Intro:
Thanks for visiting my e-Portfolio! Here you will find a collection of my best writings and projects created during my years as an undergraduate at Penn State University. I am an International Politics major pursuing a Spanish minor and I am also a Paterno Fellows aspirant. The Paterno Fellows program will allow me to graduate with honors and it will provide me with several advantages during my academic career. Upon graduating, I will have completed an honors capstone project. I hope to study the effects of universities primarily employing liberal professors in political science and international relations departments, focusing on how this affects students and their future careers.
In addition to my schoolwork, I am a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha. I'm very involved in my sorority, which instills the values of "aspire, seek, attain" in all of its members. We pride ourselves on our involvement in community service, especially Penn State's THON. ASA placed third in Greek Life Organizations in THON 2011 with a total of over $182,000.
I am further involved in Greek life with my position as a staff writer for The Odyssey, a newspaper catered to collegiate members of Greek organizations. My writing position at The Odyssey provides me with an outlet to connect to my immediate community at Penn State, and also Greek communities throughout the country. Articles are published weekly both online and in print format on campus. Though I consider writing one of my hobbies, I also enjoy horseback riding and singing. Feel free to browse through my selected work, and if you would like to contact me, I would love to hear from you!
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Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
A Smile a Day...From a Disney Princess!
Sorry, I had to. My life this past week has been partly consumed by the Disney Princess franchise. Even the projects are over, I just can't let go. Since the Disney Princess movies were sadly never a part of my childhood, I was never exposed to their beauty or their romances with perfect princes.
One of the things we realized in our project, though, and one of the most respectable realizations, is that the princesses, no matter what dire situation they're in, see the best in it, and often smile. This almost permanent smile gives viewers (or children) an attitude of optimism that they take around with them after viewing the movie. Maybe this is why I was such an unhappy child compared to my Disney-Princess-Watching friends. Or not. Though I was never exposed to any Disney movie besides Dumbo, The Lion King, and 101 Dalmatians (Yes, I wasn't even allowed to watch Lady and the Tramp), my childhood didn't take a hit from my lack of knowledge of the Disney Princess fairytales. I may have been jealous of my friends at the time, but I found a more realistic happiness in other ways, never expecting a happy ending or that "all of my dreams" would come true. Though the Disney princess isn't the only way to make little children smile, it is probably one of the most common.
Sure, the children may be more excited about witnessing the happily-ever-afters in all the movies, but the positive attitudes of the main characters subconsciously contribute to the optimism the children feel after watching the movies. Perhaps we have identified a brighter side of Disney's portrayal of sexism toward women.
One of the things we realized in our project, though, and one of the most respectable realizations, is that the princesses, no matter what dire situation they're in, see the best in it, and often smile. This almost permanent smile gives viewers (or children) an attitude of optimism that they take around with them after viewing the movie. Maybe this is why I was such an unhappy child compared to my Disney-Princess-Watching friends. Or not. Though I was never exposed to any Disney movie besides Dumbo, The Lion King, and 101 Dalmatians (Yes, I wasn't even allowed to watch Lady and the Tramp), my childhood didn't take a hit from my lack of knowledge of the Disney Princess fairytales. I may have been jealous of my friends at the time, but I found a more realistic happiness in other ways, never expecting a happy ending or that "all of my dreams" would come true. Though the Disney princess isn't the only way to make little children smile, it is probably one of the most common.
Sure, the children may be more excited about witnessing the happily-ever-afters in all the movies, but the positive attitudes of the main characters subconsciously contribute to the optimism the children feel after watching the movies. Perhaps we have identified a brighter side of Disney's portrayal of sexism toward women.
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