Reflection Paper

My first semester as a college freshman is finally coming to an end. This semester has been the start to a new chapter in my life and I am glad to have finally finished my first semester on a high note. Coming into college I never knew what things would be like and how would I adjust. All I knew is that I wanted to succeed and eventually graduate college. The courses I have taken this semester have had big impact on my learning and my future. Assignments that taught skills and lessons to be used in the future. I have learned skills such as being able to collaborate in groups because of projects in ASU 150.

I did poorly last semester but this semester I have plans to do better. I am going to have a daily action plan and plans for how to deal with different problems that might come up. Last semester I did not properly handle the things that came up which is why it turned out like it did.

Time flies, the first term of my freshmen year is almost to the end. When I first got into college, I didn't know what to do as a college student. It was hard during the first two weeks of my freshmen year. Not to mention, It was right after a long summer's vacation. I was extremely lazy about everything and couldn't focus on school work. After almost failing my first mid-term, I realized I need to focus on studying. I began to get back on track and finished work before the deadline. As time passed, I could still remember when I first got into the Freshmen Inquiry class I was struggling and now my Freshmen Inquiry class is working on our last project of the term and our group is doing great. During Freshmen Inquiry class, I learned many things.

I plan on ensuring that I will satisfy all future University Honors requirements by being more diligent about putting honors events into my calendar and making time for them. I believe that after this quarter I will not have the same problems because I know how to do my job and I am familiar with the course load now that I have taken my first quarter of organic chemistry, biology, and physics together. This quarter has also made me realize that I can benefit from attending counseling at Counseling and Psychological Services so that I can manage my stress better. It has also taught me that I need to be more adaptable with my approach to time management than I was in the past and that there is a better way to balance my life and achieve the grades

Starting the new semester will be a different experience as to the first semester. My first semester was a beginning to a new chapter, it was my first semester in college. Everything was so different compared to high school. Some things do not change when it comes to school instead, they need to improve, and in this case, it is being successful and not getting into bad habits. As the semester proceeds, there are things I hope I do not change, so they can help me succeed. There are also many obstacles that can get in my way, but with motivation I can overcome them. Some obstacles that might stand in my way of being successful this semester are laziness, distractions, and my social life.

College can be very difficult. When people start college they are usually very organized, manage time well, and have a plan. As time goes on and grades are made; that drive tends to diminish. My plan for the rest of the semester is to focus on the big picture, understand and use my learning styles to my advantage, and put to practice the science of studying.

During the first semester of my senior year I had no motivation. At this point everyone expected me to be absorbed into my future plan and career, yet I apparently didn’t get the memo. The only thing I could think about was that I had finally reached the top of the school and I was allowed to have open periods. I set myself up to have an easy first semester and that is exactly how it

My perception, understanding and appreciation for Christ has been a long varied, incrementally positive path that started with the introduction of the Scriptures from Roman Catholic catechism classes. I also recall an exceptionally early introduction to prayer through an insert from the New York Times that my father gave to me. Notably, with extreme thankfulness my non religious grandmother sent me to a Christian summer camp as a teen. Here the gospel was presented to me for the first time. Later I returned to work on the grounds of the summer camp in the kitchen over several summermos. In my teen years, my spiritual diet was greatly varied from the house church where I was baptized, to several charismatic churches that we visited when I was young, being invited by a friend.

It was Mission Sunday at First Reformed Church, sitting in a pew with my youth group when I was given the opportunity to go to Eden, Jamaica the summer after my freshman year. My youth pastor, Ross, was standing on the stage in church describing the past trip that he went on with our high school youth group that past summer. He talked about the mission work they did, the relationships that were created, and the amazing views they saw. He then went on to say that the next group of kids that were the incoming freshman through seniors. That was me! I was so excited! I really wanted to go!

Life can change in the blink of an eye. One moment it is smiles and laughter and the next moment it is tears and feelings of hopelessness. I never fully comprehended the reality of this life idea until I was coming to the end of my freshman year of high school. Just like any other day at school, he was radiating with joy and happiness. However, that night many lives changed. It was apparent to me and many others that the radiating joy and happiness was fake. That specific night, May 2, 2017, his joy turned to sorrow and his happiness turned to an excruciating pain. On this very night, my innocence was stripped away and my outlook on life was drastically changed.

For an organizational analysis of my current context, I decided to select Option A: Adizes: Focus on Organizational Lifecycle. Everything has a lifecycle, from geological formations to people, societies, and civilizations. Of course, organizations, too, go through different stages – they grow, change, and then, they disintegrate. Even though none of this comes as a surprise to anyone, yet some organizations and their leadership may not be ready to embrace the change and still be sustainable and efficient. As Ichak Adizes boldly suggests in his book, "The challenge of leadership on any level – individual, family, organization, and society – is to change continuously and, nevertheless, always remain together" (1999, 9). As organizations go through different stages, each time they are presented with the peculiar challenges. In many cases, new difficulties cannot be resolved with the old methods and attitudes. Without abandoning their old customs, organizations can be at risk to stagnate or even fall apart as they advancing through numerous transitions. The majority of organizations would encounter similar lifecycle stages; however, they would need to develop certain abilities in order to advance forward in the lifecycle.

Do we really look into ourselves? As I read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch over fall break his life story really made think: How will I accomplish my dreams like Mr. Pausch? Randy’s idea of a “brick wall” really hit me because I admire that someone believes that hardships could lead to great things if they work towards it. I want to look into myself and see what life lessons that I go by the seventeen years I have been on this planet, and how they reflect what people will remember about me.

Can one semester and class really change a person? Most would not think, it’s only half a year. How much can half a year do? I thought the same thing until this semester in Mrs. Wawrzyniak’s class. This class achieved so much in such a short amount of times it’s incredible. I can truly say over these 6 months I’ve changed as a student and person overall. It wasn’t always easy or fun but I’m glad I experienced everything I did in this class. I’m going to tell you everything we did from the little achievements to the huge ones!

We all have different experiences with different things sometimes is just a difference from when you were younger to when you're older. My experience of church was different when I was younger compared to it now in the matters of Sunday school communion and church itself.

Let me start off by saying the knowledge I gained during this course is unmatched. It was overall a fun course and gave me a deeper understanding of topics I had never previously explored in American History. The way the professor conducted the class was all around smooth. I must agree my group members and I have become lifelong friends. I didn’t believe at the beginning but here we are. Many topics were studied but some that stood out to me is how Abraham Lincoln is basically a fraud he did everything for the benefit of himself, Holocaust and how America help fund it, how slaves were treated and reparations, criminal justice system in America, Eugenics, also secrets inside the Army including the money we waste within the military (The weapon funding of Al Qaeda). Amongst other social issues.