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My name is Mariely Choto, I’m from El Salvador and I migrated to Miami five years ago with my brother and my mom looking for a better future. I graduated from Miami High class of 2021 and now I’m taking classes in Padron campus this is my first year in college and my second semester. My major is an Associate in Science degree in paralegals studies. After that I’m planing to study pre law, and attend to a law school. My goal is one day be part of the FBI. I really like to travel and get to know different cultures and places but I really like living here in Miami so I plan to continue living here. The most important thing for me is my family and fulfill all my goals. I am very passionate about working, I work a lot with customer service, I am an assistant manager in a clothing store and I really like what I do. Lately I don't have much free time due to the work and the classes that I’m taking, but I really like to do exercise and take care of myself. Also, I like to draw and I know how to play the guitar but I would like to learn to play the piano. I’m a person with a very strong character and I think that is a strength and also a weakness because I tend to hurt people. I am also a very perfectionist person and I think that is a strength but many times I demand too much to myself and that’s something that I’m working on. I’m  proud of myself and everything I've accomplished up to this point in my life, since I have improved a lot at work since in less than a year I became an assistant manager; being one of the youngest people in the company with that position and in my studies I already graduated from high school and now I am in college but I am also proud that I have managed to improve myself not only based on work and studies but also in self-love; I have learned to love myself and value myself more and that has made me a stronger person. In the future I see myself as a graduate realizing all my dreams and goals and with a better lifestyle.

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What research tool, idea, or methodology caught your attention? What topic did you select to research? Why did you pick this topic?

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At the meeting we attended, we talked a lot about the library resource tool that is on the MDC website. It was very interesting to learn about the different online library resources available since, as I am in my first year, many of these resources I did not know about and had not taken the time to explore, but Professor Duque gave us a lot of information and she showed us how to use each of these tools that will help us in our investigations about the topic that we choose. The research tool that caught my attention  is "Research Tools and Services" which provides a lot of information on the topic you are interested in. She also mentioned the website to help us cite in MLA format called Purdue Owl. During the session, Professor Duque mentions several interesting options, such as flooding problems, medical care, homelessness in Florida, poor waste but the issue that caught my attention the most is traffic congestion since Miami has a reputation for having some of the worst traffic and is one of the most congested cities in the United States and it is something that we all experience not only in Miami but in the whole world and I would like to investigate and find solutions that help with this issue.

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For CAS 3 we had to select two videos related to the environment. At first I felt a bit hesitant as there were many videos that caught my attention but the ones I selected were "Climate action needs new frontline leadership" and "The crucial intersection of climate and capital" I selected those two as I think climate change currently has a very great impact on all people (especially the most vulnerable) and in all their areas of development and other living beings on the planet, therefore we must not ignore it and start being agents of change. The two videos motivated me to help the community and make people aware of what we are doing wrong and how we can make changes in society to solve the problems that are worsening our environment. From the first video I learned that many corporations create empty promises that help the environment but they are based only on the economy and not what really matters, which is to create a true climate change. Also, in the first video, Ozawa talks about some projects that can help bring about real climate change from water protection to off-grid solar power. From the second video I learned how finance plays a very important role in science.

For CAS 1 we had to choose two videos of "the story of stuff" and at the beginning it was a bit difficult to select the video since they were all interesting and I had very good views since I could learn something important from all of them. The two videos that I selected were "The story of plastic" and "The story of cosmetic" and after watching those two videos I felt inspired to make many changes in my lifestyle and encourage others to do the same. Starting by using more reusable products, and making small changes that will make a big difference in the future. Also, from now on I will be more careful with the products that I use on my body since many times we do not realize the damage that we are doing. making ourselves and the planet. The experience was very different from what made me realize that we have to take an active role in our community and work with others to make our planet more peaceful, sustainable and  not only for ourselves but also for future generations.

One of the assignments that helped me the most was SP2 since it gave me a lot of information that I did not know and I felt very happy since I felt that the information was going to help me throughout the semester. During the meeting I learned about the different resources that we have available on the MDC website and it was very interesting to learn about the different online library resources available since, as I am in my first year, many of these resources I did not know about and had not taken the time to explore, but Professor Duque gave us a lot of information and she showed us how to use each of these tools that will help us in our investigations about the topic that we choose. During the session, Professor Duque mentions several interesting options, such as flooding problems, medical care, homelessness in Florida, poor waste but the issue that caught my attention the most is traffic congestion since Miami has a reputation for having some of the worst traffic and is one of the most congested cities in the United States and it is something that we all experience not only in Miami but in the whole world and I would like to investigate and find solutions that help with this issue. This experience changed me as a person since I felt more confident because I learned many things that I did not know before about the MDC Website.

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In the short video, "The Story of Plastic" explain the truth behind plastic pollution and the false solution of plastic recycling that is not the solution to the problem since 14% of plastic is packaging recycled and only 2% is effectively recycled meaning it becomes something as useful as before and the rest ends in landfills, incinerators, or the environment. It also shows us how we got to our current global plastic pollution crisis and how the oil and gas industry has successfully manipulated it around it, and it shows us the world's biggest environmental problems, from fossil fuel extraction to elimination of plastics and shows us possible solutions to help solve this problem.

In the short video, "The Story of Cosmetics" explains truth of the use of toxic chemicals in our everyday personal care products, from lipstick to baby shampoo. Produced with Free Range Studios and presented by Annie Leonard, reveals the implications for consumer and worker health and the environment, and outlines ways we can move the industry away from dangerous chemicals and closer to safer alternatives. The film concludes with a call for viewers to support legislation aimed at ensuring the safety of cosmetics and personal care products.

As a global citizen,  I consume many of the products like everyone else without thinking that the consumption of these products generates more income for companies, which at the same time generates more products. As a citizen we must be aware of and understand the world at large, and our place in it. We have to take an active role in our community and work with others to make our planet more peaceful, sustainable and just, not only for ourselves but also for future generations.

After watching this two videos from the series of " The Story of Stuff" I am inspired to make many changes in my lifestyle and encourage others to do the same. Starting by using more reusable products, and making small changes that will make a big difference in the future. Also, from now on I will be more careful with the products that I use on my body since many times we do not realize the damage that we are doing. making ourselves and the planet.

Work Cited

Leonard, Annie.“The Story of Cosmetics.” Story of Stuff, 21 Jul 2010, https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-cosmetics/.

Leonard, Annie. "The Story of Plastic." Story of Stuff, 21 Apr 2021. https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-plastic-animation/.

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TED Video Environment → Documentation → Reflection

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Video 1

In the TED Talk "Climate action needs new frontline leadership" by Ozawa Bineshi Albert. The speaker begins her TED talk by telling us how she has been a community organizer for Indigenous rights, environment justice and climate change for more than 30 years. She also tell us how she observed a disconnection between the empty promises made by corporations and the real needs that exist in the communities being an indigenous woman living in Oklahoma the heart of oil and gas country. She tells us how the leaders are looking for solutions to the climate problem but through the lens of economy. On her TED talk, she talks about some projects around climate policy and changing values, from water protection in Minnesota to off-grid solar power in Arizona.

Works Cited

ozawa, " Climate action needs new frontline leadership." TED, November  2021. https://www.ted.com/talks       /ozawa_bineshi_albert_climate_action_needs_new_frontline_leadership

Video 2

Nili Gilbert begins her TEDtalk "The crucial intersection of climate and capital" by saying that for two decades she has been pofessionally managing assets for large financial institutions but that those were not her plans since she had dreamed of changing the world since she was 20 years old. She tells us how the financial sector always talks about decarbonizing investment portfolios as a way to fight climate change, but portfolios can be cleaned without having a real impact on the problem. She tells us that changing the markings could somehow change the world. She explains to us how investors can actually help decarbonise the world, a costly endeavor but ensuring that the climate transition is fair, global and interconnected.

Nilli Gilbert " The crucial intersection of climate and capital" TED October 2021. https://www.ted.com/talks/nili_gilbert_the_crucial_intersection_of_climate_and_capital

Reflection

After watching both TED talks, I am motivated to make changes in my life to help the community and make people aware of what we are doing wrong and how we can make changes in society to solve the problems that are worsening our environment. from the first video I learned that many corporations create empty promises that help the environment but they are based only on the economy and not what really matters, which is to create a true climate change. Also in the first video, Ozawa talks about some projects that can help bring about real climate change from water protection to off-grid solar powerI. From the second video I learned how finance plays a very important role in science. Nili Gilbert persuades the audience to choose the whole world instead of choosing their personal world. Also, she focuses on portfolio decarbonization and raising social awareness.

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The video of "How to improve traffic, not make it worse" from Planet A, caught my attention since traffic is something we see not only in Miami but in the whole world and from the video I learned possible solutions to solve this problem . traffic is one of the main causes of air pollution as it is caused by vehicles. The video shows us that the insecurity of people when using public transport is one of the causes of traffic, since if public transport were safer, people would use it and that way traffic would reduce enormously and trips would be faster. The video also tells us that creating more roads is not a solution to the problem since it causes people to want to buy more cars and thus traffic worsens. I also learned from the video that investing in electric cars helps air pollution but does not solve the traffic problem. another of the possible solutions that the video shows us is to reinforce public transport and we could do it by creating more sidewalks that encourage people to walk, use bicycles, and to go to bus stops that way the traffic problem would be reduced and also the conta, air mining. the video inspired me to change my daily routine as it encourages me to stop using the car and use public transport, walk or bike as every little change can make a big difference.

Works cited: "Planet A, How to make traffic better, not worse.2022"