My Journey In My Life

The American Revolution did much more than any of our founding fathers had ever imagined, it started a movement that would threaten the very roots of colonialism across the globe. Setting an example of how a David could overcome a Goliath, the United States inspired regions such as Latin America to fight for their rights and liberties as well. One such region that embraced the message was Upper Peru, which would later be known as Bolivia. With some key tipping points that caused the war, the leaders of the soon to be formed nation rallied its troops and won several major battles, but even they couldn’t prevent the tough times that lay in the early years of the nation. From the year 1809, Upper Peru was engaged in a

The concept of interest groups has become mainstream as a result of their salience in the political world. The work and reputation of bodies such as the National Rifle Association permeate media coverage. Interest groups are powerful, connected, and motivated organizations of people with a specific goal driving their political actions. They often lobby to pass bills that have their interests at heart and mobilize members to advocate for community action that the group supports. What may not be as well-known to the public is the notion of interest politics, the energizing force behind interest groups and other similar, less formal organizations. It is through the work of interest politics that people can organize to advocate for their interests, which can have complex consequences. However, the application of interest politics need not always be strictly politically oriented. And while the group may achieve a collective goal, others may be alienated or otherwise set aside as a result. This consequence may be overlooked in the unerring pursuit of one’s own objectives. In this paper, I will argue that interest politics are the mechanisms by which actors define or create deviance and enforce power. In doing so, I will discuss the interconnected nature of deviance, power, and interest politics, as well as define and analyze moral entrepreneurs, and finish with an investigation into the social control enacted by interest politics.

Before I was born, my parents went to Bryce Canyon on a vacation. They decided that they really liked the name Bryce. And so, on September 3rd, 2002, Ryan and I were born in the Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan. My parents had only wanted three kids, but they ended up with five. First, they had one kid, my sister Sierra, who is now 17 years old, and almost 18. Then my parents wanted another kid, and ended up with twins, my brother Nate and my other sister Autumn. My mom and dad decided that they could handle one more kid, but they got another set of twins, my brother Ryan and me. And so, Sierra, Autumn, Nate, Ryan, and I made up the 5 chaotic kids in the Brown family. My parents named me after Bryce

My personal path which has led me to becoming a certified teacher is anything but conventional. I have adorned numerous hats throughout my life. I have been a student; a business owner; a wife; a mother and most recently a substitute teacher. Throughout the various stages of my life thus far, one very prominent aspect has always been present. I have this overwhelming innate desire for learning and helping others. My educational path has been bombarded with numerous obstacles and road blocks over the past two decades. Through perseverance, and pure stubbornness, I completed my bachelor’s degree in December of 2014. It wasn’t in a specific specialty field of my dreams. In fact, it was a B.S. in General Studies. This degree allowed three minors of Business, Sociology and Family and Consumer Science. This degree, although labeled “General”, was anything but that. This accomplishment was spectacular, and above all, it was all mine. Soon after graduating, I quickly became overwhelmed with the repeated question of, “What are you going to do now?” “Hmm…let’s see. I don’t really know yet.” This would also be my repeated response.

I was shocked. I had never experienced something this horrific. I began to think that our life as a family would be over, due to the stress, heartbreak, and sadness our family would go through in the years to come. I went online and searched spinal defect and regretfully clicked on the images, I began to ball in the waiting room. I ran straight passed my dad and went to the restroom. I stood there looking at myself in the mirror for a while. I than began to think about how my mom would feel in this situation if I was crying she must have wanted to die. I jolted out the restroom and asked my dad what room my mom was in. He told me and I began to run towards the room, many of the nurses told me to stop running, but I ignored all of them. While

As I crouch, hardly breathing, in a barrel much too small for me to be in, I wonder how on earth I got into this mess. The ancient ship creaks and rocks as a sinking feeling grows in my stomach. It was a dare by my so-called friends for me to sneak onto the museum attraction on the last day it was in town, simply to “have a little fun” and to see where the museum kept the huge boat. I was all for it – I needed some adventure in my life. Unfortunately, I seem to have stumbled on something a little bigger than a display.

As a very small child I don’t remember too much, but the things that I do remember were seen through a child’s eyes that has made me the person that I am today and I will always have those memory’s with me until my last breath on this earth. In this essay I intend to show how my childhood and adult life to this point has influenced my life, my journey. By utilizing the adult development theories from this class I also intend on showing how they relate to my Life experiences and where I am today as an Adult student.

My journey has been in many ways an attempt at finding myself and my place in life. Immediately after graduating High School I joined the National Guard. Partially because I felt compelled to do what I could after 9/11, but also because I had no direction in career or life. Truthfully, I just wanted to get as far away from my normal every day as possible.

When a child is born, its family raises it in hope for him to become successful. Inevitably time remains slow, yet it is constant. Thanks be to God that we wake up every morning knowing that we can rely on its consistency to creep on us as children grow older. A mother’s dream, with three children, is for the last child to live happily and a father’s is for his children to be cautious of the threats the world has within. But as a result of the values and characteristic that the child has developed, he chose his own path in life. He chose to become a pilot. When he reached high school, he learned that the best way to earn your career is to obtain a degree that certifies you in your profession. That is when he decided to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. There he wants to major in Aeronautical Science and someday earn his way to his own 747.

My childhood was a happy one, for a moment at least. The first seven years of my life had gone by in a flash living in Bear, Delaware. I don’t know if I had so much fun that somehow, I transported myself into the future. The next thing I knew my family along with the new addition of my younger brother Ethan was moving to Powder Springs, Georgia. This tendency to stop and look at my existence at specific points in my life continued through 6th grade with the family moving again to Dallas, Georgia. Fast forward a few years after 8th grade my family and I moved for the last time to West Chester, Pennsylvania. I have moved a lot and it caused a lot of stress and uncertainty but I don’t regret it for a second, because from this constantly winding journey I learned one important lesson. There are challenges and obstacles everywhere you go but your reaction to the situation will decide how successful you will be in life.

My life started in a town called Troy in northern Ohio, on January the 30th in the year 1999 I was born in Miami Valley hospital. Having lived in Ohio for four years my parents decided that they are going to take a leap of faith and move down south to Oxford North Carolina. This decision changed a lot of things around in my life, no longer could we pile into the car and go to grandma’s house, or drive to a Walmart that was less than 5 miles away. We now lived in the “country” where everybody knows everyone and secrets spread faster than a wild fire. Growing up school was never a real challenge for me, I began elementary school at Stovall Shaw Elementary in Stovall North Carolina. Thankfully classes for me were never too challenging I was always able to do more than just get by. During my second grade year I met the teacher that not only taught me the course content, but also gave me life and moral lessons that every young child should be told. Mrs. Lyons or as I like to call her “MeMa”, played a significant role in the person I am today. I’ll never forget the day we were in class working on some math equations, and the way our class was set up there were two different sections of class. One for more advanced students and another for students who maybe needed a little more help. So, with that being said she put two different math equations on the board one more difficult than the other to account for the more advanced children in the class. I subconsciously begin to work on

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanishes away.” James chapter 4 and verse 14. One of my favorite bible verses. Life is short, really short, and so many people take it for granted, I know I use to. Think of life like a puzzle, as you grow up, you keep adding pieces that make up who you are. When I got the question “What Am I Becoming?” I honestly had so much to write about but no idea how to write it. I know what I want to be but who I am becoming is the real question. So let me start at the very beginning.

Sitting down on the porch with my Honduran coffee in hand, waves of nostalgia washed over me. Staring into my coffee, flashbacks ran through my head. The old, yellow school bus rocked back and forth over the worn, dirt path on its way to the orphanage that would be my home for the next week. The scolding Central American sun beat down on the bus as I began to question why I chose to spend my service requirement here. I tried to imagine the following week which would be internet-less, family-less, and aircondition-less. After a two-hour bus ride, my team of 20 people and I arrived at Orphanage Emmanuel. Orientation and assignments filled the following hours until we all climbed onto our plastic mattresses and attempted to get some sleep.

All I could think of sitting at my desk at work was about the conversation me and my husband had the night before. I sat there staring at my computer screen wondering if it was the right thing to do, or was I just wasting my time on a hope long forgotten. The hours slowly ticked by, and everything I was working on with my customers and their loans were a blur. I couldn’t get that thought out of my head. It was eating away at me. This is something that I have wanted for a long time. I put it on hold for so long because I wanted to be the best wife and mother I could be. That’s just the thing though I thought. My wants, dreams, ambitions had all gone on hold for 10 years. Always there to support everyone else with theirs and never going

Who am I? What do I tell people when I am asked this question? Do I even know the answer? It has taken many years for me to be able to answer this question. All of my life experiences have led me to the road I am on today, and I would never give them back.