Why "Stuck On An Eyeland?"
Growing up reading Aaron Mcgruder’s
The Boondocks and watching the TV show on Cartoon Network, I was inspired to
voice my opinion on they was society was. Since the end of the boondocks
syndication, I took it upon myself to pick up where Mcgruder left off. Although
the times and event may have changed, one thing I realized is that history is
bound to repeat itself in some way, shape, or form. My vision for the series is
to create awareness of the injustice and ignorance of society. We have made great feats in the areas of
technology and social justice, but at the end of the day people will act the
way they did 100 years ago. Taking place on a secluded island, I can push the
events of the story to unimaginable feats. I would love to see this series be
turned into something more mainstream, such as a web cartoon or a TV show on
cable stations.
What is "Stuck On An Eyeland?"
This story takes place on the
island of Taviti. It is a small island in the Pacific Ocean that lies between
the islands of Hawaii and Japan. The inhabitants are like that of any other
island that is occupied by a first world country. They are upset they were
unjustly taken over, but fortunate to have the luxury of modern
technology. Taviti is the epitome of
modern day paradise. Yet, the idea of paradise is not reality.
The story is focused on the trials
and tribulations of T.J., an African American 12 year old boy, that escapes
from his hometown of Sacramento, California to what he thought was
paradise. He later finds realizes that
his new home is plagued with the same problems that he tried to escape from. Instead of trying to escape a second time, he
decides to suppress his anguish and deal with the problems head on.
Resume
Objective
Using my skills, training, and abilities to give back to my
community.
Skills
● Tutor
young students in math and various science fields, such as, chemistry and
psychology.
● Perform
diagnostic tests, upgrades, and repairs to broken and working computers.
● Collegiate
Student-Athlete.
● Comic
Book Writer and Illustrator
● Graphic
Design for websites and online projects.
● Airbrush,
freelance, and comic book artwork on a variety of mediums.
● Personal
trainer with a focus on core, flexibility, and stability.
Education
● University
of Hawaii at Manoa (2008-Present)
○ Pre-Medicine
and Psychology with a focus on Neuroscience
Extracurricular Activities
●
Oak Ridge High School Junior Varsity Football
and Track & Field Letter Winner (2004-2005)
●
Christian Brothers High School Varsity Football
Letter Winner (2005-2006)
●
Christian Brothers High School Junior Varsity
Track & Field Letterwinner (2006)
●
John F. Kennedy High School Varsity Football and
Track & Field Letter Winner (2007-2008)
● University
of Hawaii at Manoa Football Letterwinner (2008 - 2012)
● I
currently own and moderate a website and domain name entitled
“www.stuckonaneyeland.com”
● I
created a webcomic series entitled “Stuck On An Eyeland”
Awards and Recognition
● All-Western
Athletic Conference Scholastic Athlete Award
● “Full-Ride”
Athletic Scholarship to the University of Hawaii at Manoa
● The
National Society of High School Scholar
● United
States Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete
● The
John T. Braxton Memorial Scholar
● John
F, Kennedy PACE Member
● John
F. Kennedy MESA Member
● Jesse
Owens Award recipient
● The
California Alliance of African American Educators Award Recipient
● Sacramento
City Unified School District Board of Education Certificate of Achievement
● Alpha
Phi Alpha Achiever Award
● Sacramento
Links Achiever Association
● Ka
Leo Newspaper Featured Comic Artist
● Sacramento
Bee Featured Scholastic Athlete, “The Complete Package”
● University
of Hawaii Ahahui Koa Anuenue, “One to Watch” Award
Notable Recognition
●
I received recognition by the Dean of the University of
Hawaii in 2009 and the Western Athletic Conference for attaining a 3.75 GPA for
the spring semester of 2009.
●
I received recognition for Summer Semester I of 2011
for attaining a 3.85 GPA.
●
Currently the Agility (5-10-5) Test school record
holder for the University of Hawaii ( 3.89 seconds). (Pending)
●
Nike Football High School Combine @ Stanford 3rd
Fastest 40-yard dash.
Internships, Job Experience, and References
● Dr.
Letitia Bradford, M.D.
○ Medical
Physician
● Dr.
Brian Richardson, M.D.
○ Neurology
● The
James A. Watson Wellness Center (July 2011)
○ Dr.
H.Geoffrey Watson, M.D.
● Psychology
100 TA
○ 3
Sections of the course
○ Student
Teaching Assistant
○ Dr.
Dale Fryxell
■University of Hawaii at Manoa
● Psychology
Department Quiz Center
○ 10
hours per week
○ University
of Hawaii at Manoa
○ Tutoring
possible Psychology majors and running the quiz center
○
Dr. Dale Fryxell
■University of Hawaii at Manoa
● Ka
Leo Newspaper
○ University
of Hawaii at Manoa
○ Comic
Artist position
● April
J. Ford
○ Intel
Corporation
○ Author:
“Chase the Challenge and Conquer”
○ http://www.authorapriljford.com/
● Damon
J. Smith
○ Intel
Corporation
○ Professional
Athlete
○ Author:
“Don’t Stop the Swagger.”
○ http://www.damonjsmith.com
Volunteer Experience
● Sacramento
Food Bank (2005-2008)
● Athletic/Personal
Trainer for Youth (2007-Present)
● Math
Tutor (2008-Present)
● American
Cancer Society Relay 4 Life
○ Participant/Donator
○ Completed
15 Miles (60 Laps)
● University
of Hawaii Student Athlete Community Service
○ Cindy
Rote
○ Director
of Student-Athlete Development
○ University
of Hawaii at Manoa
○ (808)
- 956 - 4325
About the Author
My name is Steven Christian,
and I am a 21 year old, African American, Division 1 Student-Athlete. I am the
eldest of 3 siblings (two younger sisters) and the son of two loving parents. I
grew up in Sacramento, California, and I currently go to school in Hawaii. I
see myself as a very unique individual. I draw cartoon, study psychology with
an emphasis on neuroscience and intent to go to medical school, and play
football at the highest possible collegiate level. Not many people can say
those three things in that same sentence and still relate it to themselves.
My passions are described by
what I call the “Three A’s.” Those include: Academics, Athletics, and
Arts. They are all of equal importance
to me. I developed this philosophy because I had to find some way to overcome
the adversity in my life. In the end it proved to be beneficial because it
worked for me and my situation specifically.
“Athletics” represents my
competitive nature. Athletics has aided me in many areas of life. It has
allowed me to gain acceptance and popularity. More importantly, it has taught
me self-determination, persistence, the value of teamwork, and the discipline
to stay focused on a goal.
“Academics” represents my
passion for knowledge. No matter what it is, I yearn to learn about it. It
allows me to become more independent because I can rely on myself to do things
and do them the way I envision them, instead of paying someone else to do it
for me. Being so immersed in the academic aspect of life has mentally prepared
me to think critically in every possible situation. I can approach life differently because I
know how to analyze situations effectively and come up with solutions and
reasoning to justify it.
“Arts” represents my creative
side. All great minds are creative minds. Steve Jobs is a prime example. They
are problem solvers. When traditional problem-solving techniques fail, the
average person doesn’t know what to do. They will usually ask someone else for
help. Yet, for great minds, when problem-solving fails their creativity
fosters, and they come up with unrelated ideas that end up working. Every aspect of life is full of problems.
Therefore it is necessary to have someone who can think outside of the box.
Following the “Three A’s” allows me to combine
all my talents into everything I do. I pride myself on being a creative person.
I have good mental imagery, knowledge on a wide range of topics, not afraid to
be different, value my independence, and have an entrepreneurial spirit. So
having all three of these aspects in my life, I not only stay physically active
and in tip top shape, but I also am mentally prepared for whatever come my way.
It allows me to be a great problem-solver because I have the knowledge to
approach a task, the discipline to follow the necessary step to complete it,
the determination to finish it, and the creativity to make it look nice and
feel unique.
My qualities have allowed me to gain experience
in many areas. I have business experience from starting my own website, and
charging customers for services based on the skills that I have. I am currently
writing my first graphic novel to promote my website. I have worked with
professional athletes all over the country. Working with professional athletes
has increased my drive to take my athletic aspirations even further because I
know that I can compete on that level. I have done internships and volunteer
work for research studies and hospitals. One specific internship I did was in
Oakland California. I have a passion for helping people, whether they are
physically sick or distressed. I want to learn as much as I can to help people
live the happiest lives they can in their respective situations. I have also
worked with writers, animators, and illustrators both on line and in person.
Being able to see artists at work and analyzing the ideas, time, and energy
that they put into it is a very surreal experience. I have worked with animator
a who did work for DreamWorks pictures on movies, such as A Shark’s Tale and
Hidalgo. She has helped me create short
films, which served as public service announcements to create awareness about
social injustice in American media. I have also taught three Psychology 100
classes at the University of Hawaii. I have also run a tutoring center
at John F. Kennedy High School for students to get help with math and science,
free of charge. It has given me a whole
new perspective in life because I can see the impact I have on the way students
learn material and pass tests. I can
relate to all these professions on a personal level because of the time and
energy I invest in them on a daily basis.
My goals are to become a
doctor; go into research on mental disorders (such as Alzheimer’s and ADHD),
the way people learn, and other cognitive functions; turn my own website into a
business of good standing; get the accreditation to establish myself both in
the community and in the professional world; create awareness about social
issues; and combine my knowledge, skills, and techniques with my passion for
academics, athletics, and arts to help people live their lives better, both
physically and mentally. I feel that
money will come if you are deemed as valuable to society, but there is no
greater feeling than knowing that what you do and who you are can directly
impact a person’s life in a positive way. In some ways, I want to be “Mister Everything.”
If anybody needs help with a problem, I want them to be able to come to me. I
have already taken steps towards those goals with my comic web series, website,
being a Division 1 Student-Athlete, and getting my Bachelor’s Degree.
My Life's Philosophy
My
passions are described by what I call the “Three A’s.” Those include:
Academics, Athletics, and Arts. They are
all of equal importance to me. I developed this philosophy because I had to
find some way to overcome the adversity in my life. In the end it proved to be
beneficial because it worked for me and my situation specifically.
Following
the Three A’s allows me to combine all my talents into everything I do. I pride
myself on being a creative person. I have good mental imagery, knowledge on a
wide range of topics, not afraid to be different, value my independence, and
have an entrepreneurial spirit. So having all three of these aspects in my
life, I not only stay physically active and in tip top shape, but I also am
mentally prepared for whatever come my way. It allows me to be a great
problem-solver because I have the knowledge to approach a task, the discipline
to follow the necessary step to complete it, the determination to finish it,
and the creativity to make it look nice and feel unique.
My Athletic Philosophy
“Athletics” represents my love for all kinds of
sports: basketball, baseball, football, skateboarding, snowboarding,
breakdancing, parkour, etc. I enjoy being outside and staying active. I am a
Division 1 College Athlete for Football.
If I would have stayed with baseball, there was a possibility to get
drafted. Athletics has aided me in many
areas of life. It has allowed me to gain acceptance and popularity. More
importantly, it has taught me self-determination, persistence, the value of
teamwork, and the discipline to stay focused on a goal. Every season is
different from the last, but the goal is still the same: to become the best. To
be able to achieve that goal in the midst of other priorities take the
qualities that I described above. A person would never have those kinds of
qualities or experiences, unless he or she was put in a situation where they
had to develop them. I feel that they are the same competitive qualities that
allow people to become successful and influential people in society. I have
many friends that quite my sports teams because they did not have those
qualities. So that tells me that it is something you must work at to achieve.
The Sacramento Bee, my hometown newspaper, published a story about me entitled,
“The Complete Package.” It described the trials I went through because of the
declining participation of others in football, yet I was still able to keep
everything together and get a scholarship.
My Academic Philosophy
“Academics” represents my passion for knowledge.
No matter what it is, I yearn to learn about it. It allows me to become more
independent because I can rely on myself to do things and do them the way I
envision them, instead of paying someone else to do it for me. That translates
to everything in life from learning how to fix my moped when it breaks down to
learning how to work out a certain way so that I see the results that I want.
It was also the motivation for me attaining a cumulative GPA of 4.12 in High
school. Being so immersed in the academic aspect of life has mentally prepared
me to think critically in every possible situation. I can approach life different ly because I
know how to analyze situations effectively and come up with solutions and
reasoning to justify it.
My Artistic Philosophy
“Arts” represents my creative side. I love art,
music, comic books, pretty much everything that allows me to think “outside of
the box.” I feel that being creative is a very valuable asset because it
provides solutions to many problems that were never thought of before. All
great minds are creative minds, such as people like Steve Jobs, who try to fix
the problems that they have. When traditional problem-solving techniques fail,
the average person doesn’t really know what to do and they will usually ask
someone else for help. Yet, for great minds, when problem-solving fails their
creativity fosters, and they come up with unrelated ideas that end up working. This has helped me get through the problems I
have because it provides an escape. I can express myself and channel all my
energy into something the yields a message.
Through that message or process of creating a piece of artwork, I
usually find the answer to the problem. In some ways, it is a therapeutic way
to come to terms with my situation.
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