Reflection Paper

Throughout the course of this semester, I have continuously grown as a writer. Prior to taking this course, I had little experience or knowledge when it came to writing. I used to struggle with forming my thoughts into writing, let alone a paper. I was never confident with what I wrote. My writing had no greater purpose other than the assignment. My writing process included: writing my paper, proofreading it, and turning it in. Once the paper left my hands, it also left my mind. Throughout this course we worked with others, visited the writing lab, wrote critiques, and we were able to revise our papers. I believe that all of this is has caused me to grow greatly as a writer.

It’s very important to me in a job that I succeed in expectations and that I further myself in my career for the better. To make sure I have many doors open for me, just in

I love to help others win. I love watching others have success and helping to contribute to that success. I work well and cooperate with others. In my current position I occasionally face opposition and conflicts on how a process should be carried out. If my idea is not implemented and another idea works better I can get behind it one hundred percent. I have not always been this way, but I have learned to let matters slide that do not really matter one way or another. I promote the best possible outcome for everyone involved. I work with many different elements of our organization; moreover, I interact with many different types of people and personalities. I cooperate well with everyone, and I have been told this by many people on multiple occasions. I believe this is a strength that will propel me to succeed in any role.

I believe my strengths are that I’m an active listener and provide people with an open and comfortable atmosphere to let them open up. I do not like to judge people and as soon as this happens I correct my behavior. Understanding when this is happening and how to approach it can benefit the professional relationship with clients.

I have strength in doing very well within a job, but this has been primarily in pursuing goals already established. Question eight in the assessment is an obvious weakness. I do not like defining or clarifying goals for others, I am a good listener; but I hesitate in summarizing what someone has said in a way that might help them in identifying a goal, as well as making practical plans in how to get there. When I do help others in identifying goals, it has tended to be in a negative way of pointing out how they are not on track to do well. I do think goals are socially constructed, and we stumble our way into them too often. I know that I have had my own version of formulated plans, which I see as ideal, and when interruptions come, that cause me to make formative plans, I tend to see it as a loss or I become very self-critical of my original plans. The comments you had in the podcast about realized plans and strategy being something that is only clear when we look back, helped me see how I could improve my own attitude about this. Question two in the assessment was answered mostly false, because I do not have a definite outcome in my life, which I want to achieve. I have hints at best. I am in my fourth year of college, and I still do

At work, I feel the desire to exercise my interpersonal skills and organize processes and people. Consequently, I always wish to solve problems affecting other people by creating appropriate structures. Further, I feel that I require completing my work with detail and orderliness. Therefore, feel that my personality enables me to undertake reliable analysis and task execution. However, sometimes I take too much time trying to determine the most appropriate way of achieving the results. Consequently, I prefer to undertake a task that matches my values and ask for help for supportive individuals.

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.

Being in a life or death situation, or at least believing you, can radically affect how you feel about the world, and everything around us. To unknowingly shake loose your repressed feelings and thought, through the rush of adrenaline and reflection on your own actions, is a truly freeing experience. While such a freeing experience comes with a terrifyingly dangerous cost, I was able to find a refreshing outlook on life.

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.

"A failure isn’t a failure if it prepares you for a successful tomorrow." This quote by Lolo Jones has kept me calm for the past two years because if I gave up after every failure I’ve overcame in track I would not be sitting in this class or even attending Slippery Rock for that matter. As cliché as it sounds, everything does happen for a reason. I learned this the hard way during my junior and senior years of high school. Even though most of my experiences from being on the track team are positive, I ended my junior and senior year with the same feeling; regret and feeling like there was more I could’ve done to prevent myself from having to end my season earlier than I initially intended.

A struggle that I had was being influenced/following others. It all started one happy winter morning it was Valentine’s Day, I had been getting ready to go to school. I had just finished writing all my Valentine's last night for my classmates. I was in a rush, so they all said the same exact thing. I believe it was something along the lines of have a great day, here’s a lollipop. It was a picture of me holding holding out my hand and a real lollipop that my mom had punched through the paper to give it that 3D vibe.

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.

For this question I interviewed my former Manager and co-workers from my summer job. The general coconscious is that I am a diligent and dependable worker that is good at multitasking. I listen well and can always complete assigned jobs in a punctual manner. When I asked about area for improvement, some suggested I work on learning how to communicate more effectively. According to them, what sets me apart from others is my shear dedication to my work and my adaptability.