Dominican Republic Service Trip
As a junior, I participated in the Dominican Republic Service Trip for the third and last time. Our work days were long and physically demanding; I worked in the batey’s almost everyday during our ten day visit, working with the construction crew, building a home for one of the families. These families live among the sugarcane fields in some of the worst conditions I’ve ever seen. Their hutch-like homes made up of cardboard scraps and other materials have no running water or electricity, and they don’t have access to medical care and have limited food resources. The work we do along with many other service teams allows them to have access to essential medical treatment and improved living conditions. We provide them with medications that treat health conditions before they become problematic, and homes that provide a better shelter. After being there for the third time, I have learned they are resilient and generous people, genuinely happy and hopeful. However, Haitian's in the batey’s are not solely reliant on us, they have learned to survive with what they have, and have functional communities.
This trip has taught me to be a team player, to work hard, to be compassionate towards others less fortunate, to give when you can because it can make a difference, to appreciate what I have and the opportunities I’ve been lucky to have.
Snap Photography
SNAP Photography, is a six-week paid apprenticeship runned by Neighborhood Studios, the Greater Hartford Arts Council with the goal to provide a hands-on learning experience in the arts as well as career skills. The program sends participants to art studios and cultural organizations throughout Hartford.
My acceptance to the program required an interview, samples of my work, and an audition with the program director. My training was focused in photography, where I expanded on my current knowledge of the history of photography and functions of the digital and film camera, further developed my skills in editing images with Photoshop, and learn how to design and install a photo exhibit. Most of my time was spent traversing the city of Hartford to find things to shoot. One of the moments that stands out is when we came up to a rally outside the capital where people were advicating labor unions, immigration, and equal pay.
Watkinson Photography
At Watkinson you are required to enroll in art classes during your high school experience. After a year of Foundations in Arts, I realized I needed to find something that I was more interested in. I enrolled in Photography during my sophomore year with the approval and recommendation of the department chair. Over the course of two years, I’ve learned the mechanics of the camera, terminology, how to shoot with a purpose, composition, framing, editing and engaged in student critiques with the purpose to provide and receive positive feedback. Photography makes me feel empowered, I shoot subjects that I am interested in and I choose how I want to capture the moment and what I want it to express. I’ve learned that an image can make an impact, give a message, and provoke a feeling. The following are some examples of my work that I hope you enjoy.
My Global Studies Essay
In partial fulfillment of the requirements in the Global Studies Program I was to compose a research paper related to my topic. My essay topic question was what are the Impacts of Large Corporations Sweatshops on its Laborers. My essay highlight many of the issues that are a result of sweatshop labor, some of these examples and arguments I've discuss are, that major corporations are trying to expand their market, while carelessly ignoring the consequences of sweatshops that they are effectively hiring, Basic ethical practices shouldn't cost much more money for brands. Labor costs account for 1 to 3 percent of the retail price of an item, and sweatshops are a systematic system that prays on the reliance of its works. For example in my third section of my essay which discusses wages conditions and wages I mention the relation that the price of labor is about 1-3 percent of the retail price. "The Fashion Revolution found a € 29 t-shirt's labor cost to be 18 cents and charging employees a decent living wage will carry labor costs up to 45 cents". This is a brief summary of what I mention in my essay and I hope any of your further questions about sweatshops will be addressed in my essay.