Quick Write

I'm working on my personal statement for JET, and I've been sitting in this coffee shop for about an hour.

Things I've done:

• almost register to vote (I gave up halfway through because that site started selling me car insurance...)
• helped Jann figure out how, and that he had to, pay for his loans starting next month
• listen to and pass judgement at the most recent song leaked from Arashi's upcoming album
• sip my iced green tea latte noncommittally
• continuously stop myself from walking over to the restaurant next door to get some curry.

Notice how every single thing listed above is unrelated to JET.

It's common for me to sit on papers for a ridiculously long time. As a student, it would usually take me an hour to formulate a single paragraph. It's not that I find writing to be hard; it's just that there are so many distractions in my head. It's so difficult to filter the important things when I have so much fluff up there.

Also, I have to admit. This is a very intimidating essay to write. 

Why the hell is that, Bianca, you may ask. Good question. (Here's where you may quote Stephen Colbert and say, "Thank you.") There's a lot at stake here. Ten years of dreams, to be exact. 

I've been wanting this so bad that I've forgotten why I wanted to live and work in Japan in the first place. Let's look over some potential reasons:

• anime? Nope. I stopped watching anime when I turned 14. Coincidentally, that's when I moved to the US. Do I think that Tagalog dubs are superior over English ones? Why, yes, I think I do.
• manga? Negative. I've never read a single book. Don't all gasp at once now.
• pretty boys? Yes, but I don't think that would make for a good personal statement. Actually, it could...but I don't know how it would be received at the US Embassy...

I think it's pretty clear, especially to me, that JET and I are an OTP. 

JET is the perfect program for me, and I am the perfect candidate for JET because I am what JET purports itself to be looking for - a youthful energy dedicated to education and eager to learn about Japanese language and culture. 

Basically, if you put education and Japan together, you'd produce a picture of myself wearing a kimono (With glasses. Because teachers wear glasses.) and waving an Arashi concert penlight. If your picture has sound, you would hear me going through a list of Japanese vocabulary words with a perfect accent. And yeah, I would probably be very annoying.

(How do I end this entry?) Lol k bye.

Liham sa Lahat ng Nanlait sa mga Rallyista sa SONA

Joi Barrios


Kumusta naman ang iyong kape sa umaga,
Habang nanonood o nagbabasa ng balita,
Sa mga naganap sa huling SONA?

A, oo, isisi natin ang lahat sa rallyista.
Isisi natin ang trapik, nasirang gamit,
Dumi sa kalyeng hindi nailigpit.
Oo, pati kasawian natin sa pag-ibig.

Isisi natin ang lahat sa rallyista,
Pati ang ating pamamanhid
Sa duguang mukha
At walang awang pananakit.

At bakit hindi?
Ikulong natin sila sa mga kataga:
Maingay na aktibista,
Komunistang mapula.

Ituloy natin ang pagmamaang-maangan,
At ang ating pananahimik
Sa bawat pagdukot at pagpaslang.

Pagkat makapangyarihan ang mga salita:
Maingay ang aktibista,
Mapula ang komunista,
Salot silang lahat, lipuling ganap.
Limutin ang ugat ng paghihirap
At ang pasismong lalong nagtutulak
Sa mamamayan ng mag-aklas.

Huwag hayaang ang kape ay lumamig,
Mainam raw iyan sa puso mong nag-uumapaw ang galit,
Sa rallyistang sa kalye ay hindi mawalis-walis.

Numbers

In a longitudinal study looking at doctoral completion surveys from 1990 to 2000, the percentage of Ph.D. graduates, broken down into ethnic categories, is as follow:

• Chicana/o - 23%
• Native American 19%.

(Obviously I didn't take enough notes; I just jotted down the numbers that stood out to me the most...)

It should be noted that the overall percentage of Ph.D. graduates who had attended community college is at 10%*.

In an education study, a percentage like 19% - when corresponding to Native Americans - is a HUGE number. Usually, when this population is represented in studies, we're talking about admissions or retention rates; these are usually single-digit figures, and sometimes they may even hover below 1%. With that said, these numbers point to the fact that community colleges play a hugely underappreciated role in the educational trajectories of students of color. 

I've always considered myself an ally to the transfer struggle, but I'm only realizing now how much of a struggle it really is. For instance, there's a gaping hole in the literature as far as the transfer experience is concerned. I'm probably not the right person to delve into these issues deeper, but I'm glad that so many of our students in AAP are taking up this duty.

*Data taken from Daniel Solorzano's presentation, "Critical Issues Along California's Postsecondary Education Pipeline"