2015 Scholarship Winners Prepare for Paris

Within 24 hours, Jessica Hardy and Rebeca Veliz will be in route to Paris. After three months of preparation classes, Context walks research, variety of readings and films, these two girls are ready to land in the City of Light.  Although it is challenging to write about a city that you have yet to see in person, each student wrote a pre-trip blog. Thanks to Dr. Jessie Voigt for working behind the scenes to assist students with their blogs. 

Check out Jessica's post, titled, From Cardboard Box to Notre Dame Cathedral

Wikimedia Commons: By Freepenguin

It is so funny how over time we grow and our minds tend to change. However, there are some passions that never leave our heads, those reoccurring dreams that we want so much to be a reality.

When I was about ten years old, I took the liberty to go through my mother’s mail. Upon finding an architectural magazine, I began to look through it… and every single house plan and style seemed to catch my attention. Some I fell in love with, some I hated. As a ten year old, I began to have an opinion about the world of architecture.

To read more, see Jessica's blog post, click link below.  Featured on Wandering Educators

 http://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/stories/cardboard-box-notre-dame-cathedral.html

Check out Rebeca's post, titled, Monet to Banksy: From Impressionist to Street Art

Auguste Renoir - Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, 1876, oil on canvas, 131x175cm - Musée d'Orsay RF 2739 (derivative work - AutoContrast edit in LCH space). Wikimedia Commons

Cafés in Paris, France in the 19th century served as a place where individuals gathered to talk about painting, literature, and politics. In the corner of a Café, a group of young artists (who later became known as Impressionists) shared their dreams and aspirations in the art world. Their dreams included becoming professional artists, with their art works being accepted and displayed in the Salon, however they faced rejection from the art community. Many Impressionist artists, like Renoir and Monet, didn't go to traditional schools of painting - they went to studios that artists opened for young artist to use. Despite their rejections at the Salon, they didn't give up - and now their artwork is displayed in famous museums in Paris and around the world. Their ambition and grit helped them achieve success. The Musee d'Orsay is one of the museums that displays Impressionist works.

To read more, see Rebeca's blog post, click link below.  Featured on Wandering Educators

http://www.wanderingeducators.com/monet-banksy-impressionists-street-art.html

Enhancing Qualities

        Starting this scholarship to Paris my ultimate goal was to grow in a few qualities before going to college. The three things I wanted to grow in was socially, intellectually, and to become more passionate. One thing I can say was that I've grown socially learning to talk to people and have an actual conversation without knowing them. As it was a competition, it felt nothing like one if anything I felt comfortable with all the others that were competing. I also expanded greatly my knowledge on the culture of Parisians. I have became more into interested in the art of architecture and paintings. learning to see the artist personality through their art seeing that they all had something distinct about them all which helped me come to appreciate them more. This helped me with becoming more passionate. I learned once you learn more about something the more interesting it becomes. I even learned things about myself competing in this scholarship. I feel as if this opportunity given helped me become more street smart. learning what popos are and knowing why the buildings in San Francisco are small or tall as they are. Then, with writing these blogs was nice because it helped us find a lot of information out on our own on something that we found interesting at the Paris seminars. It has even helped me with my writing skills, before this process I would be afraid to ever try to write a paper in two days. It has become increasingly easier to writ which is one thing I am most proud of being that in college I will have many writing assignments to do. That is where I feel I have enhanced intellectually. This competition for the scholarship to go to Paris was a great learning experience for me. I am proud of myself for going all the way through with it, it feels great that I actually did this scholarship and did not let my negative thinking or anyone else talk me out of it. I'm grateful to have slightly expanded in the qualities of becoming more passionate, intellectual, and social.

                                                                                        -Dazhawna Miller

Fin

             I am very thankful for this experience. Each seminar depend my love and curiosity for different cultures. Through every seminar and after every blog I was happy because I gained more knowledge about another world.  The French culture showed that the arts and culture can be powerful influences internationally. I am happy with the knowledge I have gained because I know there is more to France

than what I’ve seen and I am excited about that. Every culture has some extraordinary asset and I want to acknowledge their gifts. This application was totally worth it because it challenged my ambition and increased my knowledge about outside worlds.

            Since the first blog I have grown tremendously and I thank the TYTT Scholarship for the application process. Writing several blogs have increased my exposer to the type of career I’d like to pursue, which is journalism. This application process challenged me because I had to write a blog and submit it at specific time. The time deadline has hinted what a journalist would have to go through. I will
have to face more deadlines as a journalist because stories will have to be published. Therefore I am honored to have experience the TYTT Scholarship because it is preparing me for my future.

             After every seminar I grew with a deeper passion to learn about different cultures. Learning about the French history, art, langue, and architecture enlighten me by realizing there was much more to my world. From the seminars I learned the French had to experience multiple revolutions to gain true independence. In the arts Picasso and Matisse were well known and created cubism and abstract paintings.  When speaking French one has to consider the gender and status of a person when being

addressed. In addition to the langue and culture French architecture was another form of art. The gothic cathedrals and the extravagant castles showed the exaggerated the importance of the build and its purpose.  Also I became intrigued and eager to learn more about other worlds because every culture has their own beauty and I need to experience all of them. The French seminars are only a tip to the ice burg of beautiful cultures I will encounter.

            I am very thankful for this experience. My love and curiosity for different cultures has increased and I am ready to learn more about all cultures. Each seminar and blog has increased the fuel to my burning passion for learning.  From the cathedrals to jazz I grew as I increased my knowledge about the French culture. I am delighted with the knowledge I have gained because I know there is more to France and I will gain the full experience one day in life. In conclusion I am very blessed and thankful for this opportunity and I will continue to learn and experience more cultures because every world has a beauty within them. Applying was worth it  challenged and inspired me to study more about different cultures. Thank you for this opportunity.

Las

La'Shay Hankerson

A Puzzle of a Journey




Union Square IN San Francisco, California

Wikimedia Commons: Benson Kua

Yesterday, I sat in a room with 3,000 other individuals; and while this seems like an extremely claustrophobic situation, I assure you that we were all seated quite comfortably – some in the floor seating, some in the balcony. As the various notes and tones of Yo-Yo Ma soared through the auditorium and sauntered through my ears, I began to think: how did I get here? The obvious answer is that I had been driven through downtown Sacramento, dropped off in front of the Memorial Auditorium, and given a balcony ticket; but, I am not talking about that am I? My memories brought me back to the day that had submitted my application for the Context Travel scholarship. I knew what I was looking for – an opportunity to delve into a foreign culture and increase my knowledge of the world around me – or so I thought. However, this process has taught me a subtle lesson – don’t judge a book by its cover! Paris is known as the city of lights, and to me it was the brewing grounds for the notorious French Revolution as well as a world-renown pompous cuisine. However, hours of research highlighted more subtle and back-alley events, such as the building of a mock Paris during World War I.

 



Chinatown

Wikimedia Commons: Toffel (own work)

Slowly, I began to learn that there were more jewels, such as art and opera, hidden under the rugged surface of Parisian history. In addition, traveling to San Francisco allowed me to experience the city at a more personal level. Sure, I was traveling with a group; but at the same time I found myself alone and entranced, as each sight presented its garments of brick, wood, marble, and Shanghai collectables. Strolling through San Francisco’s Little Italy, Chinatown, and Vietnamese corridors and standing in the city’s Catholic cathedral and Union square showed me that I had only viewed San Francisco as an everyday city, something it was not. This reality check has helped me to assess my actions in my personal life. I quickly found that I had been criticizing my circumstances based on a general stereotype rather than looking for the positive aspects. Wow! Now, I found myself under the voice of the great Yo-Yo Ma, the last piece to this puzzle-of-a-journey. He believes that the secret to all of his musical fame and acclamation is the fact that he “found the code” within his music. In other words, Ma went directly past the technicality of the musical piece to access the emotion and the “words” behind it. In my everyday life, that means purposely looking for the positive in my circumstances; for only then, as Yo-Yo puts it, will “I find meaning.”

Panorama of San Francisco

Wikimedia Commons: JohanSonn (own work)

Unforgettable Experience

This experience has allowed me to grow personally throughout the process. I have become a little more adventurous with the little things in life that describes me. I now try foods that I have never eaten, hoping that I will enjoy the taste. What made me do this now was because of the French grilled cheese I ate at La Boulance, which had peasant bread, cheddar, and provolone. I enjoyed the sandwich, even though I have never had provolone or peasant bread, but I surprisingly enjoyed it regardless.

Now whenever I hear about the different types of French artists, such as Monet, Manet, Picasso, Gertrude, and so on; I suddenly remember the seminars and tell the people around me or the person who mentioned the artist about the seminars I went to. One time, this substitute for my advanced engineering class talked about how the flying buttresses of the Notre Dame Cathedral and asked if any of the students knew about it. I immediately remembered about what I learned from the history seminar and mentioned that I knew about the buttresses and where I learned them from, I was glad at the fact that I remembered the parts of the cathedral from the seminar.

The French language seminar also helped me grow personally, while I was taking the SAT last Saturday and McClatchy, my testing room was in a French class. It was such ironic because of the familiar French words I saw around the room that I learned in the seminar. This made me remember of all of the words and sentences I learned with Ms. Bowie. Every time I had a mini-break from my test, I would continuously look around the room and see all of the French words, and I’ve asked myself, “Maybe I should look into learning French, since it’s similar to Spanish in a way.”

The competition for the wonderful trip to Paris has molded my mind with all of the things I learned in the seminars and the San Francisco trip. I have grown in my own ways personally and hope to use this knowledge in the future to help me in college. I enjoyed participating in this competition and learning about French culture and wish good luck to everyone. J

The Eiffle tower got me here.



"Eiffel Tower Paris 01" by Waithamai - Own work.Wikimedia Commons 

 

For many years I have developed an obsession towards the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. However, I came into TYTT with no actual knowledge about the french culture or lifestyle. Throughout the past few months I have been exposed to amazing things that have taught me not only about france but also have shaped my aspirations of going to college, specifically to a college that will challenge me to get out my comfort zone. I came in with confidence at the beginning because I felt like I was prepared. However, I was not. Some of the seminars, like language were challenging because I felt like I was exaggerating on my pronunciations or not good enough to get it right. I realized that I needed to explore this world before going in. So I dedicated myself to learning as much as I could. Its amazing that in a few months I have gain so much from TYTT. Besides the struggles I learned to stand up for myself against my cultural norms. My parents have taught me to work hard to get what I desire in life, however ironically they complain that I do too many things at school like clubs. I understand that they want the best for me and they advise me to focus completely on my grades but, the extracurricular activities that I do keep me going and helps me expand my knowledge and skills. I love to learn and TYTT has given me more to put on my plate but I enjoy it and that is what keeps me motivated towards success.  

The trip to San Francisco with TYTT applicants and Rick Evans inspired me to expand and travel beyond my initial aspirations. San Francisco was a great experience that challenged me to think outside the box, outside my community and to move away from my expectations. I gained so much from this trip about the architecture of San Francisco that I want to take my family and show they everything I learned. It was a true honor to be part of the walk in San Francisco with amazing people. Just like San Francisco I want to leave my heart not only in Pairs, France but all around the world.

  

"Love locks (12621739954)" by Miguel Mendez from Malahide, Ireland

 

Looking back today, to before I applied for this TYTT scholarship I became a fan of Paris just by seeing it through photographs and descriptions, it is hard to believe that that idea of visiting Paris and seeing the Eiffel tower for the first time has grown from a desire to a reality where I am working towards to. Regardless whether I am chosen or not for this scholarship its is something that I am looking forward to and TYTT has build that dream inside me, telling me that anything is possible. I have grown out of my shy shell throughout my high school years but context travel has motivated me to become an intellectual person like Rick Evans. Coming from a Hispanic Background in a household that is close knitted, it is sometimes hard to explore the world. At least for me, as the only and oldest girl, its been difficult to venture out into the world. I want to exceed the expectation that society has set for me: to finish high school and build a family at a young age. Its hard to oppose these pressures but I want to grow and not be another number, another statistic. I want to be successful and do what I like to do and that means continuing to learn and explore the world so that one day someone can admire me as I admire the people I’ve met through context travel.  

-Rebeca Vargas

Personal Grown : optimism

My last post… I have personally grown during this process by pushing myself out of my comfort zone and going after what I want, and learning how to be optimistic in the situations that I encounter.

Now pushing myself out of my comfort zone was like leading a horse to water, you lead them to it, however, you can not make the horse drink the water. By that I mean having the mental courage to push myself out my comfort zone to do something Bold, at the time it  was an abstract idea. See Shannon L. Alder once said, “Fear is the glue that keeps you stuck. Faith is the solvent that sets you free.” So once I realized that the opportunity of going to Paris might slip through my grasps, I had a short flashback to the bullied days of my life and I had a split second to decide the course of my life… A heartbeat later I chased down that opportunity and I have been devoted ever since. Before every blog post I brainstorm and I stay up all night to rewrite and double check my work.

Optimistic(ism) is when a person disposed to take a favorable view of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome. In my own words this means to always see the bright side in every sticky situation. Winston L. Churchill greatly said, “ A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” I looked this quote up a few months back and now it applies to me, through this process I had to learn how to see the opportunity in every obstacles that I face. Instead of running  or standing there stuck I had to take a few steps back and look at the situation and turn them into opportunities.

In conclusion I really enjoyed the trips and classes we took and yes I have personally grown with maturity and so much more during this process. Having the courage to push myself to do something bold and learning how to be optimistic about the situations I will encounter, will not only better myself as a person but better myself in and for my future.

--- Seta Ates