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I was born!
I was born at Abington Memorial Hospital. If I hadn't been born, I wouldn't be doing this project or be involved with anything I am now. -
9/11
Nineteen al-Qaeda extremists hijacked four planes and crashed them in America. One plane landed in a field near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, another hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the other two, likely the most famous, hit the Twin Towers in the World Trade Center in New York City. This caused panic all around America. We didn't know if we were under attack or what was happening. 2,996 people were killed and over 6,000 were wounded. This helped shape our current national security. -
President George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Act into law!
This created the Department of Homeland Security. The DHS works through Law Enforcement, Immigration and Travel Security, Prevention and Response, and Mission Support. Law enforcement includes border control and customs. Immigration and travel security watch over America's transportation systems and lawful immigration. The Coast Guard is categorized under Prevention and Response. Mission Support includes a variety of careers such as some in medicine, budget, training, facilities, and many more. -
My youngest brother was born!
My youngest brother, Ben, was born three days after my oldest brother, Sydney's, seventh birthday, which also happens to be Flag Day. He became the last member to join our Drago/Hernandez sibling group. He makes up a huge part of our family, and I love him to death! -
My dad and stepmother got married!
My dad, Rob, and my stepmom, Jenn, got married. If they hadn't gotten married, my youngest brother wouldn't have been born. I also wouldn't have the relationship I do with my brothers, stepmother, and even my dad. We wouldn't live in the house we do now. I also would not be the person I am today because four people who are in my life now wouldn't be in my life if this didn't happen. -
Hurricane Katrina 1
In American history, Hurricane Katrina ranks as one of the most destructive and the most expensive hurricanes. Katrina originated in the Bahamas, but destroyed towns in Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and especially Louisiana. 1,245 people died because of this hurricane and the floods it produced, and according to the USACE, around 830 of those deaths occurred because of insufficient levees and floodwalls. The Coast Guard saved over 30,000 people, but the government is criticized for... -
Hurricane Katrina 2
not responding quick enough. The damage from the storm ended up costing $108 billion dollars. -
My first day of kindergarten!
I started my elementary school career at Copper Beech, with Mrs. Goldsworthy as my teacher. If I hadn't started here, I would have a different group of friends. My best friend from kindergarten, Svea Williams, is one of my best friends now, and Mr. Garry's 2016-2017 eighth period is the first class we have had together since then. -
The Virginia Tech Shooting 1
Until the 2016 Orlando shooting, the massacre at Virginia Polytechnic Institute was the deadliest shooting by a single gunman in American history. Seung-Hui Cho was a senior at this university who had been diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder and been to therapy before college, and who a special justice declared mentally ill when a separate issue at the same college came up. Cho was, however, still legally allowed to purchase a gun. He ended up killing thirty-three people, including himself. -
The Virginia Tech Shooting 2
He also was the cause of twenty-three others being injured. This incident was the first of many to cause debates on gun control laws. The Virginia state government decided to make it illegal for anyone with a mental disorder to purchase a gun without the NICS checking their background. More events like this, such as the one in Orlando, have pushed people to advocate for more gun control laws. This also contributed to citizens demanding better government help for citizens with mental illnesses. -
Barack Obama becomes president! 1
Barack Obama is elected as the 44th President of the United States and is the first black president in our history. He won the election again in 2012. During his time as president, he helped the economy, created the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, changed the policy about homosexuality in the military, ended American involvement in the Iraq War, sent troops to Afghanistan and Libya, and ordered the military plan that killed Osama bin Laden. He also endorsed gun control, -
Barack Obama becomes president! 2
the national legalization of same-sex marriage, and the awareness of climate change. Obama sent troops to Iraq to help in their crisis, took troops out of Afghanistan, and improved relations with Cuba. -
Hillary Clinton becomes Secretary of State!
Hillary Clinton was appointed Secretary of State of the United States by President Barack Obama. She visited 112 countries while in this position, making her the Secretary of State who has traveled to the most countries. Her term ended February 1, 2013, but Clinton's former job is used in her presidential campaign, even though she was said to have not fixed any major issues. -
The U.S. Navy ends its ban on women serving in submarines!
Women were banned from serving in submarines because of "sexual tensions" that could arise between male and female crew mates and the damage that could occur to an embryo. Others complained about the costs of creating separate bathrooms and living spaces. Robert Gates, the defense secretary, and Ray Mabus, the secretary, both believe allowing women to serve on submarines is right and fair. This is a step in the direction of feminism and genders being treated equally by the government. -
My mom and stepmom had a civil union!
At the time, gay marriage was illegal in Pennsylvania. Our state government also wouldn't allow a civil union ceremony to occur in state, so my mom, Su, and my stepmom, Mary, had one in New Jersey. It was held at a family friend's house and that family friend also officiated. -
My sister was born!
My sister, Georgia, was born in New Jersey, and three days later we heard from Adoptions From The Heart that we would be able to adopt her. She was in the NICU for about a month afterwards, and I met her on November fifth. She wasn't allowed to leave the state for paperwork reasons until the next week. We stayed with her in a relative's beach house until we could take her home. I finally have a sister! -
BP pleads guilty to charges of manslaughter 1
Deepwater Horizon was a drilling rig owned by Transocean that was leased to BP for about twelve years. In April of 2010, while drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, some of the gas was accidentally released, and caught fire. The fire couldn't be put out until the rig sank two days later, which also caused a huge oil spill. Of the 126 crew members on board, eleven died and seventeen were injured. Two years later, BP announced that they will plead guilty to charges of manslaughter and obstruction of... -
BP pleads guilty to charges of manslaughter 2
Congress. They paid $4.5 billion to the US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission. -
The Boston Marathon bombing
Two brothers, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, set off explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, which killed three people and injured two hundred sixty. Within the next two days, Tamerlan is killed in police fire and Dzhokhar is captured in a nearby suburb. This adds to the list of events that are reasons to increase security. -
My first day at Abington Junior High!
Most of my current friend group was made here. My life would be a lot different without them, and they helped make me want to go to school everyday. I also continued the education I needed to prepare me for the high school and eventually college. I learned from my mistakes made throughout my years at the junior high, and I am continuing to make some more and learn from those as well. -
Confirmation!
I was confirmed at First Presbyterian Church of Pottstown. I deepened my faith through confirmation, and my faith makes up a major part of me. I got closer to some people in my church and I trust them a lot even though I don't think I know them very well. My Kingdom Project, which was to raise money to give to an organization that helps those in need, helped me to organize money and to realize how much giving impacts lives. -
Same-sex marriage is legalized in America!
Our Supreme Court ruled in the Obergefell v. Hodges case that for states to deny a marriage license based on sex is against the constitution. Before this decision, thirty-six states, the District of Columbia, and Guam allowed same-sex marriage. Massachusetts was the first state to legalize it in May of 2004. -
My first Work Camp!
Work Camp is a type of mission trip that my church organizes. A group of Senior Seekers, who are the senior high students at our church, the advisers for this group, some junior and senior high Sunday School teachers, and a few others go to a town where there are people who need help rebuilding. We build, paint, pick up trash, fix parts of houses or yards, and help organizations who help local people. My first Work Camp was in Richmond, Virginia, and we partnered with Project Homes. -
Harriet Tubman to replace Andrew Jackson on twenty dollar bill!
Harriet Tubman will be the first black woman to be on American currency. She will also be the first woman on our currency since the 1800s. Tubman will also be the only person besides Benjamin Franklin on our money who is not a president. Harriet Tubman was an abolitionist who saved lives while Andrew Jackson organized the mass genocide of Native Americans known as the Trail of Tears. This shows our country recognizing that our history is not just white men and presidents. -
My first day at Abington Senior High!
I am currently getting the education I will need to pass standardized tests, go to college, and be a productive member of society. Since I have only attended this school for roughly a month, I don't know the impact it will have on my life. I have made many mistakes within the first month, but I'm learning from them and my previous ones. -
Sources 1
9/11- (http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militant) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_September_11_attacks) Homeland Security Act- (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_in_the_United_States#Events) (https://www.dhs.gov/about-dhs) Same-sex marriage- (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_the_United_States) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_in_the_United_States#Events) -
Sources 3
Deepwater Horizon & BP- (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_in_the_United_States) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion) Harriet Tubman- (http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/an-extremely-brief-history-of-women-on-us-paper-currency/454458/) (http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/trail-of-tears) -
Sources 2
Hillary Clinton- (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton%27s_tenure_as_Secretary_of_State) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/02/hillary-clinton-countries-travels_n_2602541.html) Hurricane Katrina- (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina) Virginia Tech Shooting- (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_shooting) Barack Obama- (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama) women in submarines- (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/feb/24/us-navy-lift-ban-women-submarines)
