Our 2012 Summer Internship [Updated]

– The KP Interns with Soledad O’Brien of CNN

My summer 2012 internship experience has been absolutely incredible from the moment I began. It has allowed me to meet several influential people, establish life long connections with my fellow interns, enhance my financial literacy and become apart of a nationally publicized protest march. These experiences have certainly been instrumental in changing my outlook on life, broadening my horizon and enabling me to realize the many opportunities that are in my desired field.

The entire internship in particular taught me life lessons in several ways. I have become knowledgeable in the fields of event production, journalism, literature and video production/editing. I have been exposed to what actually goes into being a public figure, how to get a press release complete efficiently and how to build publicity for events through social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. to help reach your audience.

I have been able to gather insight on the legal aspect of being known to the public and the importance of maintaining a clean financial record.  During a financial workshop I learned very beneficial saving methods as well knowing the emotional attachment that comes along with spending habits.

This experience has really been a pleasure, especially starting our own blog site because it has not only allowed me to get my thoughts out affectively, but it has enabled me to critique my writing skills and help me to become more assertive with my writing process. I hope beginning the blog site will also make it easier for me to transition back into writing papers when I head back to school this semester and that I take the same level of confidence I gained this summer into my academic endeavors.

 -Corey Stanley

This summer has changed my life. As a young woman my priorities are not always in order. Occasionally I get sidetracked by seemingly endless nights filled with friends, laughs and fun. These priority glitches dramatically rise during the summer when my mind only seems to register boys, beaches and parties. This summer, however, my glitch-o-meter was extremely slowed by my fantastic summer internship.

I was able to participate in an internship where I worked in many different fields and had the opportunity to meet many inspiring people. I managed to build friendships I hope last a lifetime, discover my purpose in this world and gain confidence in my dreams.

My boss, the peculiar, Kevin Powell, said several enlightening things to me, but the one thing I want to share with you all is his comment that I was a genius. The first time he said this I must admit, I laughed. I was no genius. I was a hard-working well-educated woman, but that did not translate into genius to me. A genius was a person with an unbelievable IQ, a gifted knowledge absorber. Over time he continued to call my fellow interns and me geniuses until one day I had to ask myself why. It dawned on me that a genius is not just someone who is book smart, but someone who is gifted at what they do. Geniuses take control of their dreams and navigate themselves into their own island of paradise.

Understanding and believing in my potential is a valuable lesson I learned this summer and one I will never forget. This summer has become a pivotal stepping-stone in developing the woman I am becoming and I will forever be thankful for that.

- Nicole Inniss

I got involved by accident; I returned home from college not quite sure how I was going to spend my summer. On a whim, a close friend of mine offered to pass my resume along to Mr. Powell to see if he knew about anything that I could get involved in. Ironically enough, the rest of this experience has already been cataloged on this blog space.

Looking back on a summer spent with Mr. Powell and my fellow interns Benjamin, Nicole, Corey, Joy, and Gaetane, I am quite pleased to say that was is arguably the best accidental experiences I have had.

In this past summer, I learned what it means to pursue dreams. Through this internship, I was able to see first hand the pursuit of goals, and subsequent success. These couple of months with Mr. Powell showed me that happiness is not an abstract, unattainable thing, but instead something that can be practically sought after, ultimately achieved, and even measured. And my favorite part of this lesson was that happiness and success are not reserved for this mystical “favorite few”; while they are not as simply attained for every person, every person pursues what they consider to be happiness, and no concept of happiness is ever too grandiose.

Whatever it is can be done; never easily, because true happiness is the result of something that is worked hard for; but it is always worth the work in the end.

My favorite saying is that luck is where hard work meets opportunity. Hard work is about repetition and constantly practicing your craft (you don’t ever really stop doing that). As far as opportunity goes, it is created by exposing yourself and putting yourself in the position to achieve.

Sometimes success and happiness feel like guess work, but really, they are in your hands. Happiness is out there for us all; our only job is to relentlessly pursue.

 - Adam Jones 

I was the new kid on the block. Being the last of the Kevin Powell interns to be hired, I knew the expectations of me were high. My first day on the job we hit the ground running and we haven’t stopped since.

There is no way to sum up in 300 words all that I’ve learned during my time here in New York, but the most important thing that I will walk away with is that I’m a genius.  Don’t get me wrong, this is not me being arrogant or full of myself, this is what Kevin made sure to remind us every chance that he could.

Confidence is key. I’ve been trained and I have the tools. Now, it’s up to me to figure out what to do with them. Being with Kevin has pushed me to trust my own instincts and to take pride in any and everything that I do. I have been taught to be bold and fearless, and that my voice matters despite what anyone tells me. I am generation Y and I do have a say to what is going on in my society.

The abundance of knowledge and wisdom that was shared with me is overwhelming. From financial advisor, Jacquette Timmons, CNN News Anchor, Soledad O’Brien and the staff at Rolling Stone magazine, I have enough to chew on for the next year.

Kevin Powell’s interns were a team. The thoughts, laughs and criticism that were shared just in the four walls of this office will always be carried with me.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to work with such a person as Kevin Powell and the other geniuses that I can now call friends.

-Gaetane Maurice

The words from the song “Albertine” by Brook Fraser keep repeating in my head,”Now that I have seen, I am responsible; Faith without deeds is dead… I am on a stage, a thousand eyes on me, I will tell them.”

During this internship I have been exposed to so many of the realities of New York  City and especially that of Brooklyn, many of which people would rather not face,  but we have to. The hardships in this city are no longer hidden, but smack dab in the middle of our faces. In the past we may have chosen to ignore them but we can’t continue to do so because “we have seen.” We have seen the drug addictions, child abuse, poverty, desperation, homelessness, injustice and death.

This internship has forced all of our blinders off in some shape. Speaking with the homeless or working with so many under privileged youth has forever impacted me. Walking past multimillion dollar condos to work with homeless individuals on their stoops, getting lunch at corner store where most of the customers use EBT cards, and riding the subway home hearing in the background that soliciting money is an illegal activity that needs to be stopped, has impacted me far more than words can imagine.

Brooklyn is such a beautiful space and I smile at the changes God is about to bring to New York City, “The boroughs have been opened, and the broken have been chosen, and this city is becoming alive in you.” (Unknown)

This borough has so much life, vibrancy and love; these are the true Brooklyn Expressions.

- Benjamin Muhammad 

The Impact of A Rolling Stone…

“I’ve probably talked to 15 groups in there [Rolling Stone] over the years, and you guys had the best questions and the most interesting things to say out of any of them. There’s not even a close second. I usually get, “What celebrities have you met? Are any of them assholes? What’s Rihanna like?” - Andy Greene, associate editor of RollingStone.com.

My career goal is to create my own magazine. I dream of creating a space where girls can pick up a magazine and educate themselves about how to maintain their hair texture, what products to use for their skin tone, what fashion pieces to wear to fit their body types, what health tips they can use to stay healthy and who are the women they can look up to who look like them.

Going to Rolling Stone and speaking to their staff put my dream into a greater perspective. Here I was sitting with professional writers and editors who were genuinely interested in helping me become a better writer. The key thing I took from this experience was the importance they all put on clarity. As a writer, your job is to tell a story, but if your story is clouded by cluttered thoughts the reader will simply get lost. Having a clear thought process and putting that to paper is the basics for what journalism is. The secret they told me to achieving this goal is practice. So here’s to endless Word documents filled with all my concise, yet thrilling stories. Thanks Rolling Stone!

-Nicole Inniss

I fell silent as I was guided on a tour of the Rolling Stone offices. I was amazed by the aesthetics of their office building, the artwork, the people, the magazine covers; but most of all the greatness that Rolling Stone is able to exude in its field.

At the end of the day the interns and I had a Q&A with some of the staff. However, I didn’t ask any questions, I took a passive road and educated myself that day by sitting back, observing, listening, learning and reflecting.

All the editors and writers kept emphasizing the importance of team effort and the collaborative process needed in producing a magazine. At that point, I began to reevaluate my ego, pride, and self-centeredness. When it comes to our blog space many times I knew that it was a team effort but I wanted to make sure that what I was doing was going to benefit me, that nothing I was writing was a waste of time and purpose. I obviously had it wrong. At the end of the day it’s just not about me, it’s about our team as a whole; it’s about Brooklyn Expression not Benjamin Muhammad.

This lesson is even more important to me as a leader and an activist because once again it’s not about me and I had to check myself.  I realized that what I loved about some of the greatest leaders of my time is that, yes they were confident at what they did, but it was this air of humbleness that made them standout from the rest.

I think living in New York City does make it hard at times to lose my ego, but I have to keep telling myself that I’m only 19, and contrary to my beliefs, I haven’t arrived.  This new found lesson will make my next coffee run a lot more enjoyable.

-Benjamin Muhammad

Now days, anyone can be a journalist. In a world where having your own blog is a just a click away, anyone can “report” what they think is news.

Writing has always been a passion of mine. Words fascinate me. The people who effectively use words fascinate me. And, the people who can arrange words in a way that paint vivid pictures, fascinate me. So you can imagine how fascinated I was sitting at a table picking the brains of some of the great writers at Rolling Stone.

The state of journalism is often questioned, but after speaking with Christian Hoard, Andy Greene and Brian Hiatt, good journalism still seems to be alive and well. The advice given to me and my fellow interns was neither deep nor complex. When asked what things can be done to better our writing, “slow the heck down,” (to put it lightly) was the advice given. With journalism, of course, one wants to be the first to break a story, but what I took away from my time at Rolling Stone was that more importantly, I want to have the best written piece. It goes back to what we learned back in grade school; practice, practice and more practice.

I walked away from Rolling Stone eager to learn more about my craft and perfecting every aspect of it. To perfect something takes time, so the pressure is officially off. I’ve stepped back, slowed down and found my points of study. When you see my byline, I’m determined to fascinate you.

 -Gaetane Maurice

Last week, our travels took us to the Rolling Stone offices in Midtown Manhattan. Here we were able to take a peek behind the curtain of a magazine that has helped to shape and characterize multiple generations of readers. A tour of the facilities culminated in a round table discussion with a handful of editors and writers at Rolling Stone, including John Dioso, the magazine’s deputy editor. We may have surprised them with our series of questions. “I usually get, ‘What celebrities have you met? Are any of them assholes? What’s Rihanna like?’” associate editor of RollingStone.com, Andy Greene said.

One of our most extensive conversations was centered on the editors’ concerns for the future of the magazine. The last 15 years have seen a gradual decline in the sales of print media, and even the Rolling Stones of the world have taken their hits. But none of the staff members we talked to seemed phased by this trend. “We’ve been able to remain successful by focusing in on what we do well, and getting rid of the stuff that we don’t do as well,” editor Christian Hoard said. This strategy may sound simple enough, especially for a magazine like Rolling Stone. But the under-eye bags and cups of black coffee were dead giveaways that none of this work has come easily. The editors spoke about the ongoing balancing act between their website and the print magazine, and while they have figured a few things out, it is by no means formulaic. The questions “can and should we put this in the magazine?” are posed everyday. Not every gamble is rewarded; every gamble is a lesson.

The decline of the magazine is real, but its end is not inevitable.  This roundtable alone gave me confidence in the future of print media; I saw that if anyone can do it it’s these guys. They have what it takes to keep the legend alive.

-Adam Jones

My Rolling Stone experience was very exciting and one of the most informative meetings I’ve had the privilege of engaging in. Every person that we spoke with was extremely genuine and knowledgeable. I particularly enjoyed listening to what Andy Greene, a Rolling Stone writer for several years, had to say. He stated that “In order to become a better writer, its imperative that you not only read great writing, but find an author who you think has a great writing style and begin to see how they formulate sentences and take bits and pieces of their writing style as an approach to better enhance your writing ability.” I felt that was great advice and a tool that can help to critique my writing skills.

Another aspect I enjoyed was seeing how Rolling Stone has progressed since the 70’s and what lies in their pipeline for the future. That information was truly a remarkable feeling to be granted incite of that caliber.  They also expressed that becoming a writer for Rolling Stone surely isn’t easy.  However, it is very much attainable, with perfecting your creativity, individuality, and persistence.

After speaking with many of the journalists, I realized that it’s more important to carve your own lane and make sure that the article in which you’re writing is as detailed as possible, but also straight to the point. Often times, it’s not about having a large vocabulary, but more about captivating the reader and accurately getting your point across. Hearing from experienced journalists who expressed that there is nothing wrong with going back to using basic sentence structures to build an article gave me more confidence to go forth in my writing and to know that the fundamentals of writing that I’ve learned were not in vain.

 - Corey Stanley

Ghana, West Africa: My Study Aboard Journey

By: Joy Atkins

Last week, I returned back to the states after being blessed with the opportunity to learn aboard in Ghana, West Africa for two weeks.  Words cannot express how humbled I am after being able to experience this opportunity of a lifetime.  I was able to reconnect to my roots while in the motherland, which allowed me to see life from a new perspective.

As I walked off the plane, the strangest feeling came over me, a feeling as if I were just returning home. The energy in the atmosphere was surreal as if we were being reassured that all the problems and worries we had would disappear. As I turned around to smile at my fellow peers, a peaceful presence came over me. A young man then whispers in my ear “AKWAABA”, which means welcome. It was at that moment I realized that the next two weeks of my life would be changed forever.

We were located in Accra, which is the capital of Ghana. Accra is the largest city in Ghana with an estimated population of 4 million people. However, we spent the duration of the trip in Cape Coast, a city that is about three hours away and is considered more of a rural community. As we were driving to Cape Coast, I was trying to process everything that I was seeing. I had never seen anything of this caliber before. The scenery of the towns was absolutely different, but beautiful.  The housing structures of the homes were colorful and full of life. On the other hand, people that couldn’t afford stable housing most likely lived in “the slums”. The slums are single rooms built out of cardboard, metal and wood pieces combined to build some form of shelter. The Ghanaians are definitely entrepreneurs; it does not matter where you turn someone will try to sell you something. It saddened me though that a country known for gold was stricken by poverty on such a high scale. I was in a state of culture shock the remainder of the ride to Cape Coast.  When we reached Cape Coast, I could not take my eyes off the beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean. After getting settled in, we were briefed on everything to expect and what we would be doing the rest of the trip.

The itinerary for the overall trip included several different cultural excursions and community service projects. I was happy when I found out that we were going to attend local schools and childcare facilities. The first place we went was Aboom School for Special Needs Children. It is a school for children that suffer from various physical and mental disabilities. It started off with six children and today the school has over seventy children split into four different classrooms. The kids were shy at first, but as soon as we told them that we were from America they embraced us. Each child was well mannered and had such a beautiful smile. Despite their disabilities, they kept us entertained and laughing the entire time.  By the end of the day, they put what felt like an everlasting smile on my face.

The headmaster of the school explained to us the issues the school faced on a daily basis. She explained that the government could not provide some of the basic necessities the school needed due to lack of funding and resources. We supported the school financially by buying some bracelets the children made out of donated beads. I wear my bracelet every day to remind me of the children that I met and how fortunate I am. I have to say that out of all the schools we attended, The Aboom School touched my heart the most.

 

Everyday I went head first into the African culture and experienced something new. We went to Kakum National Rainforest, which is one of Ghana’s national parks. The forest seemed to be untouched and full of life underneath all the trees that stood tall and wide. In order to see the rainforest from a skyline view, one must walk up three flights of stone steps. Afterwards, one can observe the entire rain forest while on the canopy walkway. While observing the rainforest, I could see all sorts of different animals such as elephants, monkeys, and my favorite, butterflies. The view was breath taking.  It was one of the most memorable experiences I had in Ghana.

The last excursion, which to me made the most significant impact, was the visit to Assin Manso and the Cape Coast Castle. Throughout my schooling, I read about the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, but never could put a picture to it until now. I was able to visit the place of my ancestors’ last bath. I was taken aback as we walked barefooted though Ancestral River Park. I certainly felt my ancestors’ presence as we walked into the river and connected alongside the streams as they flowed peacefully. As the tour guide begun to explain in detail exactly what the slaves experienced, tears began to fall from my face. I could only image the sacrifice that they made in order for me to be where I am today. The journey did not stop there; the slaves had to walk chained to one another to the Cape Coast Castle. While walking to the castle, some died due to diseases and starvation. Local residents in the area know Cape Coast Castle as the slave castle. The castle is where they prepared the slaves for voyages to North America, Europe and Brazil during the slave trade. Slaves were placed in 12 by 12-sized dungeons that compacted about two hundred men and women. Most of them died because of the horrible living conditions that they had to endure. The ones that survived eventually walked though the door of “no return” to be traded to unknown territories. Local residents called it the door of “no return” because their loved ones were force into enslavement to never return home. The Castle sits right on the beach, and I realized that no one ever swims in the ocean. I asked the tour guide, “How come no one swims in the ocean?” He replied, the people of Ghana believed the waters are cursed calling it the “Whiteman’s waters”. Ghanaians believe that their ancestors’ spirits dwell in the Atlantic Ocean and still are angry to this present day. On this day, I realized my purpose was to set aside my own will and commit to the will of God. I believe that I have the ability to help people in need. I am more than capable to provide resources to individuals and families that are less fortunate. I no longer have any excuses to not strive for excellence.

This whole experience made me realized that the world is one humongous classroom, waiting for someone to learn and study from it.  I was blessed with the opportunity to gain a new horizon on life. Ghana taught me so much about who I am and what I have to offer to the world. The one thing that I want to share is that no matter where one may be in their life, remember that you have power to overcome your circumstances. The children in Ghana lit my passion once again to find ways and resources to ensure that children are being educated properly. I believe the time I spent there had a tremendous impact on me. Hopefully, in the near future I will be able to return back to Africa, my second home.

Joy Atkins is a senior at Virginia State University studying family and consumer sciences with a minor in sociology. You can contact her at joy.m.atkins@gmail.com or tweet her @JoyAtkins_90.

Poverty Knows No Bounds

By Benjamin Muhammad

New York City is such a beautiful place; there are pristine housing developments on every corner, lavish parks, cultural events, food, diversity, great nightlife, but unfortunately lots of poverty to go around.  There seems to be a great divide between economic classes; those living in the expensive high rise buildings, and those living on their stoops.

At the start of the summer I was walking in the east village section of Manhattan, I heard a female voice from behind asking if I could spare some change so that she could buy herself something to eat. At first I didn’t acknowledge her because I knew I didn’t have any cash. However, something told me to go back and ask her if she wanted me to buy her food with my debit card, she gladly said yes. On our way to find a place that accepted cards, she told me she was six months pregnant with her first child, had been standing outside for an hour, and I was the first person to even stop. She later told me she was about 40 and had lost her job due to lay offs, and lacked government assistance. All the stereotypes that people try to portray about our nations improvised just are not true. She wasn’t this strung out women who was single, and birthed a million and one kids; she was just another American who had fallen on hard times.

We ended up going to a deli where I bought her a sandwich, a snack and something to drink. That 11 dollars I spent didn’t break the bank, didn’t cause me to spiral into everlasting debt, didn’t even result in me not getting the sneakers I wanted, it just allowed me to help another human being who was in need.

Poverty knows no bounds; it affects all people, regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, prestige, location, and gender. That is what’s so scary about poverty, it can affect anyone.  I believe that we must retrain ourselves to realize that no one chooses to be poor, and there is no such thing as the deserving poor. We must take care of our poor because at the end of the day they are depending on the help and generosity of others.

Here’s my challenge: Every day carry 1 to 3 dollars in singles on your normal commute and give it to the first person (or multiple if you have more money) you see who asking and is in need. Try your best to give with an open heart regardless of what you think it will be used for. At the end of the day it will be well worth it and I’m pretty sure you wont miss those few Starbucks coffee dollars.

“The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain… until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.” (Jane Adams)

Benjamin Muhammad is a rising junior at Hunter College in New York City studying Sociology with a minor in Art. He serves as a national advocate for current and former foster/ adopted youth. Email him at Bmuhamm@hunter.cuny.edu or follow him on Twitter @ BenjaminM_Jr

Congratulations! You Have A STD

By: Nicole Inniss

Young adults between the ages of 15-24 are having sex like its running out of style. Today I’m here bearing gifts; let’s see how much they enjoy them.

[*Name was changed for privacy purposes.]

Monday, July 23, 2012 3:30PM

My mother sits at the edge of my bed wrapped in a terry cloth throw. We are in mid discussion of something I can no longer remember. I’m excited she is back home. Having her gone for a week, enjoying her vacation made me miss her; miss her nagging about my lack of cleaning; miss home cooked meals; miss our nightly conversations. I was thoroughly enjoying my Monday off.

Monday July 23, 2012 3:44PM

Jason* calls me. He never calls. Always texts. He hates phone calls. I answer the phone. He says hello. I can hear the nervousness in his voice. There’s a slight hesitation that he doesn’t want to say the next words that will be coming out of his mouth.

“I have gonorrhea. You should go get checked.”

I think I’m hearing him improperly. My mother is looking at me, wondering why my facial expression changed. My poker face techniques are obviously not working. I’m not sure what to say, especially in front of my mother. I simply say okay and hang up.

Mom waits for me to tell her what happened. I say nothing. She inquires. I jokingly tell her to mind her business and excuse myself from my room.

Once outside I feel the anger boiling from the pit of my stomach up to my lungs. If he was in my presence I’m sure I would hurt him. I’d like to hurt him. I immediately call a friend. Explain the situation. Vent. She reassures me he is a scumbag. I feel slightly better and am ready to speak with him.

 Monday July 23, 2012 4:30PM

I call him back.

Me: Sorry I couldn’t talk; my mom was in the room.

Jason: Yeah it’s cool. So, I just got checked today, thought I should call you.

Me: I mean, thanks. I thought you got checked in March and everything was good. How many people are you sleeping with?

Jason: Enough.

My blood started to boil.

Me: Hm. Yeah. I mean, Jason, we both knew what our situation was and I was cool with it, but if you were going to be having sex with A LOT of other people you should have let me know. I mean there were several reasons why I could never date you, but this is something I just didn’t expect.

Jason: Yeah, well everyone is blaming me, yet someone gave it to me so-

Me: You are absolutely right Jason. I’m not blaming you. I know we both made a decision, so yeah I won’t make this more awkward then it needs to be.

 Clicks.

I was horrified to say the least. I thought I had done all the right things. I asked if he got checked. I got checked shortly after I broke up with my ex-boyfriend. He said he was clean and I was clean so there was no problem, right? I was on the pill, so no babies here. We had a conversation. We discussed just me and him or no me at all. Not because I wanted him exclusively, I didn’t even really want to date him. I just wanted to avoid this. I thought I was doing the responsible thing. But, in reality I wasn’t.

According to the Center for Disease and Control Prevention, young adults ages 15-24 have four times the rate of catching gonorrhea and chlamydia then the rest of the population. This can probably be attributed to the fact that many of us have an invincibility complex that is causing us to think it can never happen to us. We may hear stories, but those people have sex with people who “look like they may have something,” or guys who “don’t pull out in time,” but we just aren’t the type to be affected.

News flash for us all: we can and if we don’t shape up, we will. I’m living proof that even if you ask the right questions, the actions are more important. Use condoms, don’t just relay on someone’s words.

Sitting in that waiting room, the next day, not knowing if I had gonorrhea  or even worse, something not curable, was a horrible feeling. If we are going to engage in adult behavior we need to engage in adult prevention.

Let’s learn from the statistics instead of being them.

Nicole Inniss is a senior at Syracuse University studying magazine journalism. You can contact her at nainniss@gmail.com or tweet her @nicole_inniss. Website coming soon!

Agreeing to Disagree.

By: Gaetane Maurice 

“I don’t know when it happened, but while I wasn’t looking, the definition of “disagreement” changed. It now means “hate.” - Jeannine Davis

We all know that Chick-fil-A is a Christian run organization. That is not news. We all know that Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays. That is not news either. So why is it that when the President of Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy, openly states that he is a supporter of heterosexual unions, as opposed to gay marriage, we find that to be news? Chik-fil-A did not refuse service to gay people; they did not discriminate and Cathy did not state that he hated gays. This man voiced his opinion, just as we do on our Twitter accounts, Facebook accounts and blogs every day and is now being scrutinized for it.

In light of Cathy’s comments, the world of social media has been in an uproar. People who agree and disagree are taking to social networks to weigh in on the situation. It disgusts me how hateful of a people that we are. I find it ironic how people defend the rights of the gays, but in doing so impose on the rights of others. I thought that the battle to be won here was for everyone to have equal rights? Cathy’s comment was neither rude nor degrading. He stated what he believed. Is it not his right to believe whatever he chooses to believe? In reaction to Cathy’s comment, people from all around the country have decided to boycott Chick-fil-A. I think many fail to realize that Cathy was just one of the first to openly state his opinion. What if the president of Nike stated that he also didn’t agree with gay marriage? Or, (God forbid) the CEO of Apple stated he was also against it? Would we boycott them too? I feel that if people are going to boycott Chick-fil-A, a little research needs to be done and all companies that don’t agree with your views need to be boycotted; just to be fair.

I love gay people. I’m opposed to gay marriage. I have gay friends. They know I love them. I don’t agree with their lifestyle.

via dosomething.org

Raise your eyebrows all you want; the same way you have the right to believe and support whatever you want, are the same rights that I have, and the same rights that Dan Cathy has. We get so wrapped up in media frenzy that some people fail to realize that.

I know that there are some hateful people in this world and terrible things have been done to the gay community. I do not agree with gay bashing and it turns my stomach to think of the numerous hate crimes that are committed against the gay community every day. All I ask is that you don’t automatically lump people like Dan Cathy and me into a category of hatred; just because I disagree with you does not mean that I hate you.

Gaetane Maurice is a senior at Liberty University studying print journalism with a minor in pre-law. You can contact her at gee.maurice@gmail.com or tweet her at @Gaetane_Maurice.

Looking Up.

By: Adam Jones

via worldofstock.com

I heard it all the time growing up: “you can be anything you want to be…if you work hard, you can do whatever you want to do…nothing is impossible.” While I’m glad my family, teachers, mentors, and friends took the time to tell me that I was capable of doing great things, those words usually fell on deaf ears. I have to admit, I’m a slow learner; I usually have to see things for myself in order for me to consider them true. Lucky for me, this has been a summer of being struck over the head, so to speak, with proof. Not that I or those closest to me need my hard dying skepticism to be reinforced, but I’m not sure how I would have been able to conceptualize my dreams unless I received this proof that I desperately needed.

As you may be able to tell based on the previous blogs on Brooklyn Expression, this summer has been one of great opportunity for my fellow interns and me. From trips to the South African Consulate, to FELA! on Broadway, and time put in with community service, I have had the honor and the privilege to meet people who were not only successful, but more importantly inspirational. Everywhere I have gone this summer, I’ve seen people who have pursued their dreams until they were captured. There was Fela Kuti, the Nigerian musician who not only made a career of making the music that he loved, but also fought to his death for the freedom of his people.

South Africa’s Miss Lira proved to me that if you feel the convictions of your dreams strongly enough, you cannot help but to pursue them. Beginning her early adulthood as an accountant, she decided one day that she could no longer live her life in the absence of music, took a leap of faith on her dreams, and is now a multi-platinum recording artist. And then there were the students of Toledo Excel, the scholarship incentive program out of Toledo, Ohio. Each and every one of these students was actively pursuing their dreams of attending college, many of them defying the odds by doing so. Regardless of odds, they all had the strength and the will to put themselves in the position for great things to happen to them, and that truly is amazing to see from such young people.

From all of these images of success, I learned two things: everyone who told me that I could do whatever it is that I want was and is right (the same goes for everyone), and that a large part of following dreams is positivity. While positive images may be hard to come by given your situation/what it is that you are trying to accomplish, they are vital to success; a dream is not much more than a thought without a comprehensive vision. After this summer, I vowed that I would attempt to surround myself with the positive thinking and positive role models that I need to accomplish all that I would like to. And sometimes inspiration comes in unconventional forms; I never thought that I could receive such inspiration from a Broadway play, or even high school students. But when inspiration comes, you have to be open and ready to receive; your return might be larger than you ever expected.

Adam Jones is a sophomore at Brandeis University studying neuroscience and music. You can contact him at ajones15@brandeis.edu or tweet him @FirstAdamJones.