Social Awareness Project

Social Awareness Project Part One: Interview

For this part of my project, I interviewed my mom, Julie. She works as a recruiter in Manhattan.

Jane: Can you tell me a little bit about what you do?

Julie: I am a recruiter at a full service staffing agency that places people in both permanent and temporary positions. I am one of the founders of the company, and I’m a director, so I’m also responsible for some of the managerial aspects of the company.

Jane: Why is recruiting an important job?

Julie: Recruiting is important for our clients, who are various companies, because it enables them to maintain their workforce, add staff where needed, and grow as a company. It’s very important to NYC as a whole, because it provides people with jobs, which helps to improve and sustain the economy.

Jane: Why did you want to become a recruiter?

Julie: I’ve always been good with people. When I was presented with the opportunity, I wanted to become a recruiter because I have always wanted to help people. My career has always been about helping people- I was a criminal prosecuter, who helps people who were victims of crimes. When I stepped away from the legal world, I felt that I wanted to continue helping people. Recruiting was a different way to do this, but in a different form.

Jane: How many placements do you make in a year?

Julie: I don’t know an exact number. I place people in permanent and temporary positions all the time, so the number is definitely in the hundreds.

Jane: What kind of companies do you work with?

Julie: A very broad range of industries. We work with finance, legal, media and advertising, branding, fashion, entertainment and real estate. Those are the major areas in which we place people.

Jane: Has your job affected the way you view people that you meet?

Julie: I think I’m able to read people better after all of these years of doing this. I am more attentive to the way people speak, carry themselves and present themselves from being a recruiter.

Jane: How do you think your job has influenced you as a person? What skills or lessons have you learned?

Julie: Recruiting has changed me as a person because it has made me more empathetic. Looking for a job is a very vulnerable position to be in. I also think it has made me a better listener, and it has helped me create better relationships.

Jane: What kind of candidate are you looking for?

Julie: It depends on the job, but generally I’m looking for candidates who are warm, engaging, articulate, and know how to represent themselves in a way that is professional and meaningful.

Jane: Do you believe you have changed the world, even in a small way?

Julie: I believe that in some way, I have. I believe that I have passed on or taught my candidates to be confident and how to represent themselves in a positive way. There is nothing better than helping someone start or continue their career. It’s just a great feeling to know I have helped someone in that way. However, I am just a part of that- my candidates work hard for what they want.

Jane: Do you believe that your candidates, or even young people in general, have the capability to change the world?

Julie: I do. Especially recent college graduates that I meet, embarking on their first professional job, a great education and internship experience under their belt. They will change the world because these young adults, many of them starting out at very junior positions, will someday be the leaders of the companies they join.

Social Awareness Project Part 2: Poem

For this part of my project, I wrote an original poem about social issues.

She sits in a corner

in a playground, alone

she told all her “friends”

that she had gone home.

She slashes her wrists,

no tears on her face

a constant depression

only pain can replace.

“I’ve cooked up your favorite!”

her mother would say

she’d play with her food

then push it away.

That night in her bed

her stomach will ache

she can’t sleep with the hunger

so instead she lies awake.

Thinking about food

and the cuts on her wrists

and all her fake friends

her hands ball into fists.

Her friends call her “chubs”

and make fun of her cuts

they think it’s a joke

and they say that she’s nuts.

But what they don’t know

is behind the scenes

she’s doing it for them

she’s trying to please.

She doesn’t like the teasing

she doesn’t like the names

she doesn’t want to see her life

go down in flames.

But her spirit is broken

too weak to make amends

she didn’t do this to herself

no, she did not. It was her friends.

Social Awareness Project Part 3: Nonfiction Response

For this part of my project, I wrote a nonfiction response about a controversial issue that was discussed in an article.

          The Upfront Magazine article “To Kill or Not to Kill?” By Patricia Smith, is a thought-provoking article about the death penalty, and whether or not it should be continued in the United States. The author discusses many graphic botched executions, and includes that a punishment of death is irreversible- and in a world full of human error, there’s always the possibility of taking the life of an innocent person. The author of this article clearly has sided with those opposing the death penalty, and wants to teach readers that killing people, no matter what the circumstance, is always wrong.

One example of how the author conveys this message is by how the article discusses many botched executions (situations where the lethal injection didn’t work.) These circumstances are awful to read about, because they sound painful and unbearable, even for a capital criminal. The author put this evidence in specifically to horrify the reader with the truth of the death penalty. The text states, “Everyone watching the execution of Clayton Lockett last April knew instantly that something had gone terribly wrong. Lockett was strapped to a gurney in the death chamber of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary and had been given an injection when he started kicking, twitching, and then writhing and moaning in agony.” This text example helps to support the author’s point because it uses Clayton Lockett as an example of how the death penalty can go horribly wrong. This is one example of why the author believes the death penalty should be abolished- it can have many dangerous and harmful effects.

Another example of how the author supports their thesis is with the example that death is simply too final in a world where mistakes can occur. The death penalty is irreversible, and you can never be 100% sure that a criminal committed a crime- there will always be a chance that they are innocent. The author includes specific data in order to prove their point- the article states, “In recent years, exonerations of death row inmates, based on DNA and other evidence, have led to charges that the death penalty is simply too irreversible a punishment. Since 1973, 144 death row inmates have been exonerated.” The author includes the statistic because they want to realized that 144 innocent people were dealt the ultimate punishment, and didn’t deserve it. There are absolutely more innocent people who have been put to death. The author proves this point by using statistics, because it is an understandable format for the reader- also, because the numbers are shocking and will definitely persuade the reader. This is another reason why the author is opposed to the death penalty- mistakes can happen, and death is completely irreversible.

The author of this article used persuasive tactics to prove the point that the death penalty is wrong. Before reading this article, I didn’t see anything wrong with the death penalty- everyone around me had been telling me that killing and committing other awful crimes is wrong- naturally, I thought that murderers and criminals deserved the ultimate punishment. But, after reading this article, my opinion has definitely changed. I realize that in a world full of human error, the “murderers” being executed may be innocent people being punished for someone else’s crime.  I have also learned that the death penalty can be dangerous and detrimental to health- the accounts the author included of botched executions sounded agonizingly painful. This article has taught me that maybe, the punishment doesn’t always fit the crime.