A Teachers Perspective: Ms. Ayu

For our group presentations, one of the requirements was to have a faculty interview about our question of choice. Our question was ‘How do Student Activities and Student Groups impact social relations at Howard?’ to answer this question, I interviewed my psychology teacher Ms. Ayu who is a 5^th year graduate student here at Howard. I thought that her input would offer a unique way of viewing student life since she is both a student and a teacher. In the interview, Ms. Ayu exclaimed the importance of getting involved on campus and how it really does make or break your experience. She explained that getting involved allows you to build relationships with your fellow student body, and a chance to get to them while doing something you’re passionate about. It can give you a sense of being and a sense of belonging to something. Ms. Ayu also talked about how Greek Life is something that more people should look to be a part of. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and believes that becoming a member of her organization made her collegiate worthwhile.  She was able to do community service on and off campus also while gaining a bond with girls who had similar interest as her. In all Ms. Ayu expressed that student involvement on campus is extremely important to having memorable college years and is something that more people should start to take advantage of. The more involved you are on campus, the stronger bonds you will build with your peers, along with a stronger pride you will have for your college experience.

Safisha Seifullah

Self Reflection

As Freshmen Seminar starts to draw to a close, we have all been asked to do a “self-reflection” so that we can recap on our experiences this semester. Recapping on our experiences allows us to see how we have changed since the start of the semester and what we have learned from the class. I would have to say that my experience in Freshmen Seminar was a good one. I was able to learn a lot about black people, culture, Howard, our professors, their beliefs, and values. I was able to grow as a black person in the world by gaining the knowledge of my history. We learned about ancient Egyptians, and writing. We learned of music and how it has changed and shaped black people through the generations. We learned of Howard, and the history behind this school and the great leaders who came from this school. Each session was beneficial and intriguing. I believe because of the course I am more knowledgeable of my past and what my future can possibly hold. I understand even more so now that I am in control of my future, and that I must make wise decisions each day in order to produce favorable outcomes. As I continue through my college career I struggle with right and wrong, like everyone else. The important thing for me to remember is that though it is my future to create, it is the future of my people that is at stake. From our group presentations I learned a lot as well. I was able to hear about different issues facing today’s world, from the decline in black marriages to the war born children in Africa. Each of these issues impact our lives in different ways each day. This class has overall been a truly engaging experience and I am grateful for what I have learned.          

Safisha Seifullah                                                                                                                                                           

Clones

The further we get into these presentations the deeper each topic gets. This past week’s group presented on the topic of cloning and whether or not we should be for it. They researched several laws and studies concerning the topic of cloning humans. I thought this was a peculiar topic because I never really thought about whether or not, we, as human beings, would consider accepting the practice of cloning. However based on this groups presentation there were attempts to get laws to approve of cloning but this have yet to happen. This topic was a wake-up call to me because sometimes I forget how much technology has advanced and how much more it will advance in the future. I never thought that there were would be a day, at least any time soon, where I would have to think about the possibilities of myself or others being cloned. This to me is very disturbing and I would agree with the faculty member they interviewed, who said that it was an act of God in a sense. I just think that this should be where the line is crossed. What’s the purpose of us being able to reproduce if scientists are just going to take a copy of our DNA and try to reproduce humans themselves? As our professor said after their presentation was given, this is something that we really should think about because technology is advancing rapidly and it’s only a matter when we will be faced with this issue.

-Ramona Williams

The Image of the Present Black Marriages

During the first week of group presentations there were several research topics that were very interesting. I chose to discuss the group presentation with the topic of the image of black marriages. This presentation focused specifically on how we could change the image of black marriages. With some statistics of the number of successful marriages and divorces amongst the black race, this group also entailed some interviews from our peers asking whether or not they had the desire to get married in the future. Surprisingly there were a few that had stated that they did not wish to get married because they have yet to see a successful marriage. Granting the fact that I’m studying to become a family and marriage counselor I found this group presentation very interesting and exciting because I wasn’t quite sure whether or not if marriage was a major concern within our student body. I feel like one way that we could change the image of black marriages or marriages regardless of race is to understand the value of family and the meaning behind marriage. Many of us fail to realize it was the support of family that helped our ancestors push through slavery and survive it. I think that if people had a foundation before deciding to get married it could possibly increase the number of successful marriages. I personally believe that the image of black marriages and family is a major concern, especially in this generation because many of us are not fortunate to having a two parent household. I think if the image of our family and marriages improved maybe our children of the present and future would have some sense of hope and success.

-Ramona Williams

Child Soldiers

As we continue our group projects in Freshmen Seminar, I am finding them more intriguing. Today a group presented on the topic of “Child Soldiers” and what we can do to help them. Child Soldiers are displaced children who are brainwashed by radical groups in order to make them kill and fight in their wars. The Child Soldiers that this group focused on African children. The group’s visual aid was a video of a documentary done on Child Soldiers entitled “Invisible Children”. The video was shot by three young American boys, who went to Sudan in order to capture what was taking place during the genocide. In their video they were able to capture the heart ache, pain, and fear that each child went through while struggling to survive during genocide. There were small huts, and tents set up so that the children could sleep at night, sometimes hundreds in one tent alone. The children had to eat what they could, and had to move forward on their own. Most had lost their entire families to the genocide. The documentary was very touching and profound. It shows the truly reality of what is taking place over seas and the necessity of their need. The group who presented also showed celebrities who are doing their part to donate to the cause such as George Clooney. I believe that of all the issues that have been discussed in Freshmen Seminar this one is the most serious and needs the most attention. I say this because this is the most difficult issue to stop, and one that has hundreds of children’s lives in danger. The documentary that was shown in their presentation, I have seen it in high school and I would recommend anyone that is truly interested in the cause to watch it. Once again I really believe that this was a good topic to present to our class to make us aware of the issue, as well as a good way to bring this issue to our HBCU so that we can help our people.

Safisha Seifullah

Black Marriages Today

We just recently started our group presentations in Freshmen Seminar. Each group has picked a topic/question to research that relates to the broad question of the class. One of the presentations that I really liked was one on black marriages. The presentation was about the decline in black marriages and how it is affecting women and men. The group that presented this also compared black marriages to white marriages, showing that white marriages usually last longer than black marriages do. Through research this group was able to show the affect that the decline in black marriages is causing. They were also able to show how significantly the number of black marriages has changed since the 1950’s to the present day. I found this presentation to very interesting and informative because today the black family is rarely seen. Though “black marriage” is not typically seen as a controversial issue that needs attention, it is in reality. The institution of marriage is a necessity in today’s world because it was what forms a true family which many young black people are lacking. In a family there is someone there to protect, to love, and to look up to. For many black people most have only had one parent to do all those jobs. I think that more black people should come together and try to understand each other so that the possibility of an increase in black marriages could seem possible. Overall the group presentation on ‘Black Marriage’ was really good, and I thought that they had a great question, however I feel that the group could have had more energy when presenting because it would have made the presentation more engaging.

Safisha Seifullah