Reflection Paper

About a year ago, I began to find genuine interest in spiritual knowledge and learning, and its value and many applications outside of formal education and studies. I began researching philosophers and reading their works regarding spiritualism, new ways of thinking and perceiving things, as well as how our lives as human work in conjunction with the universe around us. I find this kind of thinking, and discovering some of the infinite wealth of knowledge around me, to be both personal and liberating.

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.

Contrary to what I initially believe meditation is, prior to taking this course, which is the mental concentration on something, meditation is actually a thoughtless awareness of an individual’s surroundings.

During the week-long Intensive class sessions with my mentors, I learned a number of new things about myself that I was not previously willing to address. In short, I had a moment of self-actualization that required some personal omissions on my part regarding my faith and yes, some internalized oppression as labeled by author Gayraud S. Wilmore. Opening up in class and admitting a few of my own short-comings was nothing short of liberating. Suddenly, I felt as though I had an epiphany; that has given birth to a renewed zeal, mind, and spirit. For the first time in years, I feel closer to the apex of excellence where God intended me to be.

When I write about my topic today my mind is instantly taken to the Bedouin monks and peoples of the same kind that find their “enlightenment” totally through the solitude and simple life they lead, and how in comparison our Christian walk is almost on a parallel with this lifestyle, but we have the other half of the puzzle as well in the spirit of god to guide us and counsel us in the ways we should go, as I was growing up in a heavily Christian home and environment, while at the same time being in the secular schooling and workplaces, I used solitude for reflection and gathering my thoughts to help me say sane in two completely conflicting worlds, it was my escape, what I didn't know is why this practice of being alone was so

For my service learning project I worked in Mrs. Evelyn Costa's first grade class at Meadowlane Elementary. Meadowlane is located at 4280 W 8th Avenue in Hialeah, Florida and was constructed in 1957. There are one thousand one hundred and seventy seven students enrolled at Meadowlane Elementary school. Meadowlane has fifty three classrooms and fourteen portables and there are one hundred and seventy nine students per grade level. The school was built on nine acres of land. The student population of meadowlane Elementary is comprised of 97% Hispanic, 2% White, and 1% Asian.

“Writing an essay is not difficult! I am actually great at it.” This is a common statement that I would formally say, and even believe. In the past, I had never felt the need to thoroughly revise my essays before. In all my past essays, I would work intensely on my first draft and then just turn the essay in. I never spent too much time re-evaluating my writing decisions before turning it in. This process had worked well for myself in the past, and as a result, each essay I turned it would be an easy “A”. When I signed up for EN100 I figured that it would be just like the other easy English class that I have taken. I assumed that I would work on an essay, turn it in, and then earn an A on it, but this was not the case. When I signed up for EN100 I figured that I could continue my previous essay writing methods, but that was quickly disproven. When I received my first graded essay, I was unsure why I earned anything but an “A” on it. It soon became clear to me that I was going to be required to change the way I formerly wrote my essays and spend more time with correcting them.

When I made the decision to stop going to college because I was pregnant I made a promise to myself; I promised that the moment my daughter was in school I would go back to school myself. Five years later I followed thru on that promise but not without any reservations. I had been out of school for so long, and I have a decent job why did I need to go back? How would the scheduling work? How was I going to maintain my work schedule and go to school? My determination and the want to keep the promise to myself is what allowed me to overcome my doubts and fears. Fast forward to picking classes I was nervous. I enjoy English and writing so that was fine and expected, but it was picking out the right teacher. I am beyond glad that I picked you as my professor. Not only was class fun and engaging, but your willingness to work with your students and encourage them is just what I needed. Out of everything I learned during the duration of this course the three significant things I learned were pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, how to keep a paper formal, and how to use different tools to produce the best paper I can.

As a Nepali refugee who had never heard of football until he came to America, the transition to play for my school team was not easy. I did not have an easy experience so I had to earn to play for the team. In this paper I will use ethos, pathos, and logos appeals to prove that I entered the discourse community of my High School Football Team by developing knowledge, demonstrating my loyalty to teammates, and creating bonds with the teammates who helped me to become a true football player despite knowing I am from another culture who do not speak the same language and do not anything about football. It is important for everybody to learn the experiences of others because there might be somebody out there who wants to be part of any team, but maybe they are afraid to step up to join that team thinking he or she is different among all. It doesn’t matter who you are, but it’s important that you become part of a team you are interested. You will learn to make friends, boost leadership as well as communication skills like I did by becoming part of high school football team.

Get the ball into the net. Get the ball through the hoop. Get the ball to the outfield. Or back infield, if I was playing defense.

A brief overview and background: I went on a mission trip with my church Youth group to a deaf village in Jamaica. While we were there, we built dorm rooms and classrooms for the children living there. The impact that trip had on my life was amazing. It made me realize just how good we have it in the United States of America.When I am hungry or upset and I didn't get the newest trend clothing, I always think back to the children down in Jamaica. They literally have nothing. At the deaf village, all the children are foster kids. Their parents gave them away because they did not want to deal with their disabilities. I have never taken my parents for granted again, because of what we have and the relationships we have in the U.S.are very precious, We are a very blessed nation.

Writing is a tool that will be used throughout my lifetime. It is a tool that is worth taking the time to perfect because it will only be beneficial in the long run. On my writing assignments, I earn A’s, but I still have areas that I need to work on. The areas that I struggle the most would be with simple grammar errors such as the use of commas, writing with an active voice, and writing short,simple sentences. First of all, I often do not know where to place commas in my sentence. I struggle with this because I tend to add commas in the wrong place, so I have become confused with the proper use of commas. This is a small grammar error that I can easily correct by learning where and when commas are needed. I have also found and been told that I write in a passive voice when I should be using an active voice. This is a technique that I have to work on by practicing it and noticing the difference while I am writing and reading. Finally, I often write run on sentences or sentences that include unnecessary information. This makes my writing unclear and difficult for the reader to understand. I could improve by writing shorter and simpler sentences that include only the essential information to get my point across. I have noticed these mistakes in my writing and it has also been brought up by others, so I am currently working on improving it.

Over the summer, I volunteered at my church, North Cleveland Baptist, during Vacation Bible School. This was a special time for several reasons. First, I was helping in a four-year old’s class. Watching them was a lot of fun. There was one girl who knew the Bible stories and it was incredible just how much she knew at such a young age. Being able to share the Bible stories and plant a seed in their lives is a blessing. I can continue to watch most of these kids grow in their faith as they get older. Knowing that you helped to get them to where they are in their relationship with God is such an amazing thing. There is nothing else you could do in a child’s life to make a greater impact. You can teach them many things, but teaching them the love of Christ is the greatest thing you could ever teach them. It is by far the greatest message that could be shared with anyone.

My whole family is very religious. Growing up we put on our best clothes and went to church every Sunday and bible study on Wednesday's. It was a huge part of our daily lives, we said our prayers every night, morning, meal, good things, and bad, we prayed a lot. For most of my adolescences I believed or was forced to believe that being an Christian Evangelist was the only way of life and everybody else in the world was going to hell. Whenever anything good happen in my life God did it; bad it was Satan himself. Around the age of 16 I began to ask questions and wonder if God was real or not, of course my family did not want to hear it and often ignored me or would say you just have to believe and have faith. If I asked what if I don't believe, would I go to hell? my family would say of course you will go to hell so just believe so you don't have to find out. The moment that was a turning point in my life was when I was 17 I had a conversation with my minister uncle. I asked him why would God send me to hell for an eternity just for having doubts? and if god created everything including Satan then God himself is evil. Well that did not sit to well with my uncle and he accused me of being possessed by demons and that I had the devils tongue. My uncle practically held me hostage, called all of my family and another preacher and held an exorcism. They had crosses, holy water and Bibles

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.