Tag: SHSU

PLS: Wrapping up the Fall

Jordan Long, Historian

Welcome back! Today’s November 17th meeting was the last meeting of the semester, and it was a pretty fun one if I do say so myself.

Our President, Heather, started the meeting with some quick housekeeping: members should all have their t-shirts and any upcoming graduates will be receiving cords. The minutes from last meeting were approved.

Next, we started the games, leading with a legally-themed crossword puzzle. Crosswords and puzzles are good for the brain, and, accordingly, they help prepare your brain for the logic portions of the LSAT. While winning was motivation enough, the winner of this contest actually won a scholarship. And Morgan Robertson was the winner! Congratulations Morgan! (You know your Pre-Law Society, girl!)

Heather next spoke on the LSAC Forums offered physically across the United States and digitally on Zoom. Heather advised everyone to go to at least one. She attended the one in Atlanta, and she found it amazingly helpful. In these forums you get a chance to get application waivers, which are very useful when those fees start racking up. Prospective students attend from all over, and law schools come from all over to get in front of the students. Networking is important, and the admissions officers will help get any questions you may have answered and help in the application process. And it is FREE!

After that she introduced another game: “strike a juror.” We were divided into groups of six and our goal was to strike jurors based on the scenarios provided.

This game was very fun and informative, especially with Ms. Loveall participating and in putting her very helpful perspective!

There was a drawing for members who were very active this semester in the events that Pre-Law Society has hosted or partaken in. The winner of this drawing was our very dedicated member Ashley K! Ashley won a scholarship as well. Thank you for your consistency and congratulations Ashley!

Lastly, upcoming events will be the M*A*S*H Toy and Food Drive on December 1st and 2nd. To kick next semester off, the next meeting will be January 19th following our Ice Cream Social! And elections will happen soon after, so be on the lookout for another busy and rewarding semester in the Pre-Law Society!

The LEAP Center and Pre-Law Society will kick off the spring with a panel on crime in mid-to-late January! Stay tuned and keep up with our “upcoming events” page: https://www.shsu.edu/centers/leap/upcoming-events.html.

The State of the City: 2021

December 6, 2021

Morgan Robertson

Prior to our final organizational meeting of the semester, the LEAP Ambassadors stopped by the annual State of the City at the Walker County Storm Shelter. 

We walked in to see the whole facility lively with the conversation of citizens interacting with one another and City staff.

The Huntsville Public Library was one of our stops. I was able to introduce fellow Ambassadors to a few of the Library Staff: Rachel McPhail, the City Librarian; Brenda Collins, the Service Specialist; and Linda Huff, with Adult Literacy. HPL had a great visual aid made up of popcorn to demonstrate how much money patrons save and the return that the city receives.  

As we made our way around the room, we stopped at the IT booth, where they had an old rotary phone, a box Tv, and a security camera. Erin even learned how to dial on the rotary phone!, examining it as if it were a telegraph machine from the 19th century.

Seeing all the departments in Huntsville was a great learning opportunity, and it helped that we knew many of the staff. We even got to take pictures with Huntsville’s Main Street photo booth. 

As everyone took their seats Mayor Andy Brauninger began the opening remarks, expressing his love for the city and how much it means to him.

He also introduced School Board Trustee Ken Holland, who gave the invocation…

…and a local Boy Scout troop, who ably took care of colors.

Mayor Brauninger then introduced the City Manager, Aron Kulhavy. Aron Kulhavy gave a speech discussing the last two years and the City’s achievements.  

As Aron Kulhavy addressed the many updates Huntsville has, we were able to learn about the new developments such as a city-run animal shelter, an expansion of I-45, and an expansion of the MLK Center.  

After Aron Kulhavy’s closing remarks, we were able to talk with Aron Kulhavy about the City, and to thank him for his time.

It was an informative evening, and a great opportunity to see some familiar faces, such as Cody Humphrey and Brian Aldaco.

Christmas on the Square, 2021: Merry Christmas Huntsville!

Erin Juarez

The Leap ambassadors took a break from studying for finals and volunteered at Christmas on the Square on Saturday, hosted by Main Street Huntsville. This is an event where the whole community comes together and celebrates Christmas in early December. The city offers fun activities involving snow, Santa Claus, a train ride, karaoke, vendors, and so much more!

After we arrived and situated everything at our station, we began to see people walking toward the line to meet Santa Claus. As soon as he sat down in his chair, ready to listen to all the children’s Christmas wishes, they began to rush over to take a picture with him. There were people of all ages: newborns, toddlers, teenagers, and even adults. They all made sure to tell Santa if they had been naughty or nice this year. As a treat for each person who declared that they had been good, Santa gifted them a candy cane. He then promised them he’d visit on Christmas and bring whatever gift they had wished for.

Yvette and I have been good girls this year, so we made sure to tell Santa. We even took a picture with him!

The kids were eager to ride the train, sing karaoke, get their faces painted, and participate in all of the activities that the city had planned for them. For starters, the train was always busy, the children loved being able to cruise around downtown. They also enjoyed singing Christmas music, and I can’t say that we blame them… Yvette and I went on stage and sang a song too!

The event was live: the music, the dancing, the events, and the pet contests were all enjoyable.

It was nice seeing familiar faces there: Mac and Leanne Woodward and their grand kids were there;

Mayor Brauninger and his wife were there;

and we had a great chance to spend time with City staff, who made this event such a success.

There was so much joy in seeing how everyone from different backgrounds came together to serve the community, which is something I personally cherished.

After witnessing how people banded together to make this event happen: the volunteers, the staff, the residents, and their attribute of selfless service gave me reassurance as to my reasoning behind the desire I have to serve my country and become a part of the US Army.

On behalf of the Leap Ambassadors, we are so thankful for everyone who was a part of this event and we wish everyone a safe and wonderful Winter Break and Happy Holidays!

WAC: Gabriela Gerhart

Gabriela Gerhart: From Communism to Capitalism 

Yvette Mendoza 

The World Affairs Council hosted yet another amazing event, this one featuring Gabriela Gerhart on her journey from communism to capitalism. After experiencing many ups and downs, she has become an entrepreneur and created a pregnancy and motherhood wellness resource, called the Motherhood Center. The LEAP Members were not only able to meet Gabriela, but also received a copy of her book, After the Fall. 

Through a moderated Q&A session with Sandija Bayot, we learned a lot more about the author and entrepreneur, Gabriela Gerhart. Gabriela spoke of her seemingly normal childhood in Czechoslovakia, but it did not remain normal for long. One day in 1989, her 8th grade history teacher informed the class that they would have to relearn their history, as everything previous had been a lie. As a little girl, Gabriela experienced the truth of communism without even realizing it.

During the communist control everything was restricted, even radios! Gabriela mentioned a time when her grandfather was listening to an illegal radio station; the next day they received a knock on their door and were reprimanded. It was as if everyone was constantly walking on eggshells. There were the longest of lines just for her family to get oranges, butter, and clothes. Gabriela’s mother would even trade tangerines with a neighbor for clothing. 

During her teenage years, Gabriela ventured and explored. When she landed in America on a short-term basis, she was blown away by all the differences, especially the grocery stores! She mentioned other differences: from the side of the road drivers drive on, to having mayo on the shelf and not on the fridge, and even how many people support the American flag out of their own free will. While starting her new life in America and trying to learn English from watching the American TV show Friends, Gabriela began to establish her own roots.

Gabriela fell back to her love of nursing and infants, and set about building her new business around that. She recognized that there was a lack of pregnancy and motherhood support and knew there was work to be done. Gabriela became a budding entrepreneur in the business of helping mothers and their babies through a program called, The Motherhood Center located in Central Houston. They offer pregnancy and parenting classes, massage spa services, and even yoga and fitness! 

Gabriela has struggled and thrived in many ways from living in a communist country, a place where you can’t truly amount to anything unless you are in the hierarchy of communism in Czechoslovakia. She has learned an entirely different language, become an author, and is now a CEO of a company that is thriving in Houston, while helping numerous families with children. 

She left us with the question, what are you grateful for? Gabriela emphasized that you should always say what you are grateful for, because your situation has the possibility to be much worse. Hearing her journey to freedom has been an inspiration to all of us and a true eye-opener to the effects that communism has on many people.

From Communism to Capitalism 

Erin Juarez 

After our event, the students went to a local Vietnamese restaurant called Lucky Café. We would have preferred to eat food from the Czech Republic, but there are no such restaurants in The Woodlands, so we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant, Lucky Cafe, to maintain the Communist theme.

When we arrived, we were seated by Lucky Café’s great staff and received our menus. The food ranged from Pho, to sweet and sour chicken, to several other combination plates. We began to browse the menu, to see what seemed most appealing to us. 

For starters, we ordered Spring Rolls and Dumplings. I was excited to try Spring Rolls for the first time, and they were delicious!

The orders for our entrees, varied from General Tso’s Chicken, Pho, to Orange Chicken.

Over dinner, we had informational conversations regarding communist countries and how grateful we are to be living in the United States. Some of what Ms. Gerhart conveyed to us about living under an authoritarian government was alarming, and we are grateful for the opportunities we have at SHSU, the freedom of expression, and the freedom to learn about other cultures and, of course, for the great Vietnamese food.

Making Smiles Happen: (M*A*S*H)

This past week the LEAP Ambassadors were happy to help–and recruit more help–KSAM radio do their annual “Make A Smile Happen” holiday gift drive for the community.

This drive encourages the local community to provide food items, pet supplies, cash, or toys, and these, in turn, go to one of six non-profit agencies: Santa’s Helpers, Huntsville Independent School District, Good Shepherd Mission, SAAFE House, and the YMCA.

Although the tasks associated with assisting are not difficult, they are time consuming. The drive spans two days: 6am-6pm on Wed, Dec 1; and 6am-3pm, Thu, Dec 2. Because we attempted to have at least four students on hand at any time, that’s 84 man-hours of volunteerism–on the last day of school and “study day,” making it for a particularly busy time.

Our tasks were manifold: (1) hold signs marketing the event to the high-traffic area on 11th street;

(2) help donors load an unload donated items from their vehicles; (3) organize and count the items;

and (4) come up with creative marketing tools.

Along the way, the students had the wonderful opportunity to meet and learn from new people: Tim Johnson, the station’s General Manager;

…radio personalities such as Steve Rixx, Rob Hipp, Glenn Edwards, and Carlos Zimmerman; and several sponsors and other volunteers.

It was a great learning experience and, in fact, we were able to practice our radio interviewing skills!

The students also had a chance to learn more about each of the non-profits involved in the program, how radio programming works, and in general simply learn more about how communities work–including an opportunity to meet some community VIPs.

It was, as the results will show, a successful drive. KSAM/KHVL did a wonderful job getting the word out, landing almost 1,000 toys, more than 600 pounds of pet food, some 3,000 items of food, and almost $8,000 in donations. It was a great service to the community, and we were thrilled to be part of it.

The LEAP Ambassadors would like to thank Isabel Behm, Alex Dieck, Destiny Woods, Heather Barodi, Mario Ocampo, Saara Maknojia, Mckenna Webb, Landon LaPrairie, Rachel Hill, and Lucy McCool for their help. And, of course, we’d also like to thank the staff at KSAM for allowing us to serve!

Wynne Home Art Exhibit

November 5, 2021, by Saara Maknojia 

On November 4th, Yvette Mendoza and I explored the beautiful art exhibit at the Wynne Home Arts and Visitor Center. The trip began with a tour of a passage that led to the driveway holding some of Jose Moroles’s art sculptures!

The finely carved stones were placed at the entrance of the 19th century Wynne Home. Yvette pointed out the architectural structure of the house which consisted of gorgeous Greek Corinthian columns. 

Upon entering the home, we were greeted by some of the attendees of the reception and the Cultural Service Manager, Sarah Faulkner! Taking a look into the Art Exhibit, which happened to be a first-time experience for me, I was in awe of the wonderful artwork on display.

Yvette and I went through the art pieces by gathering knowledge of the artists and the medium they used for the art piece. We learned about the different forms of art and conversed on the difference between oil and acrylic paint. 

Throughout the exhibit, we saw the works of Scott McCarley which included a beautifully sculpted piece of wood and stone that, appropriately, was named “Wood and Stone”!

We also had the honor of meeting Betty Liles, the artist of one of Yvette’s favorite pieces, “Quiet Evening”. The painting contained cool tones of nature with swaying trees and a river. Mrs. Liles brought charismatic energy into our conversations and told us more about her paintings. 

My favorite piece from the art exhibit was “Mountain Mist” by Al Hogue. To me, this piece represented the horses moving forward from the mountains they once grazed on. The intricate detailing in this piece was absolutely eye-catching and gave a sense of mystery. 

Yvette and I also toured the home. Throughout the home, we were met with a variety of art pieces from renowned artists like Charles Pebworth…

…and local artists. We were able to take a deeper look into the historic legacy the home provides to Huntsville.

The Wynne family founded the house in the 1880s, since then the Wynne home has been a foundation of Huntsville. It was such an insightful tour and the art exhibit gave me a great perspective of Huntsville’s local art!

Old Town Theatre Clean-Up 

Jessica Cuevas 

On Saturday, October 23rd, members of the Pre-Law Society and the LEAP Ambassadors volunteered to deep-clean Huntsville’s Old Town Theatre. Before the cleaning began, Professor Yawn gave us a tour of the interior…

Students are clearly mesmerized by the tour

…including the backstage, dressing rooms, and exterior of the Old Town Theatre, where we also learned about the works of the artist Richard Haas.  The dressing rooms, with large bathrooms and soft lighting, were clearly the favorite of the tour.

As we embarked on the fall cleaning, we assessed what needed to be done and strategically coordinated our cleaning. 

We separated into three groups to tackle our tasks more efficiently, focusing on the main auditorium, balcony, and stage. 

Each group worked in an assembly-line style, with someone vacuuming, cleaning, and disinfecting the backs and bottoms of every seat.

Our advisors, Stephanie and Professor Yawn even joined in the fun, and we also got the windows at the front of the theatre.

 As each task was being accomplished, there was a drawing for prizes such as snack packages, power banks, candles, cups, and throw blankets. Everyone was able to get a prize as a thank-you for their help.

After cleaning, we were satisfied with all our hard work, Professor Yawn headed upstairs to show us how the lighting and sound systems work as he began My Cousin Vinny, a fan favorite. We enjoyed a clean theater and cautiously ate the popcorn we were treated to. 

After the movie was finished, those of us who had not seen it clearly understood why it is favored by so many attorneys.  

WAC: Brainwashing

November 9, 2021, Erin Juarez 

The LEAP Students traveled to Houston for another wonderful World Affairs Council event, this time to hear Dr. Joel Dimsdale speak on the subject of brainwashing.  When we arrived the staff greeted us with smiles and gave us the book, Dark Persuasion, written by Dr. Dimsdale, after which Samaria Herbert introduced the speaker.

Dr. Dimsdale began the conversation by talking about the evolution of brainwashing, from its beginning in the field of psychology to the current social media era. He explained how brainwashing began even before the Cold War, but pointed out that the Korean War really drew attention the concept.

Dr. Dimsdale also spoke on what research scientists have done on brainwashing, and they simply haven’t been able to reliably control subjects’ minds. Initial experiments, such as Pavlov’s experiments with dogs, may have been promising, but they haven’t been replicated on any large scale with actual humans.

After Dr. Dimsdale spoke about experiments that have been done on brainwashing, he dove further into the Stockholm Syndrome and how this sense of dependency has been used by cult leaders to build, incrementally, a following. After making followers dependent on them for basic resources, the followers become psychologically dependent as well.

Lastly, we focused on the brainwashing effect of social media in our modern society, which is, of course, its own fascinating phenomenon–and something everyone in the room had opinions on!

Following the event, we had a chance to speak more in-depth with Dr. Dimsdale, and we appreciated the time he spent with us.

As we have come to expect, it was another wonderful event at the World Affairs Council!

Grandma’s Noodles

November 9, 2021, Saara Maknojia

To connect our conversation with Dr. Dimsdale on the effects of brainwashing–which became most publicized in North Korea, we thought it would be appropriate to eat at a local Korean restaurant called Grandma Noodle. 

Upon arrival, we were met by a lady who sat us in our designated area and gave us a moment to order from a variety of authentic Korean recipes. 

For many of us, it was our first time to eat Korean, and it wasn’t easy to figure out what was what from the menu–or, considering the language barrier, with the restaurant staff.

We loved the quantity of the appetizers and entrees; they each had a delicious, distinct taste. The varieties allowed me to understand that the bases of most Korean food are commonly fermented chili paste or many steamed vegetables.

The flavors of the appetizers appealed greatly to the LEAP members, but we had to make room for the main entrees.

The favorite dishes of the LEAP members, were the Bibimbob which contained rice with a wide variety of vegetables and a sunny-side-up egg…

the spicy rice cake with cheese (tteokbokki),

the fish cakes, the buckwheat noodles with veggies and spicy chili paste, and the Korean sausage.

And, of course, the largest of the meals, tackled by Yvette Mendoza.

Overall, Grandma Noodle gave us a better insight into Korean food culture. We were even taught how to eat the food in a natural Korean manner by the lady who hosted us at our table!

The small local restaurant opened our minds to the differences of cultures as well as our taste buds!