Archive for February, 2010
February 26th, 2010
Internships are a great way to earn some money and/or school credit while you, the student, earn some experience in a field that may lead to your future career. If you make a good impression with your internship, it is possible that a permanent position could be earned in a higher level, and at the very least, you could earn some very strong references for your resume. However, the full potential of a good internship can only be attained if you are a good at your internship. Here are some tips and tricks to becoming the perfect intern that your co-workers and managers cannot help but recommending.
#1 Be On Time
Although it sounds simple enough, too many people have the habit of showing up five or ten minutes late to work every day. This does not give a good impression with the people you work with. Being a few minutes late means that you are probably running into work out of breath, which does not look professional. Even if you are just strolling in late, then your managers are likely to begin to view you as a slacker or someone who only does the bare minimum at the job. The bare minimum is not going to impress anyone. It is a much better idea to show up about five or ten minutes early to your job instead. The extra few minutes you have will let you get settled just before you start working. And, if your manager and coworkers notice that you are showing up early, they are more likely to look at you as a dependable intern or future employee.
#2 Dress Professionally
It may just be an internship to you, but to everyone else working there, it is their job they take seriously. Therefore it is important that you show the same respect by dressing appropriately to work. Coming into work wearing jeans and a t-shirt is not a statement that anyone should take you seriously. Coming into work with slacks and a button-up shirt shows that you are prepared to work in a serious manner. Although people are not supposed to judge each other by their looks, it is still an unavoidable trait in most individuals. In my own experience, I have noticed that when I dress more professionally at work, I receive more respect from the teachers and students who talk to me in class.
#3 Take Initiative
Interns who do the bare minimum do not get noticed by their managers and co-workers. Interns who take initiative and keep themselves busy at work will get noticed for their diligence. I have known interns who do their work, and then sit around looking bored for an hour. The interns who stand out to me are the ones who are constantly looking for work to do. If they finish their work, they look for more by asking their superiors what else they can do to be helpful. I have even known some interns who take it upon themselves to tidy up the work area as a way of keeping busy. These are the interns who are not lazy, who want to do a good job, and who will definitely be noticed and admired by the managers.
#4 Show Interest
Asking your supervisor questions and trying to learn more about the work that is entailed with your internship is a great way to show your managers that you are interested in your work, which means that you care about your work, and that indicates you want to do a good job. Managers appreciate having workers that try to learn more about their job because an interested intern is a better worker than ones who stands around looking bored all day because they could care less about their job.
#5 Be a Friendly Worker
Getting along with your co-workers can be tricky sometimes, but if you are able to be friendly with the people you work with, they are more likely going to say good things about you, which can be transferred into finding a better position for you with them in their company, or earning yourself a strong recommendation as a worker who is easy to get along with in other jobs.
February 25th, 2010
On February 1, 2010, President Obama wrote an official Proclamation describing this month as National African American History Month. Here’s how our first African-American President describes the theme this year:
“In the centuries since African Americans first arrived on our shores, they have known the bitterness of slavery and oppression, the hope of progress, and the triumph of the American Dream. African American history is an essential thread of the American narrative that traces our Nation’s enduring struggle to perfect itself. Each February, we recognize African American History Month as a moment to reflect upon how far we have come as a Nation, and what challenges remain. This year’s theme, ‘The History of Black Economic Empowerment,’ calls upon us to honor the African Americans who overcame injustice and inequality to achieve financial independence and the security of self empowerment that comes with it.”
Well said, Mr. President. And just how do we recognize these leaders in business, in the arts, education, science—those who are showing just what it means to be “economically empowered?” And just what does it mean to set aside one month of the year to recognize the achievements of African-Americans? Today in Eduify we’ve chosen 5 Notable African-American Leaders whose accomplishments have informed not only other African-Americans, but other Americans and citizens worldwide.
Perhaps one of the greatest American poets of his generation, Langston Hughes wrote lyrically about the black experience in Harlem, New York, as well as commentaries about race and society. His work, which has often been associated with jazz and blues rhythms, laid the groundwork for what later became performance and slam poetry. More important than the form itself, his desire to describe his experience as an African-American set a precedent in American literature. He put it best in a 1947 essay entitled “My Adventures as a Social Poet”:
“…certainly, racially speaking, my own problems of adjustment to American life were the same as those of millions of other segregated Negroes. The moon belongs to everybody, but not this American earth of ours. That is perhaps why poems of the moon disturb no one, but poems about color and poverty do perturb many citizens. Social forces pull backwards and forwards, right or left, and social poems get caught in the pulling and the hauling. Sometimes the poet himself gets pulled and hauled—even hauled off to jail.”
Dr. Benjamin Carter is a contemporary African-American doctor whose long list of achievements include being the first person to successfully separate Siamese twins in 1987. Dr. Carter was born in Detroit in the early 1950s, and was raised by a young single mother who, after noting his poor behavior and bad grades in school, assigned him her own homework assignments and encouraged him to participate more in school. Dr. Carter later went on to get degrees at Yale and the University of Michigan, where his dexterity as a neurosurgeon was first noticed. He became the first Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the renowned Johns Hopkins Hospital at the young age of 32. Dr. Carter’s success has inspired a new generation of health professionals, many of whom he and his wife Candy support through their Carson Scholars Foundation.
Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to be elected to U.S. Congress in 1968, is best described in her own words (and the title of her first book): “Unbought and Unbossed.” Chisholm served in the House of Representatives as a Democrat from New York, and she championed causes such as education, daycare, inner city youth and city works programs. She became the first African-American woman to run for President of the United States in 1972, which became a revolutionary year in the world of politics, not only for African-Americans, but for minority groups in general. She ran against Patsy Mink, an Asian-American Congresswoman from Hawaii, and together the two women represented a new movement in American government: that of empowered, educated, intelligent women fighting on behalf of their states and the greater American community as well. She published The Good Fight in 1973, and was later the subject of the PBS documentary Chisholm ’72—Unbought and Unbossed.
Angela Davis grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1944—a time and location that set the stage for her future involvement in the civil rights movement. Davis grew up in the South, but later won an opportunity to attend high school in New England. During her college years at Brandeis University, she seized opportunities to study French, philosophy and politics in France, Germany, and Switzerland. She was studying in France during the 1963 church bombings in Alabama, hate crimes that affected not only her personal and political ties home, but also triggered her activism in civil rights groups. Her political leanings and involvement with the Black Panthers later affected her career as a professor and academic. She was listed on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list in 1970 for an incident involving Judge Harold Haley, an accusation that was later lifted when there was not enough evidence to convict her of anything. Davis went on to become a prominent civil rights leader in California, working specifically within what she called the “prison-industrial complex.” She has lectured at UCLA, San Francisco State University, Bryn Mawr College, Stanford University, Syracuse University, and UC Santa Cruz.
At 27 years old, Shani Davis has already flown around the world and the ice rink several times over. Just this past week, the Chicago native beat the world record for both the 1000 meter and 1500 meter speed skating events. Before Vancouver, Davis already had a gold and a silver medal from the Olympics in Italy in 2006. Although his focus is athletics, he has broken records not only in terms of his speed and technique, but also as the first African-American to place on the Olympic speed skating team in 2002. Davis represents many young African-American athletes of the twenty-first century, who aims not to be the first of his race to succeed in his chosen field, but simply to be the best, and leave it at that. He’s not done yet; the 2010 Olympics have just started!
There are African-Americans achieving great things in every field, just as there are people of every ethnicity, nationality, religion, and sexual orientation achieving just as much. That being said, February is a time to recognize leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Alice Walker, Richard Wright, and so, so many more, because it is crucial we remember their contributions to their fields, as well as to our country. Who inspires you? Let us know!
February 24th, 2010
The Web has a wealth of information about scholarships and once you are informed by the five useful resources below hopefully you will be able to use some of the informative wealth below to improve the bottom line of your student account. Award opportunities vary based on your country, state, and town. Awards can be offered based on very specific details and often times the are few applicants for an award so the odds of winning are very high. The best finders are usually the best hunters so if you use this blog post as the first step on your scholarship journey this will help you ensure your search will be a success! Many scholarships require that you write an essay, so we wrote one post about how to write a great scholarship essay and another post about tips for creating a great scholarship package.
Student Awards is a great resource for students hunting for scholarships.
Follow @winscholarships on Twitter and use ScholarshipPoints.com to have your name entered in a monthly draw for Scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000!
Deadline: Ongoing.
Soros Justice Fellowships
The Soros Justice Fellowships support outstanding individuals including lawyers, advocates, grassroots organizers, activist academics, journalists, and filmmakers to implement innovative projects that address one or more of the Open Society Institute’s criminal justice reform priorities.
Deadline: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 (11:59 p.m. EST)
Scholarship Information
The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC-DCSL) will offer up to 20 three-year full-tuition Advocate for Justice Scholarships each year, beginning with members of the class entering in Fall 2008. The award of these scholarships will be based equally upon the Scholarship Selection Committee’s evaluation of applicants’ academic talent and their proven commitment as advocates for justice. Toward this end, the Committee will consider applicants’ undergraduate and graduate fields of study; grades; LSAT scores; publications; academic, personal and professional recommendations; as well as evidence of their professional experiences, community service and other pertinent information.
Due to UDC-DCSL’s emphasis on demonstrated commitment to working for justice, successful scholarship applicants may be more than a few years out of college, with “real world” experience. We strongly encourage second and third career applicants to apply. However, we also encourage applicants of all ages, including recent graduates who feel that their track record reveals a deep commitment to the social good.
Twitter is full of great scholarship resources.
Take this advice when you’re looking for scholarships on Twitter.
1. Search: Do a search on Twitter to find the most recent conversations about scholarships.
2. #scholarship: This hash tag will direct you to a wealth of tweets about scholarships.
3. Look for keywords: Search for keywords like deadline, www, application, and pdf.
4. Seek out links: Be sure to follow links from tweets about scholarships.
5. Look for scholarship deadlines: Search for scholarships with upcoming deadlines for fast money.
6. Look in your demographic and interests: Search for terms that include your demographics and interests.
7. Set up reminders: Subscribe to searches for specific scholarships so you’ll get reminders about deadlines and more.
10. Subscribe to useful searches: Use Google Reader to subscribe to searches that regularly produce results.
11. Network: Twitter is great for more than information gathering-you can network and connect with people who can help you land a scholarship.
February 19th, 2010
By: Garin Kilpatrick
As the curator of quotes for @EduifyQuotes on Twitter I have been scouring quotes websites across the internet in search of the very best literary quotes. As I have searched for the very best quotes I have encountered many quotes that are simply too provoking to tweet out without a warning first. You have heard this warning and decided to proceed.
I applaud your scandalous curiosity. Enjoy! 
Read the rest of this entry »
February 19th, 2010
The Proclamation of National African American History Month during the month of February comes directly from the Office of the Press Secretary.
To quote the Press Secretary release:
This year’s theme, “The History of Black Economic Empowerment,” calls upon us to honor the African Americans who overcame injustice and inequality to achieve financial independence and the security of self empowerment that comes with it.
Read the rest of this entry »
