Stand with this voice, Sing with it too

 

I am the voice of those whose worlds are bleak,
Those whom society considers weak.
I am the voice of those who are pushed in the halls,
Those whom are jammed against the walls.
I am the voice of those who gets picked on night and day,
Sometimes, we just want it all to go away.
“Why us?” we think, as we are laughed at,
“Why us?” we wonder, when we are treated as someone’s doormat.
I am their voice,
The single strong one amongst the feeble noise.
I am the voice who stands up for those,
Who don’t even look past their nose.
I am the voice who wants confidence to fill in,
Every dark and dingy room and bin.
I am the voice who wants righteousness to never be delayed,
The voice who turns all lemons into lemonade.
“Why not?” I think, as I stare up into the sky,
“Why not?” I wonder, our spirits can soar high.
I am the voice of those 3.2 million and counting,
Who swim in a pool of insults – no wait, they’re drowning.
Together, let’s burst this gloom balloon encasing our world,
And let the flag of freedom be unfurled.
Stand with this voice, sing with it too,
End the bullying, let’s undo.
Stand with this voice, sing with it too,
End the torment, teasing, torture that innocents suffer through.
Stand with this voice, sing with it too,
There’s enough room for everyone to shine through.
Stand with this voice, sing with it too.

Girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths)

It's a typical Saturday and you are out shopping for new clothes and enter the girls section. After your eyes get used to all the hot pink, flowers, and hearts, you begin to read what's on the T-shirts, and it's something along the lines of: "I'm too pretty to do homework." Who says girls can't succeed in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, or education at that? Did we just forget all the fabulous females that excelled in these areas? Where did all this stereotyping come from?

 

Well, the University of Chicago sheds some light on this. Mr. Forbes is trying to understand how stereotype threat impacts women, why they leave STEM fields, and how that trend can be reversed. Stereotype threat happens because our society tends to reinforce stereotypes, such as “women and girls are not good at math.” For many females, they encounter this stereotype in the world and often reflect upon it during stressful, anxiety-ridden situations, like when taking a test, something that might happen to you. These can become a detriment to their performance, inadvertently reinforcing for a woman that she, like other women, is not good at math, for example. Mr. Forbes recommends girls to get interested in STEM programs and learn as much as possible in their STEM classes at an early age, but that isn't reality yet; girls are still biting their nails in the academic hot seat.

 

I view these studies as purely a mental illusion that girls feel. Girls may feel a lack of confidence in themselves, but as soon as they overcome it, they will shine. I know that I have never felt below my male classmates, and my Science/Math scores are exceptional (A+). I have also given many presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint, and have even created my own websites. I truly exceed in STEM, and I know that if fellow girls can just overcome this stereotype, they will too, like many of them already are. But I was shocked that it's not only the female's mindset, but of the job employer's as well.

 

In the summer of 2012, researchers at Yale published a study proving that physicists, chemists and biologists are likely to view a young male scientist more favorably than a woman with the same qualifications. Presented with identical summaries of the accomplishments of two imaginary applicants, professors at six major research institutions were significantly more willing to offer the man a job. If they did hire the woman, they set her salary, on average, nearly $4,000 lower than the man’s per year.

 

All this leads us to today, where we still see stereotyped retailers, biased employers, and nervous girls. We still see discouraging ads and clothing, driving girls away from STEM Fields. Though many parents are complaining to clothing lines and demanding that they stop selling such sexist clothing, but others are taking this determination a step further. Many organizations, such as Girl Scouts, FabFems, and Women @ NASA, promote female roles in STEM. They hope to get future generations of girls back on the right track.

 

So, girls, go for STEM! With these organizations and concerned and involved parents trying to reshape our society's stereotypes, we hope to really be equally viewed and respected equally as our male counterparts. Until then, we can't get discouraged; the women who didn't are widely known today. Marie Curie was an exceptional scientist, Sally Ride was the first American Woman in Space, and Marissa Mayer is the CEO of Yahoo!. All 3 of these women, along with many more, have overcome the gender barriers, and done something great with their contributions towards STEM. All they needed was determination, passion, and the confidence to overcome stereotypes...maybe you could be the next leading female in STEM!

US and Iran relations: A meeting with John Limbert

 

 

Have you ever had a really good friend a while back, and then things just blew up? You would see them in the hallways, and try to avoid eye contact? You felt this urge to talk to them, but it had been so long, and you just couldn’t bring yourself to do that, right? This analogy directly relates to the way our country felt with Iran.

 

To begin with, things were going great with US and Iran. We worked with Iran in the Atoms for Peace program, and we shared nuclear technologies with them constantly, like you and your friend would share homework answers. On New Year’s Eve, President Jimmy Carter stood beside the Shah and toasted him, saying, "Iran, because of the great leadership of the Shah, is an island of stability."

 

That “stability” lasted no longer than a year for Iran. In 1979, Iranian students took over the Tehran-based US Embassy after Iran overthrew the Shah, and held hostage 66 diplomats and US citizens for 444 days. These hostages were released minutes after President Reagan was sworn into presidency.

 

One of the hostages was a man named John Limbert and I had the honor of meeting him recently through my Model United Nations League of Creative Minds. I was able to have an interactive discussion with him and my fellow delegates.

 

I couldn’t have met Mr. Limbert at a better time. My meeting occurred just days before Washington made the nuclear deal with Iran and I got to hear his long-held view on our relationship with that country. I learned about the hardships and struggles, but, most of all, his feelings toward Iran.

 

Mr. Limbert dreamed that the US and Iran would resume talks, become like they were before, and normalize relations. Surprisingly, he wasn’t very upset with Iran, even after being kept hostage. He compared Iran to a cornered cat that would lash out very soon. He said that the rest of the world would have to play their cards out right with Iran. Mr. Limbert thought that if the US and Iran would become allies again; the international community would be able to tame the “lashing cat.” In 2014, this became a reality.

 

The US struck a historic nuclear deal Iran, in the most significant development between Washington and Tehran. This marks a milestone be-tween the two countries, bringing strength to the diplomatic relations which were shattered 34 years ago when Iran's Islamic revolution climaxed in the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Since then, relations between the two countries have been rough … until the recent accord!

 

I think this nuclear deal was like killing 2 birds with one stone. By ensuring this deal, not only did we make the Middle East region safer, but the icy relationship with Iran has been thawed. Like a fresh layer of fallen snow, 2014 will eventually be known in history as the year of the accord. After all this, all I can think is: 34 years…wow, the US and Iran really take holding a grudge to a whole new level!