Oprah Winfrey’s 2008 Stanford Speech Free Essays

This speech was about three lessons that Oprah Winfrey has come across in her professional and personal life. She talked about striving to be yourself and not anyone else and how you can grasp failure and turn it around by embracing it and finding the solution, and lastly how happiness comes when you give back to others. Her first lesson was about striving to be your own self; she talked about in the beginning of her professional career when she had a job in Baltimore as a news anchor. We will write a custom essay sample on Oprah Winfrey’s 2008 Stanford Speech or any similar topic only for you Order Now She was constantly holding Barbara Walters as the image she wanted to be in her career and wanted to be like. So she was always trying to talk like Barbara, look like Barbara and act like Barbara†¦ And she kept getting it wrong. She felt the need to be spontaneous and more of herself when she would read some of the headings†¦. Especially upsetting headings with disasters involved. So she would sometimes not pre-read any of headings until she was live so it would come across more realistic. She once covered a story of a horrible fire and afterwards ran to the scene and helped the fire victims by providing blankets. She never lost her empathy. She ran into some barriers during this job that ultimately helped her find her true purpose in life. The first barrier was that her boss let her know that they did not like the way she looked, and that they wanted to give her a new name that they thought would be more â€Å"friendly† and would be remembered by the public. She refused to change her name but did try to improve her looks by getting a perm that eventually made her hair fall out. She was let go from her position as the news anchor and placed on a talk show instead. It was there on the talk show that she felt she was at home and knew she had found her purpose in her life. So here she learned that she should never try to be anyone other than herself†¦ and that when you are doing something you are supposed to do you will feel right about it. She referred to it as feeling â€Å"at home†. Her second lesson was about embracing your failures and leaning with them instead of resisting them to find the solution. She talked about some of her failures and how she gained from them instead of being devastated. She mentioned her job loss in Baltimore†¦ at first she was upset but it turned out to be one of the best things to have ever happened to her because out of t she would up on a television show and found her place in her future HUGE professional life. She talked about how your gut can tell you a lot. When you are doing something you’re supposed to be doing your gut will let you know it. When you’re doing something you probably shouldn’t be doing, your gut will also tell you. Something just won’t feel right. That th ere is an inner voice inside you that you must follow and that it guides you through life. She calls is â€Å"life’s whisper†. Oprah stressed that when devastation hits you, take a step back and ask â€Å"what is this trying to teach me? She told the story of building a school in Africa for girls and took so much effort into making sure the building was perfect for the girls. Then she found out that one of the dorm matrons was suspected of sexually abusing the girls. She expressed how devastating this was to her and that she had to take a step back and ask herself what was the lesson here? She realized she was paying attention to all the wrong things. That she built that school from outside in, when what really mattered was the inside. She also expressed that she feels you never stop learning. She was referring to the graduates of Stanford that their education journey does not end her and that looks to the earth as a huge school never ending learning experience, and that she is still learning to this day. She went over a few quotes by her father and by BB King. Her last lesson was about giving back to others. And in order to be happy you MUST give back to others. And with that comes happiness. It gives you gratitude and makes you feel good. She also said to be a part of something bigger than yourself because life is a reciprocal exchange. She expressed that giving back is the greatest lesson of all to her. She talked about how in her career how she has given back in numerous amounts of ways and gave advice for whenever you’re in a mess, you help someone else get out of a mess†¦ whenever you are in pain, help someone else in pain, whenever you have a loss help someone else with a loss†¦. She talked about how the founders of Stanford University lost their son and how they took their pain and sorrow and channeled it into grace and started the University and helped other people with children like their son. She told the students that whatever their career may be that they use their ability to help others and pass along greatness. She ended with a Martin Luther King, Jr. quote. Speech Analysis Oprah gained the audience’s attention right away because she is a widely known influential media leader. She is the Oprah Winfrey. She started by telling the audience she had a secret and that one of the students Kirby (Gail King’s daughter) was her god daughter and gave a quick story of how she knows Kirby and how proud she was of her god daughter for graduating. This was also part of an attention getter. Oprah used good eye contact and her voice manner was very pronounced and sure of herself. She is obviously a very experienced speaker, being Oprah. She used humor throughout her speech such as saying â€Å"Stanford† with a serious tone in her voice. She kept her speech very relatable to the graduates of Stanford by talking about her professional career and all her goals she met and would occasionally talk to them specifically and give them advice about when they go out in their career how they can help, or not to give up because of failures, etc. Oprah had good body gestures and moved her arms around when talking, gave great pauses for emphasis and looked around at the audience. She did not seem to read her speech word for word, but rather just glance down at her notes and just speak freely of her own experiences. She talked a lot about her college career in the beginning of her speech which also gained attention from the graduates. O Oprah’s vocal tone was as always, inviting and I think that really kept the audience engages and very attentive towards her and what she was saying even though her speech was pretty long (30 min). Oprah was never repetitive and her examples were very witty and relatable. She gave each audience member two books from inspirational writers that she claimed helped her with her own life. She joked with the audience saying she wished she could have gotten everyone cars, but couldn’t pull it off. Oprah’s speech was very inspirational, impacting and I believe left a huge impression and impact on those 2008 graduates’ lives. I loved the speech and am happy I watched it and picked this one to analyze. How to cite Oprah Winfrey’s 2008 Stanford Speech, Essay examples

International Education, Its Benefits and Issues

Education scholars argue that international education helps in creating awareness of other people’s cultures, world regions, and further makes students familiar with global and international issues. It also helps in fostering the spirit of multiculturalism as a key driver of globalization enabling students to communicate in foreign languages amongst other benefits.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on International Education, Its Benefits and Issues specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the extent of international education to achieve these goals precisely is dependent on the existence of homogeneity of its approaches deployed by global education institutions. To determine whether this homogeneity exists, it is rather pertinent that a comparison methodology exists for all international education institutions to adopt. However, this paper argues that various problems exist in making international comparisons . The first problem in making international comparison stems from the existence of differences in the definition of the term itself. The term international education attracts valid and often highly debated definitions. Some scholars have considered the meaning of the term from two general perspectives, which are dependent on levels of student’s involvements. One perspective lies on the perception that international education prepares students from differing nations to take an active part as participants in social, economic and political matters of an interconnected world (Cambridge Thompson 2004, p.162). To achieve this, it is necessary that students learn foreign languages. Spellings (2007) supports this argument and further argues that learning foreign languages would enable the U.S people to communicate effectively the American ideas and also values while in return America would come to a better understanding of various global issues (Spellings 2007, p.5). Realization of this dream is apparently impossible due to the existence of varying emphasis on specific areas in international education. Making comparison is then also a problem. As a way of example, Spellings (2007) argues that, in China, Thailand, and the European Union, it is compulsory for the student to study foreign languages.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Compared to America, only 44 percent of high school students studied a foreign language in 2002 with less than 1% studying Korean, Urdu, Japanese and Russian combined (Spellings 2007, p.6). The second approach in defining international education is looking at it as an education that helps in transcending various national borders through promotion of exchanges of various people of different nationalities. In this context, international education entails students travelling to do their studies in various higher learning institutions branche s established in foreign nations as a part of exchange programs (Cambridge Thompson 2004, p.167). This is the position also held by Ignacio and Morentin (2003) who argue that international education is education for international understanding and helps in fostering democracy, peace and human rights among the global society (pp.5 -8). However, Cambridge and Thompson (2004) contest this view. They argue that â€Å"the majority of international schools operate in a variety of local contexts and usually students do not travel terribly far to attend an international school because they reside with their parents, who are expatriates working in a country that is not their home, and attend an international school in their locality or a nearby city† (p.166). In this context, the decision to attend an international school is not by virtue of the need to foster international understanding but because of circumstance. In making comparison of international education, data relating to va rious educational systems coupled with their interrelationships in different nations is necessary. Such data include data on the conditions in which various education systems function in respect to demographics coupled with social-economic traits of the population including public support, special groups of student and financial resources (Schleicher 1999, p.216).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on International Education, Its Benefits and Issues specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Though this data may be available in different nations, variation in structure and governance in international education systems makes educational comparisons a nightmare. This implies that despite such data being widely accurate and sufficient to meet the demand of national requesters, the data may cease being of any significance in relation to international education comparisons due to the existence of differences emanating from differing classifications and definitions. Apparently, education systems may not be possible to hold constant to facilitate validity of various comparisons especially in situations where education frameworks systems and various policy priorities keeps on changing with time. Arguably, one can achieve precise comparisons through narrowing down objects of international education comparison to a given common denominator, for instance age. However, Spellings (2007) informs that â€Å"while about 34 percent of white adults had obtained a bachelor’s degrees by age 29†¦the same was true for just 18 percent of African American and 10 percent of Hispanic adults in the age cohort† (pp.4-5). This shows that differences in term of object under comparison exist and hence uplifting the difficulties of making valid comparisons. Different perspectives of viewing functions of education introduce challenges in making comparisons of international education. As a way of example, some nations s ee education as serving public interests. Others see education as a â€Å"commodity† subject to action of various theories of improvement such as accountability theories, and new public management approaches (NPM). Indeed, Schellenberg (2004) reckons that â€Å"the privatization of education today introduces industry to the provision of education in a new way and changes the notion of education as a public institution to education as a marketable product† (p.80). Lack of harmonized view of function of education makes its international comparisons difficult. This holds true based on the sense that, upon its commoditization, it is a product bought by those who can afford it (OECD 2005). Seeking positions in the international schools consequently ceases from being a way of ensuring harmonization of valid people’s cultures to an opulence living style.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Arguably consistent with Schellenberg (2004), â€Å"as the state’s role in providing education changes, its citizens lose the opportunities in the educational systems to develop all the capacities required for full citizen participation (p. 94)†. On the other hand, where people perceive education as serving public interests, promoting international understanding being one of them, seeking international education evidently serves as a means of breaking down national borders, and exposing students to job opportunities internationally. Different emphasis of certain areas of education also poses problems to making comparisons of international education. Spellings (2007) contend that while the U.S higher education focuses more on creativity and a critical thinking, other nations such as Japan emphasize more on mathematics and technical subjects often making them more competitive both economically and educationally (p.4). Ideally, this implies that attempting to make interna tional comparisons of these two national educations, a common object for analysis is not evident. Consequently, in an endeavor to make students competitive internationally, the U.S needs to focus more on the areas where other nations are emphasizing. From this argument, it is perhaps evident that the focus of international education is valid. While some nations have economic gain associated with it, others seek fostering harmonization of people beliefs and values across the globe and hence common platforms for comparison fail to exist. In my own opinion, and in the light of the above problems in making comparisons of international education, I do not believe that it is possible to make international comparisons. From one dimension, it is apparent that differing nations have different emphasis of their education systems. Where students study in foreign nations emphasizing on technical subjects like math and engineering like in Japan (Spellings 2007, p.4), it is likely that they would follow the same emphasis in selecting their area of specialization as opposed to the emphasis subjects in their native nations. Consequently, making comparison of international education in the two nations is problematic by the fact there lacks common objects of comparison. Additionally, differing demographic characteristics of varying groups under comparison in different nation also makes the whole idea of comparing international problematic. For instance, in cases of differences of average ages at which people acquire bachelor degrees introduces problems in making comparison since people of different ages are anticipated to have differing cognitive abilities. Conclusively, a shift on the way people and state see the functions of education, nonexistent of differing common objects for comparison, and differing areas of educational emphasis make comparisons of international education impossible. Additionally, as argued by Schellenberg (2004), â€Å"as the state’s role in pro viding education changes, its citizens lose the opportunities in the educational systems to develop all the capacities required for full citizen participation† (p. 94). Appreciation of one’s citizenship in the international schools indeed goes far in forming the basis of examination of differences between ones national affiliations and affiliations of other people belonging to different nations in an endeavor to foster international understanding. References Cambridge, J Thompson, J 2004, ‘Internationalism and Globalization as Contexts for International Education’, Journal of Comparative and International Education, vol. 34 no.2, pp.161-175. Ignacio, J Morentin, D 2003, What is International Education? UNESCO Answers, UNESCO Centre, San Sebastian. OECD. 2005, ‘Education Trends in Perspective Analysis of the World Education Indicators 2005 Edition: Trend in Education Participation and Outputs’, Source OECD Education, vol. 1 no.8, pp. 7-51. Sch ellenberg, M 2004, ‘Globalization and Citizenship Education: Implications for the Nation State’, Canadian and International Education, vol. 33 no. 1, pp. 75-98. Schleicher, A 1999, Comparability Issues in International Education Comparisons. OECD, Paris. Spellings, M 2007, ‘Fostering Global Understanding through International Education’ International Educator, vol.16 no. 2, pp. 4-6. This essay on International Education, Its Benefits and Issues was written and submitted by user Ray Wolfe to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Human Clone Ethics essays

Human Clone Ethics essays Most people think they know what cloning is. They would define it, probably, as taking a piece of one plant or animal and using it to make another just like it. In fact, Brannigan points out that the term "clone" was very likely first used in botany to describe the process of budding. (12) He also notes that Webster's digital dictionary explains that the word is from the Greek kion, which means "twig." Current uses of the term include scientifically oriented ones; scientists use the term to describe asexual reproduction of an identical copy of an organism, and is something that happens naturally in bacteria, algae, plants and yeast. In addition, it is the method by which the human body grows and repairs itself, although higher life forms gave it up as a reproductive method 500 million years ago, leaving it to only those primitive organism mentioned. (Brannigan, 12) Considering that "cloning" is a natural activity taking place in our bodies every daywhen we get a cut, grow some hair and so onand has been a factor of reproduction for a minimum of 501 million years, why is there a debate at all' If it is a natural process, why shouldn't humans have the Within the question lies part of the impetus for the debate. Cloning as debated by clergy, philosophers, and politicians is not natural but rather the result of interference and manipulation by scientists. To scientists, who see it as simply part of their job, there is no debate about doing it, although there is some about how far it should go. The following investigation will set forth some of the main arguments of the major professional stakeholders, that is, scientists, clergy, philosophers and politicians (who may or may not represent popular opinion). But first, there are some scientific realities, beyond the simple definition of the word, that bear examina...

Human Clone Ethics essays

Human Clone Ethics essays Most people think they know what cloning is. They would define it, probably, as taking a piece of one plant or animal and using it to make another just like it. In fact, Brannigan points out that the term "clone" was very likely first used in botany to describe the process of budding. (12) He also notes that Webster's digital dictionary explains that the word is from the Greek kion, which means "twig." Current uses of the term include scientifically oriented ones; scientists use the term to describe asexual reproduction of an identical copy of an organism, and is something that happens naturally in bacteria, algae, plants and yeast. In addition, it is the method by which the human body grows and repairs itself, although higher life forms gave it up as a reproductive method 500 million years ago, leaving it to only those primitive organism mentioned. (Brannigan, 12) Considering that "cloning" is a natural activity taking place in our bodies every daywhen we get a cut, grow some hair and so onand has been a factor of reproduction for a minimum of 501 million years, why is there a debate at all' If it is a natural process, why shouldn't humans have the Within the question lies part of the impetus for the debate. Cloning as debated by clergy, philosophers, and politicians is not natural but rather the result of interference and manipulation by scientists. To scientists, who see it as simply part of their job, there is no debate about doing it, although there is some about how far it should go. The following investigation will set forth some of the main arguments of the major professional stakeholders, that is, scientists, clergy, philosophers and politicians (who may or may not represent popular opinion). But first, there are some scientific realities, beyond the simple definition of the word, that bear examina...

Human Clone Ethics essays

Human Clone Ethics essays Most people think they know what cloning is. They would define it, probably, as taking a piece of one plant or animal and using it to make another just like it. In fact, Brannigan points out that the term "clone" was very likely first used in botany to describe the process of budding. (12) He also notes that Webster's digital dictionary explains that the word is from the Greek kion, which means "twig." Current uses of the term include scientifically oriented ones; scientists use the term to describe asexual reproduction of an identical copy of an organism, and is something that happens naturally in bacteria, algae, plants and yeast. In addition, it is the method by which the human body grows and repairs itself, although higher life forms gave it up as a reproductive method 500 million years ago, leaving it to only those primitive organism mentioned. (Brannigan, 12) Considering that "cloning" is a natural activity taking place in our bodies every daywhen we get a cut, grow some hair and so onand has been a factor of reproduction for a minimum of 501 million years, why is there a debate at all' If it is a natural process, why shouldn't humans have the Within the question lies part of the impetus for the debate. Cloning as debated by clergy, philosophers, and politicians is not natural but rather the result of interference and manipulation by scientists. To scientists, who see it as simply part of their job, there is no debate about doing it, although there is some about how far it should go. The following investigation will set forth some of the main arguments of the major professional stakeholders, that is, scientists, clergy, philosophers and politicians (who may or may not represent popular opinion). But first, there are some scientific realities, beyond the simple definition of the word, that bear examina...

Word Choice Amount vs. Number - Proofeds Writing Tips Blog

Word Choice Amount vs. Number Word Choice: Amount vs. Number It can be tempting to think that the subtleties of word choice don’t a major difference to your work. But whether you’re writing an academic paper, a business report or even a novel, picking the right words for the right situation can make your writing stand out from the crowd. Getting words confused or mixed up, on the other hand, can detract from an otherwise great piece of work. Take the words amount and number, for instance. Both are terms used to deal with quantities, so many people use them interchangeably. But they do in fact have importantly distinct meanings, so using the wrong one makes it harder for the reader to follow exactly what you mean. Worry not, though! Here at Proofed we are dedicated to helping people express themselves fully and clearly, so we’ve prepared this little guide on how to use amount and number correctly. Amount (Uncountable Quantities) Typically, when used as a noun, the word amount refers to the sum or whole of a quantity which would be difficult or impossible to count, for example: There is a large amount of sand in the desert. It can also be used as a verb, meaning to total or equal: After the financial crash, losses amounted to four billion dollars. Number (Countable Quantities) The word number, of course, can refer to figure (e.g., 1, 2, 3). In this context, though, we’re interested in its use as an expression of quantity: The number of people at the party was enough to cause a problem. The key is that â€Å"number† refers to a specific, countable quantity. This is made clearer if we think about how â€Å"number† can also be used as a verb: After reading the note, David knew his days were numbered Here â€Å"numbered† indicates a limited quantity of days which could be counted. Amount or Number? One way of working out which word to use is to ask yourself whether the quantity described could be counted. For instance, the phrase â€Å"a large number of sand† wouldn’t make sense because â€Å"sand† is an uncountable noun. So if you’re referring to an unspecified but countable quantity of something, such as pebbles or people on a beach, use â€Å"number.† But if you’re referring to something you can’t count, such as happiness or water, the word you need is â€Å"amount.† You can find more advice on vocabulary in the word choice archive section of our academic blog. And don’t forget that Proofed’s expert proofreaders are available to provide guidance on word choice, grammar, spelling and formatting for everything from resumes to PhD dissertations. Why not upload a free 500-word sample today and see if Proofed can help put the finishing touches on your written work?

Performance Measurement to Performance Management Essay

Performance Measurement to Performance Management - Essay Example When performance is at par or even better than standards previously set, then the business' financial condition also improves. Budgets are either increased or decreased in support of better organizational survival, Since there are usually many competitors around. When performance measured passes the standards set, salary and other benefits are given for satisfactory performance. Management must have a meeting with the line and staff organization and the organization's goals, strategy, mission, vision, values and strategy to accomplish the goals, purpose of goal and standard setting must be implemented. The employees and stockholders are encouraged thru regular trainings/meetings that they are part of the success and failure of the entire organization. The performance measures give the employees the daily challenges to be conquered. Integration places standards where needed in accomplishing strategic business ventures. Integration also helps hasten change. When actual work is compared with performance, the difference or similarity of the actual against the standards set is compared and management makes the needed decisions for the further improvement of over-all activity. 2.1 Performance Measurement - Measuring performance quantitatively tell us whether our goods, services done by employees have increased or decreased or even remained the same. They help management decide on ways and means to improve performance of some products which have not performed according to pre - set goals. Measurement performance can tell whether the following criteria are in order: a) We are doing as pre- expected b) If customers like our product/service and come back. c) If manufacturing processes are controlled. d) Adjustments can be made to improve present performance. Performance measurement provides us with the needed details to make intelligent decisions. Performance is usually done by taking done the number of units and unit price of goods sold or cost of goods bought. The products could be listed as 1,000.,000 units of product sold at $5.00 each. The actual units sold or produced by the manufacturing department are then compared with pre-determined standard or goals which was agreed upon. Usually the standards or goals are agreed upon between all departments involved. A too high standard may cause some discouragement with the employees. A too low standard may sometimes cause idleness. Units of measurement could be hours, meters, nanoseconds, dollars, reports, number of errors, length of time spend or to be spent These the usual basic of measurement Sometimes, other units of measurement are used. The unit of measurement could be miles per gallon ( for analyzing daily gasoline expenses ), fire accidents in a year ( oganization' s safety program) , number of units produced per day ( sales analysis). This sounds better than the unit of measurement in the prior paragraph. What is important is that the unit of measurement used should be the one to show variances between actual and standard performance Some categories of performance evaluation are enumerated below: 1) Effectiveness - Simply put, actual performance meets the goal set. ( Doingthe job the right way.) 2) Efficiency - Doing the job required at the least possible cost. ( Doing thingsthe right way.) 3) Quality - Products sold or services given meets