Snapshots of Street Skateboarding!

Welcome to my blogger. For my final presentation of my Sophomore year, I decided to focus on my love for skateboarding and include it towards a snapshot of how I have been spending my time during this quarantine. I was able to meet an artist by the name of Andrew Durgin-Barnes and connect with him about a particular painting of his and what it reflects. I hope you enjoy this last project of my Sophomore year!

"Dear Father, From Travis"

Hello, and welcome to my blog. This is my final action project for my Humanities course called Drama and for my Sophomore year. In this class, we broke off into parts and read Loraine Hansberry's, A Raisin in the Sun. In this class, we studied housing discrimination, segregation, and racism in Chicago which still continues today in our country today. We had virtual Field Experience guests Regina Holloway and Joel Hamernick who spoke to us about restrictive covenants in Chicago and how specific laws were put in place to keep black families out of white neighborhoods. Prior to this class, I wrote up a research paper containing the factors and behaviors that went into housing discrimination such as restrictive covenants and the pricing on a property skyrocketing for a person due to their ethnic and cultural background. For this Action Project, we were guided to write a letter to Walter Younger to convince him on whether he should or should not sell the house to Mr. Linder. I decided to write a letter, the man of the household, from the view of another character in the play. This letter is directed to Walter who has the final decision on whether their family will move to an all-white neighborhood as the only blacks there or remain in poverty in the "Black Belt" in Chicago. I was challenged to write this letter because of the social circumstances at the time within my city and neighborhood. 

Endoscopic Colonoscopy

Hi and welcome to my first action project in my S.T.E.A.M. course class Cure, we studied and researched a surgical procedure. I chose to research an endoscopic colonoscopy because I had access to a former patient to interview and colorectal cancer is common among many people in the United States. In this class via virtual learning, we learned about cells in the body and surgical prefixes for procedures. We got the opportunity to video call with Dr.  Neeraj Jain about his experiences in his career as an anesthesiologist. For this action project, we were required to describe a surgery in detail and a patient's experience from the surgery. This project was very interesting and exciting to me because I learned about all of my possible options in case I was facing nerve damage. It was very interesting to learn about how and why this specific procedure is very common and important in our world today. During this time of this global pandemic of Covid-19, I'd like to say thank you for taking the time out of your day to view my projects. I hope you enjoy this action project!

Here are some vocabulary words you might want to consider as reference points as you continue down this post. 

Electrocautery: A process where an electrode generates heat to destroy tissue inside of the body.

Colorectal polyps: A small clump of cells that forms on the lining of the colon. Over time, some colon polyps can develop into colon cancer.

Oscopy: The viewing of something with a scope.  

Rectum: The final section of the large intestine.

Biopsy: The examination of tissue removed from a living body to discover the presence and cause of a disease. 

Sedative: A drug taken for its calming and sleep-inducing effect.

Heres a video of a colonoscopy. 

In conclusion to this action project, I've enjoyed researching this surgery. The biggest lessons I got from this interview were to make sure to get yourself checked out periodically for the sake of your health, research the drugs prescribed by your doctor to be aware of what goes into your body and the effects of it, and discuss your health with your doctor and family.

Works Cited

Whelan, Corey. “How Safe Is a Colonoscopy?” Healthline, Healthline Media, 29 Oct. 2018, .www.healthline.com/health/colonoscopy-risks#risks. Accessed 16 May 2020

“Colonoscopy: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.” Medlineplus.Gov, 2016, medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003886.htm. Accessed 17 May 2020.

‌“Colonoscopy - Mayo Clinic.” Mayoclinic.Org,  , 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/colonoscopy/about/pac-20393569. Accessed 17 May 2020.

‌https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/understanding-hemorrhoids-basics#1

“Preparing For Your Colonoscopy | Kaiser Permanente Washington.” Kaiserpermanente.Org, 2020, wa.kaiserpermanente.org/html/public/specialties/gastroenterology/colon-prep. Accessed 18 May 2020.

Marks, Jay W. “Colon Polyps: Symptoms, Causes, Cancer Risk, Treatment, and Prevention.” MedicineNet, MedicineNet, 17 Dec. 2019, www.medicinenet.com/colon_polyps/article.htm. Accessed 18 May 2020.

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Sonnet to Lucentio

Hello, and welcome to my blog. This is my first action project for my Humanities course called Drama. In this class, we broke off into parts and read William Shakespeare's play, "The Taming of the Shrew". We studied and compared the gender roles of the Elizabethan Era our present time now. Due to Covid-19, we weren't able to physically attend any performances but we virtually attended a play titled "School Girls Or The Africa Mean Girls Play" which was presented by the Goodman Theater. For this Action Project, I chose a character from a play by Shakespeare, and wrote a sonnet in Shakespearean style. Requirements of a sonnet are (14 lines, iambic pentameter, 10 syllables per line and alternating rhymes), while keeping my message clear. In my sonnet, I gave advice to the character I chose, Lucentio. I wrote it to him because he was a main character that had fallen in love with a woman at first sight. I wanted to write a sonnet to tell him how he should treat his love. I liked creating my video and writing my first sonnet. I was challenged by finding words that rhyme and that also made sense accordingly. I enjoyed reading "The Taming of the Shrew". Enjoy!





Ode to Lucentio 
Lucentio do not entreat the old  Or make Bianca chummy to your lust The castle stands as your humble abode. Respect love yet still you grow amourous. 

The thought of thee some stillness do beget. Passion turns the “thyself” and “mistress” to “they,” Your lives are join’d in lovers’ sweet duet. Love, like a tracking beam, doth hold its sway,
Love blossoms when ‘tis planted in the heart, Love doth not worry, love doth not betray, Love needs a learner’s fire with Master’s art. For all those who hate, know your love will slay

You must love the other til death do you part  “ And may you prove, sir, master of your art!”