PORTFOLIO
PUBLISHED WEB STORIES
BLM: WHY DOES EVERYONE CARE NOW?
September 1st, 2016.
On this day, former San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem. That single action sent a shockwave across our nation and would unfortunately cost him his relationships with teammates and friends, various endorsement deals, and ultimately, his NFL career.
LATINX: A CULTURAL CONTROVERSY
According to a recent Pew Research Center study, only three percent of individuals with Latin descent use the term Latinx. Even more shocking, only one in four individuals who identify with this community have heard of the term. This means three out of four, or 75 percent of this community has never even heard of the term Latinx. If this is true, why is this term becoming so widely used in American culture?
THE CONNOTATION OF KAMALA’S CONVERSE
Vice President Kamala Harris not only made history this year for obvious reasons—being sworn in as the first female vice president of the United States, the first Black vice president of the United States, the first Asian-American vice president of the United States, etc.—but somehow found time to influence the political fashion scene as well.
MUSIC TO KEEP ALIVE: LAURYN HILL
Common themes surrounding Hill’s music usually include portrayals of her experience growing up in inner city areas (“Every Ghetto, Every City”); her relationship with God and religion (“Tell Him”); heartbreak (“Ex Factor”); calling for unity among the Black community and humanity; and love, love and even more love.
BECOMING A RESIDENTIAL ASSISTANT: PART I
Written for MSU division of Residential & Hospitality Services: Below, Aleaha offers an inside perspective to the competitive, rigorous and selective process behind the selection of the roughly 340 RAs who annually work to provide a positive on-campus living experience for the 15,000 students who call campus home each year.
BECOMING A RESIDENTIAL ASSISTANT: PART II
Written for MSU division of Residential & Hospitality Services: After receiving the position in February, all placed and alternate RAs were tasked with completing a six-week Leadership Training course. Each week, neighborhood community directors (CDs) and assistant community directors (ACDs) progressively explained the RA role by facilitating activities and discussion pertaining to a specific topic/lesson.
SPARTAN COMPASS EXPERIENCE
Written for MSU division of Residential & Hospitality Services: Located in Akers and Hubbard halls, the Spartan Compass
community mirrors that of Lyman Briggs College (LBC) and James Madison College (JMC). Prior to this program, Akers and Hubbard stood alone as separate residence halls with no common identity or community within East Neighborhood.
RHS REDUCES ENERGY CONSUMPTION
Written for MSU division of Residential & Hospitality Services: In 2009, members of Residential and Hospitality Services (RHS) and Vice President for Auxiliary Enterprises (VPAE) Vennie Gore sat down to discuss ways to improve sustainability efforts at Michigan State University. The culmination of their meetings shaped MSU’s Energy Transmission Plan (ETP). This ETP was centered around the consumption of steam, electricity and gas energy on campus.