03.07 Free Choice Blog

03.07 Free Choice Blog
Assessment Details

The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriguez

Chapter 11 “The Aftermath”

            Gaby Rodriguez returned to school the next day after her interviews to find out if they’d gotten a copy of the Yakima Herald-Republic yet. She ended up being on the front cover with the headline PREGNOT. Then there were reporters following Gaby and trying to get a hold her and her family. But with the exposure came comments that were negative. The people missed her point and intentions completely or just simply ignored them. They were made by anonymous people who were being cruel and ignorant. Mr. Greene kept getting phone calls about networks and shows wanting to talk to Gaby about her project. She was also being sent letters and cards at school that she’d have to pick up from the principal’s office. Eventually, she ended up choosing NBC as the first major network where Gaby would be interviewed. She was to go on The Today Show and Telemundo. She was to fly to New York, although she was scared of flying, and took her mom, Juana Rodriguez. She stated that it felt good to be that person is there for people when most people say it but are being fake and don’t really mean it. She helped a teen girl realize that she shouldn’t let people bring her down and to hang in there at school because education is important.

            With every word, I became more intrigued with the story. For her to live down to those low expectations and see or hear what her community was saying must have made her anxious or nervous. I was also astonished on how those strangers and friends said about her whether they really knew her or not. The names they called her and what they said about her was terrible. To judge when they have no right to and call her an “attention-seeker”. But to see how she stayed positive and ignored what they said motivated me to ignore negative people and comments. Gaby’s intent was to show negatives and positives of what her project entitled. She expressed that we should ignore negativity and rise above expectations. I observed that Rodriguez used cause and effect in chronological order. She taught me to also live beyond stereotypes.