Reminder: FAFSA

Good day,

I hope all of you are enjoying your spring break! I just want to give a reminder on the upcoming deadline for financial aid application for continuing students. Please take the time to visit FAFSA to see the deadline for your corresponding state, and fill out your application to see what you qualify for. I will do my best to post any financial assistance opportunities I come across. In the meantime, refer to my previous posts for the AXA scholarship as well as other internship opportunities. Remember, the sooner you apply for these opportunities the greater your chances are of receiving them and the less stressful things will be.

Good Luck

Citation: What, Why, How?

Citations! The source of every high school students fantasies. I can still palpate the joy that surged through my high school English classroom whenever a paper that required citation was assigned. Obviously I am being sarcastic. Everyone hated those assignments, but luckily for me, and others who decide to continue our education, we won't have to worry about citations anymore. Sarcasm once again! If you plan on continuing with higher education, you will learn to become best friends with citations. It is a necessity for higher level writings for reasons I will elaborate on.

As annoying as citations may seem, they are quite useful not only to you as the author, but also to potential readers and the sources themselves.

First, let us look  at how citations benefit me, the author? If you are reading this article, chances are that you need to know something about citations whether it is for an assignment or for your own use. It is good to utilize citations in your writings because it gives sound evidence that you can base your propositions on regardless of what it may be. Imagine listening to someone who always blurts out questionable statements, for example, claiming that the government is collecting data from our cellphones. As a spectator, the first question I am thinking of is, how do you know that? What information do you have to back these claims you are making? There are plenty of people that make claims like this lacking any source to back their claims. The result is a void argument and a questionable reputation. The more often this occurs the less likely people will take your propositions seriously whether it be through your writings or statements. This can in turn be detrimental and cause hindrances for future works. This can all be avoided by utilizing sound sources and citing them. Personally, I have come to enjoy using writing as a medium to translate my ideas and thoughts. I write about things I am passionate about and try my hardest to depict those ideas in the most effective manner possible. Citations have become a powerful tool that I have utilized in backing my claims and producing strong proposals. As a writer, you should be passionate about the material you produce whether it be for an assignments or personal ventures. Citations will ensure your material will withstand any critique that might be thrown at it.

As a reader, this is greatly appreciated because I can rest assured that the resulting material is of high quality. Whether the material you are reading is simply to acquire general knowledge or to be utilized for another material, both the author and the reader benefit greatly from the utilization of citations. As a reader, you get the additional benefit of having links to other materials that can provide you with further reading on related topics.

How about the original authors? Well, the most obvious benefit is the exposure your work gets when it is cited. Not only is the person who is using your material going to read your work, but also other people who could potentially read that persons work. As an author, this is also a nod of approval for your work. This should excite you because your work is being appreciated and contributing to the world of information.

Altogether, citation is a great tool that transcends much farther than points on an essay or avoiding plagiarism. Citations help with the propagation of knowledge. My advice for students is to put the effort towards understanding citations and taking the time to utilize citations and to do so properly. Below are a series of links that will help you understand citations as well as databases that provide accurate data. Feel free to comment on this post if you have a good links not mentioned on here.


Citation Generator:

Citation Machine
http://www.bibme.org/

How To:

http://www.wikihow.com/Cite-Sources
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/

Databases (free):

Google Scholar
CIA World Factbook
Worldbank
http://www.data.gov/
http://www.regulations.gov/#!home
http://www.usa.gov/
    - Other .gov and .edu websites. Do an advanced google search for the topic, filtering the results for       .gov and/or .edu

Wildlife conservation/outdoor internship opportunity (southwest region)

Happy New Years! I hope everyone is having a great start to the year so far. I am! I'm wrapping up on some of my goals and setting new ones on the way. Hope you guys will do the same. Persistence is crucial for success!

I would like to announce another great internship opportunity I came across. This is geared towards people interested in wildlife and conservation. It is an excellent opportunity to gain on the field experience, help the environment, and get paid!

Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC)

Scc is run in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. This program is also an affiliate of AmeriCorps, which will grant you funds to either pay off student loans, or pay for continued education. The general age requirement is ages 18-25 although there is a youth program for children ages 14-18. There are multiple positions currently available but hurry up and apply before any of them close. Go visit their website for more information on the program: http://sccorps.org/

Lets make greater impacts this year!

Good luck.

Computer Programming

The Future

Look around you. Everything is becoming computerized and integrated. Your cellphone, for example, is a multi-purpose device capable of capturing quality videos/images, playing music, browsing the internet at speeds faster than some computers, sharing files and information worldwide quickly, and many more. All this in a device that fits your hand. Technology is getting much more efficient and has even greater possibilities for the future.

Computer science is a field that has much potential but unfortunately is not being promoted like it should. Efforts are being made to implement this field into the curriculum in most elementary-high schools. This is a great step forward seeing that technology is the future and will eventually become a staple in education just like math, english, or social sciences. Listed below are some links to sites that offer introductory lessons in programming. These sites are good for understanding the basics of computer programming and informing you about the field. These websites will be useful for those who are interested in technology and trying to decide what to major in, or for anyone else trying to narrow their options. It is always useful to do your own independent research when it comes to deciding a personal career field. It will also be beneficial to talk to a professional or a graduate student in this field. (I will discuss more on how to narrow down college majors and career choices in the future.)

1. Coursera.com (https://www.coursera.org/courses?orderby=upcoming&search=program)

• This site also contains other subjects that you can learn for free at your leisure

     2.  Code.org (http://code.org)

• Animated and simple way to learn coding

I will update the list with any more useful sites I come across.

Smile :)

****repost

Life is tough. If you can't relate, someday you probably will. Even in the midst of all the hardship and stress life throws at you, you should never forget the little blessings you have in your life. The fact that you are able to access this blog and actually be able to read what I write is a blessing of its own. Sometimes I just step outside, take a deep breath, look at the sky, and survey the scenery... Marvelous. In the midst of our hectic lives, we forget the beauty that lies in front of us. So let us not be overwhelmed by life but rather take the time to shift our focus on the simple things. Because it is not always the grandest spectacles but rather the simplest things in life that bring us peace and happiness. 

On that note, here is a link to the recent supermoon:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/supermoon-chicago-2013_n_3488355.html#slide=2606315

Take the time out of your day to reflect and smile about little things like the moon, valued people in your life etc. One love.

AXA Achievement Scholarship ($10,000-$25,000)

AXA equitable is a company headquartered in New York that engages in various financial services. The company is currently accepting applications for its annual AXA Achievement Scholarship award. Applications will be accepted up until December 15 unless 10,000 applications have been received prior to this deadline.

Qualifications for the AXA scholarship include:

• Be United States citizens or legal residents living or claiming residency in one of the 50 U.S. states, District of Columbia or Puerto Rico.
• Be current high school seniors who plan to enroll full-time in an accredited two-year or four-year college or university in the United States for the entire 2014-2015 academic year. Enrollment at an accredited postsecondary institution outside of the United States will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Demonstrate ambition and self-drive as evidenced by outstanding achievement in school, community or work-related activities.

One winner will be selected from each state to win $10,000 in scholarship money. Ten national winners will then be selected from this group to win an additional $15,000.

Application and additional information links are listed below. Don't miss this opportunity for free money! 

Apply here: http://www.axa-equitable.com/axa-foundation/AXA-achievement-scholarship.html

More Information: https://www.scholarshipamerica.org/axa-achievement/information.php

InternQueen

InternQueen is run by a girl who recollects some of her college experiences, posting tips and internship opportunities. Vist the website at http://www.internqueen.com/internships for internship opportunities and other miscellaneous resources.