The TSU California Club: Building a Foundation for Greatness

TSU California Club’s graduating executive board members havehigh hopes for the club’s future on campus and in the Third Ward community.

The California Club was chartered on Texas SouthernUniversity’s campus in the spring semester of 2011.  Ronnishia Johnson and Rheema Calloway, bothseniors graduating this spring, used money from their own pockets to fund theclub and build it from the ground up.

Johnson’s main goal upon starting the organization was tobuild a strong network that would allow students that came from California tosucceed. As the president, she is well aware of the many issues that studentscoming from other states face, because she had many of the same issues.

“On a personal and professional level, I had a lack ofnetworks,” Johnson said. “I didn’t know where to go to look for jobs, and I hadissues with housing, tuition, lack of support system, transportation. Anythingyou could think of.”

Vice president Calloway understands the issues as well. 

“I didn’t have very much support from my family, and Ididn’t know how to fend for myself,” Calloway said. “I didn’t know how tonetwork with people that had positions of power, so I wasn’t able to do a lotof things that students that were aware of these things were able to do.”

These problems were the basis for the very existence of theCalifornia Club on the campus of Texas Southern University. Johnson andCalloway want to make sure that students understand that they can createrelationships with other students and administration to make their time at TSUworthwhile.

“I have developed a mentorship program within the clubitself and within the school itself. This program was designed particularly forCalifornia students because we face different issues than local students,” Johnson said. “The club was an avenue to bridge the gap between administration andstudents from California and to educate them on the issues that we go through.“

The relationship is not based solely on academia or campuslife, either. Johnson, Calloway and other upperclassmen from California havecreated a home away from home for these students, to keep them at TSU.

“I became a mentor, a motivational speaker, a friend. I toldthe students my mistakes and the things I would have changed in college,”Calloway said.

These students have done everything from tutoring tosupplying rides to the grocery store, just to make sure that the members ofthis club had everything they needed.

The founders of the club have put in an extraordinary amountof work, on top of their own school work and personal lives. 

Although they are graduating and leaving the running of theorganization to the generation of students that came after them, they have highexpectations for the students that are soon to be in charge.

“I hope the students that have the opportunity to use thefoundation that I have laid out for them,”  Johnson said. “ I want them to buildbetter relationships with the student body and the administration and toimplement signature programs and effective legislation that advocate fordisadvantaged out of state students.”

This fall, the California Club plans to host a variety ofevents and programs, including The C.A.L.I. (Coalition of Advanced LearningIndividuals) Project, which will specialize in college preparation starting atthe elementary school age.

Johnson and Calloway are proud of what they have achieved withthese students and they have faith that they will make the California Club avery lucrative campus and community organization.

Social Media Exposure: Private Life is Becoming Public

 Ashley Winston's life was changed after she became a victim of social media exposure. Winston  speaks out about her views on social sites and the impact they can have on a person's everyday life.

Winstonis a college student in Houston, Texas. Videos of her moving her tongue, whichis very long, were leaked on to a black social media site, WorldStarHiphop.com,by an unknown source.

At first, it caused her great distress.  In fact, she does not even want readers or viewers to know her real name. The pseudonym Ashley Winston is used to protect her identity.

 “I think social media is all around bad forour generation because it’s giving the wrong interpretation. Personally, withme, it made it seem like I was doing nasty stuff and not giving a damn, excusemy language, but in all actuality, it looked like that because they made itseem that way,” Winston said .

Although Winston was upset withthe postings at first, she quickly became an internet celebrity, grossing over250,000 views on the video of her per day. This led to contact from many people in high places, and a record for longest female tongue.

"I didn't know what to do at first, but now I've embraced the situation. I still prefer to keep most things private, but there are some things I just can't anymore."

She has been afforded theopportunity to travel to Europe, and to appear on the Tonight Show in LosAngeles, all because of a video that was never meant for anyone to see.

Although the opportunities Winstonis now receiving are limitless, she is well aware of the fact that not everyoneis as lucky as she has been in regards to social media exposure.

“Everyone will not receive thesame opportunities that I received. People really need to be careful about thethings that they do and say on the internet, “ Winston said.

Using social media as a meansof self-expression can also go terribly wrong.

People all over the world -- from celebrities to averagecitizens -- are using social media sites as an outlet; not realizing what they sayor do could have dangerous results.

 Studies show that 45percent of employers use social media websites to screen for new employees, andmore than 50 percent of candidates have provocative or inappropriateinformation or pictures that prospective employers can see if they so choose.

However, this does not stop people from posting thingsbefore they think about the consequences.

Since the debut of MySpace and Facebook in the early 2000s,and more recent sites like Twitter and Tumblr, exercising freedom of speech andaction has become a liberating experience for countless individuals.

The video of Winston, which was originally removed by the new owner due to copyright issues, has recently resurfaced, giving her anotherwave of bitter sweet celebrity. While Winston is extremely grateful for whatshe has received, she sometimes worries that the video may never really goaway.

“You have to be careful what you do,” Winston said. “There’sa possibility that the things you post on these sites could be around forever.”

**Names have been changed to accommodate the person interviewed.*** 

News With Attitude Celebrates a Year

Nakia Cooper is celebrating the one-year anniversary her blog, Lip Service: News With an Attitude, A user-friendly version of CNN, BET and NBC all mixed up into one.

The blog has attracted audiences from all over, has over 1500 Facebook “likes” and countless hits.

In an interview with GoddessIntellect.com, Cooper says, “I come from the world of “if you don’t hustle; you don’t eat,” so I wear a variety of hats.” And she does. She is a mother, an Emmy award winner; she works for one of the prime news stations in Houston, KHOU, and maintains a notable news blog, Lip Service: News with Attitude.

Although Cooper does many things, her dedication to her unorthodox news blog is what is the most interesting about her.  Cooper came up with the idea to change the way news is received by everyday readers. She prefers to look deep into the stories she covers, and make sure that all sides are spoken for.

 “We’ll tell you what was said at the beginning, and then we’ll break it down. That’s what lip service is about. I’m not just blowing smoke up your butt,” Cooper said. “I’m going to tell you what is and we’re going to take it from there.”

While the website is something she is very passionate about, she still considers it a hobby and she does not compete with KHOU in any way. In earlier years, lip service was a term that was used to describe idle talking or as Cooper puts it, “talking a whole lot of smack and doing nothing about it!” 

Cooper is has taken the term “lip service” and turned it around to have a new meaning. 

She wants people to see lip service as giving attitude, but in a good way. Over its year of existence, Lip Service has covered everything from local news to relationship advice, and does so with style.  It is broken down into different sections that cover different areas of news, community, and advice.  In Your Backyard, Way Over There, Body Beautiful, Hollywood Stir-fry, Relationship GPS, and Street Journals are the different parts of the website that readers can go to in order to get information on everything going on in the world today.

An example of the type of articles published on the site is a story from last year that talks about the controversy between Tyler Perry and Spike Lee. Cooper feels that this particular article and those like it that she publishes are what set her apart from other news blogs and websites. “This article makes you think, it really does. Other people will tell you ‘Spike Lee said this, Tyler Perry says that’. We give an insight to readers.”

The way that the news is covered, which is a bit more relaxed than what Cooper does for KHOU, is a major part of the website's success. The user friendliness allows readers to see the news Cooper covers for exactly what it is.

The Sky is The Limit : La Vita's Ongoing Journey to Success

Texas Southern University student, Ryan Grant is making a name for himself in the fashion world through his contemporary clothing line, La Vita Clothing.

At first glance, Ryan Grant is your typical, everyday student at Texas Southern University. He goes to class, does his school work and hangs out on the Tiger Walk, just like everyone else.

However, there is one thing that separates Grant from his peers: His unique up and coming clothing line that has blossomed greatly over the span of just 3 years.

The college junior credits his success to everyday life and everyday people. “Fashion is everywhere,” said Grant, “I can see items on different people at school that might inspire me”.

La Vita, which means “The Life” in Italian, started off in 2009 as just an idea that Grant shared with his two business partners, Nate Alabi and Phil Armstrong. The idea quickly grew into a well-known business in Houston.

Although Houston is the home base for this company, it is not at all limited to the great state of Texas. La Vita has ties to many other cities, including New York, California and Washington, D.C.

These young men have become extremely successful and have received many opportunities to travel and collaborate with other young entrepreneurs, including Coco & Breezy, a New York based fashion line.

La Vita, which primarily sells t-shirts, has become increasingly popular amongst Houston’s younger crowd, TSU students included. The clothing, which is only available on the website, sells out very quickly.

The company’s most popular item, the “La Dolce Vita Vintage” tee, boasted sales of over two hundred pieces in less than two hours. The sales are a reflection of all of the time and effort that Grant and his associates have put into La Vita.

This effort has even caused support from many celebrities. “We’re in the process of sponsoring Travis Porter, Miguel, and Wale. Especially Wale because he’s from D.C., and we get a lot of our inspiration from that city,” said Grant.

More recently, R&B singer Chris Brown, rapper Tyga and BET’s 106 and Park Host Terrence J. have been photographed in the clothing, giving the line a great boost in sales and popularity.

These young men have no plans on stopping anytime soon. They are in the process of hosting their 3^rd annual fashion show that will reveal newer items that have recently been added to the line, showcase the talents of many local artists, and donate to charity at the same time.  They are proof that hard work, the pursuit of education and dedication can offer great results.

                               R&B singer Chris Brown in the La Vita leather bomber jacket.

A Day Without Shoes on the Tiger Walk

About 20 barefoot students from Texas Southern University gathered in early April on Tiger Walk to raise awareness for children who do not have shoes. They were supporting the shoe manufacturer, TOMS to promote One Day Without Shoes. Every time a pair of TOMS is purchased, a pair is donated to a child that is less fortunate.

The students walked the length of campus and back to the student center in order to earn a T-shirt. Before the walk began, Isis Green, a junior, said that this walk was no comparison to actually living without shoes.

"Right now it feels free, but I haven't done the walk yet," Green said. "I know once I've done the walk, it’s going to be a little bit different. But even still, walking without shoes is not going to compare to what these children go through every single day."

And Green was right. Once everyone's shoes came off, the pain of walking down the brick laden Tiger Walk was not much fun at all.

All over the world, many children live their lives without shoes. It’s hard to find an estimate of how many children need shoes. Last year TOMS gave away more than a million pairs.

TOMS, a company created by Blake Mycoskie in 2006, specializes in bringing awareness to this problem that so many children have. In 2008, Mycoskie took TOMS a step further by starting "One Day Without Shoes", which was an international campaign that specifically focused on bringing attention to the many children that suffer from diseases, lack of education, and lack of hope for the future; all because they don't have shoes.

Akayla Pomare, a junior at Texas Southern, orchestrated the shoe drive and a "One Day Without Shoes" walk down the Tiger Walk. Pomare advertised the event by giving presentations to major campus organizations, such as the University Program Council and the Student Government Association, the week before. MAKE A SENTENCE: Walked to the student center, passed out t-shirts, a d-j, in order to get a T-shirt students had to donate some shoes or walk barefoot,

“We have to continue to spread the word on countries that are more in need, continue to have shoe drives, donate to orphanages where young children are unfortunate,” Pomare said. “We have to host different types of events not only at TSU but at other universities and schools to let others know that this is still an existing factor."

Pomare is not the only student that feels students at Texas Southern University can do more for this cause. Brandi Davis, a junior wants to see more events that cater to all types of unfortunate people.

"It’s not just awareness for lack of shoes, "said Davis, "it’s awareness for disenfranchised people. To raise awareness, we should do more events on what’s going  on in the community and around the world about people who lack and how we can help them."

Ellis Washington, a freshman said that making sure we talk about the problems is key to solving them.

 "The first step is what we're doing today and I think if we keep doing things like this like having forums and just talking to people, that will be a big step in the right direction," said Washington, "People don't talk enough about the reasons for why we're here today. People don't talk about kids not having shoes in third world countries. Its more than that, people don't talk about poverty. If you talk about it, that's the first step."

Talking about the issues is nothing compared to experiencing first-hand how the people involved feel, even if only for a brief stroll through the campus of TSU. Once everyone's shoes came off, the pain of walking down the brick laden Tiger Walk was not very fun at all. Julian Kane, a junior, noticed this almost immediately.

"The purpose of today is to bring enlightenment to people that shoes aren't easy to get, shoes are actually a luxury in other countries. Honestly, I walked around for ten minutes without shoes and I put some back on," Kane said. "As a person, I can use social media because I don't think I'll be walking around without shoes for much longer."

Isaac Moore: The Future Face of the Houston Fashion Scene.

by Raven Blair Washington

Houston-based fashion designer Isaac Moore complains that nothing huge in fashion comes from Texas. Moore plans to use his unique style to change that perception.

And a household brand is what The Isaac Moore Collection is slowly but surely becoming. The Taylor Bag, a high-end purse designed by Moore and named after his young daughter, is winning over the hearts of many women in the Houston area, as well as other major cities. Women and boutique owners from all walks of life have pre-ordered the bag, which will be released in the spring of this year. Famous gospel singer Yolanda Adams even purchased one.

"I come from right here in Third Ward, but I have big dreams,” Moore says.  “This has to be bigger than Third Ward, bigger than Texas."

As a native resident of Third Ward, a predominantly black community in Houston, Moore has not had the easiest life. Some of the kids he went to school with ended up doing drugs, going to jail and dropping out school. 

Moore graduated from Jack Yates high school and Texas Southern University, where he received a degree in marketing before pursuing his career in fashion. Moore, who has previously worked for major fashion labels such as Enyce, has put much time and effort into the Houston fashion scene. He has accumulated a large following from the younger, more urban crowd since he first brought his clothes out to the public in the early 2000's.

Moore uses his background as the drive of his clothing line, The Isaac Moore Collection. Although a lucrative purse and clothing line is Moore's main goal right now, he wants to leave a lasting impression on the world with the use of the clothing line's motivational mantra "I am", which stems from Moore's initials, IM.

"I looked at my initials, IM. It means I am,” Moore said. "I am the man I'm supposed to be. Just like the women and men buying my clothes are the people they're are supposed to be. This is for the teachers, the lawyers, the business people. These items are for anyone who knows who they are and what their purpose is." 

View the "Taylor Bag" commercial here.

Published.

Check out my fashion article in The G. O. O.D.S. Magazine May 2011 Issue.

I wrote "The Frugal Fashionista: How to be Stylish, Chic, and Financially Sound" on page 12 .

read it here and enjoy!