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Fun and Useful DIY Projects

Hellen Kang
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Second semester can often feel way more exhausting than first semester. After barely two weeks of school, I feel overwhelmed and want school to end more than ever. Fortunately, like many other people I know, I like to re-organize myself when I start something new (such as a new semester!) which refreshes me and keeps me motivated.

These are a few DIY projects I like to do and I’m looking forward to doing later this month. If there’s one that interests you, definitely take some free time to do the project in order to relax and create something useful for the rest of the school year!

‘Whiteboard’ Calendar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcwPBdRtU9k

This is an amazing organization tool and it’s highly personalized which is a bonus. I made a basic version of this calendar in the past, but the colours in Laurdiy’s tutorial are so refreshing and urge me to redecorate.

Sketchbook

This is for all the artists and writers out there! This DIY has been bookmarked for forever; it does seem a little time-consuming but it produces such a nice, authentic look. When (or if…) I finish using my hoarded sketchbooks and notebooks, I’m definitely going to do this project.

Fun, Colourful Notes

Not exactly a DIY but having colourful and aesthetically pleasing notes is absolutely a motivator. I come across many notebooks, like the ones pictured below, which makes me excited to start studying and create my own notes. Not only are they entertaining, they are also organized and much easier to understand.

    A’s before baes

P.S. Click on the picture to go to their Tumblr blogs for more inspiration!

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Announcing Youth Volunteer Corps Day 2016

Katja
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Did you know that there are more than 40 Youth Volunteer Corps affiliates across the US and Canada? What about the fact that each one looks a bit different— varying in size, hosts, programs, and types of projects? 

Youth Central is lucky to have thousands of volunteers, dozens of projects each week, and an online database to track hours. We partner with our mayor to have a Mayor’s Youth Council, and even run a blogging programme that allows youth to write about local events and youth issues to earn volunteer hours. However, while these things are what make Youth Central unique, there’s also a commonality that is the same throughout all YVCs: the passion that inspires youth to come together to serve. It is this link that is also at the core of YVC Day. 

Mark it on your calendar: on March 5th, 2016, hundreds of youth across the continent will be uniting for a day of service. 

While it will look different for each affiliate, many youth are organising special projects and all of them are focused on the idea of “Project Happiness”. When Youth Central began what we call “Get Happy projects” a few years ago, we never would’ve thought that that would be taken to an international level.

YVC of Kansas City will be placing “Acts of Kindness” tickets on cars to spread positivity and encourage people to share on social media to win a gift card. Youth Central will be hosting a “Happiness Avenue” project— focusing on spreading happiness down a central walking street in Calgary. However, regardless of the way that youth will be spreading happiness this March, know that it’s not too late to get involved. 

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Join in on social media with the hashtag #YVCday, and make sure you follow Youth Volunteer Corps on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get an exclusive look at YVC Day festivities across the US and Canada.

This blog post was adapted from a feature on Youth Volunteer Corps’ blog which I also wrote, and that can be found here

The Youth Volunteer Corps’ Official Page on YVC Day may be found here

YODA 2016: Nominate an Awesome Youth!

Cindy Xu
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YODA 2016: Nominate an Awesome Youth!

Are you, or do you know a youth who you believe is unique, exceptional, and outstanding? Then you or they might just be qualified to receive a Youth of Distinction Award!

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The Youth of Distinction Awards (YODA) program is hosted by a steering committee of Youth Central. YODA gives Calgarians the opportunity to recognize youth for their achievements outside of the academic field. This dedicated committee of 11 youth from all around Calgary meet up twice a month to discuss and create an awards ceremony to honour the YODA nominees.

The awards ceremony takes place on Saturday, May 7th at the Calgary Zoo.

To be considered as a finalist for the Youth of Distinction Awards, an outstanding youth from the Calgary area, ages 12-18, must be nominated by a peer, teacher, community member, etc.. (they cannot nominate themselves) in one of the following categories in which they stand out the most in:

Advocacy

Arts & Culture

Environmentalism (group and individual)

Leadership

Peer Support

Perseverance

Sportsmanship

Volunteerism

After receiving and reviewing all nominations, the YODA steering committee will then democratically decide on 3 finalists for each category. The 3 finalists will attend the awards ceremony in May and the recipient for each category is announced at the ceremony.

The YODA ceremony is a great experience for youth of all kinds to attend. With great food, awesome entertainment, and the opportunity to meet other youth from around the city, it’s something you don’t want to miss out on! So go nominate your friends, and get people to nominate your deserving self for this prestigious award before the deadline Monday, February 22, 2016!

For more information check out: www.youthcentral.com/yoda/.

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Is Business for me? Part II: Career Advice

Elvin Limpin
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|Part 1 here | Featured Image here|

Computer Information Systems

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Employment Prospects: B+ in 4 years
Courseload: 8/10

This is the same thing as Management Information Systems (MIS or CIS or just IS). IS deals with computer applications of business. IS professionals make sure that businesses can communicate within itself, with other businesses, and their clients. This is through integrating business knowledge with programming and other IT work. If you feel like you’re considering both computer science/engineering and business and are indecisive, IS might be the course for you. Recognize, however, that a lot of jobs requiring IS professionals also consider computer science and software engineering majors for the same positions.

Management

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Employment Prospects: B- in 4 years, B+ in 6 years (masters)
Courseload: 7/10

Unlike Accounting and Finance, degrees labelled management are often about handling a team of people. People majoring in management rely on strong leadership and people skills rather than math, although math based business majors also learn about management skills. Branches of management include operations mgmt, project mgmt, supply chain mgmt.

Operations Management

It’s about maximizing profits through efficiency. Operation managers have to be strategic thinkers in order to balance costs and revenue. They work closely with other business professionals both from the financial and management side to achieve their goals. Operations management is especially in demand for management consulting positions.

Project Management

Unlike operations manager, project managers deal with the entirety of a specific endeavour (eg. laying down a pipeline or creating a computer software) rather than focusing on an aspect of a project. Leadership skills is the biggest asset to a project manager. Also, an employee from any field can become a project manager provided they gain enough experience and expertise. A management degree is not the preferred way for many people looking to become a project manager.

Supply Chain Management

Deal with the supply side. They keep track of inventories, distribution, and development. While supply chain also deals with efficiency, it focuses in on the cost rather than revenue.

Human Resources Management

HR focuses on the policy regarding people. Unlike other managers, HR managers might have to deal with individuals that might not necessarily be either from a third party company or part of the HR team. People skills are thus valuable. HR managers deal with staffing, defining work, and benefits for employees.

Management is a diverse field. However, general advice for most business majors, which I will be talking about in the end of this article, apply as well for prospective managers. One of the biggest factors that draw in Management majors is the lack of math in the curriculum past calculus I and two semesters of statistics. While a lot of university programs require math to be employable, Management is the big exception.

Marketing and Sales

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Employment Prospects: B- in 4 years
Courseload: 8/10

Marketing majors study human behavior regarding buying and selling. This focus on analyzing statistical data and behavioral studies make marketing an application of economic theory. Sales is the most in demand side of marketing, using marketing research to produce actual results. This makes sales and marketing knowledge valuable to prospective entrepreneurs. There is fierce competition among marketing majors, owing to the fact that marketing knowledge is all-in-all valuable and interesting to learn about. Make sure to also learn to market yourself if you decide to get into marketing.

Entrepreneurship

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Employment Prospects: C in 4 years
Courseload: 8/10

I might make a separate article on this, seeing how diverse and exciting Entrepreneurship is. It requires creativity and a great blend of business skills while offering great reward to the successful ones: money. Unlike other degrees, entrepreneurship is not meant for prospective employees. But since business degrees focus on skills directed towards employees, majoring in Entrepreneurship might not be the best bet for those who want starting a business to be their full time career.

Yeah I’ll make a separate article. Stay tuned.

Business sounds like my thing

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Awesome!

I have helpful advice for those who might have switched their minds from engineering to business somewhere along the way. This is quite common among some of my peers who are iffy about being admitted to engineering, found engineering too difficult, or feeling something along those lines. Keep in mind that business is not an easy major. While engineering is definitely more challenging, business still does require a lot of academic commitment. Aside for academics, in order to be successful, business majors must also strive to set themselves apart. With many business graduates, the most competitive positions go to the fraternity executives, successful student interns, curve wreckers*, and the young entrepreneurs. Just put in extra effort to have something that sets you apart from the run of the mill business major, and you should be fine.

My final parting advice would be to research more into designations. There are a lot of designations available and intricacies related to how to achieve them. Make sure to research what major designations there are available for your dream job in the business world.

*Some classes in university base GPA on the bell curve of the class rather than the actual mark of the individual student. Curve wreckers basically wreck the curve for everyone else by doing too well. If you feel like you’re a curve wrecker, try applying for internships or starting a business rather than studying more. Your class might just stop hating you 🙂

Next career advice article is Medicine and Healthcare 🙂

Debate is awesome ; Here’s why

~ Chu ☆ ~
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Debate. What a great idea. I mean, as my debate coach says ; “50 kids in a room who all like to talk. What could possibly go wrong?”

So yes, debate can get a tad bit chaotic. But it’s actually a really amazing experience, and one that I think everyone should at least try at one point.

And thus, I am here today, to convince you that the resolution “This house believes that debate is awesome” must stand. Let’s take a look at why;

Firstly, doing debate strongly helps your argumentative skills. This is demonstrated in several ways. For example, debate teaches you how to take an opinion, and support it. It teaches you how to research, and organize those supporting reasons and points, and make your arguments stronger and more convincing. Not only is this a great skill for writing essays, and other school projects, but also for convincing your parents!

Debate also helps to train better listening, quick thinking, and quick response, which can be demonstrated by presenting or responding to POIs (points of information, provided by the opposing team during a speech to try to point out flaws in the arguments) clashing in your speech (where you try to disprove or overrule the other sides arguments during your speech), and impromptu tournaments (which basically run like this : here’s a topic, here’s your side, you have fifteen minutes before you start debating, GO)

All of the aspects I just described teach you how to think quickly, and under pressure. And these on-the-spot, quick thinking, quick response skills come in handy, especially for those “crap, what do you mean I’m going next, I have no idea what I’m saying, oh my gosh I have to make something up” moments. (don’t pretend that’s never happened to you). Debate teaches you how to respond to these kinds of situations, which is just one reason that it is awesome!

Secondly, debate helps speech and presentation skills immensely. Oh boy, I still remember my very first practice debate. I had absolutely no idea what was going on, my ideas were all scattered and disorganized, and instead of ending my speech with the nice, formal “and it is for all these reasons that my partner and I have presented to you, that we, side proposition know the resolution must stand” thing, I panicked when my debate coach hit the table to signify POIs ending, and I literally said “That’s all I’ve got… Thank you?” and awkwardly sat down. Not even kidding, that’s how I ended my first debate speech. I still cringe just thinking about it, I was that terrible.

That was five months ago. Since then, my speech skills have improved greatly. My partner and I were 9th overall open team at our last tournament, (top open team from our school) and we’re hoping to head to regionals (if my wonderful debate coaches would graciously select us to go)

Apart from speaking skills, debate also teaches you how to present yourself, and make good impressions, especially at tournaments. For example, the last tournament my partner and I were at, before the first round, we observed our opposing team shaking hands and greeting the judges right before the debate. Although we were never taught to do that before, my partner and I instantly picked up on it. They were trying to make a good impression, and become likable to the judges. It was a subtle thing, but actually very important. It’s important to make that first connection, with judges, and also just in general, with adjudicators, interviewers, new people, etc.  And it’s things like these : wearing formal attire, greeting the judges, congratulating the opposing team after your debate, thanking the judges, etc. that are important presentation skills to learn, and being able to pick up when you see it being done, is also a really important skill to have.

Lastly, debate is just really fun. Like any other extra-curricular, you get to meet alot of really cool people, from all different grades, and meet the awesome teachers who are your debate coaches. It also creates some pretty funny memories and anecdotes, like when we debated Santa being a national security threat, or the time I debated (and failed) that “this house believes Batman is a better superhero than Spiderman”

Even just going to debate practices is awesome. Playing speech games, doing debate exercises, they’re all really fun, and call me a nerd, but debate is actually my favourite part of school (well, apart from band). It’s gotten to a point where I get sad if there isn’t school on a Monday, because that means there’s no debate practice. My parents are convinced I’m insane, but I’m telling you, it’s that awesome!

So, in review, debate helps with argumentative skills, such as supporting arguments and quick thinking, improves speech and presentation skills, and is super fun. I mean, why wouldn’t you join debate? It’s amazing!

And it is for all these reasons that I have presented to you today, that I know that the resolution “This house believes that debate is awesome” must stand. Thank you.

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Calgary’s Bobsled Accident (Aftermath & Coping Mechanisms)

Emily Donville
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(Disclaimer: All ideas expressed are my own and sources for facts are provided throughout the article. I am not a professional counsellor and therefore if you are finding it difficult to cope with loss, please seek professional help. The Distress Centre’s ConnecTeen program is a great resource.)

canada-olympic-park-bobsled-track[source]

On Saturday, February 6th, Calgary was rocked with the news of a deadly accident that occurred at Canada Olympic Park. News of the deaths of twins Jordan and Evan Caldwell spread quickly and hit close to home in the hearts of youth and adults alike. I recall waking up on Saturday and scrolling through my news feed and coming across the tragic news of the incident. Death has never been something I’ve coped with easily. I’ve suffered from intense panic attacks on multiple occasions because of my thanatophobia and I find it hard to think about, so I often try to push it out of my mind. However, this isn’t such an easy feat. Learning of the twins’ passing and the discovery that I in fact knew of one individual involved was heartbreaking. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to cope with loss this year and it only serves as a reminder that life is short and bittersweet.

With tragic circumstances such as this, it’s important that we stand in solidarity and support each other in times of difficulty. I’ve always dealt with loss in a weird way. I’ll become rather recluse and reserved, opting to grieve alone than openly, and that’s totally fine if you grieve similarly. However, many can experience conflicting emotions and feel the need to talk to someone, which I strongly support. After the events of Friday, my friends chatted about it and while it remained relatively unspoken, there remains a truth that often conversation can remain one of the best coping mechanisms. This isn’t to say it is the best nor the only way to subsist, but sharing stories of the deceased can help everyone cope. Additionally, denying the death is an easy way to isolate yourself and will perhaps not only frustrate your support system, but also leave you with an unhealthy amount of thoughts and feelings that can build up and act as a huge burden.

caldwells-878x494[source]

However, If you don’t feel comfortable discussing loss with family or friends, you can see a grief counsellor. In a statement from the Calgary Board of Education, they said “Counselling staff will be available to CBE staff and students who need support during this difficult time”.

In a situation like this, it may seem easy to victim-blame the group of individuals, but it’s important to keep in mind that they never envisioned this outcome and in a statement from Staff Sgt. Paul Wyatt, he explained that the survivors are “severely traumatized”. You may think what you think, but out of respect of the families and individuals involved, please be courteous and refrain from victim-blaming. Don’t listen to rumours, and instead respect them and show support because a little support can go a long way.

In a statement from the twins’ family, they said “Our boys Jordan and Evan were bright lights to all who knew them. We are grieving their loss but confident in their new home of heaven. Our brief 17 years with them were a gift: filled with much love, laughter and fond memories.”

At the end of the day, it seems that sliding down the track after-hours is a tradition and it can be degrading to the memories of Evan and Jordan Caldwell if we remember them simply as the boys who carelessly jumped on that toboggan than rather the boys who were intelligent and full of life. This was an act of foolishness that ended in tragedy and simply nothing more than that.

This event has burrowed itself in the roots of our community and has deeply impacted and affected many individuals not only in our city, but internationally. Two memorial sites have been set up at COP if you wish to pay your respects. One is located at the top of the hill near the eastern edge of the starting deck while the other is at the ‘88 Olympic plaque at the top of the stairs leading from the Frank Day Lodge parking lot to the bobsled track.

bobsled-accident-card[source]

In a closing note, my sympathies and prayers go out to the families of those who’ve been affected.

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Blogger Of The Month, February 2016: Elvin Limpin

Talia Santarossa
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Blogger Of The Month, February 2016: Elvin Limpin

Yet another year is upon us, and it is with great pleasure that I would like to introduce 2016’s first Blogger of The Month, Elvin. It was on this lovely Friday that we both hurried to Chinook Centre to have a chance to talk before the weekend was upon us. Sitting in the quietest place we could find, which was close by the whirring blenders of Jugo Juice, if that tells you anything about the mall on Friday afternoon. Great conversation ensued despite the noise and the overall disorder of our hastily planned outing.

12606770_10201252121222272_1829684024_nIn his final semester at Western Canada High School, Elvin has admirable aspirations and an equally diverse personality and worldview. A poet, chess aficionado, writer and musician, he will soon be moving on with his education, pursuing an economics degree from the University of Calgary, right here in our *pretty awesome* city.

Where do I see myself in ten years? You know what, my strategy is to keep my options open. A lot of people are going to make decisions that make them stick to one thing and one thing and that’s okay. Maybe they want a stable life or maybe they don’t want to grow up yet, maybe they just want ten gap years and I respect that, but my strategy really is to keep my options open.

Elvin has been part of our Youth Are Awesome family for only a few months and joined in order to be able to do more with his writing after discovering his knack for poetry.  Having heard about us from blogger Elene, he thought that that YAA would be a cool way to express himself and to get his voice out, as well as explore new writing topics aside from personal interests, which he believes only have a limited niche audience. Elvin’s writing is diverse and engaging; from lighthearted semi-satire to informative pieces to his signature poetry, it’s pretty clear that Youth Are Awesome has gained a valuable asset. When asked where he gets his inspiration, he responded,

I don’t believe in the idea of ideas just coming to existence. I think we draw from other things that we like. Maybe I might have heard those words in that order before, or maybe I just jumbled it up and made something. That’s how I get my ideas; none of my ideas are original. I believe that everything is just copied down, edited, deleted, and that applies to a lot of things. It’s just like genetics; you can’t just make a new person out of a pile of random genes.

As much as Elvin is a really incredible person to talk to about the more important things in life and is so easy to talk to about personal philosophy and the meaning behind his writing, I figured that it would be fun to mix things up and so something silly. I asked him a series of “What’s your favourite ___?” questions and of course, a few ridiculous Would You Rather’s.

Favourite food? “I have so many favourite foods I can’t answer this! I enjoy… meal replacements.”

Favourite colour? “Green.”BTTF_header2

Favourite book? “…Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.”

Favourite movie? “Back To The Future [The first one].”

Favourite musical artist? “Varien.”

Favourite [school] subject? “Biology.”

Favourite animal? “Kangaroos. They’re really cool.”

Would You Rather: A Personal Favourite Of Mine…(And An Excuse To Make Terrible Puns)

Would you rather…

Have hands for feet or feet for hands? “Hands for feet, because then I can type twice as fast.”

Be invisible or always get noticed at the worst possible moment? “The second one. There’s always a way to make things funny in the worst moments.”

Be able able to speak any language or have mad persuasion skills? “Persuasion skills.”

Be able to snuggle with kittens or puppies all day? “Uhh… Not an animal person. Puppies?”

Sleep all day or work all night? “I’d work all night.”

*It was at this point that an adorable old lady came up to us and asked for directions to the Apple Store. We were happy to oblige.*

Work at Walmart on Black Friday or at the Airport just before Christmas? “The airport. Walmart has really weird people.” (I told an awful anecdote about people who leave strange things at the airport, including prosthetic limbs, and could not resist the chance to joke that the trip must have cost them an arm and a leg. I need professional help.)

It’s been a while since I’ve met someone I can ask really stupid questions to who doesn’t get upset at me, which in my mind is a true mark of character. It’s been an equally long time since I’ve met someone with such an interesting outlook on writing and motivation to write in relation to the rest of life. It was a real treat getting a chance to talk with Elvin, and I look forward to reading more of his work! Happy blogging! You can check out Elvin’s Wattpad and Soundcloud right here.

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The Richest 62 People have the Same Wealth as the Poorest Half of World

Mayor's Youth Council
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A new Oxfam report shows that 62 billionaires have more money than the poorest half of the global population (3.5 billion). The Oxfam report calls for urgent action on the growing trend of a supermassive wealth gap. This global wealth distribution gap is growing very quickly, having seen that in 2010; 388 billionaires owned as much as half of the world.  Now; only 62 do…Billionaires on a Bus-Simplified-01 1

Credit: Oxfam.org.uk

“It is simply unacceptable that the poorest half of the world population owns no more than a small group of the global super-rich – so few, you could fit them all on a single coach.” – Mark Goldring, Oxfam GB Chief Executive

This report is especially timely as Davos; a an annual gathering of global financial and political elites in Davos, Switzerland, has recently passed. To some; the report sparks a sense of anger, to others pure fascination, but to everyone it is equally shocking. This report is labelled as an economy for the 1%, and it essentially demonstrates the growing wealth inequality in the world.

Since 2010, the wealth of the poorest 3.5 billion has dropped by a trillion dollars, despite an almost 400 million population increase. All the while, the wealth of the richest 62 has increased more than half a trillion dollars to $1.76tr.

The Oxfam report is now calling for government officials to adopt a three-sided approach: cracking down on tax evasion, increased investment in public services and action to boost the income of the lowest paid individuals.

Share_of_wealth_1_and_the_rest
Credit: www.oxfam.org.uk

It is estimated that $7.9tr of global billionaires’ money is stored in offshore accounts, which if it was being properly taxed; would contribute $190billion to government budgets. Which would in turn contribute greatly to global leaders’ plan to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030.

“Ending extreme poverty requires world leaders to tackle the growing gap between the richest and the rest which has trapped hundreds of millions of people in a life of poverty, hunger and sickness.

“It is no longer good enough for the richest to pretend that their wealth benefits the rest of us when the facts show that the recent explosion in the wealth of the super-rich has come at the expense of the poorest.” – Mark Goldring

 

This report, in essence, demonstrates the significant power of the extremely wealthy on politics, economic systems, and environmental policy. It is predicted that each year, a smaller and smaller group of people will own more and more of the world.

What are your thoughts on the “Economy for the 1%”?

Summer Opportunities: Summer Discovery

Katie Kim
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As we near the end of our 12 years in high school, especially those of us who are in grade in grade 11 right now, many are probably looking to gain a little bit of either work or university experience before we write our university applications. (This is a real thing guys, you’re almost there!)

So last summer, I went to UPenn through Summer Discovery for a Pre-College Biology Course, and I already did a blog on my experience specifically.

But I promise this blog will be different. I wanted to write to you more about why Summer Discovery is a great opportunity, and how it will benefit you.

Why spend summer at a university?

One reason is: you can use it in your resume. Yeah, yeah, life isn’t just about getting into good university and whatever other cliché things you’ve been told. However, we cannot simply deny the effect of each line in your resume on the rest of your schooling and occupation. Especially if you end up applying to the university that you go to for summer, having that experience could work to your benefit.

Past the superficial let’s-get-into-an-elite-university mindset, in this program, you can learn in a real university class. These classes are not designed to go soft on high school students. They are real university courses with university students enrolled in them. This is the most accurate experience of university before you go to the real thing.

Networking is an important factor to success later on. In Summer Discovery courses, you meet university professors, university students, and other high-achieving high school students.  You can learn at least one thing from any of these people.

What do you do in this program?

For details on the course I specifically took, I suggest that you check out my previous blog. Long story short, you are experiencing what college/university really is. There’s no set time tables at Summer Discovery. Everything is up to you. Everything from meal times to morning wake up times need to be done by yourself.

For residential aspects, you stay in the university’s dormitories (the Quad at UPenn). Learning to live by yourself without your parents is an important lesson, especially if you’re going away for university. Doing laundry, cleaning up after yourself, and everything else, like schedules, is up to you. Since you’re only taking one course, you do have a lot of free time to do anything.

For those who like travelling and going out, at Summer Discovery, there are weekend trips. In my case, we went to New York, Hershey Park, Ocean City in New Jersey, and Washington. Also, you are not stuck with an RA group the whole time. Rather, you are allowed to move around anywhere, as long as you are within the set boundaries. UPenn was especially good for this, since it’s in University City, and everything that you’ll ever need from restaurants to clothes stores to the movies was available to us.

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This was at Hershey Park.

You are also given an access card for the specific university you are attending. In my case, I got a PennCard and it was labelled as “Undergraduate.” This meant that I can use any facilities within UPenn – libraries, gym, practice rooms, any online services and more.

Do you actually study in this program?

Oh ya, you definitely do. My class had 3 midterms and a final in 6 weeks, so I had to fit studying time as well. I also had lectures everyday, for which I had to do pre-class readings, and labs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, for which I had to do prelab and postlab work. (I gotta admit, a lot of my last days were spent in the library with my classmates).

Have no fear, however. There’s still room for fun. Everyday, there were Summer Discovery-wide activities available. For example, my friends and I went mini-golfing one day and it was a great break from studying.

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Mini golf was fun!

 

Why would anyone take part?

Again just getting the experience is a good reason that anyone would go to this. For myself, I know getting this 6 weeks’ worth of college experience will help me adapt to the university environment when I get there next year.

The selection process for the programs are not done in a “you pay, you come” kind of way. There is an application that needs to be filled out. This is yet another part of the college experience. How will you convince the admissions officers that you are passionate, diligent, and fit to be at their university?

And the list of reasons goes on: meeting new people, learning in a new environment, getting challenged…

 

I found that my program was a great balance between fun and study. Thinking about what I would’ve done at home instead (e.g. sitting around watching Netflix for hours, shopping, etc.), I think it was a really good use of my time.

 

(Applications are open now, so anyone interested should check out the website).

 

I also mostly talked about the 6 week Pre-College program at UPenn, since that’s the one I was a part of, but there are many other programs including internships and the length and subjects available varies with each campus.

Is Business for me? Part I: Career Advice

Elvin Limpin
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That calm night, I sat in a hot tub that had a view of the mountainous landscape alongside my friend and his sister. I hoped to merely relax and have a well overdue escape from the “real world.” No homework. No responsibilities. No worries.

That was, until my friend and his sister decided that we weren’t getting out of the hot tub until I decided what I wanted to do in university. Needless to say, we suffered 3rd degree burns and severe dehydration during that cool Canadian summer night.

We later returned to the apartment and consulted my friend’s dad. He was, well, a life-savvy person.

“You know what, if you really want the advancement and the opportunity to get wealthy, business is really the best path,” he said.

He had a point. After all, the basic premise of business is to make the most money possible. I knew that already but I guess I was scared of the bureaucracy, the dullness and the stereotype of working in a meaningless cubicle job 9 to 5 on weekdays.

We then watch business/economics documentaries that really made me, at the very least, consider business enough to do some research on it.

First of all what is business?

[Source]
Business is, in its most basic form, buying and selling. It’s what drives our economy, and is thus a very vital part of society. In today’s world, There are four roles an individual can assume in a business:

Employer – the one who hires people to carry out business

Employee – the one who is hired and carries out business

Self-employed – when you’re both the employer and employee

Investor – this one’s a bit trickier. An investor is someone willing to provide a business with financial resources (investment) with the expectation of a return in the investment.

Business, the undergraduate degree, mostly focuses on the employee side, although it is not difficult to apply the skills learned in a business degree towards other business roles.

The degree is also known as also known as Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Management, and Bachelor of Commerce. They’re all the same. They have different histories but they fundamentally the same program to employers. Besides, having a designation and eligibility for a designation is often more important to employers than the actual degree itself. This means that a finance major can work as an accountant, provided that they have CPA eligibility. I’ll talk more about designations in this article later on.

Accounting

[Source]
Employment Prospects: A in 4 years
Courseload: 7.5/10

Definitely the most famous and infamous business major. For some, accounting is almost synonymous to easy money. Others, it’s almost synonymous to selling your soul to make the said money. Other people don’t even know what Accounting is, despite hearing the word a lot. Accounting is about summarizing, analyzing, recording, and reporting financial information in a systemic manner. To simplify that, Accounting is the study of the language of business.

Financial Accounting

There are two types of accounting: financial and management. Financial accounts are created for clients and third party businesses to declare the financial condition regarding a venture, partnership, etc.  They are often written by accountants that are employed by the company.

Management Accounting

Management accounts, on the other hand, go to the hands of the managers. They are used to make better judgements in terms of management strategies. Accountants in this field often work as contractors in an accounting firm or are self-employed. This gives some impartiality to their work.

Well, is it a good major? It’s an excellent major. While it offers stability, motivated accountants can also pursue less stable but more versatile careers in consulting, management, or entrepreneurship through an accounting degree. In other words, accounting affords you competence in all four business roles (employee, employer, etc). I would recommend Accounting to anyone who could tolerate math and attention to detail and would like to get into the business world in general.

Finance

[Source]
Employment Prospects: B in 4 years
Courseload: 8.5/10

Finance is sometimes described as the in between of economics and accounting. It kind of is. Finance majors study investments, taxes, assets & liabilities—basically, money.

Financial Analysis

Finance degrees are direct preparations for work as financial analysts (CFA) or financial planners (CFP). Analysts often look at financial statements made by accountants and are thus in demand as well. Conducting audits (basically verifying financial stuff) and writing financial evaluations are often the bulk of a Financial Analyst’s job.

Financial Planning

Financial planners act as consultants for private individuals or businesses is thus a more enterprising option. Investors at times require planners to help them achieve their goals, whether it is a corporation investing on a venture or an individual investing on his or her future. It’s the planner’s job to communicate with investors and write reports to help sort out their cash flow to meet their goals.

Other Pursuits

Finance majors can also look into investment banking, stock broking, and other pursuits in the market from its skill overlap with Economics. These fields also deal with investments, albeit from a different perspective as a financial planner. An important thing to note it Finance and Economics actually share a big part of their niches. Make sure to consider Economics if you’re thinking about Finance and vice versa.

One detail people seem to often overlook is that finance requires way more math than Accounting. Finance is one of those few pursuits where understanding calculus and other advanced math concepts come really handy.

 

Information Systems, Entrepreneurship, and different Management concentrations comming up on Part II 🙂

Featured image is here.

 

A Night at the Opera: The Teenage Dream

Maddison Zapach
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At first, going to the opera in 2016 felt like going to a Nickelback concert, well, any time after 2005. Presented with the opportunity to get two free tickets to Die Tote Stadt, a German opera currently playing at the Jubilee, my initial pique in interest can be mostly attributed to the sheer randomness of the idea, as well as their use of the word “free.” Still, it was enough to prompt me to “just do it”, “seize the day”, or some equivalent German proverb, and this is how I found myself posting the following status on my Facebook page:


 status

If I am being honest (an honesty that, of course, excludes my link to a disappointingly non-existent webpage), I did have a specific person in mind when I was writing this post. Some part of me held out hope that said person would notice me soliciting companionship to a show in which all of the dialogue is sung in German and think, “That is exactly where I want to be on Saturday night.” Where did I get these unrealistic expectations of reality? I blame Disney.

And while these hopes were never validated, I did get several responses to my Facebook advertisement; I had managed to find an opera buddy without the help of operabuddies.com! (Which, again, is not a real site. Sorry to get your hopes up like that.) When the two of us arrived at the Jubilee the next day, sporting heels and formal wear, I couldn’t decide whether we were overdressed, underdressed, or simply not sporting enough feathered hats and theatre binoculars to fit in with the aging opera-going population. But as we found our way to our seats, I spotted several audience members who appeared to be under the age of 30, some who were even younger than my friend and I. There were even a handful of women wearing… pants! Yes, pants! To the opera!

Just before the show began, it was announced that the granddaughter of Erich Wolfgang Korngold, creator of Die Tote Stadt, was watching in the audience that evening. Many patrons chose to find and chat with her at intermission or after the show, but I vowed to find her on Tinder later. At the opening of the first act, my friend and I were surprised to discover English subtitles, which were projected above the stage. Having mentally prepared myself for three hours of having no idea what was happening, this was a total game-changer.

When the lights came up for intermission, neither of us quite knew what to say; there was no mistaking the immense talent and resources that had gone into the production, and the storyline itself was quite engaging, its music captivating. But how do two teenagers with no background knowledge on the subject speak about an opera without sounding totally ignorant? So, we avoided mis-using any fancy terms and lingo, trying not to sound as malapropic in that theatre as we did in our English exam, and instead made predictions about which characters we thought would die in the last half of the show.

In what seemed to be the middle of the second act of the show, the lights went up, and all of the women in the audience dashed off toward the only set of washrooms. It was at this moment that my friend and I discovered that intermissions are not always isolated incidents, and that what I had assumed was a two-act opera was in fact three full acts long.

When the opera finished at 11:00 pm, we still had an hour’s drive back to Okotoks, so we did what any two sane people would do; we hit Peter’s Drive-In. And I know that the whole point of this post was to talk about how cool the opera is (and, seriously, you  should really go see one), but I feel like it’s important that I take a second to talk about what kind of milkshakes we got. You’ll never see me post any sort of “look book” on here, so this is basically as good as it gets. Call it my “milkshake of the day” or something. After three hours of German opera music, I was feeling pretty adventurous, so I opted for the flavour combination orange-vanilla-marshmallow. This was a high-risk choice, even by $5 milkshake standards, but it ended up paying off. My friend ordered a mint-oreo milkshake, which I am told is a classic, but I simply must condemn it on account of my being opposed to mint-chocolate combinations on moral grounds.

If you are interested in seeing Die Tote Stadt at the Jubilee auditorium, it is not too late to buy tickets for their Friday evening performance here!

Special thanks to Kids Up Front Calgary for donating these tickets to the Calgary Opera. 

 

Why Carolina will win the Super Bowl 50

Michael Xie
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I was one and a half quarters late to the Seattle-Carolina playoff game, and when I did finally tune in, it reminded me uncannily of the Brazil-Germany playoff game from the 2014 World Cup. Similar to the crushing 5-0 scoreline in favor of Germany after just a third of the game had passed, Carolina led 31-0 just 25 minutes in. In fact, Carolina accomplished a feat which is arguably more terrifying than what Germany managed to do. Against the traditionally tough-to-crack and second ranked defense in the NFL, Carolina posted four touchdowns and a field goal before the halftime whistle blew. Not only did they do that on the offensive side of the ball, they kept the fourth-ranked Seattle offense completely silent, forcing Russell Wilson into two turnovers. A week after that, they demolished the Arizona Cardinals to the tune of a 49-15 victory. Their two largest challenges from the NFC were not much of a challenge at all. The other team which threatened the superbowlPanther’s chances at a Super Bowl was the always consistent New England Patriots. After the Pats lost to the Broncos in the AFC championship, the only thing standing between Carolina and a Super Bowl is Peyton Manning, who honestly seemed like he was at least six million years old throughout the season.

But not only have all of Carolina’s real sources of competition been sent home, the Panther’s are still a darn good football team. This season has been the coming-out party for Cam Newton. He has finally added an accurate throwincam-newton-carolina-mvpg an arm to the already devastating speed and scramble ability he had. Add that to his 6’5″, 248 pound frame and you have the scariest quarterback in the entire league. The Broncos defense will struggle to contain him. Von Miller, the undoubted leader of the pass-rushing Broncos defense, is 2 inches shorter and only 2 pounds heavier than Cam. When you’re going for the sack, it’s not going to help having the quarterback be the same size as your linebackers.

However, Cam elevating the Carolina offense to new heights is only one half of the equation, their impressively improved defense brings the second half. Their pass rushing, led by Kawann Short, is going to give the weak Broncos offensive line fits. Add that to Peyton Manning old, shortrwslow legs and you can expect to see a ton of sacks during the game. In the case that Manning somehow gets a pass to leave his hand, Carolina still has one of the most terrifying defensive back corps in the NFL. The Josh Norman led group got 4 interceptions alone in the game against Arizona – and that was against a team with a quarterback who can still throw the ball. With Manning’s shaky mechanics and and fading accuracy, these backs are going to feast on turnover opportunities.

And finally, perhaps most importantly, these Panthers are not walking into the game cocky and overconfident. They did that against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15 and lost their perfect season. After that loss, they have looked sharper than they ever have before and they’re going to bring that same sharpness to the championship game. These are a grounded team with all the things they need to win. Denver is led by  a 38-year-old quarterback who is long overdue for retirement. This game is for all the marbles. And Carolina is not going to let Denver have even a single one.

 

Sources:

1 2 3 4 5 6

A Lily-white Hollywood – Not Just During Oscars Season

Hui Wen Zheng
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I have a bone to pick with the #Oscarssowhite movement that has taken social media by storm for the second year in a row. Imbalances in racial diversity shouldn’t only be noticed when all the nominees for an awards show are white. Though I’m appreciative of the media and Twitter users for finally getting the memo that, yes, we have a problem with diversity Hollywood’s elites, why does it take such an obvious and famous event repeated twice for it to be highlighted? I don’t know about you, but in the year that has passed since the 2015 #Oscarssowhite trend, I haven’t seen or read a single article by a mainstream publication further stressing the issue. If you’re a POC (person of colour), chances are this isn’t news to you. It is practically impossible to go about your day without being exposed to ad campaigns featuring all-white models, or television programmes where the only POC characters are there to serve a stereotypical and comedic purpose. This happens 365 (366 in 2016) days a year, and somehow the only tangible conversation on it only happens in special circumstances, such as now with the Oscars. I guess my question here is “Why are we so bad at starting — and maintaining — the conversation about diversity in the media?”

Oscars nominees from 2015 (x)

Sometimes I feel that the importance of racial diversity in popular culture is undermined, and the significance of the issue is something that, even when addressed by big-name publications such as TIME, do not properly address in their narratives. Mass media is the representation of the interests, values, and desires of the peoples, and when only a certain demographic is seen within that, it suggests that all of the our interests, values, and desires are catered especially towards that demographic. In a society that is still recovering from the effects of racism, and still suffers from systemic racism, this creates a further social divide between POCs and others. Universal stories told on the big screen are chosen to be told about white people, creating a further sense of the unimportance of POCs in society, and the POC stories are often bastardized to be more comedic or more stereotypical than it actually is. In fact, the importance of diversity has been extensively studied. In a study conducted by two Indian University professors that concluded in 2012, it was found that when groups of white and black girls and boys watched television, the only group that experiences a heightened sense of self-esteem is the white male demographic, unsurprisingly, since they are the most well-represented in media. This is extremely disproportionate to the demographic reality of North American countries, and was found to result in a decrease in self-esteem in members of the other tested demographics.

I’m sure this is a story that is all-too-familiar for anyone who fits into those categories, and I’ve definitely felt the negative influence of our conformist media. I’d been modelling casually since I was 12, but when I was scouted by a local agency a year later, I became exposed to the greater world of international modelling. This was definitely an exciting development in my life, but also marked the beginning of my absolute self-scrutiny. Though of course part of that comes from the very nature of modelling; always having to be aware of your movements and maintaining your fitness, however, this scrutiny mainly arose from the lack of colour in the feeds of modelling agencies all over the world and ad campaigns. Modelling is already a competitive industry, but when you feel as though you don’t even have a chance in castings alongside white counterparts, it can be incredibly damaging to your sense of self-worth. When the fashion industry already appropriates the culture of many different POCs, they don’t even get a chance to be a part of it.

Finale from Valentino’s s/s 2016 show (x)

Though the message rings loud and true: we need more racial diversity in media, the activism behind it often lacks lasting momentum. Calls for change are created by events such as the Oscars, but talk about it quickly diminishes immediately afterwards, giving no lasting motivation for media executives to make purposeful changes in their practices. We all wish for change, but much like the economy, the demand for something must be consistently high to continue the creation of it. If media is a reflection of our values, then we are who need to make our values known. Through continuous vocal action, audiences can create change. In fact, our current somewhat-diverse media was created due to changing attitudes regarding POCs. However, to further what limited variance we have, diversity in the media will not change unless we, the audience, demand it. Though it should never have to be this way, it is the inescapable reality.

HOW DO WE KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING?

With the many social media platforms we have, it is easier than ever to voice your opinions. By tweeting or commenting at or on articles regarding media diversity, you are not only showing that it matters to you, but that it matters enough that you took the time to comment on it. Don’t be afraid to call out issues you see, change won’t happen unless that is realized. As filmmaker Spike Lee said about the 2016 rendition of the #Oscarssowhite movement:

“the Academy Awards is not where the ‘real’ battle is. It’s in the executive office of the Hollywood studios and TV and cable networks. This is where the gate keepers decide what gets made and what gets jettisoned…the truth is we ain’t in those rooms and until minorities are, the Oscar nominees will remain lily-white.”

And I couldn’t have said it better myself.

 

The Art of Valuing Wasted Time

Elene Otte
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You are going to run out of time.

[Image Source]

In today’s day and age, it’s so easy to get caught up in scheduling and missing important pivotal life moments. With Instagram and Facebook and trying to get the perfect image, we too often fail to be a part of the moment we are trying so desperately to capture. We hear the word last in so much advertising; LAST CHANCE FOR THIS DEAL and THIS IS THE LAST COMMODITY YOU’LL EVER NEED when we end up being ‘last’ in the artificial race we have created. We spend so much time trying to fill our time that we spend time filling time opposed to using it. Then, when we grow older we reflect our life and try to gain more time to do everything we simply forgot to or were unable to do when we lacked finances, stability, education…the list goes on and on.

[Image Source]
Children are encouraged from a young age to be productive and to not procrastinate, without being allowed to discover the value in procrastination and all the other discoveries and different sorts of productivity that live in this realm of being. Would my parents ever understand that if I didn’t ‘waste time’ on music and writing and Facebook that I really wouldn’t be the same person? That maybe for better or for worse, my flaws are the canyons that border my river of life and personality? That by punishing me by taking away my going out privileges and accusing me of being changed because of who I go out with, you actually aren’t preventing me from getting mixed up in all the wrong things? Is it that my rebellious and stubborn nature directs me down the same path regardless of complications, or is it that teachers and parents approach things in an out-of-date or ineffective way, simply because it’s what’s always been done?

A couple of years ago, I was stuck on an English project. It was due the next day and I had not begun. My partner was out of town and I was fairly certain I would receive an extension if I showed my teacher that I had at least tried. I pulled up a blank Word document and proceeded to write the first words I could think of. “I really really really really really really don’t want to do this right now. Why would my teacher want a presentation like this….alsdfja;slkfjl;kasf;ljas;jsa;j” You get the idea. The project wasn’t coming. I clicked on a different tab and opened up rhymezone, just out of the blue. I wrote a simple phrase from a song I had heard on the radio that morning and typed the last word of the line into rhymezone.

Totally my computer…not. [Image Source]
I wrote my first poem that day. Not something I was taught or forced into my schedule, but a sliver of wasted time that would come to change the rest of my life through its subtle and artistic ways. This is the reason I call into question: what gives time value? Is it how it makes us feel? Is it what we can do if we are efficient? And I guess this question may hold a realm of different answers for different people.

[Image Source]
In the words of William Faulkner in his book The Sound and the Fury, he writes, “I gave [a watch] to you not so that you may remember time, but that you might forget it now and then for a moment and not spend all your breath trying to conquer it.”

Be yourself in everything you do, be productive but know when to take your break, when to sing your song, watch a Youtube video or to write your poem. Because it’s those choices that make you YOU, not the endless school assignments and paychecks for your 9-5 days. Let yourself forget to watch the clock once in a while and appreciate your holiday without time, into the recesses of your own mind and see the change your ‘wasted’ time can make.

 

Did you know: William Faulkner never received a high school diploma and was rejected from the army based on height and went on to win the Nobel Prize and release his first book (poetry) at the age of 27?

[Featured image source]

What Happened to Google Glass?

Katja
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Do you remember all the buzz when Google first unveiled Glass?  When it was introduced 4 years ago, the tireless minority of technological dreamers among us were overcome with excitement— to them, wearable tech was way overdue. To the rest of us, the idea was met with a bit more hesitance but hey, even the iPhone felt unnecessary and a bit risqué at the time.

However, concerns were immediately raised regarding privacy, tech etiquette, and ethics, and early users were pretty quickly ostracized in the public eye. As “Glasshole” became the term du jour to describe Glass-users, Google playfully adopted the nickname to describe behaviour to avoid in their Glass “do’s and don’ts” guidelines, but that did little to combat the mass skepticism.

Glass_Explorer_Edition_Wide
Rather than spending years developing Glass in secret, Google trotted it out as an early “beta” product that was somewhat functional but finicky and literally in your face
Why does wearable technology seem to pose such a threat? Google Glass had no features that don’t already exist on a smartphone (last time I checked, being able to check the weather on the go wasn’t society’s undoing). However, this latest attempt at integration of technology into everyday lives is, in the eyes of some, crossing new lines. It’s vapourware! It’s capitalist propaganda! It’s yet another example of technology venturing into areas that are best left the way they are!  Skeptics felt Glass pushed limits on the very way that human and machine interact.

Along with ideological worries, many pointed to specific, practical drawbacks of Glass. An optometrist at Google confirmed that use had caused eye pains, and several US States worried about driving safety passed laws banning “wearable computers with head mounted displays” on the road.

Google announced the end of production of Explorer Edition on January 15, 2015, and it’s been essentially silent on the topic ever since. Rumours circulating in mid-2015 suggested a revival – a new “Enterprise Edition” designed for the workplace more than the general consumer – but it seems unlikely that that will be happening any time soon. In fact, it now seems like Google may be doing their best to “forget” the project, almost all mentions of the product on official pages have been stripped away.

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2016 brought the shutdown of Glass-related accounts on Google+, Twitter, and Instagram

Ultimately, the failure of the Glass project is widely attributed to a crucial mistake: it was targeted at mass consumers in a time way before the general public was ready to embrace this type of technology. To quote Astro Teller, head of Glass’s home department, Google X, “misleading marketing pitching the [Explorer Edition of Glass] as a consumer product was one of the biggest mistakes”.

So was Google simply too early? Did it launch a futuristic product when it should’ve spent a decade working out kinks and waiting for society to become a bit more comfortable with tech’s role in our lives? Maybe. But it’s this type of risk-taking that a company needs to hit it big, and it’s overly pessimistic to say that the death of Google Glass represents the death of wearable technology. Instead, it seems to have moved away from the head and towards the wrist for the foreseeable future. Intriguing possibilities remain, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a revival of this product a few years down the road. Even if Google’s abandoned wearable tech, perhaps we’ll be seeing through Apple Glasses come 2020.

Feature image source here
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