At 17, Liberian teenager Lovetta Conto is making jewelry worn by Hollywood heavyweights like Halle Berry and Angelina Jolie.
Akawelle (translates to “also known as love”) makes a heck of a statement. Her pieces aren’t made of typical semi-precious stones, Lovetta makes her jewelry from the casings of bullets fired during Liberia’s civil war.
Born in Liberia, Lovetta was only 18 months when she was separated from her mother after she and her father fled Liberia to escape its civil war. At five-years-old, she moved to a Ghanaian refugee camp.
She tells CNN, “I felt alone because I was in another country where I wasn’t really welcome. I always wanted to back to my country. But you have no choice because your country is in a civil war and it’s the only place you have to be.”
At 12, Lovetta was recognized for her talent by Cori Stern, the American founder of the Strongheart Fellowship, an organization dedicated to helping gifted youth who have been displaced or orphaned by conflict.
According to CNN, at 14 Lovetta left her family in Ghana and moved to America as part of the Strongheart program.
When Lovetta was challenged by a Strongheart project to make something that reflected her environment and the people around her, she came up with the idea to design jewelry from a bullet fired during the Liberian civil war.
College junior Jazmine Miller showed off a soccer-playing robot to prospective members of the Spelman Robotics, or SpelBots, team.
"His name is Charles, he's very difficult. That's why it's a he," she laughed. "We kind of see him as human; we talk to him, we yell at him."
Creations such as Charles must be programmed to find and kick the ball and prevent an opposing team of robots from scoring in the annual RoboCup World Championship soccer competition. Since 1997 the matches have been held in Asia, Europe and the United States.
Once a competition begins, the robots are on their own. The team's programming skills have to account for every soccer player scenario, from kicking and blocking to getting up after falling down.
Spelman, the historically black women's college here, has been sending robots to the competition since 2005, often beating graduate students from prestigious tech universities from Germany to Japan. They had their best finish last year in Osaka, Japan, when the team tied for first place with Fukuoka Institute of Technology in Japan in the humanoid robot category.
"Around campus people do recognize our faces; they say, 'Oh, you're on the SpelBots, you're doing the robotics thing. I saw you in Jet magazine.' I really see it when I go abroad," said Miller, a computer science and engineering major.
Early Romance with Robotics Miller's romance with robotics started early. A self-described "world-traveling military kid," she was on the robotics team at her high school in the Netherlands.
Jonecia Keels, from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., is Miller's co-captain. She was a little less sure of a computer career.
"For a long time I didn't think I was smart enough to get into computer science. I only saw males in the industry and I just didn't think I had what it took to be a computer programmer," said Keels.
Two things helped change her mind. First, the confidence she gained at this women's college.
"I know a big reason why there's not a lot of women in computer science is because of intimidation. At an all-women's school, they already know your capabilities. So it is easier to take leadership roles and go that step further without added stress," said Keels.
Lack of Role Models "Looking back at my life, there were a lack of role models for me, being African American and Korean," Williams said.
So he sought out a teaching position at a historically-black college or university. Creating the team was a way to bring a new and creative challenge to his students.
"There's a big emphasis on creativity, collaboration, the social aspects of engineering and computer science. It would do great wonders for our country on a global scale if we maximize that pool of women, and underrepresented students like African Americans, in computer science," Williams said.
"The teams we were competing with were all male, all white," said Miller. "And the first thought that came to me was, we are going to blow their minds!" she laughed.
by Melissa Rose Cooper from www.grio.comShari Griffith and Katrina Kelly met over 10 years ago and are best friends. At 25-years-old, they walked the path that many students typically follow after graduating from high school: they went to college, earned bachelors' degrees, and obtained jobs in corporate America.
But in 2008 during the height of the recession, their lives took a different twist. They were both let go from their employers. But instead of struggling to find other jobs, the duo decided to revisit their high school roots in March 2009 and create their own catering business --- Cake N Wings.
Griffith and Kelly's business is a unique combination of bite-sized, square cakes, called "tots," and chicken wings. It had its birth in 2001 when the two were seniors at Frederick Douglass Academy. Kelly proposed the idea that they enter a business competition through The National Foundation of Teaching Entrepreneurship.
"It just started with the fact that I make wings," said Griffith, "and she [Kelly] makes really good cake. "
Kelly shook her head, still baffled that her friend had even considered the idea.
"I didn't think she was going to take me seriously," she said.
As simple as their idea seemed to be, Cake N Wings won the competition and Griffith and Kelly received $200 in seed money to start up their business, which continued throughout their last year at the school.
Griffith studied business at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. and Kelly, theater arts at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. They both graduated in 2006 and like other new graduates, secured paying jobs. However, they soon learned that earning a regular paycheck was not necessarily the key to their happiness.
"I realized that I didn't want to work for anybody," said Griffith while Kelly nodded in agreement. "I wanted to work for myself and I wanted to work with my best friend and be happy."
Kelly lost her job in July 2008 and almost 4 months later, Griffith lost hers. These long time friends then took their misfortune, turned it into an opportunity and brought their inactive business back to life.
Griffith and Kelly sought help from the place that initially brought them together---their high school. Their principal, Dr. Gregory Hodge, has known them for 13 years and was one of their biggest supporters. He gave the women their first catering job, which turned out to be a surprise birthday party for an investment counselor, Robert Schwartz.
"I struck up a conversation with them at the party and I was very impressed," said Schwartz, who is now retired. He said the event was such a success that he decided to provide the start-up money for Cake N Wings.
And with the money Griffith and Kelly received for their company, they began advertising Cake N Wings throughout Harlem by word of mouth and giving their business cards out in the neighborhood. This is how they met Michael Rosen, a local hip-hop artist promoter.
"Me and Shari are just your regular girls from around the way," said Kelly. "We're not all stiff and, like, uniformed and if we have a job, we come there as ourselves. That's what makes us stand out."
If the names Chelsea Gray and Chiney Ogwumike sound familiar, it’s because both have been chosen as PARADE All-Americans twice before. This year, they have the added distinction of sharing Player of the Year honors on our 34th annual All-America High School Girls Basketball Team.
Gray, a 5-foot-11 point guard for St. Mary’s High in Stockton, Calif., helped keep the Rams in the nation’s top-ranked position for most of the year, averaging 18 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds per game.
“She’s a great all-around player, always working hard to improve,” St. Mary’s coach Tom Gonsalves says. “Chelsea could score 30 points every night; instead, she passes and gets our other players in the game. She’s an even better person than player, and a super student with a 3.6 GPA.” Gray will head to Duke next season.
A love of basketball runs in the family for Co-Player of the Year Ogwumike, a 6-foot-3 center at Cy-Fair High in Cypress, Tex. Her sister Nneka was named PARADE Co-Player of the Year in 2008, and Chiney has two younger siblings who also play the sport. But she isn’t likely to disappear into anyone’s shadow. This season, she averaged 23 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
“Chiney has so much talent and outstanding leadership abilities,” Cy-Fair coach Ann Roubique says. “She has grown tremendously—not only as a player but as an individual. She’s an excellent teammate and an excellent role model, and she’s without a doubt a great representative of our school and our community.” A straight-A student who is active in her community and president of the student council, Ogwumike will join her sister Nneka at Stanford next year.
Gray and Ogwumike head a 40-player roster of standout athletes from 18 states and Washington, D.C. California leads the pack with nine All-Americans, including Co-Player of the Year Gray. The team was selected by coaches, scouts, and recruiters across the country. Top Players
KALEENA MOSQUEDA-LEWIS Mater Dei High, Santa Ana, Calif. ODYSSEY SIMS MacArthur High, Irving, Tex. NATASHA HOWARD Waite High, Toledo, Ohio ELIZABETH WILLIAMS Princess Anne High,Virginia Beach, Va. RICHA JACKSON Midwest City High, Midwest City, Okla. SHONI SCHIMMEL Franklin High, Portland, Ore.
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Did you know that this day is also known as the National Day of Service?
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?" And it is in that spirit that the National Day of Service takes place today, on a holiday celebrating a man who lived and died in service to others.
At the urging of President Barack Obama, all Americans are encouraged to roll up their sleeves today and volunteer to help others — as a way to honor Dr. King, and simply assist your fellow man.
"Recognizing that our Nation has yet to reach Dr. King's promised land is not an admission of defeat, but a call to action. In these challenging times, too many Americans face limited opportunities, but our capacity to support each other remains limitless," President Obama declared Friday in a proclamation related to MLK, Jr. Day and the National Day of Service.
It's that time again, when we reflect on the events of the past year with a mind to self improvement. Here are our 5 picks for this year's resolutions.
1) Get physically fit - for health's sake! January is a very busy time in gyms and recreational centers, but most people sign up to sweat with weight loss in mind. If you want and need to lose weight then this is a noble resolution to make, but all of us can benefit from adopting a healthy fitness regimine. African-American teens are chronically "under-fit" and it is time that we all shaped up. Getting fit will increase your energy level, make your complexion glow, keep illness at bay, keep your mind sharp and yes, even make your clothes fit better. Give fitness a try, whether losing weight is among your goals or not, because being fit is great!
2) Give some of your time away - become a volunteer! Now is the time to focus on our desire to help when the world seems determined to make us see how people cause hurt. There is great satisfaction in helping others, in doing something to somehow make the world a better place. In volunteering you can find out first hand how great it is to be among those who make a positive difference in this increasingly crazy world.
3) Study hard - plan for the future today! It seems like an eternity has yet to pass before you have to worry about a career, but the clock is ticking faster than you realize. Before you know it you will be graduating into the adult world. Getting good grades now can help lay a solid foundation for you to make all of your dreams come true. By taking the time to do your best in school now you insure greater opportunities in life when you are an adult. The best favour the young you can do for the grown up you is make the extra effort to do well in school right now. Even if school is very difficult for you, even if you have a learning difference, you will always benefit from trying your very best.
4) Just say no! Stay away from drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. At Teen Advice we spend a lot of time looking at the darker temptations of youth; drugs, alcohol and smoking. Almost every teen will cross paths with one of these "foes" before they become adults, the trick to beating them is to be prepared for them. When trying one of these vices most teens site peer pressure as the number one factor in influencing them to experiment. This year, resolve to beat peer pressure whenever, and where ever, it challenges you.
5) Lose weight if you need to, stay fit if you don't. Youth and dieting is a very controversial issue. While obesity in children and teens is at an all time high in the Western world, the reality of eating disorders and unrealistic ideals can't be ignored. Some teens really do need to lose weight but many do not. How can you tell if you should go on a diet? We have eight questions you must ask yourself before going on any sort of weight loss program.
High school juniors with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in core academic subjects may apply to work as Pages in the U.S. House of Representatives for a fall or spring appointment. There is no GPA requirement for Pages who work during the summer semester. While serving the House, Pages live in Washington D.C., at the Page Residence Hall, a few blocks away from the Capitol. During the academic year, Pages attend classes at the House Page School. Pages must be sponsored by a Member of Congress and be at least sixteen years old on the date they begin their term. All communication regarding the Page program must be made through the applicant’s sponsoring Member.
Pages have been serving the House of Representatives for nearly two hundred years. Working as a team, Pages assist Members with their legislative duties, deliver correspondence and small packages within the congressional complex, answer phones in the Member cloakrooms, and prepare the House Floor for sessions.
Raise your hand if you dread going on the summer vacation trip with the parents and your bratty little brother? Well, just in time for summer, hotels are recognizing that they are forgetting their teen guests! Sooooo....when your parents are planning the next vacay, suggest to them some of the following places of travel that cater to you!
The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz., recently spent $500,000 to convert a tennis lounge into an activity center, outfitted with an extra-large TV screen for interactive video games and a mini-movie theater. Club Med has been rolling out Passworld chainwide, with activities ranging from jewelry-making classes to graffiti workshops. In November, Club Med in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic opened a renovated $200,000 teenagers’ center that includes a redesigned skateboarding park. The all-inclusive Occidental Grand Xcaret, in Mexico, south of Cancún, offers a Fun Club, with activities like volleyball, tennis, diving and video games, including Wii, on a 110-inch TV. By night, teenagers can enjoy movies and nightly parties at a disco.
Coast, the center for teenagers at the Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach, has a no-parents-allowed policy (except to drop off or pick up their children and pay the $45-a-day rate) and says the space is “subtly supervised” by staff members who are youthful enough to be accepted by their teenage charges. By offering unstructured activities rather than highly programmed schedules, the space allows teenagers to socialize and assert their freedom, while satisfying parents by keeping their children in a contained, supervised setting.
At Coast, you can man the D.J. booth, spinning your own beats or hit the beauty station, where make-up, nail polish and other accessories are available to experiment with.
Such centers are turning out to be a draw even for school trips. After raising more than $2,000 for a field trip, the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade classes of the Montessori School of Ojai, Calif., chose to stay at the Loews Coronado for two nights earlier this month instead of going camping, in part because of all the amenities for teenagers. After a full day of swimming in the pool, hanging out in the special lounge, blasting music, playing video games and watching movies late into the night, the group, which ranged in age from 12 to 14, still wasn’t quite satisfied.
“They told us to go to bed,” said Kylie Overmeier, 12, “and I said I want to just live it up.”
Le Parker Meridien in New York recently began projecting Wii games on a 20-foot wall in its racquetball court with surround sound; it rents the system for about $50 an hour for up to four people.
So, if your parents are ballin' why not ask them to break you off a little piece of the fun!
Sorry for the short notice but I just got this email!!! Harper Teen is callling all writers to submit your original writing (a short story, poem, or song) between now and Monday, January 7, 2008 and you will be entered for a chance to win. A panel of HarperTeen judges will select the 10 most original and creative pieces.
Visit http://www.myspace.com/harperteen for more information.
Okay...It's a new year so in order to stick with tradition, take out your pen and paper and let's get to those new year's resolutions!!!
So you don't start exactly when the clock strikes 12...you have a five day grace period to jump start those resolutions (it's an unwritten rule!) Need some help? Here are a few resolutions that can help this '08 run as smoothly as that new ipod you got for Christmas!
Choose a few and stick with them!
1. I will take care of my body through physical activity and nutrition and eat at least one fruit and one vegetable every day, and I will limit the amount of soda I drink.
2. I will read one book from the library each month that is NOT a romance novel.
3. I will choose more positive television shows and I will limit my television time.
4. I will help out in my community – through volunteering, working with community groups or by joining a group that helps people in need.
5. I will wipe negative talk out of my vocabulary, including profanity, and make positivity and intelligence a priority in my life.
6. When I feel angry or stressed out, I will take a break and find constructive ways to deal with the stress, such as exercising, reading, writing in a journal or discussing my problem with a parent or friend.
7. When faced with a difficult decision, I will talk with a responsible adult about my choices.
8. I will be careful about whom I choose to date, and always treat the other person with respect and without coercion or violence and make responsible choices about our relationship.
9. I will resist peer pressure to try drugs and alcohol.
10. When I notice my friends are struggling or engaging in risky behaviors, I will talk with a trusted and responsible adult to attempt to find a way that I can help them.
--courtesy of www.aap.org
The best way to stick with your New Year's Resolution is to type it out and post it somewhere you can read it often!
