Christine Medina, Editor-In-Chief
Christine Medina, our Editor-in-Chief, chose three pieces to contribute to this magazine. Her first piece, a flash memoir titled “Homeless but not Voiceless”, details an experience she had on Rio Grande Street one night while serving coffee and soup to the homeless. She takes us through her experience of being outdoors and freezing, wondering how she will make it through the frigid cold to continue in her tasks. In this piece, Christine gives us a glimpse into what is considered a “normal” night in December for a homeless person. Her second piece, a video profile titled "The Story of Misty Light", gives us the testimony of a woman who seemingly had a good childhood and found herself at rock bottom, homeless, and with a full blown alcohol addiction soon after high school. It is an emotional tale of struggle and depression and one that we can all identify with. In Christine’s third and final piece, titled “An Argument for a Solution”, she provides us with the facts about homelessness and what each one of us can do to help solve this social justice issue. It includes information from local leaders and organizations who are doing something right now for the good of those in our Utah communities.
As Christine was processing through the three pieces to choose for the magazine, she contemplated the rhetorical triangle, not just facts and evidence of the writing, but pieces that would fulfill a pathos approach and serve as a call to action. During a recent conference she attended with keynote speaker and social activist Paul Rogat Loeb, the author of The Impossible Will Take A Little While, he stressed that social change comes about from one person willing to stand up for what’s right, not necessarily what is comfortable. Standing up involves being aware of others’ lives and the struggles they may be going through. Christine felt her Flash Memoir (ethos heavy), her video (pathos heavy), and her argument (logos heavy) would balance out the rhetorical needs of the project and be compelling to an audience.
Christine hopes that as you read her pieces, you will feel compelled to understand the conditions of the homeless, the needs of the homeless, and get involved to make a positive difference in the lives of our homeless community.
Meggan Reep, Lead Writer
It needs to be understood by the public that mental health is pervasive in our global community. Meggan chose to focus on the stigma surrounding mental illness that prevents suffers from seeking treatment as her focused social justice issue. She believes the social consequences of negative stereotypes can be overcome by education, compassion, and public action. Her pieces are a reflection of this belief. "Understand. Care. Act." is a proposal to treat mental health ignorance and entice the reader action. "What Is Depression?" is a report to give the reader facts about what depression is and what it is not. "A Girl, A Boy, and A Barn" is a personal memoir of Meggan's early life and first experience with mental illness, and the stigma that prevented her friend from seeking adequate treatment for depression.
Jessica Knox, Visual Editor
The social issues that the four of us choose to write about, I feel share a connection in the sense that they all have the potential to affect, influence and be caused by one another. Each of our issues have to do with different experiences we ourselves have either been through or have been affected by through people close to us.
The first paper I selected to revise for the magazine was my flash memoir; he hit me, because it was that memory that started my expedition this semester. The memory is one I will never forget and one that has left a lasting impression on my feelings towards child abuse and its perpetrators. I also selected to revise my proposal for repeat offenders. It was the first writing assignment that I began to feel the change and growth in my writing. It felt as though I was finally starting to get a better grasp on making my words come together. Lastly, I choose to use my report, a child's cry for help, for my translation/adaptation piece. When I first heard Scott's story I was moved in a way that was indescribable to me. I had never been so affected by a news report before. I could not imagine how anyone let alone a mother could cause such harm to a child. I had hoped that if I shared more of Scott's story with others it would ignite a passion for change in every person who will read it.
Through my research, I discovered better ways in which to incorporate it into my writing. I especially found that by creating hyperlinks to the actual source offered my readers more than just my perspective on the subject and left them with the ability to further their knowledge. Through each revision, I have tried to further my research and let some pieces such as my translation/adaptation take on a completely new life from its original.
When writing in different genres I began to see that there is a special need for attention in every piece we write. I have learned to think more about my intended audience and to attempt to write in the genre that is most fitting for the purpose.
The advice I would offer to someone in this stage of the writing assignment is to trust in yourself and your knowledge to get you the rest of the way. Throughout this semester, we have learned to express or thoughts and feelings in many different outlets, with the help from many different sources and through the guidance of our instructor who has stood by our sides the entire time. It is now time to show what you have learned.
I am extremely proud of the final project that the four of us have managed to put together. Our editor in chief has kept us task orientated and focused throughout the entire process. She has offered strong and valuable advice throughout the project and has always been available for assistance when needed. Our lead writer has stayed on task with editing each of our pieces and making sure that our writing flowed well with each assignment. As the visual editor, I feel that the overall look of the magazine has been designed to be not only visually appealing but also well structured and easy to navigate. Finally our research manager has combed through each piece ensuring that everything has been properly cited and that each of our works cited is in proper MLA format providing a strong background for each of the projects presented.
Andrew Doudna, Research Manager
Andrew Doudna has seen the world, from the good to the bad. Andrew chose Poverty and Welfare as his social justice topic. In his first piece, titled "Welfare" it gives a brief background and stunning graphs of what Welfare is, and how much it costs the American taxpayers on a year-to-year basis. Some of the graphs are staggering, but is needed in this time we're living in. In his second piece "Mexican Cartel", Andrew interviewed a friend, who is a brother to him. The profile of Mr. Diaz follows the life of an individual who was put in the middle of a war and how Mr. Diaz left the tragic life that was, in essence, Hell. In Andrew's third piece, "Mongolia", he provides a memoir of himself while living in Mongolia for 2 months. Andrew lived among the locals, constructing a school and hospital for the needy in district 28, right outside of Ulaanbataar.
As Andrew was conducting his research and reflecting on his past, he saw a change in how he viewed each piece. Each revision began to take on different forms, genres and different pieces of the rhetoric triangle. As each piece began to change, Andrew began thinking of new ways to tell stories of his past, to a select audience and to a more broad audience.
As you read Andrew's pieces, he hopes you feel an emotional pulse to do help those in need. To not cast judgment on those that are less fortunate than you or I. Everyday, we as Americans, and as humans, change. Let us all become of one mind and love one another as a brother and sister.
