My name is Maria, and I am a student at Rutgers University studying Food Science. A motto I have is when I have abundance, give. I first learned this when volunteering at my local food bank. I saw how many people, including my family, were able to get blessed from the leftovers of many supermarkets. I carried this mindset into college and started giving out food and donating with my friends at the end of the semester. When we have too many meal swipes and snacks, we will use it to get sandwiches and drinks for the needy. This allowed us to bless people in a different way. My start to college was different since I completed a dual enrollment program in high school. After enrolling at Rutgers, I got a position as a research assistant at the Roopchand Lab, despite not having much experience. I also joined the Food Science club and became part of Campus Light church. For my career goals, I want to open my own food business. My business will have two main focuses, the first one is making Dominican desserts accessible to many and the second is creating cheap healthy food. My aim is to develop food products with well-known or innovative ingredients and market these treats globally. The second aim is to ensure that everyone has accessible access to healthy food to eat. As an inner-city kid when getting a quick meal before or after school, the cheapest meal was empanadas, which used to be $1, now it is 2 or more. For those who want to have a healthier lifestyle, this is not the best way to eat but it is the easiest. I want to be able to make it easier to have a better diet. I currently study Food Science with a double minor in nutrition and agriculture and food systems. Food science is a multidisciplinary study that applies the principles of biology, biochemistry, chemistry, chemical engineering, microbiology, nutrition, and physics to food and the food system. All of this can be used to make innovative food ingredients which would be needed to complete my goals. To make a big production company, all of these courses would allow me to fine tune my products so that my products will come out as expected. This combined with my nutrition and agriculture and food systems minor will help me create the second part of my business. My nutrition courses will help to make sure that each meal will be nutritious, and the agriculture and food systems minor will help me get information on local resources. Food Sciences courses will help me use cheaper food processes that will maintain nutritional values of the food.

When you interpret the quote, it refers to how real-world social interactions are impacted by online gaming. The phrases "people within online gaming forums," "discarding the common accepted social norms of civil discourse and actions," and "its effect on real-life social interaction" can all be broken down into three parts. The subject of the sentence—gamers—is simply stated in the first part of the sentence. The second section demonstrates how online conversation by gamers defies social conventions. How those conversations impact in-person conversations are the third component. Combining the first two sections, it demonstrates how improper speech is common among gamers. They frequently mock and insult others in an improper manner with no repercussions. Even jokes about how "only if they were in late-night PS3 calls" can be found online. As soon as we combine it with the third component, it has an impact on real-world conversations, so this cannot really be normalized. When something becomes normalized in one area of society, it may then spread to other areas. It is true that when playing online, gamers disregard appropriate social conventions. Being a gamer, I heard it with my own ears. I have heard of people who became so accustomed to being racist on the phone, that they continue to be racist in person when they are with their group. These people will become the racist adults of the future if this does not get discovered right away. The people grew too accustomed to being racist or because "People are not going to do anything". Many things will not be taken seriously when discussed online, even though they should be. When someone speaks, they are showing their fruits, and when those fruits are bad, they need to be called out. When it is online, the person who calls it out will be ridiculed. Two people are impacted by this circumstance, both the person who called them out and the person who made the "joke." When things proceed as they normally would, the person who called the other person out will be ridiculed or excluded from the group, which will make them feel insecure and make them stop calling people out. This does not happen all the time but most of the time it does. Even though they are in the wrong, the person who made the joke would feel more "power" on their side. When this occurs repeatedly, the more "power" they acquire and the more arrogant they become, the more likely they are to ask, "What are they going to do?" Most of the time these “jokes” are normalized not because the people are “used to it” but because they had to get used to it. Since I believe that some things should not be normalized, even in a game, this has happened to me repeatedly, in my experience. When inappropriate jokes are told in public, there is a backlash that follows. Because of certain jokes, people are called out or even shunned. This is good because it stops people from taking offense at someone else's "joke," which is why it should happen. It stops the spread of these jokes throughout society. Online, there is no shunning that takes place, so it becomes normalized with no consequences.

Why does flour and water create gluten? Why do eggs make cake fluffy? Why does milk make cakes denser? Whenever I bake, these “why” questions creep into my mind. Why do ingredients interact in different ways? Since my younger days, I have always loved experimenting and inventing in the kitchen. My earliest memories of cooking are filled with moments when I might show off a “grilled cheese” sandwich--which tasted better than a normal one because it included ham. If you haven’t noticed, my hobby is baking. Baking is like a dance, taking each move one step at a time and expressing myself in the creation of a masterpiece. It is a series of moments where I am caught up in a tapestry of ingredients transformed into an incredible concoction meant to satisfy the cravings of any discerning palate. Personally, I have successfully created and perfected many recipes. I realize that baking bread is more than just sifting flour and measuring and mixing water, oil, and yeast together, it is a science. Many types of bread can be made by changing the combination of ingredients or altering the steps in its preparation. While baking, I am filled with questions that just have to be answered and it is awe-inspiring to me whenever I take a recipe and make it my own just by adding or subtracting a few ingredients. When I find a recipe that interests me, I already know if it's going to be good if I reimagine and make changes so it becomes better than before. The possibilities can be endless. The act of baking helps me to de-stress and focus, it is a retreat to a place where I feel connected. When you sit down looking at the tasty mess you made in the perfection of a cake that you thought wasn’t possible, and think, “Wow, I made this?” The best part comes after the baking process when you finish cleaning and taking pictures of your creation, you cut the cake open and it tastes better than how it looks. All the trial and error that went into creating the best cake possible, becomes worth it. Baking has become more than making a good dessert, you also gain knowledge about techniques to make better creations in the future. I plan on continuing my future endeavors to perfect my skills by experimenting with flavors and recipes to share with family and friends who enjoy eating even better than I do.