ODYSSEY
Odyssey is an online platform where you can voice your opinion. I was a content creator for them from 2017 to 2018. During my time there I wrote 30 articles, with topics ranging from entertainment to lifestyle.
'BEVERLY HILLS BRAT' NICOLETTE GRAY IS A HOAX
I believe Nicolette's obnoxious, entitled, and bratty behavior is all an act.
by Lizbeth Ibarra University of Oregon Jun 8, 2018
Earlier this month, Nicolette Gray was on "Dr. Phil" because she was upset at the fact that her mother cut down her allowance. During the show, Nicolette tells Dr. Phil, "I want my mom to understand that I can't live off $1,000 dollars a month and I grew up on a certain lifestyle, she just can't take that away from me immediately."
As a quick recap of that "Dr. Phil" episode, Nicolette basically speaks about her being entitled to this luxury lifestyle because that's all she's ever known.
At the time of the show, Nicolette is not quite 16 years old, but will soon be, and she that for her 16th birthday, she "needs" a G wagon.
MY DIET IS EATING WHATEVER I WANT WHENEVER I WANT
Eat what makes you feel happy and healthy because, in the end, it is your body and nobody else's.
by Lizbeth Ibarra University of Oregon Mar 18, 2018
When I was about 15 years old, I became a little too health-obsessed, to the point where I developed an eating disorder. I restricted my calories and ate a low-carb diet. I became extremely underweight and developed other health issues, such as almost being anemic. This was quite a dark time in my life, however, through familial support and a change in mindset, I was able to overcome my anorexia.
After being "cured" of my eating disorder, I still did not have a healthy relationship with food. I saw food as evil, for I believed food would make me fat. I did want to eat but did not want to gain weight. I began looking for different diets that would make me feel satisfied while allowing me to keep my belly flat; I happened to stumble upon the vegan
diet. In particular, I stumbled upon Freelee's Youtube channel, in which she advertised the vegan diet as a magical diet in which one could eat as many carbs as one wanted while still remaining lean.
FEATURE WRITING
Feature Writing, a journalism course offered at the University of Oregon, teaches one to go beyond the facts of a story and look at different perspectives. Below is some of the work I have done for the class.
EUGENE CHURCH PROVIDES A CHRISTIAN INSIGHT ON TRUMP’S IMPEACHMENT
By Lizbeth Ibarra
October 3, 2019
Central Lutheran Church rests on the outer edge of the University of Oregon campus on Potter street. The aging building, a mix of brick and wood, stands on a beautiful landscape adjacent to one of the oldest Cemeteries in Eugene. Walking up to the church, there is a welcoming courtyard next to the central offices. A narrow, well-lit staircase leads to the office of Sister Clare Josef-Maier, which is adorned with a small seating area and her desk. A smell of old wood fills the room, making an inviting place for an interview.
Sister Clare Josef-Maier, a minister of ward and service for Central Lutheran Church describes their denomination as “progressive,” saying they are welcoming to LGBTQ folks. In general, Lutheran churches are also in support of protections for Immigration and refugees. Josef-Maier said that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) which she is a part of is 97% white and the church is struggling to make those race conversations. “I think our first social statement on race was 1994 and we have not made significant visible progress since then” says Josef-Maier.
According to Josef-Maier, multiple political parties are represented at Central Lutheran Church, making it a diverse community where political beliefs are united by faith. Josef-Maier does believe that the church is a place where a breach regarding partisan separation can be amended even in a nation radicalized on both ends of the spectrum.
The beliefs, both political and religious, of Josef-Maier and the Central Lutheran Church are often in direct contradiction to issues presented throughout the Trump administration. Although Donald Trump identifies himself as a Christian, Josef-Maier finds it “difficult to see a line through the Christianity [she] knows and what Trump might be referring to.”
“It’s actively frightening to have him as our president and extremely upsetting,” says Josef-Maier when asked about her opinions of Donald Trump. She continues by saying that “The choices he is making as a leader in this country feel antithetical, not just to Christian values, but to this nation’s values.”
Josef-Maier went on to explain how she felt confused by the Trump presidency, saying she is surprised by the high disapproval ratings not matching the public narrative. “His presidency has not been as controversial as I expected.”
The topic of impeachment was something Josef-Maier did not feel politically savvy enough to confidently make a statement on. She explained that she wasn’t sure if the impeachment of Trump would be better or worse for the nation. However, she believes “its absolutely right to be concerned about national security with Trump in the presidency.”
While not making a statement about Trump’s impeachment, Josef-Maier went on to discuss what she values in a leader saying “What I would like to see in an elected official is somebody who is attuned to a wide array of voices and is able to hear both dominant voices, and being intentional about seeking out voices that are not so readily accessible or who may be actively suppressed.”
THE DESPERATE NEED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
By Lizbeth Ibarra
November 7, 2019
Elk Horn Brewery in Eugene, Oregon has been vandalized according to security camera footage from the scene. Eugene police reports state that Courtney Lee Albin was arrested near the scene as the alleged vandal. Albin is known by the police to be transient and potentially coping with mental illness. According to security.org, an independent organization, Eugene, Oregon has the highest concentration of homelessness per 100,000 people. Is there anything that can be done to help people experiencing homelessness or mental health symptoms?
Devin Jenkins, Director of Facilities and Housing Programs at the Laurel Hill Center in Eugene, provides an insight into what is going on for the homeless in Eugene.
The Laurel Hill Center, according to their website, is dedicated to helping people who struggle with psychiatric disabilities. They also have a subsidized housing program, in which they have apartment complexes that provide safe and affordable quality housing to adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses.
Jenkins said he was a biology major in college. He initially wanted to be a wild life biologist but then started working in social services. As the director of the housing programs, Jenkins is helping people that are often homeless. He primarily helps them fill out paper work or helps find them rental subsidies.
Jenkins said that people with mental health issues struggle to get a job or they have a mental health episode and destroy property which gets them evicted. He summarized the issue by saying, “I think that a lot of people end up being homeless because their mental health symptoms marginalize them from society, like the societal norms that allows us to live in conventional housing.”
He understands the perspective of property managers, in which he said, “I totally understand where they are coming from, they have to protect their property, it’s their investment, it’s their income.” He said that there is no incentive for landlords to rent to anyone that is a risky tenant because they can just rent to the next person in line. However, he does “wish people would, property managers in particular, be more open to that.”
Jenkins highlighted several perspective solutions. He thinks communities should be more open to low income housing developments. However, he explained that a challenge for building more affordable housing is that “there is no incentive for developers to do it because they can make more money building expensive housing.” He believes that if the government funded more incentives for developers, that might help solve the problem.
When asked about the Elk Horn Brewery being vandalized, he said, “I see lots of vandalism that happens around town.” He continued by saying that business owners recognize homelessness as an issue, “but then also a lot of those same people aren’t open to having homeless shelters in the part of town that they live and work in, or having low income housing built in their neighborhoods.”
Jenkins talked about how it can be a struggle to escape homelessness for those with mental illness as he said, “People that are homeless and have mental health issues are not that way by choice and that if they could do something different they would, but they are so lost and sick often that they can’t.”