Reflection Paper

I enjoyed being a FIG mentor much more this semester than I did last year. In the Law and Order FIG I led last year, we had terrible attendance due to a mix of my mistakes as a new mentor and poor scheduling of their classes and the seminar. This year, I learned from many of my previous mistakes and was luckier in my schedule, and we had great attendance. My first change from last year was recording attendance on Canvas as a graded assignment. I found this much more effective than just keeping my own paper record because the students saw a grade and, even though it didn’t mean anything, they naturally wanted a higher grade. By the time most of them realized this was a separate class from LA 101 and didn’t give them any credits, they were already enjoying the FIG and would’ve come anyways. The second thing I changed started in our one-on-ones. I think I was just more personable and made a better individual connection with each of them. With a few students, we ended up talking for an hour or two just about classes, TV shows, or high school. I believe, or at least hope, that feeling like a friend influenced my students’ attendance and enjoyment of the seminars. Additionally, my facilitator this semester

I have been a student at Citrus College since the Summer of 2014. Every semester has been a growing experience for myself as a person whether it's been good or bad, but I never stopped persevering my goal of reaching a university because of the amazing support system I've found on campus. Growing up in single parent household my mom had always stressed the importance of education, yet I felt like school wasn't for me. It was a chore, that here at Citrus College has turned into a pleasure. I feel at home whether I'm out running with the Cross Country team or at the Real Estate club banging out our next campus activity. It makes it easy to want to give my academics my best because I don't want to let down all the people around me who have invested

A classmate recently characterized the first semester at F&M as a roller coaster ride. During the first week including orientation, every incoming student is excited to start class and tries to make friends in this new setting. Then classes start and all of a sudden everything starts moving at a rapid pace as a roller coaster. Some students adapt to this change quickly while others get overwhelmed and start looking for help. I was lucky enough to be one of the students who adapted quickly, and I consider my MA played a significant role in acclimatizing me to F&M. I believe I can be a great mentor to my peers especially in academic matters that are missing from orientation. During my orientation, faculty and HAs talked about alcohol consumption,

I want to become CEO of a major business and expand my knowledge so I can be successful. This event gave me tips and advice on how to do that by taking the time to thoroughly go through the college process with me and every other student as well. This event relates to other things that I’ve experienced out of class because my everyday life at college was coming from the orientation. The orientation encouraged me to stay on task and stay focused on having a successful future. This event will affect my college experience as a whole by making sure that I don’t make incoherent decisions. It will guide me through the rest of my college life. I will use the information that I learned from The First Four Student Orientation to make sure that I have a prosperous college life. I will also pass down the knowledge that I learned to next year students so that they don’t feel nervous or

College is all about establishing one’s foundation in their courses and life in general. During this first semester here at Oklahoma Baptist University, I have laid down the individual bricks of decisions that will help support my future. The decisions prior to college are great, but the decisions made within this first semester have a long-term impact because one must decide what to major in, what groups to associate with, and events to participate in. Thankfully with personal strengths, I am have been able to set goals for this semester and work to achieve them. While there have been many challenges this semester, I have devoted time into establishing the groundwork for my future.

I have learned so much in these past three weeks. There has been a bit of a learning curve adjusting to legal policies that effect the state of Florida that I haven’t had to deal with in the past, as well as learning about how the USF System operates. My supervisor has been great about helping me understand the institution and filling me in on things that don’t make sense after we meet with other people on campus. Orientation is a lot of work! My days have been filled with small but constantly busy tasks in preparation for our first FTIC orientation happening June 8-9th! I’m looking forward to that experience and processing any questions or concerns I have after having been through a session.

By my second year, I joined the OLÉ! Team to help coordinate Orientation Weekend. While the Team was preparing materials, we began talking about our first year experiences. I opened up about my personal difficulties, and I learned that many others also struggled to adjust. I was inspired to become a Scholastic Assistant for next year’s Orientation Weekend so that I could serve as a peer mentor to guide first year students through their transition. Helping foster a positive educational and developmental experience, I spent countless weekends throughout my third year supporting others and being a friend to those like the lonely, homesick freshman I once was. I discovered a passion for working with others towards a common goal and connecting with incoming

In the first class, I met some very nice and interesting people from all different backgrounds but with one common goal, a degree. Then my team was created. I met with my team on Tuesday night. Can I tell you how much I dig them? Although one fella couldn't find the place, him and I have spoken via email several times. The other two, Craig and Mike, made it and we chatted and bonded. I learned a lot about each of them. I think the consensus is that we're going to enjoy this class and look forward to the next year and a half. School doesn't feel dark and gray, it feels like an adventure I'm looking forward to embarking on.

Over the course of the last three years I have had an incredible experience taking part in the First Year Experience program and I have intent to return as a mentor during my senior year. When I entered Texas Tech as a freshman I though this program may help me adjust during my first semester then I would just take the benefits of what I learned and continue on with college career. Little did I know that this freshman introduction class would continue to have an impact on my life. Most of these impacts have actually come from my time in as a Learning Community group mentor in the program. When I became a mentor after my freshman year I hoped that I would be able to teach the freshman students in my class all about Tech and help them in whatever way they

Writing is like a fine wine, it only improves with age. Through this semester I have meticulously learned the art and appreciations of writing. Over the long semester, I have improved through long sleepless nights. Which in fact were worth it in the very end, upon receiving my grade through the last 3 essays. My last essays that have enhanced my knowledge of writing of summarizing an article, defending a claim, and an op-ed piece. I’ve ultimately used my writing to not only learn, but also to critique and analyze my works, and use them to successfully thrive in this class.

Life represents a culmination of unforeseen events that eventually lead to success, and in the minds of the majority college symbolically defines the first major obstacle one must overcome to continue that journey. Every year, high school students across the nation eagerly anticipate the coming of their senior year and the rapidly approaching adventure to follow, but for many it simply reminds them of the heartache that is soon to come. My own personal experience began with the blinding influence hope cast over my judgement as inner levels of excitement exponentially increased and my emotions became steadily influenced by the people surrounding me. However, little was I aware that my future had already been decided and no external force would have the necessary impact to reconfigure my current course. In a sense, my ship had already sailed and was leading me in ironclad chains to foreign lands of which my presence was to be forced. College, to me, would soon become an indescribable burden where reality would suddenly become brutally clear and all hopes for a productive future existed upon the fate of an unstable pendulum.

Growing up, I considered school one of my safe places. However, this all changed in 8th grade when one of my classmates began sexually assaulting and harassing me. My sense of safety and security was replaced by an overwhelming sense of fear. Simple freedoms such as going to my locker became luxuries that I no longer enjoyed. The harassment both restricted my freedoms and affected me emotionally by inducing extreme anxiety. One classmate had the power to transform a place I had known and felt safe in for over six years into the place I feared the most. But even more disconcerting was both the lack of support and the inadequate concern to my safety and well being by the administration. The overwhelming decision to essentially push the entire case under the rug left me feeling ashamed and powerless. But, the abuse continued and it became clear I had no control over this situation.

Throughout our discussion there were several intriguing and engaging questions that were asked and sparked a good conversation among our group. One moment where I believe I was most successful in the discussion, was throughout minutes six through sixteen. Throughout this time, we discussed how the Party’s control in 1984 can be seen in the world around us today such as in North Korea. This question was first prompted by Leo but what I feel made this our groups most engaging point was how everyone added to the question by rephrasing it, or adding additional information and perspectives, or incorporating it into aspects they are most passionate about in their lives. From this point, I related it to history and how history can be rewritten to correct ways a nation or person has morally failed. I used the example of slavery to show this point. Starting from about minute eight I discuss with my group how according to an article my English class read last year, Texas history textbooks teach slavery based on how it economically impacted the South rather than by teaching the dehumanizing and awful treatment of other people. This question and the points brought up by this question were what I found to be most engaging. Our group spent nearly ten minutes on this point, because this point took a personal side and everyone had something to discuss from it. I believe the passion developed from this point is what made this not only my most successful moment but one of our groups best

In 1994, my parents immigrated to Canada from Vietnam to seek better living conditions and a promising future for their soon-to-be children. However, to live in a free nation filled with opportunities, the two left everything behind. While living in rent, my father worked full-time at a factory while my mother had found a job as a cashier. Although they had a sustainable income, my father understood that raising a child would cost them more than they were currently making. In 1997, my father decided to study computer science at Langara in search for a better-paying job while working part-time as a security guard. Meanwhile, my mother took up housekeeping, working at two different hotels to earn more money for their coming child. Understandably, my parents had made their lives much harder immigrating to Canada, but their sacrifices - I can say - has paid off.

Everyone has at least one point in their educational life that has shaped them into the student or person they are today. For me, coming together after being separated as the “Germantown” and “Farmersville” kids for the first six years of school changed the way I built myself as a student. Becoming friends with new people, having new teachers for every subject, changing up the routine, and actually having to switch classes has taught me a lot of different things.