Making the Most of the Internship

1. Enjoy Yourself
• Having fun while working and learning is the most important to me because I will not only have a great experience; I will have a memorable one. If I engage with the task at hand, my performance will give a good impression towards my boss. I will just need to make sure I don't have too much fun. 
2. Tackle all Tasks with Enthusiasm and a Positive Attitude
• I will need to complete work with enthusiasm. This will make time fly by and will not seem like a drag.
3. Avoid Negativity
• I won't come with a negative attitude. It's just unnecessary.
4. Take Initiative
• I need to take initiative and show my purpose and value to the company.
  
5. Set Personal Goals
• Setting goals for myself will help me stay focused. It will help me gauge what I am doing and make sure that I am accomplishing what I want to accomplish.
  
6. Leave with Tangible Accomplishments
• I want to be able to obtain tangible results that I can put on my resume. This can help me in the future with my career.
7. Network, Network, Network
• In addition, networking will also help me find my next steps towards my career. People can be great sources for advice and tips on how to move on up.
8. Have Regular Meetings with your Supervisor(s)
•  Having regular meetings will help me improve my growth areas and strengthen my skills. I can receive feedback from the Supervisor on my work performance.
  
9. Find a Mentor
• A mentor will guide me through my internship. Having a mentor will help me meet new people and stay on task.
10. Don't be Afraid to Ask Questions
• I, at times, can be very quiet yet curious. I need to step out of my comfort zone, talk to those with experience, and seek advice so that I may complete activities to the company's standard. 
11. Get as Much Exposure as Possible
• When possible, I hope to be exposed to the company as much as possible. I want to learn as much as I can about the work done at the company.
12. Never Shun a Chance to Learn More About the Company/Industry
• Last but not least, I hope to take any opportunities given to me. I will need to find the time to learn more about the company. There will be many opportunities to to learn from such as meetings, events, workshops, etc., and I will need to dedicate some time so that I can leave my boss with an impression that I am assiduous.

Partnership for a Safe and Health Pacifica

During my high school career, I completed 250+ hours of community service. I volunteered many of those hours working for the Partnership for a Safe and Health Pacifica (Pacifica Partnership). I first started working with Pacifica Partnership in September of 2007. As of May 2012, I continued to volunteer my time again to complete Year Up’s 10 hour requirement; however, I plan on completing more than that amount. I dedicate my time to this coalition and act as a team leader, assisting the director in coordinating activities and workshops that advocate for the safety of teens in Pacifica. The mission of the coalition is “to help mobilize the community to affect change and reduce substance use.”

At Pacifica Partnership, I worked assiduously to move the group forward. I did whatever I can to help with the progress of our work. I participate in discussions where a lot of planning and scheduling is involved. Everyone shares their thoughts on how we can reach our goals. I participated in weekly meetings and many community-wide prevention activities. I illustrated my high school’s School Wide Outcomes in my participation in the group and improved upon the skills as weeks went on. All the activities helped me develop as a leader and as a person. Participation in the activities showed me how important trust and cooperative work is in any situation. T-MAC allowed me to gain and develop the traits necessary to be an asset in any group. In doing those many tasks, I gained many skills. It behooved me to give presentations and interact with people because it helped me improve on my oral communication skills which have been a growth area for me for a long time.

Freakonomics

Freakonomics is a non-fiction book by authors StephenDubner and Steven Levitt. Freakonomics, as the cover shows, shows the hidden side of everything. Cover subjects such as cheating, information central, economics, parenting, and more. I would only recommend it to somebody if they are interested in looking at different point of views of those many topics. The book is written in an essay type format and contains a lot of information, facts, and statistics to prove their point. The book's main idea is to explore the hidden cause of social problems. However, each chapter has its own topic. The information jumps around a lot, even within the chapter. It can get really confusing and can cause the reader to stray away from the book. In addition, some topics can be really exciting, and some can be very boring. Depending on the type of reader you are, this also can cause the reader to lose interest in the reading.

An Odd Future?

Odd Future's photo editing app #CatWang.

In the article “Young, Gifted and Outrageous: Can Odd Future Survive Popularity?” by Jon Carmanica, the author questions the unlikely hip-hop success story of the group Odd Future. Carmanica first states the group’s leader Tyler, the Creator’s brand of shock rap contains extreme subject matter; he also states that the group’s albums are grotesque, vile, and darkly comical (Carmanica 2010). The author questions if the group’s success will continue with their juvenile and provocative content.

            In past years, I have seen the rise of Odd Future and their mixtapes and videos all over Tumblr. I paid little attention to the posts; however, I remember listening to some songs and watching some videos, and I thought, “is this a joke?” Although I caught myself nodding to the beat, I listened to the lyrics and was appalled by the violent, misogynistic messages. It had to be a joke, but now, I see that it was quite serious. The group managed to gain many fans, radio-play, video views, and even record sales.

Seeing this happen, I wonder how their music has affected their listeners. Even though this article is not directly related to my essay topic of degraded women in Hip-Hop, it is still relevant to the fact that Odd Future’s provocative lyrics is full of misogyny. It sparks controversy and can cause hatred and degradation of women. I think society will take action to limit the horrible messages unless the group changes. In the article, a radio show host said that he couldn’t see them having a radio or video hit without them changing their style (Carmanica 2010). Nonetheless, Odd Future has not changed their style and still has had radio/video hits till this day. Odd Future’s success shows no signs of stopping with their cartoon show, mobile app, guest appearances, and concerts.

Young, Gifted and Outrageous: Can Odd Future Survive Popularity? By Jon Carmanica: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/13/arts/music/13odd.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

(Funny Fact: While writing this post, I was listening to an instrumental by Odd Future).

Permanent Stigma?

Although some people see body art as a sign of expression, tattoos have always had a negative connotation and are taboo to many people. Tattoos are usually associated with crime, violence, promiscuity, and more. I got my first tattoo at the age of 15 and added to it from time to time. Friends and some family were surprised when they found out that I have gotten one. Even here at Year Up, most of my colleagues were surprised as well. People would associate me with being an innocent little boy and not with crime and violence. The foundation of this stigma began due to the majority of the people getting tattoos. These people were/are either in tribal groups or street gangs from all over the world. Members of tribes were looked at as uncivilized savages, and people affiliated with street gang were looked at as unruly criminals. This outlook was passed onto generation to generation and continues today. Even though tattoos have become much more popular and more accepted in recent years, it is still looked at as unprofessional and unethical in some cultures. For example, in the professional work environment, companies have their employees cover up their tattoos as much as possible because of the social stigma. Society judges others by their appearance, and if a lot of tattoos are visible, they will think that the person is not professional and immoral. The acceptance of tattoos has been rising in past years; however, the social stigma against tattoos still exists and affects many people’s judgment.

I Pledge...

I,  Brandon Santamaria-Guilles, pledge to work harder and harder throughout the duration of Year Up. I will strive to enhance my work performance and improve my professional skills. To do this, I will practice what I learn from Year Up outside of program and behave properly and  professionally.

I pledge to not procrastinate. I will manage my time more appropriately, giving myself a perfect amount of time to do all assignments with a minimal stress level.

 I pledge to graduate from Year Up. I will continue to work hard, stay focused, be prepared, and remain positive throughout the program. I will be using my time wisely and using many resources around me. I also will strive to stay infraction free and to have perfect attendance.  

The Sunset District (1993-2004)

From the time I was born to my 6th grade year in2004, I lived in the Sunset District. From what I have seen, the SunsetDistrict is predominantly Caucasian (mostly of Irish descent) & Asian (mainlyof Chinese descent). I also attended a pre-school where most of the studentswere Chinese. I then attended K-8th grade at St. Gabriel School which did haveother students of different ethnic backgrounds such as Filipinos,African-Americans, Latinos, Arabians, and more. However, most of the students inmy class and in the whole school were either Irish or Chinese with a growingnumber of Filipinos. The people I grew up around were allbenevolent, diligent, accepting, and open-minded. The people around mewere the main factors in my upbringing. My family, classmates, and schoolstaff members were the biggest influence in my life. I saw life as easybecause of the simplistic life I thought I had.

I am who I am because of the neighborhood I livedin. Moving out of the Sunset District made a huge impact in my life. I was notaware of the privileges I had and was not aware of the difficulties andstruggles happening outside of my neighborhood. Being able to live in Sunsetbefore, I now appreciate the little things a lot more than I did as child.Seeing my grandparents and parents working hard every day inspires me to do thesame for my future children. Today, I work diligently to make my family proudand to show everyone what I have to offer through hard work. Also, I see livingin the Sunset District a lot safer compared to where I live now. My family andstaff at St. Gabriel always showed concern and care for the youth in our community.They kept us safe, protected us, and kept us away from detrimental activities. Thismade me a youth advocate, wanting a safer, healthier, and brighter future for theyounger generation. In high school, I was a youth leader in partnershipsdealing with teenage alcohol/drug abuse, pushing for a better future forteenagers. Leaving the Sunset District made me more appreciative, grateful,and made me who I am today.

Quote #4

"If you want to get to the next level, you have to perform at the next level."
-Roxane Herrera (3/30/12)

Quote #3

"You are never too young to make an impact"
-Roxane Herrera (3/30/12)

Quote #2

"Your fears are holding you back"

-Chi Chi (3/29/12)

MindBlown Articles

Check out and support my clothing line MindBlownArticles!


I wanted to share this with you all because it is another way, for me, to work hard and have fun.

Also, having a clothing line tests my creativity and networking skills. It challenges me to talk to people which I am normally not so comfortable with; However, that challenge has been accepted. I've landed many great opportunities just by networking. Dancers, rappers, and music video directors are a few of the people I've connected with. I'm hoping to expand my network and promote my clothing line to those I will meet in the future.

BC Blog Post: Advertising

Advertisements are ubiquitous and come in many different forms. Radio ads, television commercials, online image ads, and billboards are different methods consumers will come across everyday. Ads will either appeal to the consumer or will repel the consumer for many reasons.

Advertisements that appeal to me vary. Honestly, advertisements with pretty women tend to catch my attention. Although the message isn't understood right away, the tactic of having an attractive person catches the attention of consumers including myself. Scare tactics and shock factors grab the attention of consumers like me. A shocking fact opens the consumers' eyes and makes them listen to the message being sent by the company. Whether it deals with sick animals, drug/alcohol prevention, or international tragedies, the consumer will hear the message being portrayed and may act on the advertisement by donating money or spreading awareness. Other ads that catch my attention are ones with well-produced music, high-quality pictures/videos, and/or an interesting product or message.

The only advertisements that do not catch my attention are info-mercials. Info-mercials are usually very plain and bland. The spokesman or spokeswoman might even have a rather odd voice that does not appeal to me. Also, most of the info-mercials all look the same and generic. I tend to change the channel or walk away when a info-mercial is on the television screen.

With the many forms of advertisements, there are the many opinions about them.

OHS Last Rally c/o 2011

Last Rally Senior Year. Skip to 1:17 to see me and my friends dance at the last rally of our high school career. May 2011. Choreographed (Guys) by Brandon, Lyle, Delano, & Sheridon. Music Mixed by Brandon.

I thought I'd share this with my fellow colleagues because for a few reasons.

1. I have been learning to step outside of my comfort zone by speaking and performing in front of a huge crowd. This dance was performed in front of all the students and staff at Oceana High School. Although my school isn't the biggest high school, it was a big step in my goal to be more comfortable in a large crowd. 
2. I am not a dancer; however, I will perform just for the fun of it. Performing with some friends was very fun, and I was ecstatic. Being comfortable with my friends around me, I was able to have fun and show confidence in my dance.
3. Although this was not my first rally dance for my class, it was the dance I put more work into and had the most fun with. Simply put, it represents the core value "Work hard and have fun." 

Whether it be learning in a classroom or performing at an event, just try your best and have fun with.

*I also hope to perform at the Year Up Talent Show this May.

Quote #1

"Your setbacks will prepare you for your comebacks"
-Bret Sweet (Guest Speaker 3/23/12)

Introduction

 Hello, all! My name is Brandon Santamaria-Guilles, and I am new to blogspot.

With this blog, I plan to show my progress during my time here at Year Up. I will frequently update this blog with activities and events at Year Up. My goal is to show how to stay focused and on task during this program. This will help me, my fellow colleagues, and future Year Up students. One of my goals is to limit the number of infractions I earn. Moreover, I want to share some helpful tips on how to avoid earning infractions for my fellow colleagues and future students. To do this, I will update my blog often, posting quotes, tips, and instructions to guide students to be successful in the professional world.

A personal goal of mine during the Learning & Development phase is to get familiar and comfortable with technology. I have been paying attention and staying focused in class and I will continue to do so. However, I have been struggling to take in all of the information. It is a lot of complicated material, and I have been trying my best to learn it all. Along with the IT class is the Business Communications class. I struggle with reading and engaging myself with it. Although the readings are short, I still have a hard time to find it interesting. I have been managing my time wisely to give myself an adequate amount of time to complete my homework.


I will continue to record my time here at Year Up to benefit myself and others to guide them through the program.