Catharsys.

Guess it's time to update...

So I’ve been busy. Like really busy. Spring break has basically been a godsend and the saviour of my sanity.

I’m not gonna say it, because I promised myself I was taking the time off, but I have a big event next week and I am giving a speech for it. I want to be able to convey my message properly and make sure that message actually accmplishes something.

I hope nobody has forgot about that event. It’s important that people get involved in their own lives and the matters that affect them directly.

Ok, enough ranting about the R****. I digress.

It’s become important for me to do my own thing and meet as many interesting people in my life as I can. I know that friend A may not like friend B, but is that any reason to not like me? If friend A gets pissed because I hang out with friend B, then is friend A really a friend?I know that gets confusing, but it’s all there.

What I’m trying to say is that I will not be told who I can and cannot be friends with. It’s not anyone’s place to make that decision for me. To take a little something from Dion, I’m a grown ass man. I run me.

There it is. I run me. Nobody else.

Also, I got into the Broadcast Journalism major!!! Yay! It’s not at all what I want, but It’ll do for now. I might transfer to CAS later on, but who knows at this point. My campus change is not officially approved, but that’ll change thanks to my good friend Mrs. Garwood.

Viva Spring Break!!!

-Dj

Motivational?

Below is my Rally in the Rotunda speech, if I get selected to do one.

Thoughts. Please.

Good afternoon. My name is Dj Ryan. I am a 20-year-old sophomore at Penn State Greater Allegheny pursuing a degree in broadcast journalism. I’m a resident of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania in Allegheny County. This is my story.
As my high school years came to a close, I was faced with a choice to make regarding the rest of my life. I was accepted to many universities, including Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock University, California University of Pennsylvania, and The Pennsylvania State University. Despite slightly higher tuition prices, I chose Penn State because I knew it was the wisest choice for me, and I couldn’t be prouder to be a Penn Stater.
With that pride came another emotion – love. I love this institution, I love this community, I love the students, I love everything there is to love about Penn State. I will do anything in my power to protect the things that I love. That’s why I am here today – to support and protect the university that is the center of my world and the promise of my future – my dear old state.
I come from a fairly average family, one full of love and full of dreams. One of my parents’ dreams has always been to open their own business, a dream they fulfilled early in 2008. Owning our own business has taken its financial toll on our family, and it has certainly not made paying for college any easier. I must look for scholarships constantly, and I expect to be paying loans up until the point my children enter college. This is the unfortunate plight of many students at state-related institutions across Pennsylvania. Students at state-related universities take pride in their schools, and it is unfortunate that the governor and many in state government do not seem to reciprocate that pride.
Over 30,000 in-state students at state-related schools live in households with incomes under 100,000 dollars a year. These students along with countless others are struggling to pay for school and keep their heads above financial water. The governor’s budget clearly outlines that students at the state-owned universities have debt upon graduation that is greater than the national average. One can conclude, then, that students at the state-related schools, who receive even less support from the state and as a result face an average of $7,000 more in per year tuition, are going to graduate with substantially more debt. These times are the ones when we especially look to our elected officials to work wholeheartedly and solely for our best interests
I pose these questions now to those same elected officials who hear our words today: should we be forced to give up our dreams because our institutions are not totally owned and controlled by the commonwealth? Should my family be forced to choose between continuing to own our business and being able to pay for my education? Are the students at this state’s land grant institution – the one school that more than any other is associated with this commonwealth – being disregarded? Is this the condition that the state of Pennsylvania wishes to leave its youth in merely because they chose to continue their education?  I hope that our elected officials are not forcing more than 30,000 of their constituents to make these horrible decisions.

Unfortunately, it seems that the answers are slowly becoming clearer. But regardless of what those answers may be, we stand here today to make it known that this university – the Pennsylvania State University will not sit back and let nature take its course. Penn state is a community of learners, a community of educators, a community of alumni, students, parents and friends, but today Penn State is a community of discontent. We stand here today as a show of our resolve, but more than that, we stand here today to show our faith - our faith in the dedicated men and women who walk these halls each and every day that they will support us in our fight for equal opportunities for ourselves and for the thousands of Penn Staters all across the commonwealth. Thank you.

Vote for Casey!

harris1123:

colleendougherty:

juliaallison:

colleendougherty:

Exuse me everyone! I’m trying to win this contest (well my dog is) so that I can donate $10,000 to my local animal shelter. If you could please click here and vote for her, that would be super awesome. When I am 21 I will personally buy you all a beer.

I am a HUGE HUGE HUGE animal lover (as most of you know), so on behalf of my reader Jane, who alerted me to Colleen’s quest, please vote for her dog so she can give $10,000 to her local animal shelter.

Thank you!

This is why I love Jane Marcus and Julia Allison. Thanks you guys! If you don’t follow them you should probably go do that right now.

I’m feeling generous today, and I’m always down for helping a good cause. Not only did I take a few seconds out of my day to vote (honestly it was really quick) I’ll even reblog it for ya! Good Luck!

I also think this is great! Everyone take a few seconds to vote (literally, five seconds) and reblog if you can :)