14A: Halfway Reflection

1. Behaviors that I have used to keep up with the requirements of this course would have to be actively paying attention to time management. Working 30 hours a week and going to school full time can be a lot to handle, especially if it is new to you (which is what I’m learning to adjust to).                              
2. I’ve felt like giving up multiple times throughout my upbringing. When faced with hardship, it is difficult to move past inexplicable change that one may encounter. After the loss of my mother and loss of the place I used to call home, waking up was a very difficult task to do. I felt powerless. From time to time, I still experience the grief in waves. February 12th was her birthday and the second one I’ve spent without her. I feel as if I’ve developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months and the experiences that have heavily contributed to this is the making of art. Art served as a distraction but art has also been a driving force. My first art project was dedicated to her to ensure that I give it my all.

3. Fostering the skills that support tenacity all come from within. You have to want to succeed. Development of a tenacious mindset does not simply come to one overnight. You must put in the effort in order to receive results. You must press on forward and not allow yourself to give up. 

13A: Reading Reflections No.1

1. Muhammad Yunus is an individual who sought to help millions escape poverty in Bangladesh. I admire his effort to bring forth change to a community that otherwise would not have received the attention it deserved. However, Yunus failed to recognize that his solution to ending poverty would create its own demand. Microcredit could be interpreted as a simple misunderstanding of basic economic principles which Yunus overlooked. 
2. The entrepreneur exhibited concern for those of his country and acted by instilling his humanitarian endeavors into his work. 
3. I found the fact that microcredit was introduced to a struggling community rather difficult to understand. By introducing an economic principle that often never succeeds, he put the livelihood of his people at risk. Yunus might have made matters worse. 
4. I would ask the entrepreneur personal questions regarding his motive for introducing microcredit to the people of Bangladesh. I would also ask Yunus if his humanitarian endeavors would further motivate him to do more than what he already has. I would ask these questions to seek the reasoning behind his drive for introducing such a concept to a struggling demographic. 
5. I believe that Muhammad Yunus did not undermine hard work and what it entails. Surely, this entrepreneur must have executed this idea having thought of the potential failures and successes that could derive from it. I would have to say that I would share this opinion. It is important to evaluate oneself, especially when you are becoming involved in the lives of others. 

Assignment 12A

          The segment that would match my venture market would be students and families that live here in the city of Gainesville. 

          The individuals who were glad to help by being interviewed were Cody, Andre and Will. All who were interviewed are individuals that face racial and equity disparities due to their financial standing in society. Each person I interviewed had an unmet need of finding ways to benefit themselves through the use of organizations such as Changeville of Gainesville.

          Their unmet needs become more problematic when it comes down to budgeting in order to get by until their next paycheck. They are all undergraduate college students who primarily live and sustain themselves. 

In order to solve this pressing issue, they all tend to follow unhealthy habits which consist of not eating as often and restricting themselves to the bare minimum they can spend in between paychecks. If there were a way for each one of them to access potential resources that can help lessen their burden, it would be an opportunity they would be grateful for. 

Assignment 11A

1. I am an undergraduate art student here at the University of Florida. I’m still discovering my talents, but thus far I have found that I am decent at painting and do well with exploration of the creative process. This is my first year making art but I feel as if I can grow a lot as an artist if I continue to be ambitious. Unfortunately, my skills and experiences do not cover a vast area. My aspirations include pursuing happiness and making differences in the lives of others through art as well as through Changeville of Gainesville. This non profit organization would help instigate my aspiration of wanting to help those in need. If this organization were to become a reality and a large part of my life, I would be content with my achievements and the influence I’d have on others.

2. Changeville of Gainesville would offer assistance to those who face racial and equity disparities. This organization would provide individuals with the information they need to take advantage of all the resources available to them due to their demographic. By making information more accessible, more people would be able to live their lives as they are facing less hardships by utilizing resources that exist to help them grow. 

3. This service would be available to all individuals who would be categorized within a population that faces trouble with racial and equity disparities throughout our city. The demographic of these individuals would be people who come from lower class and are considered minorities. All our customers are individuals who suffer from racial and equity disparities. 

4. Customers would know that they are being provided with a service that solely exists to make their lives easier. Though the organization would be a nonprofit, there would be no need for customers to actually pay me money to use the product or service. 

5. Changeville of Gainesville is an organization built on helping those who are less fortunate. Throughout my upbringing, my family found solace through organizations that provided similar assistance. Personally, I know how rough it can be to live under extenuating circumstances. By introducing this nonprofit, I feel as though I am giving back to the community that deserves all the help they can receive. 

I believe that these elements fit together due to the fact that there is an unmet need that requires attention. I feel as though my business concept may be weaker than others due to lack of funding to allow opening of such an organization. Once the organization is up and running, if there is no service fee for providing assistance, there is no source of income for the organization to continue running. I am unsure of how non profit organizations work and how they continue to exist without funding. In order to properly execute this idea, I would need to learn more about introducing a nonprofit organization to a specific region. 

10A

https://youtu.be/34HNJZuXnRo

Assignment 9A: Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

Who:  I spoke to a few peers regarding their stance on racial and equity disparities. Some peers were considered outside the boundary, while some were within the boundary. The peers I interviewed felt that there is a need for racial and equity disparities to be valued and brought to attention. Such matters should be evaluated and revised to ensure the best quality of life to all residence of Gainesville. 

What: This unmet need is of utmost important, as it interferes with the lifestyle residence attempt to carry out throughout the duration of their time here in the city of Gainesville. The residence of this city should not have to feel inferior to others. The residence of this city should be able to seek opportunity without judgment. 

Why: The underlying cause of racial and equity disparities lie among issues within healthcare, education, employment, families, housing and transportation. Due to the fact that some are not as financially fit as others, those individuals face hardship when it comes to affordable healthcare and means of transportation, among other aspects. It is imperative that we seek a solution to alleviate the burden residence must face. 

Inside the Boundary	Outside the Boundary
Who is In              •Low income families                      • College students	Who is Not                                 • People who have support of their families                        • People with sustainable income
What the Need Is    • Providing services to further distribute useful resources and information to those in need	What the Need is Not                      • An organization that does not fulfill their purpose
Why the Need Exists                          • Racial and equity disparities are a result of unfair treatment that has been around for years.	Alternate Explanation              Racial and equity disparities are a result of lack of concern and lack of attention to the underlying issues that contribute to it. With an organization that provides additional information regarding resources available to the public, the information is spread with ease and as a result of this, more individuals are able to take advantage of the services at their disposal.

Assignment 8A: Solving The Problem

• In order to resolve racial and equity disparities, we must take underlying issues into consideration.
• By revising the education system in place, incorporating more parental involvement in education, revising means to receive help with housing, and making healthcare more accessible to all, racial and equity disparities will lessen over time.

Potential solutions for the issue:

• Ensure that children have equal opportunities available to them regardless of social standing and financial restrictions.
• Inform parental guardians of opportunities available to their children.
• Encourage parental involvement when it comes to education.
• Enforce employer laws to ensure that applicants have equal opportunity regardless of race.
• Improve RTS tracking to provide riders with accurate ETA and departure schedules.

Overall, the service being provided would be revision and enforcing of rules. By doing what is mentioned above, we can lessen the likelihood of racial and equity disparities throughout our town.

Assignment 7A: Testing The Hypothesis

Opportunity: Racial and equity disparities exist within the city of Gainesville due to underlying issues among education, healthcare, employment, families, housing, and transportation.

The who: Residents of the city of Gainesville

The what: They must put up with racial and equity disparities.

The why: Lack of attention toward the city’s underlying issues.

Testing the who: This includes but is not limited to the residents of Gainesville who must face racial or equity disparities. Visitors, tourists and transient individuals may also experience racial and equity disparities.

Testing the what: Racial and equity disparities do not solely exist within Gainesville. These disparities are prevalent issues throughout our nation and have been for quite some time.

Testing the why: It is becoming more and more difficult to tackle these disparities as the nation becomes accustomed to maltreatment of one another. People follow by example and we should be able to look up to those who are in positions of authority.

Interview #1: My first interview was with Will. When asked about his experience with racial and equity disparities, Will mentioned that he had yet to be affected by such disparities. Will is employed, has adequate housing and reliable transportation. Though he is unaffected, he states that the reasoning behind having all of the above is due to his work ethic and motivation to excel.

From this interview, I realized that though some may be more unfortunate than others, that may be a result of an individuals lack of concern for their future.

Interview #2: My second interview was with Whitney. When asked about racial and equity disparities that exist within our city, Whitney argued that the education system and families are to blame. Though the academic standard may not include teaching children life skills, consideration in including such a teaching would alleviate stress regarding adulthood. However,

Whitney believed that families should be held liable for withholding informative tips on need to know life skills.

From this interview, I realized that Whitney’s point of view has some truth to it. If children were taught how to deal with matters that need to be taken care of at an early age, they would have a better understanding of how the real world works after they transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Interview #3: My third interview was with Ryan. I asked Ryan what his solution to racial and equity disparities would be if he could have a say in the matter. Ryan said that the root of the problem lies in families. If families were to raise their children in a manner where they would not view humanity differently based on the color of their skin, racial and equity disparities would be obsolete.

From this interview, I learned that some people are willing to acknowledge the root of certain problems without trying to appeal to everyone.

Interview #4: My fourth interview was with Jessie. When asked about racial and equity disparities in healthcare, Jessie stated that it is rare to be denied treatment due to being of a different race. Healthcare is a basic human right.

From this interview, I came to agree with Jessie’s point of view. One should not be denied or sent away when seeking help in a medical setting. The individual could be in serious danger.

Interview #5: My fifth interview was with David. I asked David if he had any experiences with racial and equity disparities and come to find out, he has. When David sought employment, he was rejected from a local Chinese restaurant and he is unsure as to why he did not qualify. He believes that this was a case of racism due to him not being of Asian descent.

From this interview, I learned that some businesses do have a tendency to only hire those of their race. This is wrong and should not be a prevalent issue in today’s day and age.

Caplan, Andrew. “GNV4All Unveils Plans to Tackle City's Problems.” The Gainesville Sun, Gatehouse Media, LLC, 16 Mar. 2017, 8:07 P.M, www.google.com/amp/s/www.gainesville.com/news/20170316/gnv4all-unveils-plans-to-tackle-citys-problems?template=ampart.