Hello!
I just got to Pemba Mozambique last night and after two days of traveling I can only say that I am exhausted!
The place is beatiful and the people that I will be working with are very nice people. My goal is to come out of Pemba almost fluent in portuguese :D Let's see how that goes... it might be a bit too ambitious but a sincere attempt will be made :D
I'm just glad that finals are over and that I can now fully concentrate on my IEDP project.
In this last post I definitely have to say that coming to Upenn was (hands down) the best decision that I've made in my life. I've met incredible people that have challenged and changed me in many different ways. I have grown so much as a person and as a student. Though I am glad to be done I must say that I am also very sad to leave such an intellectually supportive community. I love this place... depending on how it goes I might do my PhD here or attend law school here at Upenn.
I am still fixed on living in California but with the financial crisis that is happening over there right now, I must realize that I may need to stay out for a bit...
I don't know... I love California and I might just go back just for the heck of it ( despite the job prospects). lol
I don't know if maybe I'll stay here in Mozambique... I seriously doubt this though... but at this point I don't know... :D
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
Questions that I've received from Prospective IEDP Students
-Outside
of the financial advantage to participating in a one-year program, what
are some of the pros and cons of Penn's condensed
schedule?
schedule?
Okay,
the one year component of the program was one of the things that made
this program so attractive for me. Nonetheless, I really wish that this
program was longer. Not because
I think
that
I will graduate without having acquired the preparation necessary for
the field that I want to go into but because I feel that there is just
so much to learn here. It's an
incredibly intellectually
stimulating
place. Here at Upenn, they really push for you to not only take
courses in the IEDP department but also outside of the graduate school
of education. It's a challenge
but one that allows
you
to see how to look at things through different points of view. In
turn, this further feeds your curiosity to know and learn about
different subjects and through different points
of view and see how
this
ties with your educational interests. In short, I wish it were a
longer program just because I feel that there is so much to learn
here...
- Does the curriculum lean toward a particular theory/school of thought?
Most
of the students are very liberal here. I am more of a moderate... I
like to think things through and really make a practical and sound
decision in matters. Having said this...
I have found that the
environment is very friendly to people's different opinions ( be they conservative, liberal etc.)
For
the IED Program in particular I don't think that we have a particular
school of thought. As for the greater Upenn Graduate School of
Education there is a social justice theme
that it puts forth.
This
is advanced not just in the curriculum ( touching on issues of school
overcrowdness, language issues etc.) but also through the work that many
of the students in GSE do. There
are a lot of opportunities
for
GSE students to volunteer and get involved with the Philly community. I
volunteer and I know that a lot of people do. We are highly encouraged
to be involved in the community
which goes with the
social justice "theme" of Upenn's GSE.
-Did you pursue (or do you know of any) collaborative projects with other students across programs or schools and/or research
opportunities with faculty
opportunities with faculty
I
am a Graduate Assistant and I opted to work for the Admissions office .
I think that masters
students
that want to do research need to contact the professor that they want
to do research with. I am guessing that you want to do research so I
will advice you to contact the
professor that you might
be
interested to work with and see if they would like to work with you
etc. It just takes a quick email. Contact the professors that you
might be interested in working with.
-How would you describe the make-up of your class/program? As someone from a political science and external affairs background, I'd like to get an idea of Penn's point of view on non-traditional education students.
How
would you describe a "non-traditional education" student? The recent
IEDP class is very diverse. There are people who are fullbright
scholars, students who just came back
from abroad (Peace Corps) and so on...
It is required that all students have some type of international work experience...
-What were your deciding factors in choosing Penn?
The
program was definitely the deciding factor (internship component,
curriculum, professors etc.). I received financial aid from other
programs as well but Upenn was my top choice
even before I submitted my applications. I liked that Upenn
didn't charged for
the
application. This showed that they were truly looking for "the best"
students. I also liked the city, its history and how responsive the
professors were to my emails.
-Any applications tips or suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated!
Just
remember that it's rolling admissions and the sooner it's in, the
sooner that it'll be read. Submit it! If you need an extra pair of
eyes to give you comments on it. I'll
be happy to look through it. I owe it to you since I took forever to
reply.
Just
keep in mind to send your application when you think that it's a good
reflection of yourself, your passions/interests and your past work.
Healthcare Reform, Just Around The Corner?
For
those of you that may not be aware about the Health Care Reform Act
that passed in 2010, I wanted to share some information I learned from
watching a town hall style forum that took place at the White House
earlier this month.
As
of now, in 2014 every American will be mandated to purchase health care
insurance (well... the supreme court hasn't finalized its opening on this mandated health insurance part). For some of you, this will means that your health care
premiums could fall for others it means an extra expense. For the majority of Americans it
means access to affordable health care. This is good news especially for people who do not have
the option of purchasing a health insurance for reasons such as pre-existing
conditions, limit-caps, and others.
I
guess it all started around 1987 when our nation became a
“compassionate society” which means that those that had the ability to
help would not deny medical care for those that could not afford
medical care. Needless to say, this came at a cost. Those that were
uninsured made emergency rooms of hospitals (ER) their primary care
homes and have adversely affected those with health insurance—basically,
hospitals pass along the costs of treatments of the uninsured through
high treatment costs to the insured and their insurance
companies—resulting in increasing premiums.
However,
the insured are not the only people affected; patients without health
insurance often are not given adequate health care treatment with
respect to their overall general health. As Dr. J. Nadine Garcia,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Minority Health & Director of
the Offices of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (U.S DHHS), points out, physicians at ER’s are often only able
to treat the patients’ most threaten conditions, which often is more
severe than it should have been, if treated sooner. Dr. Regina Benjamin,
Surgeon General, U.S DHHS, assures that preventative care
remains the most viable method to treat the most dangerous and
deadliest conditions such as heart disease, obesity, and cancer.
While
we wait for the Supreme Court to make a decision on the Health Care
Reform, the Obama Administration remains confident that after 70 years
of precedent the Act will withstand the Supreme Court fully in tacked.
As the year 2014 nears, states are preparing with the creation of
insurance Exchanges to provide individuals and small business with same
private insurance choices that the President and Member of Congress
have, and to foster competitions in hopes to lower the premiums for all.
These Exchanges will make comparing plans and prices easier.
Should I invest?
As
I wonder about how the recovery of the economy is coming along (or if its recovering at all), I
cannot help but wonder if its now a good time to invest? I would like to invest in a "green" company. I don't know much about stock but whether we like it or not people are looking for alternatives to oil. Hence, they are going to be investing in these types of companies...
I am interested in a small
penny stock company located in Boulder, CO that is in its development-stage as a company.
Apparently, this company is creating methodologies to
capture static electricity from the atmosphere. Once captured, the
kicker is to convert the energy into a useable source for utility
companies such as mining, constructions i.e.
As
I began to track this company two weeks ago, the price of common stock
was $1.66 per share. I was surprised to see its fluctuations within a
weeks’ time. It almost hit a 52-week high of $2.96, but quickly fell to
half that value. It also concerns me that the stock does have a 52-week
low of 32 cents. I am left with the huge
possibility (who would have know right?) that any money I invested could end up lost—which
would suck. On the other hand, if this company can just bring to market
one, just one, usable product then I would feel good that my money is being invested in a
worthy cause, and I’d be rich. ;)HA ha ha ha just kidding :D
But having
a worthy cause is an import part of investing. Those that believed in a
concept of linking computers with wireless routers and fiber optic
lines twenty years ago are now reaping their rewards for believing in
profound concept—at that time. However, I have been told that investing
emotionally can also be traumatic to one’s health. As your investments go up and down on a week by week, day
by day, minute by minute, second by second basis, so does your stress level.
The
important thing I have come to realize is that the stock market on a
short term basis can either bring you much financial success or a
devastating loss. Investing in something that you believe in can alleviate some of the "hurt" from losing money in the stock... sort of...
Friday, April 13, 2012
SAVE JESSICA!!!
SAVE JESSICA!!!
In the midst of my academic sprint towards graduation I have recently gotten hooked to American Idol. After so many years of watching not one episode ( except for youtube clips of William Hung’s “She Bangs” performance ) of this show I find myself drawn to it by one of their contestants. Her name is Jessica Sanchez.
Now, this story didn’t begin yesterday. It actually begin a few years ago when I saw a youtube video of a little girl ( not more than 8 years old ) that sang masterfully, unlike any other person that I’ve seen. She was singing Celine Dion’s “ I surrender” song like a complete pro. Seriously, her performance gave me chills. It was THAT good. This is the youtube link to her performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNWkZVobPDg
She also has a youtube page where she posts videos of her singing covers to different songs. This is the link to it http://www.youtube.com/user/jsanchezfan?feature=results_main
Okay! So back to the point! Recently, I found out that this girl is an American Idol contestant. She is an incredible singer and I immediately thought that well she had this “in the bag”. What I forgot about is the fact that “America” gets to vote for their favorite singer. Despite this I still thought that Jessica would still have it “ in the bag”. To my surprise, she actually had to recently be saved by the judges. WHAT!? Why?! This is why I will from now and forever on vote for Jessica. She really deserves it.
Please Vote for her as well! Check some of youtube videos if you’re on the fence about voting for her. Or catch her on American Idol next week. She’s just so talented… It would definitely be sad if she doesn’t win this competition.
PICTURE RECAP OF JESSICA BEING SAVED BY THE JUDGES
She SINGS and doesn’t please America
Judges discuss it and….
She’s saved!
If you missed it… This is also a condensed version of what happened in the latest American Idol Episode. Jessica gets saved by the judges http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux5Zdsi76oc&context=C471f5a6ADvjVQa1PpcFPFpqyeWw8JXiIkAh-4j3j62hg2LpC1OrA=
Sunday, April 8, 2012
The Pope in Mexico!
Mexico is known for its food, its great beaches, the vibrancy of its people and culture. And sadly it is also known for its cartel problems.
Mexico will persevere through this dark time. When it celebrated its 200th birthday ( a few years back), a lot of people criticized it. To most people a country with that many problems ( both economic and political and so on)should not be spending its money celebrating its 200th birthday. But that’s just not Mexico. Mexico and its people are much more than just a combination of problems. And hence they just like any other country have the right to celebrate its existence.
IEDP Internship!
It is now official. I am going to go to Cabo Delgado, Mozambique for my IEDP field internship.
I will be working with the Agha Khan Foundation. My main job is to evaluate an adult literacy program. Other students from IEDP are working in different parts of Africa, some are heading to Latin America, Asia and Europe. Oh! And some decided to take internships here in the United States (San Francisco, New York, D.C.). Basically, IEDP students are going to be all over the world this summer. To my knowledge, the different organizations that IEDP students will be working for are UNESCO, OECD, IDEA, World Vision, and others.
I think that at this point all of us have a set internship. I am very happy with mine. Nonetheless, it was unexpected. My “forte” is the Latin America area. And so I naturally thought that I was going to go to Latin America and further strengthen my career there. Nonetheless, Professor Wagner encouraged me to work in my interest but in a different context. Since I’m still a student of international development, Dr. Wagner thought that it be important for me to be exposed to as much of the world as possible. And I agree.
Depending on each other’s schedules we each will be departing on different dates to our specific destinations. As for me, I will be heading to Africa a few days after graduation. I’m so excited! I’ve already started preparing for Africa (e.g. applying for my VISA and vaccinations!)
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