Dating: What's the Point?

I think that dating is an important part of our society today. Dating helps people realize what they are looking for in a partner and what kind of a person they want to marry or be with for the rest of their lives. Although most high-schoolers and some college students are not thinking of marriage, dating allows them to figure out the kind of people they are compatible with and what qualities they admire in a person. For those that are ready for marriage, dating allows two people to become closer and gives them time to decide whether they are right to be married. I think that dating is different then hook-ups because it is a more intimate and emotional way for two people to be together.

Little Women

After reading the article and watching the documentary Misrepresentation I have noticed how objectified women are in the media. As the documentary pointed out, women in leadership positions are always critiqued on their appearance and physical attributes while men are not. It is important for documentaries like this to be shown so that people also realize this misrepresentation of women in the media and hopefully end it. Another point the documentary makes that is also made in the article is the sexualization of girls at a very young age. Clothing stores and TV shows sexualize young girls by making and endorsing sexual clothes and behavior. This also needs to be stopped because this behavior leads young girls to constantly focus on looks rather than more important elements of life. This sexualization ties into the first point of objectifying women leaders. As a Mount student, I am called to become a strong, independent, female leader in the future. By reading this article and watching the documentary I see how difficult it may be to do all of this and be perceived well by others. However I hope to help end this discrimination towards women in the workforce through become a female leader in the career I choose. It is important for women to continually condemn the stereotypes of female leaders in order to end this misrepresentation.

Three important things in my life that have shaped my identity are my family, the Mount, and being a member of the crew team. My family has shaped my identity because I have learned many of my habits and actions from being around them. My family consists of my mother, father and three sisters: Katie (23), Molly (19), and Emma (16). My parents have inspired me to become a hard-working and persistent person. They have helped me set my priorities which include my faith, family and friends, schoolwork and my passions. My sisters are also responsible for shaping my identity because I have always looked up to my older sisters and tried to be the same type of role model to my younger sister. It was my mother and sisters who introduced me to the Mount and helped me realize that it was the perfect fit for me.

Going into eighth grade my classmates and I were all applying to different high schools and beginning to look for where we wanted to continue our educations. Because all of my aunts and sisters had gone to the Mount I wanted to be different and desperately wanted to go to Gwynedd Mercy. However, when I visited at Mount I was amazed at the friendliness of the studetns and faculty. I knew that it was the right school for me. Throughout these four years of high school I have made many new friends and been introduced to new experiences. I have been able to explore my interests and realize what I really enjoy doing. I have learned my strengths and weaknesses inside and outside of the classroom. One important part of my experience at Mount that has also helped shape my identity was being a member of the crew team.

Freshman year I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do, which sports I wanted to play and which clubs I wanted to join. My older sister, Molly, was a part of the team and I loved the competition and unity I saw every weekend. I made many of my close friends through joining this team and really found my place at the school. By becoming a member of this team I also was given many opportunites to travel to places such as Tennessee, Boston, and England. By traveling to Boston I fell in love with the city and realized I wanted to go to college somewhere there. These values and experiences I have gained from my family, school, and team are invaluable and have all helped to shape my identity.

Mission Statement

As John Wooden says, "Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." I look to this quote on a daily basis and have been for the past four years. To me this quote is my own personal mission statement. It reminds me to stay positive when things get tough. I strive to live out the message of this quote by constantly being optimistic. I will never letting diminishing circumstances get in my way. I strive to overcome my daily obstacles by making the best out of every situation. I plan to live a happy and fulfilling life through capitalizing on whatever life throws my way and living out this quote daily.