Final Blog post

This semester went by so quick I truely cannot belive how fast it went by. On the first day of Comm 101c class, I knew I was going to learn about different kinds of communication. As the class went on I felt extremely comfortable to participate and speak my mind which was awesome. I am glad that the class had a wide range of people with different opinions and ways of viewing certain subjects. I felt like I was able to get more out of the class by having a solid class discussion and hearing different points of views. I'm glad that the class had a relaxed vibe to it and I definately enjoyed writing these blogs. As a communication major I plan on taking more comm courses and furthering my knowledge in this area of study. Of course as you all know, I plan to work in the training and development unit for MAC Cosmetics one day and Comm studies has already helped me with that journey. Comm not only has helped me with my career but has also helped my everyday relationships with family and friends. I feel like I took this class seriously because I was genuinly interested in the content and I learned so much by our professors teaching style.  I know it's horrible but I used to not study in other classes for quizzes but I actually made it a priority to study for these quizzes because I had so much interest within the subject. I saw a change within myself that I cared more about my grade and took control of how much I took out of the class which is why I participated alot. It was a great semester and lovely to have met all of you!

Trade Show

Yesterday I attended the bussiness and professional speaking class's trade show for applications made by students. There were 6 different booths each with visuals of their unique application. These students looked like they put alot of time and effort in the applications they made and I noticed they were each in groups of about 4 to 6 people so of course group work was involved. Each group member was dressed up in professional attire and were extremly friendly while enlightening me about what their App. stood for and how it would be useful to me. There was one app that stood out to me at the tradeshow which was called "The Spartan Book Finder Application". This application stood out to me because the group members explained that since students need to get books every semester of school, "The Spartan book finder App" will help students find the books they need by comparing prices of the book side by side that way the students gets the very best price and knows exactly where to get the book. I feel like this app could be efficiemt to me because I would be able to use it to compare pricing of my textbooks so conveniently that it would save me alot of time and stress. I was impressed on how well these students knew their app and every little detail of planning that went into it.The trade show was held in the Almaden room located in the student union. I enjoyed all of the App project ideas and was truely

impressed with the students who came up with the ideas. I think it's great how the comm department puts on events such as the tradeshow because it allows the students to interact with other comm students and give feedback to their peers if necessary.

Poetry

Recently there was a poetry spoken word outside the library at San Jose State. There was a nice stage and many seats available for the public to take a seat and listen to some poetry. This event was the SJSU Legacy of poetry day. It is amazing how something as simple as spoken words can engage a full audience. I understand how powerful poetry can be because I used to write poetry when I was younger. I am the type of person who feels the need to be strong at all times and won’t allow anyone to see me in a vulnerable position because I don’t like to feel hopeless or sad. If I am ever in a sad or dramatic situation, I would rather just burry my feelings or transfer them somewhere else. While growing up, poetry was my way of transferring my feelings away from my mind. While I was listening to the poems being performed in front of the library, I felt a strong connection to the poets because of the way they were reading them. The poets were reading their poems with such passion I couldn’t help but feel inspired to hopefully start writing again. I appreciate being a student at San Jose state because I enjoy events that the University hosts such as this poetry reading. I literally had just been released from class and heard the performances going on and was able to watch and enjoy poetry for free. Even though I was surrounded by people I did not know, I still felt like I belonged there in that moment and we were all connected because we were all there to purely enjoy poetry. Communication of meaningful words is what brought the audience together in a peaceful manner that day.

If you had a million dollars to research

If you were to be granted a million dollars to research a specific environment, which environment would you choose? I personally would be interested in learning about different makeup techniques in different environments of the World. I understand that makeup technique, meaning, and culture is different due to different environments. In the United States it seems that the first thing people think of when they hear the word “makeup” is beauty and glamour. In the U.S makeup is mainly used to enhance natural features to make the face appear more attractive. Makeup is used in movies, music videos, news, and on the average woman. I would love to discover what other countries use for their makeup and what tools they use to apply it. Here in the U.S makeup artists typically use brushes, sponges, applicators, etc. Also I would be interested in the techniques they would use as well. I once got my makeup done while I was in Mexico and it was completely different than how makeup is done in the U.S. I also noticed that in the U.S there are many male makeup artists but I had not seen a male makeup artist in Mexico. I am curious to learn about the norms about men being makeup artists or if it is seen as forbidden.  I would love to learn how makeup is applied in different countries and which makeup line is the most popular. It would also be interesting to discover what types of makeup looks are desired the most depending on the country. For example, I know that in Brazil, the women love to wear red lipstick on an everyday basis. In America red lipstick isn’t an ideal color for everyday but the women here do love more neutral colors. I wonder if the makeup trends desired are molded by advertisements shared in certain countries. As you know makeup is my life and it would be amazing to be able to research the culture of it in different places around the world.

able or unable

Society has formed an environment where disabled people need to prove themselves more than ever. Today in a class discussion we talked about an article that was about disabled people in wheelchairs playing rugby. As we know, rugby is a physical contact sport and can easily lead to injury. One of my peers mentioned that these people in wheelchairs are jumping from one stereotype of being “crippled” to the next stereotype “masculine/macho”. I wonder if the disabled people truly wanted to take up rugby because they truly like the sport or if they were trying to prove a point to society. I can never understand how it feels to not be able to use my legs on an everyday basis but I have torn a ligament in my elbow once and was not able to use it for a month. I injured my right arm and I need to use that arm in order to write, cheerlead, or do makeup because I am right handed. During the month that I was unable to use my right arm, I felt sad and lost about who I was. I feel like I defined myself in a way by my physical capabilities. In my head I saw myself as a cheerleader or a makeup artist; I would explain who I was through things I did physically. I felt useless because I was unable to partake in my everyday normal activities and it really hurt my feelings. I am thankful for being physically healthy and I feel like if I were unable to use my body like everyone else I would want to prove a point as well to society in terms of being able to still be athletic and active. The article we talked about was very interesting and was able to help me try and understand the point of view of people who are unable to do certain things physically.

Misundertand me

Today in class we talked about how people can misunderstand you or how you can misunderstand other people. People mentioned how they can be misunderstood by their looks, race, or who they are friends with. Sometimes I feel like I can be misunderstood by my sarcasm. I used to be extremely sarcastic because in my family, everyone uses sarcasm therefore I naturally became immune to it. Soon my sarcasm started to affect people in a negative way and I was approached by my good friend about how some people didn’t know if I was being serious or not with my sarcastic humor. Since then I try only being sarcastic around close friends and family and if I choose to use sarcasm with a new friend, I’ll make sure to say “I’m just kidding” at the end. I also feel misunderstood at work sometimes. For example, I am a professional makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics and there is a reputation for MAC girls to be extremely intimidating and snobby. I do not see myself as intimidating or snobby, if anything I am there to teach people how to do makeup in the most effective way and educate them about our products in the nicest way possible. I would feel hurt if people felt they couldn’t approach me because I feel like I am a nice and helpful person. I also mentioned that sometimes I feel misunderstood by my texts. Lately in the texting World, if someone writes the punctuation mark of a period after a text it can insinuate that the person who sent the text is feeling upset. The texting world can easily make people misunderstand each other which can be extremely dangerous and potentially damage relationships. I truly believe that people take things in the way they want to which means that people will make meaning of messages the way they choose to; you cannot make perfect sense to every single person but further communication will always bring clarity.

To participate or not participate?... that is the question.

In a recent class, some of my peers and I facilitated a discussion which focused on what drives students to participate in class and what discourages students from vocalizing their thoughts in class. Personally I enjoy to participate in my communication classes because I am truly interested and engaged when it comes to the class discussions. A point that I brought up during our discussion was that I am not naturally a person who always participates; I never participated in classes such as meteorology because I was not interested in the content of that class or felt as if I would never answer the questions correctly. Another part of participation willingness has to do with how comfortable the student feels in that class. For example in my SJSU communication courses, the dress code is comfortable and casual which I feel lightens up the mood in class to a relaxing setting. Personally if I were expected to dress in formal wear every day to class, I would feel uncomfortable, out of place, and hesitant about vocalizing my thoughts in class. On the other hand, many students in today’s discussion expressed that the dress code wouldn’t have any effect on them when it came to participation. One of my peers explained that she went to a Catholic high school and they were required to dress in uniform but she never participated much then and now even if she is able to wear casual dress she still does not participate much. We then talked about how sometimes students learn better when they just observe the class discussions rather than volunteering in them which makes sense to some extent. All in all I felt like this discussion was extremely interesting because it allowed me to see from different points of views on the subject of participating.

Language defines culture

The language we use helps to create and maintain the cultures we belong to. With language we need to pay attention to what is said and also the way it is said. Our cultures have everything to do with our identity fundamentals such as ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. In chapter 5 the issue of gay marriage is brought up having to do with culture. Denny and Joel are trying to be approved for a same-sex marriage but have gotten denied. The book says that since the marriage request was legally denied then with the denial it also questions there spirituality or relationship with God. For many decades the culture of relationships in America included a woman and a man. Marriage had always been involving a man and a woman; never 2 men or 2 women. The language interpretation of “John and Mary are getting married” is normal in the American culture but if someone were to say “John and John are getting married”, the statement would seem incorrect. Personally I was raised catholic and in the Catholic Church it is strictly believed that marriage should be between a man and a woman. I respect my religion and believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman however, I also feel that love sees no gender and with that said I have no problems with gay couples wanting to be together officially but I feel that if they were to call their partnership “marriage”, it would be highly disrespectful to the Catholic church. The subject of gay marriage is very complicated yet it is becoming more and more popular these days. It is ironic but I have a gay friend who still attends church every Sunday and has a strong relationship with God. Even though the American culture in the past has only advertised heterosexual relationships, the culture seems to be adapting into somewhat accepting gay and lesbian couples. With that said maybe a new language will form to our new culture of acceptance and perhaps a new word will be made for a Gay/Lesbian partnership rather than just calling it “ gay marriage”.

Who am I?

Self Identity has to do with your upbringing, moral standpoint, attitude, beliefs, environment, etc. It is amazing that when it comes down to it, you do not have as much control of who you are as much as you think you do. As people we are thrown into certain environments, certain schools, certain religious practices all chosen by our parents or whoever raises us. The foundation of the environments, schools, teams, and religion we are exposed to will have a huge effect on whom we will be for the rest of our lives. I went to a low-income high school and was exposed to a diverse crowd of students. I have always gone to public school and have always had a diverse group of friends. My whole family is catholic and as a baby I was baptized catholic. When i was 7 I made my first communion in the catholic church and when I was 17 I was confirmed by the catholic church. I am now 20 years old and still stand faithful to my religion but I realize that the Catholic religion is the only religion I am familiar with and I haven’t taken the time into exploring other religions. I feel like my whole life would be different if my parents raised me to be Buddhist or any other religion or maybe just not make religion apart of my life at all. Another thing we talked about in class was about perception. Perception is how you see yourself as a person and how others see you. When I think of myself I feel as if I am a hardworking, smart, and outgoing girl that loves life. When I think of myself I don’t think about my race or what I look like, I just mainly think about my attributes of personality. After today’s discussion in class I realized that others heavily judge and make up a persona of you by what race you seem to be and how you carry yourself as well. Many people think that I am a white girl so when people look at me they probably think that my family is wealthy and that I get everything handed to me on a silver platter. It is the sad truth that when people think you are Caucasian, you get treated better than if you were to look Mexican or have an accent. I was raised in the United States and do not have a Spanish accent because in school I learned to speak, read, and write in English. I feel like I am blessed to be an English speaker because I feel like it helped me get a job, do well in school, and overall communicate better with the public. However, it bothers me how people judge me based on what race I look because I am not white, in fact I am proud to be Mexican/American and I do speak Spanish and I feel that people of my race should be treated with the same respect as I do.

Plan of Completion

When entering college unfortunately I had to take a remedial math course and a remedial English course. At SJSU, remedial courses do not count towards general education credits. Since I had remedial courses I will finish my time here at SJSU with 5 years total. My ideal plan at first was to try and finish college in 4 years but when entering as a freshman, I had no idea what I wanted to major in. First I wanted to be a forensic scientist because I loved the television show CSI, then I wanted to major in business because I wanted to start my own business of a makeup store. Finally I realized that I am passionate about doing makeup and teaching so then I realized I wanted to work in the training and development field for makeup artists. I felt that studying communications would be the perfect major to gain the skills that I needed to become the best trainer I can be. Thankfully I made my final decision to major in Communications by the time I started my 3^rd year at SJSU. I am finished with my general education courses and have passed the WST test. This semester is the first semester that I started taking upper division classes for communication. I visited the department website for communications and learned the requirements for a B.A in Comm. So far I am on the right track, this semester I am enrolled in to 2 Practice courses and my intro to Comm course. I understand that I need 2 inquiry courses, 2 foundation courses, 8 units of any I,F,P courses, and my senior seminar courses. I plan to finish my schooling and receive my degree in two years so I can graduate spring of 2014. I am extremely motivated and school is important to me therefore I am confident that I will finish my degree with good grades.

Communication Anxiety

Communication skills do not come easily and I know this through experience. When I was a little girl I was extremely shy. I had a fear of speaking up for myself and ordering my own food when I would go out to eat with my mom and sister. I witnessed a lot of abuse in my home when I was little and I think it grew a fear of communicating because I would witness speaking, speaking turning into yelling, yelling turning into breaking things, then breaking things turning into physical violence. In my mind communication started confrontation which is something I wanted to stay away from. My mom started to recognize my shyness getting out of hand then taught me a valuable lesson which was the power of speaking up for yourself. I am now 20 years old and I am proud to say that I am way better at communicating and speaking up for myself. As a makeup artist I communicate on a regular basis with clients I do not know on a personal level which has begun to feel natural to me. Even though I am fantastic with communicating with makeup clients, I still struggle with communication. Since I had such a rough childhood I have built up a wall around the pain and have issues of expressing my emotions towards that subject. My best friend will ask questions about my past and I find myself not wanting to talk about it and coming off as being “cold”. I am not the type of person who likes to talk about emotional or personal things because I don’t like feeling vulnerable or negative. I have noticed that with me being this way people won’t want to talk to me about their problems or feel as if I don’t care about their problems. Even if I do not like to talk about my childhood problems I don’t want to be seen as someone that their friends cannot approach with those certain subjects. I want people to feel comfortable around me and be able to vent their issues to me. I think communication studies are fully capable of helping me learn a way to better communicate my feelings and thoughts about my personal life in such a way where I feel comfortable and not awkward.

Where I believe Comm studies will take me

When entering college I have grown an interest in communication Studies because every single class that has made an impact on my life was a communications course. I took the course Comm 10 which was about the communication between relationships with family and the study of communication between different cultures than my own. I have come to appreciate the relationships I do have with people from different cultures and backgrounds and have learned to understand them even better due to the Comm 10 course. I also loved the courses Comm 20 and Comm 41 which helped me become skilled in public speaking and more knowledgeable on communication from mass media. I would describe Communication studies as a field that touches on many different careers. I strongly believe that communication builds whether it is relationships, jobs, projects, etc. I feel that communication studies has to do with any type of interaction or thought, therefore communication studies has to do with every aspect of life. Once I receive my communications degree I hope to work in the MAC Cosmetics training and development area. I currently am a Makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics and would love to grow with the company. My passion is makeup artistry and with working in the Training and development area I would be able to help develop artists into becoming better artists and communicating to them about makeup technique, trends, color theory, etc. This career also includes being able to host makeup lessons and executing makeup at fashion shows, photo shoots, and special events while representing the company of MAC.  This career demands excellent public speaking skills and communication skills. I am excited about gaining my degree in communications and I am confident that it will help me get to where I would like to go in life.

 

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