Entry #2: Graduating with no real graduation

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to talk about the impact of coronavirus on me. A number of us are a freshman taking this entry-level college class, so many of us did not get a graduation or prom so I know many of you can relate to this topic. This was of course at the start of the pandemic, earlier this year in March or April. No one knew how serious this virus would be, or especially how long this pandemic would last. Earlier this year I was a senior at Greenway Highschool, as well as a school called West-Mec. West-Mec is essentially a public school district that high school students can do dual enrollment in, or adults can also take these career-based courses. They even have a professional development course so it really is for everyone and anyone in Arizona. I had an amazing time at West-Mec and met many great people. the teachers there made all of the activities and labs fun, I don't have a picture of me, but here is a picture of a student making teeth whitening trays from a mouth molding and from a HOSA conference: 

When I went on spring break and received a message from my two schools stating we will not be coming to school until further notice and we would be taking online classes, I thought this is great, I get an extended break. But in reality, this would turn from something I was happy about to something that stripped me of important milestones in life. Everyone remembers their prom and how great it was or maybe not so great, but it is an experience you remember. I did not go to prom any of the other years because it was expensive to buy a prom dress, so I was waiting until my senior year to go all out with my dress, and hair and makeup. I had not bought my dress yet, I was just looking around, but it was exciting to go out and try on beautiful dresses and shoes. Although I am just glad I didn't go and spend all of that money on something I couldn't end up wearing. These were some dresses I was looking at:

That was sad for me because I wouldn't go to many school dances or events, just waiting for prom, to go all out, but graduation is a completely different story. It may sound like a small thing in words, but the feeling of walking across that stage all dressed up and being recognized for all of my accomplishments, not only for graduating high school but graduating West-Mec and obtaining my license in dental radiology. This is something I have worked and worked for every day for twelve years. I was not just graduating from high school, but I was finishing my K-12 school education. During this time I grew and became the person I am today, from 6 years old to today, 18 years old, I was beyond irate. I had put in so much effort and worked to finish this part of my education, where I would then move on to college and learn even more about myself and start a higher education that I get to choose to fit my career of choice. I know there wasn't a choice, it wasn't the schools that chose to do this, they had to because of the pandemic. This is something sad for me, but it is something that I can deal with and accept. I consider myself lucky that this is the hardest part of this pandemic for me. Many people have passed due to Covid-19 and I could not imagine the sadness and grief this would have on many others truly affected. On that sad note, I will see you guys next time, I hope you are all staying safe during this time and still being cautious of your surroundings. Don't forget your masks!

Entry #1: Types of Blogs

Anyone can create a blog and write about anything they wish to. Since starting this blog, I have read many of my classmates' blogs and other blogs I have found on the internet. Of course, everyone has different tastes, and personalities so there were a lot of blogs I liked and some I didn't like so much. This is a casual/ professional blog, therefore I won't be writing too much about me and my personal life, but I will keep it interesting with pictures, links, and videos.

The first blog I came across that I really found interesting was a blog called CapturebyLucy, click on the link if interested, CapturebyLucy. I highly recommend taking a look at Lucy's page, she is a mother of two boys and two beautiful white dogs, Mabel and Moose, and she is a great photographer. Just take a look at some of her pictures:

                           

                           

                        

Her blogs are filled with many original pictures that she professionally takes, they are fun to look at and she keeps her blogs in a consistent format of pictures, a paragraph, pictures, a paragraph. This really helps to engage the readers and keep them coming back. She is very descriptive with her stories and the pictures just really put you into the story you feel like you are there with Lucy and her family. It is a personal lifestyle blog, she writes mainly about her and her family, it contains personal pictures and it has more pictures than writing. Lucy does sponsored blogs and even sells backdrop pictures to help support her blogs. She was able to make a business with her sister selling these professional pictures, and her blog has also won many awards. I also like how she is connected with her viewers, you can submit your story and she will post stories from around the world. Her blogs are interesting with the various pictures and her personality keeps me entertained, in my opinion, it is a very well written blog and I like how original and different it is. 

Another blog I really like is a blog called Denver Darling, if you would like to check this one out as well, here is the link, DenverDarling. This is yet another lifestyle blog, of course personal, because it has more pictures than words, and it is about Abby Miller and her life in Denver. They are also formatted consistently, with a couple sentences, a picture, a couple more sentences, then another picture. As clearly seen, I tend to lean more toward lifestyle blogs because it is interesting to me, to read about someone else's life and how they view and explain it to the readers. I love the personality in these personal blogs, especially in this one, Abby is very expressive. I am drawn color layout of her blog and how it is set up almost like a website, very organized, similar to the CapturebyLucy blog. This blog doesn't have professional pictures, but they are still very clear and well taken, giving you a sense of the beautiful city of Denver. Similar to the author I am also originally from Denver, Colorado. I like how she gives people a guide to the city and the best places to eat and places to visit, straight from someone who has lived in Denver her whole life, who would be a better guide. I like the ways she describes the places she goes and the stories she tells about her childhood, her personality definitely shines through. Abby also links all of her outfits in every picture because she is passionate about fashion, which I appreciate, her outfits are well put together. She writes as if you are a friend she is talking to about everything, very close and personal, great to engage readers. Here are some pictures to give you a feel for her blog and the city of Denver:

                           

                             

Those were a couple of blogs I liked, because of personality and the beautiful pictures, but here is a blog I didn't like too much, the blog isn't bad it just isn't really my taste. The blog is called The Verge, here is the link if it interests you, theverge. This blog is a multimedia blog, meaning it is about whats going on in the world, mostly about technology and the future, but also about celebrities and a bit of gossip. It has the same kind of feel as TMZ, it is not very organized or the layout and format is very cluttered. There are so many ads, which I understand create revenue for the company VoxMedia, which writes the blogs. However, there are just too many ads and most of them take up the majority of the screen, they are huge. I think the website can definitely be organized and formatted in a cleaner way. This is also a more personal blog as it is just a conspiracy about the future, technology, and gossip, written in an informal way. The articles just don't interest me and it doesn't really engage me as a reader with how the blogs are written, I like more personality as if I am talking to a friend. One again, in no way am I saying this blog is bad, it is a very popular blog, it just isn't for me.

That is all I have for today, I just wanted to come on here and give my opinion on blogs, as it is something new to me. Everyone has their own opinions and ways to express them, there are endless numbers of blogs. There is a blog for everyone and I suggest you look around and find one that interests you! 

                                        

A little background about me

Hello! My name is Lesly Olivas, I am 18 years old and I live in Arizona, originally from Denver. I just graduated from high school earlier this year. As the majority of 2020 graduates would agree, it is a sad way to end four important years in school. Prom and graduation were canceled at my high school, as well as another graduation from my second school. I was happy my high school offered students to take pictures in their caps and gowns, mine shown below:  

                                            

I went to 2 schools, my last 2 years of high school I would go to a school called West-Mec after I finished classes, this is where I got my dental assisting certification. There are various locations and programs, it is a great opportunity for everyone, from high school students to adults. Here is the link if you are interested, West-Mec, the teachers for dental assisting were great, I made a lot of new friends. The dental assisting program was also brand new last year so I was apart of the first cohort. The school was very beautiful and big, I loved the labs, the laboratory was very high tech and up to date with the newest items. Take a look at the northwest campus below:

        

 I am a health sciences major; I am not sure exactly what career path I want to pursue yet. I am very interested in the healthcare field, right now I am just taking the basic entry-level college classes, as this is my first year at GCC. I plan to get my Associate's Degree from GCC and go from there, that should give me some time to figure out my next steps. Some of my favorite hobbies right now are just swimming and watching Netflix or YouTube, there is not much I can do right now because of the pandemic. I hope everyone has found some new hobbies or ways to keep busy at home! I have gotten into cooking and baking; I love trying new recipes. I am taking life one day at a time, excited to see where the next day brings me. I hope to meet all of you in the future, good luck!