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Meet the Crew...
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Jennifer aka "Miss Black and Yellow"!
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Quick facts: Perfectionist, money-maker, sports addict, I love candy canes year round, I swear a lot, and I love monkeys. Oh yea...I usually lose my left contact on monthly basis. I'm a senior Business Commerce and Marketing major at Aurora University. Basically I'm like a quadripletuplet threat! Lol!
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I never really thought about college in my high school years. I attended a college prep school on the South side of
At this suburban school, my counselor encouraged me to at least finish school. If it weren't for his guidance, I would of never filled out those applications for colleges and universities. I mean I was not a "bad" kid, but just like most I just never took the time to apply myself to the material learned in classrooms. Actually I never cared to learn in classrooms any more either. Not until I got accepted into four out of five of my picked schools.
I picked my current university simply because it was close to home and financial reasons. Never heard of it actually before I filled out the applications. As a commuter student, my first two years I managed to keep a Tuesday and Thursday class schedule and worked as a sales associate at a footwear retailer throughout the week, clocking in about 25 hours a week. Living about 45 minutes away from my job I travelled a lot. I never stayed after class unless it was mandatory. I learned what I had to and left.
It was not until my involvement in two campus organizations that people started seeing more of me around campus. I had a position on the board of directors for a marketing organization and then earned the position of president for the fashion club as well. After a successful turnout for the Spring 2011 annual fashion show, this is where everyone began talking about Jenn and this was not necessarily just good talk either.
No one knew enough about me to just talk about good things. Now that I am president of a well known campus organization, interactive with professors and students in the business department, and dating one thee most popular fraternity boys on campus, Darian (the love of my life), everyone wants to know who Jenn is but no one wants to take the time out to get to know me. Go figure.
So here I am. Balancing yet another semester filled with due dates, presentations, event planning, an internship, and a new schedule at a new job. Follow these next five months...because I'll be graduating soon! Maybe...
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| Camcorder Banks |
Darian aka "Camcorder Banks"
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Quick facts: I st-st-st-ttuter a lot, critical thinker, tech-savy, I'm allergic to peanuts, I tend to crack my joints and back about once every hour, I'm considered a fat-flipper (I'm big and I can flip), I run into still objects A LOT, and I love recording!
Quick facts: I st-st-st-ttuter a lot, critical thinker, tech-savy, I'm allergic to peanuts, I tend to crack my joints and back about once every hour, I'm considered a fat-flipper (I'm big and I can flip), I run into still objects A LOT, and I love recording!
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I have never been the one to focus on college in my younger years. When I was in high school, I was a smart individual that had great grades in class. But, I never thought of college at all. I felt that I wouldn't make it that far (graduating from a university). Although I was told I was smart with great potential, I was nervous of life. I was nervous of failure because those around me tried so hard but never succeeded. The only thing that I focused on was sports and money.
I was a sport jockey, so in essence I was apart of the in-crowd. Instead of focusing on my future, I was too busy being one of the popular guys and having fun at school. Instead, I should have been paying attention and focusing on school. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't the dumb jock because my grades were always nice, but my mind wasn't where it should have been. And being “hard-headed” outside of school didn’t make my situation any better. I was always getting into something.
Outside of school I was trying to have as much fun as possible and make money and the same time. But my idea of having "fun" for some reason landed me in a bad situation. My disruptive and “bad” behavior and temper always lead me right to trouble. So as time flew by and me trying to be "Mr. Big-shot", time was getting short for me. I had to make a choice in life, on my own for my better being. It wasn't until things went really sour in life before I graduated high school.
Just before my last year started, I fractured my wrist fighting. I didn't want to take care of it, then I ended up completely breaking it during my last football season, so my football dreams were out of the picture. Then the deaths of close friends started....many friends. But it wasn't until the death of my best friend, Ja'will (J-ko), that gave me my eye opener. I was in a down moment for a long time, but it put a lot of reality in front of my face. I knew that the way I have been taking my life was not the right way. It was time to make a change and make a better living for me and my future.
I confronted my fears of failure and took the road to college. I felt I made the correct decision and I never second guessed about it after I made it. It was like I had a second chance at life. I was happy about this choice. I found out what career path I wanted to choose. I knew that I could sell anything, and that I loved fashion, music and magazines. All this wrapped up into one big picture and I came up with Business Marketing, which up until this day, I still love marketing.
Now that I am a better me, here I stand in 2012 as a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated and a recent graduate from Aurora University. Now I am attacking life in my post-graduate season. So, follow me as I find my road to success and land my perfect career in the field of marketing. The only thing is...I'm gaining an interest in video producing and editing, so I wonder will the two intertwine...
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| Cassandra "The Twin" |
Cassandra aka "The Twin"
---Quick facts: if you have not guessed already, I AM a TWIN. I’m a perfectionist, hard working and focused individual. I love gummy bears and pineapple, which I eat faithfully despite my known allergy to them. I am a senior Social Work Major, with a specialization in addiction at Aurora University, as well as, a resident assistant, among many other titles. Yeah I'm making moves.
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College has always been a goal of mine growing up. I was raised in a two parent home and being the youngest of five, I felt the great desired to make my parents proud. Being raised in a violence and drug infused area on the west side of Chicago, it was a given that we were held to a higher standard than those around us. They encouraged furthering education greatly due to the fact that they never went on to college and barely finished high school. This is when I KNEW that I had to be different and show them that if I do not do anything else in life I would make them proud upon every measure possible.
When attending Norte Dame High School for Girls on the north side of the City, away from the everyday trouble that I face, I gained a better understanding of life and developed somewhat of a self love. Being in the presence of other young women who were desiring the same things as myself, I was encouraged daily. I looked at a number of universities, but under the desired major Communication. After focusing on this career area for well over three years, I began to realize that this was NOT my calling.
My major change came in the early months of my senior year. I was filling out my applications as undecided, until one day in mid October 2007, after looking at my life experiences I knew that I needed to be somewhere in the field of helping others. Over my high school years I had experiences with, not only myself but others, unplanned teen pregnancies, abusive relationship both physical and mental, unhealthy sexual relationships, and drug misuse and abuse. This is when I knew I had to do something different and give more of myself to helping and educating others.
I chose my current university after receiving an interest post card in the mail. This is when I began to look more into Aurora University and see that this is where I was called my God to be. I was not too far from home and not too close. Just enough distance to miss and to be missed. I visited the school and as corny as it may sound, fell in love. Being from private school throughout my educational journey, this school was perfect. I applied and was immediately accepted, given academic scholarships, and was on my way.
I would not say I was a loner...but I was a loner. I was not very involved in campus activities and was not excited by the party scene. This lasted for two years. In the beginning of my junior year when I was well into my major classes, I knew I had to become more involved. I joined the organizations: Awareness, Responsibility, Integrity, Sisterhood, and Empowerment (A.R.I.S.E), which I am now part of the board on, and Fashion Loves You (F.L.Y). Both these organizations helped me to become more open and I began to build bonds with people I would have never thought.
This was when people began to learn more about me and I began to learn more about myself. I never knew until now, how negative I came off to others. People view me as pretty, but angry as hell. This is when I knew my image had to change and I had to show others that there was a happy, loving, and very positive person inside. I applied for a resident assistant position, and was accepted. I applied for an internship at Woodridge Intervention working with adolescent client suffering from addiction on their way to recovery, in Woodridge Illinois, and was accepted. It seems that whatever it is that I have set my mind to doing, has been done.
So you have it, this is me. Balancing my last semester just as well as my first, with more demanding schedules, and lesser time, will be challenging. In the words of George Lopez, “I GOT THIS.” Follow my next five months, while I get it!!
Coming soon...
Kiara aka "The Dancer"
Kenny aka "The Photographer & Kappa Man"
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