Bridges to Success Newsletter
January
December 20, 2011
9 14 24 27
January
Classes Start
My Author Encounter: Learn to Intern CEO Style By Nicole Abodo
The Internship and Career Services Department at Valencia, Osceola Campus hosted a workshop on Tuesday, November 8th in the auditorium. All Valencia students were able to attend the workshop, and gain a sense of knowledge on what it means to intern and how it can help you and shape your future career. The workshop was about having a successful internship and how great opportunities may from interning. A guest speaker by the name of Antoine D. Moss discussed the key points of how to intern CEO style which can also be found in his book “Learn to Intern CEO Style.”
obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from Baldwin Wallace College. He later earned his Master’s degree as well as Ph. D in Public Administration from Cleveland State University. Moss was recognized by AT&T as one of the “National Movers & Shakers” for 2010 in his efforts for demonstrating leadership among the young adult community. During the workshop, he started off by breaking the silence that was in the auditorium by attempting a few jokes and asking students questions related to education and internships. I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Moss and get my copy of his book autographed.
January
MLK Day Parade
January
Matin L King Celebration 1pm (East Campus PAC)
UCF College Tour (UCF)
SGA (Student Goverment Association): Meet the Deans Event By Nicole Abodo
Moss is an author and motivational speaker who travels across the country to different colleges to share his thoughts about the importance of internships, and what steps you could take to ultimately reach your call, success. Moss
The Student Government Association, Osceola Campus hosted their annual Meet the Deans event on Thursday, November 10. There students were able to meet the deans of the different departments on campus and interact with them through conversation, ask them any questions they may have or seek educational advice.
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Students were also able to attend the event as one of the required workshops for the Bridges to Success program as well as the Road Map to Success through Valencia.
Veterans Day
By Roberto Gonzalez
November has finally hit the students of Valencia College. That means the close end of fall and the early beginning of winter. Thanksgiving becomes a time where family comes together for a good time, and crazy sales overrun the market on Black Friday. However, there is one holiday that has been put aside with little remembrance. Even within the Valencia 2011-12 planner, the date is shown, but not the holiday. As a nation, it is our duty to focus on this day, even if it had no massive affect on you. It is a day where we recall all the men and women who died in battle for all of us. Of course, I am talking about Veterans’ Day. What do you normally do on Veterans’ Day? Do you just sit at home and continue acting like it is just another day? Some people, who asked to be anonymous, admitted to not even noticing the date when asked, “I just kinda ignore it. I’ve never really noticed when it passed. I normally find out after someone has to tell me.” The sad fact is that most Americans don’t feel they have to pay attention to the day. Sure most of them would agree that war is bad, but in reality they do nothing to help. What about the Veterans? How do they feel about war and this day? Dr. R. Blankenship, a veteran of the Vietnam War, had this to say, “I didn’t ask to be in the war; I got drafted. If you look at the training today, it’s a cakewalk compared to how it used to be. During the first battle and you have to pull the trigger, you have to realize, it’s either you or me. The choice is pretty simple from there. I lost a relationship when I went to war. In Vietnam, it could rain for months on end without stopping. I lost seven good friends over
there; all of them sniped. After I came back, I was diagnosed with P.T.S.D. I was angry and always alert. Even after settling down, I am still on my guard. If I could do anything to stop myself from going to war, I would have. Veterans’ Day is a day where I can look back and think about everything and everyone I lost. It actually hurts to remember.” All of us know about Veterans’ Day. However, only a small group of us even pay attention to it. So what can we do? There shouldn’t even be a question. Stand tall with pride, and think of the people who gave their lives so you could live yours. Think of them, and feel honored you were raised in a country where someone fights to protect you.
D12 Charity Event By Nicole Abodo
Orlando Magic Center, Dwight Howard hosted his first annual Celebrity Basketball Game, on Sunday, November 13 at the University of Central Florida Arena. All
proceeds of the event benefited Howard’s charity called the “D12 Foundation.” The D12 Foundation was established by Howard in 2010, to impact the lives of youth in America and across the world. The four main pillars of the foundation are; to encourage education, to sow the seeds of generosity, to display leadership
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and encourage inspirations, and to inspire hope and recovery in hardship. Howard and the “New School” team played against the “Old School” team amongst a sold out crowd. The “New School” team featured present Magic players such as Jameer Nelson, Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass. The “Old School” team featured past players such as Penny Hardaway who received a special welcome from the crowd, along with Mike Miller, Rashard Lewis, Trevor Ariza and Matt Barnes. The event was also well attended by celebrities; Floyd Mayweather coached the “Old School” team while Lil Wayne coached the “New School. The “Old School” team defeated the “New School” team 111-102. Despite the NBA Lockout, sports fans were able to come together and enjoy an evening of basketball, music while supporting a good cause. For more information please check out the D12 website: http://www.d12foundation.org/
The Florida Classic 2011 By Nicole Abodo
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida hosted the 32nd annual Florida Classic, as the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats took on the Florida A&M Rattlers on Saturday, November 19 at the Florida Citrus Bowl. This was Orlando’s 14th year hosting the Classic, which drew in a crowd of 60,000. People drove all over the state and country came to see the two rivals in the MEAC division battle it out on the field. In the first quarter, the Rattlers were up
3-0, but the Wildcats did not seem to let the score faze them. By the beginning of the second quarter the Wildcats started to regain the lead and took off. The game was not the only highlight of The Florida Classic, the halftime performance between FAMU’s Marching 100 and BCU’s Marching band became one of many memorable moments of the game for fans. Both bands played their instruments to the sounds of Old School mixed with today’s R&B, displaying choreography and formations in the shape of their mascots, planes and much more. BCU won the Classic, beating the Rattlers 26-16, which made it their first win since 2007 ending FAMU’s three year streak.
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Team Valencia Makes Strides against Breast Cancer By Lovelyne Toussaint
The Breast cancer walk came into existence 14 years ago when only 13 women Power Walked in the New York City Marathon in their bras to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. What began as a onetime fundraising event has developed into a thriving multi-million dollar charity, raising over $72 million for the critical breast cancer research. The Breast Cancer walk is hosted in over 200 cities, raising millions of dollars each year. On October 29th, 2011 Valencia College joined the cause and walked alongside hundreds of Florida citizens to raise awareness for this devastating disease. Rain could not stop Team Valencia’s ambition; they made effortless strides against breast cancer even through the pouring rain! The American Cancer society gave out special recognitions to survivors such as Amanda Tillman who quotes: “This fight with breast cancer has been a tough one, but thanks to family, friends, and the American Breast Cancer Society I survived, and I am so blessed to be here.” Other survivors wore a bright pick survivor ribbon that they displayed proudly. The American Cancer Society provided entertainment, snacks, and water to keep their walkers hydrated and motivated. People from all works of life took time out of their busy schedules to join the walk. Patricia King resident of Orlando Florida states “I love doing anything to help my community, breast cancer is an issue that unites us all and if walking can make a change, then I will walk all day if I have to.” Women such as Miss Orlando, and Miss Universe put aside their tiaras and put one their tennis shoes to make strides for such a great cause!
R.E.G.A.L Ladies look towards their future! By Lovelyne Toussaint
Felix Daniels, the Assistant Director of Skills and Services at UCF, took time out of his busy schedule to educate the ladies of REGAL on their personalities and possible career choices. Mr. Daniels was a great candidate to host this career work shop; he has received a Bachelor’s degree in community service, a Masters degree in College and Student Affairs, and is currently working on a Doctorate Degree in Higher Education studies. His charming personality combined with his impressive educational background created an excellent workshop that focused on staying true to who you are and finding a career that will enhance that. In his duties as Assistant Director Mr. Daniels works with first year college students and helps them explore who they truly are, what it is they want to accomplish in life, and how they plan to get there. Mr. Daniels continued to stress the idea that often times many people choose a career based off of what they have been told, and what they’ve seen, not really knowing what that career entails or what it takes to get there.
All of the REGAL ladies completed a “Discovering your interests” exercise that implied critical thinking; this allowed the ladies to deeply consider their academics as well as their social and occupational areas. Mr. Daniels explained that there are 6 areas of interest and personality types. Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, and Enterprising. Each category has something to do with who you are personally, and what it is you want to accomplish. Most of the time, your personality traits match your interest, if not then that just means you have to work a little harder. As the workshop continued Mr. Daniels helped the ladies to organize their thoughts and ideas, and offered his personal advice. He ended the workshop by offer these words of encouragement to students who are unsure about their future; ”make sure you engage in self assessments, figure out who you are as an individual, embrace that and the rest will follow” Encouraging words indeed.
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ENTERTAINMENT Hip Hop Icon Heavy D, Gone. By Nicole Abodo
Skyward Sword - Video Game Review by Abdoallah Ashour
Nintendo has created many titles that have touched the hearts of gamers all over the globe, and to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, they released The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Being exclusively for the Wii console system, Skyward Sword takes a new level to how the Legend of Zelda series is played while delivering breathetaking scenery, a beautiful soundtrack, and a deeply compelling story.
Legendary hip hop icon, Dwight Myers “Heavy D” died at the age of 44 on Tuesday, November 8 from complications of pneumonia. Heavy D was a JamaicanAmerican rapper, actor and all around likeable person. The hip hop icon broke barriers by being known as the overweight, cool MC in the game who transformed the urban culture with his suave persona and strong rap skills. Heavy D was remembered on Friday, November 18 in Mount Vernon, New York. Amongst those who were in attendance, celebrities such as Will Smith and Usher Raymond came out to support Heavy D’s family in light of his passing. Heavy D will be remembered for his music, and his last performance, at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Music Awards.
Branching out of the normal style of video games, Skyward Sword is an action adventure game in which you take the role of the main character, Link, a young boy with golden hair, clad in a green tunic, and wielding a shield and sword. Link is a reoccurring character within the series, as well as Zelda, the princess in this series. Although few character names stay the same, (except Link, because you have the choice to name him differently) each game and story is different, and portrays the adventures of a different Link and Zelda.
In Skyward Sword, Link lives in the beautiful island in the sky called Skyloft, where they ride different colored birds to travel from sky island to sky island. While Link and Zelda are flying around the clouds, a tornado sweeps up Zelda and sends her crashing down into the ground below, to which no one who lived on Skyloft has ever ventured to. With Link losing his childhood friend, he goes out to rescue Zelda and save the land from the evils that fill it. Legend of Zelda games tend to have many temples in which Link must find new weapons and uncover new abilities to get him through his adventures, along with many puzzles and riddles at times to keep the player on the edge and always thinking of how to utilize their new equipment and techniques to get farther in the game. The gameplay of Skyward sword is one that really surprises me. Using the Wii’s remote function, and using the Wii MotionPlus, Skyward Sword allows you to use multiple weapons, including the main sword, to be as accurate as a stroke of your hand with the remote. While having that said, there are numerous tasks that will allow you to use the Wii-mote (as I like to call it) to control how you do certain events, like flying on your bird, jumping from high areas, and doing small minigames for prizes. As for the fighting, there are certain enemies that require you to slice at them the proper way, whether that be a horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or thrusting hit. This aspect of the gameplay gives a fun and challenging way to fight. Besides gameplay, one of the most interesting points of Skyward Sword is the art style of the game. The art of the game is very well done, having a bit of abstract taste in some aspects, whether that be character designs or even environments and the creatures that live in them. At times, you can see elements of what looks like beautifully done watercolor paintings as the art-style
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is very free, and the game itself represents this very much. And to top it off, would be the orchestral music used in Skyward Sword, getting in par with the art, not only in a visual sense, but in a harmonic way as well. Truly a brilliant mix of a good game and a work of art. Finally, the Legend of Zelda games have been a timeless classic, to which people have played through, and have had fond and touching memories with our fair Link, who overcomes all odds to rescue the princess and save the world from the clutches of evil. Skyward Sword definitely brings to the table what its predecessors had, and takes those ideas to a next level. I give this game a 4 out of 5 stars, for its new graphics, gameplay, and interesting story. If you have a Wii, or have a cousin/family member who has one, this is definitely a great Christmas present as well! For returning fans of the series and new ones as well, Skyward Sword lives up to the legacy that The Legend of Zelda games have built for 25 years.
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HEALTH Keep Your Body Powerful with Potassium
This essential mineral can be found in a variety of foods. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), potassium is a very important mineral in the human body. It is involved in both electrical and cellular functions, and is necessary for healthy heart activity, proper carbohydrate metabolism, building muscle and much more. Here are Vsome potassium-rich foods that you can easily add to your diet: Vegetables Healthy amounts of potassium can be found in broccoli, peas, winter squashes, potatoes (especially the skins), sweet potatoes and lima beans. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) notes that eating potassium-rich vegetables may lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and decrease bone loss. Fruits Not only is fruit delicious, it gives your body important doses of potassium. Try citrus fruits, bananas, prunes, kiwi and cantaloupe. Interestingly, dried apricots contain more potassium than fresh apricots, and they make great snacks at school, work or on the go.
Milk and Yogurt The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) lists an eight-ounce container of plain, non-fat yogurt as having 579 mg of potassium and only 127 calories. One cup of non-fat milk has 83 calories and 382 mg of potassium. Both are what the NLM and NIH describe as “excellent sources” of potassium. Nuts and Seeds According to the Mayo Clinic, nuts are good sources of potassium and they contain valuable magnesium, fiber, protein and healthy fats. Almonds and sunflower seeds both offer good amounts of potassium. It’s important to note that the human body can have too much (hyperkalemia) or too little (hypokalemia) potassium. These imbalances can be caused by a variety of diseases, medications, conditions and more, so talk to your doctor before increasing your potassium levels or drastically changing your diet in any way. For more information about potassium and other nutrients, visit the USDA at www.choosemyplate.gov.
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READER SUBMISSIONS Fifty Amazing (but Completely Useless) Facts Or, how to save a Christmas dinner party.
Say you’re sitting at a dinner party. Conversation has started to wane and you find yourself sweating into your shrimp cocktail because of the awkward silence. Now, imagine you have a random tidbit of useless information that you can interject, re-energizing the discussion and becoming the hero of everyone around you. This can all happen if you just read this list of 50 amazing, but completely useless, facts.
1. In Japan, they have live lobster vending machines. 2. Wedding rings are placed on the third finger of the left hand because ancient Egyptians believed the vein located in that area ran directly to the heart. 3. The brightest star in the sky is called Sirius. 4. Upon exiting a cave, a bat will always turn left. 5. There is a small town in Kentucky called Monkey’s Eyebrow. 6. Factoring in inflation, what was worth $1.00 in 1950 is worth $0.12 today. 7. The sentence “Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo” is grammatically correct. It utilizes the three meanings of the word “buffalo” – the city, the animal and the verb “to bully.” In the most simplified terms, the sentence means, “New York bison whom other New York bison bully, themselves bully New York bison.” 8. Every one of the sweaters Mr. Rogers wore on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood was hand knit by his mother. 9. One of the ingredients of dynamite is peanuts. 10. The most money ever paid for a cow at auction was $1.3 million. 11. On average, the human head has 120,000 hairs; however, natural blondes can have as many as 140,000 while redheads often have as few as 90,000. 12. In Italy, police drive Lamborghinis. 13. Beetles taste like apples, wasps taste like pine nuts and worms taste like bacon. 14. What English-speakers call a “French kiss,” French-speakers call an “English kiss.” 15. On average, right-handed people live nine years longer than left-handed people. 16. The skeleton of Jeremy Bentham, an English jurist, philosopher and social reformer, is present at all major meetings at the University of London. 17. A little over a century ago, the majority of the Icelandic dog population was killed by an epidemic. 18. Honey is the only food consumed by
humans that has been found to not spoil. In fact, honey found in ancient Egyptian tombs was sampled by archaeologists and deemed edible. 19. Dolphins sleep with one eye open. 20. Queen Elizabeth I took great pride in her cleanliness, once declaring that she bathed once every three months, whether she needed it or not. 21. Slugs have four noses. 22. The number “57” on a Heinz ketchup bottle refers to the number of products the company sold. Even though they sold around 60 products at the time, Henry Heinz thought 57 was a lucky number. 23. In the film E.T., the sound of the alien walking was produced by a sound engineer squishing her hand in jelly. 24. Lucy and Linus from the Peanuts comic strip had a little brother named Rerun who sometimes played baseball with Charlie Brown. 25. In China, the three most well known Western names are Jesus Christ, Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley. 26. Due to time zone shifts, if you had flown from London to New York on the Concord, you would arrive two hours before you left. 27. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV. 28. The largest number of children born of a single woman was 69. The woman, a Russian peasant, gave birth to 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets and 4 sets of quadruplets from 1725 to 1765. 29. The word ‘nerd’ was first used in the Dr. Seuss book If I Ran the Zoo. 30. In Paraguay, dueling is legal as long as both parties are registered blood donors. 31. The United States has never lost a war - in which mules were used. 32. Nobody knows who built the Taj Mahal. 33. The Neanderthal’s brain is believed to have been larger than the modern day human’s brain. 34. According to scientists, dolphins were once four-footed land dwellers. 35. On average, people have four dreams
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per night. That’s 1,460 dreams per year. 36. The cost to run a 30-second commercial during the 2011 Super Bowl was $3 million. 37. J.K. Rowling was the first person to earn $1 billion as an author. 38. Fortune cookies are not Chinese; they were invented in San Francisco in 1920. 39. According to Nielsen, Americans spend, on average, 53 billion minutes a month on Facebook. That averages out to 4 hours, 39 minutes and 33 seconds per person, per month. 40. An octopus has three hearts. 41. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, but could never call his mother or his wife – they were both deaf. 42. Every human was but a single cell for approximately one half hour. 43. The number one employer in Brazil is Walmart. 44. Shakespeare was 46 when the King James Bible was written. In Psalm 46 of that work, the 46th word from the first word is “shake” and the 46th word from the last word is “spear.” 45. You cannot taste salt until you are four months old. 46. More than 37 percent of Americans begin their Christmas shopping before Halloween. 47. An Iowa man named Charles Osborne had hiccups for over 68 years. Studies claimed he likely hiccupped 430 million times. 48. In her lifetime, the average woman will do 215 miles worth of ironing. 49. Percy Spencer was inspired to invent the microwave oven after the chocolate bar in his pocket was melted by a vacuum tube. 50. Two-thirds of the world’s eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
Are the Simpsons gone for good? By Roberto Gonzalez
Ah, The Simpsons; one of the only cartoons for teens and young adults. The show where for some reason, the people are yellow. Let’s face it; we’ve all watched at least one episode of this series. We get laughs, we get shocks, and we get real life situations in a cartoon shown on a metal box powered by electricity. The show has been running for over 20 years now. But is the show finally coming to an end? The voice actors believe so. Due to the terrible economy, prices have gone up and salaries have gone down. Even the salaries of beloved actors-in this case, voice actors. The members of the Simpson crew became another group of people who had their salaries dropped. They would be making less money than before. Although in retrospect, they would
still be making millions per week, the crew had enough. They decided to call it quits and no longer wanted to do the job. Of course, for the bigwigs of Fox TV, they weren’t too happy. The fact of the matter is that The Simpsons is one of the key roles in the Fox network that keep everything going smoothly. Without the lovable antics of Homer, Marge, Maggie, Bart and Lisa, the network would lose a large sum of money. As irony would have it, the crew also decided to call it quits in the middle of a new season. With so much at stake, there was no choice but to compromise. The end result speaks for itself. The crew has agreed to do two more seasons of The Simpsons before they will officially call it quits.
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The Bridge Team
Roberto Gonzalez
Chacoryia Burns
Lovelyne Toussaint
Nicole Abodo
Jonathan Tenjo-Palacios
Abdoallah Ashour
Some would say that the Simpsons aren’t as funny as they used to be. But the truth is, we grew up with them. Whether we like it or not, a good show is going to die soon. As a memento to the show, my words speak for themselves. “D’oh!”