Senior Pictures...

It truly pays off being active in the community around you. I took my senior pictures at the Spirit Ranch, which is such an amazingly beautiful place. I love the atmosphere, the staff, and all that they do for people who come there. If you've never had the honor of going, you should try sometime. Even if it's just for a tour.

I had the pleasure of attending for my first time with Mentor Tech, and have been there several times since. Walking through the grounds while taking my pictures truly brought back all the memories that I had there. From bonding with my protege's from Dunbar Middle School and my fellow PAC Leaders, jumping off the pole with Thomas and Keshia, or sharing stories over a cup of coffee. The Spirit Ranch is a vital part of my experience in college. Man how I'm going to miss that place.

Sorry I've been a little MIA. With school, work, lab, grad school applications, job applications, packing, Platform planning, my graduation party, and preparing for all my family that's coming into town for my graduation, it's been crazy. Hopefully I'll figure out something soon. I hate that my blog is suffering.

In exactly 20 days, at this exact time, I will be walking across the stage. I'm scared to death, but I know that I am blessed to have come this far. InshaAllah, if God is willing, I will continue to go even further. Now to the wonderful pictures that my good friend Abdullah Alwosaibi took for me. Isn't he simply talented?

30 Day Challenge: Day 24...

My favorite song is Signal Fire by Snow Patrol. It was been my favorite song since my freshman year in high school. This song really got me through some tough times. I fell in love with this song when I started expanding my horizons. I called it my enlightening phase of my life. I chopped all my hair off, started listening to different kinds of music, made all types of friends, and I dove head first into exploring who I was. It was a beautiful point in my life. I was more sure of who I was at that time compared to any other point in my life. And this song helped navigate me through it.

The lyrics are so simple and the words are so clear, yet so complex and applicable to any part of your life. It made me value honesty, transparency, and life itself.

30 Day Challenge: Day 6...

My biggest inspiration is my mommy. Her name is Aretha, after the wonderful and talented Aretha Franklin (and my aunt is named after Tina Turner). Every single day, she reminds me of the reasons I have to get up the next day. She instilled in me the incredible values that I have today. She taught me how to be charitable, caring, compassionate, thoughtful, intelligent, articulate, charismatic, passionate, driven, dedicated, among a host of other things. Without her in my life, I would not be where I am today, nor would I have so much ambition to go where I want to go tomorrow.

She is an amazing woman, and I can truly say she is one of my best friends. She is my confidant, partner in crime, my rock, and my inspiration to keep moving forward. So many times, I have wanted to give up, but she wouldn't let me. She always said, "I didn't raise any quitters." So I cannot stop until she is retired in Nigeria with her successful businesses, and a house of her own where she doesn't have to lift a finger. InshaAllah (God willing), I will get her there one day... And I guess my dad can come too.

The Human Barbie...

People take so much time picking and prodding themselves just so they can look nice, but never truly end up satisfied. One thing that drives me crazy is when someone is gorgeous as they are, and then makes themselves worse because feel like there is some type of mold they have to fit into.

Take the human barbie for example. Her name is Valeria Lukyanova and she is from Russia. She had a lot of plastic surgery done so she could acieve the perfect "Barbie" look. And she's no alone. Olga Oleynik also went under the knife to achieve the same thing

I have no idea what these girls were thinking. Are we that fixated on our outer appearance that we have to result to such drastic measures? They are not alone. There is one man, Justin Jedica, who has been striving to look like a real life Ken. They don't even look real. If I saw them on the street, I'd probably take off running. Just take a look.

This is a picture of Valeria before she went under the knife.

These are her proportions compared to an average sized woman. 

This is Valeria and Olga

And this is Justin and Valeria

This is his before and after.

This is only some of the work he had done.

What is the world coming to? I have no idea.