V-Day

This post is for everyone interested in the idea of empowering women. Last night I saw the most amazing play I've seen in a long time. The Drexel Players (Drexel's theatrical group) put on a play called the Vagina Monologues. The Vagina Monologues was actually a book written by Eve Ensler. The show was about the different stories and experiences women go through, told from the point of view of the vagina.

Since the book was based on interviews with all kinds of women, there were many points of view. There was a married woman, a lesbian, even a woman who explained how one man changed her life and her self esteem. There was a woman explaining the beauty of birth and another scene where a six year old girl was asked about her vagina.

The most touching scenes were the more serious stories of what women go through. There were two stories about rape. One about a little girl being raped by her dad's friend, and another story about a little girl being raped by soldiers during a war. Towards the end, another actress spoke about the similarities between how we have treated New Orleans and how we treat women (we say that New Orleans is rich and vibrant, but then when we want to demean it, we say its swampy and damp etc.). Although these things are hard to hear, and hard to accept, they do happen.

Despite the moments of sadness, the Vagina Monologues was about women loving themselves, their bodies, and most importantly, their vaginas. Some people reading this may find what I'm saying taboo, but like a young lady said at the play last night, women are their vaginas.

All the proceeds made last night were donated to the Lutheran Settlement House Bilingual Violence Project. The Drexel Players and all the people who attended the Vagina Monologues last night (and will attend tonight) have made a major contribution to reducing or ending violence against women and girls. Celebrate being happy, loving yourself, and for those love ladies out there, celebrate having a vagina!

I Love You All!!

Shanowya (Greatness Personified)

Ooooo Poo!

So guys, I'm back. There's nothing really special to report on except for a few events here and there. On Saturday night there was a Fantasy Casino held at the Dac (our gym here on campus). There blackjack, a mind game, poker and everything else that you find at a real casino. Most of the people from my office were there having a great time. I really couldn't go because I went home this weekend for a little time with the parentals.

So a couple of weekends ago I did my community service, that went pretty well. I decided to work with the same lady I did before. She is the lady in charge of The Caring Center on Spring Garden. She was holding an auction at The University City Sheraton for the children. She was auctioning things like spa treatments, picnic baskets, blankets, and tickets. We helped set up the items (which took us two hours). I met a new friend there also, and some of the girls from my floor came to volunteer also. It was great.

I am actually planning on doing more community service because it makes you a better person. There's nothing like knowing that you're being selfless and helping someone else. I also plan on starting a book club here because the one we have is inactive. I don't know the theme just yet, but it's going to be great! It's really easy to start organizations here, and like I said before, Drexel will reimburse you or hold money for you if you want to have an event. Us students are what makes Drexel the place to be, so don't be afraid to take that leap forward.

I love you all. Finals weeks is approaching and I can't wait for spring break. Talk to you guys soon....

Shanowya (Greatness Personified)

Random

So, today is Saturday and I'm still dressed in my blue ambassador shirt and my black slacks. There was an event today, called Scholars Day. It was actually fun. I took students to information sessions and told them how it is to be a student at Drexel. Some of you readers may have been there, and I say to you congratulations. I'm glad you guys came out. Here's a picture of me and my closest friends in our shirts once we were done with everything.

So, I promised in my last blog that I would tell you about the CEO workshop I attended last week. It was presented by Captain Joshua White. He basically explained how the military and discipline could make you a great leader. He expresed who he thought was a good leader. He also gave us a game plan for getting things done: military style. Here are the tips:
1: Receive the Mission (figure out what you have to do)
2: Issue a Warning Order
3: Make a Tentative Plan (process your steps, what do you need?)
4: Initiate Movement
5. Conduct Reconnaissance
6: Complete the Plan
7: Issue the Order
8: Supervise and Refine (if something goes wrong, how do you deal?
You can take out and add steps where needed. This workshop was important because this list can lead to time management (which prevents procrastination). Leaders have to do as many things as they can, so time management is vital. Don't reject army men when they talk, sometimes they do make sense.

So, last Wednesday was the last home game for the men's basketball game. Two of our star players are seniors so they're graduating in June. Randy Oveneke and Frank Elegar are leaving us. Drexel had a nice ceremony in the beginning of the game which explained the basketball careers of both graduates since they started playing. Some people in the crowd cried. [I was proud because these two young men were black and strong. This shows that Drexel may have a small amount of people of color on campus, but still, everyone graduates with a piece of greatness. Drexel welcomes everyone, and believe me, everyone has the same opportunities here.] We actually did win that game (67-70), which gave those two stars leaving us something great to remember.

Congrats to Frank and Randy. Talk to you guys soon! I'm about to step out with my ladies and my best friend (Ken; Ken Francis) and have a good time. Speak to you guys soon....

Shanowya (Greatness Personified)