Luis Gonzalez
Acts of Resistance: Activist, Interlopers,
and Pranksters SP 19
Professor Cacoilo
March 5, 2019
Semester Project
Proposal
The
main topic of my semester project is being a “Role Model.” Becoming a role
model doesn’t come overnight. Most of us have that one person in our lives that
we looked up to at a young age that slowly pave the way for us into becoming
the person that we are proud to be today. True role models are those who
possess the qualities that we would like to have, and those who have affected
us in a way that makes us want to be better people. There are many qualities
that role models have. They demonstrate confidence and leadership. A good role
model is always positive, calm, and confident in themselves. You don’t want to
look up to someone who is down and tries to bring you down. Everyone likes a
person who is happy with their achievements but continues to strive for bigger
and better objectives. One major quality that a good role model should have is
not being afraid to be unique. Being proud of the person you’ve become throughout
any obstacles that was put in front of you is key. You want role models who
won’t pretend to be someone they are not and won’t be fake just to please other
people. Finally, in my opinion, being humble and being able to admit to
mistakes is very important. Nobody is perfect. When you make a bad decision, let
those who are watching and learning from you know that you made a mistake and show
them how you plan on correcting it. By apologizing and accepting accountability
you will be demonstrating an often-overlooked part of being a role model. You
want to be able to show whoever is looking up to you that you are a human being
just like them and owning up to mistakes is a part of life. We often don’t
recognize true role models until we have noticed our own personal growth and
progress. The reason why I chose this topic for my semester project is because this
is what I truly believe in when it comes to making a difference in myself, the
youth, and the community. I currently work with the youth as a boxing trainer.
I show and help the kids not just the training techniques in boxing but how to
become a leader in this world and not to be a follower. A lot of these kids that
walk into the gym for the first time are either forced by their parents or they
simply don’t enjoy it. Most of the time, the kids that walk in for the first
time with those qualities are the ones who don’t have that one individual who
they can go to for guidance in whether they should pursue in the activity. It
doesn’t necessarily have to be their parents all the time. It only takes one
individual, such as me, to give confidence in the youth and repeatedly remind
them that they can conquer anything they set their mind to. Having that one
individual in your life can really make a difference. This goes back to the
definition of being a role model. Great role models aren’t just “teachers.”
They are constant learners, challenge themselves to get out of their comfort
zones, and surround themselves with smarter people. When you surround yourself
with smarter people you can take what you learned from them, keep it with you
forever and later pass it down to the next generation of kids and let them remind
themselves who taught them the ways of being a leader. This reminds me of the
saying “you are who you hang out with.” Instead of bringing the audience to the
gym, the way I would engage with them is by bringing the gym to the audience.
By letting them see what I do on a day to day basis they will have a visual idea
of what exactly I’m talking about when it comes to motivating and lifting the
youth. Making a video/small documentary of the gym and everyone who is involved
in it, especially the youth, was the first thing that came to my mind. By doing
so the audience will then noticed that it’s not just about the sport of boxing
but it is also about staying on top of school. School is a major topic when motivating
the youth. Kids will slowly but surely notice how important it is for them and for
their future and without it theirs no end goal. Educating the youth is so
powerful because you never know who’s listening and who’s taking the time to
think and say to themselves “I want to be like him/her when I grow up.”
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| Jersey City Recreation Boxing Program |
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Coach Luis working with one of the youths (8-12 yrs old group)
Research
Sources
What is a Role Model? Five Qualities that Matter to Youth. (2019, February 25). Retrieved from https://www.rootsofaction.com/role-model/
How Role Models Influence Youth Strategies for Success. (2017, April 24). Retrieved from https://www.rootsofaction.com/role-models-youth-strategies-success/
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