The Way

This film has taught me to open my mind to different possibilities, even if they are not what was in my plan. Tom was happy with his job and did not want to walk the Camino, however when his son died, he decided to walk the Camino with his son. Walking the Camino was never in Tom's plan and he never wanted to do it, but his circumstances changed and he adapted. I like the idea of a pilgrimage because it allows you to find the purpose in you life. A pilgrimage can have different meanings for different people. You can go on a pilgrimage for one reason, and realize that there is a deeper meaning for your pilgrimage. When Tom went to pick up his son's body, he never thought that he was going to walk the Camino. Once he was there, he decided to walk for his son. By the end of the pilgrimage, Tom was walking for himself. He gained a new perspective on his life during the pilgrimage. The friends that Tom met along the way shaped his journey and helped him to gain a new purpose to his life. 
  

Women in the Church

The Church sends positive messages to young women by asserting that women are equal in dignity to men. The Church also sends the message that women need to be loving and caring mothers.

In my grade school, we had a wonderful example of a woman doing Christ’s work and at the same time demonstrating her wisdom in education. Sr. Elizabeth McCoy was the director at Ancillae-Assumpta Academy when I started kindergarten. She died a few years after I started school, but her work continues on even to this day. Her doctorate thesis is the basis for the schools mission. She always had a vision and was always looking for a way to improve the school and its facilities. The school continues to follow her R.I.C.E. process for students to be -responsible, interdependent, creative and empowered Christians. She accomplished a lot as a woman and certainly guided plenty of Ancillae graduates over the years and in the years to come.  

According to the article, the author sees marriage as a male dominated practice. In the Church we are all told women are equal yet women do not have the same rights to participate in the full mass as the male members of the Church do. Respect is for our human rights as a person but the rights are restricted based on the historical documentations. We all agree that the Church needs to see change in order to move forward, but the change will have to be seen in actions not just in words. 

Abortion

According to the article abortion rates are higher and more unsafe in countries where abortions are illegal. There is an obvious correlation between illegal abortions and the safety of the abortions. The rate of unsafe abortions in Africa is 97%, and in most African countries abortions are illegal. If a woman wants to have an abortion, she will have an abortion regardless of the legality of the procedure. Making abortions illegal only increases the number of unsafe abortions because women will have the abortions performed by people without medical training. About 86% of abortions occur in the developing world where abortions are illegal or unsafe. Banning abortions will not decrease the number of abortions performed each year, it will only increase the number of unsafe abortions. Instead of making abortions illegal, I think we should educate the people in the developing world which will help decrease the number of unsafe abortions. Also making contraceptives more widely available will help decrease the number of abortions performed each year. Another problem regarding abortions is that in some developing countries women do not get the choose when to have a baby. Therefore, women may not even tell their husband that they are getting an abortion because the women are afraid of what their husband would do if he found out about the abortion. 

Dating

There are many anti-daters who criticize the practice of dating because they think that dating is a practice for divorce–when a couple gets into an argument they can just break up instead of trying to work it out. I disagree with this view. Dating helps us to realize what we like and do not like about someone and dating helps us to determine the qualities that we want in a husband. People need to feel as though they can date someone and then break-up if the relationship does not work or if they do not have the qualities that you are looking for in a husband. Those who support dating believe that dating prepares us for a successful and happy marriage. Dating can allow us to get to know the other person before we commit to them for the rest of our lives. Anti-daters disagree with the modern dating culture. Young people usually use dating as a social outing and they feel that dating is an important part in their life. The idea of hooking-up suggests that people have a short-lived relationship or no relationship at all. 

IVF

One obvious Pro of IVF is having your own biological child. Many couples use IVF as a last resort for having their own children. While the church accepts adoption as a vaild way to become parents, the child is not biologically yours, and many couples want a biological child. Some of the Cons of IVF include the church regards IVF as immoral, unused embryos are frozen indefinitely or destroyed, and IVF threatens the sanctity of life. The Church’s teaching brings up some good moral points about IVF. The Church believes that life starts at the moment of conception, which in the case of IVF is in a petri dish. Also, all of the extra embryos, that are destroyed, are an unnatural ending to a human life. IVF is very expensive and couples that strongly desire to have a baby will pay any amount in order to have a child. IVF doctors are taking advantage of couples who desire to have a baby. They force the couple to pay large sums of money to have a baby. According to the article, one couple had 11 unsuccessful IVF treatments that cost them $100,000. This couple really wanted a baby, so the amount of money that they spent did not matter. IVF treatments can cost thousands of dollars and still be unsuccessful. 

He's Just Not That Into You

Gigi is very self-conscious and is not happy with herself. She is constantly looking for a guy to make her happy. She overanalyzes the signals that she perceives from guys and she becomes obsessed with the guy to the point that he no longer likes her. Alex is the first positive and successful relationship that Gigi has had. Alex is always honest with Gigi, and his honesty helps Gigi to realize things about herself and why her past relationships failed. Alex uses the defense mechanisms that we discussed in class to keep all relationships out of his reach until Gigi helps him realize his love for her.

Neil and Beth’s relationship is different from what we think as a “normal” relationship. People think that once you have been together for a couple of years that you should get married. They have been together for seven years and have not gotten married. Beth thinks that she needs to be married in order for Neil to be a true husband. However, Beth realizes that Neil is more of a husband to her than her sisters’ husbands are to her sisters. At the end of the movie, Beth realizes that marriage is not essential to her being happy with her life with Neil, but Neil proposes to Beth anyway. Neil was always committed to Beth even though he did not want to get married. 

The Changing Face of Marriage

My parents have always taught my that my faith is important. They sent me to a catholic grade school to help teach me about my faith. My parents take my siblings and I to church every Sunday. My parents have instilled many values in me using our faith as a guide. In the movie "He's Just Not That Into You," Jennifer Aniston wants to get married to her long time boyfriend. She wants to take the next step and get married but her boyfriend does not believe in the institution of marriage. I think that getting married is an important step in every relationship. I think that getting married strengthens a couples relationship. The studies that say that people with a college degree are less likely to experience divorce gives me hope that I will have a successful marriage one day. I think that I will establish domestic church in my home when I am older. 

Some say love...

I believe that in a committed/loving relationship there should be respect, friendship, loyalty, and love. I want to be in a relationship with someone that I can always count on for anything. Although many songs only speak to the negative aspects of relationships and breakups, these positive characteristics are evident in some songs. For example in “Marry Me” by Jason Derulo, he sings,

“A hundred and five is the number that comes to my head

When I think of all the years I wanna be with you

Wake up every morning with you in my bed

That's precisely what I plan to do.”

He is saying that he cannot wait till his wife and he are married for the rest of their lives. He is in love with Jordin Sparks and he clearly expresses his love and devotion in this song. Another song that expresses this is “Dark Side” by Kelly Clarkson. She says,

“Will you love me, even with my dark side?”

In this song she says that everyone has a dark side, and she asks if you can still love her despite her dark side. She wants to know if you can love her dark side because everyone has one. Another timeless love song is “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston. In this song, she says how she will always love him no matter what. The song “Let’s Talk About Love” by Celine Dion talks about how love is universal. She says that everyone can unite through love. Finally, in “We Found Love” by Rihanna, she says that

“We found love in a hopeless place.”

I believe that you can find love even when you are not looking for it. Rihanna says that love can sometimes find you, even when you do not set out in search for a soul mate. I do not believe in soul mates. I think that more than one person can make you happy and love you. I think that in the quest for a soul mate, we set too high expectations, which makes finding “the perfect man” even harder. 

Gender

I don’t recall being taught gender specific roles. I have a younger brother and sister. We are only 3 years apart, so we always played together.  My brother had a doll, just like my sister and I. My parents never said he couldn’t play with dolls.  My sister and I played with his train set and we all would play basketball in the driveway. We all played the same sports, so we could always practice in the back yard together. 

My parents never said blue was for boys or pink was for girls. My younger sister has always loved the color blue, and still to this day likes wearing blue, and her room is even blue.  My parents never told her boy is a blue color.  My brother likes wearing pink- he has pink shirts, pink pants, pink socks.  It never was an issue in our house.  I guess my siblings and I have been taught to be your own person, do what you want, not what society tells you to do. 

  

I think going to all girls high school has shown me that women can do anything.  I think that without the boys here, we don’t have all the boy drama that a coed school would have.  No one worries about how they look coming to school, just look at how we dress on dress down days- we are not dressing to impress anyone.  I think the all girls school has also shown me that girls can do typical male fields- science and math.  I love science and plan on majoring in biology in college- here we can do the labs ourselves without the boys looking on.  We are taught that girls can do everything that boys can do.

I think relationships should not always follow the traditional roles of men and women. I expect a man to hold the door and be courteous, but I don’t expect him to all the physical jobs. Just because he is a man does not mean that he should have to shovel the snow or mow the lawn. I can do both those things too. I want to model my relationship off my parents, who have been married for 21 years. I see my parent’s relationship as a sharing one.  While my Dad is the one who earns the money, my mom’s work in our home and our schools is just as needed, she just doesn’t get paid for it.  I think that everyone, regardless of sex, can perform the same tasks and men should not be expected to perform the physical tasks just because he is a man. 

Miss Representation

Although many people believe that the media has no affect on them, it is not true. The media has subtle messages that affect everyone regardless of age. The media influences many young girls because the media teaches them that how they are portrayed in the media is normal. I am shocked by how much the media really affects children and teens. The sexualized images portrayed in the media are having a detrimental affect to the youth that see these images on the television or online.

At the Mount we are taught to believe that we can be powerful women. Although I think we all can become powerful women, society today does not usually portray women that way. In movies, many women are portrayed as sexualized people that only ever want a husband or baby. Only 16% of women are the protagonists in movie, even though 51% of the United States’ population is women. Very few women characters in the movies have complex roles, which undermines the career goals of women. Also, there are not many women that have served in the government. Only 34 women have ever served as governor. This past summer at my job, the males were always asked to take out the trash, sweep, and move the boxes of merchandise, while the women were always asked to organize the shelves. Although no one complained about his or her assigned tasks, this gender stereotype is present in the workplace. The males were expected to carry all the heavy boxes because that is a stereotypical male job. Women can carry boxes too; it is not a male only task.

The Mount has instilled in me that I can be a successful and empowered woman. Mount has tried to defy the traditional gender stereotypes. The Mount has shown me how important the education of women really is. The Mount educates women to go out into the world and be successful.  We are expected to go onto college and get at least a bachelor’s degree, if not further schooling. We are exposed to many alumni who have become successful the articles in the Mount magazine, speakers, trips to visit the alumni in New York City, and stories about successful students from the teachers. 

Mission Statement

I want to find happiness in whatever I do and wherever I go. I will strive to help those I can help whenever I can and wherever I am. I will help anyone who asks for my assistance. I will continue to keep my faith in all my days. I commit to being honest with myself and others about my dreams and desires. I will look for love, laughter, and happiness each day in everything I do. I will always love and treasure my family and friends. 

Identity

My family has probably been the most influential factor in my life. My family has shaped my identity. My family has always been very supportive in everything I do. My grandpop always used to say “keep the faith.” I have heard this short saying about a thousand times in my life. It always reminds me to do what is right. Even if it is hard, it will be ok because of my faith in God. As a result of this saying, I have learned to trust God and always put my faith first.

Music has also been influential in my life. I started piano lessons in first grade and have been playing ever since. I really enjoy playing new and different songs. Although some songs are a challenge to learn, it is worth it when I master that song. Playing the piano has taught me to be patient and practice a lot in order to learn something new. A new song is not always easy, but with practice I always can master it. 

This past summer I attended a Medical Institute camp at Georgetown. This camp allowed me to explore my interest in medicine while also seeing Georgetown’s campus. This camp has broadened my curiosity in the science field, and it also helped me learn more about my interests and what fascinates me. The camp also made me realize that I am excited to start college in the fall, living away, taking new classes, meeting new people– all things I experienced with this camp and that I will experience again when I start college.