The Road Less Traveled

A Personal Journey

Everyone has their own personal story of how they got from one place to another; each just as unique as the individual on that journey. My story of how I came to Avila, like many others, is quite different. Most people ask me why I came from Dallas, Texas to Kansas City, and to be honest, I am not quite sure. All I can say is I know for the moment this is where I need to be. It just feels right. Intuition or discernment is what some call it.

Before coming to Avila, my journey starts at a small community college in Lubbock, Texas where I was majoring in the music business. I completed one full semester before returning home to help care for my grandmother who was going through her third battle with cancer (thankfully she is now in remission). During this time, I did not go to school but worked in the pro shop at a local golf course, as well as a recruiter in an IT recruiting company and helped my mom where ever I could. After having almost two years off, I honestly didn’t think I would ever go back to school, I woke up with the most pressuring urge to go back to school to pursue my education. I am so thankful I did. 

This is when I decided to play golf while attending college. During the recruiting process I had numerous offers from other schools, but I chose Avila. Avila not only met my expectations with the golf program but it also rose above the rest of the schools academically. While the academics have continued to be a useful aid in helping me obtain a degree and never ceases to disappoint me, it is unfortunate to say that the golf team, both men’s and women’s, continues to be neglected.

 https://youtu.be/UNUCZStOPiU

Animals Were Harmed

A Dogs Purpose backlash

Recently there has been a lot of controversy with the movie “A Dogs Purpose”. The arguments surrounding it, from my opinion, are one sided; “he said she said’ type thing. One side is saying the dog was “distressed and being endangered” while an article by Vanity Fair states in an interview, that Dennis Quaid, the actor of the movie, stated “there was no animal abuse on the set”…and if there had been, he would have walked.

The American Humane Association reviewed the footage and stated they were completely disturbed with what they saw and are taking preventative measures for the dogs well being. According to CNN, “the AHA safety representative who was on set during the time of filming is now being placed on immediate leave.” But how many times has something like this happened?

I don’t know which side is wrong and which side is right, but I do know if it is true, it bring up some good points. Maybe the question we should be asking is how many times does animal abuse actually occur in the media?

We always see movies with live animals in them, talking and performing more than basic tricks, but how often do we think about what the animal goes through and how they are treated? Animals can’t talk, so we have a hard time understanding what they are communicating. Whenever you see the wording, “No Animals Were Harmed” in the making of {insert movie title here}, this seal of approval is supposed to ensure the animals safety. In more movies than the one previously stated, animal abuse happens more times than we think, and the AHA fails to bring these concerns into the light.

The “No Animals Were Harmed” seal of approval has been misleading in the past to audiences as well as the directors. This is not the first time an instance like this has occurred, the only difference is that someone chose this film to use to bring it to people’s attention.. According to Arwa Lodhi, movies such as Life of Pi, where the tiger was nearly drowned and the “email that expressed concern for the animal’s welfare was suppressed” demonstrates how the AHA has failed to be proactive in taking preventative measures to ensure the animals safety.

 https://youtu.be/EVs7JBvqGDY