Blog 2 Gabriela Figueredo

     In this project, I got to learn a lot about real-life issues that people struggle with like immigration and healthcare for example. Conducting my own research on the history of healthcare really allowed me to acknowledge how far healthcare has evolved from the ancient times when there was nothing known about sicknesses and how to treat them to now where there have been tons of technological advancements in medicine. I also enjoyed listening to all the information from my classmates, especially the interviews conducted. I think they were interesting to hear from people who have a lot of knowledge and experience on a topic because they’ve seen or lived it. 

    Group 1 focused on immigration and what they have to face. This topic was one of the most relatable ones for me even though I was born in the United States. I come from an immigrant family and I know a lot of immigrants who had to go through a lot to get to where they are. They talked about the differences in immigration laws in different places like in the United States and all the pathways to immigration which are family-based, employment-based, humanitarian, and naturalization. Personally, I have family that has immigrated due to having relatives with citizenship but had to face a long wait time and process. I also have my parents who were part of the naturalization process where you have to apply for citizenship after meeting legal requirements. A lot of immigrants have to face daily struggles like discrimination and difficulties in finding jobs because of things like language barriers. It was also really interesting to see how it was in other places like North Korea because unlike the United States, they don’t have any immigration pathways, meaning no immigration is allowed. The foreigners who do live there live under constant surveillance and have very limited freedom. 

My group talked about healthcare and everyone in my group did a great job in doing their research and presenting. They brought up the struggles of healthcare in the modern-day United States like how 41% of adults face medical debt, a majority of those adults having low-income. It’s becoming difficult for people to maintain their families because of the high costs of products such as groceries. Something I got to learn was about all the healthcare programs there are like TRICARE which is based on military families. This is a very relevant and important topic so I’m glad that we got to do it because access to healthcare allows individuals to prevent and treat illnesses, manage chronic conditions, and receive life-saving care when it’s needed. It remains a very important topic with its continuous developments still happening with the advancement in technology and the increase in prices. 

Group 3’s topic was on environmental education and the benefits of teaching students about environmental issues because not only will they be educated on our environmental issues but also try to make a change for the better. They talked about the importance of education and how it improves your quality of life. This is a topic that also has much significance because it’s something that is taken for granted as it’s not something everyone has access to. It’s sad to see how children who live in developing countries can’t get an education since they don’t have the proper resources. Even beyond individual growth, education plays a role in the progress of society as a whole. A well-educated population leads to stronger economies, lower poverty rates, and more stable governments. 

Group 4 talked about families and their significance throughout the centuries. I liked how they mentioned that what is considered family varies per person; it doesn't necessarily have to be just related by blood but can be classified as a strong connection with someone. The interview that one of the members did with the former FBI agent really stood out to me. It was cool to hear from a former FBI agent who has personal experience with how terrorism has affected society since 9/11. He brought up that after 9/11 occurred they received a lot of calls from people claiming that someone was a terrorist just because they were covering their head. This shows how different the world is to someone who is less exposed to it because they’ve never traveled outside their home. Highlighting how divided this country is right now was something very true and how people need to learn to stop aggression over differences in views and to try to stay respectful and civil because with all the issues that are going on in the world it’s not something we need to add on to. 

Overall, this project taught me how intertwined and relevant these topics are to one another. One of the main takeaways I had was how unequal access to basic needs still is in the modern world. For example, healthcare is something that should be available to everyone, yet millions of people struggle to afford it or simply don’t have access to it at all. Even in developed countries like the United States, there are still gaps in the system that prevent people from getting the care they need. Medical debt, lack of insurance, and the high cost of prescription drugs are all barriers that continue to impact families across the nation. This made me realize how complex the healthcare system is and how important it is for society to keep working toward fair and affordable healthcare for everyone. In addition, hearing the voices of other people bringing up their personal stories gave it a sense of humanity and not just straight-up numbers. It made me appreciate more of what I have because not everyone is lucky enough to have access to education, healthcare, or even the privilege of being born in a developed country. Hearing about immigrants’ experiences helped me better understand the struggles that many families face just to find safety, opportunity, and a better life. Listening to my classmates’ presentations made me understand these topics from new perspectives and appreciate real-life experience. I learned that while progress has been made in areas like healthcare and education, there is still a lot of work to do to make these systems fair and accessible to everyone.