The Man
by Camilla Yanushevsky

Separation, Racism, Struggle, Leadership: The Tall Mountain He Climbed:
Barack Obama was born Aug. 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in Wichita, Kan. Obama’s parents studied at the East-West Center of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and this is where they first met. However, Obama had to struggle with the separation of his parents when he was only two years old. 

It as in the fifth grade when he was attending Punahou Academy in Hawaii that he learned about racism and white privilege. He was one of three black students at the school. As a teenager he struggled with his heritage. His mother was white. His father was black. He didn’t know where he fit in. Not only this, but he continuously felt the pain of his parents’ divorce. According to his book Dreams Of My Father, all of these feelings and struggles piled up and caused him to try alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. After high school, Obama attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, but later transferred to Columbia University in New York. In 1985 Obama moved to Chicago where he worked as a community organizer, trying to help low-income residents. Obama attended Harvard Law School in 1988 and in 1990 he was elected as the first African American editor of the Harvard Law Review. In 1996, he decided to help people in Illinois when he was elected as the Senator of the state. It is twelve years later, and Barack Obama is President-elect of the United States.

Compatibility
Obama’s astrological sign is Leo. He is compatible with Sagittarius, Aries, Gemini, and Libra. He is not compatible with Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces, Taurus, or Cancer.

Serving up warmth on a cold, rainy day
On a cold rainy day, Obama might turn to his favorite books Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, Moby Dick, Shakespeare’s tragedies, The Bible, or Self-Reliance, by Ralph Waldo Emerson. When the sun goes down and his stomach begins to growl, he knows it’s time to cook his favorite food, chili,  as he watches his favorite movies Casablanca and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest with his wife, Michelle Obama.

Planning Parties
If you ever want to invite Obama to your Sweet 16 and want to look impressive, play music from his favorite artists. These include Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Johann Sebastian Bach and The Fugees.

The Issues
by Alina Marciniak

What he’ll do for the schools:
  Stressed about tons of standardized tests?  Stress no more.  Obama plans to reform No Child Left Behind and employ a  state “Early Assessment Program” which will offer an optional exam that will test college-readiness of eleventh graders instead of a mandated state-wide standardized test.  
     Think getting 60 service-learning-hours is a difficult graduation requirement?  Obama hopes to set a goal of 50 hours of service-learning each year for all middle and high school students.  
    Obama wants to double funds for after-school programs to encourage more students to participate in extracurricular activities. 
What he’ll do for college-bound students:
     Seniors, say goodbye to those Free Application for Federal Student Aid packets.  Obama plans to help students who need financial aid by making the financial aid application process quicker and easier.  He will take away the five packet, 127 question, financial aid application and  will replace it with  a small box on tax forms. If a family decides to fill out the box, they give their permission to colleges  to look at their tax forms. Then colleges that the student in the family applies to  can decide whether or not the family is eligible for financial aid.
    Obama is also a strong proponent of race-based affirmative action for college admissions.  However he plans to put an emphasis not only on race, but also on class.   In an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Obama said,  “I think   that we should take into account white kids who have been disadvantaged and have grown up in poverty and shown themselves to have what it takes to succeed.”
    For those students not planning to attend a four-year college or university, Obama also plans to create a community college partnership program.  The program will provide grants that will aid in the implementation of associate’s degree programs at community colleges. Ultimately, students will be better prepared for  the workforce following graduation and for technical career demands.
What he’ll do for the environment:
    As America continues to edge towards a major energy and economic crisis, Obama plans to put 1 million American-manufactured plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2015. Also, for families looking to buy a new car, Obama supports creating a $7000 tax credit for purchasing eco-friendly vehicles. 
What he thinks about gay marriage:
     Obama supports civil unions between gay couples, but he personally believes marriage should be between a man and a woman.  He does not support a federal ban on gay marriage and believes that the decision should be left to the states.

All information courtesy of barackobama.com, Barack Obama’s Official Facebook page, and his book Dreams of My Father