Follow Up story on Immigrants difficulty on establishing residency In United States.

A month ago a story was published about Immigrants Finding it Harder to Establish Residency in the United States. The story generated a lot of conversation on social media and others reached out through emails and direct messages to share their stories. Immigration has become one of the most sensitive topics to talk about in this country. Most immigrants come to this country in different ways, it is known that they are two types of immigrants in this country Legal and Illegal Immigrants others also identify them as documented or undocumented immigrants.

After a week of the publication being published tons if emails came through and it was very important to reach out to some of these people who were willing to share and talk about their journey. One story shared by Elma Gustas who was originally born and raised in Honduras to her story about how they had to walk for days without food and water to get to the border. “We walked for days and it was not an easy journey, we got to certain parts where we had to swim across a river to get to the other side, Elma said’ She was very emotional whiles talking about this journey. She also said she felt more disappointed after she had established her residency in the United States years after her arrival she was questioned about her status when she applied for a job. Her disappointed made her realize  Most Immigrants are in the U.S legally  something most Americans don’t know.  Her disappointment came when she had to a hiring manager that she had gone through all the right process and had every right to get a job without her being questioned about having legal documents.

Another interesting story that was shared by a twitter follower was on cyber dating, she wanted to relate to Mrs. Caroline Johnson-Amoah on how she was able to find true love through a dating app. Cyber dating has been around for a while and it has helped some people to find true  love. Whiles others have had a terrible experience for it and wish they never did. An article published by Alberto A. Ferdman on The truth about online dating according to someone who has been studying it for years discovered some deep stories on how it has affected people. One thing about cyber dating is that it has helped most people connect with others in different parts of the world. This has given online dating sites such as Tinder, Soulswipe, Blackpeoplemeet just to mention a few. Unbelievably social media has also become another way for cyber dating.

• Photo Credit HARVEY VEGA

The purpose of most of these dating apps are to help people find others who have something in common with. Ranging from food, games, religion, culture etc. This has brought a lot of people together from a global point of communication where one can find a match in different countries.

• Photo Credit Temitayo Akerele

As much as cyber dating sounds fun it has caused a lot of unexpected problems for a lot of people. In the continent of Africa, most people have found a way of raiding people in these online dating swindles. In Nigerian, it is popularly known as 419. This is an act of deceiving other people through online dating frauds and people have fallen as victims of this act. Morgan Easley shared a story about how she became a victim of such an act. She said she met a guy through Facebook 8 years ago and they stayed in contact for two months.

After those two months, they started having feelings for each other which led them to date. The guy gave his name as “Agu Kandu-Igbo” as much as they had fallen in love over the internet Easley did not bother to dig deeper to know if this person was real. They agreed Easley would take a trip from London to go visit Kandu in Nigeria. Before Morgan embarked on her trip Kandu had asked her to send him some money so he could get her a pleasant hotel, a car service and other luxurious things to make her trip an exciting one. So, Morgan agreed and sent Kandu £5000 ($6,365.50) to take care of all those things he had promised prior to her trip. Three days before she departed, she could not reach Kandu. He was not responding to her messages and then realized the Facebook account had been disabled. “I could not believe what was happening. I thought it was a dream but, it was not. I was shocked, devastated, hurt and disappointed, Morgan said.”

The project has opened up more dialogue on another level which hopes to bring more education to some United States citizens so they would be able to educate themselves when it comes to knowing what immigrants have to go through to get here and the challenges, they face establishing residency.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Call to Action: How Kellogg’s is helping to Improve breakfast in Elementary schools.

For over 100 years Kellogg’s has been one of the leading brands providing breakfast for millions of Americans and around the world. It’s promises to provide a brighter future, from better for your ingredients to labels that encourage a healthier tomorrow. They are constantly on a journey to help improve the nutrition for their food, with the things it’s consumers love most which are: “Taste and Goodness.”

Photo Courtesy: University of Pennsylvania – Wharton

In 1930s, W.K. Kellogg embraced and produced a simple idea; “Why not tell the consumer what’s inside the box”? So, Kellogg’s became one of the first companies to print nutrition labels on their package, and they still follow that tradition today. They wanted to have an emotional connection with their consumers and that worked well, thanks to their marketing and branding team. Being a regular consumer, I also make sure to check for nutritional facts about the products I consume, and Kellogg’s gives me that satisfaction. “I have a busy schedule at work and sometimes it’s hard to fix breakfast at home. So, I keep the mini size Kellogg’s brand of cereal in my office which it is easier to fix in the morning or anytime, said Kenny.” Who is an avid cereal person.

As part of their responsibility of telling their consumers what they consume each day, they were among the first companies to use Guideline Daily Amounts to tell you more about a food’s total calories, fiber, fat, sugar and more per serving, so you can be sure that Kellogg is giving you their best. Being a consumer myself Kellogg’s has been a high-quality brand I support. Not only because of their product but also because they believe and support social responsibilities.

Photo Courtesy: Brandon Voges

Some of the social responsibilities Kellogg’s supports are providing healthier breakfast to elementary school kids and giving scholarships for college. These are just a few of the things they support. Breakfast is very important, especially for kids. And since some of them do not have access to health breakfast Kellogg’s decided to help supply for them. They support this in different states and schools. Their effort to support doesn’t stop them because each time a consumer makes a purchase of any Kellogg’s product a percentage goes into helping with their college fund and breakfast for kids program. Eddie Simons an Eight grader in Van Nuys, California shared some details about being served breakfast in school. “I’m always happy to come to school each day because I know my friends and I would enjoy free breakfast. It makes us happy each day and we are always looking forward to it, said Simons.”

In our current state as a country, it is very important to show support in any kind of way and Kellogg’s is doing that. That is one of the reasons why I support them as a brand. During the summer they also organize camps in different cities to help teach kids different topics from Science, Technology, Mathematics, and Craft just to mention a few. Who would not want to be supportive of a company like this to help bring smiles to the less privileged.

So, whenever you decide to buy a Kellogg’s product remember you’re helping someone out there who needs help whiles you also enjoy a healthier meal. Some of the proceeds from sales goes towards Kellogg’s and the Kellogg Company Fund  . let us support brands like Kellogg’s because not only do they care about making money, but they care about making a difference in our society.

 

 

 

The role of a Paralegal in a Law Office

Paralegals play an integral part of working in law offices. Law is a very broad subject and its components include criminal, business, entertainment, immigration, and copyright law. This publication would be based on immigration.

Immigration is on the most talked topic in America with the current climate the country is in at the moment Law offices are very busy helping with current legal and illegal immigrants. With busy schedules with law offices, attorneys are always on the run and the workload is very hectic. That is where paralegals come in, they help with the day to day activities in the law office.

Andre E. Kevin who works as a paralegal in Southern California shares his experience working with clients on behalf of the attorneys he works with. Before he became a paralegal, he had worked as a Legal Business affairs assistant in the entertainment industry. “After years of working in entertainment and getting to learn more about legal matters I was intrigued and wanted to be involved in immigration because my stepdad was an immigrant, said Mr. Kevin.”

Before transition, he was attending a paralegal program at the University State of California and attended their Immigration Clinics. Like most paralegal positions, becoming a paralegal in immigration law absolutely requires an extreme degree of organization and attention to detail. All lawyers require paralegals who can both aid with routine matters of scheduling and paperwork and also provide input on legal strategy and information about case law.

When it comes to immigration there is room in the field for practices that specialize in international human rights or incorporate employment. Immigration paralegals are found working for tiny non-profit legal aid clinics, or big international law firms, and at every type of practice and agency in between. This helps them gain more experience and exposure from different immigrants.

These immigrants come from various parts of the world and each countries process of coming to America is different, depending on the embassy. “Learning how my stepdad struggled to get his naturalization. I wanted to help other people with their immigration process because it is not an easy one, said Andre.”

Kevin’s paralegal experience has made him learn that Immigration law deals with individuals who are seeking temporary or permanent legal status in the United States. And establishes eligibility requirements for entry, duration periods for residence, and conditions for departure. These laws further specify how individuals can apply for residence, what documents they must produce, and processes they must follow to support their application, and how long they must wait to be approved for it.

 

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE “ESL”

Education is known to be one of the best things one can give to themselves. For most immigrants, it is another way of leaving their home countries to seek a better life. American Education is one of the best around the world and some of these immigrants take advantage of it. Since America’s first language is English all teachings are done in that.

 

Immigrants who come from non-English speaking countries like  China, Puerto Rico and France sometimes face a lot of challenges because of the language barrier. Dr. Bertha Jones an English Professor at San Jacinto Community College has had experiences teaching such foreign students in a class she teaches titled English as a Second Language (ESL).

 

Dr. Jones has been teaching the class for over 20 years at San Jacinto Community College, where she first started teaching. She further went to explain how she got into that. Her grandparents were Spanish speaking immigrants from Costa Rica they hardly spoke English.  At a tender age, she recalls being the one translating for them whenever they came to visit. Though her parents were also immigrants they had little education on how to communicate with people in English.

 

She expressed how excited she was to teach her first English class when she got a job offer after college. “I could not hide the joy after that phone call ended. I called my parents right away for them to know I had been offered a teaching position 2 weeks after graduating from college, said Dr. Jones.”

 

ESL is a beginner’s class that tutors people with little to none English background. After one is done taking and passing this class, they are then given the opportunity to go through 3 various stages in the English program. The stages are as follows; beginners, Intermediary and Advance (College English). Each of these levels prepares students for an easy transition into being comfortable reading and writing in English.

 

With her experience in teaching English, she has taught a lot of foreign students and added that immigrants from different non-English speaking countries are her favorites. She also explained further why teaching immigrants’ students are her favorite part. “Teaching foreign students is easy and not a challenge because they only take English classes as a requirement. Unlike students who come from non-English speaking countries, DR. Jones said.” Those students from non-English speaking countries must master a way of making English their primary language especially because they would like to live and work in the U.S. Foreign students do not have to worry about that part because most of them do not plan to stay in the States after school.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Living away from home can be incredibly challenging. People leave their home countries for several reasons, it could be for school, better life, work, or any important reason. One thing for sure is home would always be home to everyone. Living in Another Country can pose a lot of challenges to an individual and in this story, we get to learn and hear from different people on what brought them to the United States.

Kofi Boakye is an immigrant who migrated from Ghana when he was nineteen. He moved to the States with his other siblings including his mom. His dad had lived in New York for over 15 years and worked in the medical field as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Kofi is twenty- five now and just graduated with his master’s in public health from New York University. He credits his drive to his home country of Ghana where he was born and raised until he moved the United States. “I have always wanted to do something that would give me the opportunity to go back home and help my community, Kofi said.”

Being an immigrant comes with its own challenges and Daily Challenges Immigrant face can range from language, culture, and food. Kofi expressed how easy it was for home when he used to live in his home country Ghana. Things were quite easy for him because it was his comfort zone. “Back home I had easy access to a lot of things and it was less stressful, also we were all about family and sharing those moments together, Kofi said.”

• Photo Credit Home Away From Home.ca

The experience of living in the States can be incredibly challenging for a lot of people. The US has its own culture and its way of life and sometimes it’s too much for people to handle Society’s self-destructive addiction to faster living in the United States. Kofi expressed his feelings about living in the US and he explained he made the move here because his Dad had sacrificed a lot to have them come here for a better education. “If I had my own way I would have stayed in Ghana, living in the States has been extremely challenging for me and sometimes I wished I was back home, Kofi said.”

 

 

QUERY LETTER

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to an add which was published in the Los Angeles Daily news dated November 25^th, 2018 for a Development Coordinator for your company and I have an interest in it.

I would like to introduce myself as Martin Kabutey Adjovu knows in show business as “Nene Kabutey.” A current graduate student at Full Sail University studying MA. New Media Journalism and expected to graduate in May 2019. The development coordinator job is a good fit for me and I will tell you why. I have had the opportunity to intern for Iheart radio, MTV, Urban Houston Network, Ktsu, Tsu Television, Warner Bros just to mention a few. And all these internships taught me a lot that will help me in the entertainment industry.

As a development coordinator, I know part of my job is to help identify, develop, and secure new show opportunities by generating leads and sales, maintaining client relationships, and coordinating promotional activities. When it comes to new shows I have an idea for one and I did write a story on it recently posted on my blog about Developing Story on Global Evolution in African fashion. This would be a great show concept and an opportunity for people to learn more about African fashion. And learn that Africa is not a country but a continent with 54 countries (States) and each country has its culture. An example is Ghana, it has ten regions (states) and each of them has their own local dialect they speak including fashion and culture. This would bring more awareness and help people to learn more about a different culture. This story would be truly relevant especially after Black Panther came out back in February. A lot of people have been on the African fashion bandwagon not knowing more about the African culture.

This show concept can help bring more audience to Asylum Entertainment. Creating content that delivers not only an American perspective of fashion but bringing in more of an international taste to it. It has been known that people are more receptive to a multimedia way of viewing content and this could be one of those shows that would attract more audience.

When it comes to delivering a pilot pitch for this show I can delivery that perfectly well. As a multimedia student I can shoot, edit, write, produce, and create a great pitch idea which would be shot into a pilot to deliver the idea for this show. After the show is picked up into developing, I would be able to use my social media platform to promote it. That would be a way of advertising the upcoming pilot. Using social media as a marketing tool for this show is the fastest and easiest way of attracting an audience. I would be able to track down interactions, follows, reach and impression. This would let me know what to work on for the next post. Knowing social media has certain times you can post. I will be using Hootsuite to schedule upcoming flyers and other related content marketing post that needs to be posted.

Being born and raised in Ghana-West Africa I have learned a lot about our fashion and have worked as a model for African Fashion week, New York Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, African fashion week Houston, LA fashion week just to mention a few. Not only did I work as a model but as a Director for Marketing and PR for African fashion week and Social media coordinator for New York fashion week. All these positions make me more qualified for the job and the pitch story because I have the first-hand experiences working with these companies and I know I can deliver. I have traveled to different fashion shows and have seen how others have no clue about different countries and their fashion.

With that being said I have attached my portfolio with some of my works to show how dedicated and passionate about this position. You can also find some of my multimedia works at Nene Kabutey Lander .

Thanks for your time in reading my email and hoping to hear from you soon.

Best Regards,

Martin K. Adjovu

838-530-3839

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IS CYBER DATING ANOTHER WAY OF “FRAUDING” PEOPLE?

Cyber dating has been around for a while and it has helped some people to find true love. Whiles others have had a terrible experience for it and wish they never did. In an online article published by Alberto A. Ferdman titled The truth about online dating according to someone who has been studying it for years discovered some deep stories on how it has affected people.

One thing about cyber dating is that it has helped most people connect with others in various parts of the world and has bridged the gap for online dating sites such as Tinder, Soulswipe, Blackpeoplemeet just to mention a few. Unbelievably social media has also become another way for cyber dating.

• Photo Credit HARVEY VEGA

The purpose of most of these dating apps is to help people find others who have something in common with. Ranging from food, games, religion, culture etc. This has brought a lot of people together from a global point of communication where one can find a match in different countries.

• Photo Credit Temitayo Akerele     

As much as cyber dating sounds fun it has caused a lot of unexpected problems for a lot of people. In the continent of Africa, most people have found a way of raiding people in these online dating swindles. In Nigerian, it is popularly known as 419. This is an act of deceiving other people through online dating frauds and people have fallen as victims of this act. Morgan Easley shared a story about how she became a victim of such act. She said she met a guy through Facebook 8 years ago and they stayed in contact for two months.

• Photo Credit 6 Tips for writing the Perfect online Dating profile

After those two months, they started having feelings for each other which led them to date. The guy gave his name as “Agu Kandu-Igbo” as much as they had fallen in love over the internet Easley did not bother to dig deeper to know if this person was real. They agreed Easley would take a trip from London to go visit Kandu in Nigeria. Before Morgan embarked on her trip Kandu had asked her to send him some money so he could get her a pleasant hotel, a car service and other luxurious things to make her trip an exciting one. So, Morgan agreed and sent Kandu £5000 ($6,365.50) to take care of all those things he had promised prior to her trip. Three days before she departed, she could not reach Kandu. He was not responding to her messages and then realized that Facebook account had been disabled. “I could not believe what was happening. I thought it was a dream but, it was not. I was shocked, devastated, hurt and disappointed, Morgan said.”

419: The Internet Romance Scam

Mrs. Caroline Johnson-Amoah had another perspective to share about her experience. She said she met her husband of 10 years online through a dating app and they currently have three kids. Her experience of dating app was quite different. She said her husband is originally from Ghana and when they met online, she was a bit hesitance about him because prior to that she had heard about 419 activities that had been going on in Nigeria. Though Nigeria and Ghana happen to be on the same continent she was a bit cautious, but her husband was nothing like what she was expecting. “My husband is a gentleman and a family-oriented person. When we first met online, I was expecting the worst because of the 419 stigmas. I agreed to go visit him one summer and that trip changed everything, and I fell in love with him more and we have been inseparable ever since with three beautiful kids, Mrs. Johnson-Amoah said.”

• Photo Credit Mike Hudson

One person who has handled a lot of these issues is Attorney Gbinkpe who is a Divorce and Immigration attorney based in San Francisco California. He shared some of his expertise on handling such cases. “Most people fall for these online dating scammers and end up bringing them to the States because it’s an effortless way of getting a visa into the US, Attorney Gbinkpe said.” As an Attorney, he has seen a lot of similar issues where people fall in love over the internet and end up flying their so-called lovers from foreign countries to the US. When most of them arrive, they start showing their true colors from stealing, infidelity, physical abuse and a whole lot more.

• Photo Credit David Maccar

According to Attorney Gbinkpe, most of these online scammers know it is easy to get a visa to the US when you date a citizen. So, they use that as a trick to get into the US and when they arrive that’s when they start abusing the relationship that helped them to get here. “I have advised most of my clients to stop searching for love online because it doesn’t always end well. I’ve also been in divorce courts with some of these clients and it’s not always a delightful story to write home about, Attorney Gbinkpe said.”

Developing Story on Gloabl Evolution in African Fashion

Have you wondered how African fashion has become a new trend recently? Especially after the release of Black Panther back in February. It took the world by storm and ‘Black Panther’ premier inspired filmgoers around the world to dress the part to the preview weekend.

Let us refresh your memory. The African continent has 54 countries (States) and each of them has their own culture. Within each country, they have different tribes and things they believe in, as everyone knows “Culture is a way of life”. Ghanaian born and raised socialite and lifestyle blogger Nene Kabutey, took time to interview Kennedy Nana Kofi Ansah a renowned Ghanaian celebrity designer and CEO of Afriken Novelty and popularly known as “Afriken by Nana.”

He expressed his excitement that African fashion is gaining global exposure, “I have never been happier with knowing my continent is being represented on a global platform, Nana said”. About two decades ago a lot of people did not know about the continent in Africa and the rich culture they have when it came to fashion. The continent has also experienced some groundbreaking designers such as Christie Brown and Duaba Serwaa. 

These two are a few of African top designers from Ghana who have showcased their designs in Europe and other parts of the world and are still breaking boundaries for their continent. When it comes to African fashion it has a lot to do with meaning and symbolism. From the fabric to the designs in it, style and making sure the outfit fits whoever is wearing it.

• Photo Credit : Pamo’s Expression.

Fashion has come a long way globally. Years ago, most brands were used d to send catalogs to customers to let them know the latest items they were in stock. As time went on that changed and sales started having sales programming on television to highlight these latest items on a model. Now that there are several ways to advertise these products through the internet it is become much easier to have several options to choose from.

Kennedy continued to explain why all these factors into designing a nice outfit for anyone, especially the African woman. “An African woman embodies curves and she needs to show them in every outfit she wears, Nana said.” He continued to say most African women have natural curves and that causes attention most of the time. So, when it comes to him designing outfits for women, he makes sure he’s designing it to suit the personality as well and not to be exposing their bodies because that causes a lot of attention already and not every woman likes to be the center of attention when she steps out.

When it comes to fashion colors, texture, design and styles matters. This article brings out the important aspects of fashion. A perfect example was when they made a reference to the movie “The Devil Wears Prada”. Most African cultures adore those elements which bring out the meaning of what they chose to wear to certain events. Most global fashion also has meanings to what they wear and their designs. National Endowment for the Humanities published an article on how two American women changed the standard of style titled The Color of Fashion.

After the release of Black Panther, most celebrities in the African American community have been embracing the African fashion not only them but most people around the world from diverse cultures and race are as well. Which makes us all believe fashion can bring us all together especially in the current situation we live in now.

Display of modern style at African Fashion week Houston

“It makes more sense to embrace one another in different ways and fashion is helping to do that, Nana said.” Kennedy also concluded in a favorite African proverb “United we stand divided we fall”.

Aftermath of Woosley Wildfire

November 15th, 2018 would forever be an unforgettable night for some California residents who live in the Valley area and its surrounding neighborhoods like Malibu, Calabasas, Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Agoura Hills, Hidden Valley, and Simi Valley. Imagine how it would feel if you had to wake up in the middle of the night to a burning house, that’s how most residents in these neighborhoods had to wake up to and to be rushed from their homes leaving behind everything.

Residents of Thousand Oaks were still mourning  Mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill less than 24 hours before the wildfires started. This put most of them in a state of disbelief because the Mass shooting in Thousand Oaks eclipsed by huge wildfires, families and friends of victims say. The Los Angeles fire department were out helping put the fire out whiles helping residents evacuate their homes for safety. The state of the wildfire was extremely dangerous to the point that some residents had to be flown out of their neighborhood.

Even though some houses were not affected by the fire some residents were issued a mandatory evocation for their own safety. Madison Green a resident of Calabasas shared her experience on how the fire affected her and her boyfriend. “It was a scary situation to be in and living across from the affected houses. My boyfriend and I were scared we could have lost our lives, Madison said.”

A video shared on social media went viral of a lady driving through the fire to a safe destination. ABC 7 had access to the video and also shared it on their evening news;  Woman captures dramatic video driving through flames while fleeing Woolsey Fire in Malibu.  In the video, you could tell from her voice and how scary she was driving through the fire in desperation. The fire caused so much air pollution to the point where most schools were shut down till further notice and residents were advised to stay indoors. The quality of the air was unsafe for people to be out.

It’s been a week after the fire outbreak and most people could not believe what had happen to them because they were in a state of disbelief. Even though those who lost their homes were safe others were still mourning the lives that were lost during the outbreak. “We are happy to be safe and alive after all the craziness. We lost power and internet for a few days, but we are grateful to be alive, Madison said.”

The fire department disclosed that the California wildfires leave at least 74 dead with more than 1,000 still missing: ‘It’s going to get worse’.

A journey of a First-Generation college student

James Masons is a final year student of Valley City college and in a month from now would be graduating with his Associate degree in Business Administration. Being a first generation college student does come with a lot of challenges, in an article published by Linda Banks-Santilli,  Living a Double life it details a life of a former first generation college student turned professor and the journey to where she is today.

James is the youngest of 5 children and the only male. He decided to go against all odds and get an education for himself. Growing up he knew he wanted more than what his parents could provide for the family. His mother works as a janitor in an elementary school and the father is a handyman. Though both parents dropped out of school before high school all they knew was working to provide for their families. “Seeing my parents work extremely hard to support my older siblings and I made me feel I had to go an extra mile for my future, James said.”

Before graduating from high school James had been looking into colleges that were near his home and was affordable to attend. Over the years there have been several debates on  Should First-Generation College Students Receive More Financial Aid. Knowing how college is expensive James made up his mind to start from a junior college and enrolled at Los Angeles Valley College to study business with a specialization in International Business. After his first semester in junior college, James was awarded a scholarship for his excellent achievement. Not only that but he was also offered a work study position on campus to help him financially for his upkeep. “I was not expecting any of that, it came as a surprise and made me emotional that day. And since then I have never looked back, James said.”

After staying on top of his education and being diligent James would be among 2000 graduates to be receiving their Associate degree next month. For him, the journey does not end there. He plans on furthering his education in a four-year university for his bachelors. As to what schools he wants to transfer to he’s thinking about University of California Long Beach or the University of Southern California.