Blog Entry #3

     For my project, I am volunteering at the BLC and holding a drive for needed items. This volunteering includes organizing and donating books for their library, organizing their supplies for the students, creating manuals for social networking sites, and securing donated guitars. With this, I will understand how an non-profit, immigrant education organization works (i.e. history, implementation, and running).

     I will know when the first part of my project is complete after I have completed the 10 hours with my mentor over Christmas Break. These hours will include organizing the library, organizing supplies, and creating manuals. The remainder of my project will be completed after I have tried good and hard to secure at least one donated guitar, and I have conducted a drive for the BLC needs. All of this will be completed by January 27. For my speech in the Spring, I will present the knowledge I learned in the areas of immigrant education (specifically Spanish-English) and non profit organizations. I will be able to show the panel pictures of my volunteering examples as well as the end product of my drive.

     My research paper, on the DREAM Act, and my hands-on project connect because they are both focused around immigrant education. Both the DREAM Act and the BLC work towards creating educational opportunities for immigrants so that they can participate as much as possible in the United States. Through these two subjects, that participation is made possible through education. The DREAM Act secures specific undocumented immigrants' access to postsecondary education, while the BLC offers language, GED, Naturalization, computer, and guitar classes to the immigrant workers of the Kentucky horse industry. 

      I am always driven by the social injustice that comes with the subject immigrant education, because I more than not relate it to the undocumented population's access to higher education. Secondly, I think about the discrimination and hardships these immigrants go through to get to our America. All of these emotions of frustration, anger, confusion, and sadness drive me to act proactivly and positively. Okay, I am aware of these injustices and problems, I am passionate about them, so I'm going to do something about it. Knowing that I can do my senior project on something I am newly passionate about, and that I will be helping people along the way, completely excites me and makes me very  happy. Each meeting with Maggie I become more and more eager to start my hours.