Sunday, February 26, 2017

Aronson Francis-Mitchell: Swimming in the Sun

      Swimming in the Sun 

Aronson Francis-Mitchell has had a life in many places. He has a laid-back, friendly demeanor and goes with the flow. 

Aronson is originally from Trinidad, where he was born. He was the second child out of a family of 3 children, with one older brother and one younger sister. He immigrated to the United States (the state of Florida) with his parents when he was very young at the age of four. He only lived in the warm climate of Florida for 3 years until he was seven years old. At seven, his family moved again, this time to Baltimore, Maryland. He lived in Baltimore until recently when he moved to Frostburg, Maryland for his college education. He is currently a sophomore.

When describing his parents, Aronson discussed how when he was young, they were at first very strict, but slowly became less strict as they eased into an American approach. Aronson remarked that to his parents, he and his siblings, “Were all trials. I was trial number 2.”

When describing the cultural differences between his parents’ homeland and the United States, Aronson briefly paused to look down and think. After pondering it a little, he quickly jutted up with a wry smile and said, “In the morning they can talk real loud.” He described how his parents are more open to talking to strangers and how that habit can sometimes make him a little uncomfortable.

Aronson has only visited Trinidad twice so far. He said it was a wonderful climate, but there wasn’t much he found interesting to do there. He said that he just ended up sleeping a lot while he visited.

His grandmother does sometimes comes to visit his family here in the U.S. He said that his grandmother is, “Always on the move.”

During middle-school Aronson played a bit of clarinet and the piano. He explained how his father always emphasized the arts and music, how it made someone a more well-rounded person. Aronson laments how he wished that he continued to play a musical instrument longer. He then spoke about some of the college marching band videos that he likes to watch, and described one Youtube video in detail. It was the University of Miami performing their rendition of “Get Lucky”. After explaining the video, Aronson warmly shook his head and said, “I thought it was the best thing ever.”

In high-school Aronson was part of the high-school swim team. Relaxed and patiently reminiscing, he described his memory of swimming, and his choice to join the team. He stated that he genuinely enjoyed swimming and how it differed from other sports.  Aronson explained how when he swam he, “needed time to get into the groove.” Some other sports he looked at didn’t offer this approach.

When asked about some of his early formative years in Florida, Aronson displayed a fond and reminiscent calmness. His eyes slowly lifted up from his clasped hands towards the window in front of him, watching the sunlight flicker across the trees. He said that he much preferred warm, sunny days.

In the future, Aronson thinks he wants to go to graduate school. He isn’t completely sure though, and when explaining his choice he said, “Old people love to ask you about those things.” If he does move on to graduate school, he would want it to be somewhere warmer. “In a warmer place”, Aronson said he wouldn’t mind being “a fish out of water.”
   


Thursday, February 23, 2017

Tyler Steele: The 2 Chainz of Literature

Malik Embree
February 23,2007
English 336
Tyler Steele: The 2 Chainz of Literature


            Tyler Steele is a 21-year-old male born in Northern Virginia and is an English major with a focus in literature at Frostburg State University. He enjoys things such as reading and writing, and also enjoys writing his own fictional stories. With his passion, he knows that he can help others, so he also enjoys tutoring other students with their English work because he says, “If I can proofread someone else’s paper, then I can proofread my own”. Tyler also takes interest in all types of music including rap. He disagrees with people who says that “rap is not poetry”. He says that “rap music has a very poetic structure with a lot more meaning, depth, and emotion”. As we spoke more about his interest in music, he included that he enjoys the rapper 2 Chainz music. He explained that, “…like how 2 Chainz is a master of English, now look at him going!?”. He believes that he can also make a huge impact on the world such as how 2 Chainz has, but in another career path. After graduating from Frostburg, Tyler wants to eventually become a college professor or a high school teacher and teach his favorite subject of English. But, if he has the opportunity he wants to travel to overseas to Japan to teach for 5 years. He believes this gives him the opportunity to make more money because they pay a good amount of money for people to teach English to their students. Tyler knows that this would be a big lifestyle change, but he is up to the new experiences of a different country. With his experience in tutoring students at the school, who sometimes consist of foreign exchange students, he believes that he has the skills necessary to adapt. This move will also help him with his hobby of writing. The scenery and history of a cultural explosion such as Japan will help give him inspiration for his writing.  All in all Tyler’s passion for English and literature has inspired him to reach out to the youth and become a teacher both nationally and internationally.


Asya's Big Dreams

Asya Proctor is a 19 year old self-proclaimed daydreamer. She’s beautiful, vibrant, and a creative as well as interesting person.
Asya grew up in PG County, MD. She belonged to very supportive family, one of the most supportive members was her father. Her father laid the stepping stones for her to become the free spirit she is today by introducing her to wide range of music, stretching from The Rolling Stones to Three6Mafia, as well as one of her favorite songs to this day - “Foxy Lady” by Jimi Hendrix. The song inspires her fashion choice and sparked her love of the 70s, “I have countless crop tops and high wasted jeans. The 70s was a lovely era.” she says. Yet, her closet is more than just a time warp to the disco age, she sat in front of me outfitted with converse, leggings, and a modern black sweater. When it comes to collecting clothes, she draws inspiration from all time periods, developing a transcendent and beautifully grungy urban style.
Her father also influenced her by being a huge supportive figure and pushing her to follow and succeed at every dream she has had. As a child, Asya’s big dream was to become a chef. In fact, in 2008, a ten year old Asya Proctor was quoted on the website www.deliciouslynutritious.co saying flat out “I want to be a chef”. She also accounts that cooking star Rachel Ray was a hero of hers, and that she enjoyed the challenges of cooking.
Today Asya’s dream is photography. Her interest was sparked by a photography class she took during her sophomore year of high school, and began to take it seriously the following year. Her favorite subjects are scenic landscapes and areas, and her second favorite would be shots where she can photograph someone in their “natural state”, both of which fits her free-spirited personality. Near her house is a trail in the forest, and that area has been one of her favorite subjects to shoot, although she often captures pictures of her brothers and friends for practice.

I asked her if she could photograph anything in the world, what it would be; she replied that she would capture the culture and community of Africa, and of course the scenic landscapes attributed to the motherland. Although, if a career in photography doesn’t work out, Asya says she would love to do a cooking show as a plan B.
On a personal note, Asya Proctor isn’t much of a social person. She doesn’t like big crowds, parties, or even speaking in front of a large class. She’s more of a interactive person, enjoying one-on-one conversations, small open mic events, and engaging in a small group of her friends. She’s known her two best friends for 8 years and counting and the rest of her friends are cited as big influences on her as well. Her group of friends is just as creative as her, which inspires her third talent aside from cooking and camera work - writing.
Asya writes poetry and short stories, and has since she was young. One story that she wrote was centered on a young black woman who possessed the ability to read minds. That girl relates to Asya herself, who believes she has the ability to read people. When I challenged her myself, she delivered a quite accurate reading almost immediately. One of the challenges she is taking up is becoming more vocal and more open to public speaking in order to perform her work at more open mic events. Asya says she loves the close and intimate atmosphere of open mics and would love to contribute herself.
By Marcus Williams in ENGL 336

Rosemary Wehberg: The Student World Traveler

Rosemary Wehberg: The Student World Traveler 
By: Rose Gause, ENGL 336



Rosemary Wehberg is a 20-year-old Frostburg junior who has traveled to some of the most sightseeing places in the world. If she is not off on a vacation somewhere then she is planning her next trip. With Spring break coming up she has planned to go to the island of St.Lucia in the eastern Caribbean Sea with her dad. For her 21st birthday, she has planned a trip to Banff Canada. She has even planned a two-week trip to Australia and New Zealand for January 2018. 

The fun, easy-going, and adventurous 20-year-old brightens up just discussing the topic of travel. As a child, she traveled a few times with her parents, but it wasn’t until high school she discovered her passion for traveling.

She has traveled to The Dominican Republic, Mexico, Bermuda, California, Florida, and Wyoming. Of those trips, her most memorable are the ones to The Dominican Republic, Wyoming, and Bermuda.While in the Dominican Republic Wehberg jumped off huge cliffs into the water. “It was the most exhilarating experience, but it was a great time. You just hope and pray that you won’t hit rock when you jump,” she says. She has not only traveled to The Dominican Republic for vacation, but she has also gone to do service work. In Wyoming, she saw Old Faithful and swam in Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. She advises that if anyone wants to see Old Faithful they should go see it soon because the eruptions may become dormant. In Bermuda, she went to the Horseshoe Bay Beach. She says, “the sand was pink which I really liked. You’re not supposed to take the sand home, but I had a plastic bag and filled it with sand and put it in my carry on. No one caught me. They ain’t never going to catch me.” 

Wehberg is from Salisbury Maryland, but after she graduates wants to live in another country for more than 6 months. She is majoring in communication studies with a minor in public relations. After graduation, she wants to work on the Royal Caribbean Line, but only for a couple of years. Wehberg explains that she is in college because of her passion for travel she says, “I’m going to college so I can do things like travel. If I had all the money in the world I’d drop out tomorrow and just go travel the world.”

Rose Gause Takes On NYC

Rose Gause Takes On NYC
By Rosemary Wehberg, ENG 336




 


Rose Gause is a freshman here at Frostburg State University. Rose has always lived in Cedonia, Baltimore MD for her entire life but she is inspired to eventually move to New York City after she graduates college to become a editor in chief. Rose has always been interested in journalism, in fact, she is an entertainer writer for our school newspaper called The Bottom-Line and currently writes for the social marketing team at FSU. Rose prefers to write about different on campus and local events and any other entertaining stories. Rose recently wrote a story called “Lifetime Movies & Controversial Biopics.” If you are interested in reading about her work, you can visit http://thebottomlinenews.com/author/rgause0/ to see and read more. This unique story was published on February 18, 2017, in The Bottom Line.  She has never enjoyed writing about politics because she enjoys writing for "fun, friendly purposes." Rose has always been infatuated with the idea of moving to NYC after graduation and working at a magazine company. During her interview, she exclaimed all the different things she loved about NYC. The lights, fast pace, and Broadway shows are just a few things she adores about the city. Rose stated, “Times Square is my favorite place in the world because the bright screens and lights are so captivating to me!” Her dream is to live in New York City and to write for Cosmopolitan and live a glamorous lifestyle. Although writing for Cosmo is her dream job, she understands some of the difficulties she may face before getting there. Rose stated during her interview, “I know my dream is something attainable, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to ultimately reach my goal, even if that means starting at the bottom and working my way up”. Her passion for journalism and NYC is truly inspiring, and her drive to live in the city and work for her dream job is amazing. Rose feels very excited about her future and is confident and enthusiastic to begin her career and experience any opportunities. After interviewing her and getting to know her personality a little better, it’s evident that she would be a perfect fit working for Cosmopolitan and living lavishly in NYC.


                                       Imani Jackson: A Star in the Making           

                                                         By: Ryan Miller 

              Imani Jackson isn't your average young sophomore. She is a young mass communications major from Washington D.C. While growing up as a young girl she learned to grow a very close relationship with her mother while her father may not have been around as much as she deserved him to be. She grew interest into attending Frostburg State University because it allowed her the opportunity to get away from home. While she wanted to get away from her home of Washington D.C, she still is actually very fond of her hometown stating that its  a "great mixture of people" because she has got to meet all differnt types of people in her hometown. Although she hails from the District of Columbia, she has no problem with people from neighboring territories such as Baltimore although sometimes there is a common beef between the two. She applied to Towson university and Bowie state university, but she does like attending Frostburg despite the fact that she feels as though "SGA doesn't listen" because sometimes they do not consider the wants and needs of the students as much as they should which most people do belive to be true so it is very understandable. As you would expect from a D.C resident she loves go-go music which is a traditional brand of music from the DMV area, but she really wishes to travel away and do documentaries as it is a dream of hers. I say she isn't your typical sophomore because her likes may be different from girls I am use to conversing with, for example her favorite rapper is ice cube which isnt too common, and she doesn't necessarily care about a husband or kids in the future stating that "she is mainly focused on her career." However, her presidential views do follow as most as she misses Obama with the way he connected to the people, stating that she "does not consider Donald Trump as her president." In short, Imani is a hardworking young woman, who has career goals and has spent her whole life working hard without handouts, she isn't spoiled and has held down a  job since the age of 16. After Graduation, Imani wishes to live in the city or country shooting documentaries for various purposes.

Moving Against the Grain with Malik Embree

Moving Against the Grain with Malik Embree

Malik Embree is not your typical college student from Baltimore, Maryland. Malik is a founding member of "Against The Grain" a brand that currently makes music and has recently branched out into clothing. Their foray into the clothing sphere was met with higher than expected success, selling out quickly it has now been placed on back order.


The logo (featured below) that appears on the clothing, was designed by Malik and the other members of ATG. The words "In Beam We Trust" can be seen across the top. This is the motto of ATG and represents the "beam" of hard work and passion that will take them to the top. This same beam is represented by the blue streak across the bottom. Malik got the inspiration for this streak from the comet emoji. 

Music is something that Malik said he has "always been around" and his passion for it oozes out when discussing it with him. When he was young he played the trombone and as he got older he was fortunate that he had access to a recording studio to make his music in. He said, "In high school, we'd just make beats and just rap." He picked up his love for rap on his own but is propelled forward by his friends, dreams, and other members of ATG.


The brand ATG is so important to Malik that he picked up Mass Communication as a major to help fulfil his dreams of turning it into a "mass media company in a way" that has its influence in many different entertainment and art spheres.


While Malik has achieved much, he is still a college student, allergic to peanuts, who knows how to enjoy a quick game of 2K Basketball or Madden and works hard for what he refers to as "Just a spot," a place to call his own.



Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Amanda Freeman, The Free Spirited Hipster




The Free Spirited Hipster, Amanda Freeman
By Patrick Broussoul, ENGL 336

 Amanda Freeman is a senior, who is studying liberal studies with a focus in education so she can graduate sooner. A few noticeable things about her are, her big glasses, red hair, pierced nose, favorite band is Weezer a rock band from the 90s, and she likes Bernie Sanders. Amanda said “I like to hangout in my room and chill”, she doesn’t like to be bossy but, doesn’t like people who don’t share the same work ethic as she does. She has two brothers, 18 and 26, the younger happens to attend Frostburg State University as well. 

In high school, Amanda attended a technical school where she studied culinary skills, where she could have gotten a job after high school but chose to come to Frostburg. Her reason for attending Frostburg was, she originally applied to Salisbury University and was accepted for the spring semester but, Frostburg accepted her for the fall semester so she decided on Frostburg. Another aspect in her choice was, her cousin who was an elementary education major at the time so she said “I came where I knew somebody”.

Amanda loves kids and her best hobby is crafts. Her mother was a daycare provider since she was a kid. After, Amanda became a summer camp counselor at Ulmstead Beach Summer Fun Center through Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks in 2013 and is still there. She loves kids and animals more than adults, “I don’t care much for adults” “they just get on my nerves” “people are too stingy”. She likes the middle school aged kids the most and wants to have three kids of her own and adopt one. 

After college, she wants to live in Seattle, Washington because of one of her favorite shows, Grey’s Anatomy, is based in Seattle. She wants to specifically live in the mountains of Seattle because of animals. At home, she has a mouse, a cat, a fish, and eight hermit crabs. Her favorite animal is a possum, she says “they play dead, they are cool and cute.” She has an interesting plan of catching a male and female possum have them breed a baby and call the baby possum a cat and when people ask why is she walking a possum, she’ll reply this is my cat.  

The True Meaning of Public Relations

The True Meaning of Public Relations


Meet Karahn Alston, a mild-mannered 20-year-old Mass Communication student. Born in Brooklyn, NY, he was raised from the age of three in Baltimore, MD. His hobbies include partying, playing and watching basketball, and spending time with friends and family. Karahn also enjoys working out and staying fit. 
Although he likes to party, Karahn is very frugal. He sees money as a means to give back to others. He has two older sisters that live at home with his parents, as well as a niece and a nephew. His family home was the gathering place for many of his friends and relatives. 
On the surface, Karahn seems average, but down deep, he is an aspiring Public Relations specialist with goals of keeping those with talent off of the streets. Having a stable environment made it possible for Karahn to become passionate about helping others in his community. 
As a prudent man, Karahn understands the benefits of saving money and looking toward the future. He plans to help newly-discovered athletes and other celebrities to succeed in regards to finances, so they don’t end up penniless. 
Karahn has his future planned out, for the most part. He wants to join or start a Public Relations firm after graduation. He also has the far-off goals of settling down and having children. If he has his choice, he wants two children. For now, he has a niece and nephew to give him some practice. 

Making the Generation Better


Making the next generation better

By Karahn Alston ENG 336




Tabitha is a transfer student to Frostburg State University, who is majoring in English. Her ultimate goal is to become a high school teacher in the city of Frostburg. She was in inspired by William Shakespeare, “he is my hero”. She plans to stay in Frostburg for her career because this is where she is comfortable, she stated “I would like to continue my career where I received my education”.  She has a very strong relationship with her family members. Tabitha is an individual that uses the children in her life as fuel to strive for better. Growing up, Tabitha was the person that younger individuals seemed to always be “that leader or adult” to look to for guidance, comfort, and care. The fact that she values caring and teaching the younger individuals in her family and community helped her find her love in teaching. Her motto of, “family first no matter what” has became a vital part in shaping her mentality. This mentality can be beneficial in her classroom by helping remind her that building and maintaining a strong relationship with her students can bring the best out of them.  Being a teacher involves a tremendous amount of work that would need to be accomplished, both inside and outside of the class room. When Tabitha wants something in life, she does not hesitate to go get it. She has worked at various establishments, so hard work is not something foreign to her daily life. A few employment positions Tabitha has held include, working for HR Block, Americore, and being a driver for the Center of International.  Her multiple professional experiences have made it easy for her to adapt to various career fields. Being a driver for the Center of International benefited her love to travel. She has lived in San Francisco, California, Oregon, Texas, and now, Maryland. By having the experience of living in various places throughout her lifetime, and coming into contact with so many different individuals and their cultures, Tabitha is no stranger to adapting to an environment. She has also traveled internationally. So far she has been to visit Greece, but she would love to add Australia, Ireland, and China to her list of places that she has been able to visit. Because of this, Tabitha will be able to relate with students from various backgrounds and cultures and having a great career in teaching.