1.) 1. You walk into the Hub-Robeson Center around 11:00am on a weekday. You make your way past the busy crowds of students to the food court on the first level in search of your lunch. You enter through the turnstile at the entrance of the food court, failing to acknowledge the woman standing next to it offering a personalized greeting to every student passing by. Her name is Debbie and although she has only been working this position for three weeks, she has already left her mark on Penn State. She carries with her an incredible story and a constant reminder why all those little things we often forget to do like holding a door open for someone, or offering a hello, or even just a smile, are sometimes the most important things we will ever do.

2.) 2. “I’ll do anything for anybody too” or “I love the students”

3.) 3. Debbie has been working at the Hub for about a year. She does it because she loves people, especially the students. Hundreds of students pass by Debbie absent-mindedly each day failing to acknowledge her presence. This does not phase Debbie though, she continues to offer a smile and greeting to everyone entering the Hub’s first floor food court. This small gesture is something we often forget to be important. Debbie is a woman with a striking story and is a reminder to us that even the simplest people in this world can carry with them the most remarkable stories.

4.) 4. I go the Hub for lunch pretty often and every day I noticed Debbie standing at the turnstile, greeting every student that enters. Her enthusiasm never wavers and she just gives the most cheerful and happy vibes. This intrigued me and I immediately wanted to learn more about Debbie. Something told me she had a story to tell.

5.) 5. First I am going to talk about Debbie’s childhood. She has lived in many different places throughout her life and that is what has made her the person she is today. I am going to use many quotes and descriptions that she has shared with me.

6.) 6. Next I want to discuss the death of Debbie’s mother. It happened when Debbie was very young and greatly affected her.

7.) 7. Finally I want to address the impact Debbie has on the people around her. The students, fellow employees and more. I again will use many quotes to describe her relationship with the people around her.

8.) 8. I’m going to conclude my report by discussing Debbie’s impact on every stranger that she comes into contact with. I want to talk about how if we all acted a little more like Debbie, then the world would be a different place. The little things in life really do matter and Debbie illustrates that perfectly.

Journal 5: Investigating

You enter the HUB-Robeson Center. It is around 11:30am and you have a short break in between classes. You are in search of one thing: food. As soon as you cross into the building you are slightly overwhelmed by the masses of students. They’re everywhere! Some are frantically printing out a last minute assignment while others sit around the massive TV watching the latest news. You weave your way through the crowds and finally reach your destination: the food court on the first level. With so many options, you can’t go wrong. There’s Chik-fil-a, Nathan’s, sandwiches, soups, salads, and more. You jump into the crowd filing through the turnstile, gaining access to the food court. In your rush you fail to notice the woman standing next to the turnstile. Her name is Debbie and she has been standing there at this time of day consistently for about three weeks now. She smiles and offers a personalized greeting to every individual walking in. Some students acknowledge her with a quick, polite “hello”. Others seem a little more genuine and ask how she is doing. It seems more often than not, the students fail to even take note of her and blindly walk by without so much as a passing glance. This does not seem to deter Debbie though as she does not miss a single person’s happy greeting as they enter her domain. This is the scene of my profile. One that at first glance may seem insignificant in comparison to society’s greater issues. However, if you merely take a second look it is clear to see that these little things, these small interactions with strangers, make up our lives and they are indeed important and worthy of our attention.

I have only had the opportunity to briefly speak with Debbie once. I had to be cleared by her supervisors in order to gain access into not only the inner workings of the food court, but also into Debbie’s personal life. I was absolutely amazed to see how much Debbie opened up to me upon our first meeting. While we waited for her supervisor to come out to talk with me, we chatted. She told me about her son-also a freshman at another school. He is studying Accounting and Business. Debbie’s face swelled with pride as she talked about her son and I soon found out why. Debbie had not gone to College, instead she told me she just “always had wanted to get married and have a family”. As we continued talking the conversation flowed into her own family life. She shared with me that her mother had died when she herself was only 14 years old. She had been at the Y with a friend while her parents were out to Chinese. When her parents came home, her mother had a heart attack and suddenly died. I stood and listened attentively to this woman that had just shared such a personal detail with, in essence, a complete stranger. She told me in regards to her mother’s death that perhaps that is what made her so strong today. We were interrupted by her supervisor but scheduled to meet again Monday morning.

(Although there is only one direct quote above, I thought this paragraph illustrates that I have talked with my subject and scheduled further interviewing)

I have only spoken with Debbie and a couple of her co-workers and supervisors so far. Some seemed standoffish to my idea but Debbie acted more than flattered that I wanted to write about her. My research is primarily hands on, speaking with Debbie and other employees in the HUB’s food court. Since it was a little difficult to gain access to all this, I don’t really have solid outside sources for information yet.

I have kind of redirected by profile from what it was originally meant to be. Initially, I planned to focus on just how Debbie illustrates perfectly how important the little things in life are. Even after only briefly talking with Debbie, it is more than evident that I have found something absolutely extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary. It is for this reason that I want to focus on Debbie’s life. I want to know what brought her to this point in time. I want to know what made her the person she is today. I want to still incorporate the importance of all the little things she does for others and how society needs to recognize that more often but I would like to focus more on Debbie and everything that makes up her life.

A Drinking Town With A Football Problem

The investigative report on Penn State’s rise to being the Number One Party School was interesting and thought provoking. It was done in a very professional manner and the journalists involved conducted interviews efficiently and effectively. The report included detailed descriptions about the drinking problem at Penn State, different ways other schools have addressed similar issues and how Penn State could possibly tackle this alleged drinking problem. The report is however extremely biased and the statistics provided I found to be quite skeptical. The journalist addressed an issue that can be presented to a very wide variety of audiences including students, parents, administrators, alumni and other authoritative figures somehow affiliated with Penn State. The issue is defined in very simple terms, easy to understand by almost anyone. The problem definitely deserves attention. Considering the date the article was aired, it is not surprising that it was presented in such a fervent manner. The death of a freshman in an alcohol related incident left a campus and a community shocked and distraught. The journalist most likely capitalized on this tragedy by conducting the report shortly after the boy’s death.

The report addresses the problem from multiple views. From the resident having to put up with drunken teenagers night after night to students themselves, to administrators, the report gives everyone something to relate to. Quotes are imperative in any report, and this journalist did a great job getting them. Many times, you can’t help but chuckle at the silly antics the reporter records or the ridiculous things students find themselves doing that I’m sure, seem like a great idea at the time. The report is clearly biased and believes that drinking has become an epidemic at Penn State and must be tackled immediately to prevent future alcohol related incidents.

One part that really struck me during the report was the comment a student made in retaliation of the report saying “when else can you do these kinds of things, if not in college?” I found this very powerful and true! College is constantly advertised as a time in life not only to broaden one’s education and academic pursuits but also to develop personally and gain a sense of true identity. Now, I’m not saying that all students must get wasted every weekend for four years to figure out “who they really are”. All I’m saying, is especially based on past generation’s drug abuse, is binge drinking on the weekends really such a tragedy? Sure, we at Penn State may enjoy drinking a little too much in some people’s opinion, but when is the last time you read about a drug bust at a frat party? Speaking from personal experience, I’ve been here for nearly four months including the summer and not including the times I have visited my sister and attended parties with her and not once have I ever seen the explicit use of hard drugs.

So overall, did I think that the report conveyed the drinking issue at Penn State accurately? I do, to a degree. It is more than prevalent on Penn State’s campus but as one alumni said, it is part of the culture. Like it or not, drinking at events and football games and on the weekends has grown a part of who Penn State is. With over 40,000 people between the ages of 18 and 22 or so, how can you expect it not to be? These are the years to experiment. The years to decide who you are and what you stand for. Those who choose not to drink are respected and not treated differently, but the overwhelming number that do choose to drink, well, I say, let them have their fun; college will be over before they know it.

Journal Three Response

I think that Lamott’s idea of a shitty first draft is absolutely brilliant. I know personally, the importance of writing down my thoughts immediately after something happens is crucial to form a good end product. In writing down pure thoughts and ideas soon after an event or happening, I feel the author is able to obtain a more raw, natural aspect to their writing. It ensures a genuine response to some sort of prompt. Later, this hastily written recounting can be shaped and formed into a well-written paper, or beautifully drafted story. I value a first draft very much so because it allows for the subconscious to speak; writing down a stream of consciousness can be a very powerful thing.

Lamott’s idea relates to my recent draft of my memoir in that immediately after the event that is being written about in my memoir occurred, I literally went home and wrote it down. I wrote it down, detailing every little thing I could recall about the day not because I was planning on forming a paper out of my notes, but because I didn’t want to forget what had happened. Upon receiving the assignment to write a memoir, I realized that there is no better day to write about than the one I chose. I was able to refer back to my notes to include complete descriptions and accurate details about everything that had happened. I think these details make the paper so much stronger and add exponential emotional appeal.

Writing my first draft for my personal memoir was critical to its eventual end product. I was able to throw together my thoughts and was able to see what would work and what seemed awkward or difficult to follow and understand. Having a peer read my potential memoir also was very helpful because it allowed me to get an outsider’s point of view as opposed to my own. I feel once you read your own paper a certain amount of times; you become inept at properly editing it because you are just too familiarized with your own words. Writing a shitty first draft is helpful in so many ways but I think its greatest advantage is just providing the opportunity to get your thoughts down on paper, where they can be properly analyzed and categorized.

Overall Lamott’s theory of writing a shitty first drafts is a great idea. I think it’s ridiculous that anyone could think that a writer could produce a masterpiece in one sitting. A first draft is not only imperative to a strong final draft, but it is also healthy for the writer. The act of just simply writing down thoughts and not worrying about sentence structure, or word choice is something everyone should experience at some point.

Journal Two Response: "My Addicted Son"

In reading David Sheff's "My Addicted Son" I learned a great deal about writing a powerful memoir that contains numerous elements that appeals towards an audience. Sheff's article was extremely powerful and moving, containing exponential amounts of pathos, an emotional appeal, which allowed for an easy feeling of empathy to encumber its reader. Sheff detailed his son’s battle with multiple drugs and addictions throughout his article, often including the grisly details and descriptions that go along with any addiction. Sheff did not sugarcoat the topic or make it any easier to take in and understand, which I believe added to the article's commanding message.

This story is extremely relevenat to today’s society in that addiction is all around us, everyday. So many celebrities are glorified in magazines and articles for their drug addictions and attempts at rehabilitation. Ask anyone and I guarantee they know someone, somehow that is currently battling or has battled an addiction in the past. Addiction is ruthless and apathetic and will stop at nothing to destroy a person from the inside out. Addiction is universal and it is for this reason that the audience of this article is everybody. Every person knows addiction, whether they themselves are the addict, struggling daily to overcome incredible temptations, or if the reader is the observer: the person that is stuck, helplessly watching another struggle with an internal battle raging inside, leading to their own self-inflicted demise.

The point of David Sheff’s story is to illustrate addiction, in its most raw and gruesome state. However, Sheff’s story carries a deeper meaning. Sheff not only portrays his son’s addiction but also details his own involvement with the disease. The author never gave up on his son and continued to reach out and provide help and support when the opportunity arose and that is the true underlying meaning of this article. Sure, addiction of any kind can tear a person apart. It can ruin a person’s life, destroy dreams and even become fatal. However, the deeper meaning of Sheff’s article strongly resounds past the debilitating affects of addiction described: it can be overcome. Through patience and dedication to his son’s wellbeing, Sheff aided in his son’s hopefully long lasting recovery. The article proves an addict often needs support from others to overcome their disease and Sheff illustrates how to go about offering that support.

Overall, the article was very powerful and moving. It was well written and the author leaves his audience on a hopeful note, one that leaves you with chills but also leaves a smile across your face. He leaves the audience with an optimistic quote and a chance for a better tomorrow for all addicts.