An education (a college one) + links

This weekend I'll be attending a Junior Statesmen of America convention (where high school students debate, etc.) so I won't be here for the time! I'm going to be debating for my second time (last time I almost won Best Speaker!) and I thought I'd share/practice my speech with you. :)

The resolution is: a college education is required to achieve the American Dream. And I'm arguing for the con side (ie, a college edu. is not required...)

Here goes! (Pretend there's a lot of smiling and tone variation going on.) ;)

The American Dream… What is the American Dream? I’m glad you asked. From the beginning of American history, and even to this day, the American dream, the American vision is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Yes, our founding fathers wrote that hundreds of years ago, but the theory stands true and that only calls for more motivation towards your dream. What is life, if you are not free; what is life of you aren’t happy? Then the question comes; is a college education really needed to achieve that, life, liberty and pursuit? The answer is no, not necessarily.

The American Dream is about the people, is about you. Most of us probably hope to go to a well-respected school but that doesn’t mean it’s necessary to achieve the dream. A lot of us want to go to a good school because that’s how we would like to achieve success.

I, myself, would like to expand my finesse in the communications world, and maybe be the next Oprah! If that doesn’t work, which is probable, I’d like to become a teacher. And of course, have a nice family. But if something went wrong, and I for some reason I couldn’t afford to go to or just could not get a college education, that doesn’t mean I can’t achieve the happiness that I dreamed of. If that were true, does it mean I should just give up and lend myself to being a hobo on the streets? Even so, this might be a stretch but, if your dream is to be a happy hobo on the street, you don’t need a college education! Anyway, it may be a bit harder to achieve my dreams without college knowledge, but nonetheless, I can do it, and that’s the same for anyone in this room as well! Yes, we can achieve the dream without a college education.

What is your dream? It could be to own a restaurant, to be a movie critic, to eat sandwiches every day and give it a rating, to blog from the comfort of your own home and Mac, or to run your own charity. All of these, a college education is not required.

Once again, the American Dream. What is it? It’s all about you, what you want to do to achieve your own success and your own happiness. Whether you are from India, London, New York, Seattle or anywhere else, I think most of us want to achieve success or happiness in one way or another. The main thing that really matters and can allow you to achieve the dream, is you, your passion and your conviction to achieve that dream.

No matter how many PhDs, degrees, or statistics you will ever know, you can never achieve the dream if you don’t have the motivation and dedication to go for it. Thus, a college education you ask? Well, I’m glad you asked. It is not necessary to achieve the American Dream. The only thing that can allow you to achieve your dream, is you. Thank you (seriously thanks, if you read all this)."

And this is just a rough draft. So it's probably/definitely not at it's best right now.

Random pictures from school spirit days a few months ago: Scooby Doo Day. Guess what I was?

Jinkies! I can't find my glasses!

& enjoy these links over the weekend!

keep calm gallery

scandinavian chic

browsing stationery, art, home decor, music

hot pants

pretty paper

dogs as typefaces

living under the twilight (this house is so beautiful!!!)