Revisiting MultiMedia Projects

Here is a sampling of MultiMedia Projects completed by students in British Literature courses:

Jocelynn's Art

Veronica's Origami

Mirian's PowerPoint

Anthony's Video

Students Write - Prof. Martin's Class: Jennifer G.

Living in Aldine
by Jennifer Guevara

MacArthur High School

I have been living in the Aldine Community for five years now. I still remember the first day I arrived in Aldine on July 16, 2013, at night 10:00 pm. Everything was so strange and the streets looked so lonely and they still look lonely. I remember that I was so frustrated because I could not go out like I did in Mexico.

The days passed and I found myself lonely and homesick because all my family stayed back in Mexico. I remember that I used to cry every night because I really missed my mom and brothers; I still cry sometimes. The days seemed so long and then my birthday came and I really did not want to celebrate my 16^th birthday because it was the first time that my mom would not wake me up singing to me Las Mananitas.

On August 24^th, 2013, I attended my first day of high school, which was terrifying because I didn’t speak the language. I remember that I did not know what classroom I had to go to, and I did not know how to ask anything, but I found a math teacher and he helped out. The months were passing and I got used to the school and to the language, but I still was thinking that I wanted to go back to Mexico. In that same year I always thought that I would not be able to go any further and I wanted to give up, but luckily I have a mom who supports me in everything, she was always cheering me up.

My sophomore year was not that bad; I was happy because I could understand the language a lot more and I was more confident in myself. I also had this amazing English teacher. Ms. Lanczos was always willing to help me and for that reason she became so important to me. 

My Junior year was amazing because I stopped taking ESL classes, which meant that I was able to communicates with others in English, also I made to the honor roll for all A’s and B’s. My senior year was memorable because I was a few steps away from becoming the first generation in my family and that made me so proud.  I worked so hard for graduation day because I only wanted to make my mom proud of me. I remember that when I walked to the stage on graduation day, I thought that my mother was there cheering for my and screaming so loud.

Now with hard work and dedication I am attending Lone Star College, which made my family extra proud because, like I said, I’m first generation. My mom always tells me, “Échale ganas a la escuela y seas una mujer de bien y no tengas que trabajar bajo al sol como yo lo hice.” Those words mean a lot to me because every time I remember that I work harder and harder to make her proud because she is my everything in this universe.     

Students Write - Prof. Martin's Class: Juan U.

My Community, Aldine
by Juan Urrea-Santos

I’m from Houston, Texas, and I grew up in Aldine, where the community was mostly Hispanic and a small portion was African-Americans, Asians, and Caucasians. My main concern is the health and well-being of my community since there are a lot of Latinos from poor countries such as Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras were education and sanitation was the least of their worries. As professionals and educators in healthcare, I believed it is our duty to serve and educate our community on the importance of living a healthier lifestyle and making the right choices related to health; for these reasons and others, I decided to change my career to a Registered Nurse.

When I was growing-up in Aldine, I saw many Latino children that were obese because they ate too much and their parents wouldn’t do anything about it. In addition, Latinos like my parents, when they had no money to go to the doctor, they bought antibiotics from the flea market located in Aldine for illness that they “thought” they had. By becoming a Registered Nurse, I have the credentials to help and give back to my community by offering free information and knowledge about health and health-related issues.

Furthermore, I just started school in the fall of 2017, for a Registered Nurse certification at Lone Star College and it is going to take me about two years to finish the certification. Moreover, I have a Bachelor of Science from the University of Houston in Computer Engineer Technology and a minor in Organizational Leadership and Supervision, and I also have an Associate’s of Science and Art from Lone Star College.  I was able to get an education because I had a part-time job working for Munday Chevrolet as a porter, Federal Student Aid was helping me, and I had a few scholarships I earned.

In addition, I think verbal and writing skills are important to a Registered Nurse because they interact and write reports about patients and it is going to be important also when communicating with the community effectively and clearly. I’m bilingual ( I speak Spanish and English)  and it is a strength because working for a hospital or communicating with people in the community that doesn't speak English or Spanish would need help in understanding and translating certain information from English to Spanish or vice versa. To be successful in all my classes and earning my certification, I am going to seek help from my professors by going to their office hours and asking for help, asking my peers for help and to teach me, and using all the resources the campus has to offer such as the library, student center, writing center, and learning center.

In conclusion, teaching and improving the community about health and health-related issues such as eating healthier, importance of going to the doctor, and making the right decisions for your health is going to be a long process and a tough job. I know I can make the difference and change my community for the better. For these reasons and others, I decided to become a Registered Nurse.

Students Write - Prof. Martin's Class: Faolias

Goals in My Community: Cameroon and Houston
by Faolias Metang Sietcheu

On July 20^th, 2015, I graduated from high school at Polyvalent High School of Bonaberi, Douala in Cameroon. After my graduation, I went to University Institute of the Coast, in Douala Cameroon, where I started a major on Security Network, which was my first choice, but only for a year because I got a student visa for the United State of America. Then, I travelled in August 2016 as soon as I got that student visa, and I started planning how I would start my second choice which was Petroleum Engineering.

When I arrived in the USA ,I could not speak, listen, or even read English properly so I had to take English classes. After the level 3, my English was better, so I took the TSI test that I passed, then I was able to start my major which is petroleum field service. I think starting to take college classes will help me make new friends, and learn more about American culture, which will be a strength for me who have another culture, speak another language (French) since a lot of company look for bilingual or multilingual people in case they have project in other countries that don’t speak English.

This semester I enrolled in some classes for the prerequisites of my major. The first step is enrolling in an Associate's degree in petroleum field service, which is 60 credit hours at Lone Star College, the second one is to transfer to University of Houston to enroll in bachelor’s degree which is four years to graduate. The advantage of starting by associate first is that after the graduation I could start working and get some experiences and skills on the field, so by the time I will get my bachelor I will have good skills and experience.

I chose to be a Petroleum Engineer first because I like everything that reflects Chemistry and field work, and second because my country will open a new port and they discovered new natural’s resource which will be exploited by people who will have knowledge and experience in petroleum field service. Knowledge in oil refinery, or finding the best place to dig oil also know I to use those resources into fabrication of house utensil, so Cameroon will not have to import those stuff anymore. Moreover, the state of Texas is known for its big demand of tanker experiment on the ground doing my major in Houston will be a great advantage for me and for this community of Houston.

In conclusion, having my bachelors degree and becoming a petroleum engineer will not be only a benefit for me, but also for the city where I will gain that success (Houston) and also for my country (Cameroon). I will bring my knowledge in company here and do great work. Also, that knowledge I will bring it in Cameroon for its development in term of manufacturer and maybe more.