A Tribute to My Space Mom the Rebel Princess Leia
As I sit here still in shock from the passing of mine and rest of the worlds Rebel Space Princess Carrie Fisher, I remember all the things I learned from her. I learned as a young child in the 90’s after sitting down with my dad to watch Star Wars for the first time that a girl… an actual princess could take on an Empire, the bad guys, the worst villain’s in the galaxy and win. She could lead the rebel forces of good and do it with wit and grace. That I need not hold back from the world just, because I was a girl. Princess Leia was one of the first female heroes I knew. She would be the best not only was her character in the movies fearless, but also so was the actress herself. Carrie Fisher herself fought many battles herself with addiction, mental health, and the media with aging. She overcome each battle with strength and did not take the foolishness that was thrown at her from the world. When the world and media criticized her for the way she looked in The Force Awakens; she fired back telling the world aging is what everyone in world does and she does not have to apologize for it. She was an amazing woman who I am proud to look up too. She taught to be strong, courageous and fight for others and myself. Thank you princess you will never know how much you mean to me. May the force be you always and for the rest of us to quote Yoda, “Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force.” So long for now sweet princess….
I continue to pray for her daughter Billie and brother Todd Fisher during this difficult time of losing both Carrie and the ever-wonderful Debbie Reynolds.
As I sit here still in shock from the passing of mine and rest of the worlds Rebel Space Princess Carrie Fisher, I remember all the things I learned from her. I learned as a young child in the 90’s after sitting down with my dad to watch Star Wars for the first time that a girl… an actual princess could take on an Empire, the bad guys, the worst villain’s in the galaxy and win. She could lead the rebel forces of good and do it with wit and grace. That I need not hold back from the world just, because I was a girl. Princess Leia was one of the first female heroes I knew. She would be the best not only was her character in the movies fearless, but also so was the actress herself. Carrie Fisher herself fought many battles herself with addiction, mental health, and the media with aging. She overcome each battle with strength and did not take the foolishness that was thrown at her from the world. When the world and media criticized her for the way she looked in The Force Awakens; she fired back telling the world aging is what everyone in world does and she does not have to apologize for it. She was an amazing woman who I am proud to look up too. She taught to be strong, courageous and fight for others and myself. Thank you princess you will never know how much you mean to me. May the force be you always and for the rest of us to quote Yoda, “Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force.” So long for now sweet princess….
I continue to pray for her daughter Billie and brother Todd Fisher during this difficult time of losing both Carrie and the ever-wonderful Debbie Reynolds.
Why Supergirl is the most Relatable Female Character
We all know the story of Supergirl Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin. She was sent to earth to protect him, as just an enfant when their home planet Krypton is destroyed, but Kara’s pod ended up stuck in the phantom zone for many years, while Kal-El’s made it to earth. Eventually, Kara’s made it to earth years after her cousin has already grown-up and became the hero he is know as today. Kind of awkward for her considering on Krypton she was the older cousin. Anyways Kara than has to learn about all her powers are powered by the sun and earth from her younger yet older cousin. As her powers develop they end up being no different than that of her cousins faster than a speeding bullet, super strength, bullet proof, laser eyes, the list goes on and on.
Yet this is not what this article is about, it is not about comparing her to older better known cousin this is about Supergirl. Her stand alone self. Her awesome, awkward, relatable, and a hero to all girls out there stand alone self. Supergirl in the beginning of discovering herself is not confident in her powers. She makes mistakes, but she is not any less of hero or person, because of these mistakes. She learns from them and improves upon theses mistakes. This is awesome, because when reading and watching Wonder Woman whom just radiates strength and confidence its nice to see a female character feel the same things that normal 20 something year old girls feel. This also shows in reading the comics and watching the television show, because you can tell unlike Clark/Superman, Supergirl is not any different than her alter ego Kara Danvers. She is still awkward and nerdy, and still lets things get to her when she is wearing the cape, but even though this happens she powers through, because she knows she can do it with just a little trust in herself and powers. While you see that Clark is completely different than superman, I understand why Superman puts on the bumbling nerdy clumsy persona. I still personally relate to Supergirl more as a person, than any of the other female superheroes due to her need to care to much as both ego’s and her feeling inferior to her cousin even though in some case she is more powerful and knowledgeable. She doesn’t have the most physical buff body like Wonder Woman even though her strength is comparable or the confidence that radiates off her like the Black Canary, but Kara gets through all her insecurities and goes and saves they day from villains that threaten her city and the citizens she loves. She gives me hope that I can power through my worst days of feeling inferior or messing up and I can make it through, because she does it. So I can just embrace my inner Supergirl and make it through my grad school presentation or that one-day of bad luck at work. In the end Supergirl is powerful, smart, strong and bullet proof and so are all those girls out there that feel awkward, insecure, and a little bit like they do not belong.
We all know the story of Supergirl Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin. She was sent to earth to protect him, as just an enfant when their home planet Krypton is destroyed, but Kara’s pod ended up stuck in the phantom zone for many years, while Kal-El’s made it to earth. Eventually, Kara’s made it to earth years after her cousin has already grown-up and became the hero he is know as today. Kind of awkward for her considering on Krypton she was the older cousin. Anyways Kara than has to learn about all her powers are powered by the sun and earth from her younger yet older cousin. As her powers develop they end up being no different than that of her cousins faster than a speeding bullet, super strength, bullet proof, laser eyes, the list goes on and on.
Yet this is not what this article is about, it is not about comparing her to older better known cousin this is about Supergirl. Her stand alone self. Her awesome, awkward, relatable, and a hero to all girls out there stand alone self. Supergirl in the beginning of discovering herself is not confident in her powers. She makes mistakes, but she is not any less of hero or person, because of these mistakes. She learns from them and improves upon theses mistakes. This is awesome, because when reading and watching Wonder Woman whom just radiates strength and confidence its nice to see a female character feel the same things that normal 20 something year old girls feel. This also shows in reading the comics and watching the television show, because you can tell unlike Clark/Superman, Supergirl is not any different than her alter ego Kara Danvers. She is still awkward and nerdy, and still lets things get to her when she is wearing the cape, but even though this happens she powers through, because she knows she can do it with just a little trust in herself and powers. While you see that Clark is completely different than superman, I understand why Superman puts on the bumbling nerdy clumsy persona. I still personally relate to Supergirl more as a person, than any of the other female superheroes due to her need to care to much as both ego’s and her feeling inferior to her cousin even though in some case she is more powerful and knowledgeable. She doesn’t have the most physical buff body like Wonder Woman even though her strength is comparable or the confidence that radiates off her like the Black Canary, but Kara gets through all her insecurities and goes and saves they day from villains that threaten her city and the citizens she loves. She gives me hope that I can power through my worst days of feeling inferior or messing up and I can make it through, because she does it. So I can just embrace my inner Supergirl and make it through my grad school presentation or that one-day of bad luck at work. In the end Supergirl is powerful, smart, strong and bullet proof and so are all those girls out there that feel awkward, insecure, and a little bit like they do not belong.
World Cup winners visit A-State
Heather O'Reilly and Megan Rapinoe, two members of the 2015 FIFA World Cup winning U.S. Women’s Soccer team came to A-State to talk to students and Jonesboro residents at the Student Activities Center.
Century 21 of Jonesboro won the chance to have O’Reilly and Rapinoe come to Jonesboro through a nationwide contest. Century 21 was a sponsor of the U.S. Women’s National Team for the World Cup this year. The meet and greet with the athletes was held to promote women's soccer and talk about their life experiences that lead to them becoming professional athletes.
O’Reilly and Rapinoe also took time to answer questions from the audience the questions ranged from what they ate for breakfast to what was the most memorable thing about winning the World Cup.
The coaches and A-State players thought the visit was a great opportunity for the children of Jonesboro and surrounding areas. For most the children this was their first exposure to soccer at a recreational level.
After speaking, the ladies decided to join the audience in a little soccer challenge. Soccer coach Brian Dooley said, “It was astounding. The local community came out in force and had a wonderful time. The USWNT players spoke and then joined in our soccer skills challenge that included a dribbling obstacle course, soccer bowling, powershot competition, soccer angry birds, accuracy shooting, moving target shooting and three on three open play.”
Not only was the event great for Jonesboro, but also it was also beneficial to A-State and the A-State Women’s soccer team. The soccer team had a chance to meet and play soccer with two of their idols.
Assistant soccer coach Jessica Greer said, “I thought the event was great, having the opportunity to hear those two athletes speak as well as see the excitement on everyone’s face including my players was amazing. I think it was beneficial to everyone who was able to attend, not because (the visiting players) were professional athletes but because it brings awareness to soccer especially women’s soccer.”
Dooley said, “It put us on the soccer map. We had people from Memphis and Little Rock attend. Heather and Megan were astounded at our organization and how smoothly it ran. Our team had a chance to meet two of their role models and interact with the youth soccer players of Jonesboro.”
Century 21 of Jonesboro won the chance to have O’Reilly and Rapinoe come to Jonesboro through a nationwide contest. Century 21 was a sponsor of the U.S. Women’s National Team for the World Cup this year. The meet and greet with the athletes was held to promote women's soccer and talk about their life experiences that lead to them becoming professional athletes.
O’Reilly and Rapinoe also took time to answer questions from the audience the questions ranged from what they ate for breakfast to what was the most memorable thing about winning the World Cup.
The coaches and A-State players thought the visit was a great opportunity for the children of Jonesboro and surrounding areas. For most the children this was their first exposure to soccer at a recreational level.
After speaking, the ladies decided to join the audience in a little soccer challenge. Soccer coach Brian Dooley said, “It was astounding. The local community came out in force and had a wonderful time. The USWNT players spoke and then joined in our soccer skills challenge that included a dribbling obstacle course, soccer bowling, powershot competition, soccer angry birds, accuracy shooting, moving target shooting and three on three open play.”
Not only was the event great for Jonesboro, but also it was also beneficial to A-State and the A-State Women’s soccer team. The soccer team had a chance to meet and play soccer with two of their idols.
Assistant soccer coach Jessica Greer said, “I thought the event was great, having the opportunity to hear those two athletes speak as well as see the excitement on everyone’s face including my players was amazing. I think it was beneficial to everyone who was able to attend, not because (the visiting players) were professional athletes but because it brings awareness to soccer especially women’s soccer.”
Dooley said, “It put us on the soccer map. We had people from Memphis and Little Rock attend. Heather and Megan were astounded at our organization and how smoothly it ran. Our team had a chance to meet two of their role models and interact with the youth soccer players of Jonesboro.”
1,000 Dreams scholarship promotes female scholarship, entrepreneurship
A new scholarship “1,000 Dreams” was launched this year for young women across the nation. This scholarship is a one time educational assistance for high school and college aged women who have a need for financial assistance. Girls are rewarded up to a thousand dollars to help achieve their goals.
Christie Garton is the founder of the 1,000 Dreams Foundation and scholarship. Garton is an award winning social entrepreneur, columnist for USA Today and creator of an online magazine UChic.com, which targets high school and college-aged young women.
Garton decided to start fighting for female college students when she was law student. She started looking for resources for herself as a female grad student but found none. In her search, she discovered that there were few resources out there for female students, and it appeared that it had been that way for some time. In response, Garton had what she called an “a-ha” moment, and took matters into her own hands. Garton began writing specifically for young women to get advice and tips for while they were in college.
“My interest in doing that was this idea that we all have stories and advice to share,” Garton said. “Who better to give that advice, specifically about college than women who are living or who had just been through it. Our model from day one has been for her by her. ”
Garton became inspired to start the 1,000 Dreams Fund. She realized during this time in her life that what she had learned outside of the classroom had been just as valuable to her as her class curriculum. Garton used this inspiration to tailor the scholarship to women and girls who are heavily involved in school and still need financial assistance. The fund is designed to help pay for classes, tech devices, books and other supplies needed for college.
“I think this is a really important life stage for a student, female or male, but especially for young women. They are in the midst of perusing their degree and trying to figure out their life path,” Garton said. “I think that is the time in your life where a boost, an experience, a mentor, an internship can really impact the course of your life. So the fact that our scholarship fund is focused on this life stage is exciting for me personally.”
She decided during this time to set a goal for herself to help one thousand young girls. When she reaches that goal she will go on to her next.
Two students of A-State, Courtney Baltz, chair of the Young Republicans and Breanna Keith, president of the Accounting Club, expressed their gratitude for such a scholarship to start being distributed to young women like themselves. They feel there is a great need for scholarships specifically targeted to women at A-State and across the country.
“Scholarships are a crucial part of success throughout the collegiate career. They alleviate the burden of undue stress caused by the worry of loans and excessive college debt post-graduation, especially for women due to unequal pay distribution still being evident in our society,” Baltz, senior finance major of Pocahontas said. “The 1,000 Dreams Fund is an incredible organization that is ensuring that women are able to obtain quality education and opportunities that will continue to impact their career paths.”
“I think this scholarship is a great opportunity for students to show their creativity and earn support for their education. I think it will help young women at A-State by giving them a chance to show how hard they work and remember what they are working toward,” Keith, junior accounting major of Conway, said.
The scholarship is not the only way the foundation is giving out money to young women that exemplify their selves. Recently, the 1,000 Dreams Fund launched a four week long photo caption contest, through which women can submit a photograph that best shows how they are living their professional dream on social media.
“We welcome all students and graduates to apply for this challenge. This is our first (contest). Anybody with a dream and in need of a little of support can apply,” Garton said.
The contestants also need to submit a caption with the photo that states how they are striving to reach their dream along with the #1000dreamschallenge. One grand prizewinner will win $1,000 dollars and the top two runners up will be presented with $500.
“So many scholarships are based on grades and academic achievements, which is great,” Keith said. “But, it’s is nice to see something that also allows applicants to exemplify the other forms of hard work they may put forth in achieving their dreams.”
Deadlines for photo challenge close on Nov. 24. The deadline for the scholarship is Feb. 28. Winners will be announced soon after.
A new scholarship “1,000 Dreams” was launched this year for young women across the nation. This scholarship is a one time educational assistance for high school and college aged women who have a need for financial assistance. Girls are rewarded up to a thousand dollars to help achieve their goals.
Christie Garton is the founder of the 1,000 Dreams Foundation and scholarship. Garton is an award winning social entrepreneur, columnist for USA Today and creator of an online magazine UChic.com, which targets high school and college-aged young women.
Garton decided to start fighting for female college students when she was law student. She started looking for resources for herself as a female grad student but found none. In her search, she discovered that there were few resources out there for female students, and it appeared that it had been that way for some time. In response, Garton had what she called an “a-ha” moment, and took matters into her own hands. Garton began writing specifically for young women to get advice and tips for while they were in college.
“My interest in doing that was this idea that we all have stories and advice to share,” Garton said. “Who better to give that advice, specifically about college than women who are living or who had just been through it. Our model from day one has been for her by her. ”
Garton became inspired to start the 1,000 Dreams Fund. She realized during this time in her life that what she had learned outside of the classroom had been just as valuable to her as her class curriculum. Garton used this inspiration to tailor the scholarship to women and girls who are heavily involved in school and still need financial assistance. The fund is designed to help pay for classes, tech devices, books and other supplies needed for college.
“I think this is a really important life stage for a student, female or male, but especially for young women. They are in the midst of perusing their degree and trying to figure out their life path,” Garton said. “I think that is the time in your life where a boost, an experience, a mentor, an internship can really impact the course of your life. So the fact that our scholarship fund is focused on this life stage is exciting for me personally.”
She decided during this time to set a goal for herself to help one thousand young girls. When she reaches that goal she will go on to her next.
Two students of A-State, Courtney Baltz, chair of the Young Republicans and Breanna Keith, president of the Accounting Club, expressed their gratitude for such a scholarship to start being distributed to young women like themselves. They feel there is a great need for scholarships specifically targeted to women at A-State and across the country.
“Scholarships are a crucial part of success throughout the collegiate career. They alleviate the burden of undue stress caused by the worry of loans and excessive college debt post-graduation, especially for women due to unequal pay distribution still being evident in our society,” Baltz, senior finance major of Pocahontas said. “The 1,000 Dreams Fund is an incredible organization that is ensuring that women are able to obtain quality education and opportunities that will continue to impact their career paths.”
“I think this scholarship is a great opportunity for students to show their creativity and earn support for their education. I think it will help young women at A-State by giving them a chance to show how hard they work and remember what they are working toward,” Keith, junior accounting major of Conway, said.
The scholarship is not the only way the foundation is giving out money to young women that exemplify their selves. Recently, the 1,000 Dreams Fund launched a four week long photo caption contest, through which women can submit a photograph that best shows how they are living their professional dream on social media.
“We welcome all students and graduates to apply for this challenge. This is our first (contest). Anybody with a dream and in need of a little of support can apply,” Garton said.
The contestants also need to submit a caption with the photo that states how they are striving to reach their dream along with the #1000dreamschallenge. One grand prizewinner will win $1,000 dollars and the top two runners up will be presented with $500.
“So many scholarships are based on grades and academic achievements, which is great,” Keith said. “But, it’s is nice to see something that also allows applicants to exemplify the other forms of hard work they may put forth in achieving their dreams.”
Deadlines for photo challenge close on Nov. 24. The deadline for the scholarship is Feb. 28. Winners will be announced soon after.
Department of Communications gets social with new emphasis area
Arkansas State University’s College of Media and Communication will soon have a new Bachelors of Science degree program for the connection-loving student: Social Media Management. Strategic Communications with an emphasis in Social Media Management will be a full-fledged degree program beginning in the fall semester of 2015.
Dr. Holly Hall, associate professor of strategic communications, said the program is designed to provide information about the fast-evolving social media industry. Students will learn how to identify business opportunities that social media can support, develop social media strategy, create content that will help business grow, and much more with in the field of social media.
“Today’s businesses and nonprofits are deeply invested in social media, and our curriculum is designed to create a new wave of communicators skilled enough to maximize that investment,” Hall said in a press release.
According to College of Media and Communication Advisor Renette McCargo, students are excited to learn about the emphasis area in Social Media Management. She said many students come her to change their major and area of emphasis after hearing about the new program.
Social media positions at companies have been increasing steadily since 2010. According to the site LinkedIn, there has been a 1,375 percent increase in the need for social media managers from 2010 to 2014. Social media is now an essential part of business.
“Social media is how many of us communicate. It stands to reason that organizational leaders recognize the power of social media and have begun creating related positions within their companies,” McCargo said.
"We are seeing more demand for students who have expertise in social media from corporations, nonprofits and agencies,” Dr. Brad Rawlins, dean of College of Media and Communication said in a press release. “They are particularly interested in students who can develop and deploy social media strategies, measure effectiveness of social media messages, and construct multimedia content for social media sites.”
A-State’s program will not focus on instructing students in how to use particular networking sites, but rather on teaching students how to create core strategies for public relations, advertising, and brand building and on a variety of social media platforms.
Hall said faculty members of the College of Communication advisory board felt a need for this program to be part of A-State’s growing curriculum. Hall said the program was needed to keep up with the growing trend of the need for social media employees.
“It’s not about just having a Facebook page for your organization. It’s about a strategy to find the right platforms, with engaging content that motivates people to act and then measuring and monitoring your efforts to see what is and isn’t working. It’s a serious business that helps organizations meet consumers in a very interactive way,” Hall said.
The College of Media and Communication is hiring a new faculty member, Dr. Manu Bhandari of the University of Missouri, to help teach some of the new social media classes for the program.
Hall said the college is excited about the skills in social media and interactive advertising Bhandari will bring to the program.
Social Media Management is the third emphasis area offered for the Strategic Communications major. The other emphasis areas in this program include Public Relations and Advertising. If a student decides to major in Social Media Management, he or she will be required to minor in Marketing.
A-State is the only university in the region to develop a social media degree program. Other colleges across the United States are starting to explore this area of study. Some of the colleges are focusing on the management aspect, but others are more focused on the technical aspect of it. At A-State however, students will be fully prepared for a job in social media management.
Arkansas State University’s College of Media and Communication will soon have a new Bachelors of Science degree program for the connection-loving student: Social Media Management. Strategic Communications with an emphasis in Social Media Management will be a full-fledged degree program beginning in the fall semester of 2015.
Dr. Holly Hall, associate professor of strategic communications, said the program is designed to provide information about the fast-evolving social media industry. Students will learn how to identify business opportunities that social media can support, develop social media strategy, create content that will help business grow, and much more with in the field of social media.
“Today’s businesses and nonprofits are deeply invested in social media, and our curriculum is designed to create a new wave of communicators skilled enough to maximize that investment,” Hall said in a press release.
According to College of Media and Communication Advisor Renette McCargo, students are excited to learn about the emphasis area in Social Media Management. She said many students come her to change their major and area of emphasis after hearing about the new program.
Social media positions at companies have been increasing steadily since 2010. According to the site LinkedIn, there has been a 1,375 percent increase in the need for social media managers from 2010 to 2014. Social media is now an essential part of business.
“Social media is how many of us communicate. It stands to reason that organizational leaders recognize the power of social media and have begun creating related positions within their companies,” McCargo said.
"We are seeing more demand for students who have expertise in social media from corporations, nonprofits and agencies,” Dr. Brad Rawlins, dean of College of Media and Communication said in a press release. “They are particularly interested in students who can develop and deploy social media strategies, measure effectiveness of social media messages, and construct multimedia content for social media sites.”
A-State’s program will not focus on instructing students in how to use particular networking sites, but rather on teaching students how to create core strategies for public relations, advertising, and brand building and on a variety of social media platforms.
Hall said faculty members of the College of Communication advisory board felt a need for this program to be part of A-State’s growing curriculum. Hall said the program was needed to keep up with the growing trend of the need for social media employees.
“It’s not about just having a Facebook page for your organization. It’s about a strategy to find the right platforms, with engaging content that motivates people to act and then measuring and monitoring your efforts to see what is and isn’t working. It’s a serious business that helps organizations meet consumers in a very interactive way,” Hall said.
The College of Media and Communication is hiring a new faculty member, Dr. Manu Bhandari of the University of Missouri, to help teach some of the new social media classes for the program.
Hall said the college is excited about the skills in social media and interactive advertising Bhandari will bring to the program.
Social Media Management is the third emphasis area offered for the Strategic Communications major. The other emphasis areas in this program include Public Relations and Advertising. If a student decides to major in Social Media Management, he or she will be required to minor in Marketing.
A-State is the only university in the region to develop a social media degree program. Other colleges across the United States are starting to explore this area of study. Some of the colleges are focusing on the management aspect, but others are more focused on the technical aspect of it. At A-State however, students will be fully prepared for a job in social media management.