ten thousand a month, with most of her messages containing single or double letters like ‘hi,’ or ‘k.’ Her text messages are more than my own and my parents’ text messaging count combined! I am so glad that we have an unlimited text messaging plan!

I agree that there are several great pros to texting. They allow us to keep up with the latest information, and give us the ability to stay in touch when we are unable to talk. Although I do not enjoy texting often, texting has given me the benefit to have more control over my conversations. Since there are a few friends and relatives that I prefer avoiding to talk on the phone to, quick text messages suffice. I also have the ability to think about how I want to respond to some of the text message, and this helps prevent small misunderstandings and fights.

Texting is also a great way to flirt with someone new. Flirting over text builds the excitement and attraction that may later build a stronger relationship. It kind of brings back the elementary game of passing notes. In addition, texting can be a great way to hide certain feelings; especially to someone I may have just met. Since I am the type of person who can get quite nervous and fidget, a simple text message will not express this and hint the person. Instead they can just assume that I am attracted to them in the same way that they might be to me and we can work on getting to know a little more about one another without dealing with nervous laughter and stupid jokes to break the ice.

Since texting is a norm to most teens and younger generation, we must start learning how to limit ourselves. Texting can become quite a distraction to others, and we often can become addicted. We may become addicted to the point where we become unaware of our surroundings and cause certain accidents. It is better to sooner identify this obsession so we may end this habit by turning off our phones and taking a little break.

Boring Nonsense and Embarrassment

I grew up in a restricted home, so television was limited when I was a child. I was only allowed an hour during school nights, and weekends depended on the wellness of my behavior. Three hours only meant that my father was in a good mood, so it was also a chance in luck. As a child, it was typical to only live for cartoons, so I was never fond of the channels that displayed real actors and live scenes. Therefore, when I had reached middle school, a controlled schedule had benefit myself to not depend much on television.

            I barely discovered reality shows after hearing a few conversations about American Idol. Feeling a bit of an outcast, I decided to watch a few reality series. Soon, I was instantly hooked to shows like Project Runway, Punk’d, The Hills, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and America’s Best Dance Crew. Now there are shows on MTV like MADE, 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, and Jersey Shore. Where is the world coming to? I have always thought MTV stood for music television, not reality television.

            Nowadays, college has kept me busy, so I watch television on occasions, but rarely any reality television. I think one of the reasons why I watched reality television in the first place is because it gave me something to gossip about. Maybe it was also due to the enjoyment of playing the psychiatrist and analyzing the behavior of other people. Another appealing factor of these reality programs are the unusual, yet interesting, locations that are filmed. The boundaries of nature and survival alone can make a fascinating show. By having a bunch of people from different backgrounds and some challenges that most of us hope to never face can result to excitement and humor. But the real reason for these reality shows might be for those who want to feel better about themselves. Similar to going to a fast food restaurant, people would feel more self-assured to not be the fattest person in the row.

            Many reasons why some watch these reality shows is because it is often on every paid program. I believe the one of the problems are that these reality shows are much cheaper to produce and they have a better chance on making money through multiple seasons than scripted shows with the best writers, directors, and actors. Although, I have to admit that there are some reality shows that are getting better in creativity and quality. There are the shows that deal with hoarding, addiction, medical issues, obesity and other traumatic situations in life, so for those who know someone who may suffer in these conditions may learn how others go through life and through attempts to deal with them. Exposing some viewers to these types of problems can help open their minds and get a better sense of understanding.

            There are many reasons why reality television will stay popular due to high appeal and quality. Therefore, as long as people volunteer to be filmed being themselves in various circumstances, reality television will continue. Nevertheless, the real question is why would anyone want to put themselves through boring nonsense and embarrassment in the first place?