LOVE MAKIN'

SEX, SEX, SEX, SEX,AND MO' SEX.This is not a satire about the chronicles of booty poppin'. Booty poppin' is a serious point of concern that has been overlooked through the eyes of my peers for far too long. Every article I've ever read about the issue of booty poppin', or, for my easily offended readers, premarital sex, in teenagers has been focused on the actual fact that teens are having sex. Aside from those articles sounding redundant, the creators of them held a biased, prejudiced, and indignant point of view towards premarital sex in general, regardless of the ages. We should talk about why they do it, instead of the actual fact that they are doing it. A start would be to claim sexual intercourse as a decision, because every act delivered is a choice.

Dr. Adriana Galvan, asst. professor in the Psych Dept. at the University of California proves that humans use the structure called the frontal cortex that executes decision-making. Since the frontal cortex is not fully developed at our age, the teen ages, we tend to act solely on impulse. Acting on impulse is something super common in teens. We get mad, we act out. We get sad and frustrated, we act out. We even act out when we're hungry, just like babies do. Very rarely do we consider the consequences when we behave on impulse.

Psychology Today proclaims that there is actually a commonality between the sexual promiscuity and depression in female teenagers (Ugo Uche, M.S., L.P.C.). In a survey of 30 girls aged 14-19, 93% agreed that they felt some extreme forms of guilt. The remaining 7% said that they only felt pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness. If the vast majority of subjects chose the guilt route, this should ring several bells. Bell one: these girls are having sex o satisfy their partner. The fact that they feel guilty more than satisfied themselves after sex says that there is a high amount of peer pressure.

In all honesty, I'm not trying to shun or ridicule any of my peers who may like to engage in sexual intercourse. Also, I'm not trying to make fun of my peers who chose the path of abstinence. But, be careful, my friends, of the decisions you make because long term effects will overwhelm you.

Lorren's Biography♥ (Wonderful little Lorren)

Wonderful little lorren!! 

Heyy wonderful people this is Lorren here! Also known as lil bit, lolo, lola, and lady bug. I am currently a Sophomore and a Emerald (dancing & flag) at Morgan Park High School. I am 15 years old. I enjoy dancing, singing, watching TV, shopping, hanging out with my friends, listening to music, making snacks, playing games, and helping people. If my friends were to describe me they would describe me as a sweet, short, small, funny, helpful, loud, inspirational, cool, talkative, helpful, open-minded, and brave person. I like to meet new people and try new things. I usually use social media daily to share ideas and post pictures of the wonderful moments and memories. 

I have participated in many activities and clubs. So far in my life I took Ballet, Tap dancing, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Yearbook, Web coding, Karate, Science program, majorettes, flag . I am currently in the health science program because I like to investigate, learn new things outside of school and apply it to my work, and everyday situations. I really like this program because I learn about many things that is not talked about in school. I know more about the body system then what I knew before I entered the program. I plan on applying the knowledge from the program to my future career.

This program is very fun, in the past we have taken many enjoyable & educational trips. We took trips to places like the Shedd Aquarium, Chicago Cultural Center, & Northwestern downtown campus. We also had many scientists and doctors come talk to us about their wonderful careers and teach us about the relationship between the body and their job. I am really recommending this program to young teens that like to learn new things or like science. 





Salvete Omnes!

Hello! My name is Ciara and I’m currently a freshman at Kenwood Academy High School. So far, freshman year is the absolute worst. The homework is also unnecessary. Since I was at Kenwood’s academic center, I’m taking all sophomore classes.  My birthday is on December 19, 1999, which makes me a Sagittarius. I’m 14-years-old, 5’2, have brown hair and brown eyes. I love my hair and enjoy styling it. I also enjoy polishing my nails. I love love love fashion. I love love love listening to music and have become obsessed with PARTYNEXTDOOR, SZA, Drake, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, and more. My favorite social media as of now is Snapchat because, unlike Instagram, it’s not about competition or how many likes you have. Plus, people act really goofy. I love love LOVE my iPhone, but I want the 5s. I don’t want the 6 or 6 plus because it looks way too much like the galaxy, which I don’t like very much. I’m an only child, so I’m bored most of the time. I love my friends to death, but they can be a headache. I’m the only one out of all my friends who isn’t in a dance program at After School Matters. I’m extremely talkative and outspoken when I’m at school, but need to take a break every once in a while. So, you can say I’m shy I guess. When I grow up, I want to be either a Cardiologist, Neurologist, Psychologist, Astronomer, Lawyer, Politician, Nurse, Medical Examiner, Journalist, or a Teacher. I love watching movies and I love popcorn. My favorite T.V. shows are Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, Castle, and Red Band Society. I love watching sports, but I have this love-hate relationship with basketball. I like it, but it's very aggravating. My favorite sport to watch, however, is football. And that's all you need to know about me for now. Bye! ;-).

Health Science Explorers LOVE Chicago!

(2014 ASM Health Science Explores Participants)

Hey guys!~Chicago is very exciting in the summer...not only for our program, but for our city as a whole. This summer HSE (Health Science Explorers) traveled to some great places! Like Loyola University, Northwestern University, The Planetarium, a Farmers Market and the list goes on!

At our trip to Loyola University, HSE had the privilege to view the beautiful campus, meet wonderful inspiring students who lived on campus, and also chatted with the admissions office about scholarships, requirements, and programs avalible for incoming freshman. We loved Loyola, also HSE had the oppurtunity to examine human femurs bones which was pretty cool. Dr.Grauer, a forensic anthropologist, was our host for the bone lab.

(Photo credit: HSE Devonte W.)

"While learning about their personal health they are also tackling how nutrition, disease, and socio-economics can affect their families and communities"

The  quote from above explains the our trip to the farmers market. HSE met and interviewed more than fifteen farmers from Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. HSE asked questions like what made you become a farmer? Is farming a hobby? Can the food bought here be sold possibly in stores?  One Farmer explained the reason he participates in farmers market , because he love to make people happy, and also he only want to provide the BEST Foods for his customers. That was exactly what he did. Some foods sold there at the farmers markets are avalible in stores. Majority of the venders where family oriented . Visiting the Farmers market inspired hse to expand their brands , and hopefully one day one of our teens may join!

The Not-So-Amazing Life of Ciara

Hello! My name is Ciara, I’m 14-years old, 5’3, and attend Kenwood Academy  High School as a freshman. Like the majority of the people in this world, I have brown hair and brown eyes. My favorite color is orange. My favorite foods consist of hot crunchy curls, pizza, ice cream, and cupcakes. On rare occasions, or with friends, I am talkative, loud, funny, and weird. But for now, I can be seen as shy, quiet, and very soft spoken.  My favorite tv shows include Regular Show, Adventure Time, Keenan and Kel, Full House, and my most favorite of all The Amazing World of Gumball. My favorite movies are The Notebook, Dirty Dancing, Hairspray, and most recently The Fault In Our Star. My favorite music artists are Drake, Childish Gambino, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Jhene Aiko, Ariana Grande, and lots of old soul music since that’s what my parents listen to in the car. My favorite subjects in school are Math, Science, and English in that order. I hope to learn a lot from this program. I wish to get a head start learning about health for my Human Body Systems course at school. I am at Health Science Explorers because I have a passion for science and learning about living and nonliving things under a different light. Science may not be my top favorite class at school, but I do love it a lot.

All Moi!

Hi, my name is Reanna, and I am 16 years of age, and I attend Muchin College Prep. This upcoming year, I will be a junior, and that scares me. I don't have an exact college that I want to attend, but I have a few: Illinois State University, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, Northwestern University, University of Florida, and I would like to find a college in California. I am a very active person, but I can be very shy. I would say that I am an introvert because I keep to myself, and I do not go up to people and just start talking. Something special about myself would be me being a flexible person. My favorite sport would have to be cheerleading. I have been a cheerleader since I was seven, and it is something I really enjoy. Some adjectives that would describe me are athletic, shy, talkative at times, very picky, and creative. One word that most people describe me as is picky. I don't like the normal things others like. I would say that I am different from others, and I would like to live an extraordinary life. Two of my favorite subject would be science and English. I love English because I feel the way one speaks shows character, and I just find the way of speaking interesting and easy. On the other hand, science is something that really sticks out to me because I want to be a cardiothoracic or general surgeon. I want to be a doctor because I love to help others and learning about the human body is something that I want to peruse. Something that brought me into this program is it deals with science and health which is what my career will deal with, and I will also be able to expand my knowledge on science.

Fault In Our Stars

Hi! My name is Ahja but people call me Monie. I am 16 years old and I grow up in Chicago,IL and raised by a single mother and my grandmother. I have 8 siblings and I graduated from Frazier Prep in 2012, now I am a Junior at Muchin College Prep. Basketball and Step is my life, even though I do not know how to play basketball but I do understand the concept very well. I am a loving person and can be kind-hearted. I like to travel but science is my life, I am science.

I am in the Health Science Explorers program at After School Matters. Being in this program will help me know more about science and what I actually want to study in college. Expanding my mind is my big goal here for summer. After all, I am here to learn.

I am special in my unique way. My personality makes me what I am and how I am special to people and myself. My open mind makes me who I am and by me being a strong person that I am make me unique. Loving myself is very special because I have to love me before anyone but being black is what makes me special because black is beautiful.

As Told By Cassie

Sabaidee! That’s Laotian for “Hello!” My name is Cassandria but I prefer Cassie. I am a Class of 2014 graduate from Lane Tech College Prep and will be a freshman at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I tend to be a little shy and quiet, but there’s no room for that in After School Matters. I’m looking forward to improving myself and meeting new people, opening up to others and learn about not only them but also more about health science.

My hobbies involve anything creative, typically something artsy like painting and drawing. I recently got into sewing and hope to learn and obtain a new set of sewing skills so I may use them for the near future of my clothing, haha. I also like to read, and guess what, I hardly watch TV! Isn’t that unheard of in today’s world? “Breaking Bad?” “Game of Thrones?” “Pretty Little Liars?” Huh?? On the other hand, I watch many animes on the web, and they are usually subbed because I enjoy hearing the original voice acting and the Japanese language itself! This is the best source of anime so far! My music taste is very broad in genres and even languages. From English to Korean, and from rock to EDM. However, I have a liking for K-Pop which is Korean popular music, and I think the language is interesting and unique, along with the culture.

I’m really excited to be a part of the Health Science Explorers program for the first time because I’m really into learning about the human body and I hope what I learn will benefit me to pursue a pharmaceutical career.

Dreams and Goals of Kyra

Ni Hao Peng You! My name is Kyra. Maybe you care about this blog post maybe you don't, but just keep reading. I graduated from Lindblom Academic Center and I am freshman at Whitney Young Magnet High School . I am not really worried about freshman year though. I really wanted to go there, and now that I am I feel like I am on the way to conquering all of my dreams. And boy do I have dreams, some a little more in reach than others but still they are dreams

I have always loved school, although I went to a school that is not all that great. While in school I developed a passion for science, math and writing. Although I am good at reading and geography they are not really my thing. As I got older, I started to realize what I wanted to do with my life, realistically.  I want to go to Stanford University (if that's realistic) and major in Chemistry. Then I would like to go to University of Chicago or Oxford for medical school. My realistic career choice is to be a neonatologist.  That is what inspired me to join the Health Science Explorers Program, through After School Matters. I hope to learn more about that of the health field and further my interest in the medical career.
Unrealistically, I would love to go into performing arts. I really enjoy music and theater; enough to purse a career in them. If I was to get a career in performing arts I would still go to college.
Outside of academics I like to write, specifically poems, sing,dance and basically talk to people. I have never been someone who keeps to themselves. I consider myself outgoing and out of the box. I am very metaphoric and love challenges. Sometimes I can be a little stubborn but I try to be as kind as possible.

I Literally Can't Even: The McKenzie Story

Hi! I’m McKenzie, and I’m a rising junior at Northside College Prep. Many adjectives have been used to describe me; shy has never been one of them. I consider myself to be a theater person at heart, mostly due to my love of talking to whomever will listen. I’m passionate about a lot of different things, which is somewhat confusing to some people. I love science and creative writing; dissections and acting; psychology and cosmetology; neuroscience and the science of fashion; social activism and singing. In short, I’m a mixed bag. I’m very energetic, and somewhat bubbly. I have a deep appreciation for many types of music, ranging from The Arctic Monkeys to Vampire Weekend to Iggy Azalea. I love to read, and my favorite authors are John Green and Libba Bray. I also value the beauty of Netflix, the love of my life. My favorite shows are Orange is The New Black, Breaking Bad, Supernatural, and 30 Rock. Jennifer Lawrence is my soul sister. I hope to be either a neuropsychologist or a pediatric neurologist one day (that is, if I don’t get “discovered” and whisked off to Hollywood). I’m doing this program because I've always been a huge science fan, and I also needed something to do with my time that wasn't Netflix. I'm really excited for this summer, and I feel like it's going to be a ton of fun.

Bonjour, Je m'appelle Tim, et j'aime beaccoup des choses et musiques

Hi, My name is Timothy, and I am currently a junior at Northside College Preparatory High School. I am just naturally a conflicted person, especially when it comes to anything that I enjoy. For this blog in particular, I enjoy talking about and studying anything having to do with biology, biochemistry, and anatomy. However, as a person, I really enjoy music: It is my primary passion. When it comes to listening to music, there is hardly anything that I don't enjoy; even if I won't admit it on the outside. Except boy bands, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Rebecca Black: they are just terrible, seriously. I do, however, enjoy performing music as well. This mainly consists of vocals, but I also play the guitar (albeit not nearly as well as I sing). For this blog, I am only supposed to discuss health science, so I'll discuss how I became interested in the field. This year, my Junior year, I am taking biology. I've noticed that I'm actually pretty decent in the subject and that my biology class isn't necessarily my most boring class. I really enjoyed learning microbiology and how it played its role in the maintaining and function process of the animal body , and wanted to learn more about the function of the body. So, I decided to join this program to see if I could supplement my school's biology class (plus I get paid). I'm looking forward to this blog, and hope everyone else is to :)