I never knew that there was actually a word used for certain “connections” such as nepotism. I don’t think I would be able to bring myself to say no to an opportunity that was presented to me because I may never be able to get that back. As selfish as it sounds, some of us just can’t take the chance of saying no. The only problem that comes of it is that people who are more qualified lose the opportunity. More times than not, people who are in charge are more likely to pick people they know or just people that have the same qualities as them. Every job I have ever had has been through nepotism, and I had great jobs at law firms with great pay that I definitely wouldn’t have gotten if I didn’t have a connection with the person who owned the firm. A lot of people at the firm didn’t have college degrees and many of them had a connection with someone there to get the job. I can’t say I know many people who have gotten a job without a connection or the help of anyone else. I know my mom has never gotten a job for herself, and he she has had many jobs.
Ever since I came to college, I have learned that when it comes to the real world, it is really not about the grades you get, it is about the people you know and the outside work that you’ve done while getting a degree in college.
Would I be willing to actively try not to benefit from nepotism? No not at all, I wouldn’t want to risk losing something because it is hard enough to find jobs these days for certain fields. I feel that many people would be the same way when it comes to nepotism; it is just the way things are for people when it comes to finding a job.
Nepotism is always going to be a winning or losing streak, because yes some of us have the benefits and others don’t. While the people who do are always going to take the opportunity but at the same time it may not be a bad thing because once they get a position when they have to hire people, they may not always hire people they know. You have to start thinking of nepotism in different ways to make it not seem as bad.
When I went home over spring break, I went back to my high school and met with my old guidance counselor because that is what I am looking to do once I graduate so she got my name out there. She wants me to do my internship and practicum with her in a few years. So it really is about who you know and not really about the grades you get.

I thought the information on my own sex, females was more interesting because a lot of the things they were saying weren’t as obvious as the information given about males. When men are interested in having sex, you can always tell because they are so focused on it and it’s a never-ending subject. It was interesting to hear how a male-centered world affects woman so much, from the way we dress to the way we act from seeing things in the media. There are so many articles and magazines out there on how women can make sex better for men, but there should also be magazines for men on how to make sex better for women. Learning from the lecture, it seems like both the male and female have to learn a lot in order to make sex more pleasurable and successful. It is unfortunate that so many women have to fake orgasms and are unsatisfied after sex but don’t want to say anything to their significant other. The information about different genders and what they prefer during sex was interesting because it causes such a difference in demands.
It is also unfortunate that it is so hard for guys to look past a woman’s image and just go by personality but it is easier for woman. I wonder if there will ever be a point when guys are able to look past that.
When we the discussion on what girls wear on the weekends, I was honestly disgusted. Who is that desperate that they need to wear such tiny outfits out and why do girls have to try so hard on a night out when guys can just chill. Although I never really realized that all of this behavior was coming from outside forces and that girls feel so pressured to be this uncomfortable around men. It is mostly coming from the media, because yes men are big on looks but the media enforces it more than anything else. When I see girls dressed like that, I would never think of a guy wanting to have a long term relationship, I think of them wanting a one night stand if anything. I feel that men would be more willing to spend more time with girls who are dressed in something that they are comfortable in and don’t look like they are trying so hard. Why try to be someone different from yourself?
Overall, I found the lecture very interesting and I’m glad Sam gave it. I definitely learned a lot about myself and it changed the way I think about certain things when it comes to guys and having sex. I learned a lot about both sexes and was very enlightened.

All of my life I’ve always been attracted to men of many different races. For me personally, all of the relationships I’ve ever been in have been inter-racial and I don’t see anything wrong with it. I think Inter-racial relationships are okay and should definitely be accepted and not so foreign to people. Anyone should be able to be with someone they love and care for whether they are the same race or not. I think some people many just have a fear of marrying people from other races or they stick with the same race just to make things easier when they get married. If people always married within the same race there wouldn’t be any cultural differences to share. As the world becomes more and more mixed I can see there being less racial problems and people will start to appreciate the different things other have to offer. In many years hopefully people will realize that we are all just one.
As I mentioned earlier, all of the relationships I’ve been in have been with someone of a different race and my family doesn’t mind at all. My parents have always told me that if my boyfriend is a good and responsible man that cares for me, then he will be accepted. The only people that have given me problems are my friends, they don’t understand how I bring myself to the level of dating white men when I’m Hispanic and I simply just ignore it. Most of the time I am more attracted to Hispanic and black men but I never go by looks, I always go by personality because to me that is the most important. I really don’t understand why interracial couples are such a big deal; we really shouldn’t have to talk about something like this.
Growing up in a town of mainly all whites was one of the reasons I have always had a white boyfriend so I couldn’t really help it. When I was dating my last boyfriend his family loved that I was Spanish and were really interested in learning about my culture, which was very enlightening and pleasing of them. My first boyfriend’s family didn’t accept me at all and we had to basically hide our relationship. Parents should let their kids be in charge of their love life. What are they supposed to do if they love someone of another race and aren’t allowed to be with them because their families wont accept it? They shouldn’t have to stop themselves from having feelings for someone because their families don’t like it. People of older generations need to start accepting it because once they are gone that is all that we will have, interracial couples.

Diversity has always been something that is very important to me because I grew up in a town with mainly all white people and in my high school class I was one of four Hispanic kids. Even though I grew up in a town like this, I was privileged enough to live so close to New York City so I was always being exposed to diversity at certain times. When I was applying to college it wasn’t really about whether the campus was diverse or not but when I got here I felt there was a good amount of diversity. I feel that there is an equal opportunity for everyone but the campus could still be a bit more diverse. From the results we saw in class, it looks like Penn State is on its way to becoming a more diverse campus which I am most definitely looking forward to. Penn State always claims that they like bringing people together of different diversities but at the same time its really hard because most people just stick to the people of their race. It is where they are most comfortable, especially international students. It is even seen in the classrooms when students don’t know each other; it’s all about the level of comfort. People sometimes tell me that I go to a school exactly like my high school because we are known to have a high percentage of white people.
While I say that I think this campus is relatively diverse, I can also say that almost all of my friends are white on campus and its not because I want it that way, it just happened. Since coming to Penn State and taking this class, I have learned to accept many more things within different cultures and diversity. I look differently at all races now and am willing to sit down and learn about them. There is so much to learn from people of different cultures that most people are completely oblivious most of the time. We never really try to take advantage of opportunities like that which we are most likely going to regret later on in life.
Over spring break I was talking to friends about diversity on their campuses and certain schools that I would expect to have a lot of diversity didn’t at all. For example, one friend goes to New York University and she said that mainly all of the kids on campus are white which I found very surprising. NYU is a school that I feel should have one of the highest rates of diversity. It’s in the middle of a city while our campus is in the middle of Pennsylvania mainly surrounded by all farmland.

Although I am not a white American, I still feel guilty for the things that I take advantage of and the life that I live sometimes. While at the same time what has happened to the slaves in the past is something I couldn’t take control of so some people really can’t be blamed for this. Telling us that some people should feel guilty due to this issue is somewhat unfair when there are also a lot of people who have spent time giving back and working to help others out there who are struggling. Taking this class has really opened up my eyes to a whole new world of thinking and honestly it made me think that this world really isn’t equal in anyway. There may be some equal rights but its others that make it unequal for some people.
Even though I’m not white, I was lucky enough to grow up living the life equally to a middle class white American with all of the advantages and worry free life. I lived in a town with a really good school district and had so many opportunities for extra curricular activities that made me a well -rounded person.
In some ways I don’t feel guilty because I always made time to give back in my community and help out with my church fundraisers. Every summer I would go on mission trips with my church youth group to places of need such as Alabama where there were victims from Hurricane Katrina. For two weeks we fixed up houses and ran a day camp for kids in the neighborhood. It was really a life changing experience and something that made you feel good.
People often forget about how lucky we are to live in America. There are so many opportunities everywhere you go and we pretty much have a stable government. Even though racism and prejudice still exists, they provide us with basic rights to live off of.
I do feel bad about on going slavery, and to be honest most people don’t even realize that slavery is going on. Many people are completely oblivious of it unless the issue is brought up. Its sad to see that there is so much discrimination against people who don’t have white skin and the fact that some people literally had no choice but to become slaves. Its sad to see how much some people are so incredibly privileged just because of their skin color, it just doesn’t make any sense to me why it has to be this way for all of us. There are things I do everyday without even thinking and if they were taken away I’m not sure what I would do, so yeah at that point I would feel sorry for slaves because they dream to do some things that are so small to my lifestyle.

I believe that in society these days’ people are more racist towards Muslims than blacks, mostly in the United States. I don’t think the level of racism wouldn’t be so high if it weren’t for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the media. I feel like every time we are informed of a terrorist attack warning it has to do with Muslims, so people are automatically going to start judging people and getting scared every time they see Muslims. There is way too much Muslim discrimination in the United States. They are always being scanned at airports and people are automatically judging them to be terrorist without even talking to the person as apposed to black or white people. I have to admit that there were times I was scared on a plane because of some Muslim people but I would never think to be rude to them or treat them any differently than I treat people of other races.
I was pretty disgusted by the video we watched in class the other day when the Muslim girl was scared to go out alone because of people being so racist. Although I was happy to see that people backed her up at the coffee shop when the employee was being extremely rude to her. The discrimination that was out against her was terrible and people were obviously upset by it. She could have had the exact same qualities as someone of a different race that walked into the coffee shop but because of the way she dressed and her race caused her to be treated differently. I would have definitely stood up for the woman if I were in that situation because people need to learn one way or another that treating people that way is wrong and they need to take the time to get to know the person.
I was really intrigued by the question and answer session we had with the Muslim students in class. I was able to learn so much more about the culture and how different people go about it. They all wanted to become apart of society and just have people know more about them so they wouldn’t be judged all the time. Although it was nice to know that people at Penn State are friendly and open to having them here. They were explaining how their everyday life is just like everyone else in the world. They go to school, socialize, follow their culture, check face book, and just live their life like we all do.
I think that it is clear that Muslims are discriminated against more than black people because of some of the reasons I stated and just in general from different events that have happened in the world. I’m not sure if discrimination will ever go away but I hope that one-day it will get better.

From a very young age I have always been taught that success is going to come from hard work. It wasn’t until I got to Penn State that resources have come into play and have actually helped me get somewhere. I feel that no matter how many people you know and connections you have, a lot of hard work still comes into play. Personally, I’m not going to feel as proud of my achievements if it were that easy for someone to get me a job or internship. All throughout high school it was up to me to work really hard in order to get what I wanted. We all have to work for good SAT scores, and good high school GPAS so we can get into good schools. Hard work was always something that was stressed a lot in my high school, and the teachers always advised us to get more involved to become well-rounded individuals because it gave us a better chance of getting into college.
In College hard work and resources is a different story; hard work isn’t all that matters all the time. In college most people stress that you become close with your professors, get to know people, and have valuable resources. It’s very important to get experience with internships and certain things in your field before it comes to applying for a job once you graduate. Getting your name out there is really important, and again grades don’t really matter. I feel that if people see your work ethic and time in a different setting such as an internship, then an A or C in a class is not going to matter for you in the long run.
Most people in our generation are going to think that connections matter more once you are in college, but I feel that our parents mostly think that success only comes from hard work because that is always how its been for them. I mean personally I don’t think a lot of us really know what hard work is yet because we don’t have that much to worry about until we get into the real world. At the same time I wish hard work and grades was more of a factor because then I would feel like my education is actually worth it.
In the end, it’s all more of a combination because it is really not as easy as we may think sometimes. There isn’t really ever going to be a time when everything is going to hand over to us. Hard work allows all of us to go far in life to be successful human beings. Education is a privilege, a challenge, and hard work, but in the end it is all worth it and we will hopefully all be successful people in a field that we enjoy.

I would say that determinism plays a large role in my life and has a lot to do with decisions I’ve made. Both of my parents went to college and work really hard to make sure my sister and I are able to live a great life. Going to college was always something I knew I had to do and basically wasn’t an option for me. After my sister got into Columbia university, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do the same but I was determined enough to get into a good school. I studied hard, did a numerous amount of extracurricular activities in high school and made sure that I would be able to get somewhere successfully but I’m not saying that determinism was the main factor as to why I came to Penn State. I’m here mainly because certain people have influenced me to go in this path on my journey in life. I always say that I can do things on my own but every big decision I’ve made in my life has been with the help of others, mainly my parents. I came from a really good school district in long island New York and many opportunities that I wouldn’t have had if my parents didn’t decide to move there. I was able to focus more on music where I found a passion that I didn’t know I had and participated in different sports that most schools don’t have such as fencing. I was influenced by so many teachers and was so lucky to get the attention I needed in order to be successful in my classes.
Since I’ve been at Penn state I have gotten involved in so many things that I would have never thought I would ever do. Free will has played a large role in my life as well here. I have tried so many new things out of interest and just simply impulse because I’m all about taking risks and living life to the fullest. I made the choice to change my major and joined so many different clubs, and have taken so many classes that have changed my view on so many different things in the world. There are so many things that have influenced me to do better things and get involved at Penn state. Listening to Sam’s lecture was definitely an eye opener because it is always things that I would never think about, it crazy how oblivious you can be to certain things in our world and I feel like I take advantage of so many things in life. After thinking about it for awhile I feel that determinism and free will can coexist and have an equal opportunity as to where people will go.

I would most definitely say that our world would be a different place if everyone just lived his or her lives to the fullest but at the same time I’m not sure if I could say it would be a positive thing. Even if we lived that way, many things would still be the same. We would still fight for certain rights and territory. The video in class definitely brought up some great things that many people don’t usually think about such as how many commonalities we have with monkeys than with gorillas. Animals more or less go through a lot of struggles that we experience and most of the time they are just put into cages in small areas and are also hunted by us. If we just lived life without any worries, animals would obviously just be living right next to us, but then again monkeys also don’t need everything that we need in order to survive. Humans always go over and above the necessity, which can also cause problems, over the years we have advanced to certain levels that other may not be able to beat in the coming years. Humans go deep into the meaning of essentially everything and monkeys don’t so really we don’t have as many commonalities as we thought.
Only humans classify themselves extensively, monkeys can only go so far with classification. We all come from the same species but still believe that certain people aren’t as good as other because of their race. So because I’m Hispanic lowers my standards on graduating college but if I were Asian I would definitely graduate? It just doesn’t make any sense. We may all look different but we are all from the same species and there is no reason for all of this hatred in the world.
What does just living life the way we want come to? No one will ever be able to find an answer to that question. Humans are always trying to search for happiness and peace in their lives whether it’s in a positive or negative way. Animals don’t abuse their body or environment like humans. People alter their true selves all the time and I wonder all the time why people can’t just accept themselves for who they are but its because everyone else in the world is so judgmental of others. Although, if humans actually just lived life without any worries we wouldn’t be cultured, economically, and politically developed as humans and what would we have to be excited about? Humans are all about innovation, technology and a higher thinking ability. Animals do not need technology or a group of political leaders to govern them through issues throughout the world. Therefore, living carefree would be wonderful but at the same time I don’t think it would be as beneficial and we would imagine it to be.

People most often associate with other of the same race and ethnicity because it is a feeling of comfort. Coming from a town where I was really the only Hispanic made me want to branch out when I got to college and experience people not only from my background and from others. I feel it depends on what environment you grew up in and also how you were raised. When first meeting someone I feel that most people tend to judge within the first couple minutes of meeting them figuring out if this is a person they could potentially become friends with. I think we don’t actually realize that we are doing this until a discussion like this is brought up. Coming to college is all about doing new things and meeting new people. If being with people from different ethnicities is coming out of your comfort zone then go for it and see how it feels, you may get a best friend out of it. When international students come to Penn state it is foreign for them so they automatically go to the students who are going through the same situation. I don’t think that it’s bad to always be with people of your race because everyone needs that level of comfort for a while but it is nice to branch out of your level of comfort. I personally like to associate myself with many people from other races but at the same time I just go by everyone’s personality, looks don’t matter to me. I believe that people have different aspects that compliment themselves and don’t need to be judged by looks all the time. If more people thought of it this way, then maybe change wouldn’t be such a fear. Getting out there and talking with different people is something everyone should experience. People have changed my life in so many ways from meeting them randomly or reaching out to people I usually don’t talk to. Does it really matter if they are black, white, Hispanic, or Asian? No, it doesn’t. The only thing that matters is the beauty inside of them. I’m Hispanic and I have plenty of friends who are white and are exactly like me. We have the same views and love all of the same things. I have met so many amazing people of different ethnicities that have helped me through so much who I now consider to be my best friends. Penn State is a great place to meet people of different ethnicities because we do have a lot of diversity and I feel like most people are very open and willing to accept people of different cultures. So I am very thankful for a class with discussions like this because I believe it makes many people think in different ways.