Last Day Of MLK

One of the biggest things that stuck me today was speaker Dana Barros. I really connected with what he was saying when he was talking about his childhood; all I kept thinking about was me.  Growing up basketball was life to me but I guess I didn't follow my passion like I should have.  But that's something I learned to do from this day one is to take my dreams serious.  It's only right because like he said it's 10 times harder for people who come from a neighborhood like us to get a great job or get into a good school that's why its important to me to take such great opportunities like working for Save The Harbor and being a MLK Summer Scholar.  I'm also grateful to have people and individuals from my community like Dana Barros to look up to. I just want to say thanks to MLK, Save The Harbor and John Hancock for everything this summer.   I really enjoyed and had a lot of fun and I look forward to coming back next summer!

Live, Laugh, Love,

Mark Rose

Second to Last MLK Scholars Workshop!

I always love attending the MLK summer scholars workshops. They are always engaging and interesting, plus also I enjoy meeting and interacting with the different teens and adults. This summer we have danced, discussed finances, and this week we talked about race, and the future of Boston.

Dr. Joseph, a professor of History at Tufts University and author, was today's guess speaker. He started off briefly, yet detailed lecture defining race, talking about some of the various issues our country faced economically and socially. He mentioned that we would not be where we are today if it were not for the abundant organizers, activists, and supporters. Dr. Joseph brilliantly summarized key points highlighting pivotal moments in history and relating them to today's society. He ended off showing a touching footage depicting the struggles and success during the Civil Rights era.

We concluded with a short question and answer. This dialog was important to me because the time is so crucial more now than ever. People, including myself, are so uncomfortable with the topic of race and economics. It is not common to talk about race at my high school. How can we build understanding, and move forward if we are all too scared to communicate?

Thanks,

Karrisha Gillespie

Dance!

This morning the MLK Scholars danced the morning away...literally. For our second workshop, the MLK coordinators made this workshop all about fitness through the art form of dance! I have done some dance back in the day. My favorites have always been tap, ballet, and hip-hop. However, I have never danced like we've danced on Friday!

Save the Harbor MLK Scholars!

First and foremost, I have never danced with such a skirt. Many of my co-workers came, well...undressed due to the gap week in between workshops, so appropriate attire seem to have slipped between the cracks! Nevertheless, we all have put forth 100 percent of effort and had a blast doing it!

WE CAME PREPARED!

Secondly, the moves the dance group shared with us were a cool mixture of contemporary, jazz, and hip-hop. It was exhilarating!

Let's dance!

The day was pretty sweet. Readers, please remember that no matter how busy you are, taking 30 minutes out of your day to focus solely on fitness is key to a happy and healthy life!

Anicia, myself, and Kiauna 

Thanks!

Dance and the Love of Kickball

Hey Readers I'm back,

        This week was a blast for me--I finally went to Staff Day! We explored, had a picnic, and played a VERY competitive game of kick ball. Also MLK was super fun, because our lesson that day was staying fit... by dancing!

From left to right Save the Harbor/Save the Bay staff and Me (Christen,Chris, Andy, Vinh, Me, Will, Karrisha, Kiaunna)

Seeing all my co-workers and me dance was a blast! Seeing everyone let loose and dancing as if there was no tomorrow was hilarious! Will and I even declared a dance off.

Me, Karrisha, and Kiaunna "Getting Loose"

Staff Day was incredible-- I finally met ALL of Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay staff and I had the chance too go on Patty and Bruce's boat, which is also their home. After the lovely home tour, on their boat, it was time for KICKBALL! During our intense game, I managed to get myself hit by a ball about five times, steal bases, and get the other team out! My "Dream Team" was made up of about all the Senior Marine Educators and Kiaunna and me...and we still lost to about ten points! Clearly talent doesn't carry on as one gets older! But spending the day with people who dedicates their summer to saving the harbor and bays along Boston was worthwhile!

"The Dream Team" Posing for 2nd Place

                                   Peace, Love, and Happiness,
                                                     Anicia Gillespie

Dancing at MLK

Today at MLK the Save the Harbor staff and hundreds of other kids around the school were treated to an informative session about health and physical fitness. The session taught us that we should follow a diet that is not fattening or sugary, and we should exercise regularly whether it be a walk in the park or playing basketball. Exercise should not be a a boring chore but rather something fun to do while hanging out with friends. The MLK Summer program taught us that not only should we strive towards financial security but also have a healthy lifestyle.

The MLK crew

The highlight of the day was the dance session we had. There was an important man from Caab Dance Studios that helped everyone find their inner groove. We all had a blast because we had so much fun with the different dance moves that he showed us, along with the pumped up music. The dance session got everyone up and moving, so that was solid evidence that we could all have fun while exercising. Not only that, myself and my fellow MLK Summer Scholars are all paid through John Hancock so we essentially got paid to dance and have fun!

The hectic dance scene

Deuces,

Vinh Tran

The Life of an MLK Summer Scholar

Every Friday myself and about nine other Save the Harbor staff members attend a program called MLK Summer Scholars at Boston University's Agganis Arena. We are all paid through the program there. The MLK Summer Scholar program is attended by a plethora of other organizations as well. When I first arrived at Agganis Arena I was astonished by the sheer amount of people there. There were hundreds of teens from all around Boston. We were led down to the actual arena grounds and were sorted into different groups. After breakfast we were able to listen to several inspiring speeches by some influential individuals working in Boston, one of them being the YMCA director.

Save the Harbor MLK Scholars

Afterward we returned to our groups. We were enlightened by our table leaders, who taught us about financial literacy and how we should set goals. The program that day taught us that it is imperative to create realistic goals and strive to achieve them. For example, an unrealistic goal would be striving to become the world's next billionaire. A realistic goal however is one that is achievable using the available resources, such as saving up towards buying a used car. Creating and achieving goals is essential to myself becoming a better worker for Save the Harbor since I can always look to improve.

Vinh Tran

Proud To Be A MLK Summer Scholar

Thank you John Hancock for accepting me to be an MLK summer scholar for another year. I have to admit its an amazing program and I'm very happy to be apart of it. I love being able to listen to the successful people who come to speak to us and give us different suggestions on how to reach their success. My favorite  part is when we focus on our short term and long term goals. They always say one of the most important things in life is to set goals for yourself.

www.MLK summer scholars.org

www.MLK summer scholars.org

Today I got started on a few mainly just short term goals . My main one right now is just to graduate high school . My biggest challenge is just to stay motivated and focus on school . Going to MLK made me realize that its important to be successful because in the future its going to be difficult to do anything. Not only is this program an amazing place but you get to meet some wonderful people and gain great resources. I just want to say thanks to John Hancock again and I want to say its an Honor to be working with you guys -see you next Friday.

Mark Rose 

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize!

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize!

Working at Save the Harbor Save the Bay is extremely exciting, and has been one of the highlights of my summer. But, I have to say, being a MLK Scholar also brings me great joy.
Ever Friday every MLK Scholar in the City of Boston gathers at the Agganis Arena to listen to guest speakers and divide into small groups to participate in discussions. Last week we had two amazing guests.

The first guest was a 17 year old male who spoke about his carreer in photography. He made it a point to assure the audience that you can do anything you truly wish to do, if you have the ambition for it.

The second speaker was a man who spoke of the lessons he learned from different experiences and how he built upon them. His journey reminds people of all ages that passion can lead you to endless possibilities!

Each week has interesting speakers and great discussions. I can't wait for this week!

-Karrisha

MLK

Today at MLK we talked about college and what we wanted to do after high school. We also talked about what it would take for us to get there. Then we shared a little info on our selves and where we see our selves in 30years. But mostly we talked about college and me and a couple of other kids that were at my table decided that we were going to do a couple of years in the service before going off to school. I have not made the choice yet whether i want to go to the Navy or the Coast Guard but i know I'm defiantly going to school when I'm done with my four years in the service. I'm not sure what school i want to go to right now I'm just focused on graduating from high school and going to the service right now and and MLK is a great inspiration.

Mark Rose

"We talking about practice man"; practice makes perfect!

Today at the MLK scholars meeting, they showed us a video of Allen Iverson. In that video I guess Allen didn't show up to practice and he was being interviewed on how he sees it. "we talking about practice man, practice, practice practice. Even though he has the skill, practice can still improve your game or attitude. Allen Iverson thought money can keep his game up. Now out of a job, he no longer play in the NBA. Moral of the story is: continue to work hard and practice even when you think your at your best!
Leon

Health & Fitness Day

Today at the MLK Summer Scholars was health and fitness day. We had some people come in and talk to us about how to stay fit and healthy. Today lesson was kick boxing, that was fun. Everybody was up and moving around and having fun too. What I learn today was that it takes alot of work to be very good at kick boxing. Another thing i learn was that kick boxing is not just for males it's also for females too. I can't wait for next Friday :)

-Diana Gomez

MLK

Hello Aruna here with a report on how MLK is going thus far this summer.

We just completed our 4th week this past Friday, and so far they have all been fun and education. I attended the MLK meetings last year as well, but even though we have been repeating the same activities this year, I am still taking a lot from them. The most recent meeting focused on physical fitness. We got a quick lesson on eating healthy and performing physical activities (the focus at the meeting being boxing). So far we have also learned about setting goals, and financing, all very important tools that will help us secceed. Oh and I am also making a lot of new friends there, meeting new people at every session. It has been a lot of fun and I look forward to next Friday's.

~wilshere

Let me drop a little knowledge on you

Do you remember the last time someone told you, "Man, I really wish I had heard this when I was 17?" If you're 17, you probably hear it a lot. If you are a 17 year old Martin Luther King Scholar at Agganis Arena on a summer Friday morning, you've probably heard it at least 6 times this morning alone. No joke.

She said it. Right before talking about how she started her own business that started as a little company making jewelry with a small personal investment of $3,000. Now, she is in the process of making a million-dollar deal.
He said it. That is, before he told the story of how he went from being homeless to starting a small shoeshine business that now operates in many states with thousands of employees.

This past Friday, the MLK scholars were learning about personal finance, budgeting, and planning ahead. The group talked about how small decisions can make a noticeable impact over the course of one's life- like the thousands of dollars of lost income just from using a cash-checking facility instead of opening a bank account. They talked about how to distinguish between a want a need (and how very often wants seem to become needs). Mostly, they talked about how planning wisely allows you to take advantage of opportunities, as well as weather any unforeseen storms that come your way.

I said it too. I wish I had heard this when I was 17. I wish I had friends that heard this when they were 17. Sometimes, we need to learn things through experience. However, often a little bit of knowledge can save a lot of hardship and missed chances. I believe that is the admirable goal of the MLK Scholars program, and while I may not have heard it when I was 17, I'm glad I'm hearing it at 26, and glad I get to share it with our own youth.

Hi!!! This is my second year at Save the Harbor as part of the MLK Scholars Program. Its amazing to see how many people come to network, meet new people and learn how to be successful in life.
I have to say I really enjoyed last Friday's program about the financial lesson. I appreciate the way MLK inspires me to want to be a successful person in life and to be a professional at anything I do. MLK teaches me to do the right thing with my money, to always keep a bank account so I can always have money. I am excited to be back and I'm definitely looking forward to my next Friday with MLK and the people from John Hancock.

Mark Rose

The MLK Program

This morning today I attended the MLK Scholars Program. This was my second time attending and I have met all kinds of people. We watched a video of Martin Luther Kings speech "I have a dream" and it inspired almost everyone that was there. We have guest speakers that come out and talk about achieving your goals and applying ourselves to our dreams. They bring encouragement and leadership to everyone.

One speaker today told us a story about him playing basketball with Michael Jordan. He said that he loved to play basketball just like him, but basketball did not define who he truly was. He motivated us to set our goals high and to succeed in everything we do. We also had group activities, where we circle up and the director would ask us a question, and tell us to discuss the answer with a partner. This was a way to get to know each other. One question was, " What is your main goal you want to achieve and why?" When we were answering the questions I realized that we may all be different, but we want the same things in life. For example, the people that shared their answers all said that they wanted to graduate from college. We all have something in common and we are all one big family.

This program is an icebreaker because some people share personal thoughts that they may not want to express to others. We become more open to conversations and not shy to express how we feel. Having over three hundred teens in one room making connections is more than one step going towards change in our communities and peoples hearts.

LaToya Glass

MLK SUMMER PROGRAM

Today was my second Friday at the MLK summer program. I really like this program and I like the stuff we talk about. Its a place where you get to meet other people and talk about how you feel. Today we discussed our futures, life goals and how goals are important in life. Goals are important because everybody needs something to work towards in order to have success.

MLK is also a place where we can talk about our feelings and our communities and what we can do to make it better. I feel like education and oppurtunity is the key to success and bringing everyone together making this world a safe and better place. The MLK youth program brings alot of kids together and shows us that you can do and be anything you want as long as you put your mind to it.

- The One And Only