Author: s.maggelet

For my careers blog post I attended a Latinos in business type of event. It was sponsored by success network, and I heard about the event through a friend enrolled to success network’s mailing list. I’ve heard a million statistics about how hard it is for Latinos to find jobs in today’s market, even with “Equal Opportunity”, I’ve heard even more about Latinas in business. In certain careers some demographics just didn’t do well, and when I was younger I accepted this as fact. I once overheard a classmate say the only industry Latinas could be taken seriously was in sex work. My mother wasn’t in agreement, when I parroted the discussion back to her later that night. That being said, I think it’s fantastic our school has panels like the one I attended: relaying information such as quotas of minorities some companies were obligated to fill, showing us where to find resources for resume building help or workshops on how to write cover letters. Even more important I think we’re the success stories I heard that day, a woman who had worked her way from the Lower East Side to managerial positions. The statistic for women salaries in comparison to men’s is 70 cents to their dollar. For a minority woman that can get lowered to between 68 and 58 depending on which minority, and which field. Which is why it is so important we know we can access resources from our school or community. When I was applying to college my mom encouraged me to apply to scholarships for minorities, or specifically hispanics, I refused on the grounds that I’m biracial, and don’t feel the disadvantages as keenly as a result, white-passing so to speak. Even so, it’s a comfort to know that should I need the help, I need only reach out, I’m too quiet about issues that affect me as it is.

Last weekend I visited the Brooklyn museum, which is one of the museums around the city you can get into for free with a student ID. Since my last visit to the museum much has stayed the same, the living space exhibition remains untouched, as does the Infinite Blue exhibit on the first floor. When I walked in I walked up to the top floors immediately. Currently there is an exhibit about Native Americans, and since it was indigenous people’s day when I visited, I thought it appropriate to start there. I’ve seen the exhibit before, it was there in March when I last went to the museum. This time I idled by the interactive spaces. There is a music player for the instruments showcased, and I was interested because although they are not from the tribes residing in California they are quite similar in appearance. The sound as well. Specifically a round flute with four holes carved on top of the instrument looks like instruments shown in the museums adjoining the Missions in California. After wandering that exhibit for a while I started to make my way down, the cultural art shown in Infinite Blue is beautiful and unchanged. My favorite painting, one with popcorn clouds and a ship drawn on as an afterthought permanently resides on the third floor. One exhibit that I hadn’t paid much attention to before was a video of what I assumed to be photoshop, and showed how they can alter photos almost in real time. It’s a fascinating video, and has a giant seating area so in my opinion it’s a must. Lastly I wandered into the living room exhibit, a terrifying place when the museum is less crowded as it was that day. No one was in the hallway and it’s dimly lit, but it is interesting to see a static living space so well preserved. And the attention to detail, to show you a child lived there, there are actual toys strewn on the ground. Every time I go to this museum, even if the exhibits remain unchanged, I feel like I’m getting a different experience.