Send Silence Packing Reaches Hofstra University

“Never be afraid to ask for help.” This sign appeared at the Send Silence Packing event at Hofstra University on May 3rd. 1,100 backpacks were on display representing the 1,100 college students who die by suicide each year.

Send Silence Packing is a program put on by Active Minds, Inc. and tours around college campuses in North America, Canada, and Australia. This program aims to educated young college students about mental health and suicide. Statics show that 1 in 10 students seriously consider attempting suicide. Bringing programs like this to college campuses will hopefully spread awareness and let students know that they aren’t alone in their fight. It will also show them that there are multiple ways to seek help. Send Silence Packing is all about saving lives.

  As I was walking to class last Thursday, I stopped by the quad where the backpacks were on display. Many of the backpacks had a story attached to it and described a person who lost their life to suicide. The stories were written by family members and friends. Some of the backpacks were the actually ones that the person used to own. Active Minds, Inc. continues to collect backpacks and the personally stories that go along with it. There were also a few backpacks that welcomed people to leave a message.

Hofstra University Student,  Melody Torkian

My eyes were tearing up as I walked along the cluster of backpacks to read as many stories as I could. The stories were so impacting and meaningfully to me. Some of these people seemed to be so full of life and were people that would drop what there were doing to help others around them. There were stories about fathers, sisters, brothers, and friends. This one story that still sticks with me is this boy that only tells people he has one brother because he doesn’t want to get into detail about how he lost his other brother.



There came a point in which I could not continue to read the stories because I kept thinking about my friend from high school who lost her life to suicide in October 2010. To this day, I still do not know why she took her own life. I can still picture her smiling face in homeroom. You wouldn’t have known that she was going through a rough time and contemplating suicide. I remember where I was when I got the news. I was getting lunch at Hofstra with a few of my friends and I received a text message from my friend from home. Her brother was a police officer in our town and he was one of the officers that responded to the call that day.

  A piece of literature that was handed out at the event stated, “Silence and stigma keep young people from seeking the care they need.” If you are going through a rough time and/or are struggling with depression, seek help! If you know someone that is going through a rough time and/or struggling with depression, speak up! Life is too short and too precious. And sometimes people need a reassurance that there are others out there that love and care about them and are willing to listen.

Hofstra's Morning Wake Up Call

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My Spring Break

Taglit Birthright Israel

The Voice - Podcast

Rabbi Dave Siegel: A Passionate Individual

At Hofstra University, I had the opportunity to meet with an individual who is passionate about his job on campus. Rabbi Dave Siegel is the Executive Director of Hofstra Hillel. Hillel is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world and is a welcoming and inclusive environment for Jewish college students.

Rabbi Dave got his undergraduate degree from Binghamton University, where he studied politics, philosophy, and law. He continued his education at New York University, where he got a masters degree in public administration. He also went to the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he got a degree in Rabbinic Ordination and a masters in education.

Rabbi Dave enjoys working at Hofstra Hillel because it combines his two loves, Jewish education and administrative work.  Before working at Hofstra, Rabbi Dave was the director of the United Synagogue Youth in the metropolitan area and he used to work for the Foundation for Jewish Camp. 

Working with the students and faculty to try and build up the Jewish community at Hofstra consumes most of Rabbi Dave’s day.  He enjoys this because many students are excited about getting involved and this shows that Hofstra Hillel has the potential to develop into something great. Since September, the amount of students that have been coming to Hillel events have grown. There were over 150 students present at one of their events last week. Rabbi Dave is proud of what Hofstra Hillel is becoming and is always looking to improve the program.

Rabbi Dave is an influential person at Hofstra.  He is a role model to Jewish students who are active in Hillel. He also deals with many administrative situations on a daily basis and speaks with students, donors and the community about opportunities Hillel can offer them or what they can do to help Hillel grow and live up to its full potential. 

Even though Rabbi Dave influences others, there are a couple people in his life that have really influenced him.  His parents play a big role in his love for education because they were both teachers.  By being an educator, you can really have an impact in many people’s lives and that is what his parents were doing for him.  He really respects that and looks up to them. 

“At the end of the day, I always leave happy.” Rabbi Dave enjoys coming to work every day and he said that he is fortunate enough to be working at Hofstra. 

My Photo Project

This past January, I left America for the first time and went halfway across the world to Israel. It was an amazing, culture filled experience and the best trip I have ever been on. There was so much history to explore in Israel and I learned quite a bit for just visiting for ten days.  Five places that I visited and were truly beautiful are pictured below. 

Overlooking the Kotel (Western Wall) in the Old City of Jerusalem

The Western Wall was possibly the most eye opening site I went to when I was in Israel. I have heard and seen pictures of people touching, praying, and kissing the wall and I actually I had the chance to do the same.  It was such a beautiful site, full of history and culture, and I finally got to walk in the same footsteps as my ancestors.   

Cliffs of Rosh Hanikra and the Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea was gorgeous and it was raining that day, so the water was pretty rough.  The waves were beautiful though.

Amphitheater in the Roman City of Bet Shean

I took a great interest in the Roman City. I learned about many ancient amphitheaters in my theatre classes and only saw pictures of them in books, so it was really neat to sit on the steps and experience it up close.

Camel riding at the Bedouin Tents

When you go to Israel, you must ride a camel!

Waterfall in the Golan Heights

I went on many hikes from Masada to the Golan Heights.  As my group was taking a rest while hiking in the Golan Heights, we stopped by this breathtaking waterfall. It was so calming to just watch the water.

I enjoyed all the beautiful history, nature, and scenery Israel had to offer. 

Two Thumbs Up For "Switched at Birth"

On Tuesday nights, I make sure I am tuned into ABC Family’s Switched at Birth.

 Switched at Birth hit the small screen last summer and came back for a winter premiere in January.  With only three more episodes left in the season, I will be sitting at the edge of my seat taking it all in and wondering if a second season is in the mix. When the show launched, it had the highest original series debut in ABC Family’s history, so hopefully that will be a good reason to keep the series running.

image from hulu.com

For those of you unfamiliar with the series, the title sums up the gist of the show. Two teenage girls find out that they were accidentally switched at birth.  The girls also come from very different backgrounds.  Bay Kennish is an artistic teenager who comes from a wealthy family. In the first episode of the show, she was studying blood types in her biology class and began to wonder why her blood type did not match that of her parents.  To fulfill her curiosity, her parents and her go for a genetic testing.  After the testing was finished, it confirmed that Bay was not biologically related to her parents.  The Kennish family discovered that the hospital mistakenly switched her with another newborn, who they soon find out to be Daphne Vasquez.  Daphne is a deaf girl that lives with her mother and grandmother who are struggling to make ends meet. Doesn’t is sound drama filled already?

What makes this show different from all the other teen dramas is the use of ASL, American Sign Language.  This really draws me to the show.  A few of the main characters are deaf or hard of hearing and some of the ones who are not deaf, are learning to sign.  I think this really shows the target audience, mostly teenagers, that people come from many walks of life and are faced with challenges that they learn to live with.  It also teaches people that there are many different ways to communicate with one another. 

Daphne Vasquez is played by Katie Leclerc. Leclerc is hard of hearing and she suffers from Meniere’s disease, which is an inner ear disorder that affects balance and hearing. In the show, she reads lips, uses her voice, and signs as she is communicating with others. Emmett Bledsoe, played by Sean Berdy, is another deaf character in the show who was born deaf.  In the series, he only signs and does not use his voice; just with the exception of a few words in one of the past shows.      

Before watching Switched at Birth, the only sign language I knew was the alphabet. Now I have picked up multiple signs such as "thank you," and "I love you." Sign language is something that really interests me and I hope to learn more signs in the future.

High Praises for The Voice

If you have a weakness for reality talent shows, you should watch NBC’s The Voice.

An array of talented individuals have been singing their hearts out on stage in California, hoping they will get one of the four very distinguished and noteworthy figures in the music industry to turn their chair around.  This has become known as the blind auditions; in which contestants sing while the judges’ backs are toward the stage.  If a judge likes you, they will press a button and their chair will turn around and face the performer.  If more than one judge turns around, the contestant has the choice of which person they would like to work with. The judges also turn into coaches after the blind auditions.

photo taken from en.wikipedia.org

For the past four weeks, Christina Augilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton, listened for unique and spectacular voices to fill up their teams of twelve hopefuls that are looking to win the competition.  Next Monday, the second stage of the competition, called the battle phase, will begin.  In this phase, the coaches will have two of their team members’ battle against each other directly by singing the same song together.

The talent this season has been phenomenal.  The individuals ranged from fresh new voices that have just starting singing this past year, like country sorority girl singer RaeLynn, to Alicia Key’s background vocalist Jermaine Paul, to a Broadway veteran named Tony Vincent. This is going to be a tough competition because the amount of talent these people have is so high.  I am excited to see what comes out of their vocal chords next!

This is the second season of The Voice and it has been very promising so far.  Only the best performers are invited to audition on television for the show.  I did not watch the first season because I have always been a fan of American Idol and I did not want to watch two reality singing competitions. I have not watched American Idol this season because I have been hooked on The Voice and I am not complaining! I am no longer a big fan of American Idol, and I am now on team The Voice.  I feel like The Voice has so much more integrity because they do not show lousy auditions of people who cannot sing like they do on American Idol.  They get their viewership by showcasing people who have the pipes to sing, not with poking fun at a dreadful audition.

So if you are looking for an entertaining and exciting singing competition to watch, tune into The Voice.     

image taken from lydiamusic.com

On and Off the Red Carpet

And the Oscar for best picture goes to…The Artist.  But before moving onto the awards, I want to touch upon a few highlights that happened outside on the red carpet.

Sacha Baron Cohen really made a scene on the red carpet last night. He showed up on the carpet in military grub as General Aladeen, the leader from his upcoming movie, The Dictator.  Baron Cohen was holding an urn supposedly containing the ashes of North Korea’s late leader Kim Jong Il.  The powdery substance was spilled by Baron Cohen all over E! Entertainment host Ryan Seacrest. Sacha Baron Cohen you need to grow up! I do not find you funny, but I find you more of a nuisance. It was not called for at all and you will not find me making an appearance at my local theatre for your upcoming movie.

Even with Baron Cohen’s immaturity, I liked how Seacrest stayed remotely calm and tried to make light of the situation saying things like you can catch this on E! later on tonight.  He also tweeted, “My mom always told me to pack two jackets for red carpets, always wondered why. Now I know.” Seacrest was trying to make the best out of the situation and I think he played it off quite well by laughing and joking as he went about the rest of his interviews. So if you are planning on being a jokester and spilling ashes on someone, make sure you do it on Ryan Seacrest.

Chastain, image taken from popsugar.com

Besides Seacrest’s wardrobe malfunction, many actresses looked absolutely stunning in their name brand couture. A few that really stood out to me were Jessica Chastain, who was wearing Alexander Mcqueen, Shaliene Woodley, who was wearing Valentino, and Missi Pyle, who was wearing and strutting an ego friendly Valentino dress on the carpet.

 

Woodley, image taken from shoppingblog.com

Missi Pyle, image taken from ibtimes.co.uk

Chastain was wearing a striking strapless black gown, with heavy gold beading.  It really made her stand out to the crowd.  Woodley, who is just twenty years old, was wearing a white gown with a high neck line and long sleeves.  I thought she looked very mature and put together, which gave her a bold appearance.  And Pyle was participating in the Red Carpet Goes Green, and was flaunting environmental awareness by wearing a strapless mint colored gown. The three of them looked  gorgeous and were unique in their own way.   

Moving inside to the award show, The Artist won multiple awards including best picture, costume design, directing, original score, and best actor in a leading role, which went to Jean Dujardin. I still have not seen The Artist, but it is now on my list of movies to watch.

 Hugo also took home many awards including best cinematography, art direction, sound editing, sound mixing, and visual effects. Sadly I haven’t seen Hugo either but I will try to watch it soon when I have some free time.  

From the glamorous fashion, to an uncalled for incident, to the award show-  if you didn’t watch the 84th Annual Academy Awards, you missed an exciting show.

Curiosity To See Whitney Houston's Grave

This afternoon I was driving down East Broad Street in Westfield, New Jersey heading to my doctor’s appointment.  As I was driving down East Broad Street, I couldn’t help but to turn my head to the left and take a glimpse at the gate to the Fairview Cemetery; the cemetery where late singer and actress Whitney Houston was buried this past Sunday. It is still surreal to me that Whitney Houston is gone, let alone buried in a cemetery that is only a fifteen minute drive from my home.

As I passed, there were about three cars waiting to get beyond the gate.  A few police officers were keeping a close watch on the entrance and questioning anyone who wanted to enter.  Many were curious to see Houston’s grave and pay their respects to the late singer, but some just wanted to visit their loved ones. 

This past Monday, one day after the funeral, the cemetery was mobbed with fans wanting to have a look and get into the cemetery.  A hand-made sign was posted across the street from the cemetery that read, “Please let Whitney rest in peace. If you want to show your love, buy her music.” According to the Starledger, Ted Simpson, a resident of Garwood, New Jersey posted this on Monday.

I completely agree with the statement that Simpson was trying to make. It had only been a day since Houston had been buried there and the traffic backup to get into the cemetery was horrendous.  Houston’s family is still grieving over their loose and some even went to visit the grave site again on Monday.  It probably was not comforting for them to see fans and paparazzi crowding over the grave site.  I know that many people are curious to see where one of the biggest superstars of their generation has been buried, but one to two days after the funeral is just not the time. 



Photo taken from Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images (Houston's grave)


The public needs to keep their distance from the cemetery for awhile.  Let the family grieve and not feel the need to ask security to keep a watch over the cemetery, so that they can visit the grave site in peace.  The cemetery is currently closed to the public, unless you have a loved one there to visit. Police are also mounting a spot at the gate of the cemetery until further notice.


From now on when I drive on East Broad Street, which is frequently, I will always have the need to take a look over the fence by the cemetery. 

Welcome to my Blog

Hello I’m Jennifer and I am a broadcast journalism major at Hofstra University with a dual minor in theatre and political science.  I have had a passion for journalism for as long as I could remember and I am trying to pursue it to its fullest.  Here at Hofstra University, I am a member of WRHU - Hofstra’s radio station, I am involved in a singing group, and I am involved in many leadership organizations.  Besides having a passion for journalism, I love to listen to music, sing, read, and write. 

Through my blog, I hope to engross you in topics related to entertainment and the media, which are areas that I hold a broad interest in.  Material I hope to cover stretches from television, to film, to theatre, and much more.