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Extracurricular Worship, Part Three of Three: An Interview with Jasmin Hussain

April 23, 2013 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By Jacob Lotkowski

Staff Writer

This interview is a part three of a three part personal interview series on what religion means to students in our school. This series sets out to answer what role religion plays in our lives and if how we think about religion has changed as we have grown through grade school and moved onto high school.

Jacob Lotkowski: What religion were you raised as?

Jasmin Hussain: Muslim–I think we’re called the Sunni Muslims. A lot of Asian countries are Sunni and the Middle East is divided–some are Sunni and some Sheiite–but I’m a Sunni. We follow the prophet Muhammad.

JL: How Strong are your families beliefs?

JH: On a scale–like eight or nine.

JL: What was that like growing up?

JH: Growing up I had a lot of freedom actually. There are a lot of holidays involved with bring a Muslim. There’s Ramadan which is like fasting, then we get to eat after–which is my favorite part.

JL: Do you still feel a connection to your religion?

JH: Yes definitely.

JL: How have your feelings about your religion changed?

JH: When I was younger I took Arabic classes and tried to read the Qur’an. I was brought up in a Bangladeshi culture so we would read it and later we would learn translations. As a kid I didn’t know what I was reading, but as I got older I wanted to know what I was reading so I started looking up the meaning behind the texts so that’s what has changed.

JL: What are some customs of your religion that you want people to know about?

JH: We pray 5 times a day. There is one month of fasting that goes by the lunar calendar, so it changes. At the end there is a holiday–it marks the end of Ramadan. Then there’s the Hajj which is in Mecca. I’ve never done it–I’ve gone to mecca when I was little but never participated. Then there’s charity which is a principal of the religion.

Editorial: Pursue Your Passion

April 23, 2013 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Think back to the days in elementary school when firefighters and policemen came to visit.

They would talk about their professions how some day you could also be doing the same thing as them.

Many members of the SLAMedia staff have aspired towards being doctors, nurses, astronauts, veterinarians, teachers, even waitresses.

An important part of high school is that when those four years have gone up, you come out with a sense of what you want to pursue later on in life. This is the case for many of high school graduates, but for others, it isn’t. During the college process, students base their choices on how they relate to their specific field. But what about the students who have undecided majors?

When they finally enter a college setting, they are set free into a world without any focus. While the college/university may offer programs or courses geared toward finding a major, if one doesn’t have any focus, then the programs are ineffective.

With the average student in Pennsylvania alone accumulating close to 30,000 dollars in debt at graduation, is it really worth to enter the collegiate world “undecided”?

Although it is not the end of the world if you take those four years to find your focus there are cheap and even free alternatives to this. All of which can potentially be done before the college process even begins.

It all starts with the student’s personal ambition and their willingness to take the initiative.

For example, let’s say a student is very interested in video production. Do some investigation to see if your school offers a class or program like SLA’s own Rough Cut Productions. If not, research into possible internships that may be focus on your specific field.

Worst come to worst, go out and try to network yourself amongst any local broadcasting studios. Then when all else fails, utilize the internet.

Websites like Youtube offer tons of video-tutorials dedicated towards video production; in addition to the millions of other videos hosted on the site. If that sounds too daunting, a simple Google search can open your eyes in more ways than one.

These pathways don’t have to apply to just future directors and producers; anyone could do the same thing whether they want to pursue math, physics, ceramics, etc.

Again, it all comes down to how greatly you want to pursue the things that interest you and that’s what really matters. Taking the things you love to do and putting them through higher levels of education.

For many people, the majors they pursue in college are geared towards the professions that make a lot of money. Careers like doctors and engineers are widely sought after because of their high potential for money.

What’s the point of spending five or more years in college, spending tens of thousands of dollars, on something that you don’t love?

Of course, one shouldn’t shy away from being a doctor or engineer. If that’s some you truly want to do, then pursue it.

Or even if you’re undecided, you shouldn’t feel ashamed about it. If you really want to strive towards a certain field, you go for it wholeheartedly.

One shouldn’t just let monetary gain rule their future.

Student of the Month: Michelle Torelli

April 19, 2013 by lpahomov 1 Comment

Annisa Ahmed
Staff Writer

Who says hard work doesn’t pay?

Throughout the entirety of this year, Senior Michelle Torelli has worked diligently with one big goal in mind: to go to college and take on as little debt as possible.

Her wish has been granted. In late March, Torelli was selected for the Drexel Liberty Scholars Program.

The scholarship is need-based, providing aspiring students from low-income families in the Philadelphia region with a chance to attend Drexel University at a fraction of the regular cost.

She first learned about the program from Counselor Karina Hirshfield. From the start of the application process, Torelli stayed upbeat.

“I had a positive attitude,” she said. In her essay, she talked about her future and what the program would mean for her, to help make her family proud and set a good example for her younger siblings.

After advancing to the next round, she prepared to for the interview thoroughly. “I had mock meetings in the college office,” noted Torelli. “It helped to keep me calm and focused.”

In addition to practice trials, there were many individuals who gave her the proper support along the way. “My parents, my uncle, Amy [a college office intern], Ms. Hirschfield , Ms. Dunn, and Heidi, my neighbor were all so willing to jump whenever I needed a hand,” she said.

Her Advisor Douglas Herman is unspokenly added to the mix. Prior to the big day, Torelli came to him, confessing that she was worried that her boisterous nature would hinder the possibility of getting the scholarship.

Herman smiled and when she asked why, he told the truth. “Let it shine,” he encouraged. “Let them see that a prim and proper personality isn’t always what they are looking for.”

Jokingly, Herman told to break out her sick moves during the sit-down and although she declined going that far, the Liberty Scholars must have taken notice of what she had to offer.

Torelli intends to study to become a Chemical Engineer and eventually get her Masters Degree. Getting this scholarship is essentially a pass her to complete her studies and become what she has always wanted to be.

“Drexel was my top choice,” she said, “and now, I have the chance to go there and take out as little loans as possible.”

Torelli joins SLA Alumnus Ali Ahmed ‘12 as a Liberty Scholar, who is now a freshman at Drexel studying computer science engineering.

Contact: aahmed2@scienceleadership.org

Locker Talk: How did you hear about the Boston Marathon incident?

April 19, 2013 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

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"I turned on my TV when I got home and since we watch the news in the morning, it was already tuned to the news channel." -Junior Jamie Murphy

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"Mr. Best told me about it in advisory." -Sophomore Alyssa Winner

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"I saw something about it on Instagram so I went onto Facebook and then I heard the whole story." -Junior Morgan Taylor

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"I actually didn't know about it until the next day... I barely ever go on Facebook or any social media site, so I just didn't hear about it." -Junior Michael Hall

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"My mom told me because she was watching the news." -Freshman Ameer Holmes

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"Mr. Sanchez told me about it." -Freshman Mitchell Burven-Stotz

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"My mom told me because she was watching the news." -Freshman Ameer Holmes — “My mom told me because she was watching the news.” -Freshman Ameer Holmes

"I actually didn't know about it until the next day... I barely ever go on Facebook or any social media site, so I just didn't hear about it." -Junior Michael Hall — “I actually didn’t know about it until the next day… I barely ever go on Facebook or any social media site, so I just didn’t hear about it.” -Junior Michael Hall

"I saw something about it on Instagram so I went onto Facebook and then I heard the whole story." -Junior Morgan Taylor — “I saw something about it on Instagram so I went onto Facebook and then I heard the whole story.” -Junior Morgan Taylor

"I turned on my TV when I got home and since we watch the news in the morning, it was already tuned to the news channel." -Junior Jamie Murphy — “I turned on my TV when I got home and since we watch the news in the morning, it was already tuned to the news channel.” -Junior Jamie Murphy

"Mr. Best told me about it in advisory." -Sophomore Alyssa Winner — “Mr. Best told me about it in advisory.” -Sophomore Alyssa Winner

Philly’s Curfew Consequences

April 17, 2013 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By Jesús Jiménez

Staff Writer

The night life in the city can be grand. Center City offers a variety of different locations for food and entertainment that can make a night on the town great for you and your friends.

Many minors look at Philly with this perspective, and end up caught in an unwanted argument with Police that ruins their night. The curfew in the city could be a problem for some. Even if you aren’t having the time of your life in the city, you might be stopped just by your appearance.

Mayor Michael Nutter signed legislation which updated the curfew times in Philadelphia back in 2011. Minors 13 and below were given a curfew of 8 PM, while 14-15 year olds were allowed to be outside until 9 PM. Anyone over the age of 16 was allowed out until 10 in the evening.

Of course, this was during the school year. During the summer, everyone had an extra hour before the cops began to question you.

Senior Matthew Ginnetti has a cousin who was stopped by officials a few times over the summer coincidentally. “My cousin was stopped by the cops 3 times,” he said, “The last two times he was fined around $200.” One of the events, as he remembers took place near Tasker and Morris streets, in South Philly.

From a police officer’s point of view, a curfew helps in maintaining order in the city while preventing harm to any youth that might be out at night. While Philadelphia isn’t exactly a dystopia, it still shares it’s worth in crime.

Blondell Reynolds-Brown, a councilwoman for the Philadelphia City Council described the curfew as a “tool” for law enforcement officers.

She added, “Provided that it is used fairly and compassionately, it can be an important piece of the puzzle to building a safer city”. This was back in 2011.

Has a curfew helped Philadelphia become a safer city since then? Youth today are still staying out late. Regardless of whether they feel safe in their neighborhoods or not doesn’t matter to our police officers. They will confront you as long as the legislation is still standing. But cut them some slack. After all, they’re just doing their job.