Community Reflection Essay

When I first got accepted into Stuyvesant High School, I heard countless of rumors stating: “Oh the workload is terrible”, “The competition is so fierce” or “Out of schoolwork, extracurriculars, or sleep: you can only pick two.” I found it hard to let it faze me, since I graduated from one of the most prestigious middle schools. However, the rumors transformed into reality when I stepped into Mr. Nieves’ Freshman Composition Class. The workload at the beginning of the year was brutal, coupled with assignments from other core classes that seem unaware of the workload of other teachers. Reading assignments were a regular, and there were journal entries and occasional quizzes to keep us in line. What made it bearable was the friends I made in that class; everyone had their own opinion about the topic we were talking about, and listening to other perspectives really broadened my horizon and enriched my learning experience in Stuy. Another thing that this class has taught me is the importance of time management, a skill that I will carry on for the rest of my high school career and life. When I choose to sign up for Mr. Nieves’ AP American Literature class in my Junior Year, I was hoping to relive the discussion-based lesson plans and meet more outstanding peers. I was not disappointed, to say the least, reflecting through all the experiences at the end of the course. The lesson plans he laid out for us were an interesting mix between small lectures and class output, and what I

It is still so surreal to reflect back on my first semester as an incoming college student in the ENC1101 course, analyzing at my progression as a reader and writer in literacy. Since the first day of class I set in stone my goals for this class: receive a 4.0 GPA, develop my connecting theories skills in writing, and become more aware of objectives for each Unit throughout the course. All of these goals became achievements that not only make others proud but most importantly give me self pride. In order to earn the grades and achieve these goals, I went after every opportunity that I was given as an incoming college student, such as office hours and extra credit. By taking this course I have gained confidence with the utilization of literacy, and made an addition to my group of impactful literacy sponsors. Once students are finished with high school they assume that there is nothing else to learn beyond the stereotypical five paragraph essay, but they are so wrong. I was able to obtain so much knowledge about numerous course concepts from Writing about Writing, articles, and my professor. These concepts will carry on with me throughout a bright future of writing courses, job interviews, and any other skills that require literacy. The four outcomes listed below will help illuminate how I improved as a writer, by being a driven college student and going out of the way to earn my achievements in this course. In the first outcome I improved comprehending scholar texts,

Many people experience exclusion in their lives; yet, when they feel included, they experience the process of healing. In the memoir Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Power of Adversity, Dw Brees’ journey to healing is explored. This experience of exclusion to inclusion is also discussed in Becoming Human by Jean Vanier. The New Orleans Saints accepted Drew, a severely injured quarterback at the time, just as Jean Vanier accepted people with intellectual disabilities into L’Arche. Withal, Drew is given the opportunity to motivate and inspire his team, and those people included in the L’Arche community are given the opportunity to develop new, meaningful relationships. For Drew, having this opportunity results in a milestone for the whole team that represents hope for New Orleans, while the people with intellectual disabilities being able to be in an inclusive community result in the maturity of the heart. Both works suggest that being inclusive towards other people, especially those excluded in society, by welcoming them into a particular community result in a person’s internal and external healing.

Provide a brief description of each of the meetings (how many people, set up of room, who was in charge, did everyone talk, how was meeting run, was it educational or support?)

There were many different people present at this meeting. The first person I noticed was, Mr. Ford Thompson. Mr. Thompson is the Board President and he did most of the

To begin the discussions and build a rapport with participants each listening session began with defining community and

Ex. Carl and I had numerous effective meetings while working on the Craigslist Revamp Project together. For meetings, I brainstorm ideas and reasoning on the topic beforehand.

This study will be focusing on students of California State University, Northridge (CSUN). This campus is located in the center of the city of Northridge which has a population of over 57,000 (U.S. Census, 2000). According to Mapping L.A., It is considered as “highly diverse” city . The median household income in Northridge is $67,906 in 2008. Next, in education, 34.9 percent of adult residents have at least a four-year degree. Lastly, the median age of the population is 32 years old (Mapping L.A., n.d.).

The meeting started with the president of the group asking each one of us to write down three goals and ideas for a community outreach project. My ideas consisted of working with a homeless shelter to provide adequate rooms for the families, working with a local elementary school to build a maker’s space for the children, and creating a large event that mimic’s TED X by creating a large educational form for all design fields to support a cause.

Most failed professional meetings are due to a lack of focus and unclear goals. It is extremely important to come prepared with a specific agenda and a clear understanding of what must be accomplished. While one can be flexible, the agenda must list the topics that will be discussed as well as the goals; it is really the road map to a successful meeting. The agenda should include; a review from previous business meetings, a dialogue of new issues, and a clear evaluation of the group 's goals. One can use judgment to add or subtract items from the agenda as the meeting develops, as long as the route still leads towards the final goals. Using colleagues time efficiently is necessary to make ones meeting enjoyable and helps to build group morale. It is recommended that supervisors of the meeting should not be too optimistic about what should be accomplished in a single meeting.

Imagination plays a crucial role in creating communities and its identity. Fiction, in this case will cover both absolute fabrications and biases in the discourse of history's narration. History can be malleable in the hands of narrators, which they use to unite their audience into a common interpretation of their history. Alicia Barber, The author of the essay, Local Places, National Spaces: Public Memory, Community Identity and Landscape at Scotts Bluff National Monument, talks about two community's disagreement on a tourist spot's proper use and maintenance. Barber analyzes the community's relations to the landmark and how it affects the discourse of history's narration, the malleability of public memory, and how it all connects with

After the field trip to Carter & McCrae, on Thursday, November16th, I can say that my beliefs and understandings about children from a different cultural and/or ethnic minority group have changed significantly. Before the trip I had some basic understandings of the challenges that these groups face, but I never truly understood all of the obstacles that they have to overcome. Overcoming these obstacles will allow them to be successful in schools, which will better enable them to be successful in the future. Some of the different aspects that I found eye opening included the disadvantages that some of the groups faced, for example, lack of housing. Another obstacle that I found interesting was how much work it took to receive support in today’s society. Lastly, I was surprised by the challenge that people who have a refugee status often face. In this reflection of my trip I plan to explain how these major points surprised me the most.

While home for Thanksgiving break I went to Sunday mass with my family. We have been members of Salem Lutheran Church since before my dad was born. When after entering the church, my family and I sat in our usual pews. The pastor gave a passionate sermon focusing on motherhood and childbirth. After service, everyone gathered in the gymnasium for coffee and snacks. I first spoke with Wayne, a soft-spoken Caucasian man in his late 60’s who was mildly brain disabled. Wayne dressed in baggy pants and a Hawaiian shirt that barely covered his belly, and wore an old school camera around his neck. Then I talked with Jackie, Collin, and Zach; all young Caucasian students who are all part of an art program at Whitworth University. All three were dressed in nice formal dress. After that I spoke with Jake Jacobsen, our church president, in the line for snacks. She wore slim straight slacks and a plaid shirt that was tucked in. She spoke will clear and distinct articulation.

I see them, dressed fully in red and white, ready for their big moment. The real excitement begins when they start to play. The first, out of tune, squeaky note comes out and a wave of nostalgia hits me, and I am reminded of middle school band.

The opportunities for community building within MRC are abundant and seem to never end. This chance to connect, build, and maintain relationships with fellow peers interested in research and a community is a priceless experience that is very unique to MRC. In just a few short months, I have actively aimed to attend every event that was offered, soaking in all of the opportunities that MRC has to offer. While I haven’t made it to every event, I do try my best to find time for my community. Firstly, my favorite event that MRC hosts is MRC tea time, for this is a great way to meet MRC alumni, converse with the wonderful staff, and share stories with friends from the fourth and fifth floors, all while drinking warm tea! I truly love this event and I met one of my great friends there, Milan, and a helpful mentor, Maddie! Because picking favorite MRC events feels like picking my favorite family members, I am now just going to list some of the amazing events I have been to. The creativity within MRC is absolutely astonishing! This is evident by all of the fun events planned by our own members. I have been to an event for building zen gardens, and solving a murder case, and a game night where there was a karaoke machine. I have watched La La Land with fourth floor middle Jo and popped my stress away with Crystal and her floor. STEPS encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. Community conversations provides an experience to open up to our peers, an