Julia O’Hara, Period 1, 10/20/21

Goal Setting and Growth

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

Right now I am extremely busy. Trying to juggle soccer everyday, homework, studying for tests, as well as writing college essays and completing college applications is a big struggle. My main goal throughout all of this is to not let myself get overwhelmed and to keep pushing forward. I want to make sure I am able to put 100% effort into everything I do and try my best even though it may be hard to complete everything. I have always been the type of person who does their work the second they are assigned to it but lately with my busy schedule I have not done that. For the rest of the year I hope to be able to get back to that and stay completely on track with everything. 

How do you demonstrate resilience (the ability to recover quickly from setbacks) towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

I have started to make a list of everything that I want to complete each day. Even if something isn’t due that day, I make my own due date for them. Writing everything down in my planner is something that helps me visualize the amount of work I have to do and when exactly I should complete it. However, there are days where I have setbacks and I am not able to follow this schedule. The best thing I do is to not let myself get too stressed and overwhelmed. Although this may be hard to do, I have to realize that there is no benefit in stressing out and that I should keep pushing forward. 

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? 

The world around me affects my perception of these goals because I realize that everyone that surrounds me also has their own individual goals that they are trying to achieve. No matter what your goals are and no matter how well or bad you are doing, the world goes on. No one else knows your internal thoughts and aspirations and even if they did, they probably would not think too much about it because they are worrying about their own issues.Therefore, after looking at the world around me I realize that I should not let anyone influence what I can and cannot accomplish. I also realize that your environment greatly shapes the goals you want to reach. At tech I feel like we all push each other to strive very high and to never give up. 

Isabella Ng, Period 1, 10/28/21

Villanelle for Persephone

There are spring girls weeping in your red hands,

In Narcissus fields, in soul-soaked seas--

Old enough to learn, too young to understand. 

A daughter swallowed into untamed lands,

Where he waits in the silence to seize--

There are spring girls weeping in your red hands. 

An innocence smeared by violent hands,

The guilty taste of a pomegranate seed--

Old enough to learn, too young to understand. 

Even the earth aches under burning lands, 

A mother’s ragged grief, her desperate plea-- 

There are spring girls weeping in your red hands.

Her missing voice echoes winter’s span,

Just a few more months until she’s free--

Old enough to learn, too young to understand. 

Coerced to endure, to brave, to withstand,

We have no choice but to let the blood be. 

There are spring girls weeping in your red hands--

Old enough to learn, too young to understand. 

(The story of Demeter and Persephone presents an interesting question-- who is truly in the wrong? Is Demeter at fault for being an overbearing mother, or is Hades to blame for his actions? In this villanelle, I take Demeter's side and analyze the inherent violence in Persephone and Hades's love story and how it might've affected Persephone, who suddenly had to grow up very quickly.)

ReplyForward

 

Rayhan Mohammed, Period 7, 10/29/2021

Rayhan Mohammed, Period 7, 10/28/2021

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

I feel like I have an awkward relationship with time. There is a fear that I harbor, that one day many years or decades in the future I will feel like I have missed out on something, or that I will not have lived a life of value and that I will have wasted my time. While I have often pondered what exactly a meaningful life is, and who gets to decide that, I think I get to find out. I get to find my meaning and make my life worthwhile. One specific way I want to do this is through my career plans: I intend to become a data scientist. I had always previously been very worried about choosing a career as nothing seemed to inspire me. I couldn’t understand how people just knew what they wanted to do with their lives, or just felt like there was a certain pathway they belonged on. This was part of what brought on my fear of wasting my life. However, I have recently come to see the field of data science as something that I enjoy and fulfills me, and taking steps towards getting a career in data science is something I can do as a definitive step to make sure that I live a life that I am proud of. I do appreciate the fact that my search for meaning has led me to a field where the goal is to find meaning and provide insight.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

The college application process can be stressful, and the field of data science can be a difficult one. Like many other fields, the hardest part is starting. It is very easy to get lost when you first begin, as it is much harder to correct your mistakes when you have no idea what you did wrong. I haven’t really even begun to delve into the technical world of data science, and it is indeed a vast world, but I am going to make sure that it doesn’t intimidate me. When looking at the data and computer science curriculums of the colleges I am applying to, a lot of the materials and classes seem challenging and almost foreign, but I know that I will be prepared to tackle them. I am confident in my ability to fail something at first, but to persist and learn from what I did previously, and that is something that I will need here. I also think that is a credit to this school, since this is the first place in my years of going to school where I have been very bad at something in the start, namely learning Russian, and have had to keep working and bounce back.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

Like I mentioned before, I do try to get a lot of my motivation and meaning from within. However, I do think my impact on those around me is important. I think that people who help others benefit from it themselves, in a mental and spiritual way, even if the act itself is very selfless. Only benefitting myself is part of what I think would make me feel like I’m wasting myself, since I’ll usually feel better doing something for someone else rather than myself. My family are also a huge part of my plans, motivation, and meaning. I think that my parents are great motivators for me, and it is important for me to make them proud as well. My dad is someone who has had it much harder than I ever have, and I owe it to him to work tirelessly at whatever I set my mind to, much like he does. My mom and my dad have been very supportive, not forcing me to pursue anything and instead encouraging me to seek out the things that provide meaning to my life, which has led me to the path I am on right now. That is something that I will always be thankful for.

Kenneth Roman, Period 8, 10/29/21

Kenneth Roman 

Period 8 

10/29/21

Modern Mythology 2022

Goal Setting & Growth:

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

At this point in time, a goal I have set for myself is that I want to just be able to finish all my college applications for myself and also I want to actually get accepted into those colleges.  Have these goals for myself because I want to be able to do a job that I actually find fun interesting. The Major I want to do in a College is Aerospace Engineering because I get to design rockets and equipment that goes into space and I want to be able to be a part of that. Another short-term goal I have is to just finish this week off and be able to go to bed on Saturday without having to worry about anything. I have this goal because it shouldn’t be a very hard goal to get to and having easy goals in life lets you live a little lighter rather than having everything weighing down on you at once.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

I demonstrate resilience towards these goals by always trying to keep going towards them. For example, I have been taking mostly Physics classes since I got here at Staten Island Technical Highschool and I have kept up with them because I am passionate about wanting to design and build my own devices that go up to space, I’m passionate about helping us get to Mars, and I’m passionate about what I want to do with my life. I am demonstrating resilience right now to finish the week because I haven’t given up yet and burned out I have kept going even though I have so much to do for all my college applications.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

The World around me affects my perception of this goal by everyone around me already having pretty much everything done already while I still have stuff that I need to complete. It puts me into a panicked state of mind but I know that as long as I keep on doing everything that I need to do I will finish the week, I will get accepted into a college with my Major, I will become an Aerospace Engineer. But the world around me also shows something else that I can do whatever I want and I can change the world to make it how I want it. I can get us to the moon, I can make a Rocket out of cardboard, I can do whatever I want. I see the world as malleable to be crafted into something I want to see it as.

Udantha Panditha , Period 8, 10/27/21

Udantha Panditha , Period 8, 10/27/21

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

One of the biggest goals for me, but probably for a lot of other people, is completing my college application and getting into the colleges of my choice. Obviously, the actions that I make now determine the next four years of my life, which makes this process extremely daunting. Even more so, the deadline is November 1st, which is not too far away. Honestly, this makes it harder to refine my supplements, but I have gone through the effort to research ways to write essays, and ask my friends for feedback.  I hope that my applications go through and I get into the college I wanted.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

To be honest, l feared that I would be procrastinating a lot, but thankfully I have gotten my act together and completed most of the supplemental essays and financial documents. To be fair, I thought I would be able to easily breeze at least one short answer in an hour or less, but all the supplementals made me think, and I would always get extra thoughts in my head that would tell me “Eh that doesn’t really sound right, you can do better than that.” or friend feedback that wanted to change a significant part  of said essay. To prevent me from being distracted, I closed every other tab except for the tab for my application, and set a timer to see how much progress I made per 30 minutes. I think this paid off, and this is the same thing I do when I have to study for an important exam

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

When I looked over my essays, I had some serious self reflections, not only on college, but rather my life as whole, specifically how I write things. Looking at the base of a template gave me a sense as to how my paragraphs flowed, and what the admissions officers were really asking for. Feedback from my friends showed me potential flaws in my writing, and I applied a lot of their criticism into my essays, which actually made me feel better about them, because I normally don’t feel great about them. Their positive comments honestly helped me think that I was stepping in the right direction.

 

Shirely Mei, Period 7, 10/28/21

 Shirley Mei

Period 7

10/28/2021

Modern Mythology 2022

• Goal Setting & Growth

• At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

• How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?) 

• How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

1. At this current point in time, a specific goal I have for myself is to become more sustainable and eco-friendly. I want to be a more sustainable individual because I am a passionate individual when it comes to environmental issues. I am very involved in advocating for the environment and finding ways to incorporate sustainability into my everyday lifestyle. Some specific goals I have for myself are trying to shop locally and incorporating reusable items into my lifestyle. I chose these two specific goals because they are small steps to gradually becoming more involved in sustainability. They are goals that are not unattainable and are within reach that I could build off in the future as I become more involved.

2. I demonstrate resilience towards achieving my goals by being consistent in working towards them. As in my first goal to shop more locally, I try to go to farmer’s markets at least once every 2 weeks to obtain produce. I know that the produce grown doesn’t use harmful chemicals and reduce emissions into the environment as they travel locally rather than overseas. This helps reduce the carbon footprint and supports farmers who work on smaller-scale farms. As for finding more reusable options in my lifestyle, I attempt to find reusable options over disposable options. Considering small things like cotton pads, razors, water bottles, and more goes a long way. As I purchase produce I bring my own reusable grocery bags. This allows me to avoid using plastic bags to carry each produce item individually. It reduces the amount of plastic usage in single use plastic wraps for fruits like bananas. I avoid buying drinks using plastic bottles and such especially when it comes to coffee where you are given a plastic cup every time. I want to work for my goal through small changes by eliminating plastic usage and finding sustainable alternatives.

3. The world around me affects my perception of my goal negatively as I am constantly told that a singular individual would not do much for the environment. As many people have told me, I feel as if it is an excuse they use to reassure their behavior. Although many do not believe a singular person could make a difference they fail to acknowledge the water usage throughout their behaviors. A singular 1-liter water bottle takes 7 liters of water to produce. Reducing the number of water bottles a person consumes by simply one a day could make an impact on our environment. Although the world has negatively affected my perception of my goal, it has also helped me reach out to others. I am able to educate and inform others about the importance of sustainability and encourage others to adapt small changes to their everyday lives. 

Lauren Peysakhova, Period 8, 10/28/2021

Lauren Peysakhova

PD 8

10/28/2021

Modern Mythology 2022

Literacy & Learning

1. Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or nonfiction covered in class.

    As a mythology enthusiast, I have always loved reading different stories about the past and how

different cultures thought the world was created or formed. Specifically, in middle school, I

focused a lot on Greek and Roman mythology, to understand the creation of Rick Riordan’s book

series. With this said, I really enjoy the pieces that we are reading in class right now. My favorite

work so far has been the story of Prometheus and how he gave fire to the humans, regardless of

what Zeus told him. I think that the titan is an interesting character because he rebelled against

Cronus to get justice for the Gods, but then Prometheus also rebelled against Zeus to get justice

for the humans. Prometheus has been repeatedly punished for his actions, however he continues

to hold his head high and is known for following his morals. Because of his high morals, it is

evident that Prometheus will do what needs to be done in order to ensure justice. Looking back at

a class discussion that we had, most would agree that it is better to be remembered for something

important or not at all than to be remembered for something bad. Prometheus is a great example

of a hero who is well remembered for his honorary actions with both the Gods and the humans,

although he did suffer a lot.

2. Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how

that learning influences your critical perception.

    In this class, we talked a lot about the feminist perspective. In olden days, most stories were

written by men, who often looked down upon women. Thus, when we review fairytales or

mythological passages, the audience can notice how the females in the story are villainized or

deemed irrelevant. For instance, in the Cinderella fairy tales we looked at, we saw that the

Cinderella in the story was always described as beautiful and had a lot of chores to complete

around the house. In addition to that, in the Greek myths that we have discussed, women such as

Io or Europa are taken advantage of by Zeus, because although he is superior to them in terms of

hierarchy, he does not treat them as equal or respectable women. Zeus strings the women along

and as soon as his wife finds out that he is cheating on her with other women, the other women's

lives are ruined. They are then condemned to being turned into animals or hiding away.

Furthermore, Hera is also villainized in the stories. She is portrayed as a controlling wife who is

unreasonable for getting angry at Zeus for cheating on her, whereas in reality, we know that it is

practical for Hera to be upset and to lash out.

3. How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

    Looking at what we learned in class, I have learned to delve deeper into other texts and movies

to look at anti-heroes and how our perception of a hero can evolve with a culture. One real world

connection I made with this idea is the day of Italian-American heritage day. In previous years,

the community celebrated this day instead as Columbus day because we honored Christopher

Columbus as a hero for discovering America. But, as we learned more about how he treated the

Native Americans and his true part in the discovery of America, society stopped recognizing him

as a hero and instead recognized the Native Americans. In addition to the evolution of cultures,

looking at movies I watch, I applied what I learned to characterize the actors as anti-heroes or

tragic heroes. In Frozen, Elsa is initially seen as the antagonist, the queen who cannot control her

powers and will ruin the kingdom. But as time progresses, we see that Elsa is really just worried

for everyone and she ends up saving the kingdom, making her an anti-hero. In The Godfather,

Michael Corleone is also portrayed as an anti-hero because he makes some bad choices to protect

the family. Michael had the ability to escape the family business and live life lavishly, but after

taking some risks to protect the Don, Michael gets involved in the illegal and dangerous

business, but he does what he does to protect those who he loves.

Alvin Mei, Period 8, 10/27/2021

 Alvin Mei

Period 8

10/27/2021

Modern Mythology 2022

• Goal Setting & Growth

• At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why? Coding

• How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?) 

• How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

My main goal is to overcome my own urges to procrastinate and to write an excellent essay that will get me into top tier colleges.During the summer, my friends that I hung out with started to worry about their college applications. One of them began their application and essay early, and that made me realize that I would have to do the same soon. Despite my friend reassuring me that it was fine for me to do it later, I was still anxious about my college applications, and I swore that I would start it before school started. Fast forward to the end of September, I haven't started it yet. When I realized that a lot of people had at least started their essays, I put together a list of colleges that I wanted to attend. I started my essay shortly after putting together a list, and I believed that the essay would be quick to write and complete. I was proven wrong when I actually started my essay. I brainstormed for ideas and found none. I had no clue what to write about, so I thought to myself, “ah, screw it” and stopped working on it. I procrastinated until I realized that I have to start working on it if I really wanted a good essay. I’d have an intense writing session for a day, then I decide that I’ll work on it later this week. When the day arrives, I decide that I’ll work on it later and later until I read my essay again and decide it’s not good enough. I throw away the old essay and go through another intense writing session, and this cycles through multiple essays.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?) 

As the deadline approaches, I’ve been slowly but steadily increasing the time I spend on my essay. I’ve been prioritizing my time at home to the essay, and I’ve been trying to save time at home by doing my homework whenever I have free time at school. Not only that, but I’ve decided that my first draft definitely does not need to be perfect, as this concern was a major source in why I procrastinated in the essay. I’d give up halfway and decide to scrap it and write another one. I decided to just find an idea that resonates with me and to stick with it until the bitter end. Of course, I also try to have fun. I don’t think that dedicating all your time to slaving away at an essay is healthy or good for the writing quality of my essay. It is still important for me to enjoy senior life, while putting aside the proper time to work on my essay.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

In school, I would often ask people where they were in their college apps, how their scores and extracurriculars were to compare myself to them. People around me were talking about their ambitions to attend Brown or Cornell, and I’d be disheartened to find out how behind I was with some people, be it essays or extracurriculars. I constantly compare myself to others and that demotivated me from working on my applications. I procrastinated more when I was hit with a rut of demotivation. I’m thankful that one of my friends spotted my behavior and told me “stop comparing yourself”. I realized that it was unhealthy for me to be constantly comparing myself to others, and that really, I should be going at my own pace and not become demotivated by other people.

Ashley Ng, Period 8, 10/25/21

Ashley Ng

Period 8

10/25/21

Modern Mythology 2022

Goal Setting & Growth:

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

At this point in time, my goals can be grouped into one of three categories. Doing all I can to secure my academic future, growing into my new responsibilities outside of school, and making the most of my senior year. I'd say that everything I do falls under these categories. The first goal of securing my academic future has been my top priority ever since middle school. I chased top grades in all my classes and studied like my life depended on it. In a way, it did. To my parents, who built themselves up from nothing but hard work, it was the only way to succeed. Now, the window of opportunity for the other aspects of my college application has long since passed. My transcript, recommendation letters, community service, and extracurriculars are now all out of my hands. My focus is now on my college essays. It's a source of stress because no matter what I do, my words never seem to be enough. I'm in this endless loop of writing, rewriting, and then deleting. As the early admissions deadline looms near, I'm going to have to make an executive decision to commit to my words. The next goal of growing into new responsibilities outside of school is in progress. Balancing my part-time job on the weekend and my new responsibilities at home is difficult, but rewarding. I have less time to myself but I'm always learning life skills that would come in handy when I'm on my own in college. In fact, I believe this is why my parents are encouraging me to take on these responsibilities. The closest college on my list is still hours away from home and my parents worry about me, as all parents do. I hope to learn as much as I can before leaving the nest. And my third goal is the result of quarantine. Remote learning was rough, both for my academics and my extracurriculars. I'd watch old color guard videos for inspiration but there wasn't much documentation before the pandemic. It was disheartening because I didn't start putting myself out there in extracurriculars until my sophomore year. With my sophomore year interrupted by the pandemic, there was so little time I dedicated to color guard and not enough pictures/videos to show for it. Since the start of this year, all of us returning members in the guard make it a point to document every milestone with enough pictures and videos to make up for the last two years. I hope to make enough memories with the color guard to look back fondly on my senior year. And as I'm typing this up on the bus to the state championships competition, I return to my camera roll and the shared Google Drive folder. As I scroll through, I think we have more than enough to remember our year by. 

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

There's always so much to do and not enough time to do it. And I love to pack my schedule until I barely have any free time to myself. With the crazy workload that comes with college applications and senior year coursework, prioritization is as important as ever. I have to pick and choose my battles, in a way. In some classes, I'm following along just fine and in others, I'm struggling. Sometimes I have to take a step back from an assignment or project and admit I need help. The hardest part for me would be swallowing my pride to ask someone (whose opinion I value) for help. I want to get top grades. I want to finish my college applications to their fullest (no regrets). And I want to do as much as I can in color guard. But I can't do all of that, so it's only through prioritization and relying on others that I can achieve as much as possible. 

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

The world around me affects my perception of my goals through the environment of a specialized high school and the quarantine. Overloading my schedule with STEM-based classes during my first two years of high school made me realize that I no longer enjoyed such classes. I was tired of mathematics and science, which made me realize I had STEM burnout. So when it came time to decide on a career path, I immediately crossed out the paths that required both. The pandemic, along with its remote learning period, has shaped my decision on my future career. I took a step back from what I was doing and realized, I can't make a living in an environment where all interaction is from a screen. I wouldn't be happy and I wouldn't last long in that kind of job. So this year, I make an effort to be as involved as possible in my classes because that's what I enjoy and that's going to be useful in business management.

Michelle Lu, Period 1, 10/26/21

 Goal  Setting  and  Growth: 

 -At  this  current  point  in  time,  what  specific  goal(s)  do  you  have  for  yourself?  Why? 

At  this  current  moment  in  time,  some  goals  that  I  aim  to  achieve  for  myself  are  better  time  management and  staying  motivated.  As  we  trudge  back  to  the  realm  of  in-person  learning,  the  privilege  and  ease  that accompanied  remote  learning  seemed  like  a  distant  past.  At  this  current  moment,  I  feel  as  if  a  giant boulder  is  weighing  me  down  as  I’m  drowning  in  the  constant  appearance  of  deadlines  and  homework assignments.  Additionally,  with  the  onset  of  college  applications,  that  weight  is  multiplied.  Almost  every day  right  after  school,  I  would  ritualistically  head  home  just  to  sit  at  my  desk  for  hours  working  on  the plethora  of  assignments.  Furthermore,  as  I  continuously  work  well  into  the  night,  I  find  myself  to  be deprived  of  the  necessary  amount  of  sleep.  As  these  monotonous  and  taxing  days  go  on,  it  is  becoming increasingly  difficult  for  me  to  stay  focused  and  keep  going.  Nevertheless,  I  tell  myself  that  there  is  light at  the  end,  so  I  aim  to  stay  motivated  to  be  able  to  get  through  this  time. Additionally,  I  do  not  wish  to  be under  constant  pressure  and  stress  from  the  work  that  is  going  to  pile  up  and  be  stuck  at  my  desk  till nightfall  every  day,  so  I  hope  to  learn  to  better  manage  my  time.

- How  do  you  demonstrate  resilience  towards  achieving  this  goal?  (or  these  goals?) 

I  demonstrate  resilience  towards  adopting  better  time  management  through  learning  to  prioritize  and becoming  aware.  Rather  than  trying  to  accomplish  everything  in  one  sitting,  which  leads  to  the  burnt-out sensation,  I  learned  to  try  to  prioritize  my  work  and  schedule  them  in  a  way  that  will  allow  me  to  get through  them  smoothly.  Additionally,  through  becoming  aware  of  what  I  have  on  my  hand,  I  attempt  to devoid  myself  of  the  feeling  of  regret  and  stress  as  I  try  to  avoid  the  practice  of  procrastination.  In  terms of  staying  motivated,  I  try  to  direct  my  mindset  and  outlook  towards  a  state  of  positivity.  By  thinking  of the  possible  outcomes  that  will  be  the  result  of  my  hard  work  and  dedication,  I  am  able  to  push  through despite  the  variety  of  difficulties.

-  How  does  the  world  around  you  affect  your  perception  of  this  goal?  (or  these  goals?) 

Being  surrounded  by  my  fellow  peers  at  Tech  as  they  work  towards  their  goals  and  dreams  inspires  me  to stay  motivated.  Driven  by  the  competitive  atmosphere  and  everyone's’ diligence,  I  aim  to  stay  on  the  right track  and  reach  beyond  the  imaginable.  As  I  enter  my  last  year  of  high  school,  the  idea  of  the  unknown future,  the  thought  of  “making  it”  in  the  real  world,  and  all  the  expectations  from  family  members  frighten and  put  increasing  pressure  on  me.  Nonetheless,  because  the  future  derives  from  now,  I  attempt  to  turn those  negative  emotions  into  a  source  of  fuel.  Rather  than  focusing  on  the  unobtainable,  I  focus  on  the endless  possibilities  that  could  occur  as  I  trudge  towards  that  unforeseeable  future.

Dimitri Markoglu, Period 7, 10/26/2021

Goal Setting & Growth

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

    As Common App deadlines draw closer and closer, I am increasingly focused on

completing writing prompts for colleges and universities. Although my current goal is to

construct the Magna Carta of college essays, once I have done so I plan to direct my focus toward

music production.

    I listen to nearly 5 hours of music each day, whether or not that is healthy for the human

brain I am not sure, but I am sure of one thing: music is a deep passion of mine. My most played

artist is Jarad Higgins—better known as Juice Wrld. What attracts me to Jarad’s music, aside

from his freestyling ability, are the unique melodies which he rhymes over. Nick Mira, Jarad’s

producer, has an incredible ability to create melodic instrumentals that sound far different from

those of his competition. I aspire to become the next Nick Mira, and to one day collaborate with

platinum status Hip Hop Artists just as he has.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

    School, hockey, and college applications leave me with little time to hone my production

skills during the daytime. As a result, I work on creating instrumentals at night, after all my

work has been completed for the day. Even with all the obstacles, I still manage to get in a few

hours of production practice throughout the week whenever I can. So far, I have taken small, yet

important, steps toward making my dream come true such as downloading the best Digital

Audio Workstation (DAW) software I could find (FL Studio, for those wondering), as well as

studying videos from Nick Mira’s personal YouTube channel where he records his creation

process for each beat. I will continue to study FL Studio and the beat-making process of Nick

Mira until I can produce work of the same caliber.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

    Telling people your goal is to be a music producer for rappers is usually met with a laugh,

then a look of confusion, and finally one of embarrassment as they realize you weren't joking. I

am aware this goal of mine seems ludacris and far out of reach, but I am willing to give it a try

and at least attempt to succeed in doing something I love. Although the world’s opinion of my

goal works to push it further and further away from me, I will not let it go until I have had a fair

shot at music production. I stand unfazed by the opinions of others—only after I have given it

my all will I throw in the towel on my dream. 

Christopher Nguyen, Period 8, 10/26/21

Christopher Nguyen

Period 8

10/26/2021

Modern Mythology 2022

Creativity & Fiction

Hanahaki Disease

Yearning encompasses the fruits of desire, but before fruit there must be flowers.  Petals of corrosion devour the mind, heart, and lungs.  What is the fate of those who choose to be lost in their want, who choose to persevere in their lovesickness?  Foolish bravery is only followed by needless mourning, yet the human heart continues to defy its own confines, risking death at odd turns.  Bleak flowers, bleached white and void of saturation is all that would come in the end.  How is it that people are allowed to wallow in self pity, yet be the cause of their own adversity?  Like a burning ember, the human will is free, yet fleeting altogether. 

Seungkwan was a twenty three year old Korean male idol singer gifted with all the skills an extrovert would be proud of.  The man was an average height of 5’9”, yet could only be described by all those around him as jarringly beautiful.  Bleached ash grey hair framed his small, v-line face like a halo to the deities above.  A thin frame and pale, toned body synthesized some of his features, accentuating his unrivaled delicate-looking face.  He would smile at those he walked past, emitting a golden warmth rivaled by only the sun.  His vocal capabilities were unmatched, characterized by melodies which seemed to rival an angel’s choir.  Yet, for all of his ethereal qualities, Seungkwan was crashing as a fallen angel, an extinguished star, a wilting flower.

How?  How can a bright constellation transform into a mere void, a grey, empty space?  Is it the wrath of the gods above and below taking their envy at such a perfect individual?  No, not even they could smite such beauty.  The undoing of a radiant sun could only be the result of itself.  Just like the bright celestial beings in space are eventually put out from their own will to live, Seungkwan was robbed by his desire to love, to love strongly and fiercely.  However, intense yearning captured in an unbreakable cage can result in one thing: burn out.  

The object he lusted for was none other than his fellow idol group member, Mingyu.  A year older, tall, and muscular, yet with a personality reminiscent of a puppy, Mingyu’s angular face and boyish behavior captivated all who glanced at him.  Seungkwan mentally begged to be held by the 6’2” male’s broad frame, yet could not voice his wants out loud.  Mingyu was there for him since early childhood, and they spent the entirety of their lives together.  The time they spent, however, was under the label of close friends, practically brothers.  There was no point of confessing when failure was predetermined.  Love can bloom in myriads of ways, after all.  It can bloom into fruit and bear harvest, or wither into decay, as a heaving breath overpowers a fading spirit.  

To love is to die, but why is it that the taste of blood suddenly tastes so sweet?  Every thought of Mingyu caused a warm pool to fill in Seungkwan’s stomach, scorching him from inside out.  Daydreams of wishful kisses led Seugkwan’s lips to bleed crimson, but how could he stop when the metallic taste in his mouth was brought by petals of adoration.  Over time, though, these petals would choke the poor, pining fellow to his death, surrounded by nothing but neverending scarlet carnations.  The language of flowers would be there to haunt Seungkwan forever, his shaky breaths exuding indications of a final day approaching.  As such, to love is to not be enough.  Euphoria from devoting oneself to another without reciprocation can only last so long, and once that fades, a grave of chrysanthemums will take its place.  

Alex Liu, Period 1, 10/22/21

“Always have a goal in mind, boy.” My dad used to say that to me (in different variations) every morning as I eat breakfast. But up until recently I never really understood why my dad would take the effort to wake up every morning to say that to me. At one point, I even thought he was saying that just to annoy me. That was because I never realized the importance of a goal. I thought goals were useless. I thought they were just tasks that a person would assign to themselves, kind of like self-created homework. This misunderstanding followed me as I grew up. It was only until COVID washed over the whole planet, trapping me at home with no motivation to do any work whatsoever did I finally grasp the message that my dad was trying to convey to me. A goal, although is a task that you put on yourself, is a path with a grand destination for one to achieve what they desire. Goals are very important as without them, we would just be aimless and tick off our time in waste.


“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not people or things...”- Albert Einstein


At this current point in time, my goal is to get better at basketball. I’ve loved watching the NBA ever since I was a kid. In every game, I am amazed by how people, who are human just like me, can move the ball around like that. But I have always been bad. Every time I play against my friends, I would lose 9 times out of 10. But my love for basketball far outweighs my hatred for being bad and losing. So, I continue to strive towards that eventual destination, even though there is a chance that I might never make it there.


“There will be obstacles, there will be doubters, there will be mistakes...But with hard work, there will be no limits,” said Michael Phillips.


Despite all the ridicule, the insults, I wake up every morning at 5:30 AM to go to the park and practice. Every night, I would get a few shots in before my mom would get my brother to drag me home. But like what Michael Phillip said, there will be obstacles and doubters. It’s hard to maintain persistence and resilience when the improvement is barely visible, when the results are always the same. For a while, I was my biggest doubter, not the people around me. But, like a machine, I continued to drag myself out there and practice. “Tired is in the mind,” my favorite NBA player, Lebron James, once said. Every talented person is constantly pushing themselves to the limits, so why can’t I?

And now, my hard work starting to pay off. I no longer am missing easy shots when I play, and I even am starting to win games against my “talented” friends. But that’s nowhere near enough. I am aiming to get even better.

Even though I strive towards my goal due to my love for basketball, there is another reason why I push myself so hard. It is because of the world around me. In this society, only those talented are favored, and those who aren’t special, are cast away. The clearest example I see right now is the college admissions process. The students with the most qualifications are accepted, and those whose applications are nothing special are rejected. That is how society works. This factor influences my goal because being good is always better than bad. Being a little more special is always better than being not special at all. That is why I strive so hard to get better at basketball. I want to be special in something that I love while creating a purpose to get up every morning.

Nicholas Lombardo,10/24/21, Period 1

Goal Setting & Growth

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

The largest goal I have set for myself currently is to get into one of my top colleges. Going to a great college has always been a dream of mine since getting accepted into Staten Island Tech. I choose to strive towards this goal because of the unique opportunities these colleges could provide for me as an engineer. Top colleges provide elite academic programs and are filled with some of the brightest students in the world. These connections and alumni would open doors for me to top engineering positions. If I do get in I believe I could start a better engineering career than I would otherwise. 

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

This large and ambitious goal I set for myself is a culmination of many smaller goals I set throughout the years. From getting into Staten Island Tech, maintaining a positive GPA, or doing well on the SAT, I have been working towards this ultimate goal for years. Currently, I am in the middle stages of the college admissions process. This means I am busy writing and revising essays, getting recommendations from teachers, and researching colleges. My top choice right now is Princeton so I decided to do Restrictive Early Action there. This means I am applying early there but am not allowed to apply early to anywhere else. I am dedicated to submitting the best application I can by November 1st and leaving it up to fate after that.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

While getting into a prestigious university is a goal I hope to achieve I understand the odds are not in my favor. I am already in a school surrounded by diligent and hardworking students each striving to get into the university of their dreams. I am prepared for the possibility that I don’t get in and know I could still have a successful career and fulfilling life no matter where I go. My parents have helped towards this goal for the past seventeen years, but I have only recently begun to understand why. I have taken the goal they set for me and made it my own. I see many of my colleagues experiencing the same difficulties I am. It is a difficult balance to maintain between the college admissions process, school, and life.

ReplyForward

Ryan McDermott, Period 8, 10/22/2021

Ryan McDermott

10/22/21

Goal Setting and Growth

At this current point what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself?Why?

At this point my goals are focused on my future college endeavours. My main goals are to improve my grammar and writing skills, as well as my time management. I need to vastly improve on my writing skills due to the fact that college application due dates are fast approaching. Writing in an eloquent way is something I have struggled with. I will need to learn how to improve on this for my college essays. Additionally, I need to get better with time management. I feel like I  need to juggle my homework, my job and college applications to ensure I get everything done on time. This juggling of time has been something I have struggled with throughout my time at Staten Island Tech. Many times I would find myself choosing to play games instead of doing homework or studying. Which is why I need to work on my time management.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal?

I demonstrate resilience towards achieving my goal of time management by reducing my free time and by doing my school work in a more efficient manner. During the pandemic I found myself slacking off regularly. However, this year I worked on being more proactive by finding job opportunities, putting more effort into my homework and doing my college application process earlier.By writing my supplemental essays in addition to my common app essay, I feel like I have been improving on my writing skills. I am improving on my writing skills through peer review of my essays which has allowed me to fix grammatical errors. I often struggle with creating engaging essays, but by working with my cousin I have been able to craft essays that can actually hook the reader.

How does the world around affect your perception of your goal?

The world around me greatly affects the perception of my goals. For example, observing my peers work on their college applications has assisted in motivating me to work on them myself. Additionally, pressure from my parents and myself regarding the importance of college has made me put more importance on achieving my goals. This has caused me to actually start improving on my time management skills. This being the time of year that college applications are around the corner has made me think of these goals as way more significant than I did during the summer.

Ryan McDermott, Period 8, 10/22/2021

Goal Setting and Growth

At this current point what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

At this point my goals are focused on my future college endeavors. My main goals are to improve my grammar and writing skills, as well as my time management. I need to vastly improve on my writing skills due to the fact that college application due dates are fast approaching. Writing in an eloquent way is something I have struggled with. I will need to learn how to improve on this for my college essays. Additionally, I need to get better with time management. I feel like I  need to juggle my homework, my job and college applications to ensure I get everything done on time. This juggling of time has been something I have struggled with throughout my time at Staten Island Tech. Many times I would find myself choosing to play games instead of doing homework or studying. Which is why I need to work on my time management.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal?

I demonstrate resilience towards achieving my goal of time management by reducing my free time and by doing my school work in a more efficient manner. During the pandemic I found myself slacking off regularly. However, this year I worked on being more proactive by finding job opportunities, putting more effort into my homework and doing my college application process earlier. By writing my supplemental essays in addition to my common app essay, I feel like I have been improving on my writing skills. I am improving on my writing skills through peer review of my essays which has allowed me to fix grammatical errors. I often struggle with creating engaging essays, but by working with my cousin I have been able to craft essays that can actually hook the reader.

How does the world around affect your perception of your goal?

The world around me greatly affects the perception of my goals. For example, observing my peers work on their college applications has assisted in motivating me to work on them myself. Additionally, pressure from my parents and myself regarding the importance of college has made me put more importance on achieving my goals. This has caused me to actually start improving on my time management skills. This being the time of year that college applications are around the corner has made me think of these goals as way more significant than I did during the summer.

Annie Liang, Period 1, 10/21/21

Modern Mythology
Ms. Fusaro
10/21/21

Goal Setting & Growth

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?
    At this point, everything seems to be looming over me as deadlines seem to constantly appear. The weeks seem to drag on and everything has become one big blur of a day. In particular, this week has been emotionally draining as the swim team has been scheduled to have three meets, two of which are against the toughest teams on Staten Island. In class we discussed endurance and how Greek women endure in these myths as the act alone is difficult against the gods and their wrath, and truly, I feel the weight on my shoulders as my responsibilities are piling up with homework due, swim meets scheduled every other day, and my lack of sleep. Time seems to almost slip away from me every night as I either fall asleep at my desk or pass out on my bed when, originally, I promised myself I would only take a nap. My goal for the coming weeks is to endure. I want to continue enduring as it’s all I can do at the moment. No amount of planning will help me sit down and do the work, so I will continue to endure and see to it that I reach the light at the end of the tunnel.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)
    Demonstrating resilience toward achieving my goal is quite difficult when there always seems to be another challenge waiting for me, but I think my greatest strength is understanding my limits and knowing when enough is enough. Over the past year I’ve been working toward developing myself as an individual and one of the key lessons I’ve learned is the act of saying “no.” It sounds simple but it’s effective in helping me prioritize my school work when it needs to get done. I’m working on being more efficient, but in the meantime, I will continue to push on and get myself through the week.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)
    During my meet on Tuesday against Curtis High School, I could feel the low energy present among the entire team as we were all still drained from the week before. It was such a stark contrast to how we all felt a few weeks prior when the energy on the team was high and we were all excited to compete. My saving grace was the underclassmen who bring excitement and energy as we carpool or sit on the bleachers. They help lift the seniors as we all feel burdened with the college applications due soon on top of all our assignments. Though we won’t win every meet, they help keep the team morale up and motivate us to go into practice ready to work hard. The world around me is filled with supportive people that I’m glad to see daily. They help remind me of my dreams and keep me on track for all the goals I hope to achieve this year. Although I still have quite a bit to work on, my friends and family make my bad days bearable and my good days incredible.

Jason Lu, Period 7, 10/22/2021

Goal Setting  

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

I’m an Asian-American individual, cisgender, and bisexual. I’m currently questioning my identity as a demisexual.
I haven’t gone through the horrors that many people like me have, and I often feel guilty aligning myself with them when I’ve been so privileged. My parents are tolerant, and so are my friends. I haven’t gone through any particularly troubling experiences either.
I think this is part of the reason why I sympathize so much with the oppressed groups, though, by picturing my own life without these “good attributes”. Their pain is my pain, and I cannot bear to see innocent people suffer.
I do feel an immutable anger as well, however. It infuriates me to see people actively being an oppressor, and even more so when people turn a blind eye. When authorities pull a veil of ignorance over the general public, any power we had as individuals went out the window. When people downplay the difficulty the oppressed bear, my scalp itches with fury. As humans, we are blessed with compassion and intelligence, and possess the highest capability to advance out of any animal on this planet. And yet, we seem to have trouble giving people basic rights. Our own species.
We COULD give every human born a bright and happy future. We COULD, but we end up retreating to subjecting the vast majority of people to gloomy, hopeless lives. Those in power appear to see us as minor cogs in the system - not even replaceable, just an accessory. An accessory that makes their society look more complex and lovely, but is composed of only a couple of “blessed” individuals at the core. The fact that those who are LUCKY receive recognition, rather than those that pour their hearts out just to feed their own families, is a clear sign (to those that deny) that a problem exists. 

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

As much as I’m inclined to express my anger for all eternity, I’ve frequently sat down to think about my current self, and maybe flaws that I’m overlooking.
I’ve often wondered if my anger is unjustified. I’m certain those who have gone through more than I would oppose this statement, but in the end, oppressors are human. We are flawed, and many times, these oppressors are just far too ignorant to comprehend what they’re doing. They’re much like invasive species in a way - harming the majority, but being relatively naive (emotionally) to the damage they’re causing. While I think it’s fine to get angry, as I do too, there should be a limit to how much blame they should take. 
Earlier I mentioned how I frequently get angry at bystanders, and yet in self evaluations I realize how ironic this statement could be. Even I find myself to be hesitant in situations where I can contribute for the better, either out of fear or just “not knowing what to do.” There’s a fear of making things worse, or a fear that doing something won’t ultimately do anything. And in the greater scheme of society, this is often true (particularly the last statement). As an individual, there’s a limited amount of things that we are capable of, and commitments we have to meet. It’s understandable, as frustrating as it is.
My own experiences definitely help me side with equality. I’ve often felt nervous to openly express my sexuality, and my Asian-American status makes me feel uncomfortable in particular regions of the US. When I picture these fears multiplied, my desire to inspire change in our society grows increasingly stronger.