Jalisa Smith

Mentor (In School): Elizabeth Menasion

Mentore (Outside of School): Elizabeth Blackman

Capstone Abstract: 

Cancer Screening Rates within the Black Community: African, African-Americans, Afro-Caribbean 

The black community holds the highest cancer mortality rates even amongst major cancers. The objective of this research study is to determine if there are cancer screening disparities within the black community, using three types of cancers: Cervical, prostate and colorectal. 

Background Information: 

• Cervical Cancer: 

This cancer begins when normal cells gradually turn to precancerous cells. The exocervix has squamous cells. The endocervix has glandular cells. The part where the squamous cells and glandular cells meet is called the transformation zone. In this zone, squamous and glandular cells create precancerous cells. These precancerous cells then lead to cervical cancer. Like most cancers, cervical cancer can be detected early and prevented earlier. 

The chances of contracting cervical cancer are intensified with human papilloma virus (HPV). Young women can be vaccinated for HPV prevention at a young age and with continuous vaccinations, it reduces the risks of contracting the virus that leads to contracting pre-cancer. The vaccination however does not prevent cervical cancer so getting a regular screening is still very important. 

• Colorectal Cancer: 

This cancer begins either in the colon or the rectum,. The majority of colorectal cancers start as a polyp: a growth that begins in the inner lining of either the colon or rectum and continues toward the center. Although colorectal cancer does begin with polyps, only some polyps can become cancer, those are known as adenomas. When a polyp is taken out during its early stages, chances of a person ever getting colorectal cancer are reduced. 

• Prostate Cancer: 

Although there are other cells that become cancerous, most prostate cancers develop from gland cells. Gland cells are those that make prostate fluids that are a part of semen. Those cells that begin as gland cells are called adenocarcinomas. Prostate cancer is affcte by the size of a man’s prostate. There are plenty of reasons why one is more susceptible to contracting prostate cancer than others. This disease is very likely amongst older men and can be treated with regular check-ups. 

Bibliography: 

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1hR9jXqsIf1n3cLKAQ5Cq3-_PskU2yFe2pQ2XtJU0fK8/edit

Through the process of this project I learned to use my strengths to my own ability. In the beginning Taylor, Raeven, Nuri and I did some quality research that already went hand in hand with the research that I had done from the previous project that Raeven and I had done. From the research that we did we planned what we would be doing as a part of our campaign. My individual portion was to complete and edit the video and work on the discussion that we would be having in another class. We all took the chance to do what we were good at in order to make a good campaign. 

For my individual portion where I edited the video, I implemented another one of the group members portions which was the Ad that was made for the campaign. For the video, I tried to only use what I thought was crucial for the audience to see. For example, when I edited out certain parts of the video I made sure to keep the parts that were crucial for the audience to pay attention while not being led astray by boredom. We all collectively decided that the message we were trying to get to our audience of teenagers, which is to get tested. 

I think that process wise, we were off because we had so much other work to do individually so we really tried to get everything done in a short space of time. Though we did use our time wisely by creatively making an advertisement, PSA, Twitter page and having a group discussion with another class; it could have been of higher quality had we tried to actually plan everything out according to one another’s personal schedules. 

I personally had a lot of fund doing this project. I think that it’s because of my personal opinion towards the topic I chose. My set interest is what really made this project a lot of fun. I also thought that from doing this project I was able to learn more about the importance of taking care of yourself and people around you while learning more about the community I live in. 

1. "HIV/AIDS Youth Update." phila.gov. Philadelphia Board of Health, 18 Nov 2010. Web. 15 Feb 2013. <http://www.phila.gov/health/pdfs/111810_BOH_Att_BAACO_Pres.pdf>.

This pdf basically lets us know what AIDS/HIV is like for the younger generation. Focusing on certain ages, 13-24. It lets us know the large amounts within this age range that are affected by the disease in Philadelphia. On top of that, I know we can use this information if we wanted to focus a bit more on the youth for the project. 

2. Kulkarni, Shefali S. . "States Cutting Back On Drug Programs For HIV Patients." Black AIDS Institute. n. page. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. <http://blackaids.org/2011-news/870-states-cutting-back-on-drug-programs-for-hiv-patients>.

I thought this was very important because we know that we need to have some sort of information that is key to understanding the huge effect pay rates in Philadelphia have on those with this disease. Medication is definitely not cheap and getting a job, is harder than ever. People really have to think about what they spend their money on and ways to save when paying for the medication.

3.Interview by Linda Burnette. "Philadelphia Youth Advocate Tackles AIDS Denial." The Body. . . Print. http://www.thebody.com/content/art45890.html.

This website gives us an interview that someone else had with the Executive Director of YO ACAP. A club that is dedicated to helping those in need, focusing on teenagers. The director, Linda Burnette really helps those teens with understanding the effects of AIDS/HIV. 

4. "AIDS among African Americans Main risk factors among African Americans Social and economic context of the African American AIDS epidemic How do African Americans view the epidemic themselves? What is being done to combat HIV in African Americans? The Future." Avert. n. page. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. <http://www.avert.org/hiv-african-americans.htm>.

Unlike most of our sites, this one is more focused on the wide research of African-Americans. This site is all about African-Americans and AIDS/HIV. It focuses on one race in order to help those who need financial advances and those who need it.

Introduction:

Our 10^th grade English and History classes lead by Mr. Block at Science Leadership Academy were everything but ordinary. We used literary devices and our own thoughts to come up with either broad or specific ideas. Along the way we were challenged, taught and questioned numerous times by our peers and teachers. With all of that input, all that was left was the outcome; the work we hand in. I’ve compiled three general understandings that I came to after looking over some of my work.

This year I worked on a project in History where the entire class reenacted the French/Haitian Revolution and we discussed the relationship between the two. In the process of reenacting we had to research. In this unit, I acted as the Bourgeoisie and I had to find a quote, or research, something that would give me background and enhance my knowledge of the revolution. One of the most essential pieces of information I found was, “the typical rural family of five required sixty bushels of wheat per year, “or with the triennial rotation of crops, about 15 acres of land for food.” However, the majority of French peasants— as much as 70 percent in the region of Cambrésis, for example— owned less than two-and-a-half acres of farmland. To make matters worse, France suffered several droughts and harsh winters during the 1780s, and French peasants were unaware of new, more efficient farming techniques; most used outdated tools and methods that dated back to the Middle Ages.” This was a crucial piece of evidence in our reenactment because I played the Bourgeoisie and this piece of information allowed me to know exactly what it felt like to be in that class in that time period. Given the fact that even after reading that quote I had to delve deeper in my research to find out exactly how much a bushel was worth. My research definitely allowed me to have a better understanding of the unit. I was able to take note to what other people were saying during discussions and explain to their group why they were in the wrong, using fact based evidence.

During English we approached research and collaboration also. We had to complete a full podcast with a real guest and ourselves, as the host, leading the discussions. Everyone focused on crossing boundaries, and I decided to talk to my guest about the boundaries that she crossed. What I thought was amazing is how with every sentence, my guest would change the questionnaire and I would learn something different as we continued. It begins with, “Certain boundaries are just, not to be crossed. Certain boundaries, no matter how hard we try not to cross them, we will, but with a consequence at the end.” When one of my guests said that it made the entire piece, which was the most essential part of my podcast. What I’ve come to realize is that information from primary sources helps to develop a stronger understanding.

"The most powerful words are those that relate to you."

            A piece of work that pushed my understanding and allowed me to have a stronger grasp of the assignment was the Religion Study where I related religion to music. Looking through the assignment, I realized that the most powerful words are those that relate to you. At one point in my research I found this quote, “Music in its purest sense is religion and religion in its purest sense is music” (Sri Chinoy, Music and Spirituality/Religion). This quote made me realize what my entire project was about. And it also changed the entire outcome of the final product (the brochure). I came to a conclusion, making my final piece a lot stronger because I found a deeper connection; music is my life.

            I remember one day in English where we had a renowned poet visit us. She made us write a paragraph in our English Journals about the way we feel about words. I chose to write about the word “technicality”. I wrote, “The sophisticated way they think they speak, is literally their blatant ignorance, to me. How dare you tell me my emotions are just a technicality? My emotions are my soul. They are me, don’t you dare speak of taking that away from me.” After reading over my work I found that those words were powerful solely based on the fact that they were my own words and I meant it.

For another one of our English projects we wrote a play, my play was titled Arts & Crafts. In this play I reflected on India, the social changes, and myself. At one point, where I was concluding the play, I found myself talking about the way the life of one of my main characters was being intruded and somewhat changed in a decent way but while writing it I was thinking about the way I would feel if I had someone to listen to me. I wrote, “You're here. We're speaking. That's all I really want, someone to listen. To understand, Samajha mēṁ āyā?”(Arts & Crafts) I was suddenly intrigued and in that moment that play meant more than just play to me. Throughout this year I’ve realized that within my work, the most powerful words are those that relate to me.

"In the process of grasping freedom, one finds creativity"

We recently completed a dance; yes a dance for the Art in the Open Festival along with help from the Leah Stein dance company. In the beginning of the unit I was completely confused, asking questions like, “Do the dances have meaning?” or “What is the purpose?” We were given the opportunity to work with the environment and create a dance using the environment. We were allowed time to be outside and working with our groups to complete the project. The process was very tedious but in the end we were able to create amazing dances that we will never forget. After finishing that unit I came to the conclusion that in the process of grasping freedom, one finds creativity.

  Overall, this year’s English and History classes were filled with its ups and downs and mishaps that lead me into a new direction within my work. I was given the opportunity to learn, to create and to lead. And the best part about it all is that I wouldn’t give back a second of it all.

Jalisa Smith

Introduction/Reflection:

The project that I did was based on how I viewed the language dynamics in America. I thought about how we use it to communicate and how we have to take time, which is if we do not speak English, to learn Standard English. Foreigners, as they are called, have to be understood by Americans, and vice versa. In writing this piece I was grappling with the idea of saying the right things the wrong way. I struggled with telling the right stories at the right time. I knew there was a lot to say, but I didn’t want to offend anyone. Neither did I want to offend America. So in the end, I concluded with something lighter than what I intended on saying. Although, I still do believe I got my point across.

Story:

Jalisa Smith

Language Autobiography

Language is what differentiates one culture from another. A language can evolve, it can morph, it can even grow, but it will always exist. When you think about it, your language is what makes you unique. Sometimes, I wonder what America would be without the variety of languages. It is distinguishable because it consists of so many different dialects, but in the end, we all eventually sound “American”. But what is the American language? It consists of slang, cussing, standard English, and other ethnicity’s entire accent just trying to fit in. Yet as a society, we struggle with the barriers that language builds.

My mother and father are from Barbados. In Barbados, they speak broken English, more British English, if anything. When my mother and father first met my teachers, doctors and friends, they would have to repeat themselves to be understood. I began to realize how it was either good or bad because some people would say, “I love your accent! Say this in Bajan!” or, “What’d you say?” Normally I thought it was ignorant, other times I brush it off because I do the same thing when a foreigner tries talking to me. At the same time, what type of person does that make me? This is where it becomes confusing because I know what it feels like in their position, but now I know what it feels like in an Americans’ position also. So what I can I conclude of this?

I begin to wonder where my place is in this long strand of language. I fit into both roles, (American and Foreigner) perfectly. That is, if I wanted to. So am I wrong for being an interested outsider of another language? I don’t think I am. Because the way I look at it, a language is so influential upon a society. Therefore if a person joins a society that speaks a different language than they do, everyone wants to understand them. When a person decides to open up to you in their language, they assume you are comfortable with the language too. I guess that’s why there are so many people that find it easy to converse with people who speak the same way, because they understand each other. It’s an easy way out of conflict.

 I see it happening everywhere. For example, I was at the African Hair Braiding Shop watching the women doing hair. There was a lot of conversing and laughing. But there were two conversations happening. One conversation was with the hair braiders and the other was with the clients. The division between the two was very obvious but they could have been talking about the same thing, yet everyone stuck to their own group because it’s a comfort zone. Another time I was walking downtown with a group of diverse friends, and we all speak Standard English and all of my Asian friends drifted into a completely different conversation.

It’s the moments like these, which make me wonder if the variety of languages in the United States is good. I know it’s good to be unique, but we all have to come to some sort of understanding. The conflict occurs when there is a frown upon those that don’t speak Standard English. It occurs when Americans train foreign children to create a new language or when a foreigner is speaking to some person who doesn’t understand anything they area saying. But problems such as these are only very hard to solve because in the end we all have to understand what we’re saying because to be successful in America, you should know Standard English.

 In the story, “this is the oppressors language / yet I need to talk to you: Language, a place of struggle” the author, Bell Hooks was discussing the United States and language. She said, “In the United States it [Standard English] is the mask which hides the loss of so many tongues. (LPS, Bell Hooks)” When I was reading this, I thought of how every day, Americans are millions of foreigners who are gathering together to form a country. To be a sufficiently working society, we have to have an understanding. That’s when there is a “mask, which hides the loss of so many tongues”. It can be looked at in a bad way, but in my opinion, it’s the only way we can survive. I do love the word choice for that quotes the author used. She called Standard English a mask; a mask is something that can be taken off. It’s interesting to see the wordplay because she gives the reader a choice. What I got out of it is that there can be a time where we all put on a mask, to hide what others won’t understand, accept and appreciate.

America’s diversity is what makes it so hard to take into consideration every language that it contains. Because our leaders speak Standard English, we have to speak Standard English. It makes it easier for all of us. Like Bell Hooks said, Standard English is a mask in the United States. The barriers that languages build aren’t for a bad purpose. It’s because as a society we have to come to an understanding, therefore, barriers are ways of avoiding conflict. No one wants to lose apart of what makes them the person they are, so we cover it up. I believe the largest problem that can come out of the language in America is when we forget our roots, when we forget to take our masks off.

Digital Story:

Script:

Language is what keeps us united.

As a Country, what would we be without a main language? (English)

As a Country, what would we be without a main language? (Spanish)

As a Country, what would we be without a main language? (French)

As a Country, what would we be without a main language? (Italian)

You see, if I didn’t have translator I wouldn’t be able to have said the things I just said.

The phrase, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, can be very universal.

So when in America, do as the Americans do.

Sit back, and relax from your fast paced daily life.

Take a sip of black coffee and make sure to have only one wife.

Traditions shouldn’t be modified but language can tweaked a bit.

Make sure you make the best of it.

Because there is no way to make a living without understanding what your boss is saying because your time is not only being wasted but it is conflicting with what he/she is making so therefore accept ESOL classes and build a home with crystal glasses.

My mother used to say,

That’s when we have something to offer, make the people listen.

How do you expect to be understood?

If there is no understanding,

How do we expect to be sustainable?

Community, when one can’t understand the other.

Therefore, we all come together.

A language.

Standard English, is what we all use in America

It’s the way we communicate.

Somehow, it’s the only way we navigate,

There only becomes a problem,

When we put down our personal history,

When we forget our roots.

And never look back.

When the youth of the next generation,

Is completely the same.

Lets not make it that way

Let’s enjoy

I will never forget when,

My grandmother told me how hard it was to talk to others.

So she made it easier for everyone,

She began to learn the lingo.

She spoke the slang, but never let her accent go.

Jalisa Smith

            Everything was a haze. Everything felt like a dream as I sat there on my pale carpet, not knowing how to handle what I thought was coming next, looking up at the ceiling, which to me, needed more color. The walls were bright green, some pictures should have been hanging, holding my memories. The carpet should have been white but no one thought an eleven year old could handle white carpet. The wall needed a splash of a more vibrant color; probably some pink, just because it’s pleasing to the eye when mixed with green. There was something about that disgusting colored carpet that made me love it so much in the darkest moments of my life. It was so soft, so comforting, that I could care less if it was a terrible color.

In the basking of my bland room, my door was suddenly pushed open. So softly it seemed as though it took forever for me to see the person that was sticking their head through the door. Looking down at me, there was my grandmother. Her wrinkly brown skin seemed to be glowing. Her dark brown eyes looked caramelized as she squinted, smiling, just like my dad. I was surprised, but to some extent, I was happy.

I remember how the room suddenly got brighter. The carpet became white and instead of pictures holding memories, they were floating by. Her wrinkly smile and warm voice made my most challenging problems disappear. The ceiling became the sky, the room started to open up, like a rose that had enough sunlight. She walked over to me, step-by-step, looking down at me as though she was looking for confirmation to enter my room. I just smiled back. When she made it to my eye level, I really didn’t know what to expect, maybe a “How was your summer?” or “How is the family?” Instead, she got closer to me and touched my cheeks. Looking at her, I could tell she was happy yet she seemed somewhat desperate. Maybe desperate for me to notice her.

The room went dark, and I was in my bed, sweating bullets and streaming tears. Hoping that everything that just happened, to some extent, wasn’t just a dream.

Earlier that day, I was taking a walk with my best friend. The sun was beaming down on us and the hill we were walking seemed to get higher and higher. We didn’t know where our destination was, but that was our thing… to simply walk around and find something to do. Our future plan making was put to a halt when I got a phone call saying that my grand-mom was in the hospital.

But I couldn’t visit her. I wanted to but I just couldn’t. She was far away from me, so all I could do was pray that she’d be okay. My best friend walked me home and we said our goodbye’s.

We were all sitting in the room. At that time, the living room was open. Just two red leather couches, a TV and a piece of art on the wall. It all blended together, the couches were a deep red, the painting had various deep colors and the carpet was brown. The room itself never felt lively unless we had guests over. So, now it was dreary.

Every voice echoed and the silence made every ones’ thoughts louder.  It was quite over-bearing. Everyone had their thinking faces on, but no one had the guts to say what was on their mind. All eyes were on my dad as he got up and began pacing around the brown carpet. His footsteps were heavier than the usual. His voice was monotone, sort of scary in some way. His eyes were heavy and red, his head bowed low. He looked vulnerable. He was in his home clothes, the usual khaki shorts and white t-shirt. But the casual living of everyday life just weren’t the same after the moment he spoke. He said, “She’s died.”

In that instance, everything that I never noticed in life became relevant. The fact that I could wake up every morning and say good-morning to my family meant a lot to me. But the fact that I couldn’t spend one last summer with my grandmother or buy a phone card to say hello, made my heart beat seem louder and the tears building in my eyes seem heavier than ever.

That moment in my life changed me. I hadn’t seen my grandmother in 4 years. She was always so caring, so quiet, but so wise. I remember feeling terrible because every time I talked to her she’d ask, “When you comin’ down?”

And I could only say, “Soon. As soon as I can.”

But it took me a while to realize that sometimes in life, decisions can’t be made in time, once you have the opportunity to do something, you should do it instead of putting it off and regretting it in the future.

I know that she loves me, I know that she cares about me and regardless of how I feel now, I know she’s in a better place.

In my new slide I used the rule of the thirds a bit because I have the image to the right and my words on the left. I also chose to have the image cover the entire slide, while letting it bleed off. In addition to that I faded out the image and used contrast by making the words the same color as the man rock climbing. It still portrays the same idea as before but the slide is more organized.