Summer for the Obligated

Summer will be over soon – the leaves will change colors, and everyone will have to settle back into their routine until next year. For me, summer was always a time to write. I remember being eleven and staying up until one in the morning writing with a big bowl of ice cream at my side and blink-182 playing from my CD player. Over the years, the blink-182 and bowl of ice cream have morphed into other bands and foods, and the CD player is now an iPod. However, I still stay up until odd hours of the morning in the summer heat trying to string words together. In the past couple of years, summer has been a time for me to take a break, have some fun, and write poetry:

Summer for the Obligated
The nomads all settle into the New York City streets
And buy high-rise apartments blocks away from their jobs.
In the winters they eat TV dinners while snow covers
The taxicabs and busses outside their windows.
The days run together, and the clocks and calendars
Fill like their never-ending need for cups of coffee,
Until the summer sun punches through the city sky.
On the days when the heat hangs on the streets
The obligated remember a time where summer’s meaning
Stretched further than just that of another season.
When the mercury in the thermometers climbs higher,
They jettison into their pasts’ mindsets.
There are no more appointments and schedules,
Just heat rising from the asphalt, and shade under a tree.

~Sarah Stapperfenne
Ithaca College
Creative Writing Major
QueenofTyrus@gmail.com

August Poetry of the Month

It is my firm belief that a lot of people write poetry, but not many people own up to that fact. I’ve talked to many people who seem to think that poetry was something that died out in an earlier time period. I think it’s that unfortunate but common belief that makes young, modern poets keep their work hidden. The truth is, though, that there is a plethora of innovative, interesting and powerful poems written in our time period. Good poems deserve to be read, yet writers do not share them, or publishers do not publish them, and the poems’ important messages slip through the cracks. That is why the NYWICI nextBLOG is pioneering a poetry section. Good poetry from the writers in our organization should not be slipping through the cracks.
Below are two poems written by NYWICI student members, titled “Like a Strand of Hair” and “Freak.” Both poems reflect a current issue in the minds of many young women: how they are identified and categorized by others.

Like a Strand of Hair
It is said that I can be compared to a strand of hair
I struggle through tangles and weather just like they do
I am often numbered out by the numbers like they are
BUT they are wrong I am not my hair!
In order to proceed I have to peer through the multitudes to be heard
I have to deal with stereotypes because we all look alike
But I am different, I scream I am different
I beseech you!, because I am different!
My style and looks are different
I can be compared to a strand of nappy hair
I have been mistreated, bleached and receded
I have lost my identity
Drastically manipulated in many ways
My objection to such treatment is fair
Can I really be compared to a strand of nappy hair?
Resolved!
They have tried to strip me of my true colors but unlike the hair
I PROTESTED
They tried to straighten me out, BUT I rejected
They have taken its roots and made it weak
Just tell me how that follicle dare compares TO ME!
If I fight and give my all, I am not a strand of HAIR
If I push through barriers and do not fall, I am not a strand of HAIR
If I create life rather than go limp and DIE I AM NOT A STRAND OF HAIR!

Zanade L. Mann
CUNY Hunter
English/Media Studies Major
zanademann@yahoo.com

Freak
I step into,
Cement cubed connected by grey grout and plastered on parallel wide walls.
Flickering fluorescent lights flash in unison with my pace,
Twelve inch tiles show their bland and palpable patterns,
Scuff marks and dry mud footprints left behind from those who walked before us.

Their gathering glacial stares dart in my direction like
I am a murderer, rebel, or thief,
And stab me straight in the eye with an arrowhead.
For others, a glance my way is a waste of their precious time,
Because I am an alien, freak, and creep.
And their bodies pass me by with no acknowledgement, like frigid winter winds.

While stuck inside a transparent bubble,
My hand grazes the soapy barrier and I struggle to carry on once again,
With one poke by a gentle hand, I would be released from my sealed covering.
But the people clear and I am left alone,
Still stuck, still vanishing into the quicksand tiles.
Michele Meshover
American University
Graphic Design Major
michdafish@aol.com

Interested in contributing your poetry? E-mail me at QueenoftTyrus@gmail.com. The deadline for the September entry is September 12. Please include your name, e-mail, major, and college for your post and try to keep poems under 50 lines. Poems can be about any topic. I look forward to hearing from you!

~Sarah Stapperfenne
Ithaca College
Creative Writing Major
QueenofTyrus@gmail.com

Fear, less; Live more

As my freshman year at New York University was coming to a close, I found myself feeling different. Maybe it was because of the Big Apple, maybe it was because of the academia or maybe it was just me. But something about last year made me realize that I wanted to embrace my inner spontaneity.

As a girl, my mother taught me to plan. I kept logs of how much time I spent on each homework assignment and made a check list of things that needed to get done. I lived by my check list. So when I received an e-mail about a new study abroad program that NYU was introducing in the fall semester of my sophomore year, I was more than interested.

But, the interest caught me off guard – I had already planned how my study abroad plans were going to unfold. I would study in Prague during the spring semester of my sophomore year and that would be it. For the rest of my time at NYU, I would stay at the New York campus and complete internships in the area.

Mexico wasn’t part of the plan, but the voice in my head that was too often suppressed by rationale and careful calculation said to go for it. I figured that hey, I’m young, I’m intelligent and I have nothing to lose. My parents supported my decision to take on this new challenge because they knew that I wanted to do this for me.

Every summer I visit Shanghai, China to visit family and to act as a counselor at a summer camp for adopted children. I have been visiting China every summer since I was nine. This summer, I will be in China for one week as a spectator at the 2008 Olympic Games. Then, I will fly straight from Beijing to Mexico to begin my semester abroad. I’ve never flown anywhere alone, I’m deathly scared of large airports and I have a terrible sense of direction.

I have been in New York my entire life and this August, I will be leaving. Although many people from NYU know I will be away next semester, only a handful of people from my hometown in Westchester, New York know of my upcoming plans. To outsiders, I seem brave and courageous. I am “fearless.” But my few close friends from Westchester know the truth.

The truth is that I’m scared! And how could I not be? I will be homesick. I won’t know the language. I will want to shop on Broadway and have a panini sandwich. I won’t participate in post-presidential election mayhem and excitement.

And I will be saddened by it, but I also will have an unparalleled experience. I will taste new foods, indulge in new customs, make new friends and better understand who I am and who I want to be.

So I might not be completely fearless, but I’m trying to fear, less. My fearing less will take me far – farther than checklists and time logs ever will. Because it is when we step away from comfort that we fear less and, rather, live more.

~Selena Shen
seshen@nyu.edu
New York University ‘11
Media, Culture & Communications

Editor’s Note:  Selena will be blogging on nextBLOG twice a month during her fall semester abroad. Check back here regularly to read about her experiences in Mexico!

Fear and I

I admit it: I am not fearless.

I was the girl at the movies who gave a loud scream during the opening credits of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix because the gloomy sound scared me. I often wonder, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t feel fear?” For me, this will mean eliminating my fear of snakes, scary movies and 8 a.m. classes.

And I have been daydreaming about this for a while. Fear and I, we have history. In middle school I was obsessed with reading Fearless, a book series by Francine Pascal known for her Sweet Valley High series.

The book is the story of 17-year-old Gaia Moore, first name pronounced “Guy.” She was born without the fear gene and because of this, didn’t feel fear. Unlike me, she wanted to be found alone at night in Washington Square Park waiting for someone to attack her. Did I mention that she is conveniently trained in all kinds of martial arts? She holds a black belt in kung fu and is trained in judo, jujitsu and karate. She will do a quick round kick to the mouth and leave her assailant running away in tears. Gaia Moore was my fictional heroine.

The Fearless books taught me to see the many possibilities when fear is not an issue. So what has a girl like me done to become fearless? By pretending to be.

I had this internship a couple of semesters ago. I loved it. My initial task was to photocopy, file, print, photocopy, file, alphabetize and photocopy. At first it was all exciting. Let’s just say I smiled and hummed as I stapled a stack of papers. But then after 56 days (I know because I was counting), that smile disappeared. I was annoyed from always photocopying, filing and printing 18 times a day. I jotted somewhere on my planner, “Death to the Photocopying Machine.” While I could have easily spoken to my supervisor, I was afraid she would ignore me or worse, fire me.

One day, with shaky hands and sweaty palms, I approached my internship supervisor. I asked her if she could give me tasks different from filing and photocopying. I told her that after doing it for a month, I was ready for a challenging task.

The next day she gave me research to do – yes, the kind that required me to sit behind a computer.

I got what I wanted, and I was neither gutsy nor bold. In fact, I stammered when I talked to my supervisor. It took me a week practicing in front my bathroom mirror to say what I said, and I even did a mock run with my roommate.

Unlike Gaia I was born with the fear gene and this was the best way for me to go about tackling my fear. I had to take baby steps first, and then proceed to take action. I have been doing this for sometime now and now here is a shocker:  today fear and I, we are two peas in a pod.

~Nancy Sai
Managing Editor, nywiciNEXT
sai3@tcnj.edu
The College of New Jersey ‘09
Journalism and Women Gender Studies

Fearlessness, Secured

Summer: what a word. To a busy college undergraduate it can mean two things on opposite ends of the spectrum: freedom and relaxation, or the stress of trying to find a summer internship. Everyone goes through the latter, but none more so than the determined, motivated and eager women of New York Women in Communications, Inc. What if I told you that I already have internship plans for next summer – that’s right, for summer ’09, and all thanks to the encouragement of the nywiciNEXT blog.

As some of you faithful readers may remember, I interviewed Allison Gollust, Senior Vice President of NBC News Communications, for the March blog update. Back when then nextBLOG editor-in-chief Sammy Davis pitched the story idea of student members interviewing professional members; I knew I had to go for it. She suggested that I surf through the online membership directory accessible at NYWICI.org. As someone looking forward to a career in television broadcasting, I instantly searched the category “Film/TV/Radio” and acronyms like “NBC” caught my attention.

The Senior Vice President of NBC News Communications? Well, here goes a pretty fearless e-mail! I honestly didn’t think I would hear back from her, but I did – and at a mere 20 minutes later.

That fearless e-mail turned into an eager response, a redirection to her assistant for scheduling, and a 15-minute phone interview that not only tested my interviewing skills but which also gave me insight and a connection within my desired field. That connection turned into an amazing relationship, further connections at NBC and an internship that is already secured for a year down the road.

Fearlessness enabled more fearlessness – I can now go through my sophomore year knowing that I am working toward an NBC internship, a dream of a lifetime that will definitely require some audacity and even more fearlessness – and thanks to NYWICI, I’m not scared.

~Marie Dugo
Editor-in-Chief, nywiciNEXT
mariedugo@msn.com
Vassar College ’11
Media Studies

Career Fearlessness

Since the sixth grade, I have set my heart on wanting to be in front of the camera as a broadcast journalist. So when junior year of high school rolled around and I had to seriously consider college options and possible majors, I was faced with taking one of two paths.

My first option was to attend a local college, receive a degree in education and become a teacher. I consider teaching a very honorable profession, but for me, it was the safe path.

My second option was to attend Fordham University as a Communication and Media Studies major to pursue my dream. But going to Fordham would mean taking several risks. I would be living away from home for the first time, staying in the Bronx and chasing a career that may never work out.

As much as I had my heart set on a career in the communications industry, I thought about this option quite a bit. “What if I don’t get the job that I want? What if it’s too hard to break into the New York market? If I go into teaching, surely I’ll find a job.” These thoughts ran through my mind. What my decision came down to was whether or not I was willing to take the necessary risks for what I love.

I thought about the rush I felt speaking in front of my public speaking class as a sophomore. I remember going to sports broadcasting camp, being one of only two girls in a group of 30 guys, and wanting nothing more than to prove that girls can talk sports, too. I proved myself to everyone when my teacher picked me as having the most solid player interview and field reporting. When he also told me I had the potential to go national, I almost cried. Right then and there, I knew I would be making a grave mistake if I didn’t use my talents for what I absolutely love.

I think that anyone who chooses to pursue a career in the communications field demonstrates fearlessness because it is such a daunting, difficult industry to enter.  However, I think that if one truly possesses the necessary talents, believes in their abilities and works diligently, then success is always attainable.

Ultimately, I chose to become part of the Fordham community beginning this fall. I know that I made the right decision. Even though I realize that my career path will be difficult, I have no doubts. I will not take the safe path and that, I think, shows fearlessness.

~Katie Corrado
kmc206@gmail.com
Communication and Media Studies
Fordham University ‘12

Summer of NEXT

Welcome to year two of nextBLOG, the online voice of New York Women in Communication’s student members!

We have been busy this summer, taking the lead as the NEXT generation of women in communications.  We’ve held our dream internships… traveled the world in search of new experiences… volunteered at the Beijing Olympics… written poetry… directed films… discussed politics and the media at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism… enjoyed some laughs from five fabulous comediennes at NBC Studios… networked with inspiring communications professionals over cocktails… the list goes on!

And now, as we head back to school to continue working towards our dreams, we want to share our experiences with you.  So keep an eye on this space for engaging new content coming your way, in the form of poetry, Q&As, personal experiences, videos, podcasts, photo galleries and more.

NYWICI student members, nextBLOG needs your voice! Email your ideas to me at plasket2@tcnj.edu!

Not a member but wish you could contribute to this blog?  Join NYWICI now!

~Kelli Plasket
Editor-in-Chief, nextBLOG
plasket2@tcnj.edu
The College of New Jersey ‘10
Interactive Multimedia and Journalism