Nontraditional students on the rise

(Photo of Deborah Harris on the left and Jacklyn Robinson on the right discussing their future plans of educating the youth. In this Picture taken by me at St. Matthew A.M.E. church 12/13/09)


DETROIT--The economy and the needs of the community inspire two woman, and people all over the country to take their career and life to a new plateau, by retuning back to college.

Fifty-two year old Deborah Harris and 48-year-old Jaclyn Robinson, both mothers with close to 30 years of work experience in their current careers, have recently made the decision to return back to the long nights of essay writing, text-book reading, and note taking. Everything current traditional students are trying to get away from.

Both women however said that they are in need for a change, and with the society constantly changing; they want to reinvent themselves and pursue a profession that will help improve the lives of individuals in their environment.

“I felt that there was a need for more people to help in education due to the cities poor reading statistics. I prayed about it and in my search to find a different career path, I realized that it was now my mission to help improve their academic skills,” Harris said.

Black Friday prepares to shadow the country once again

(People camping outside Best Buy for the 5am opening on "Black Friday. Richfield, MN, USA at 7:00pm on Thanksgiving 2008) Creative Commons section of Flickr.com

YPSILANTI , Mich.—As the shopping season falls upon us and the most chaotic shopping day of the year draws near, many shoppers plan on acting responsible and keeping their cool when the stores open early on Nov 27.

The day after Thanksgiving, known in this country as Black Friday, is one of the year’s biggest shopping days and marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Many retail stores, such as Target, K-Mart, and Best Buy offer a number of different discounts and sales on items. Many eager costumes camp out and line up at the doors as early as 12 a.m. to be the first to take advantage of the deals

Although this is a day for any smart shopper to look forward to, recently shoppers have been losing control. Many injuries and even deaths have occurred.

Published reports say that on Black Friday 2008 a Walmart employee was trampled to death by a stamped of eager shoppers in Long Island, New York. In Palms Desert, Calif, two young men, Alex Moreno and Juan Meza, killed each other over a dispute in a Toys "R" Us. Many other injuries took place that day which draws nervousness to many stores and future costumers.

Detroit's Under Appreciated Jewel

(This is a section of the Detroit Industry mural by Diego Rivera at the Detroit Institute of Arts. It was completed in 1933 and commissioned by Edsel Ford and museum director William Valentiner. ) Flickr.com



DETROIT—The massive and imitating white marble exterior stretches along the Woodward Avenue, filling visitors of all ages and sizes with an eagerness to expand their creativity and to be exposed by the creativity of others. These visitors enter the historic building immediately enveloped in the memories and the cultural artifacts of the past and present.

Supporters of the Detroit Institute of Arts say it is not only one of the city's crowning jewels but one of the country’s top art museums. But although the museum has done a lot with it's image by renovating back in 2001-07, many still feel that the DIA is under appreciated.

Founded in 1885, the Detroit Institute or Arts, or “DIA,” includes more than 100 art galleries that include a diverse variety of art such as American, European, Native American, Islamic, modern and contemporary, and graphic. As explained in its site, the museum comprises a “multicultural and multinational survey of human creativity from prehistory through the 21st century.”

The beautifully sculptured building, referred to by its site as the “temple of art,” is a vast maze filled with culture. It invites visitors to get lost in the pieces of art as they try to interpret the artistes message and inspiration; The displays are designed for one to appreciate the artistes dedication, effort, skill, and passion that was applied to the arts creation. Although this establishment seems to be a storage house of creativity, museums such as this are not visited or appreciated by the members of their communities like they should be, say supporters.

Motivated to make a change in the community

(Erin Crouch pictured on the left and Dana Lake pictured on the right. The picture was taken by media director of the Leer Career Center, Ken Nelson)

EAST LANSING, Mich.---Michigan State University student Erin Crouch herself to devotes a good portion of her time to servicing her community and making a difference. The 20-year-old family and community services major is the director of Project Green, a community outreach group at Michigan State that caters to the needs of the Lansing and East Lansing community.

“We host many events throughout the year such as health fairs, blood drives,and fundraisers to lower heating cost,” Crouch said.

Through meetings with schools, community organizations, churches, and neighborhood associations, Project Green is able to center its focus each year based on the current needs of the community.

Crouch has been involved with Project Green for three years now and this is her second year as director. As a director she says that she loves what she does but at times it can be difficult.

Student Parent Determined To Graduate: A Day in the Life

(Eastern Michigan University student Karen Washington holds her son, Glen “Tre” Aaron Baltimore III. Photo was taken at Portrait Innovation in Perrysburg, Ohio.)

YPSILANTI, Mich.-- On a peaceful Friday evening a young woman looks furiously through a baby bag to find a pacifier as her child begins to wake up from a nap. The bag seems to be filled with an endless amount of baby necessities. The baby cries and without much delay she find's the missing pacifier and the young woman runs over to the couch and saves the day before sitting down to grace me with her presence. Karen Washington, a senior at Eastern Michigan, is a student similar to many college students who now takes on a great deal of responsibility and difficulty as a new parent. Despite any obstacle or struggle, she continues on with her education and chasing her dreams.

The 21-year-old double major in electronic media films and communications is the mother of a 3-month year- old son named, Glen “Tre” Aaron Baltimore III, after his father.Washington’s day starts around 5 a.m. This is the time her baby usually wakes up and needs to be fed. Once the baby is fed she spins more time with him: rocking him back to sleep,changing his diaper if needed, or just simply embracing him. After taking care of the baby, Karen then has to prepare for her other job as a full-time student, with classes that start at 8 a.m. Waking up this early can be a bit stressful. She explains that she doesn’t get enough sleep and when she does get to class she often spends time worrying about her son. As time moves on, she feels things will become even more stressful.

More about myself

YPSILANTI, Mich.---Greetings to all. My name is Aaron McCain aka Aaron Jay R and welcome to my blog. I'm 22 and I am a senior at Eastern Michigan University.

Like many of us here in this feature class, or college period, it took me a while to figure out just exactly what field I wanted to go into. I started out majoring in biology but soon realized my sophomore year that science was not the route for me. Later on that year I found interest in the medical field and changed my major to medical administration. Sadly, like biology, I soon learned that too was not the right road for me to travel. I realized that my real interest in the field was not medical administration itself but the potential money I could one day earn.