Coping with Assault
April 2022
By Saressa Sorrell
Have you or someone you love been a victim of rape? Did it change things? How did family and friends react? How does society respond to it when reality comes crashing down?, Do you you think you could ever prepare yourself for something like this? Were you forced to go through such an obstacle?
When my oldest sister was 15 years old, she was raped by her at-the-time boyfriend. It changed and reshaped her life drastically. What do you think you would be feeling if this happened to you? While she wished to stay anonymous, she said this, “When I got raped I felt like it was my fault because I allowed myself to be alone with him in the first place knowing the pressure he had already been putting on me even though I said no multiple times.” I think this changed her life drastically because she wasn’t ready and it was pushed on her anyways. A year later, she dropped out of high school because of the situation. She never reported him or told anyone about it until years later. Now she is a stay at home mom with two kids and her current husband. While she has recovered from this and has a very happy life now, she struggled more than necessary because of enduring this trauma.
In 2011, a woman named Katie Simon was raped. Eleven years later, she wrote an article about it and her opinions on the topic. She also goes on to say, “Are victims of other crimes ashamed to have been victimized? Maybe. But there is a particular, and particularly egregious, stigma associated with sexual violence. I refuse to feel ashamed of what was done to me. The shame of the act is not mine; it is on the one who perpetrated the crime. My rapist may never be punished, but he will always be guilty.” I think this quote stands out so much because victims should never feel ashamed or at fault for what was forced on them. I think it inspires many women to speak up and realize that what happened to them was not their fault.
I took a survey of 10 students asking them questions about the topic, 65% of students said they knew someone who was a victim to rape, 56% said that they noticed change in the person after it happened. Rape is a very disgusting and evil thing, that takes a tole on people’s lives daily.
While many people don’t realize the harsh reality of these things, when it happens, it crashes in like a chaotic wave, and while it may not take effect right away, it takes a mental and physical toll on the person without even realizing it.
April 2022
By Saressa Sorrell
Have you or someone you love been a victim of rape? Did it change things? How did family and friends react? How does society respond to it when reality comes crashing down?, Do you you think you could ever prepare yourself for something like this? Were you forced to go through such an obstacle?
When my oldest sister was 15 years old, she was raped by her at-the-time boyfriend. It changed and reshaped her life drastically. What do you think you would be feeling if this happened to you? While she wished to stay anonymous, she said this, “When I got raped I felt like it was my fault because I allowed myself to be alone with him in the first place knowing the pressure he had already been putting on me even though I said no multiple times.” I think this changed her life drastically because she wasn’t ready and it was pushed on her anyways. A year later, she dropped out of high school because of the situation. She never reported him or told anyone about it until years later. Now she is a stay at home mom with two kids and her current husband. While she has recovered from this and has a very happy life now, she struggled more than necessary because of enduring this trauma.
In 2011, a woman named Katie Simon was raped. Eleven years later, she wrote an article about it and her opinions on the topic. She also goes on to say, “Are victims of other crimes ashamed to have been victimized? Maybe. But there is a particular, and particularly egregious, stigma associated with sexual violence. I refuse to feel ashamed of what was done to me. The shame of the act is not mine; it is on the one who perpetrated the crime. My rapist may never be punished, but he will always be guilty.” I think this quote stands out so much because victims should never feel ashamed or at fault for what was forced on them. I think it inspires many women to speak up and realize that what happened to them was not their fault.
I took a survey of 10 students asking them questions about the topic, 65% of students said they knew someone who was a victim to rape, 56% said that they noticed change in the person after it happened. Rape is a very disgusting and evil thing, that takes a tole on people’s lives daily.
While many people don’t realize the harsh reality of these things, when it happens, it crashes in like a chaotic wave, and while it may not take effect right away, it takes a mental and physical toll on the person without even realizing it.
Creating better habits May 2021 By Davian Lucero When it comes to school, most of us have some lazy habits with schoolwork or homework. Creating better habits and methods for yourself are important ways to grow your mindset and become a better person. Time is what makes people think they can procrastinate. For instance, when an assignment or project is due in a couple weeks and teachers assign it early some students, including myself, think I have more time or that I won’t have to work on the assignment, when in all reality I don’t have the time I think. Multitasking as well as time management are important things to look at when creating better habits for yourself. Multitasking can cause you to become distracted because you aren’t only focused on one thing; you are doing more than one thing at a time, so your focus isn’t set to one thing and one thing only. When it comes to time management, creating a schedule for yourself and keeping track of the time you spend doing things can have a better impact on your health, mentally and socially. When I interviewed one of my classmates, Elijah, he said that he often procrastinates in doing easier assignments because he would rather get the harder ones done first, this is interesting because you usually see people working on the easier stuff rather than the harder stuff. At the end of the day, working on yourself to get things done more efficiently will help you have more free time when getting your things done right away. You should start feeling much better about yourself because you feel like you are getting things done, and personally, when I get things done, I feel good about myself. I interviewed another one of my friends, Iesha. She said that she often does procrastinate when it comes to school because she becomes easily distracted and can’t focus on the things she should be doing. I asked her what things she thinks that would help her become more motivated to finish her work right away, and she said that sports are always her motivation to pass school. However, things are difficult now that there's large amounts of work and not enough time to complete it. The teachers assign a lot more now then they did when we were in physical school which is one of the main reasons it's so frustrating to get everything done on time and it's hard to put in full effort. |
Peer PressureMarch 2022
By: Mayra Cisneros Flores Are you ever exhausted from your peers always depending on you to do the work? Has anyone ever confronted that person so you wouldn’t be as stressed? Well now is your chance to speak up and reduce peer pressure for everybody. In Pecos High School, students and teachers participated in this article by stating their feelings on how their mentality is affected during school. Peer pressure might be a subject not as recognized due to bigger problems. I administered a survey, and ten PHS students replied to the following question, “Does peer pressure make you feel extremely uncomfortable?” There were 66.7% students that said sometimes, while 22.2% said no and 11.1% said yes. This demonstrates that peer pressure not only causes students to stress out, but causes them a temporary or permanent anxiety. Usually this happens to people who are visual learners or quick learners so I decided to interview one of our quick smart visual learners, Ginger Nickell. A question I asked her was “In what ways do you feel pressure from your peers?” Her response was “People pressure you into doing things that you don’t necessarily agree with.” If you actually think about it, people force you into doing work for them without even asking you for consent; they just put that pressure onto you. Another student from Pecos High school answered that question and stated, “They sometimes pressure me to ask the teacher something since I am a good student. Sometimes they even ask me to do them favors because they don't wanna get in trouble or do the work.” So not only does peer pressure result in pressure to do the work, but it also results in using people to get to ask teachers for things. Peer pressuring is a bad thing to do. Most of you guys might be saying “Oh stop exaggerating, it’s not even that bad,” but in reality, it is. Students don’t feel like working in groups due to having to carry the whole group into a good grade. Most smart people usually want to work on their own because it's more efficient and it’s calming for them. We all deal with enough stress especially during quarantine and not being able to do classes online, so adding more stress for those students can actually cause bad emotions. I myself have been a person to peer pressure, but have also been one under peer pressure. It’s not pretty, so I suggest not to do it. I do regret it because I know how terrible it can make that person feel. It adds a weight to your shoulders and it makes you second guess yourself on your worth and if people actually like you or if they just use you for the answers. Thankfully, I stopped doing what I was doing so those people feel a relief. Standing up for myself as well helped because people don’t depend on me to do their work anymore. Does Your Mental Health Apply to Physical Health? October 2021
By Saressa Sorrell Have you ever been planning to work out but don’t because you feel unmotivated? Or have you refused to get out of bed to get food because you just felt too exhausted or fatigued? This all applies to your mental and physical health. If you don’t have good mental health, there’s a good chance you don’t have good physical health. Many people's main objective in life is to be healthy, and parents want to help their children stay healthy in whatever manner they can. There is a lot of health advice available, but much of it is focused solely on the body. Researchers are discovering that physical and mental health are more tightly related than we previously recognized as they continue to examine what affects our health. An individual's mental and physical health will suffer if they are out of balance. An electrician named Sam Wilcoxen said, “I think it’s important to have good mental and physical health, you can’t just have one or the other especially if you want to be healthy in all aspects of your life.” In its broadest sense, mental health refers to a person's emotional, social, and psychological well-being. The state of a person's mental health has a huge effect on how they act, process emotions, and make decisions. Here are some indicators that someone's mental health is deteriorating:
It's becoming increasingly difficult to ensure that people get adequate exercise and physical activity. Tiredness and exhaustion are common symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Some individuals claim things like "it's all in your head," however research contradicts this. Physical fatigue follows mental exhaustion. If you wish to enhance your physical health, you should definitely start with your mental health. Some activities to attempt include obtaining more sleep, seeking professional therapy, and spending more time outside. Getting the proper vitamins you need can help improve your physical health. If you want good physical health, start with your mental health and work your way up. Ask questions to yourself and be honest. This can lead to a healthy stability between the two. What Makes A Healthy Relationship?
May 2021 By Natalie Anglada As we get through high school, we are introduced to the idea of being in relationships. Some are romantic and some are totally platonic. However, we aren’t told how to maintain or act in those relationships. So when we are put in situations where we don’t exactly know what’s happening or why a significant other is acting a certain way, it is important to look for red flags in yourself or your partner. There is a large percentage of people who experience toxic, abusive relationships. Whether it’s verbal abuse or physical abuse, it can take a toll on someone’s self worth or mental health. Being in a toxic relationship could not only hurt you, but other’s that care about you because you are putting yourself in a bad environment by staying with your abuser. Which also creates a barrier when an individual wants to leave because they have become brainwashed into thinking what they are experiencing is “normal”. Verbal abuse in a relationship could be gaslighting, accusing, threatening, and name calling. These could all be considered forms of manipulation into making the victim think a certain or different way about his or her situation. Physical abuse in relationships would be altercations like pushing, hitting, spitting, kicking, dangerous driving, and any type of physical restraint. Now what about healthy relationships? In order to maintain a stable relationship, honesty is a quality both parties should acquire. I conducted a survey and collected responses from the journalism classes. The first question was, “In your opinion, what makes a healthy relationship?” In every single response that was received for that question the word “communication” was included. Others who responded said things like trust, honesty, and most importantly a good connection. The second question on the survey asked, “What are some examples of toxic behavior?” One student responded by saying, “On and off relationships, cheating, letting others into you and your partners' business." Another student answered saying, “Dishonesty, cheating, abusive tactics, manipulative behavior/gaslighting." Both of these answers are great depictions of the toxic behaviors you should look out for in a partner or even yourself. The last question posed was, “Have you ever been in an unhealthy relationship?” Of all of the responses, almost everyone had claimed to have been in an unhealthy relationship. One particular student was open to sharing their story in which they said: “I thought Richard was going to be the one I spent the rest of my life with; I had the illusion we would be together forever and he provided me with this facade that it was actually going to happen. We dated twice, the first time we broke up was because I felt as though I was the problem between us being a 'happy couple.' However, the second time we got back together, he started to gaslight me and make me question all sorts of things about myself. I was crying every night because I feared he would leave me, regardless of that being the best option given the toxicity our relationship had. He stopped talking to me and instead, I found out he was talking to another girl rather than responding to my texts (not that him texting another girl bothered me, it's just that Richard was blatantly ignoring me then got mad when I called him out on it). Not saying I was the perfect one in the relationship because I most certainly wasn't, though I was essentially crumbling because of it. Luckily though, he broke up with me. Except he did it without reason and tried to make it seem like I was the one who was gaslighting and manipulating, basically just proving my point." Like this student, being able to open up about a mentally abusive relationship can help alleviate built-up anger or stress, and/or just feel like an overall relief. If you aren’t in a relationship you can always look out for the people around you. If you notice any of the signs that were previously mentioned happening within a couple, speak up! It’s always better to be safe than sorry. According to an article on https://brandongaille.com/21-rare-teenage-dating-abuse-statistics/, it claims, “It is estimated that 25% of high school girls have been the victims of sexual or physical abuse at least once by their dating partner." In the same article, they said that 10% of students in high school have experienced purposeful physical abuse. If you know someone who is being abused, you can always report it. All in all, everyone should look out for red flags in relationships to avoid any further issues such as abuse. Simple signs of different behavior in your partner could save someone from an easily avoidable situation. Also, be sure to take a look at yourself and your own actions. Check in with yourself and your partner and make sure that there is no miscommunication and you are both content with the state of your relationship. Be mindful of your environment and relationships and the effect they have on your health. |
Doing what you feel will help you be more on top of things and motivation is important, and it is good to listen to other people's opinions. This can help you open up your mind and you can be able to create your own strategies that work for you. Working on one thing at a time as well as taking your time and taking small steps are all suggestions that could be used to help you. Taking time off of social media and being on technology will help ease your mind so you are not so worried about what's going on around you, but rather take time to focus on yourself and what you can do to fix any bad habits you have picked up.
Hand-Picking Your Destiny
April 2021
By Kaylee Herrera
The reality of long-term career choices are less than 5 years away from us high school students. Sure, you can take all the time you need to decide which career is best fit for you, but the pressure and the opportunities begin as soon as the candlelight of your birthday cake welcoming you into adulthood is blown out. But how do we build our way up? How do we choose a career when nothing seems appealing or attainable? What obstacles do we come across and can we overcome them?
The job field is massive, meaning that your possibilities are endless. Anything needs anyone, and that is where we come in hand. We are an essential part of contributing to the economic, social, and moral progression of this world. Careers are important for a handful of reasons. For starters, a career can build a strong work ethic. This will ensure a successful career, and develop healthy habits such as stronger motivation, focus, good values, discipline, and finishing tasks quickly and effectively. It’s monetary security, a promise for money in the future. It determines how you live the rest of your life, whether it be lavishly or not so lavishly. Your physical and mental work can have positive mental effects as well. For example, one might feel like their work makes them more worthy, or more valuable as a person. Not only that, but our career-choice can give us the capability of being someone’s savior, someone’s provider, someone’s educator, etc. On top of being crucial to other’s, you learn new skills, develop new characteristics, meet new people, and you get paid for it! This sounds fun, but that’s only if you invest your career in something you are passionate about.
You have probably heard the saying, “follow your passion instead of the money” or something to that extent. And for the most part, that is true, psychologically and logically. According to lifehack.org, “When you work at a job you’re passionate about, you’ll be able to focus more and get things done on time because those tasks don’t feel like such a burden. When you’re simply working for money, motivation is more difficult to find, which may lead to longer hours in order to get things done.” In an interview with Pecos High School staff member Mr. Spencer Faunt, I asked him, “Would you agree or disagree with the phrase "follow your passion instead of the money" when it comes to career-choosing?” His eye-opening response was, “I do agree with the phrase "follow your passion instead of the money," because it has led me to many wonderful experiences. My first passions are drama and writing. These passions allowed me to enjoy several years of acting and artistry and traveling. Because I followed my passion, I was able to enjoy many diverse experiences in work and education. Additionally, I would add that that following passion rather than money has allowed me to be open to opportunities and was also the journey on which I met my wife. All of this is not to say "be unrealistic." I would recommend to keep an open heart and pay attention to signs. I am a person of faith who believes that we are led appropriately in life when we are open-minded, open-hearted and courageous. Following a passion does not have to replace money. I have always had everything I need financially and more along with the joy that comes with experiencing life as I choose.” I believe this response is perfect for anyone who is doubting their passions, or weary of their choices. So how exactly do you know what you are passionate about? How do you know what is fit to you? A personality test of course! In the opinion of Forbes, the five steps you can take towards discovering what career path is best fit for you is making a list of options, networking, asking a mentor, looking for overlap, and… taking career assessments! A career assessment and personality test can help clear the fog in your head and give you a head-start. For example, if you don’t handle small spaces well, an office job is probably not for you. That is what a career assessment does, only more specific! How do you build your networking team? A networking team is a group of people associated with you and your team. It is important to build your network off of reputable and successful people you have collaborated with while working in your profession or similar professions. In the words of Mr. Julian Padilla, “moving upwards in your career is like a web of thread, you can only climb up by your connections with others”.
As an up-and-coming generation, it is important to get a general idea of what the career field will look like in the next few years. In a survey conducted with my journalism class, I asked, “What are your plans, career-wise, after high school?” Some responses included, “investing, possibly starting my own business, computer repairing or streaming”, “go to college and major in 3d animation”, “become a financial accountant”, and “something in the science field”. I asked my respondents if they would rather be a manual laborer or a skilled laborer. 88.89% wanted to be a skilled laborer, with the exception of one response, “both depending on the quality of the job.” When I asked, “If you could choose, would you rather be an employee, a worker, or self-employed?” About 45% of respondents would rather be self employed, while 36.36% would want to be a worker and 18.18% would rather be an employee. Now, there is obviously a pattern in this variety of responses. My generation is most interested in independence, college education, and skilled labor. This is amazing! Hopefully these responses come to show that in our future, there will be an increase in skilled employees in every field. Although, with any career, comes obstacles and accomplishments.
In an interview with Cobre High School Sophomore GJ Peru, I wondered what obstacles and accomplishments he was preparing for in his career. I asked, “What career field do you plan on going into? What obstacles are you prepared to face?” He replied, “I plan on going into forensic science. I’m prepared to face any obstacles because it is not an easy field to go into, there is a lot of pressure that falls onto forensic scientists, but I’m ready to face that because it’s my dream!” I asked Peru, “What accomplishments do you hope to achieve?” He replied, “Honestly I just hope I can do the best I can to help solve as many cases or just help someone who needs some closure, but I do hope to assist the most cases as possible!” This response tracks back to following your passion. He is comfortable enough with facing disappointment and failure, as long as his dreams are fulfilled.
From the perspective of someone who has already gone through the obstacles and accomplishments, I asked Mr. Spencer Faunt, “What are some obstacles and/or accomplishments you've faced in the span of your career?” He responded, “There was a point for me when my passions shifted to a desire to serve. I had enjoyed many years of different work experiences, and moving to different places, when I decided that I wanted to be able to experience the things that I am passionate about through teaching. This caused me to find creative ways to fund my education toward my Master's degree. Working my way through this program was challenge number one. The second part of this challenge was my wife and I, just married, choosing to move our whole lives to New Mexico to work at a high school on a reservation. We had never even visited Crownpoint, New Mexico, but we took the chance, as we were motivated to have a new and challenging experience while serving an underserved community.” What I took away from this response, was that facing these obstacles can often come with life-changing experiences and rewards. And that chasing your dream career, investing so much time and thought into a career, is ultimately worth it. Finally, I asked Mr. Faunt, “What is a piece of advice you can give to students who are thinking of different careers?” This one stuck with me. His inspirational feedback was, “I would say to have a combination of passion and foresight. Be bold--take every advantage you can to learn anything you can in high school and try new things that challenge you in spaces outside your comfort zone at every chance you get. Author Neale Donald Walsch once said ‘Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.’ Travel, experience new things; live the life that you choose because of your experiences. Prepare yourself for success by being true to yourself and establish a reputation of reliability to others. Have integrity, and when you decide to do something, do it--put your whole heart into it. If you don't want to put your whole heart into it, maybe you are doing the wrong thing, and you should consider doing something else.”
It is important that we think about our career life, as time is only moving forward. It is important to take an inner look at yourself and really dive into what you are passionate about, and what your strong suits are. It’s also important to build up your network, befriend reputable people for a reputable social stance. At the end of the day, there are billions of roads to choose from- 5 billion to be exact- and it’s in your hands of choosing which road is destined for you.
April 2021
By Kaylee Herrera
The reality of long-term career choices are less than 5 years away from us high school students. Sure, you can take all the time you need to decide which career is best fit for you, but the pressure and the opportunities begin as soon as the candlelight of your birthday cake welcoming you into adulthood is blown out. But how do we build our way up? How do we choose a career when nothing seems appealing or attainable? What obstacles do we come across and can we overcome them?
The job field is massive, meaning that your possibilities are endless. Anything needs anyone, and that is where we come in hand. We are an essential part of contributing to the economic, social, and moral progression of this world. Careers are important for a handful of reasons. For starters, a career can build a strong work ethic. This will ensure a successful career, and develop healthy habits such as stronger motivation, focus, good values, discipline, and finishing tasks quickly and effectively. It’s monetary security, a promise for money in the future. It determines how you live the rest of your life, whether it be lavishly or not so lavishly. Your physical and mental work can have positive mental effects as well. For example, one might feel like their work makes them more worthy, or more valuable as a person. Not only that, but our career-choice can give us the capability of being someone’s savior, someone’s provider, someone’s educator, etc. On top of being crucial to other’s, you learn new skills, develop new characteristics, meet new people, and you get paid for it! This sounds fun, but that’s only if you invest your career in something you are passionate about.
You have probably heard the saying, “follow your passion instead of the money” or something to that extent. And for the most part, that is true, psychologically and logically. According to lifehack.org, “When you work at a job you’re passionate about, you’ll be able to focus more and get things done on time because those tasks don’t feel like such a burden. When you’re simply working for money, motivation is more difficult to find, which may lead to longer hours in order to get things done.” In an interview with Pecos High School staff member Mr. Spencer Faunt, I asked him, “Would you agree or disagree with the phrase "follow your passion instead of the money" when it comes to career-choosing?” His eye-opening response was, “I do agree with the phrase "follow your passion instead of the money," because it has led me to many wonderful experiences. My first passions are drama and writing. These passions allowed me to enjoy several years of acting and artistry and traveling. Because I followed my passion, I was able to enjoy many diverse experiences in work and education. Additionally, I would add that that following passion rather than money has allowed me to be open to opportunities and was also the journey on which I met my wife. All of this is not to say "be unrealistic." I would recommend to keep an open heart and pay attention to signs. I am a person of faith who believes that we are led appropriately in life when we are open-minded, open-hearted and courageous. Following a passion does not have to replace money. I have always had everything I need financially and more along with the joy that comes with experiencing life as I choose.” I believe this response is perfect for anyone who is doubting their passions, or weary of their choices. So how exactly do you know what you are passionate about? How do you know what is fit to you? A personality test of course! In the opinion of Forbes, the five steps you can take towards discovering what career path is best fit for you is making a list of options, networking, asking a mentor, looking for overlap, and… taking career assessments! A career assessment and personality test can help clear the fog in your head and give you a head-start. For example, if you don’t handle small spaces well, an office job is probably not for you. That is what a career assessment does, only more specific! How do you build your networking team? A networking team is a group of people associated with you and your team. It is important to build your network off of reputable and successful people you have collaborated with while working in your profession or similar professions. In the words of Mr. Julian Padilla, “moving upwards in your career is like a web of thread, you can only climb up by your connections with others”.
As an up-and-coming generation, it is important to get a general idea of what the career field will look like in the next few years. In a survey conducted with my journalism class, I asked, “What are your plans, career-wise, after high school?” Some responses included, “investing, possibly starting my own business, computer repairing or streaming”, “go to college and major in 3d animation”, “become a financial accountant”, and “something in the science field”. I asked my respondents if they would rather be a manual laborer or a skilled laborer. 88.89% wanted to be a skilled laborer, with the exception of one response, “both depending on the quality of the job.” When I asked, “If you could choose, would you rather be an employee, a worker, or self-employed?” About 45% of respondents would rather be self employed, while 36.36% would want to be a worker and 18.18% would rather be an employee. Now, there is obviously a pattern in this variety of responses. My generation is most interested in independence, college education, and skilled labor. This is amazing! Hopefully these responses come to show that in our future, there will be an increase in skilled employees in every field. Although, with any career, comes obstacles and accomplishments.
In an interview with Cobre High School Sophomore GJ Peru, I wondered what obstacles and accomplishments he was preparing for in his career. I asked, “What career field do you plan on going into? What obstacles are you prepared to face?” He replied, “I plan on going into forensic science. I’m prepared to face any obstacles because it is not an easy field to go into, there is a lot of pressure that falls onto forensic scientists, but I’m ready to face that because it’s my dream!” I asked Peru, “What accomplishments do you hope to achieve?” He replied, “Honestly I just hope I can do the best I can to help solve as many cases or just help someone who needs some closure, but I do hope to assist the most cases as possible!” This response tracks back to following your passion. He is comfortable enough with facing disappointment and failure, as long as his dreams are fulfilled.
From the perspective of someone who has already gone through the obstacles and accomplishments, I asked Mr. Spencer Faunt, “What are some obstacles and/or accomplishments you've faced in the span of your career?” He responded, “There was a point for me when my passions shifted to a desire to serve. I had enjoyed many years of different work experiences, and moving to different places, when I decided that I wanted to be able to experience the things that I am passionate about through teaching. This caused me to find creative ways to fund my education toward my Master's degree. Working my way through this program was challenge number one. The second part of this challenge was my wife and I, just married, choosing to move our whole lives to New Mexico to work at a high school on a reservation. We had never even visited Crownpoint, New Mexico, but we took the chance, as we were motivated to have a new and challenging experience while serving an underserved community.” What I took away from this response, was that facing these obstacles can often come with life-changing experiences and rewards. And that chasing your dream career, investing so much time and thought into a career, is ultimately worth it. Finally, I asked Mr. Faunt, “What is a piece of advice you can give to students who are thinking of different careers?” This one stuck with me. His inspirational feedback was, “I would say to have a combination of passion and foresight. Be bold--take every advantage you can to learn anything you can in high school and try new things that challenge you in spaces outside your comfort zone at every chance you get. Author Neale Donald Walsch once said ‘Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.’ Travel, experience new things; live the life that you choose because of your experiences. Prepare yourself for success by being true to yourself and establish a reputation of reliability to others. Have integrity, and when you decide to do something, do it--put your whole heart into it. If you don't want to put your whole heart into it, maybe you are doing the wrong thing, and you should consider doing something else.”
It is important that we think about our career life, as time is only moving forward. It is important to take an inner look at yourself and really dive into what you are passionate about, and what your strong suits are. It’s also important to build up your network, befriend reputable people for a reputable social stance. At the end of the day, there are billions of roads to choose from- 5 billion to be exact- and it’s in your hands of choosing which road is destined for you.
Turning Self-Motivation into Habits
Tammy Gonzales
How do you think turning self-motivation into habits could be useful for you?
Well, the most motivated entrepreneurs are different from the rest because they've turned self-motivation into a habit. That’s why all those other tactics work for them; they no longer have to think about them.
As we all know, it is important to have goals and affirmations, but that requires effort that is conscious but with this the goals usually don't last. In a survey, I asked “What type of things do you think you need to focus on for turning self-motivation into habits? A few responses emphasized putting yourself first, focusing on time, and eating healthier. But in all reality, motivation comes from something called the locus of control. Locus of control basically refers to how strongly people believe they can control their situations and experiences in their everyday life. Those with an internal locus of control believe they are in control of their fate and those with an external locus of control believe someone else is in control of their fate. Many people don’t realize that the reason you struggle with motivation is because you’ve been living around an external locus, although it is possible to change and be more motivated, you need a firm internal. Once you’ve got that, the rest will come naturally.
A few ways to gain control of internal locus and master self-motivation is to use rewards, consequences, and commitment devices. Rewards are something you give yourself for staying motivated and completing your goals, consequences are something you lose by not staying motivated or completing your goals, and commitment devices are a combination of both reward and punishment. Author Tony Roberts, has a book called “The Power of Leverage” in that he says motivation is controlled by two needs which are avoiding pain and experiencing pleasure. He believes you should be able to train your brain to associate motivation with pleasure. Changing the way you communicate with yourself, can influence your motivation. Usually, motivated people have positive self-talks, while unmotivated people have negative self-talk, you can choose how you communicate with yourself.
As I asked in the survey, ”Do you think changing your surroundings is a necessity for this?” 100 percent of the people asked said yes. Entrepreneur Jim Rohn has often said “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Surrounding yourself with the right people is a must, and can be useful to you in many ways. Most likely, the groups you associate with often determine the type of person you become. By changing the company you keep, you can dramatically change the type of person you are, so you should surround yourself with motivated, driven, and ambitious people. In addition to creating a friend group of highly-motivated people, you might look into networking organizations or investors. These types of things can bring together high-quality entrepreneurs facing similar challenges and allowing them to network and brainstorm. Everyone involved will always leave feeling motivated with a new sense of purpose.
The power of goals isn’t in creating them; it’s in reviewing them. When most people create goals, they write them down, and promptly forget about them. Most people let the urgency of daily things distract them from dynamic growth and, before they know it, six motivation-less months have passed. Your long-term goals should be so visible they’re top of mind. If they’re not, they won’t be completed; it’s as simple as that. Your goals are only as powerful as the mindshare they occupy. If you want to turn them into reality, they need to be a part of every aspect of your life. Two ways to increase the mindshare of your goals is to create a morning routine, and integrate your goals into your task management system. The best way to kill your goals is "to -do" lists, they are pointless and not needed.
In order to turn self-motivation into habits, locus of control is your main focus. Rewarding yourself as well as punishing yourself is useful because these help you gain control over your goals and ambitions. To reach the goals and ambitions you have set for yourself, you should change the people around you and achieve bigger things. Some people may think keeping negative people won’t affect them, but that isn’t true. Turning negatives into positives is the right way to do things. Positive self-talk, positive people and learning control of your locus can help you become like any entrepreneur. Usually people think writing down goals is useful, but that is false. Writing down your goals is super useless, only because people are typically not going to actually complete the goal.. This is why most people never complete their goals, as well as letting everyday things distract themselves from accomplishing them.
Stress in School
By Mistidawn Roybal
What is stress?
Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress is your body's reaction to a challenge or demand. In short bursts, stress can be positive, such as when it helps you avoid danger or meet a deadline. Students in school face a wide range of ongoing stressors related to academic demands. Previous research indicates that academic-related stress can reduce academic achievement, decrease motivation and increase the risk of school dropout. Long-term effects, including a lowered chance of permanent jobs, cost taxpayers billions of dollars per year. The most recent findings on the effects of academic stress are discussed in this narrative analysis, including consideration of the impact on the learning ability and academic success of students, mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, sleep disorders, and drug use. Among a group of Pecos High students surveyed, 50% said they usually feel stressed during school and 60% said they were overwhelmed with the workload teachers pile on them now during this hard time. With further findings, my survey conducted that 100% of the students said that they feel more stress now then they did in the past years. |
Methods
In my survey I asked how the students dealt with their stress and they responded with “I would say you can destress by taking it easy on yourself and by not worrying and taking a day off for yourself.” Another student suggested, “Yes, I can destress and I usually stop what I am doing and go take a walk outside. Sometimes, I even stop everything and go on my phone for about 10 minutes.” These are some of the methods used by high school students. This is helpful because it gives you an idea on how to destress and you know that you aren't alone in this battle with stress. |
Conclusion
The above narrative analysis defines the various issues for direct and indirect students as academic-related tension. The increasing stress on education has shown a harmful effect on the learning ability, academic success, achievement in education and jobs, quality and quantity of sleep, physical wellbeing, mental health and drug use outcomes of students. An significant goal for improvement is to improve the stress-management skills and abilities of students.
The above narrative analysis defines the various issues for direct and indirect students as academic-related tension. The increasing stress on education has shown a harmful effect on the learning ability, academic success, achievement in education and jobs, quality and quantity of sleep, physical wellbeing, mental health and drug use outcomes of students. An significant goal for improvement is to improve the stress-management skills and abilities of students.
Crisis Hotline
School can be very overwhelming at times. School can sometimes contribute to depression and anxiety. Even outside of school, life can be difficult for students. If students are in need of help with life or any problem that comes their way, the student should not feel stuck; there is a solution for students called “Please Live”. This line is available to call 24/7, and students can speak to a licensed specialist for any situation they find themselves in. |
Please Live is free and all calls are 100% confidential. Please Live will also instruct you in how to see the signs that someone else is struggling, and how to approach them.
Please Live also has a lot of information for students explaining mental illnesses, mental disorders, and what it means to struggle.
If calling is really not your thing, there is an online chat room and support groups for survivors, or people that have lost someone.
If you want to learn more, visit their website:
https://www.pleaselive.org/hotlines/
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
National Crisis Text Line: Send a text to 741-741
Chat Online at www.CrisisChat.org or www.ImAlive.org
School Stress and How To Deal With It
By Kaylee Herrera
School is hands-down one of the most complicated and stressful tasks one person goes through in their life. Whether the stress be because of school work or peers, there are many ways to get rid of this stress and control it.
The most effective way to handle school stress is self care. What is self care exactly? As selfish as it sounds, time for yourself is essential. Start with the basics, such as more sleep, your favorite activities, and relaxation. If your stress needs to be well-thought-out and processed, distancing from the outside world to take time for yourself is really effective.
Another way to control school stress is to change your mindset. If you truly think about it, all stress stems from the mind. Instead of negative thinking patterns, switch to positive. For example, if you have a project due and you have not started, think about how you can make your situation better, not the consequences.
If you tend to take in your assignments in one big chunk, consider taking your assignments one step at a time. Make your assignments more manageable and organized. “List what you have going on, and list how much time each thing is going to take, chunking things down makes them feel more manageable and less anxiety-inducing,” Says stress expert and author Susan Stiffelman.
Finally, an important tip to remember any time you are stressing over school-related things, is to stay balanced. Nobody can stay constantly focused for a long period of time, so while studying or doing your homework, take a short break. These breaks can be from about 15 minutes to an hour, but during this time, do activities that you enjoy. Stiffelman quotes, “I often ask, what did you like to do when you were six? Do a little bit of that.” With this being said, focus on something that brings you back to yourself.
Academic pressure is not the only type of stress students face at school. Stress from peers, adults, and bullying are also difficult to handle. When it comes to peer pressure, which is notorious for overwhelming you, there are many different tactics to handle it. One way is to take on a more assertive personality. Learn to be more confident and “tough” so others don’t feel the urge to pressure you. Another way is to simply stay away from those people, choosing your friends carefully, or getting yourself out of the situation. Another way is to create your own positive pressure. Provide more positive suggestions for your friends to avoid trouble.
Pressure from bullying is another instance to tackle. Bullying happens at least once to everyone, even if you think it's “harmless playing”. The pressure and stress from bullying can cause serious psychological problems, though. Common results of bullying include depression, suicidal thoughts, post traumatic stress, anxiety, substance abuse, trust issues and many more. What are ways to avoid these long term problems? Stand up for yourself, and for others.
Remember to respect yourself, and others. These tactics can save yourself from a lifetime of stress and problems. Adultism is a real problem students face in school. Adultism is the discrimination of younger people by adults. Victims of this oppression can handle the stress the same ways as bullying: self respect and standing up for yourself.