Although being healthy and fit is extremely important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, obsessively attempting to achieve what seems to be the definition of fit can be dangerous. According to the International Journal of eating disorders, “35% of ‘normal dieters’ progress to crazy dieting. Of those, 20 to 25 percent progress to part or full-syndrome eating disorders.” In the US about 24 million people, male and female, suffer from eating disorders and have the highest death rate of any other mental illness. 7 million girls and counting have been diagnosed with eating disorders within the past year; and there will still be more to come. What is most surprising are the groups that support borderline unhealthy weight-loss, which have sprung out from social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Livejournal.

This self-esteem and body-destroyer phenomenon is called Thinspiration.

Thinspiration originally popped up by using pictures as a form of motivation for girls to get fit and stay healthy, but it has turned into a campaign that mocks exactly that. These pictures don’t openly suggest that girls should start having an eating disorder, but accentuates the thinnest part on a female body to aid the cause. The target audience for this thin trend are girls aging from thirteen to twenty-five, this is the time when girls are most insecure about life, themselves, and of course, their bodies.

Meghan Martinez, a sophomore at Montwood High School, states, “it’s in your teenage years where you’re influenced by the people around you … [pictures] make me start thinking of my flaws and things I can change about myself.”

Thinspiration has become a deadly trend reminding girls that it’s not ok to be anything other than skinny, turning the word into a synonym for being pretty.

Many subcultures have risen out of the thinspiration movement that promote obsessive exercise or extremely unhealthy eating habits. The first is called “fitsperation,” which shows pictures and motivational phrases to work-out until you drop or until you’ve become “thin.”  These motivational campaigns want you to exhaust yourself and your body in order to look like the super beautiful, thin, strong and photoshopped woman. To get to this goal weight, you have to eat less, which can definitely break down important ligaments and muscles in your body. With different muscle tones and the needed calorie intake to repair worked muscle tissue and used blood cells after a hard workout, there is a need for rest and specific calorie intake for your metabolism to work. When you work out a lot your body uses a lot of energy to help build your muscles, and to get this energy you need a good amount of protein and fiber and nutrients, including carbs. Exercising (just like eating) is good for you, but it does not mean that it should be abused.

Then there’s the Pro-ana campaign, a campaign that helps girls maintain their anorexia and already deteriorating health.  It’s a support group that helps maintain crash diets and fasts, praises weight-loss, shows how to hide your eating habits from your family and friends, and suggests ways to suppress hunger pains. The campaign lives off the idea that they are a non-judgmental group for those who have the self control to stay anorexic and not be ashamed of it. 

Martinez commented on her friend’s struggle with anorexia stating, “she wanted to be super skinny, people told her to do things and she thought she’d fit in. Then people started to ignore her.” 

An eating disorder is part of a mental illness that can include symptoms of depression. For example according to Dosomething.org, 7 in 10 girls believe they are not good enough; 75% of girls with low self-esteem reported to engaging in negative activities such as, bullying, peer pressure, sex, dangerous diets, loss of interest in school, anorexia, cutting, and suicidal tendencies.

Girls who frequent many of the sites that harbor thinspiration photos, including on Pinterest, is alarming. Although you should never be ashamed of who you are or what you look like, you should know when  your body and mind are telling you that something’s wrong. Instead of feeding the cause, or in this case not feeding, find ways to get a better nutrition into your life and raise your self-esteem.

Joceylyn Perez, a Junior at Montwood High School from El Paso, Texas, commented on the thinspiration pictures and stated, “You see the other girls and compare yourself to them… you want to feel good and fit in when you’re born to stand out.”

But the struggle to fit in is not always lost and there are many great influences out there that can keep you thinking positive about yourself and life.

“I started realizing that it’s not about impressing anyone buy myself,” said Martinez.

“People play a role in life, that’s why you need to know your potential,” said Perez.  If you start to think about how you can change yourself to look like some of these girls on the internet, turn off your screen for a while and take a walk, get some fresh air or listen to your favorite band. You’d be surprised at how great the world around you is without the pressure of worrying about your looks. You are beautiful the way you are.

Service learning is a way to give back to your community while gaining skills to further your goals. According to the National Service Learning Clearinghouse, “service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.” From high school to college, you can take advantage of service learning opportunities.

Getting involved

Service learning can be found anywhere. The important thing is to have the initiative to make a difference and gain experience from it. Go to your school and ask if there is a department in charge of service learning, or ask around and find somewhere to volunteer. Remember that it is your initiative that will get you to where you want to be in life. Think about your interests, where would you like to volunteer? It could be an after school program, church, a non-profit organization, or any housing authority near your community. Think about the needs around your community. Paint a mural, clean the streets or the park near your house, get other people involved, organize events to fund raise and use the money to make your community a better place to live. The point of service learning is to make the world a better place to live for everyone.

Azuri Gonzalez, Director of the Department of the Center of Civic Engagement at the University of Texas at El Paso, is committed to engaging students to give back to their community and for them to gain experience in their field of study. “Service-learning is very important because it helps students with knowledge retention, that is, the learning is more meaningful and relevant because he or she is able to see how what they are learning in college can be used in the community,” said Mrs. Gonzalez.

Benefits of Service Learning

Anyone can benefit from service learning, whether it is the person doing it or receiving help from it. People who want to do service learning have the opportunity to gain experience for their field of interest. ”Students have the opportunity to step outside their comfort zone and get to learn from leaders in the community that are making a difference every day. Student have the opportunity to see how they may participate in making change and a difference in situations and place that they may not otherwise be aware existed,” said Mrs. Gonzalez.

Dannia, a college freshman, participates in service learning at her local hospital.  She is preparing to go to med school and this opportunity is helping her reach her dream toward becoming a doctor. Dannia helps many people around the hospital and this is giving her the experience of what it is like to work at a hospital.

“I discovered that everyone is unique in their own way and communication is the key toward understanding each other. I had trouble being patient, but volunteering at the hospital made me more responsible and I became patient!” said Dannia.

Service learning can happen in any field. For instance, someone who wants to become a teacher can do service learning at an after-school program, tutoring children or helping them out with their homework. It is a great way to meet new people, gain skills and give you the opportunity to realize what you are capable of doing while making a difference for your community. Plus, you can also get recommendation letters for a job and it looks good on college application or resume!

How you can make a difference

People who receive help from service learning benefit from your help. Those who participate in service learning may not be aware that they are changing other peoples’ lives. We can think of it as being a role model to society. If we think of it reflectively, service learning can develop millions of dollars as donation. Someone who does 20 hours of service learning during a semester should generate about 150 dollars of income. Instead, they are investing their time to the community; which is way better because they are experiencing the change in other people’s lives.

Jessica Salcedo is a senior at college and she has done service learning before. “Giving back to the community is important because it needs a lot of help and young people like me can make a difference in someone’s life,”  said Jessica. She recommends service learning because it is a wonderful way for people to develop new skills and gain experience in the field they are studying.

Skills needed for service learning

There is no need of special skills to make a change happen. You only need initiative to make a difference. Once you start your service learning you will gain many skills. It is not an easy job, sometimes you may encounter difficulties completing your service learning because you have other things to do like getting your chores done, homework, reading, studying for a test, or hanging out with your family and friends. Believe in yourself and your ability to make a difference. Eventually, you will learn how to manage your time, money, responsibilities, and communication with other people, and many other skills that will help you in the future.

“Service learning benefited me in many ways. Thanks to service learning I discovered Latinitas, and after volunteering with them I had the opportunity of doing an internship. I also gained experience in the filed that I want to study and it also helped me by meeting people who work in my field,” said Jessica.

Service learning is a great way to involve people in the community and at the same time it’s a way to gain experience in your field of interest. Take the initiative and get involved with your community!

For more information on service learning and how you can get involved, visit:
http://www.servicelearning.org/what-service-learning

Going to college is one of the toughest decisions you are going to make in your lifetime. It is important that you plan ahead in order to accomplish your goals. Time goes by so fast, which is why it is essential to prepare yourself at an young age. In order to be well prepared for college, follow these tips years by year:

Middle School:

During this time, you and your parents should create a savings plan for college. In the savings plan you or your parents should deposit at least 5-10% of from the monthly income. It is important to start saving money for any college expenses that might not be covered by either financial aid or scholarships. For additional college savings tips, find role models or people who inspire you, such as relatives who have attended college and ask them questions about how they saved up to pay their tuition.

Now that you have your college savings plan in place, it’s time to boost your college application. Meghan Renee Martinez, 15 year old sophomore suggests, “I would say try your best at school and become dedicated to school work.”  You should challenge yourself by taking Honor or Pre-AP classes while you are in middle school. Join a sport, club, choir or band which will prepare you for future activities you might want to join and put on your college applications in high school. If you want to take your high school experience to the next level, you should think about applying or attending a college prep high school. Some high schools offer special programs that will prepare you for college and will be able to take some college classes as part of your curriculum.

Freshman Year:

During your first year in high school you should get involved and join a sport or after school activities, such as Student Council, French Club, Chess Club or National Honors Society.  ”Practice good study habits like studying in advance for upcoming tests, read your text books and keep up on assignments,” advised Janette Mendoza, a high school senior. As a freshman, you should keep a close relationship with your counselor and check with him or her about your college plans, selecting a university, and taking classes that will get your feet wet in the career you plan on pursuing. Your freshman year is a good start toward researching your dream career, what it takes to succeed, and what colleges or universities will help achieve your dream.

Sophomore Year:

During your second year of high school, you should  become more involved with the community and keep that GPA high. Volunteering in different activities outside of school will help you to gain valuable experience.  Always help your community by volunteering or joining local organizations. To boost your academic standing, it is essential to register for IB, AP or Dual Credit. “Take AP Classes, so you can get the college experience and start earning college credit,” added Janette Mendoza, a high school senior. Meghan Renee Martinez explains that, “My high school has many options in choosing classes to help me prepare for college. Especially testing that can tell me where I’m at academically and what I can improve on.” Your class selection can be your stepping stone in getting started on your dream career. You should look for a career that you like and try to do something similar to that career to see if you like it. The website http://www.collegeboard.org/ offers tools and information to help you apply for college and pick a career that’s right for you.

Junior Year:

Fall/Winter

It is important to take the PSAT and other tests required for college so you can have enough time to retake these tests, in case you need a higher score to enter the college of your choice. The Princeton Review is a great program that prepares you for the SAT, ACT and other tests. Check the website www.princetonreview.com/ to see if the program is being offered in your area. During this time, you should research admission requirements. If you want to study out of town, you should explore the websites of colleges that you would like to attend. An important tip is to talk to your high school counselor about career and college options because they can give you advise that will guide you towards the right decision.

Spring/Summer

During your second semester, you should apply for scholarships that are available for juniors. The website www.fastweb.com is a great search engine dedicated to scholarships. During the summer, you should make various decisions. Think and decide what college is best for you: a 2-year college or a 4-year college, the size of the college, and the location of the college. Look at the websites of colleges that you would like to attend and get information about that school, including how much it costs. Narrow down your search to your top 5 colleges and start preparing the admission applications. Most college applications require a letter of recommendation, so don’t be afraid to ask your teachers or extracurricular activities leaders.

Senior Year:

Fall/Winter

Now it’s time to submit applications for the colleges of your choice and to continue applying to scholarships.  Double check the admissions criteria, including the submission deadline, and fill out the admission packet. This may include obtaining letters of recommendation and writing entrance exam essays to finalize your college application. You’ve been preparing yourself since middle school, you’ve got this in the bag! Attending college forums offered by your school district will help you stay on track with what to expect during the college process, but don’t hesitate to contact your counselor if you need help with your application.

Spring 

After Graduation:The first thing that you should do as your last semester of high school starts is to apply for FAFSA and continue applying for scholarships. Now is the time to make the decision of which college you are going to attend. In order to make this decision you should think about all the costs you are going to have, such as room and board, transportation, food, books, etc. Compare it with the other colleges to see which offer is the best option for you.Once you make your choice, accept the offer from your dream school!

Do not forget to send your official transcript to your college and to attend orientation. Now you can enjoy your college experience!

Your high school years have raced right past you. You still remember being a freshman, nervous for your first day of school. You sigh as you look at your quinceañera dress, your homecoming pictures, and your digital camera full of friends who have become your familia. Perhaps you hold on to these memories, not wanting to face the fact that high school is going to be over very soon. You’re leaving your hometown, or maybe your friends are leaving while you stay. The little nest you and your friends created is emptying out.  No tengas miedo, the world of college will bring friends and new experiences that you will cherish.

Make the most out of your Senior year:
While you have time to meet with your amigas, make the most out of your senior year! Spend this time with your best friends as they will only make this year even better. As a senior, you are at the top of the school and you should make it count. Go to homecoming, football games, prom, pep rallies, and anything else your school offers. Enjoy these as if they were your last, because,well, they are your last. When you’re away from school, spend time with your familia. Your mamá’s home cooking may not be around for long -unless she gave you all the secret recetas- so make sure to eat up! While out in your hometown, do things in your city that you have never done before. Find activities that you didn’t know were happening and go to them. You will be experiencing things that may not happen in other towns and you’ll be having tons of fun!

Share the love:
Now that you are making sure to have fun, it is time to give back to the school that has given you so much throughout the best years of your life. Your teachers have put up with your endless excuses and have been incredibly proud of you throughout your accomplishments. Your coaches have mentored you on how to be successful at your favorite sport, and the underclassmen have seen you as an example since the day they walked through the door as freshman. They all deserve your gratitude as you leave the school.

A few ways to help out are by participating in school wide improvement and/or clean up projects, selling concessions at school events, joining as many activities as you can manage, or even creating your own project/idea that will benefit the school. For example, at  Daniela Lagunes’ high school the seniors and the freshman managed to better know each other through the program ‘Biggies and Littles’.

Daniela, a college student, gives a few words about her experiences with the activity, “Seniors would choose a freshman and be their mentor throughout the entire year. We sent letters and decorated their lockers. Eventually, we let them know. Then we went out to Chuck E. Cheese’s and exchanged gifts.” Another way to give back to the school is simply by not giving the faculty any behavioral problems and obtaining high grades.  Be a senior class the school will miss.

Summertime Bonding:

Before suffering through the pain of leaving for the first time, make the best out of the summer time fun by planning a trip with your friends. If your school planned a trip for the senior class make sure to participate. If you are or have been planning a trip out with friends, go!  Or fundraise the whole year to go to Europe with your closest amigas. Wherever you choose to go it will be memorable because hanging with friends is always amazing.

Daniela Lagunes, a college student reminisces about her trip to San Antonio, “My friends and I took a trip to San Antonio and visited all these really fun places. We went to Sea World, Six Flags, the River Walk, the IMAX theater. We also went to eat at a bunch of places: the Hard Rock Cafe and the Rainforest Cafe were my two favorites.”

If you’re going on a trip with your class it will probably be at a pretty decent price through whatever travel organization the school chooses to use. If that isn’t an incentive to go to Europe or maybe the Caribbean, think about how amazing these brand new places will be with some of your favorite people in the whole world. Aislim Athie admits her sweet but sour feelings about her senior trip to Costa Rica, ”It’s kind of bittersweet because it’s the last adventure we’ll actually all have together (as a class) before we all go our separate ways, but I’m stoked to make new memories with everyone.”

BFF Time:
Enduring the last day with your best friends before parting can be a very difficult experience. Elizabeth Lara, a high school senior, mourns over the thought of parting with her friends, “I know for a fact I will miss my friends dearly. I think I will most likely cry and hug them tightly. I can’t help but think of all the memories we have together and get overwhelming nostalgia.” To make the experience a little more bearable, make sure to spend some time with your closest friends before they leave. While you spend time together you can agree on the dates everyone will be back in your hometown and make time for each other. You should also go through all those old photo albums, even the digital ones on Facebook, to bring back all the good memories. This will surely bring up a few tears, so it would be wise to pull out the Kleenex.

Tons of fun and excitement will await you in the upcoming years, and the best way to start them off is by enjoying your senior year. Like Nadia Garcia, a high school senior says, “Knowing that my friends are doing fine and have bright futures will be enough,” make sure to support your friends right now so that they may shine in their futures. Treasure your time with your best friends and all of the people around you. Last but not least, take a deep breath and make sure to relax before you go off to college.

Barack Obama’s presidency is a glimmer of hope to many undocumented immigrants waiting for equal opportunity in the U.S. The undocumented under the age of 35 hold on to the hope of  the promise of conditional residency provided by the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.

First brought to Senate in 2001, the DREAM Act proposed higher chances of permanent residency to undocumented minors. As of 2009, the Act states that such opportunity would be considered in exchange for: arriving and living in the U.S. as a minor for at least five years, graduating from high school or attending a four-year institution, and  having a good moral character. In addition, undocumented immigrants would have to be between ages 12 and 35 at the time of application, according to Dreamact.info.

Among the collective voices that support the DREAM Act is Norma Sanchez. Through social media, Sanchez is telling her story*. “My parents brought me to the United States [from Jalisco, Mexico] when I was only four months old,” she said.

Now, 23-year-old Sanchez, although grateful for her parents’ sacrifice, remembers living in fear of Immigration and Customs Enforcement finding them and deporting them back to Mexico. “We were always paranoid and scared that [ICE] would come looking for us,” she states. Sanchez’s family once received a letter from ICE informing them to leave the country within 30 days. The family moved, but lived in fear. Four years after the letter, ICE interrupted Sanchez’s family once again. Sanchez recalls her first separation from her family, “Since I was not born in the U.S., my mom was worried that they would ask to see my documentation so she told me to pack some stuff, get my sisters and get out of the house.”

Sanchez’s parents were deported, causing her and her siblings to live temporarily with an aunt. After a month, her parents came back to the U.S. Sanchez claims “They risked their lives to be with their children. Who wouldn’t?”

Paranoia, however, occupied Sanchez’s family until her parents faced deportation once again. Sanchez remembers spending her last moments in the U.S. with her parents.“We have been separated for over a year and I can honestly say that it tortures me every day,” Sanchez said.

ICE reported 366,292 deportations for the 2012 fiscal year. Less than half were non-criminal violators, a number significantly important to a family like Sanchez’s. “My parents never committed crimes, never stole identities, always paid their taxes, had children born in the U.S. but for some reason that wasn’t enough,” Sanchez exclaimed.

Many people who face deportation are only living in the U.S. in pursuit of the “American dream.” Undocumented children in schools stand to benefit from the DREAM Act.

As a short resolution, Sanchez was recently approved for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. DACA provides temporary opportunity to work in the U.S. without deportation. Unlike the DREAM Act, this opportunity does not grant the legal status beyond the approved deferred action.

The DREAM Act, however beneficial, has not been enacted. The bill passed the House in December 2010, but failed to acquire the 60 votes necessary from the Senate. The future of the DREAM Act is still under speculation.

Sanchez and others have been voicing their opinions in favor of the DREAM Act. “We are not going to stop fighting for equality nor for a reform to the immigration system,” she states.

Sanchez is currently living in Dallas, Texas and shares her story with anyone interested. Under her DACA permit, she plans to start working soon.

*If you’d like to read Norma Sanchez’s full story please click on this link. 

Video courtesy of: ILW.com

Have you ever been bullied? Do you wish you could change something about yourself, like  your hair, your eyes or your nose? Better yet, what if you learned to love yourself instead? Yes, it is hard, but it is possible if you change one thing… your outlook on life. Changing your outlook on the way you look changes the way you look at life. You will find yourself to be happier and wanting to try more things.

One young girl changed her outlook and her life changed forever. She has since written two books and has been interviewed by The Today Show, The Doctors, Entertainment Tonight, and Dr. Drew. She has spoken to groups of young kids, teens, and adults on anti-bullying and the importance of learning to love yourself.

Lizzie Velasquez, 23, is your everyday American girl. She enjoys spending time with friends, shopping, and listening to music. As a student at Texas State University, Lizzie is studying Communications and English.

Courtesy from aboutlizzie.com

Lizzie may just be like you or me, but she is different and unique. She was born with a rare genetic disorder that prevents her from gaining weight. She is also blind in her left eye. Lizzie had to deal with many people who called her names and stared at her funny. The bullying used to get to her but now she does not let those bullies take over her life. She is in control and she loves who she is!

Now as a motivational speaker, Lizzie is standing up against bullying and moving many people with her story.

What makes Lizzie so remarkable and how did she get to where she was? It was not always easy; in fact, it took some time for Lizzie to accept herself and it did not happen overnight. The hardest thing for Lizzie to let go was the fact that she could “never look like one of the popular girls.”  She then took the negative things in her life and turned them into positive. That is when she realized there are so many blessings in life, little things, to be grateful and happy for. She is blind in one eye and often gets frustrated with her vision, but she is still grateful that she can see through the other eye. Her advice in the journey to loving yourself is to realize your purpose and go for your dreams.

The journey to loving yourself takes time and hard work. You might find yourself bullied into thinking you cannot do it. Here’s some advice from Lizzie, “the best way to get back [at your bully] is with accomplishments and successes. It’s the foolproof way to get rid of them by turning the negative into something positive.” Her advice for someone who is bullying other people is to “take time out and look at [yourself] and ask why they are doing things to hurt others.” What if you were bullied back? Put yourself in those shoes and sees how it feels to be bullied. Most likely, it will not feel good, so treat others the way you want to be treated.

To stay motivated in this journey Lizzie turned to music. Christian/worship music is her favorite go to music if she ever has an off day. She also goes to her fan email account and reads the messages from people who share their story with her and how Lizzie’s story changed their life. Lizzie recalls one touching story from outside the country. The letter was her first email from a teenager telling her how grateful they were for sharing her story. The teenager thought about committing suicide until they saw Lizzie’s story and decided to turn their life around. Lizzie realized then that her mission to help others was way bigger than what existed around her.

Lizzie Velasquez will graduate in May 2013 from Texas State University. She hopes one day to create a business to encourage good self-esteem and provide help for those who are being bullied. Her books are available through her website at aboutlizzie.com

Most people aren’t strangers to the everyday concept of a sorority. Everybody has seen at least one movie or TV show that features them. However, most sororities featured on television and movies feature blonde girls with blue eyes, the poster girl for White America. It’s unknown to most people that an entire community of Latina Sororities exists. Sororities that conduct themselves in two languages, sororities that feature a wide array of skin colors, sororities that place orgullo high on their values.

Latina sororities are not a new thing. The first Latina sorority, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, started in 1975. Since then over 23 Latina founded sororities have emerged. These sisterhoods may all have different names  colors, mascots and values, some may only be Latina founded and others are Latina exclusive but they all have various things in common. These sisterhoods were created to give other women a chance, to be role models for a next generation of leaders. Sisterhoods that can relate to and understand what minority women are going through in college. These sororities are politically active. They place community service high on their list of pillars. Above all else they are proud of their culture. Culture, first and foremost, is what separates these sororities from all others. They are a collection of minority females in college striving to make a difference.

Some of the biggest in the nation include Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Incorporated , Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Incorporated and Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Incorporated. Other are regionally based, such as Sigma Lambda Alpha Sorority. Members of Latina sororities come in all colors and sizes; some speak dual languages and some do not. Veronica Duenas, a Senior at the University of Texas at Austin and a sister of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Incorporated, may not be bilingual in Spanish and English, but that has never taken away from her experiences within her sisterhood. ” My sisters are my sisters regardless of the language I speak,” she says.

Some of these sororities, though founded Latina, have turned into multicultural organizations.

Jelisa Jay Robinson, a Junior at the University of Texas at Austin studying Diaspora Studies, is an African American sister of Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Incorporated, a Latina founded but not Latina exclusive sorority. She never feels like an outcast because of her skin tone. In fact, she says that her sisters have always embraced her with open arms and never once looked at her any differently. Robinson decided to join Kappa Delta Chi not because of its Latina roots, but because of its values. ” It wasn’t that  they were Latinas, it was that they were  beautiful, strong  and wonderful people. This was important to me,” she recalls.

These sororities are sisterhoods just like every other sorority, but they also play by a high set of rules. They don’t take being a minority in college lightly and they work hard for their accomplishments. Just because they aren’t found in the mainstream doesn’t mean they don’t try to make a difference. They care very little about the recognition they receive and more on the change that they accomplish.

“Being a Gamma  means I’m able to surround myself with inspiration and role models. Seeing what my sisters all around the nation have accomplished inspires me to have no fear in going after my dreams. It doesn’t matter where I come from; I can be successful and I know that I will have the unconditional love and support of my sisters,” says Iliana Gomez, a Junior studying Corporate Communication and sister of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Incorporated.