The UHCL and San Jacinto College-North team poses with faculty and advisers in front of the aircraft known as the "vomit comet” after completing their first flight. Photo by Joshua Ojeda: The Signal.

Truett Manning
The Signal
The goal of education is for students to be able to exercise what they learn in the classroom, but three UHCL students and two San Jacinto College–North students literally got to watch their hard work take flight.

NASA held their latest flight week, April 20-28, at Ellington Field. The Reduced Gravity Student Education Flight Program, or RGEFP, is a program designed for undergraduate students to successfully propose, design, assemble, fly and evaluate a reduced gravity experiment of their choice over the course of four to six months. Christopher Burns and Henry Ascencio, mathematical science majors, and Paul Cusco, a computer engineer major at UHCL, participated in RGEFP along with two students from San Jacinto College – North.

“NASA provides the flight weeks because it’s a way to expose students to the engineering design process and to give them a real world look at what it’s like to be a scientist or engineer,” said Rachel Kraft, public affairs specialist at NASA Johnson Space Center. “Our hope is that the experience of not only flying in microgravity, but of seeing an experiment through all the way from initial conception of an idea to data collection in microgravity, will inspire them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.”

Students who wish to participate in RGEFP must first form a group then create and submit a proposal to NASA. The students whose proposal is accepted must work on the projects on their own time. Professors and faculty are able to give students guidance when they run into problems but the research and building of the project is student led. If selected, the group works with a NASA principal investigator lead for that project to prepare the experiment for flight week. In addition to the NASA official, one university/college faculty member is invited to fly with each team.

Burns reached out to one of his past professors, Nathanial Wiggins, professor of mathematics at San Jacinto College-North, to recruit additional students to form a team.

“If you pull a team together from independent schools, it shows a willingness to work together that is unprecedented in today’s academic environment,” Burns said.

NASA started the RGEFP in 1995 as a program for engineering students. Throughout the years, it has expanded to include a variety of student groups as well as educators who teach grades K-12. Flight weeks, which occur several times a year, consist of student teams from different universities across the country with 17 teams participating in this most recent flight week.

NASA hopes that by doing this, it will help to provide faculty members with teaching materials in their classroom as well as encourage future students to take part in the program. Teams are able to fly their experiment twice to ensure accurate feedback for their project. If they experience any problems during their first flight, they can correct the issues for the second flight.

The teams test their experiments at Ellington Field on their scheduled day. To simulate reduced gravity, each student team flies in a modified Boeing 727-200 airplane known as the “Weightless Wonder” and nicknamed the “Vomit Comet.” The motion of the flight can make some people feel nauseous and vomit.

The reduced gravity aircraft flies 30 zero parabolic maneuvers, 1 Lunar and 1 Martian maneuver over the Gulf of Mexico. This parabolic pattern provides about a minute and thirty seconds of hyper gravity, about 1.8G-2G, as the plane climbs to the top of the parabola.

Once the plane reaches the top of the parabola, it starts to “nose over” and descends toward Earth. The plane experiences approximately 20-30 seconds of microgravity, or 0G, which is when the students begin testing their experiments.

Burns is no stranger to this experience. This flight week marked his second time to participate in NASA’s program. This year, Burns is the team leader for the UHCL and San Jacinto North flight team.

“The first time you fly, you are so overtaken with the environment, but the second time, you can focus more on the research rather than the environment.”

Jarrett Lockridge, Mathematics major at San Jacinto College–North, participated in NASA’s flight week and flew for the first time.

“The flight was pretty fun to be honest with you,” Lockridge said. “Overall, it was amazing. It brought a group of students together to accomplish amazing things.”

The idea behind the team’s experiment came from NASA researchers. Burns and his team applied to the program to conduct the experiment and submitted their proposal to NASA in October 2011. They began building their experiment over the following winter break. The team’s experiment tested the feasibility of using an Xbox Kinect to replace a keyboard, joystick and mouse in a microgravity environment.

Xbox Kinect is normally used for playing video games. The device is a small, rectangular box with a camera that is placed on a television set. The camera detects the person’s body movements and allows the person to become the controller. Burns and his team believe that this technology has the potential to change the way NASA controls their robotic equipment in space.

“It has the potential to save space and optimize systems,” Burns said.

Burns encourages all students in his field, or anyone interested in science, technology, engineering and/or math, to experience this or a similar program. He says the process can be stressful and taxing, but says it is a very unique, fun and amazing experience.

“There is a camaraderie that develops before and after you fly that is unparalleled to any experience I’ve ever been a part of,” Burns said.

Kraft believes that the results from flight week may help NASA engineers think about the development of future hardware.

“The aim is to give students a unique experience that lets them apply what they’ve learned in the classroom and learn more about how the environment of microgravity alters scientific principles,” Kraft said.

 

Video shot and edited by The Signal reporter Josh Ojeda.
 

Bully victim Alex Libby, 12, featured in the “Bully” documentary. Photo courtesy of Alliance Films.

Samantha Samuel
The Signal
Bullying is one of the oldest, most traumatic aspects of childhood. In the past, bullying has been dismissed as simply “kids being kids.” This indifferent attitude is now being challenged in the new documentary “Bully.”

“Bully” directed by Lee Hirsch, released March 30, serves as a call to action against the abuse of students by their own peers. The documentary follows the lives of three children throughout the course of one school year and tells the stories of two families who have lost children to suicide and a mother awaiting the fate of her 14-year-old daughter whose torment led her to bring her mother’s pistol on a school bus.

The film explores the reasons why bullying remains a serious problem, one of which is fear. It is common for adults not to handle such situations thoroughly, leaving the victim fearful of retribution and left to deal with the consequences for “tattling.” Although bullying normally takes place in the absence of adults, it has become even more common for bystanders, both child and adult, to not intervene.

Bullying does not always come in the form of physical contact. Joshua Klein, psychology major at UHCL, was verbally harassed throughout his childhood and adolescence.

“I was the freak, or at least that is what I was told every single day,” Klein said. “I would go to school dreading the day that would follow because barely anyone, teachers included, ever had anything nice to say. It started in fourth grade when I was about 10 and continued all the way until I graduated. I was never hit or pushed into lockers; most of what I went through was psychological. I was called any bad name you can think of almost every day of the year. Two of the more popular ones were ‘faggot’ and ‘freak’.”

Regrettably, bullies do not always stop being bullies once they reach adulthood points out Julie Smith, coordinator for women’s and LGBT services for UHCL, who says that bullying is not something that people easily grow beyond.

“Unfortunately, high school follows us where ever we go,” Smith said. “There is a new kind of power as an adult bully. These adult bullies are the same people that harass people at work or abuse their wives and children at home.”

Smith helped launch a program at UHCL called the Safe Zone Program “designed to help create a safe and supportive campus environment for all members of the UHCL community.” The program was created to specifically address the unique needs of those members of the community who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

The producers of “Bully” received a huge victory when the Motion Picture Association of America agreed to change the film’s rating from R to the less-restrictive PG-13, allowing the film to reach its target audience and to be shown in schools. The decision for the original rating was based on strong language. A petition on Change.org demanding that the MPAA change the R-rating received more than 500,000 signatures.

Petitioners argued the documentary has the potential to both change and save lives.

Smith wholeheartedly supports having the documentary shown in schools saying the movie addresses several problems that need to be discussed.

“Bullying puts limitations on both bullies and victims and prevents them from reaching their full potential,” Smith said. “It can be pure torture, disruptive to society and distracts [students] from learning. At some point in his or her life, something happened to make that person a bully. Showing this documentary in schools can be a good learning experience for bullies and their victims; they might learn to open their hearts and minds.”

“Bully” was produced by Sundance Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists. Patricia Finneran, managing producer at the Sundance Documentary Film Program, states that Sundance supports documentaries that promote social justice and “Bully” does just that.

“This documentary helps create a movement for social justice and change,” Finneran said.

“Bully” contains an emotional plea to respect the victims of bullying who chose death as their only escape by encouraging people to think of ways to help the living.

Tyler Long’s parents posted this picture of him on their Facebook page commemorating his birthday April 25. Photo courtesy of Tina and David Long.

Tyler dreaded the start of school each year; he had been bullied and picked-on since fifth grade until he took his life on Oct. 17, 2009.

“Children with disabilities are 60 percent more likely to be bullied,” said Tina Long, mother of Tyler long. “Schools aren’t equipped or trained to deal with disabled children.”

“Bully” is a 2011 documentary film directed by Lee Hirsch about bullying in U.S. schools. In the film, Hirsch gives a voice to bullying victims and follows the struggles of victims parents, like David and Tina Long, parents of late Tyler Long, as they mourn the loss of their son as a consequence of bullying and take on the school system that failed him.

Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and intentionally excluding someone from a group.

“It was so hard to film for this;  Lee showed up just five weeks after Tyler’s death,” Tina Long said. “Our emotions were very raw, but we are now thankful that Lee walked into our lives.  It has helped with our healing process.”

Tyler Long had Asperger’s Syndrome, a type of pervasive development disorder (PDD). WebMD defines PDDs as a “group of conditions that involve delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize with others, to communicate and to use imagination.”

Tyler was a victim of bullying for years at school. David and Tina Long fought for their son when he was alive and they continue to do so today.

“After Tyler’s death, we vowed to raise awareness of the issue of bullying,” Tina Long said.

The Long’s believe Hirsch produced a beautiful work with the “Bully” film.

“The movie starts with Tyler looking into a video camera. After seeing the movie, conversations about bullying are started,” Tina Long said.  “It shows what really happens to our children.  If one life can be saved, then the movie has done its job. Parents, administrators, teachers, and children are creating anti-bullying programs after seeing this film.  It is inspiring!”

Tyler Long’s parents posted this picture of him on their Facebook page commemorating his birthday April 25. Photo courtesy of Tina and David Long.

The Long’s involvement with the movie “Bully” began after Tyler’s passing. A local news anchor, David Carroll, organized a town hall meeting to bring the community together to discuss bullying. Hirsch read about the meeting and decided to call the Long family from New York and told them he was coming to Georgia to film a documentary about bullying.

“Like a lot of kids who are ‘different,’ Tyler was victimized by bullies,” Carroll said.

Students with disabilities are much more likely to be bullied than their nondisabled peers explains PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. The Center works to unite, engage and educate communities nationwide to address bullying through creative, relevant and interactive resources. One study shows 60 percent of children with disabilities report being bullied regularly compared to 25 percent of all students.

Tina and David Long say they feel honored to be part of the “Bully” film and project. As a result of the documentary, many resources have been created, one of which is a toolkit directed for parents who have children being bullied that was made by The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD). The Longs have partnered with NCLD and “Bully” to help promote the available resources.

Bullying affects the entire family. Kids are targets of physical and verbal abuse, which can result in feeling powerless and depressed; on the other hand, parents often struggle with feelings of frustration and helplessness to protect their children.

“If we all come together, we can make it a ‘Bully Free World,’ tolerance is the key,” Tina Long said. “The bystanders have to be supported when they stand up for someone. If we don’t use this movement to make a change, then this issue will continue and more children will be lost.  Now is the time…. Do it for Tyler.”

IEEE defines itself as “the world’s largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity.”

The IEEE is comprised of nearly 400,000 members – of which more than 107,000 are students – and has 333 individual sections on 10 geographical regions worldwide. Also, it has 2,173 student branches at colleges and universities in 80 countries, including UHCL.

Pronounced “Eye-triple-E,” the IEEE and its members strive to provide a global community through the organization’s different publications, conferences, standards of technology, and various educational and professional activities.

The IEEE gives awards for its members’ contributions of propelling areas of interest that the IEEE bases its premise. Accomplishments in education, as well as other categories, receive awards.

Listed below are the three awards presented to the IEEE UHCL Student Branch at the IEEE Region 5 at IEEE R5 Annual Meeting, held Saturday, April 21 in Tulsa, Okla.:

• Outstanding Small Student Branch: IEEE UHCL Student Branch
• Outstanding Student Member: Jose Alfredo Nava, chair of IEEE Student Branch
• Outstanding Student Branch Counselor: Hakduran Koc, counselor of IEEE UHCL Student Branch, IEEE Galveston Bay Section and assistant professor in computing engineering

“I can say that it is a great feeling to see the result of hard work and dedication,” Koc said. “However, I should emphasize that this is the result of a collective effort. Without my students’ and other university organizations’ contributions, I would not be able to win this award. This award gives me more enthusiasm to continue.”

The awards section on the IEEE website states that “each award has a unique mission and criteria, and offers the opportunity to honor distinguished colleagues, inspiring teachers and corporate leaders.”

The Outstanding Small Student Branch award is won by the most active and progressive student branch based on the amount of meetings, the type of programs held such as technical and professional programs, and special projects that advance the objectives of the IEEE.

The Outstanding Student Member award is presented to a student member who has given outstanding contributions of time and effort to their specific student branch.

“It is a great accomplishment that I did not know would be recognized on a regional level, and I am very proud of it,” Nava said. “It brings a great feeling of reward because all the hard effort and time that was put in over this last year into this organization and school was noticed by those around me.”

The Outstanding Student Branch Counselor award is awarded to the student branch counselor who has best supported their student branch, as well as promoted the objectives of the IEEE.

“I am excited for Dr. Koc since he’s also won the teacher Piper Award at UHCL, and he is an outstanding teacher,” Nava said. “He helped stay encouraged and on the right path with his guidance and proficient mentorship.”

One word to describe the IEEE UHCL Student Branch’s overall emotion from winning the awards would be “proud.”

“At the various meetings and at the award banquet, I was very proud to hear our university’s name many times for its branch activities and the awards,” Koc said. “I cannot think of any better advertisement for our university among more than 300 distinguished attendees in the fields of engineering and science.”

In addition, the IEEE Galveston Bay Section (the IEEE UHCL Student Branch is an entity under this section) won the Outstanding Small Section award. Koc is currently chair of this section.

For information on how to join the IEEE UHCL Student Branch, contact Hakduran Koc at 281-283-3877 or by email at kochakduran@uhcl.edu.

Ashley Toman
The Signal
The UHCL Model Arab League team competed at the Bilateral Model Arab League regional conference in Houston March 24 and 25.

The team received many awards, which earned them an invitation to compete in the 2012 National Council Meeting in Washington D.C. April 13-15.

The team, made up of 12 student delegates, holds the title of “overall honorable mention as outstanding delegation” for their representation of Egypt, where they competed against 13 other colleges. The experience gives students a taste of what it would be like to work in a diplomatic capacity and gain international exposure.

“The Model Arab League is a simulation of the real-world international organization, the League of Arab States,” said Joshua Hilbrand, deputy director of student programs at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. “Students role-play as diplomats from Arab countries and convene to discuss the most important and pressing issues in the Middle East today. The goal of each ‘country’ is to find workable solutions to these problems while protecting its national interests.”

Tina Halcombe, an anthropology and cross cultural studies student, created the UHCL Model Arab League team in 2008. Since then, UHCL students have continued to take part in Model Arab League and have formally built a permanent student organization out of it, called MALSA, the Model Arab League Student Association.

MALSA is a student-inspired and student-run organization that “seeks to promote and encourage participation in the Model Arab League by UHCL students and support students in preparation for the model.”

“Students who participate in the Model Arab League at their schools provide the student the opportunity not only to learn about the Arab world through policies and politics, but they are also learning about debate,” said Matthew Kocian, Program Manager at Bilateral U.S.- Arab Chamber of Commerce. “It increases networking opportunities and a better understanding of global politics and current events.”

Mike McMullen, associate professor of sociology, serves as one of the UHCL Team’s faculty advisors.

“The MAL is like the Model United Nations, a chance for college students to form a team and represent one of the 22 Arab Countries that make up the League of Arab States headquartered in Cairo,” McMullen said. “Student teams must do research on the country they represent, and then in their council meetings, put forward resolutions that represent the policies of their country.”

MALSA elected and appointed three professors as faculty advisers, McMullen, Dr. Jeff Lash, professor of geography, and Maria Curtis, professor of anthropology and cross-cultural studies.

When competing at the MAL, there are 5 councils that each team must have representation on, which are the Joint Defense, Palestinian Affairs, Political Affairs and Economic Affairs.

“The MAL experience goes hand-in-hand with our Cross-Cultural Studies program,” said Jane Terekhova, UHCL Anthropology student delegate. “It provides students with a deeper understanding of the region’s complexity.

At the National Council, the team represented the country of Lebanon. One of the students, Cindy Steffens, won honorable mention as outstanding delegate for the Political Affairs Committee.

The Houston-based Model Arab Leagues work closely with organizations such as the Bilateral U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce as well as The Institute of Interfaith Dialog.

“The Bilateral Chamber of Commerce is a business organization that promotes trade between the United States and the Middle East/ North African region,” said Aida Araissi, president and founder of Bilateral Chamber of Commerce. “In the interest of building sustainable long lasting commercial ties, we sponsor this conference to ensure that American students are prepared for careers in diplomacy, business, journalism or whatever their vision leads them.”

The students held two bake sales on campus and a fundraiser at Buffalo Wild Wings in order to save enough money to attend the conference.

“I am so proud of them and all of their drive and dedication,” Curtis said. “They competed well at the national level against top schools and got invited back to nationals again next year.”

MALSA is open to all students from diverse backgrounds and majors and benefits those with an interest in the Arab world, as well as those with little prior knowledge.

“Students should join for a number of reasons,” said Juan Garcia, Joint Defense Council delegate. “MALSA will help develop both an awareness of the critical role of Middle East in global economic and political events, as well as a deeper knowledge of the various cultures and individual states.”

Mock medics carry the “injured” off site to be cared for at Del Mar College Hospital during TIPA’s live press contest’s staged event. Photo by Jessica Brossack: The Signal.

Jessica Brossack
The Signal
The excitement in the air was palpable. With whispered questions of curiosity about the outcome, the 2012 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Awards (TIPA) began in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Taking place from March 29-31, with live on-site competitions, as well as pre-published submissions that were sent in for early judgment, nerves were on high alert. Who would win, and who would go home disappointed?

At 103 years old, TIPA was formed in 1909 with the goals of improving journalism on all college campuses, raising the standards of college journalism, and creating a better relationship between Texas colleges and editors. Initially, there were only three categories the schools participated in; but today there are more than 100, not including more than 20 on-site competitions.

Contests included various categories for photography, radio, television, online, yearbook, magazine and, of course, various newspaper.

UHCL’s student publications brought home 28 awards this year, having competed against many other, larger universities.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be recognized by your peers,” said Ashley Smith, UHCL alumna and former editor of The Signal. Smith won two awards at this year’s competition including first place for Critical Review. “It goes to show what an amazing program this school has when compared to the big campuses. It’s not just one thing—writing or design—it’s everything. Look at all the awards won across the board.”

Director of Student Publications and Lecturer in Communication, as well as the faculty adviser for The Signal, Taleen Washington takes students to TIPA each year. This year it was her editor and assistant editor.

“The classes that produce the student newspaper and magazine are capstone courses for students enrolled in the Communication program,” Washington said. “So the work produced is really a collaborative effort on the part of all COMM faculty and, of course, the students. Each year our students compete against the best in their field and each year our students do very well.”

Washington also helps coordinate and judge one of the live competitions that take place at TIPA. This year it was the public relations release writing contest, part of a staged, live news event.

Students were bussed to a secret location, given brief instructions and shown the way to the ‘stage’. Once the action started, notes were furiously scribbled and photos were hastily snapped of the mock events that took place. The contestants were then were brought back to the hotel where they were given a set of instructions based on the event, and a time limit to write a press release concerning the event.

The event took place at the West Campus of Delmar College at the fire training facility, where a mock explosion and HAZMAT clean-up occurred. It was orchestrated by Director of Student Media at Delmar College Robert Muilenburg. Public relations release writing, public relations crisis management, news writing, news television and news photo were just a few of the contests for which the event was created.

“It was remarkably easy to set this up,” Milenburg said. “I contacted the paramedic department and we came up with the idea, and the fire department ran with it. The goal was to offer a variety of things to cover. It worked out pretty well; I’m pretty happy.”

The conference also included workshops, guest speakers, student activities and an awards breakfast.

One of the distinguished guest speakers was Karen Elliott House. House’s many accomplishments include being a member of The Wall Street Journal, winning a Pulitzer

Prize for coverage of the Middle East, and being named president of Dow Jones’ international group. Since retiring, House has come back to Texas where she originally graduated from UT-Austin.

She offered sound advice for journalism students.

“You can Google anything, but you don’t know the quality of the information,” House said. “The most original reporting is still done by newspapers and magazines. Just remember to learn from the past and the mistakes other people have made.

“Through good reporting, newspapers can make people curious about the things they are supposed to be curious in. It’s all in the context—not just headlines—but knowledge, honest, intelligent, informative journalism called ‘Lighthouse Journalism’ because it lights your way forward.”

 

Photos and slideshow by The Signal reporter Jessica Brossack.

"Private Problem" WANTNEEDO by Kalan Lyra

Job seekers beware…background checks and drug tests are not enough for some employers anymore.

Recently, various employers have asked applicants for their personal Facebook usernames and passwords to make sure candidates are not taking part in illegal activities. Regardless of if that is the real reason or not, it is an invasion of our civil liberties and should be illegal.

It sounds preposterous, but with the economy in shambles, many people feel forced to sit by and allow their privacy to be invaded because they simply need a job.  Individuals should not be put in a position where they have to choose between giving up their privacy or providing for themselves and their family.

Robert Collins, a corrections services officer in Maryland, found himself in the catch-22 situation when he had to reapply for his job at Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services after taking a temporary leave of absence after his mother died.

Collins provided the information because he needed the job but later complained to the American Civil Liberties Union because he felt it was an invasion of his privacy.  Collins was hired for the job but has since left.

It’s no secret that we live in a digital world and, at this point, people should know they have to be careful what they post online, especially in public forums like Facebook and other social media sites because anything that has ever been posted can come up with a quick Google search.

The exception to the rule is if you are accessing these accounts while at work; you are not protected because you are using company resources to access personal information.  It is irresponsible to access personal accounts online while using company time and resources, and in doing so you give up your right to privacy.

Plain and simple it is wrong for an employer to ask for an applicant’s personal Facebook username and password or login information for any personal account.  Besides being a violation of privacy, it completely disregards other measures that have been put in place to ensure that people are not discriminated against in the hiring process.

The intrusion is not just about seeing pictures a person took on vacation, but that it gives employers access to information like sexual orientation, religious belief, marital status, age and political affiliation, which are all things employers are not allowed to ask during the hiring process to avoid discrimination against prospective job candidates.

Giving login information to employers does not only invade the privacy of the individual they are looking at but also that individual’s friends.  Once employers have access, they can look through private messages that could contain extremely sensitive information.

That’s why more states need to follow suit after Maryland, which is the first state to successfully pass a bill that would prohibit employers from requesting personal login information to any form of social media or private digital communication.

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley needs to sign it in order to make it a law, which he has yet to do.  Several states have begun petitioning bills to prevent employers from asking for this type of information as well, including Massachusetts and California.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who have spoke out against the employers who have been using this practice, have asked Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate these issues and verify that companies asking for this private information are not breaking federal laws already in place, specifically the Stored Communications Act or the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

The Stored Communications Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act prohibits and penalizes unauthorized access of a computer and unauthorized access for the purpose of altering information that is not permitted to change.

Facebook has spoken out against employers asking for applicants’ or other employees’ usernames and passwords. Facebook terms and conditions state it is a direct violation for a person to share his or her password or gives access to his or her account to any other user.  So far, no other social media sites have publicly spoken out against the practice.

Employers are crossing a fine line asking for individuals’ usernames and passwords and it needs to be stopped.  Through Facebook, email or any type of digital communication, people have an expectation of privacy for anything they choose to keep private.  Without that expectation, then it is a freedom being taken away from the public and that is unacceptable.

While privacy is not listed as a protected constitutional right, the Supreme Court has recognized that the right to privacy is a basic human right.  It is an essential liberty and the government needs to take a stand and follow the precedence.

Lakeisha Moore

Oftentimes, my dad would walk around blurting out little anecdotes with no forewarning. In my 7-year-old mind, it didn’t make sense. In fact, it seemed quite silly at the time. He would say things like “A penny saved is a penny earned,” and “He who rests must work.”

I can’t even begin to describe how annoying it was, but today I am grateful.

A sad reality that many face in modern day America is that not every child will have a father present in the home to teach them what it means to be successful. Fortunately, programs have been developed to aid in the development of preparedness skills in youth across America; one of those programs is Lemonade Day.

Created by a non-profit organization, Prepared 4 Life, Lemonade Day is an educational program that teaches children entrepreneurial skills through strategically planning for and operating their very own lemonade stands.

Imagine what society would be like if every child began developing the skills needed to become productive members of society by becoming business leaders, social advocates and forward-thinking citizens of tomorrow.  On May 6, more than 65,000 children are expected to do just that by setting up lemonade stands in 39 cities across the United States.

Upon registration, children are given a backpack with an entrepreneur workbook that teaches them the 14 lessons of Lemonade Day, which includes how to create a business plan, secure investors, create and distribute a product, make a profit and give back to the community.

Being a mother of a 4-year-old boy, opportunities like this one gives me something to look forward to; together, we can discover new skill sets that will help to prepare him for the future. Much like my dad did for me, I try my best to instill in him business-savvy techniques that he can apply to multiple areas of his life, but as my dad would say,

“There is no lesson like a learned lesson.” For him, the hands-on approach is the best way of learning.

As an adult and mother, I can appreciate that principle and, in retrospect, I realize that if I had been given an opportunity to practice what my father preached, I probably would have been even more successful.

My son isn’t quite old enough to participate in this year’s Lemonade Day, so we will live vicariously through my 10-year-old niece, Dasia, for the time being. She is what some may call a kid-preneur. At age 9, Dasia started her own personalized children’s storybook business, and on May 6 she will add lemonade stand owner to her resume.

Pursuing another business venture is what drew her to Lemonade Day. Dasia also wants to help inspire other children to become kid-prenuers. My father, Dasia’s grandfather, would be proud.

Lemonade Day is a national program, but will take place locally both in Houston and Galveston. Those interested in participating in the event can contact the Galveston Chamber of Commerce at 409-763-5326. More information can also be found at www.lemonadeday.org.

Sara Haghipour

It doesn’t feel that way just for the people who have cancer but for their family, too.  When someone in your family has cancer, it’s like your entire family has cancer.

My mother is a two-time, triple negative breast cancer survivor and the strongest woman I know.

Her second bout with breast cancer began in January 2011 when she was diagnosed, not with a reoccurrence, but a brand new cancer.

There’s never a good time for cancer, but during my mother’s illness, life was just about as hectic as it could be.  I was working full-time and going to school full-time.  My father was working out of state, and as much as he wanted to be home to help care for my mother, he had to work to pay for her cancer treatment.

It is a strange feeling, the role reversal, when your parents start to get older.  Suddenly you, the child, have become the caretaker, and one of the people who has taken care of you your whole life needs you in a way she never has.

I went with my mother to what felt like an endless number of doctors appointments between her two surgeries, radiation treatments and chemotherapy.

Taking care of the house, grocery shopping and cooking fell to me.  Many days my mother could barely make it out of bed and onto the couch.  Chemotherapy had taken away her sense of taste for mostly everything. The only thing she ever wanted to eat were cinnamon muffins from HEB, which even made preparing a well-balanced dinner a tough task.

Sometimes I felt guilty for feeling tired, stressed or depressed; after all, I was taking care of my mother, not living with cancer.  I eventually learned that these feelings were okay, but at the time, I never allowed my mother to see them.  The last thing I wanted was for her to feel like a burden.

It was a difficult time in my life, but I got through it because I knew that my mother needed me and that was all that mattered.  When you go through something like that, there’s not always a lot you can do; you just have to get through it.  Sometimes I would just go for a drive and cry because that’s all I really could do.

I could tell my mother became depressed and some days didn’t even want to talk.  I wish I could tell you that there was a way to cure this and lift her spirits, but that wasn’t the case.  I felt helpless seeing her this way.  I learned to listen and to let her know I was there and that I loved her.

After my mother’s first chemo treatment, she told me that she felt like giving up because it wasn’t worth it to live feeling as bad as she did.  That was the first time I realized my mother needed tough love to help her through the draining treatments, and I had to provide it.

I had to be strong for her when she was weak, and I had to make tough decisions for her when she wasn’t thinking clearly.  There were times when I felt like I had to drag her out of the house for her treatment. Now she tells me she is thankful I did. I’m just thankful to still have a mother.

For anyone who has been through this or will go through this, know that treating cancer is long, exhausting and painful.  I am grateful and blessed that my mother is a survivor.  Through all of the stress and sadness, I tried to stay optimistic.  Maybe it was for my mother’s sake or maybe it was for my sanity – I’m still not sure.

All I know is my entire life my mother has been there for me through everything, good and bad. I didn’t believe it was possible for our relationship to get any stronger, but going through a hardship like cancer brought us even closer.  The bond I have with my mother goes beyond that of a mother and daughter; she’s my best friend.

Even though I am confident that I can conquer this task, I still strongly recommend going to college when you are young and have a fresh mind. To paraphrase a quote from a favorite movie from my teen years, “Fear,” a father explains to his daughter that “It just takes longer to sort through 33 years of data than it does 18.’”

Theresa Greenshields

When I graduated with my associate’s degree I was excited that I was finally moving on to an upper-level university. I assumed all the rumors about the large amount of older students at UHCL were true, so as I sat outside my first class on campus, I conversed with a guy I assumed to be a student who looked about my age.

The fact that he looked surprisingly similar to a handsome character from one of my favorite TV shows didn’t hurt my desire to talk to him. Imagine my surprise when I took my seat and the gentleman in question didn’t follow my lead but instead took his place at the head of the class and introduced himself as the professor.

One problem I didn’t expect when I returned to college was the enormous amount of studying necessary to be successful. When I was in high school I was one of the students that my classmates loved to hate. I rarely had to study and seemed to get straight A’s, which made my social life my main priority.

Boy, was I in for a rude awakening! After my first year at college, a social life was something that was a distant memory. The link to my old life were the weekly phone calls I received from my best friend. She was the human version of Twitter, keeping me up to date on all the gossip in our circle of friends. On the rare occasion I was able to attend a social gathering or party, I was usually too distracted by exams to fully enjoy myself.

Studying did not just take away from my social life. It also tested my memory skills, which I had apparently lost in the 15 years between high school and college. Sadly, even after days of going over flashcards at home, all the information seemed to trickle out my ear during the short trip to UHCL to take an exam.

In the last part of the quote from “Fear” I mentioned earlier, the young girl responds to her father’s unexpected statement with, “maybe you should consider upgrading to a faster chip.” If this were possible, I guarantee I would be the first in line for that chip. Then maybe I would lose the test anxiety I’ve developed and finally be able to have a little more of a social life.

I realize now that I have painted a grim picture of life as an older college student. Don’t lose heart; there are some perks. For instance, I was no longer required to put down my parents income when I applied for financial aid, which made it all that much easier to get the help I needed to pay for school. Also, being closer in age to professors can be a good thing. I am able to talk with them as an equal MOST of the time.

On a more personal note, there is one reason I am happy I made these life choices in regard to my education. I will be receiving my diploma from UHCL at the same age my mother did 34 years ago. When she received her degree she was 8 months pregnant with an adorable blue-eyed, blonde baby girl. This is the same girl now working on her college newspaper passing on her knowledge to others. Even though my mom won’t be there to see it, I will carry a picture of her in her cap and gown looking as happy as I will be that I am FINALLY getting my degree.

Now the real challenge is whether I decide to torture myself and go for a graduate degree!