Samantha Pape 340

  All the Young Men: Post Two All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks follows Ruth's journey as she navigates love and loss through the AIDS epidemic in the south. Ruth gets pulled into taking care of a man with AIDS by chance when she is at the hospital visiting her friend. From there, more and more people come to her for help as they or their loved ones deal with the side effects of the virus. While financially struggling, she tries to take care of these men--finding them housing, diving into dumpsters to get them food, and finding them jobs. She also works to take care of her daughter as they are effectively ostracized from their community and looked down upon for their compassion and efforts. You get to experience the relationships she develops with the men she helps from her point of view, and because of this, are able to feel (just a fraction of) the loss she felt when they are eventually gone in the story of her life.  I mainly think this book taught me the power of human...

Cheating or Competing?  How professional sports teams can use salary cap loopholes to their advantage in hopes of winning it all.  You’ve been living in a constant state of sports fan despair for most of your life. None of your teams have won anything and you are in desperate need of a victory parade around your city. How far do you want your teams to go to ensure a spot in the playoffs or--even better--a trophy? Are you okay with them exploiting loopholes in their salary structure? Are you okay with having accusations of cheating slung at you, or people trying to tarnish the reputation of your beloved team? And how would you feel if another team was using these tactics while yours suffered even further?  The salary cap can be exploited differently in each of the leagues it’s used in. Let’s look at some of the different ways salary caps can be worked around in three major leagues in the United States and how they might have worked in practice.  What is the Salary Cap...

All the Young Men Post One I’m currently 72% of the way through All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks , according to my iPad. I chose this book for, perhaps, a really superficial reason--it takes place in Arkansas. My best friend is from Arkansas. It is based on a woman’s experience as she cares for patients that have HIV/AIDS and have nowhere else to go in a town that is deeply ingrained in their southern and religious roots. This seemed like an extremely interesting premise, and I really wanted to read about her life experience and how she became involved in the epidemic without any personal interest. I wanted to learn more about the epidemic, as most of what I know is from Rent. I think it is important to learn about people’s experiences revolving around caring for and helping others, as it can inspire you to be a better person. I also think it just puts life in perspective when you see everything that other people have to go through. I hope I can come out of this book with a new ...

  HomeGoods Associate   I think HomeGoods is a store that everyone knows about but doesn’t have to actually enter until they start getting ready to shop for college. I had absolutely no desire to enter a HomeGoods until my mom came home with a job application to be an associate there. She shoved it at me and told me I needed to make some money. Which I did. I just didn’t expect that it would make me so miserable.   A sales associate at HomeGoods is in charge of everything. The managers sit in their office for most of the day, unless called upon. You stock shelves, act as a cashier, change prices, and move furniture. But really, it’s so much more. Working there is truly an experience that no one can describe. My friends in high school told me my job by far sounded like the worst, but I could always entertain them with my stories from the day prior.   If I had to explain to you what a sales associate at HomeGoods does, I’d leave you with these three descriptions. · ...

Where I’ve Been If you ask me where I’m from I will tell you I’m from Philadelphia without any hesitation. The reality is I live about 15 minutes away from Philly-- right over the bridge in New Jersey. My town doesn’t have much to do, but it does feature a pizza shop on every corner. In high school, we ran a bracket to determine which pizza was best. Where I’m Going and How I Hope to Get There After graduation, I want to work in sports marketing for a team, league, or agency. I don’t have a long-term career goal. Instead, I just know where I want to start.  I’ve already begun to take steps to get there. I have worked two internships and have plans to complete at least one more before I graduate. My mentor has been instrumental in my career development this year: helping me with my resume, portfolio, and preparing me for interviews. I hope this helps me in securing my last internship and that it will lead to a full-time job offer. Am I Like My Parents? Where Do I Get My Expectation...