Reflection Paper

On September 6, 2017, I were documented for an incident that involved a University Housing policy violation. I was charged with violating the University Housing Alcohol 1.2 policy. With my violation, came consequences. I met with The Residence Conduct Coordinator to discuss my actions and came to the conclusion that I would have to schedule a meeting with The Campus Alcohol and Drug Education Center (CADEC) and with that, a reflection paper.

There are multiple reasons I am where I am today and why I’m going where I’m going. I have struggled in school ever since I can remember but without the people that I have had in my life I wouldn’t where I am today. But as I will talk about the teacher have played a huge role in the reason I am able to be where I am today.

As we now know I’m currently earning ~$44,500, and in preparation for my review I did a little homework. According to my research, with my skills and knowledge, I should be earning more. I would like to discuss an increase in my compensation to reflect the effort I’ve put into this team and this company.

I’m a light skin woman living in south Mississippi. I do not personally identify with a race of people. However, my family identifies themselves as Caucasian, I debunk race identification as an arbitrary made-up system employed to categorize people. I believe we are one race, the human race. I more identify with nationality as an American.

My mother does genology for my family so I know that I am mostly a mix of African, Native American and not enough European to really think about. I look like a normal African-American girl and most people I come in contact with assume the same thing. To define myself without race I would say I am invested in the betterment of other peoples lives and performing in front of an audience. As a black woman I am affected mostly in my major, theatre, because being black is a factor in whether or not I am cast in certain roles. Personally it has been a rollercoaster going to predominately white-schools and still finding a way to love and appreiciate my blackness. I’m reminded of my race daily when I have to mix my foundations to find a shade that isn’t offered or when my theatre professors suggest I do a monologue from “A Raisin in the Sun’ and as of recently when I look at the news I am affected by the fact that the injustice in the world based on race could happen to me or a loved one in a heartbeat.

Humans have done great things throughout history. As a species, we have accomplished everything from the development of civilization to reaching the moon. These cultures allowed mankind to make beautiful things such as art, architecture, and literature. However, the thing about humans is that they are, well, human. All humans will inevitably make mistakes. They are simply a part of being alive. What is more important than messing up is how people deal with their mistakes. Some deflect the blame and make excuses for themselves. While this is the common response, it is not ideal or virtuous. Instead, people ought to own up to their mistakes. This is what allows us to grow in character as humans. Thus, I learned many life lessons from when my mother, my grandmother, and I apologized.

I stood atop a wooden stage found in an auditorium located in the University of Toledo. While standing there, Dan Stark, the Toledo region’s current engineer of the year, handed me a scholarship while the sound of applause filled the large building. The framed sheet of paper had a four-digit number written in it in large font: $1,000. To understand the circumstances that led up to this event one must observe the past and how I learned the importance of hard work.

Honors 103 presented me an intellectual challenge this semester; It certainly altered many of the expectations and assumptions about writing that I possessed prior to enrolling in the course. Throughout the semester, I wrote a strong paper that I was particularly proud of, in addition to a paper that I felt was weaker, and numerous papers in between. However, the weaker paper highlighted elements of writing that I will continue to refine moving forward. I actively participated in and regularly attended class, which helped me absorb the most amount of information as possible. I did many assignments and activities that were especially helpful, informative, and useful, although there were a few assignments that I would modify. This class addressed all the course objectives, and specifically helped me better understand and achieve several. Certain aspects of writing remain which I would like to learn more about, which goes hand in hand with the message that I took away from this course.

While growing up in a small town with nearly 3,500 people and exactly two red lights, I heard a lot of comments made by students that degraded where we lived. Any comments from “our schools scummy and doesn’t teach us anything” to “there is nothing to do around here”, were statements I heard daily. I cannot tell you how wrong they were. Growing up in such a small school with a graduating class of 93 helped me build a strong relationship with nearly every teacher, and also shaped me into the person I am proud I’ve become and becoming. I was not exposed to nearly as many terrible events that large scaled schools are, and I also knew every single person in my class’s name. Although knowing everything about everyone wasn’t always positive, it definitely helped me learn a lot. It taught me you will absolutely NOT get along with everybody in life, but it is crucial to learn to find a positive in everyone. If you don’t, you will not be as successful as you could be. The same people that put down my beautiful and “boring” town are the same ones that didn’t remember to look for a positive in it. The positive’s being, it made us who we are. I definitely agree that it’s boring, but there is something beautiful about the simplicity features in life.

Throughout my four years of high school I have attended many classes, sport events, and had many other experiences that changed my view on life. As i later look back on these experiences. I see how much they really changed my view on people, the way I treat them and about life in general. Over the years, all of these experiences and situations have built me up and turned me into the person that I am today.

In school, I used to loathe the icebreakers that involved saying an interesting fact about oneself. I would fumble around and iterate some unoriginal sentiment about my favorite color or animal and leave without actually providing substance about myself. This all changed after I lost the vision in my right eye and could tell people about the three-inch needle that pierces my eye multiple times every year. I thoroughly enjoy watching people squirm as I chuckle and explain the process.

Going into this term, I wasn’t sure what to expect. My initial plan did not include taking this course this summer. Somehow, Troy ended up changing the schedule and it worked out for me. At least, I thought it was going to work out for me. This term has been very interesting. The classes that I took are PSY 6645 Evaluation and Assessment and CP 6642 Group Dynamics. This paper is going to be about my experience in PSY 6645. I’m going to discuss concepts that were new to me, experiences that caused me to think differently, if I feel as if this course is meaningful, and what can be applied to my professional practice.

Last summer my cousin and I were enjoying a meal with our families in China. It’s been 7 years since I last saw my cousin. We are about the same age and my favorite memory of her was celebrating her 11th birthday. I remember my uncle and aunt sitting to my right and my grandparents sitting to my left singing happy birthday as she blew out her candles. It has been so long I almost couldn’t recognize her when I arrived at the airport 2 weeks prior. My mom receives a call and leaves the room to pick up her phone. She comes back 10 minutes later in tears. She breaks the news to the family and that our trip would be cut short. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. In the following week, we pack up our bags and head out to the airport. She had to start treatment as soon as possible. I knew I would become the man of the house to take care of my mother and brother, who has autism, while my dad worked in New York.

I remember where it all started; I sat on the guard stand of an empty pool with a nagging mother texting my phone and time to kill. It was the summer before my senior year, the summer before I would make the most important decision of my life so far. I stared down at the blank list of schools in front of me; where to start? I visited a few campuses, and my mother put a few bugs in my ear, one for her alma mater, and the other for two historically black schools (HBCUs). I wrote the first down, placing it low on my list, but there was hesitation with the other two. My entire academic career have been in predominantly white environments; how would I navigate a majority black space?

Over the history of this country, many families across the globe have come to the U.S. in hopes of a better life. My family was one of the many that decided to leave our home country and come to the United States. We never realistically imagined coming to America, but when we did, it was a real dream come true. Knowing I was coming to this country as a student was especially exciting for me personally. We were so excited about this new adventure and the opportunities we would have, despite the many challenges that lay ahead. Two of the obstacles I had to overcome, were having to learn a new language, and build new relationships.