Tag: student-life

adult learner, Advice, Education, First generation, Online, self care

Hey, We Got That PMA!

CSEA Student Voice

Written by Lux Marquez, Educators United & Pride@NU Club Member

College is chaos. The world is chaos. And if you’re reading this, you’re probably trying to survive both with your brain, your heart, and your dignity intact. So let’s talk about something radical, something loud, something that punches through the noise like a power chord at a basement show: Positive Mental Attitude—PMA, baby.

Now, before you roll your eyes and mutter “toxic positivity,” hear me out. PMA isn’t about pretending everything’s fine when it’s not. It’s about choosing to fight with love, with fire, and with the unshakable belief that you matter—even when the system says you don’t.

A collage featuring the letters 'PMA' prominently in the center, surrounded by various playful graphics including hearts, a megaphone, a record, a vintage camera, headphones, and a cat, all set against a muted green background.


Bad Brains said it best: “Don’t care what they may say, we got that attitude!” That’s not just a lyric—it’s a battle cry. PMA is punk. It’s resistance. It’s showing up to class when your rent’s overdue, your government’s a mess, and your identity’s under attack. It’s writing that paper like it’s a manifesto. It’s organizing, surviving, and thriving in a world that wasn’t built for you. And Bikini Kill? “I’ve got the love that’s strong and not weak!” That’s the kind of love PMA demands. Love for yourself, your community, your weirdness, your rage. PMA doesn’t mean you’re never angry—it means your anger is rooted in hope, not despair.

In a world where marginalized students are told to shrink, PMA says: Take up space. Be loud. Be brilliant. Be unapologetically you. Whether you’re the only queer kid in your class, the first in your family to go to college, or just trying to stay afloat in a sea of deadlines and doomscrolling—PMA is your armor and your amplifier. So next time you’re staring down the barrel of that 10-page paper, a protest, or just another day of being alive in 2025, remember: You’ve got that attitude. And that attitude? It’s punk as hell.

Advice

What is Ambition to You?

CSEA Student Voice

By Jessie Reed, Literature BA Student

What is ambition? What does it mean to you? According to Dictionary.com, ambition is an earnest desire for achievement or distinction, such as power, honor, fame, wealth, and the willingness to attain it. Ambition is a strong desire for distinction and recognition of achievement, doing something that I will always be remembered for even after I leave this world and achieve it. Ambition is a desire or dream of something great in life and working hard to achieve it.

Most people have different ambitions, so the word ambition has a different meaning depending on whom you ask. Some may want to become highly wealthy; some may want to achieve great fame; some may want to be an influential world leader; and some may wish to earn tremendous honor. As for me, I want to achieve something that I will always be remembered for, even long after I am dead and gone. I long to be remembered as a strong, honest, intelligent person with a positive attitude who always did what I could to bring a smile to someone else’s face, giving them hope, courage, faith, and confidence to do and be their best in every situation.

 “While one may encounter many defeats, one must not be defeated.” – Maya Angelou

Since I was seven years old, I have faced many tragedies and adversities. Yet, I have always had the ambition to have a better life and a brighter future. I’ve had to fight tremendous obstacles to achieve my dreams, goals, and desires. Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to become a great writer, not to be famous or wealthy, but to encourage everyone who reads my work. I am driven to tell my stories with absolute enthusiasm. I love talking to others about the struggles and tragedies that I have overcome in my life. If I share my stories, I can give others courage, strength, and determination to help them succeed in life.

Ambition is a passion that never fails you and will never let you forget it. I started writing poetry when I was around nine years old. Since then, I have written over one hundred poems.  In my first year of college, I finally had one of my poems published in the Nashville Tech Literary Journal ‘The Tetrahedra. In 2014, I wrote and published my first book, The Curse of Princess Deondra: A Fairytale. I am writing two more books; one is a book of over a hundred poems titled True Inspirations of the Heart; the other is the story of my life titled Sleeping with the Angels. I am currently working very hard to get both of them published. In addition, I now own my own company, DeLuxe Writing Experts. I am a very determined and ambitious woman.

Although the road has not been easy, I strive for success as I go through life’s journeys. While I have many regrets about the decisions that I have made, I know that each wrong decision was just a stepping stone in accomplishing my dreams. I have learned what NOT to do and how to make the most out of every day God allows me to live. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone; we all should live each day like our last.

Ambition takes a lot of hard work and determination; you have to set a goal in life and do everything in your power to attain that goal. Don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot achieve it. Have a desire to learn, keep an open mind, be willing to take risks, know your limitations, and learn from your mistakes. Yet, never look at a mistake as a failure; instead, take it as a chance to do it better. Throughout history, ambition has been a driving force for individuals and society. No matter what nationality, male or female, background, or age you are, you are undoubtedly ambitious in some way. Without ambition, we have no purpose in our lives. Nothing can stop us from achieving what we want in life. Our only obstacle is ourselves and the extent of our ability to differentiate between a worthwhile and self-destructive goal.

adult learner, Parents

A Different Hat

CSEA Student Voice

By Steven Collins Eller –
Inter-club Council Representative, Omega NU Student Organization
Chair, Student Social Work Association




When I was an acolyte

The master told me that

I would always be an adept

But I’d wear a different hat



So far I’ve been a gourmet

I’ve been a teacher too 

I’ve always been a student

Of whatever art I do. 



In all, of my endeavors

I’ve always gleaned the clue

That it was time to hang that hat

And find a new task to do



I’ve never had a problem

That couldn’t be made gold

By applying something new

Mixed with that which was now old. 



And now, I am a poet,

A husband, and a dad.

I find these last to be

The most joyful hats I’ve had.



So now, of hats, I’ve several. 

I wear at least one every day. 

Most days I wear several, but,

I wonder which today. 



As an adept, then a poet. 

So a student soon will teach. 

And how priceless is the task,

Of others’ minds to reach.

I ask you, dear reader, to bear with me, and grant me license to reflect. An acolyte is not exactly the right word for what I was trying to portray when I wrote this poem. Perhaps, a better word would have been “initiate”, but I never could get used to the way it sounds. Regardless, I think that the meaning becomes apparent. The poem is among a series that I wrote about five years ago, but it has never been published in written form before now.

My favorite part is the stanza that begins, “And now, I am a poet.” To me it feels like the poem kind helps you to realize you’ve been carried along by the poetry up until this point, and then kind of dropped into cold, hard reality. “…a husband, and a dad.”