Point Park student comes back with a sweet tooth for charity
Credit: Julia Franzen
Last month, I am met one student who captured the eyes and ears of many young and old onlookers as they stopped by a beautifully engulfed table of delicious baked goods from cookies to brownies all of which were being sold to support an orphanage in India.
Credit: Julia Franzen
All the proceeds made at the bake sale just outside of the Point Cafe were being directly donated to Asha House, an orphanage in India that like many are on the verge of closing.
Julia Franzen, a Point Park global cultural studies student went to Asha House this past fall semester in hopes of making a difference. And by what I can tell from her amazing personality, numerous photos of children, and her recent endeavor of raising money to send back to the orphanage, she has made a difference and shared her story with her family, friends, and now I am passing her story onto you.
I ask you to feel inspired and create your own unique project and charitable mission! If you do, send me some information! Because this is your space also to tell your story and reveal your passions to the world!
The internet these days is simply the vehicle to take anyone with a passion and make their aspirations a reality (sort of how I came to be). If you are looking to get famous and make your name known then a great resource to start would be YouTube. YouTube.com is an entertainment hot spot when it comes to casting yourself in the limelight. To get my point across, a few famous YouTube sensations would be iJustine, with her awesome technology reviews, Justin Bieber, as Usher’s little minion of inspiration, and then there is the good ‘ole Fred Figglehorn that every kid seems to enjoy regardless of the high peircing sounds that come out of that skinny little white boy’s voice box. Yes, the magic of YouTube and all its glory. No wonder why it is called “you”tube. It is all for you, well us, okay…You.
This internet power has been such a success that it is probably the number one go-to spot to pass the time or for some to set up your dreams and let them fly.
Rachel DeJesus, a New Jersey native, is taking on the internet by its horns, well not exactly horns, but you catch the point. This American Idol-reject is making her sensational singing passion known by creating videos and posting them on her own YouTube Channel. Did I mention the service is free. Yeah, free! DeJesus auditioned for seasons 8 and 10 of American Idol, but the judges did not choose her to be the next American Idol. Bummer! So she noted quite clearly that if you going to audition for television then a little more entertainment fluff is needed.
“My only drawback, I felt, was that I had to “stand out” of the crowd. Wearing a ridiculous costume was not going to cut it for me, but maybe whipping out my Tracy Turnblad costume from a year and a half ago and belting out a memorable song would have helped me.”
And she certainly could not have said it better.
With over thousands of views on her YouTube channel, one particular video, with at least 400 hits, is one of my favorites! DeJesus is performing “Good Morning Baltimore” from Broadway’s hit musical Hairspray. As a spunky school girl who just wants to sing, DeJesus nails her audience with her high-rolling acting skills as well as belting those beautiful notes as Miss Turnblad greets the morning onlookers of Baltimore.
Since 2008, DeJesus has uploaded close to 30 videos and there are certainly more to come. However, more recently her YouTube fame has spiked dramatically with a video post that has caught YouTube users’ eyes and ears! More than 1,600 views, DeJesus records herself sitting in front of her webcam with her hair up, shirt falling along her shoulders ever so teasingly,breathes in the comforting air around her, and pops the notes of Bruno Mars’ song Talking to the Moon. When asked about her most viewed video, she had this to say
“That is such a milestone and I hope my other videos will get the same recognition as well.”
My best goes out to her other videos, but I am going to place my money on that this Bruno Mars song is her best yet and the other videos truly reveal where she had once started from, bouncing around her high school auditorium with a 1960′s demeanor of a character whom only wanted their dreams to come true. Yet, being rejected twice, DeJesus is not throwing out her starbright passion of singing.
“I may not have make up on or my hair all done, but what matters in my YouTube videos is that I am heard! I strive to do better in my singing and I am fortunate that I have come this far with such great support from close friends and family and also my fellow YouTube viewers.”
YouTube is helping her to keep her dreams a reality and inspiring others to do the same. You can subscribe to Rachel DeJesus on YouTube and follow her on Twitter at @heyuhitsrachhh.
“I have so so so much to learn and I would love to have all of you on board for this wonderful journey.”
This talented youngster is going far in life because she has America’s Future Talk Show Host on her side and you should too! If you want to appear as a SHOWCASE profile on The Bernard Charles Show then tell us your story!
I had asked all of you to connect with me on various social networking platforms and most of you did. So I am so appreciative that you did in order to enter this giveaway! It was a pretty nice giveaway considering I used my own money to purchase the prizes. So be thankful…LOL. Well, to get to the point of the matter, I am really pleased to present to you all the winners of The Bernard Charles Show’s 100th Post Celebration Giveaway and the winners are Meghan Manahan for 3rd place, Emily Petsko for 2nd place, and for 1st place is Allison Martini. Congratulations to the winners and to those who took the time to enter as well.
Believe me there will be more awesome opportunities to follow, so don’t delete me just yet if you didn’t win! This is just the start of greater possibilities!
Bernard's Mission: To not only serve himself and those close to him, but to impact the greater public and persist on spreading the joy of learning and creation.
Inspire the People. Dream of Places. Create new things.