Portfolio

http://andrewpascua.wix.com/writstandportfo2013

Angry Letter Rough Draft

Dear Foot Locker,

           I have been an avid shopper at Foot Locker. I have enjoyed the variety of shoes that you offer. However , ever since the new raffle ticket system, I haven't tried to purchase any new shoes from Foot Locker.
           Last year, when they announced that the Bred IV were being released during Black Friday, I was very excited. Until it was announced that is was going to be raffled. Disappointed that it was being raffled, I had to wait for people to resell them for way more than retail. I really disagree with the raffle system. The raffle system is easier for resellers to resell shoes for more than they are worth, which is really big problem in the sneaker community. Also sizes are very limited. I am a size 9 or a size 10, the most popular shoe sizes. Which means it's a small percentage that my name will get selected to pick up shoes. And finally the sneakerheads community is really close. The raffle ticket also helps workers hook up their "homies" with selecting tickets.
            I feel like Foot Locker should do a  better job with handling how people get released shoes.

Risky Business Rough Draft

Teens today are trying to be more mature, thus having teens to put their lives at risk thinking they can try sex, which may lead to unplanned teen pregnancies. Teen pregnancies have been a big epidemic in America. In 2011, a total of 329,797  babies were born to women aged 15–19 years. In April 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that nearly one in five teen births is a repeat birth, or at least the second birth for the teenage mother.

Some are saying that teen pregnancies are not always bad. Teenage pregnancies can helps women acquire maturity. "By the age of 18, a young woman’s body is well prepared for childbearing. Young men are equally qualified to do their part. Humans are designed to reproduce in their teens..." They are saying that unplanned teen pregnancies aren't the big problem. They are saying that "unwed" teen pregnancies are the ones that cause trouble. “They’re too immature.” We expect teenagers to be self-centered and impulsive, incapable of shouldering the responsibilities of adulthood." Studies say that unmarried couples using condoms or other contraception were "extremely rare". Also having early childbearing’s would increase the protection of have breast cancer. 

Children who are exposed to sexual activity through television programs, films, magazines and music are likely to have sexual activity. More than 1,000 American children aged between 12 and 15 were asked identify what kinds of media were exposed to sexual activity. Researchers looked for examples of romantic relationships, nudity, touching, kissing and etc. Researchers examined 264 items on the list. This included teen magazines, teen movies and television programs. The study concluded that the strong relationship between media and a child/teen's sexual expression may be due to the media's role as an important source of sexual socialization for teenagers.

Although a woman can bear a child at the age of 18, it is still not right that teens can have sex during their teenage years. The dangers we associate with teen pregnancy are drug use, STD's, prior abortion, extreme youth, and lack of prenatal care. Teen pregnancies can end up in Cesarean section and down syndrome. Children of teenage mothers frequently have lower birth weights, increasing the risk of infant death, blindness, deafness, chronic respiratory problems, mental retardation, mental illness and cerebral palsy. And poverty is the life consequence of teen pregnancy.

Although women can bear children by the age of 18, there are still not mature enough to have a child. Teenagers are more likely to be sexual active from being exposed to sex from media. Children of teenage mothers can have health risks such as mental illness, blindness, deafness and etc.

College Essay Final

UNLV

Write an essay describing a person or event that had a significant impact in defining your scholarly, professional and personal goals. 

"Mo-town on three. Mo-town on three. One, two, three... Mo-Town!" Walking off the wrestling mat, sweat dripping off my face, I grabbed my water and my running shoes. As my body ached, I slowly walked to the boys locker room, barely feel my legs. Inching to the bench, near my locker, I wiped the sweat off my face with my soaked shirt. I attempt to sit down, my hamstrings ache in pain.

Looking down at my feet, I reminisce on today's practice. I reviewed what I learned, what I need to work on, and think of what I should do to improve. As I do so, the nightmare that's been haunting me for the longest time, jumps back into my head: The disappointment of last season's JV OIA Championship. 

Coming out of Eastern Divisional Championship as 2nd place at 140 lbs, I thought JV OIA's was in the bag. As they called my name to go to the front table, I looked at my opponent. A Waianae wrestler. He came 2nd in the Western Division, so I knew he was going to be difficult. I jumped up and down, warming up in my C.A.M.O.G.A jacket. I put the green sleeve on my write ankle, putting my right foot on the line, bending my knees, butt down in my stance. The referee tells us to shake hands. *whistle blows* I used heavy hands on his head. Waiting for a an opening, I shot a low single leg on his left ankle. As he tried to counterattack, I circled my feet to my right and limped my arm scoring the first 2 points. A takedown. I put my right leg in between his legs, looking for a leg ride. Getting too hyped on the mat, I didn't put any pressure on my opponent. Therefore he was able to reverse me and score 2 points. Score tied 2-2. I tried to escape, but he didn't do what I did. He put pressure on my legs, and pinned me in the 2nd period of the match.

I lost total confidence in myself. I messed up. I then lost my constellation match. My prediction didn't come true, not even making it to the second day of the tournament. Not placing in JV OIA championships has been haunting me ever since. I thought I wasn't good enough, I totally lost all confidence. But looking back at the day, I made a promise to myself. I made a promise to train harder, get better, get faster, and get stronger to redeem myself from that lost. "You only can better, never worse," Coach Darren always said. I agreed with him and will live up to my promise.

College Essay Draft

UNLV
Write an essay describing a person or event that had a significant impact in defining your scholarly, professional and personal goals. 

"Mo-town on three. Mo-town on three. One, two, three... Mo-Town!" Walking off the wrestling mat, sweat dripping off my face, I grabbed my water and my running shoes. As my body ached, I slowly walked to the boys locker room, I barely can feel my legs. Inching to the bench, near my locker, I wiped the sweat off my face with my soaked shirt that I used for practice. I attempt to sit down, my hamstrings ache in pain.

Looking down at my feet, I reminisce on today's practice. I reviewed what I learned, what I need to work on, and think of what I should do to improve. As I do so, the nightmare that's been haunting me for the longest time, jumps back into my head. The disappointment of last season's JV OIA Championship. Coming out of Eastern Divisional Championship as 2nd place at 140 lbs. I thought JV OIA's was in the bag. But my prediction didn't come true, not even making it to the second day of the tournament.

Not placing in  JV OIA championships has been haunting me ever since. I thought I wasn't good enough, I totally lost all confidence. But looking back at the day, I made a promise to myself. I made a promise to train harder, get better, get faster, and get stronger to redeem myself from that lost. "You only can better, never worse." Coach Darren always said. I agreed with him and will live up to my promise.

Training 

Vocab Olympics

In the picture with the military man and children we would describe it as a moment for when the children were awaiting their father's arrival. They waited for their father for eight grueling months. They were wondering when their father would come back. day in and day out they would constantly whine to their mother, "when is daddy coming home?" After eight long months, it finally happened, their father was coming home on a Pelican AC2. This man nervous to see his humble aboud and all the things he had last seen before his deployment stepped off the plane to get his luggage from the carrier which it was on, he took a brief second to exit and see his family once again.

It's 3 AM. Michelle woke up from her slumber, She hears leaves crumbling outside her . She wouldn't think of an intruder who would invade a mansion in Beverly Hills with top of the line security. She pulls out her lefty Lucy underneath her bed for her own protection. She creeps down the stairs to see a masculine figure awaiting her in the darkness as she reached the end of the stairs. She aims lefty Lucy at the man's leg to not be a fatal shot, she then holds it up to her right eye to make the shot, and pulls.

The last day of London Summer Olympics of 2012, it was the last quarter of the last game. The game was beach volleyball and it was between USA and Micronesia. Micronesia had 1st serve, It was brought up and didn't even make it to the net. The last spike at the end made by USA in the end was a crucial game-winning point that amazed the crowd but at the same time wasn't surprising seeing how USA won yet again in the Olympics. Regina and Tina, the twins that always dreamed of this day, jumped up and down out of joy.

3 College Essay Prompts

UH MANOA

1. Community or Volunteer Service—– Complete an essay describing what activities you participated in (i.e. any activities including volunteer, leadership, membership and community services in social, school or community organizations which demonstrate your willingness to give back or contribute to your community).
2. Commitment to Heath Care—Complete an essay describing what activities related to Health Care that you participated in (i.e. demonstrated commitment to health care, volunteer work, employment in health services, enrolled in a degree program in any area of health fields; career goals and plans in the health care field regardless of area of study; how you intend to impact the health of your community in the State of Hawai‘i.)
3. 442nd Veterans Endowed Scholarship—Complete an essay describing the role of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team of the United States Army in World War II and their legacy.

UCLA

Freshmen Application prompt

Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS

Write an essay describing a person or event that had a significant impact in defining your scholarly, professional and personal goals. Your essay should also describe what part the Honors College plays in achieving these goals

Coming of Age poster draft

Coming of Age final draft

Most kids do not want to go to school because of the thought of doing classwork. Or carrying books on their back everyday. Or being stuck in class for 6 hours a day. But for me, I was afraid of being teased everyday.

I woke up in the morning. Got ready, dressed myself for the first day of school from fall break. I put myself into school uniform, shorts and TOMS. This was my first day wearing TOMS to school, thinking I would get a lot of credit being unique.

Aliamanu Middle School was filled with many military kids. Mostly blacks or whites. Aliamanu had very few locals. Which meant a lot of different type of cliques. Which also meant that I didn't have many friends in school.

As I walked through the walkways, I saw people looking at the bottom half of my body. I knew they were judging me at my appearance. It was like I could read their thoughts. "Why is he wearing girl shoes?" I knew this was a bad idea.

During school, I get comments about the clothes I wear. "Dude, you look gay". "You look weird" . It irked me everyday. Every single day, I get looks from kids. Looking at my feet.  I couldn't wait to get back home to escape this jail called school. But when I get home, I hop on Facebook. I check for notifications and status updates. Numerous of times, I get posts on my wall that tease me about my shoes. I even got private messages from people saying that I'm a fag for the clothes that I wear. Even my own friends didn't want to be seen with me and my TOMS. Only a few stayed with me. They were true friends. They didn't care about how I dressed. But others still didn't stop.

I made different solutions so that the teasing would stop. I always thought that if I ignored them, that eventually they would stop. They didn't. I tried wearing different shoes everyday. But they always found a way to tease me about my TOMS. They just couldn't stop. I was laughed at, teased at, for trying to be being myself. I was just trying to be different. Why would others care about some guy that wears something different?

I was full of frustration and anger. At the time, I didn't know how to make it stop. So the only way to make them stop was to take a stand for myself. I wanted to show them judging a person by their appearance was wrong. And being different wasn't so bad either. After months of being teased, I finally took a stand on what I believed in. I promised myself that I was going to confront the next person who teases me. 

The next day, I was back in school. Sitting in class, waiting for someone to comment on my shoes. "Why do you wear girl shoes everyday?," said by some guy, who shall not be named. I took a deep breath and said,"Cause I'm trying to be different." He looked confused. "I'm trying to be different because there are so many lookalikes that I'm trying to be original, I'm trying to be myself. And so what if I'm different? Are you gonna judge someone cause of they what clothes they wear?" He was shut down. He didn't know what to say. He turned around and was silent. The feeling of finally saying what was on my mind was incredible. 

One of reasons why I am the man I am today is because of this story. After confronting everyone that judged me, the teasing slowly went away. I used my voice to take a stand for what I believed in. I believed in that you shouldn't judge people for the wrong reasons. In the end, I was trying to be a more mature person. I now look at everyone equal, no matter what they wear. No matter what they look like, or their ethnicity, or their sexuality. Don't judge people for the wrong reasons, everyone is equal in God's eyes. 

Coming of Age draft.

Most kids do not want to go to school because of the thought of doing classwork. Or carrying books on their back everyday. Or being stuck in class for 6 hours a day. But for me, I was afraid of being teased everyday.
I woke up in the morning. Getting ready, dressing myself for the first day of school from fall break. I put myself into school uniform, shorts and TOMS. This was my first day wearing TOMS to school, thinking I would get a lot of credit being unique.
Aliamanu Middle School was filled with many military kids. Mostly blacks or whites. Aliamanu had very few locals. Which meant a lot of different type of cliques. Which also meant that I didn't have many friends during middle school.
As I walked through the walkways, I can see people looking at the bottom half of my body. I knew they were judging me at my appearance. It was like I could read their thoughts. "Why is he wearing girl shoes?" I knew this was a bad idea.
During school, I get comments about the clothes I wear. "Dude, you look gay". "You look weird" . It irked me everyday. Every single day, I get looks from kids. Looking at my feet.  I couldn't wait to get back home to escape this jail called school. But when I get home, I hop on Facebook. I check for notifications and status updates. Numerous of times, I get posts on my wall that tease me about my shoes. I even got private messages from people that I called "friends" saying that I'm a fag for the clothes that I wear."You're a f***ing fag for wearing TOMS". Even my own friends didn't want to be seen with me and my TOMS. Only a few stayed with me. They were true friends. But the teasing still didn't stop.
I made different solutions so that the teasing would stop. I always thought that if I ignored them, that eventually they would stop. They didn't. I tried wearing different shoes everyday. But they always found a way to tease me about my TOMS. They just couldn't stop. I was laughed at, teased at, and being myself for trying to be different.
I was full of frustration and anger. I needed to take a stand for myself. I wanted to show them that being different wasn't so bad. And judging a person by their appearance was wrong as well. One of reasons why I am the man I am today is because of this story. In the end, I was trying to be more mature person. After middle school, I became someone who didn't care how others looked at me because I knew they were judging me for all the wrong reasons.

Position Statement mini-essay.

Lack of Common Sense:

1. Not Aware of dangers
2. Don't take precautions of a unknown place
3. Know where they're supposed to be

Signs:

1. Spot placement may be a blind spot
2. Some people can't read it
3. Have a safe zone

Liability:

1. People are responsible for what they do
2. If you know it share it
3. Pay attention in dangerous areas

Lack of Common Sense

Hawaii is known for having the most beautiful scenery and amazing attractions. Tourists from all the around the world to visit our islands. However, there has been an issue witch tourists visit Hawaii's beautiful, but also dangerous, attractions. 

They're has been incidents involving Hawaii's attractions. Paul Tam Mai, fell off a cliff at Hawaiian paradise park. The day before, David Potts was knocked into a blow hole. Tourists are blaming the park owners and also suing them. But the only owners response are that they need to look for precautions and be aware of danger. The 44 year old, David Potts was dancing around the blowhole when a large wave hit him and knocked him into the hole. David went wrong because he needs to know where he is at. He's in a very dangerous zone and he wasn't aware of it. 22 year old, Paul Tam Mai was also not aware of his surroundings and got knocked off a rocky cliff. Both men lacked common sense. 

Being responsible for there actions would have decrease the risk of being killed. Just know where you are at and be aware of dangers. This will increase their safety and remain unharmed. 

Blog Revision

I revised my blog so that my blog title is now "Live. Write. Tell." I just thought it fit better than my last title. My header shows my skills in graphic design because it's a reflection of me almost looking at each other. This represents me looking at myself "Coming of Age", which means me learning from my mistakes, growing up into a adult. I just organized my post from 2012  into one section and post from 2013 in another.

Andrew Pascua's GLO Portfolio

http://andrewpascua.wix.com/glo-portfolio

Metaphor Poem Graphic Card

Metaphoric Poem: Final Draft

I am unappreciated to the world

I am seen as a dead plant

I'm stubborn

I want to grow out

but the gardener keeps pulling me out

I want to spread out everywhere

Nothing is gonna stop me from growing

I am the weeds in your garden

Not appreciated by the gardener

but still apart of this garden

I keep growing, not gonna stop

I am the weeds in your garden