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

The next weeks were filled with classes and exercises, waking up before the sun and not getting enough sleep. During my classes I learned not only survival skills but skills that would help me pick my rate in the Navy. Although the exercising was brutal, it taught me self discipline and will power. Along with the skills I learned in class, I was also taught how to be a proper military member. I was taught that my shoes always needed to be shiny and my uniforms were always to be ironed. When I was not in classes, I was in tech training. Tech training was the time where I learned basic survival skills that would ensure my safety whether on the ship or on shore. In Tech training, I learned the skills of a Sailor. I learned to handle and shoot the M9 service pistol and M870 shotgun correctly. I also learned the basics of a seamanship which included basic water survival and fire fighting because a fire can break out on ship without any notice. While the time in boot camp was stressful, I can look back and see how it prepared me for the life ahead of me while I was serving on board the USS Enterprise. I left boot camp on January 23, 2002. years but it help shape me as a better

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,

Reflecting on all the times in my life that I have had to overcome obstacles there is a long list of mishaps, lessons learned and many other adventures. The top one of the list is going through US Navy boot camp, which consisted of basically being torn down and built back up. In short you are told that the way you have always learned things from as early age is the wrong way and there is only one way the Navy way.

A submarine is defined as “something that functions or operates underwater; specifically: a naval vessel designed to operate underwater.” This definition holds true today but started at the beginning of the Civil War when submarines originally became a popular choice of weaponry. In general, submarine crews were composed of a commander, who steered the boat, and six or more men who used hand cranks to move the boat. Many inventors intended on creating electric motors to move the boat, but they were unable to produce enough torque. Submarines were primarily used in combat because they could travel invisibly. Innovations like submarines did not just change the way people fought wars–they also changed the way people lived.

As my knowledge grew it came with reasonability and promotions. But, I still got in trouble but each time I learned from it. I’m 19 now and I’m in charge of a 20 million dollar jet aircraft. The Navy made me see that attention to detail should be your priority just behind safety. I learned that slow is fast on some jobs. You don’t always have time to do rework on something you rushed to get done. So taking your time could mean your life or your shipmates.

It takes Honor to hold the Navy’s name and abide by their regulations, Courage to stand before others and lead them in front of hundreds, and to Commitment to push through and make your way from the bottom to the top. With all this comes responsibly in being able to admit and accept when you have made a mistake. I like having the sense of reinforcement and knowing I always have someone like our naval science instructors to teach us to learn from our errors and congratulate us on our achievements. Hence, one of my favorite things is being one of the Color Guard captains. I like being able to take that charge in leading and teaching others what I have learned and pass it down to them, hopefully to see them one day in my spot.

They switched around my orders last minute and I found myself on USS Anchorage instead of a mountaintop. I had an amazing time on USS Anchorage; I spent time with EOD from different nations, Marines and later NASA scientists. The EOD were onboard for RIMPAC, and they took myself and a few other midshipmen out on one of their small boats to observe a mission. The Marines came aboard later for LA Fleet Week, and the NASA folk were practicing retrieving a space capsule. I got to line handle a capsule into the well deck of the ship, and it was harder than I expected. When I was not running around the ship, I practiced navigation and driving on the bridge. Towards the end of the cruise, one of my friends took the Conn and I took the helm without the OOD’s awareness. For a solid 30 seconds, two midshipmen were driving the 550 ft. ship (at the enlisted’s amusement) until the OOD came back from the bridge wing and kicked me off the helm. If we had more time, we might have tried to turn it 360 degrees. Overall, my experience on USS Anchorage convinced me to become a Surface Warfare Officer

I was tasked with menial assignments and was dissatisfied with my professional standing. Once again, the thoughts of Dive School crept into my mind again and I thought I was being punished for my failure. At a pivotal moment, I decided that rather than accept my current cirumcstance as an inevitability, I opted to strive for greatness and work my way to greater opportunities. I volunteered for the jobs that no one else wanted and excelled at them to the point that I was recognized for my contributions and awarded the Army Achievement Medal within a few weeks. This enabled me to pursue a reassignment to a infantry brigade that had a CBRN Recon Platoon Position. A platoon position for a CBRN officer is few and far to come by. With 8 CBRN officers for every 1 CBRN unit leadership position, often a CBRN officer will progress throughout their career without being assigned a leadership role, spending their entire career on staff. Through my hard work and tenacity, I was selected to be one of these few lucky

I awoke the following morning to shouts of “LIGHTS, LIGHTS, LIGHTS!” which meant get the hell out of bed as fast as you can and stand on line. As we stood waiting for our instructions from our drill instructors, we could all sense each others fear. For the next 13 weeks we would be told what to do how to think and when to breath. Not only was it physical but also psychological, we would be torn down and built in to the perfect Marine. After we were yelled at to get dressed in our camies, we marched down to the chow hall. I had maybe 2 minutes to scarf down my

There are very unique jobs that lead people to having different life experiences their first day or week on the job. Joining the military for me was a very interesting last minute plan since such though had never crossed my mind. When the time to leave home arrived, I felt like it was all a dream, as if I had lived in a cloud for a few months. There were a lot of thoughts running through my head when as the bus was approaching the military installation I would be calling home for the next few months. The most important thing I remember doing when I got to basic training was to listen to every single little detail of instruction that was given, and following instructions all the way to the period. There were a lot of diverse things I learned the first week of basic training such as; military values, self-confidence, to be physically and mentally strong, educational programs, and learning about programs to buy property.

Within the first hour of arriving to basic training, I realized the immense impact the military would have on my life. Faced by people demanding seemingly unattainable feats on a daily basis, I pushed myself to endure the physical and emotional demands of the US Air Force. Above all, the most challenging aspect was being subjected to the proverbial fire hose of knowledge. There were days I wished I could go back to the family dairy farm I grew up on, where the fruits of hard work were tangible goods. I survived the trials and tears of basic training and continued on to the next deluge of education. I repeated this routine for the remaining six years of service and beyond, consistently flourishing under pressure. I was continuously reminded of the core values of the Air Force: integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. It is these principles, along with dedication and enthusiasm, which have since guided me through medical school and prepared me for residency training in anesthesiology.

Hard work and dedication were a requirement everyday with no exceptions. I had met fellow sailors from all over the U.S and even other countries. I had instantly found my call, and could not get enough of the new elements I was introduced to. For the first time in my life, I was assigned to be a leader and I naturally took to the assignment. The formula was simple, exercise hard, keep a pristine uniform, and be loud and proud. I was assigned the rate of Aviation Ordnanceman, and after three months I made my way to Pensacola,

As time went on we had learned the entire Chain of Command, proper Navy rules and how to properly wear all the uniforms and the seasonal changes for whites and blues. As the 8th week came we got ready for graduation. Everyone was ready to show their parents how much they had grown up in the last two months. Part of growing up was proper grooming, making our beds and being responsible and accountable for each other.

Every Ballistic Missile Submarine has two crews. When one is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the boat, the other works in an office building. One crew is responsible for the maintenance and operations of the ship, known as the On-Crew. The Off-crew is in a phase known as a Pre-deployment period, away from the ship. During this period the off-crew is training and planning maintenance.