I have some exciting news to share today. Back in June I applied for the California Alumni Association’s Leadership Award. I applied at the last minute and I figured I would have no shot at getting the award. And here is why: Established in 1934, the Leadership Award is one of the most prestigious merit-based scholarships at UC Berkeley.  The Leadership Award is a one-year, merit-based scholarship that recognizes Cal students who demonstrate innovative, motivational leadership impacting their academic, work, or community environments. Thousands of students compete for the scholarship every academic year.

Sounds impressive right? Well all of my work and experiences from MiraCosta College gained me a seat for a finalist interview for this award. After the interview process the Alumni will debate over the 1,000 finalists to decide who receives the award.

Last week I was notified that I was a recipient of the award! I was so excited to hear that I was selected as a finalist. As it turns out, the interviews were only supposed to last 15 minutes and the interview that I had with the four alumni lasted over 45 minutes. I guess time flies when you’re having fun. I had a good feeling when I left the interview, but I knew I had some stiff competition so I was really surprised to figure out that I had received the award. The award has been one of the biggest that I have ever received; $2000. And that will certainly come in handy with all the costs that college holds. The award also entails additional benefits:

• Membership in the Leadership Award Scholars Association (LASA)
• Networking events with UC Berkeley faculty and alumni
• Weekly e-mail announcing job, scholarship and leadership opportunities
• California Alumni Association student membership allowing the recipient access to alumni benefits
• 10% discount at Cal Student Store
• Discount on a KAPLAN test preparation courses

It is a pleasure to be writing you from my dorm atthe International House of UC Berkeley. So far my experience in NorCal has beenphenomenal. I only wish that I was able to see everyone at MiraCosta moreoften. As I am aware, many of you will be applying to colleges this year. Withthe deadline for these college applications rapidly approaching, I would liketo offer my advice and guidance.

First, I would like to advise those applying to theUC and CSU systems to take the applications very seriously, as this year willbe extremely competitive. If my estimates are correct, the economy truly beganto plunge around two years ago which is when the major layoffs began. As aresult, there was a flood of people returning to school which leaves those whoare applying to UCs and CSUs some intense competition this year. However, thereare ways to conquer this dilemma.  Andhere is how:

1) Find an interesting aspect of your life that you feel most people have notexperienced in their lives; something that will separate you from the crowds(i.e. leadership experiences, involvement in extracurricular activities, workexperience) It may be helpful to construct a rough resume, so you can pick andpull the experiences that you are most proud of. Remember, space is limited soif you were President of the Queen and Fairies club in 5^th grade,chances are you should not include this over other more recent leadershipexperiences.

2) If you have overcome adversity, as we all have inone form or another, this is good to mention. However do not make this thefocal point for your essays. Instead, use it as a stepping stone to say youovercame this adversity and were still able to accomplish all the amazing featsthat I am sure you all have done. Focusing on the positive aspects makes youcome off as a positive person. Positivity is something that colleges seek out,and they always love to see someone who hasn’t had life handed to them on asilver platter.

3) Begin to plan early. I cannot stress this enough. I am the worst procrastinator inthe world, and as a result a lot of other people had to pull together to helpme get through the majority of my essay drafting. I was lucky in theseinstances, and this is not always a guarantee. Especially since most of yourteachers will probably be inundated with requests from your peers applying tothe same universities as you are. So to beat the crowds, begin writing andplanning your essays now.

4) If you are planning to apply to private schools,still make sure to apply to UC’s and CSU’s as a backup. The last thing you wantto do is limit your options. Now I know the application fees are expensive andthey add up, but this is worth the cost of admission. The best investment youcan make is one in yourself, and having a variety of options is the best thingyou can do for yourself. Additionally, begin to request letters ofrecommendation now. I also asked for letters of recommendation too late, and Ihad to scramble to get letters of recommendation for the schools of my choice.

5) Lastly, and most importantly seek advice andreview your essay answers with your counselor, teachers and peers. The morepeople read your essays, the better your chances are of getting in. Think aboutit with a statistical mindset. If you have 5 people read your essay and theylike it, or you have 50 people read your essays and they all like it and makecorrections who do you think is going to get accepted? The more the merrierholds true in this case. The more eyes that see your essay and make correctionsthe better your chances will be of getting accepted.

During the summer I lived in Ehrman Hall which faced People’s Park and gave me a great view of the Bay. Every night I was graced by interesting howls and moans of craziness coming from the park. For those of you who don’t know, People's Park in Berkeley is a park off Telegraph Avenue, bounded by Haste and Bowditch Streets and Dwight Way, near the University of California, Berkeley. The park was created during the radical political activism of the late 1960s. The mythology surrounding the park is an important part of local culture. The surrounding South Campus neighborhood was the scene of a major confrontation between student protestors and law enforcement during May, 1969. A mural near the park, painted by Berkeley artist and lawyer Osha Neumann, depicts the shooting of James Rector, a student who died from shotgun wounds inflicted by law enforcement on May 15, 1969.

The conflict was due to a parking structure that was supposed to be built on Peoples Park. During its first three weeks, People's Park was enjoyed and appreciated by University students and local residents alike. Objections to the expropriation of University property tended to be mild, even among school administrators. However, Governor Ronald Reagan had been publicly critical of University administrators for tolerating student demonstrations at the Berkeley campus, and he had received enormous popular support for his 1966 campaign promise to crack down on what was perceived as the generally lax attitude at California's public universities. Reagan called the Berkeley campus "a haven for communist sympathizers, protesters and sex deviants." Reagan considered the creation of the park a direct leftist challenge to the property rights of the University, and he found in it an opportunity to make good on his campaign promise.

Governor Reagan overrode Chancellor Heyns' May 6, 1969 promise that nothing would be done without warning, and on Thursday, May 15, 1969 at 4:45 a.m., he sent 250 California Highway Patrol and Berkeley police officers into People's Park. The officers cleared an 8-block area around the park while a large section of what had been planted was destroyed and an 8-foot tall perimeter chain-link wire fence was installed to keep people out and to prevent the planting of more trees, grass, flowers and shrubs.

Beginning at noon, approximately 3,000 people appeared in Sproul Plaza at nearby U.C. Berkeley for a rally, the original purpose of which was to discuss the Arab-Israeli conflict. Several people spoke, then Michael Lerner ceded the Free Speech platform to ASUC Student Body President Dan Siegel because students were concerned about the fencing-off and destruction of the park. Siegel said later that he never intended to precipitate a riot; however when he shouted "Let's take the park!," police turned off the sound system. This angered some people, and the crowd responded spontaneously, moving down Telegraph Avenue toward People's Park chanting "We want the park!"

Arriving in the early afternoon, the protesters were met by the remaining 159 Berkeley and University police officers assigned to guard the fenced-off park site. The protesters opened a fire hydrant, the officers fired tear gas canisters, some protesters attempted to tear down the fence, and bottles, rocks, and bricks were thrown. A major confrontation ensued between law enforcement and the crowd. Initial attempts by the police to disperse the protesters were not successful, so more officers were called in from surrounding cities. At least one car was set on fire, and soon turned into a riot. After people on the roof of an adjacent building threw bricks at the police, the Alameda County Sheriff's deputies used shotguns to fire "00" buckshot at people sitting on the roof at the Telegraph Repertory Cinema, fatally wounding student James Rector and permanently blinding carpenter Alan Blanchard. Police were forced to open fire after being instigated by rioting students and what ensued was madness.

At least 128 Berkeley residents were admitted to local hospitals for head trauma, shotgun wounds, and other serious injuries inflicted by law enforcement. The actual number of seriously wounded was likely much higher, because many of the injured did not seek treatment at local hospitals to avoid being arrested. Many more protesters and bystanders were treated for minor injuries. Local hospital logs show that 19 police officers or Alameda County Sheriff's deputies were treated for minor injuries; none were hospitalized. However, the UCPD claims that 111 police officers were injured, including one who was knifed in the chest.

So now you see the history of the park that was a stone throw away from my window. In fact, the building that I was staying in was a root cause of the parking structure that was supposed to be where People’s Park is. Today People's Park serves as a free public park. Although accessible to members of the larger community, the park serves mainly as a daytime sanctuary for Berkeley's large homeless population who, along with others, take advantage of meals offered by East Bay Food Not Bombs. Public restrooms are available, and the park offers innovative demonstration gardens, including organic community gardening beds and areas landscaped with California native plants, all of which were user-developed by volunteer gardeners. Many students make regular use of the basketball courts. A wider audience is attracted by occasional rallies, concerts, and hip-hop events conducted at the People's Stage, a wooden bandstand designed and built on the western end of the park by volunteers organized by the People's Park Council.

I alluded to the competitive nature of the Haas earlier and I feel obligated to tell you why. At Haas, which is Berkeley’s school of business, has a “Haas Curve” which limits the grades that you can get in a class. In order to produce students breed to compete, Haas students will receive grades based on the following percentages:

A+ and A = 5%
A- = 10%
B+ = 20%
B = 30%
B- = 20%
C+ = 10%
C = 4%
C- = >2%

So those ideas of grandeur and graduating at the top of my class with a 4.0 GPA seem to be unattainable. But this doesn’t mean that I am going to give up hope. I still plan to immerse myself in school, just as I did at MiraCosta, and try to maximize my opportunities here while balancing school. The only problem is that there are so many opportunities. I don’t even know where to start.

A stark difference between MiraCosta College, or MiraCozy as I now think of it, and Berkeley is how centralized the services provided to students are. At MiraCosta if there is something that a student needs, nearly every employee can tell you what you need to do, where you need to go, and how to go about it. At Berkeley, there is definitely a wealth of support, just like MiraCosta has, but here at Berkeley it is so spread out and vast that it is difficult to know where to go. For instance, I went to the Transfer center here at Berkeley and asked a couple of questions about Haas, and financial aid, and I was told that I needed to go to the Financial Aid office and that Haas has their own informational office and that she didn’t know about it. Granted UC Berkeley is a big school that serves over 30,000 students, but I figured that it would be centralized in terms of student services like MiraCosta is. Oh how wrong I was, they have student clubs, services, tutoring and everything else spread out all over the place at Berkeley.

I learned some more valuable information today. Apparently the Haas School of Business isn’t looked at too favorably amongst the rest of the students on campus. There are a lot of services that Haas provides that are exclusively for Haas students which creates quite a commotion. The term “Haashole” and “Haastitute” came up to describe Haas students. I guess I am now a “Haashole” because I go to this school. Oh well, I will wear that name with pride knowing that I am going to graduate from one of the best business schools in the United States.

Today was my first day at Cal (University of California, Berkeley). It was an exciting, enlightening and challenging day. I am in the blue cohort where half of the incoming class was separated into. I go to class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00- 9:30. As required by the Haas School of Business Undergraduate program, I am taking two summer school courses so I can finish the program in two years. The first class I took was Business Ethics and it was held in Andersen auditorium. For those of you who don’t see the irony in that, I will enlighten you. Arthur Andersen was the accounting firm for Enron, so I find being taught Business Ethics in the Andersen Auditorium absolutely hilarious. But on a more serious note, the class seems to be pretty competitive. The class I am in has about 180 students in it. Since I am use to average class sizes below thirty this is definitely going to take some getting use to. Luckily, after two and a half hours of lecture I go to a discussion portion of the class which gives me the opportunity to work with a GSI (graduate student instructor) who will subsequently grade my papers. The discussion portion is taught in a normal size classroom with about 40 students.

The teacher for the ethics class I am taking is absolutely hilarious. He got his bachelors degree from Berkeley in Political Science and then went on to study law at UC Davis. He is the most sarcastic person I have ever met. He started the class off by picking on this one girl who had her laptop out and said, “Congratulations, you have just failed my class. Go ahead, you can go home now.  Enjoy your Summer.” That was comforting for the entire class. From that we, as a class, were able to deduce that he doesn’t want us to use computers. He went on to tell us that if we wanted an A in his class you can either babysit his kids, join a group that he moderates, or pay him a cash bribe. He said that this is a business school so this shouldn’t come as a surprise. I think he was being a little sarcastic though. I should get along with this guy just fine- being the extremely sarcastic person that I am.

The teacher who I have for the ethics class is totally cool. He is a philosophy major who is totally into the ethical aspects of business. The discussion portion that he teaches really challenges your mind to think out of the box. For the first session, I was really impressed with the level of deep conversation that was produced from a mere 1 hour session. He seems to be a straight forward guy and he came from New York University with his masters to Berkeley to get his PhD so he definitely is a smart dude.

After I got out of the discussion portion at 4:45 I have a two hour break to grab some food and relax. Something cool I found out today is a thing called “Berkeley Time.” Apparently this is a universally accepted concept here at Berkeley. If a class starts at 1:00 as scheduled in the course catalog, then it actually begins at 1:10. There is a ten minute delay with all classes because apparently the culture of the campus accepts being fashionably late.

Of course, since it was the first day of class, I decided not to arrive late to the business communications course that was the other class I had to take. I was surprised to find that the teacher for the class was on Berkeley time and showed up late! The business communications course seems to be a bit more laid back and demands less from the students since it is only a two unit course versus the three unit ethics course. None the less, I do not picture either of these courses to be easy. However, I am always ready for a challenge so bring it on Berkeley.

Going on trips is always fun. But I am especially excited about a trip I have planned for this summer. I haven’t taken a trip with my family in over 5 years so this trip coming up is way overdue. However, I suppose its better late than never. The trip I planned for this summer is to Yellowstone National Park for three days and then to The Grand Teton National Park for an additional three days.  I have found National Parks to be a great escape, and I am a strong believer that they have strong therapeutic powers after a stressful semester… or four. More importantly, reacquainting yourself with nature really puts your life in perspective. At least for my case, I feel that immersing yourself in nature really cleanses the mind. After all the life we live is so connected to technology, television, and living a “pampered life” as the mountain men would say that it is hard to imagine life without that technology.

The national parks present a great way to test your abilities to live without technology and reconnect with your roots. I don’t know whether it is a written rule or what, but good luck finding a television set in a national park. And if you depend on the internet for your lifeblood, you will definitely need to bring the iPhone along. However, I see beauty in that scenario. I feel that we, as a nation and more importantly as a functioning society, depend on our iPhones, computers and cell phones to get things done. Well for an entire week I plan to unleash myself from that security leash and “rough it” in the forest. Alright, so I won’t really be roughing it, but I will be living without technological accommodations- that is with the exception of my Visa.

I have been reading some articles about traveling and a majority of user polls shows that most Americans are traveling to United States National Parks rather than out of the country because it is a more economical decision. Economical? Well not exactly. I priced out and planned my vacation scavenging the internet for the best deals and this vacation will still cost me a pretty penny. However, I will spend less for my mother, grandmother and I than if I were to plan a vacation for Hawaii.

I have had some experience with national parks but I am very excited for this one. Grand Tetons is the second most visited national park in the United States, and Yellowstone was the first national park that was established by the US. In less than a week I will be immersed in the woods gazing at Old Faithful and roaming with the bisons.

What exciting plans do you have for this summer? Have you ever been to a United States National Park? If you haven’t I highly recommend giving one a shot. Besides, you can take solitude in the fact that you are helping the US economy. Lord knows we can definitely use it.

Finals week is something that is universally despised by all students. In my 14 years of educational experience, I can confidently say that I have never heard anyone ever exclaim joyous glee for the beloved finals week. But those who have encountered the dreaded “F” word know exactly what it’s all about. Late nights, intense study sessions, racking your brain, buckling down, and then hell until the tests are over. I think the only thing we as students can take solitude in and look forward to is that feeling we get walking out of the class from the last final.

The finals I must endure for this spring semester is going to be rough. With my Managerial Accounting class officially kicking my butt, it is going to be no walk in the park to pass that final- especially since it will be very cumulative. To make it worse, I have a calculus final on the same day which will be no picnic. I have to go from my calculus final directly to my accounting final. I think you can see why I am not exactly excited about taking two back to back finals in my hardest classes. With those two tests on Tuesday, it’s safe to say that the day will be a hectic cram fest.

Looking on the bright side, on Monday I only have a Business Law final. My business law class has been a blast. The teacher for the course is a pretty rad dude and he definitely knows his stuff. I’ve actually taken a really strong liking to the class and I am contemplating going into law after I get my BA. Only time will tell if that interest fizzles out, but law is something that will always be in demand. With times like these, I will be able to better sleep at night knowing that I will be able to pay off all the debt I will incur going to school.

On Wednesday I have a group communications final which won’t be cumulative. That will be a nice final to take for my last final exam at MiraCosta. It is crazy to think that I am almost done. It seriously seems like just yesterday when I came to this quaint little school with the amazing views and beautiful campus. Little did I know then just how many opportunities MiraCosta College had in store for me. Reflecting back on all the great times I have had here at MCC, it makes this finals week coming up that much easier to endure.

I’ll end this blog with some words of advice to prepare for finals:

1)      Make sure to get plenty of sleep.

2)      Up the water consumption, the more water you drink the healthier you and your bran will be.

3)      Take some fish oil, and eat plenty of berries high in antioxidants

4)      Make sure that your mindset is right- if you go in with a negative attitude you’ll get negative scores

I wish you the best of luck with this coming finals week.

Yes, I have obvious rhyming talents, but I decided to forgo my musical career to pursue a more enjoyable career. Don’t get me wrong, singing with Snoop on the Up in Smoke tour would be great, but I’d like to be in a position to give back more than musical enjoyment. In my pursuit of financial glory, I am to help the average Joe, not line Wall Street millionaires pockets to they can join the Billionaire club. Since educating the masses is the most effective way to change lives, I figure I would start now through my blogs.

The most effective approach to investing is to invest in what you know. Each and every one of us has an area that we know best. For some of us it may be antique cars, for others it may be baseball cards, and for others it may be collecting coins. Whatever your area of expertise is- exploit it. Chances are you love that area for a particular reason and that is why you know so much about it. Since you are an area expert, chances are you know the price and value for the units you look at.

Little did I know when I was younger, the collections I were building out of love actually gave me a diversified portfolio. When I was younger, I collected baseball cards and stamps. As lame as it sounds, those have all appreciated in value, and will continue to do so as their rarity increase. Likewise, I started a coin collection when I was 9 and have built it ever since, collecting anything and everything that I can get my hands on.

Besides what I play in the market, I have something to fall back on, something that I know, and something that I can liquidate if need by through craigslist or eBay. Everyone has something they can relate to these examples. Whether you collect porcelain dolls, vintage purses, used video games, or are an avid garage sale hunter, you have an idea of what something is worth and the profit you can turn from it. Like everything else, prices haven fallen on all your collectible items. So with some spare time, some due diligence, and a decent approach to your portfolio, you can beat these tough times with the knowledge you already had.

This is no guaranty to make you a millionaire; however it’s a way to put a little cash in your pocket while staying in your comfort zone. With luxuries afforded to us by technology such as eBay and Craigslist we all can start up our own business as a secondary source of income, or as a hobby. Whatever the situation may be, look within yourself to maximize your potential before going out so seek new and uncertain methods.

General Motors has crumbled, Biotechnology is on the up, and people around the world are scratching their heads about what will happen next with the United States markets. Oil spiked and then dropped. Banks have dropped, regained some losses and then dropped again. How does one trade in these markets? By sticking to your strategy. Anyone trying to come into these markets with no prior knowledge expecting to be successful is a fool. To achieve success in these tough economic times, one must be seasoned, fearless, emotionless and have plenty of time to do their homework. You can make a lot of money when stocks rocket 10-12% in a day. But you can also lose a lot when they drop by 20-25%.

There are no guaranteed investments in life, especially in volatile times like these. However, you can stay ahead of the game by honing your strategy and setting your emotions aside. If you can’t stand to lose your money, you shouldn’t be investing it. There are bound to be gains and losses coming forth in the next few months and if you react based on emotions you will not fare well. If you get sick easily on roller coasters, throw your money in something safe, something that you know.

In my opinion, I believe commodities are always a good bet. With inflation looming over our heads, you can bet that commodities will go up. Gold for example is a prime inflation marker. Gold is on the up, which leads me to believe that people are starting to stockpile in beliefs that inflation is going to hit. And lets be realistic, inflation will get worse, its not a matter of if but a matter of when. Pumping trillions of dollars in our economy by letting the printing presses run day and night without putting anything behind it. Now I know that we have been off the gold standard since the 30’s, but what tangible assets are behind the paper we all work for? Nothing to be quite honest, besides what we value it at.

Does this mean that people will be cashing in their dollar bills for gold bars tomorrow in hordes? Absolutely not, we will never go back to the gold standard. The fiat standard that we use today is based on trust, and gold prices reflect that trust. Is anyone out there trying to buy gold coins right now? You can’t find any because people are stockpiling coins from all over and charging huge premiums left and right because of the predicted crash. My stance right now is snap up as much gold as you can and fasten your seatbelts. Gold shot up to unthinkable prices in the 80’s and adjusted for inflation I see no reason why gold cant break the $2,000 mark especially if things get as rough as I think they will/ I would much rather have tangible assets at this point than gain 1 percent interest in a savings account. But hey that’s me, you do what you know best.

I hate to say I told you so, but this crash was bound to happen. There is no joy to be found in the suffering of others. However, it is greed that compels in imminent crash that lies before us.  Those who have been contemplating this crash will be successful. Those who bought into the rally will not. Over the past two months, heavily indebted stocks have been the biggest gainers in the market. Why? That’s a very good question that many analysts are asking themselves. One of the things that is true and will continue to remain true is that everyone in the financial markets have big egos. Each person wants to predict the bottom and be the first to claim data that makes people millions. Those who can “predict” such money makers become celebrities of the financial district and make tons from people wanting to hear more of their financial success. It is this striving force for success that has led to the build up of this rally.

The fact of the matter is no one can predict the markets with precise accuracy. When you buy shares in a company, you are buying how people perceive that company. When a company becomes publicly traded it is the shareholders that determine the worth, not the cash sitting in the company’s account. The volatility we see in the markets is caused by the media. Let’s take Jim Cramer for example. This failed hedge fund manager has managed to get a cohort to follow his financial word. Some treat him as the bible of financial gospel while others see through it. All too often, people put their money where Jim Cramer’s mouth is. By this I mean Cramer can get people to invest in a company by talking it up or destroy a company by tearing it apart. That’s quite some power to hold, however is it right? I personally do not believe so however that is part of the game.

What we saw over the past two months were a unanimous string of broadcasters with power similar to that of Jim Cramer boosting the market. None wanted to be behind on the market, so they all claimed March as the lows of the market. However analyzing the severity of the situation, no one threw out possible number of the Dow falling below 6,000. Those who did were scrutinized and called buffoons for such outrageous predictions. This is a reality we all must come to terms with. I would much rather set up my portfolio to expect the worst rather than to be taken by surprise like many have been this week. Keep in mind, I am a pessimist, and I always prepare for the worst case scenario. However, when you take the assets minus the liabilities of the Dow we are seeing numbers that lay below 4,000. Scary? Very much so, however setting up your portfolio with this in mind will allow you to profit heavily on the rebound.

Assessing the damage, one must realize that banks, housing and automobiles will not rebound in two months. It will be years before these markets hit their equilibriums. The numbers we saw in this economy just cannot be sustained. What is going to follow is a completely normal corrective action that the market must take against itself out of fear, greed, and normalcy. Realizing what is ahead, I am not saying to convert everything to cash, stuff it in a Cheerios box and return it to your local Albertsons. However, what I do want people to be aware of is that the situation will occur. Rather than realizing losses, ride it out. Invest in companies that you believe will come back, and during the next rally you will be very happy with your results. Additionally, you can always beat them at their own game. You saw the results of this last rally, and you can apply that data to the next rally for your investments.