Just Because It Does Not Affect You, You Should Still Care

Everything you need to know in a nutshell.

For those who were not born in the United States, but were brought here as children, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, makes it easier for immigrant students to receive some of the same rights as natural born citizens.

DACA is for certain people who came to the U.S. as children and meet several guidelines in order to be considered for deferred action for two years, according to ucsic.gov. Some of the guidelines on the website include being under 31 as of June 15, 2012, came to the U.S. before your 16^th birthday, have continuously lived in the U.S. from June 2007 until now and are currently in school, graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, obtained a general education development (GED) certificate or are an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces.

Hispanic student studying for stats final outside of SUB.

For those that qualify and get approved, DACA has been a life saver. Saba Nafees, a DACA recipient and recent Grammy award winner, said when her grandfather moved to the U.S., he was able to sponsor her mother and aunts to also be able to stay in the U.S., but when he passed away, the sponsorship was no longer valid.

With the Nafees family no longer being sponsored to stay in the U.S., Nafees said her family had to make some tough decisions.

“Unfortunately, because my grandfather passed away while I was trying to adjust my status, unfortunately my family and I had to remain here undocumented,” Nafees said. “That’s a really difficult thing for pretty any much American to have to go through.”

In 2017, the Trump administration announced it would end DACA, according to an NPR article. The article stated The Department of Homeland Security gave DACA recipients whose eligibility expired anywhere between Sept. 2017 through March 2018, a month for renewal. However, applications for applying for DACA would no longer be accepted, the article said.

Federal Courthouse in Lubbock, Texas.

Nafees said DACA has made her life easier. She remembers having to wait for the bus in undesirable weather conditions because she could not legally get a car. She also said saving money was not an option because she was not legally permitted to work. She describes her life prior to DACA as being deprived.

With public transportation being far from campus and student housing, it can be difficult and inconvenient to have to plan your day around the bus schedule.

People often underestimate the stringent process in becoming a U.S. citizen. Nafees said not only is the process extremely difficult, but they must pay a $495 government fee.

“Because this process is so tough and restrictive, millions of young people couldn’t qualify for it because they didn’t meet one of the various criteria,” Nafees said. “So that’s really really the unfortunate part, the 800,000 or so that got it, we’re really lucky ones.”

DACA is not the only thing the president wants to regulate when it comes to immigration. President Trump has been advocating for a wall to be built along to the U.S.-Mexican border in order to alleviate crime and lower the number of undocumented citizens in the U.S.

Mckennan Bundy, a natural born U.S. citizen and Texas Tech student, feels the U.S. should be directing their attention on the crisis within its border rather than trying to protect them. He also feels the wall contradicts the meaning behind the Statue of Liberty.

“I feel like either way whether you pay to have a fence or pay to build a wall, it’s a waste of money right now. Like, we have a big money crisis in our country,” Bundy said.

Bundy said it is hard for him to understand what those who have immigrated to America or live on the other side of the border go through. He sympathizes with them but cannot empathize with them because he has never gone through it.

“As a white man, my experience as an American has been easy breezy,” Bundy said. “It has been more difficult for me to see that life isn’t like that for everyone else. It’s almost like I’m blinded to the struggles of other people… It’s so easy for me to be like if I’m struggling, I would do things the legal way.”

According to the BBC, President Trump said $5.7 billion were needed to build the wall, and Congress has approved $1.7 billion in funding as of March 2019.  

However, most illegal immigrants do not initially come into the country illegally, they overstay their visas according to DHS.gov. The website describes an overstay as a non-immigrant who was lawfully permitted to come to the U.S. for an authorized period but stayed beyond their authorized admission period.

Memorial Circle at Texas Tech University.

Celina, a Mexican-American who asked to use her first name only because of her immigration status and is personally affected by DACA, does not believe the wall will work. She believes that immigrants will continue to overstay their visas, and believes if people educate themselves on immigration, it may aid in the curing of xenophobia.

“I think it’s just a lot of fear and xenophobia they have. They’re just very closed-minded people when it comes to it,” said Celina.

Celina also said when these children are being brought over at such young ages, they do not understand what is going on. She feels it is unfair to send immigrants back to a country they do not know.

“They didn’t know what’s going on, they’re children, they think oh our parents are just taking us out on a trip or something for whatever reason. We won’t get to see our family here for who knows how long,” said Celina.

Jasmine Andrade, a music major and Mexican-American from Houston, said her mom is a legal citizen but her dad is here on a green card. She believes everyone in the U.S. is an immigrant and the wall will do as much as the fence – nothing.  

Getting married, at a courthouse for example, does not guarantee you will become a U.S. citizen. The process is very hard and lengthy.

“I’m against it because no matter what you do, there’s always going to be people coming in. Like you can’t prevent that from happening,” said Andrade. “I think it’s stupid.”

Jaimito Garcia, a Lubbock native who has a best friend who is affected by DACA. His best friend is about to graduate from Texas Tech, but he remembers his best friend being nervous that he would not be able to finish his degree. Garcia feels everyone should not only have a right to education, but citizenship also.

Student worker who is also a minority working.

“I think they’ve made a way to not be the melting pot we once were or that we should be,” said Garcia.

Both Garcia and Andrade said they felt ostracized for either not being Mexican enough or being too Mexican, but they both feel lucky they do not have to constantly live in fear of being deported.

Alejandro Espejo, a mechanical engineering major at Texas Tech has parents who are illegal immigrants, but he supports the wall because he feels that President Trump is trying to protect the U.S., not hurt it.

“I’m a firm supporter for the wall because I do believe it’ll partially help the immigration crisis in America,” said Espejo. “Trump believes that by building the wall, it’ll prevent a lot of the rapists and criminals from coming into the country.”

Espejo also added that with recent headlines of immigrants killing citizens, he by all means agrees with the wall if it will help national security.

As of right now, the Supreme Court decided not to take up the DACA case for the Spring 2019 session, according to IAmerica.org. DACA is not accepting any new applications.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2rW0Ez_0o4

Seasonal affective disorder makes you SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is more than just the winter blues, according to the American Psychiatric Association. The American Psychiatric Association said seasonal depression symptoms typically start during the fall and winter, and end in the spring.

https://youtu.be/NXMZ_h-XjvI

Feeling SAD? This video will help you understand your emotions.

SAD affects about 5 percent of adults in the United States each year, the symptoms lasting around 40 percent of the year. This is linked to a biochemical imbalance in the brain due to less hours of sunlight during the winter, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

Some symptoms of SAD include feelings of sadness or depressed mood, marked loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed and feeling worthless or guilty, reports the American Psychiatric Association. 

Dr. Greg Johnson, a counseling psychologist at Texas Tech, said the symptoms of SAD are similar to those of major depression.

“Seasonal Affective Disorder is basically a subset of major depression,” said Johnson. “So, it’s a depression but the distinction is it has to be seasonal.”

Johnson said since we do not have the same amounts of sunlight during the winter, some levels of the chemicals in our body decrease, causing feelings of sadness.

“The underlying theory is that when we have shorter days—less sunlight, we’re not getting the same level of sunlight which impacts our serotonin levels and our melatonin levels,” Johnson said. “… if we have lower levels of serotonin, we might experience things like depression, feelings of isolation, feeling lethargic— things like that.”

Johnson said those that are depressed might seclude themselves, due to not wanting to burden those around them.

“What we encourage here at the student counseling center is to bring those support systems closer, and let people know what’s kinda going on in your life,” said Johnson. “Not that they necessarily have to do anything with that, it’s just kinda telling someone this is what I’m struggling with.”

Johnson suggests students struggling with this go to the Student Counseling Cnter. He said the center has walk in hours from 12:30-3:30 p.m. , Monday through Friday, and you will be seen that day. 

Uvie Bikomo, a student at Texas Tech, said she is the exact opposite.

“I cannot stand the spring,” Bikomo said. “I just do not like the spring, it’s too sunny. There’s too many people outside, it gives me a little bit of anxiety.”

Bikomo said that when the dreaded season comes around, she does her best to avoid triggers, but it can be challenging due to her schedule.

“I try to go home and stay home as much as possible,” said Bikomo. “I can’t always do that because with the spring comes a new longer semester, and it can be a lot more hectic than the fall semester.”

Bikomo has not always been a homebody. When she was younger, she marveled at the chance to go outside. Now, she can not stay inside enough.

“I do remember when I was a kid, I used to want to go outside a lot,” said Bikomo. “My mom used to actively say no, stay inside. Or as a punishment when I do something bad… you’re staying inside, you don’t get to go play outside, and it sucked! But now I want to stay inside and not go outside.”

Not only can seasons affect our health, but the region of the time zone we live in has an impact on our health as well.

In a recent study, The Washington Post received data from the American Time Use Survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that said those who live in the western portion of time zones, tend to be the ones missing out on sleep.

“Individuals on the late sunset side of a time zone boundary are more likely to be sleep deprived, more likely to sleep less than 6 hours, and less likely to sleep at least 8 hours,” the authors wrote. “The effects are larger among individuals with early working schedules and among individuals with children of school age.”

Sleep deprivation is not the only thing that comes with living on the late side of the time zone. Those who live on the western portion of their time zone tend to experience even more health concerns, according to the data.

“People on the late side of sunset across U.S. time zones were 11 percent more likely, on average, to be overweight and 21 percent more likely to be obese. Diabetes was more prevalent, and the risk of heart attack increased by 19 percent,” the researchers wrote. “Breast cancer rates were slightly elevated, too — about 5 percent higher than average.”

If you happen to suffer from SAD or live on the late sun-setting side of your time zone, Johnson said eating nutrient dense foods, exercising, surrounding yourself with positive people and getting enough sleep can help you cope. He also suggested herbal supplements such as melatonin.

How well are we truly taking care of ourselves?

America is known worldwide as a highly obese country, yet most Americans are still putting ultra-processed foods into their bodies. According to Forbes, more than half of the things Americans consume are ultra-processed and contribute to 90 percent of our sugar intake.

Eating processed foods is not only a direct contributor towards to obesity, but cancer as well. Consuming processed meats such as pepperoni, lunch meats, beef jerky, etc. regularly increase your chances for colorectal cancer, according to MD Anderson.

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  Exercising even with light weights is a great way to relieve stress

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  Eating healthier non-processed foods is a great way to relieve risks of cancer

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  A lot of Americans lack Vitamin D which is necessary for optimal brain function

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  Oranges are a tasty and quick way to get your fruits in

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  The pharmacy at 19th and Quaker is one of the few if not the only 24 hour pharmacy in Lubbock

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  You can fill your prescription here at all hours of the night

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  The REC center has more than just treadmills…they have fun and interactive classes for everyone

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  Your apartment complex should have a fitness center in which you can access 24/7

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  Treadmills are a great way to knock those calories out and get that exercise time in

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  Don’t know where to start? The REC center has got you covered with fitness classes offered every day.

Bailyn Kelley, a junior at Texas Tech, said her health journey was very spur of the moment. 

“There was one point in my life where I was just crying every day for months,” said Kelley. “And then one day I woke up and realized, there’s more to this.”

Kelley said that was the time where she turned to God and prayed that He get her through those tough times. Through prayer and being more spiritually connected, Kelley became more in-tune with her body.

“God just kind of showed me that, I don’t have anymore bad days. I used them all up when I was crying for months back to back to back,” said Kelley. “I just started keeping in touch with my line sisters, I started focusing on what makes me happy.”

Kelley said she knows that being in college makes it easier to try and give up your true identity to fit in with others, but she quickly took solace in knowing that it is OK to be diverse and be who you truly are.

“I’m doing stuff that I like more, I’m doing yoga, I’m eating healthier foods, I’m leaning more towards things that make me happy. I no longer listen to music that’s objectifying or that uses profanity,” said Kelley. “I’m just doing things that are healthier.”

Kelley knows about the stigma surrounding healthy foods costing more money than its processed counterparts. She said those wanting to eat healthier do not have to be turned off by the price of vegetables, that using coupons and buying certain items at certain stores has helped her achieve a balanced and healthy diet.

“Honestly, you just have to coupon it out. You use coupons,” said Kelley. “You don’t buy everything at one place, you have to go to different places. For me, I’ll get my produce from Amigos or I’ll go to Market Street, but I won’t get that many of them because I know that they can be expensive.” Kelley said.

Briauna Augustus, a research assistant for a pharmaceutical company in Austin, said not only does she feel better when she eats cleaner, but her body thanks her for it.

“I definitely feel much better when I eat better. I’m not saying salads and smoothies all the time,” said Augustus. “When I cook for myself and I eat less processed foods, I feel much better and my skin appreciates it. When I eat processed foods, I’ll get tiny bumps all over my face.”

Augustus said that she feels a big problem with our generation is the expectation of instant gratification. To her, going to the gym is like her recess – she finds it fun not an obligation. But to those that are going to look good, that mind set will not lead to long lasting results.

“I think that a lot of our problem is that we’re working out to look better, and you’re not going to be consistent if you work out to look better because those results don’t come quickly,” Augustus said. “The body doesn’t operate on the same speed as social media or the internet…”

Augustus and Kelley said they believe the mind, body and soul are all intertwined with each other. Augustus believes that you cannot have one without the other.

“All aspects of you have to be healthy in order for you to function properly and to be happy, and so if your mind is not healthy, you body and your soul are going to suffer,” said Augustus. “They’re all in line, so if you don’t keep them in line, things go haywire.”

Danielle Rose, a psychology student at University of Houston, said she believes that every student should be in tune with their body while they are young to prevent future health problems.

“I know a lot of people that didn’t take care of themselves when they were in college, they kind of just did whatever,” said Rose. “Now, they’re all sick and remorseful for neglecting their bodies.”

Rose takes extra precautions to make sure that she remains healthy.

“I try to not eat too much sugar or fast food. If I crave any of those things, I drink water to curve that craving. But, I also don’t restrict myself from the things I truly want,” said Rose.

If you are not feeling too well, try getting into the gym and changing the way you think about food. There is no need to cut a food group out of your diet completely, you can have you cake and eat it too, just in moderation. 

https://uploads.knightlab.com/storymapjs/d4fc75448621b0c5f28da47ab5e5260f/how-well-do-americans-take-care-of-themselves/index.html

Making a statement with mission statements

https://soundcloud.com/natassia-henry-418874320/mission-trips

Many of us would like to believe that most people around the world believe in a higher power, but according to website The Traveling Team, almost half of the world population, 42 percent, are un-reached.

According to The Joshua Project,, an un-reached group is a group that lacks enough Christ followers and resources to evangelize their own people.

Purshia Gambles, a resident for Redeemer Church, said that the purpose of mission trips is greater than just telling people about Jesus.

“Ultimately, our goals as Christians even higher than that is to glorify God and make His name great,” said Gambles. “And the only way that can be done collectively, the way God speaks about in Revelation, is for all nations, cultures, peoples, races, ethnicities to be worshiping His name, and that can only happen if they know Jesus.”

For those who want to go on mission trips, but do not have the means financially to go, those individuals should take solace in knowing that their host church, along with their own efforts in sponsoring themselves, will help them.

Gambles also explained that the church take care of a lot of logistical things.

Madi Ingram, a Texas Tech student who took a mission trip to Vietnam her freshman year, said that the community’s impacts are really what helps the most.

“Financially, we do support letters and we have to raise support,” Ingram said. “So in our support letter, it basically says this is what I’m doing, this is why I’m doing it and this is who I’m doing it with and you’ve been influential in my life and I would love your prayer, financial support or both.”

Ingram said the experience was worth it and very humbling, as she was able to see life through foreign lenses.

“We had this dorm that we were working on building next, and we had these kids that walked over three hours to school, mind you they have monsoon seasons and high sex trafficking rates,” said Ingram. “So, they’re walking over three hours, and if you’re over three hours, you get to stay in the dorms, but a dorm is the size of my dining room, a twelve by twelve with 30 kids packed in it with two or three beds.”

Ingram said when she came back, she saw her own life differently.

“It really makes you thankful, especially since I went and helped little kids in Vietnam and then seeing my little siblings- little kids in Vietnam are walking to school for 3 hours,” Ingram said. “My siblings got a hoverboard for Christmas and have an iPhone in their hands.”

Ingram is set to go on another mission trip to Greece this May, and said that it is going to cost about $3,200. Though the financial support helps, she said that it is not the only thing that sends her on these trips.

“A big thing is our prayer for us, because I can’t meet my financial goal until I meet my prayer goal,” said Ingram. “I don’t have all the money, they don’t have all the money, but who does is my God. The whole point is to get people to pray for me.”

Besides churches, there are organizations dedicated to sending Christians on mission trips. Chi Alpha is a campus ministry that has helped send many students worldwide on mission trips.

Kelsie Tackitt, a students at Texas Tech and a member of Chi Alpha, went on a mission trip to Athens and said that it helped her build skills.

“Aside from getting to see a completely different culture that I had never been exposed to, I felt like I was able to come out of my shell a little bit more and grow in my communication skills,” said Tackitt. “because you’re talking to someone who you don’t actually know if they can even speak English.”

Tackitt also added that the experience also helped her gain confidence.

“I gained confidence in myself knowing that there wasn’t anything I could say to impress them but it was Jesus working through me to meet these people,” Tackitt said.

So, if mission trips have been on your heart and it is something that you feel called to do, you can count on the support of your church and community.