BEP Newsletter | Spring 2007
“Good evening.”
No one replies.
“Are you dead? I don’t think so.”
Crowd laughs unsure as to why he is being comical at a time so serious. Is that normal? We have all seen the movie. Only a few of us got the chance to see Paul Rusesabagina live. “‘Hotel Rwanda: A Lesson Yet To Be Learned’ ‘He Saved Thousands. He Inspired Millions. Come Be Inspired.’” Crowd of hundreds of people, united to witness his words of testimony, occupy the green and white pride colors of Binghamton Bearcats event center.
After the stadium empties out I was saddened to know that though people feel connected and feel like leaders inside the event stadium at Binghamton University, they might loose touch with his words once they step outside. How odd? They might resume their habitual life of studying and some fun and totally forget that the genocide of Rwanda only happened 12 years ago. Why is that normal?
One million people were killed in the duration of three months in Rwanda. He left me dumfounded. After being hit hard with this statistical fact, he then poses a question that I anticipated. “What would you do if this was happening in America?” I have no immediate response to even consider as a legitimate reply.
The crowd, excited to hear Paul Rusesabgina speak are disappointed.
WHAT WAS GOING ON WHEN ALL OF THIS WAS HAPPENING? Huh? The voice in my head is screaming, CAN YOU HEAR ME? 
No one hears me yelling. Paul Rusesabgina reiterated throughout his testimony that we should try and position ourselves in his shoes. I CANNOT because the shoe is too tight and it is cutting the circulation from my feet. Take them off, please, please, TAKE THEM OFF! His words left a staple in my mind and I am unable to control my emotions. I am saddened and immobile—so I start to cry. I cry for the uncertainties of my future and the possibility that I too may not have access to shelter and protection in time of need. Am I normal? What has God decided for me?
I long in my dreams to visit what
was
once called the Island of Hispaniola
It is a place where I have not been
But I can only imagine life through books and stories-
Somehow still feeling that these words are insufficient-
Still failing to capture the distinct memories from my parent’s past
It is an island where my ancestors painted life with their thickness of blood-
They suffered from brutality
My ancestors, who under the dictatorship of Trujillo
Died from tears of pain; hay corazon never have they witnessed glory
And lived life with pride and significance
I long to visit the Island of my family’s origins.
After years of atrocity, the island became a home to my family
And gave them an established identity
A sense of security and nourishment
A sense of inspirations, pride and self-dignity
And a sense of gratification and unification
Travel is education, the answers to my inquisitions
I long to take a journey to my family’s childhood
And experience life in a different fashion
To experience the excitements of life on the island.
And to learn about the cultures and traditions that are practiced
I long to search for the missing pieces to my identity
The pieces in which created a gap of emptiness and lonesome
To perhaps understand why my white friends see me as white
And why my few Spanish friends and my own siblings see me as white
And why I had to buy a $5 dollar necklace with the Dominican flag in the heights
As a blatant symbol of my nationality—so people could stop misinterpreting me
As I try to sleep and dream, my longings become stronger
I can’t sleep so I cry to myself with a new mission in mind-
To find the missing pieces to my life
I must set aside my American life for just a little bit
And explore life in a new cradle of humanity
I long to visit the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic
And when I come back from this journey
I will no longer feel incomplete within
But bridge two worlds together
An American-Dominican girl,
Searching…
Abraham Lincoln!
Your picture on the American bill laughs at me
Abraham Lincoln!
I cannot even use your value to purchase advanced technology
Abraham Lincoln!
You force me to look at myself, hate myself
Simply because I cannot afford to listen to music.
Bolanle Ajomagberin |
Sutharsan Amalanayagam |
Stevenson Andre |
Stacy Antwi |
Samuel Appiah-Boamah |
Ellen B. Arhin |
Iliana M. Baez |
Nigist Balla |
Engracia Bautista |
Sara D. Becker |
Ezechiel B. Bly |
Katherine Brown |
Taris T. Burgess |
Dionne M. Burrowes |
Ting Ting Cai |
Jahaira C. Capellan |
Melissa R. Cartagena |
Alvin J. Carter |
Laura V. Casado |
Emily M. Castro |
King Chan |
Sui Shan Chan |
Leon Chan |
Adrian J. Chaves |
Hao Chen |
Min S. Chen |
Xiao Lan Chen |
Connie Chiu |
Winnie Choi |
Michelle Chun |
Joo Lee Chung |
Samuel Cruz |
Stephanie Cruz |
Wales H. Cruz |
Erin R. Davis |
Oddette S. Davis |
Yamilka DeDios |
Nicole M. Demaio |
Ellen Deng |
Kevin Di Benedetto |
Tierra Donaldson |
Sheena M. Dorman |
Jessica R. Drew |
Daron Dyke |
Erica Facey |
Samanatha Farmer |
Christina C. Ferdinand |
Jeyzon R. Fernandez |
Jehron I. Fleming |
Chen M. Fong |
La-Toya Foster |
Angelina O. Gallesi |
Scarlet J. Galva |
Sonia H. Gaona |
Melvin A. Gomez |
Shuxian Gu |
Meagan Hammerbacher |
Sut Leng Hao |
Orlando O. Harris |
Roger Henriquez |
Aileen Hernandez |
Marian S. Hollander |
Yun-Mi Hong |
Chima M. Hope |
Tanya Jean-Baptiste |
Min Yi Jiang |
Bernice Karikari-Apau |
Latoya T. Knight |
Lauren A. Kohn |
Soranun N. Krisnajinda |
Azuree S. Lake |
Amy Lam |
Nicole S. Lander |
Daniel Lau |
Irene Lau |
Hyun Choong Lee |
Lemarr J. Leggins |
Ameria C. Lennard |
Fangfang Li |
Qiuyi Liang |
Yongi Lin |
Yujing Lin |
Kyle Linardi |
Dong Ping Liu |
Qian Jing Liu |
Tarnasia M. Lundy |
Dionne L. Lyons |
Gandi Marte |
Kenia M. Martinez |
Michele R. Mastropieri |
Candace R. Mc Duffie |
Jennifer A. McCormick |
Shamarie M. McDonald |
Alex Mei |
Sima Melnikova |
Crystal M. Navarro |
Evelyn G. Negron |
Giselle E. Negron |
Melvin E. Neris |
Cheny Ng |
Jennifer Ng |
Miguel A. Nina |
Ashley Nunez |
Melissa Nunez |
Alison P. Ongvorapong |
Ariela Ortiz |
Jessica C. Parra |
Alana E. Peralta |
Beremis C. Perez |
Ricardo A. Quiroz |
Roselor Remplets |
Wascar Reyes |
Angelica Rodriguez |
Franklin R. Rodriguez |
Katherine P. Rodriguez |
Mabiel Rodriguez |
Jarvis L. Rojas |
Heidi A. Roman |
Katarina Roman |
Andreina I. Rosa |
Esther Rosa |
Carolyn Rosario |
Wen J. Ruan |
Lieba O. Saber |
Raul J. Salcedo |
Epifania Santana |
Shanika M. Scully |
Angel W. Segarra |
Jia K. Shi |
Regina Shin |
Michael S. Sokol |
Alberto J. Sosa |
Valessa St. Pierre |
Yekaterina Sulima |
Dilafruz T. Sultanova |
Jovanny A. Suriel |
Christina Tang |
Fea Ming Tang |
Xiu Juan Tang |
Heliana A. Taverez |
Julissa Taveras |
Quacey A. Valentine |
Hang Vu |
Thuy Vu |
Sharon Wang |
Shilun Wang |
Zara J. Watson |
Jin Weng |
Brittany N. Williams |
Jingcong Wu |
Yu Jing Wu |
Daan Xue |
Dachao Xue |
Guang Yang |
Christina F. Yard |
Khaled Yusufi |
Annie Zaken |
Christian Zhang |
Steven Zhang |
Nelson Zhao |
Qiadong Jackson Zhao |
Vincent Zhao |
Ying-Fang Zhao |
Jay Fan Zheng |
Zhi Zheng |
Ming Zhong |
Rick R. Zhao |
|
There was a tragic story
About a girl
A girl who never fell in love
Who never knew that such emotions existed
All she knew was loneliness
And it knew her very well
Knew that in the darkest of the night
She wept for what she never had
But yet she crave so eagerly for
That it taunted her very being
Every passing moment seem to dwell
In this absence
The emptiness of her heart seems to drown all her senses
That all she was consume was of that longing
Which manifested into uncontrollable desires
That even in her dreams
She loved for many nights
But knew that in the light
It would be all over
And that the dreams are just a ploy of her wanting
For what seems so real in the shades of darkness
Will soon become intangible
And forgotten and replace by another
Love never seem to know her name
But yet she whisper his with every passing breathe
The cruel fate of unrequited
The tragedy of the girl
Who never felt
Who has not yet lived
For she has not been touched
By the One
The tragic story
About a girl
I am feeling so empty inside
That I don’t know why people cannot see
What’s wrong with me
How can I be so tormented
When I was never given a chance
To love and be love
But I cannot seem to grasp
The maybe I was not meant to be
To feel that what I imagine
Could ever be
But no I alone soldier in this fight
And there seems to be no salvation for me
The struggle that seems to cut me so deeply
That I sometimes I wonder
How I survive each time
Because every time I feel
Like the world is enclosing in on me
And I cannot take the white walls
For I am ready to break through
Or let it take me
Such disparity ticking away my sanity
And it seems to me that I m just letting go
Cause the emptiness is taking over
And I no longer have control
I do not seem to feel the way I used to anymore
Maybe it’s the curse of being forgotten
Ignored by what I desire and cannot have
And so frustrated that I can no longer fool myself in believing anymore
The tricks seem to know the game all to well
And I cannot mask
The ugliness anymore
It is slowly revealing itself
As I look in the mirror
The blackness that used to be my heart
Never knew
Straight from the heart, we all played a part, in
our demise so open your eyes...
Rejecting this fact and continuing this act,
only supports and hastens the fact...
That people are either dying, and being caught in the race to incarcerate.
Please my brothers and sisters, Misses and Mr.s’, envision this picture...
Corrupt by a slave mentality, we abuse our conscious,
the wheel has already taken affect isn't it obvious?
All along we have been missing the signs
The mass genocide, yes it is among us, and in ignorance we kill our own brothers, and curse disrespectfully in front of others
In disregard for our dignity we abandon humanity
And this isn’t in regard to how amped we can be
That is where we fall to, and not rise above the perception
We became reactive, not proactive, oblivious to self-reflection
Discouraged by rumors saying there is no such thing as perfection
There is one crucial thing that you should know to grab the reigns of your essence.
Besides the fact that you should have faith in gods spirit and his holy presence...
Know who you are and what you want out of life, because we live once and not twice
So lets rise like a phoenix and do the right thing
Its knowledge that brings us to our full potential, it is that what separates us from a pawn to a king,
A something to an angel. Knowledge is not only how much you know,
But how much you can apply of what you know.
Like the ripples of a sure pebble.
And in knowing, this you have already been corrupted by a rebel.
Things of quality have been affected by time, and YES that is the sign of the times
Drugs have been planted in our hoods, by the anglo-saxon beast, while we starve, they feast, thats beast.
Because we do not feed our minds,
we will be labeled a dying kind, not only black people but all kinds.
It will come to that, if there is no faith and unity between you and me...
there is power in consultation... they know this but yet they branch us out, and watch in observation.
When we first met I was
Hesitant and apprehensive
Because you seemed to bitter
And dark, but as I held you
In my hands admiring
Your cocoa smell with
A hint of vanilla, my blood
Drew hot. Your smooth texture
Sometimes nutty inside, made
Me purrr as I devoured you,
And when I tasted you for the
First time, I let you slowly
Melt in my mouth, slowly
Discovering the sweet goodness
And it was from there I fell in
Love with you instantly, letting
Myself completely vulnerable,
I let you in every time I was
Angry at the world,
Or when I was hungry,
Or simply excited
Anxious to taste you
And now I am just as addicted
To you when I first tasted you
Discovering your bittersweet dark
Chocolate goodness
And here I write to you
An ode to dark chocolate.
I.
You are my forbidden fruit
A hidden curiosity
Longing to be delved into
Ravishing appetite
A red hot tumultuous fiery affair
Burning down my throat
Eve’s apple,
A desperate lust of quick sex
Biting into your skin
Tasting you for the first time
A chain of sweat slowly
Slowly
Slowly dripping down the posterior of your neck
Glistening in the forbidden temptation
Temptation of my forbidden fruit
II.
I have indulged in the fruit in which you forbade, in which I forbid myself
To taste while I am with you in this relationship, but I have needs
Which you seem to have forgotten, lost with the bitter some quarrels of
You don’t love me enough, of you don’t love me enough
So I had to take a bite into something that you are not
A temptation that burns immediately with the sight of his presence
The other one, the other man. That’s not you and this is what I felt
And so it is only fair to my body, to do what my body tells me
Give in to this lust of the other and forget you at that moment
I am living in the now, the now in which
You my love, my heart, the one I call soul mate
Oh how I have fallen into hypocrisy and really don’t give two shits
I am finally tasting the other, my Eve’s apple
My forbidden fruit, sweet with tenderness
The Educational Opportunity Program here at Binghamton University seeks to provide optimal support and advocacy for its students as well as all necessary academic impetus to enable effective learning and personal development. My involvement in this program has enabled me propel gallantly towards the achievement of leadership skills, a diverse mindset and excellence. Coming from a different country (GHANA) and cultural background, the Educational Opportunity Program provided me with the necessary and required facets to pave the way for a bright and successful college career. With objective and effective advice form all EOP staff members, most importantly my Advisor (Ms. Yulanda Whyte), I have achieved many accomplishments. Just to mention a few are the Chi Alpha Epsilon National Honor Society, The National Dean’s List, Ronald E. McNair Scholar, Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, School of Management Dean’s List, PricewaterhouseCoopers Exceed Scholar, Collegiate All- American Scholar, Sigma Alpha Lambda, W & A Gansdorf Scholar and many more.
My passion for Accountancy and Management coupled with all these great accomplishments earned me a scholarship and an internship in my sophomore year with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the leading provider of Accounting and Auditing services in the world. I am proud to say that although it was a challenge, my experience with the firm tremendously enhanced my intellectual, interpersonal and networking skills which will become important assets in my career. My aim is to become a Certified Public Accountant with an MBA in the not too distant future. With a prior semester GPA of 4.0 and the continuing optimal support of my EOP Advisor, I strongly anticipate that my objective will be achieved in a majestic style with no stress.
I will personally like to entreat all incoming and current EOP students to effectively utilize the numerous facilities that the Michael V. Boyd EOP Center offers, so as to enhance their academic and personal development. Always remember that to succeed in college you have to develop a strategic plan. Two areas you need to focus on are your Personal Learning and Personal Development through external research. Your personal learning includes all materials learnt in class and time spent socializing, however, important emphasis should also be placed on personal development though outside sources, internships and research because the experiences gained from these prepares one for a successful life after college. I make this argument because as the wise saying goes: “Knowledge is power, but persistence is absolute power”. Taking an initiative with our diverse minds and opting to wear the crown of success requires the observation of only two laws: 1) You can always achieve. 2) If you fail, consult law (1). I would like to utilize this spectrum to channel my special and heartfelt gratitude to all the EOP Staff, especially Mr. James H. Pogue, Ms Yulanda Whyte, Shevonne Mckenzie, Vanessa N. Young and Wen Ruan for the opportunity granted me to excel.
Proof Reader:
Yulanda Whyte
Layout Editors:
Andreina Rosa &
Wen Ruan
Web Layout Editor:
Lisa Lu
A Special Thanks to those who contributed a sample of your writing(s).
Pssst! Hey YOU!
Yeah that’s right keep your eyes fixed on me
We want YOU to
Participate in the Binghamton Enrichment
Newsletter
Where you can:
Creatively and freely voice your thoughts
Transcribe them in the form of poetry, photographs or drawings
Listen to what students have to say about our school
Become active participants in school events
AND A LOT MORE!
We encourage YOU ALL to take advantage of the Binghamton Enrichment Newsletter and let it become a new source for knowledge-knowledge that is written by students and intended for students
BECAUSE SELF EXPRESSION IS A BEAUTIFUL THING
This newsletter will be published by EOP who will ensure that ALL materials are appropriate for publication on their website
If you wish to get involved please email Andreina Rosa or Wen Ruan:
Andreina Rosa Wen Ruan
Arosa1@binghamton.edu Wruan1@binghamton.edu
