Accolades
I am proud to say that I have been an honor roll student since the kindergarten. Being able to manage co-curriculars and school is quite difficult, but I have managed to get by all my life. I have no need for outside motivation, my entire drive is within my own mind. Anything and everything I do is according to my own decisions.
Community Service
Doing community service is amazing. Not only are you helping others, but you are helping yourself. As you help others make their lives better, your are subconsciously helping yourself grow spiritually and mentally. I love doing community service no matter how hard the job is.
Academic Decathlon
Literature
The English language and all of its rules are immensely intriguing. Below are some pieces of my writing:
Respect Life Essay
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Karina A.
Dear Editor, Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is intelligent, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life thinking that it is stupid.” If you base someone - especially children who presumably are the most impressionable - on their ability to speak, walk, or complete any specific action in general and they do not fulfill your expectations, they will believe that they are useless. Abortion does not even give the child a single chance to prove to the world that he or she has something to contribute. Aborting a baby is almost like saying “your incapability renders you useless to the world, therefore you do not deserve to live.” It is inhumane and unjust for anyone to commit abortion. A child should be loved and supported under every circumstance because every creature of God has a gift. A child may be born with imperfections, but it’s is always possible that they, whoever they may be, may become someone amazing who can make wonderful contributions to our society. Einstein was believed to be born with a mental disability, but he still accomplished so many things. Albert Einstein became one of the most important men in the world as well as many people’s role model. Alongside the strong opinion of myself and others that abortion is wrong and inhumane, it is also a mortal sin against the sixth commandment. I also believe it violates the second and Great Commandment, for you cannot love God the Father if you cannot love your neighbors as you love yourself. No child’s life should be taken away because of something we see as anything but perfect. Taking away the futures of these babies would only cause us to miss out on the many things that person might have had to offer. Another Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Sister Helen, or Robin Williams can be stolen away from society because of abortion. Abortion is wrong, and every creature of God deserves a chance. |
Importance Religious Freedom
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Religious freedom is not only a privilege, it’s a fundamental right. Not being allowed to believe in what you choose is just the same as being deprived of knowledge. You would not be capable of further development in your spiritual mind. To be tied down to a single religion might trigger a rebellious side within a person, therefore destroying the peace that may already exist. Wars are waged and revolts break out through countries because people lack the human right to believe. If one should wish to believe in God, or Buddha, or Allah, they should be allowed to.
Religious freedom sparks the diversity in a community. Without differences in what we, as a community, believe in, there is no development in other aspects of life. People have grown within the multiple intelligences of a person. One may become stronger in their naturalist intelligence if their religion moves them to respect nature and love creation. You may become stronger in musical intelligence through prayers of your religion and in intrapersonal intelligence through meditation and prayer, and specifically reconciliation for Catholicism. Religious freedom gives room for someone to find themselves spiritually and figure out what they truly believe in. Therefore, religious freedom is vital in our community because it brings diversity and development to society. Everyone deserves religious freedom because we as human beings deserve the right to believe in what we choose. Religious freedom will keep peace in the world and help us become aware of ourselves as people. |
St. Thomas More Essay
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Karina A.
The Catholic Education at my school is very strong. Our religious teachers and Church members guide us along the path that leads us closer to God. These people teach us how to be kind and loving towards everyone, regardless of anything they’ve done to or felt about us or anyone else. I have learned to be very patient and compassionate with everyone, even the most difficult people. Everyday, religious teaching bring me on closer to our Lord, God, by teaching me to love with equality and justice. I show the kindness that I have learned in many ways such as tutoring fellow students, giving directions to those who might be lost, making little cards to cheer people up, and presenting gifts to those who deserve celebration. I also serve Sunday Masses, say friendly things to bring a smile to someone’s face, and helping friends and strangers out by giving a bit of advice in times of need. To love your neighbor is to go out of your way to make them feel happy. I realized that if I see that I had made a friend or stranger smile, I almost always end up just as happy as they are. I want everyone to love everyone because being happy and loving towards each other will allow us to grow closer to God. To love our neighbors as we love ourselves is to love God our Heavenly Father. One of my dear friends and pastor, Rev. Eugene Tungol, is one of my biggest role models. He has guided me through my years at school and helped me understand the importance in reflecting God’s love towards Him and our neighbors. He has taught me how to care for everyone and how to learn and teach others about the goodness of the Lord. Rev. Eugene always finds time to conversate and guide me and many others to this day and I will continue to go to him by means of a courteous greeting as well as spiritual advising. Father Eugene has shown me so much love and compassion and I wish to follow in his footsteps. I would like to show others the many benefits of having a strong relationship with God and our neighbors through love and understanding. Rev. Eugene Tungol is an amazing role model in our Catholic Church for myself and all of my fellow community members. He teaches all of us to be loving and to be close to our Lord, God. |
Qualities and Traits
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Karina Arenas 8E
“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” ― Kurt Cobain. I always try to be myself as much as possible. Yes, it’s hard sometimes, but being yourself really does come more easily than lying to yourself and being phony. People tell me that I’m “chill, down to earth,” and that I have the “I don’t care”(but in a good way) type of attitude. I’m happy with that. Being as “laid back” as I feel that I am is something that I want everyone to experience. If you’re always caught up tight in a knot, you won’t always feel very good. You can get irritated very easily and it’s not that hard to get you angry. Everyone has those times where they need everything to be perfect, and I’ve had those times quite a bit. It’s could to take it down a notch and relax a bit, and that’s what I’m all about. I’ve always disliked it when people like my mother stress over little things. I tell her to “chill out” because it’s not good to always stress. Today’s society is always worried about “who’s best dressed and who’s having sex.” A lot of kids in our generation are superficial and caught up in drama. I believe everyone deserves a break, because I know it’s overwhelming, but I also realise that not every situation is “happy-go-lucky.” I never get too stressed with anything because I take a step down and let things work out themselves. Besides encouraging people to relax, I try to stay humble. I don’t praise myself constantly or think high of myself, but I don’t think too low of myself either. I may say things like “I suck” or “I don’t think I did too great,” but when I do, I honestly don’t take it to heart. I truly would like to see people have more confidence in themselves, but not over do it. It’s a matter of good sportsmanship and self respect. Teenagers especially lack self-confidence, but at the same time put others down because of who they like, what they listen to, and how they dress. I’m not one to say rude things to others because they’re interested in other things. I think the great diversity in our world’s culture is amazing because it allows us to experience different things and make new friends. Everyone should be proud of who they are, and help others stay proud of themselves as well. I always do my best to make everyone happy. I want everything to be fair, so I put others needs before my own. Every person on Earth deserves to be happy. If people continue to pay attention only to one’s facade, everyone will turn into something they aren’t in order to impress another. The more each person expresses their true character, the more we’ll get along as a community. I have so many amazing friends, all because I’m honest with who I really am, and I don’t care if there’s anyone who doesn’t like me for it. I’m completely okay with anyone that disagrees with me. I know that each being in our universe is beautiful, inside and out, and it should be shown and acknowledged each and everyday. Thus, I hope that future generations will learn to let go of unimportant things and realize that everyone is the same, and we all deserve to be treated with worth. People that are relaxed and true is something I would like to see in this world as a person. I know this is something that can be achieved, and it all starts with little steps. It takes as little as one person at a time, and it could quite possibly start with me. |
Gun Control (7th Grade)
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Every year, an average of 12,045 people die of gun violence. From 2000-2010, firearm-related suicide outnumbered homicides by about 61% of the more than 335,600 people who died from gun violence. Studies have shown that a significant amount of gun suicides are committed within weeks, or even days after the purchase of a gun.Gun suicides and homicides are both equally as devastating. Many people can be affected if someone they loved died through gun violence. If gun control laws were stricter in the United States, the number of deaths by firearms would drop.
The tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut left the country in shock. Many were left heartbroken. Since then, there have been approximately 44 mass shootings in the United States. These deaths have caused trauma and devastation to the families and friends in the areas in which they happen. Gun control will reduce these mass shootings and hopefully help get rid of the sad deaths. Firearm related murder rate in Missouri jumped 16% after the repeal in 2007 of a state law that requires background checks. Background checks are a major part of gun control. If state laws require background checks before purchasing a gun, the chances of a firearm falling into the hands of a criminal will decrease. Using background checks aren’t only useful for keeping guns away from criminals, but are also useful for denying access to individuals that are mentally challenged. If a firearm was handed to a mentally disabled person, that person may not know the right way to use it. They may shoot someone or something, whether it is on accident or on purpose. These background checks will help prevent this from happening. Female partner homicides were reduced by 7% in places where individuals under restraining orders are denied access to guns. Where people aren’t denied access under restraining orders, two-thirds of homicides of current and ex- spouses were committed with firearms. If gun control laws were stricter, those under restraining orders will not be able to harm their ex- or current spouses with a gun. If gun control laws were passed in all states, gun-related murder rates will drop tremendously. Less people will be harmed, and less people will be left devastated by these horrible tragedies. *Fun fact: New York City has recently become one of the safest cities due to strict gun control laws. Most guns used in firearm-related murders have been identified and found to be brought into New York from another state in which gun control isn’t as strict. Bibliography http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-stateshttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/13/at-least-44-school-shootings-since-newtown-new-analysis/ |
Community Service Essay (7th Grade)
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Karina A.
To complete my community service hours, I chose to volunteer at the SPCA. My decision was made to do service there because I love all animals, and I find them very interesting. When I first got to the animal shelter, I was really excited about helping the animals. My volunteer group was small, with only seven people, including myself and our supervisor, Darya. During my volunteer hours at the shelter, I took part in many activities. Our first activity was folding laundry in the cat section. The employees were always busy at the SPCA, and they rarely had time to fold the laundry. Our group’s job was to fold the cats’ laundry and put it away neatly in the closet so the employees wouldn’t have to search through piles. While we folded, my fellow volunteers, Courtnie, Thomas, Annika, Charlotte, Emily, and I had introduced ourselves. As soon as we finished the laundry, Darya lead us down a hallway with doors which led to rooms full of kittens. We were allowed to pick a room and interact with the cats. Annika and I chose a room with five kittens. As we played with the kittens, I noticed that one of the kittens wasn’t very fond of the others. She would hiss and swat at the other kittens whenever they got near. I tried to bring her out of the cubby so she could see what it was like to be around other animals. She seemed to cease her hissing and began to get along with the others better. When I left the room, I realized how important it is that the animals aren’t shy around other animals and humans. If they aren’t open and seem melancholy and shy, the chance of that animal being adopted is small. After we ate lunch, we went into another part of the animal shelter. Each of us took a bag out of a laundry room and Darya led us up a stairway into a department where they performed surgeries and took care of sickly animals. The group made its way into a room at the end of the hall, and there were piles of sheets and pillows everywhere. We immediately started folding blankets and towels. I learned that, like the other employees at the SPCA, the surgeons don’t have much time to fold the laundry. That means they have to go through piles to get the clean towels and sheets they need. I also learned that the animals should have clean sheets and beds so that they wouldn’t get infected by germs from other animals that have previously used it. It would also make the animals feel more comforted and less scared during and after operations. When we finished all of the laundry, we went to visit the kennel. We looked through the glass walls and watched the puppies. Some looked sad, and I noticed that some dogs were injured and skinny. Darya informed us that many dogs at the SPCA were found as strays, underfed and abused. She gave us treats that we were allowed to feed to the dogs. The puppies were delighted, and it was heartwarming to know that I made these poor animals happy. When my hours were over, I had wished they weren’t. I enjoyed volunteering at the animal shelter, and I learned a lot about how the animals got to the SPCA and their needs. I am now even more determined to help animals whenever possible. I plan on going back to the SPCA to volunteer again. My experience there at the shelter made me realize that animals are just important in God’s eyes as us humans are. As a second community service location, I volunteered at the Excelsior Festival through a nonprofit organization called the Excelsior Action Group. The Excelsior District is my community, and I want to contribute to it. Excelsior in Latin means “ever upward.” The festival is to help our community to grow stronger together. I had volunteered in a children’s section, where I worked to help the kids in the Excelsior district to understand what being in a community really means. I helped at an arts and crafts booth where I encouraged the younger children’s involvement in the community. One of the activities was to draw what they thought should be in the community market. Some kids drew all kinds of foods, some drew performers, and others drew small flowers and butterflies. My supervisor taught me that these children will influence future marketing. My time at the festival was amazing, and I enjoyed assisting the younger kids. I hope to volunteer next year as well. For my last community service activity, Courtney and I planned to go to the senior home to join and assist the elders in activities. We went to Home Sweet Home during the elders’ bingo activities, so we were allowed to help two sweet ladies play bingo. It was both our first time volunteering at the senior home, and we were excited. The names of the ladies we played bingo with were Velma and Po-Po. Our supervisor told us that they wouldn’t want to play bingo if they weren’t assisted. When we began the game, Velma and Po-Po wouldn’t play at first, but then Velma started to participate. She explained to us that her hearing wasn’t very well, so she would hear the wrong number. I played with Po-Po, and I put the chips on the card for her. The elders are very needy, and volunteering at the senior home was fun. Helping the elderly is important because they should socialize and stay active to lead healthy lives. After my hour at Home Sweet Home, I was glad that I helped with the elders. I hope to visit again and engage in activities with them, keeping them active. |
Persuasive Essay (5th Grade)
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We Want Free Dress!
by: Karina A. Free dress is fun and can happen more often with the help of our own principal, Mrs. Elkins. If we have more free dress days, our school will look and feel different in many ways. In this essay, I will be talking about how free dress can help our student-body. I will also discuss why I want to change it. One example is being able to dress with how the weather reacts. I’m glad I can do this because school is very important to me along with the students, parents, and teachers. Cover up! Your clothes are important! Covering our bodies is important because the clothing will protect us from glass that might shatter during an earthquake or small sharp pieces of wood that might fall during a fire. We don’t need to wear the same thing in order to cover ourselves. Dressing appropriately is a good rule. That’s the first reason why we shouldn’t have uniforms. Regular pants, skirts, skorts, and jumpers aren’t really what we’re supposed to wear when we are exercising. The Epiphany sweatpants are acceptable for physical education. No one wants a boring uniform. We don’t get to wear what we like. Some people like to show feelings through clothes. For example: bright colors might mean the person is happy or excited or dark colors could mean sorrow or anger or even gloom. Uniforms can be uncomfortable, especially on hot days. That’s because students don’t like to take off their sweatshirts. It could be because the school polo shirts and blouses are see through even if we wear a white undershirt. I would also like to say that wearing the same thing as other people everyday is NOT cool. Not all of us want to be look alikes. You might say, “We have uniforms because this this and that,” but the question is, “Why shouldn’t we have uniforms?” That’s easy. If we don’t have uniforms, we can wear something appropriate and adapt to the weather. That means less complaints from the students about being too hot or too cold. If we didn’t have uniforms, we students can learn the right way about what’s appropriate to wear and what’s not. For example: jeans to physical education: NO or a short sleeve shirt on a hot day: YES. Last, parents won’t have to spend so much money on uniforms. I have one last reason to request free dress. If you feel that we still shouldn’t get rid of uniforms, maybe we can have more free dress days. I might suggest we have it once a month. I’m estimating about 60-70% of the students at the School of the Epiphany want free dress. The other 30% might be scared of being bullied or not knowing what to wear. Bullying is a totally different subject so let’s put that aside for another time. Last, I don’t think it’s fair that we have to earn free dress. Some of us can’t always reach the goal in which we receive a free dress pass. And that is why we should get more free dress. Free dress can be good and bad. I'm basically just trying to get free dress to help, not because I just want it. I hope this essay helped a bit with a few things. If it helped, it is more likely to make school more likable and it may lessen the complaints. Thank you for your consideration and time. |
ASB Election Speech (6th Grade)
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Both: Hello and good morning.
Karina: My name is Karina Arenas. I am currently in 6-West and I am running for president for the ASB Council. Almarie: My name is Almarie-Rose Mata. I am also in 6-West and I am running for vice president for the ASB Council. Karina: I am always open to others’ ideas, I’m a good listener, and I love to talk and help people. I’m running for president because I want to improve our school image by cleaning up the school’s environment, being proactive with community building campaigns, and hopefully raising funds for a variety of needs for all students. I have a vision that Epiphany’s image will be improved in the eyes of our community. Almarie: I am a person who motivates people to do their best at everything and to never give up until they succeed. I also am a team player who keeps the team together and lets everyone have a say. I’m running for vice president because I also want to prevent bullying and raise funds in various ways not just for the school but also for charity: children not going to school, pajaro, and many more for people in poverty. I also want to try to include more enjoyable events in the next school year such as field day, carnivals, and spirit days. Karina: Another goal we have is to help the students in Epiphany to become stronger with confidence and self-esteem. Insecurity causes people to do things such as: Almarie: not being themselves, not being open and speaking to others, and hurting others and sometimes themselves. Karina: We want to fix that problem by giving advice to the students being bullied and making sure that they have control of their situation. Almarie: To clean up our school, we can have recycling projects and fundraisers. We can also set up weekend picnics to public cleanups. Karina: All of this will help make our neighborhood cleaner. Both: With your help, together we will make Epiphany a better, cleaner, and safer school. We are asking for your support and votes. Almarie: Vote for Karina Arenas for ASB Council President Karina: and Almarie-Rose Mata for ASB Council President. Both: Thank you! |
** A/N : Almarie and I are classmates and were both elected in our 6th grade year for student body council.
The Alchemist - Reading Summary
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Karina A.
February 9, 2015 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coelho, is a story about a young shepherd from Andalusia by the name of Santiago. His life had been normal and he knew all there was to know of the land of Andalusia, but everything had changed when he arrived at Tarifa. There, he had met with an old woman that could interpret dreams. The woman had told him that his dreams told him of a treasure that should be his if he were to travel to the pyramids of Egypt. As the man began to dismiss the thought of the treasure, an old king, Melchizedek, appeared to Santiago, and told the boy of his past and of the treasure. Then, the boy set out to Egypt. In Africa, he ran into many problems that made him doubt his treasure, yet he still believed. He worked with a crystal merchant for some time and later joined a caravan headed for an oasis within Egypt. The boy has met many people in the caravan and during his journey to Africa that have contributed to the shift in setting. From originally wanting to meet and marry a girl from a small village, the boy had realized his dream and is now in search of his treasure. The story’s plot is very intriguing, yet it is slow-paced and elaborate. The imagery the author provides allows the reader to visualize the characters and the places. One outstanding piece of imagery may be the statement that the girl Santiago wishes to meet again has “bright, Moorish eyes… and… raven hair” and she lived as a merchant’s daughter in a “village, where each day was like all the others.” As the boy told her of his travels, “her eyes went wide with fear and surprise.” The author’s tone ranges from contemplation to doubt to longing and regret. Santiago constantly doubts the reality of his dream and questions his decisions. As he is on his quest, the many people he meets regret not following their dreams and wish to be able to fulfill them. The main theme of the story is Personal Legend, or Hero’s Journey. Santiago faces much conflict in this book, such as the time when a person he had trusted had stolen all of his money and ditched him in the market. I have learned that Santiago may think very pessimistically most of the time, but if he tries looking at things with a new perspective, everything turns out to be okay. I have also learned that, when you truly want something, the whole universe conspires to help you. Things, good or bad, happen for one ultimate reason: to help you realize your Personal Legend. The closer you get to realizing your dream, the more it becomes your true purpose of being. I know that this will allow me to think more open-mindedly since I now know that, if something “bad” happens, there is a reason, and it is all to help me realize my purpose. |