Reflection Paper

About half way through gym class I missed 3 days of school because I was at the St Cloud Hospital in the behavior health unit. After I got out, I tried everyday in gym to get caught up to others, and to improve my look. I was very insecure about my looks and myself, so I worked hard in gym and I would also exercise outside of school. I would spend more time exercising than anything else. Also I was trying to get into shape for the lacrosse season. In 9th grade the only test that had had a declining score was my 12-minute swim, it declined because I had just gotten out of the swim season and towards the posttest, it had been a long time since I had swam as intensely as I had at swim practice. Also during the summer, I biked and ran a lot because I didn’t hang out with a lot of friends. I also had a 2-week summer job teach young girls on the basics of lacrosse, which included biking to and from Pine Meadow to my house and running while I am there. I was also a nanny so I ran around with the two young girls I was watching and giving them lots of piggyback rides. In the beginning of my 10th grade gym class, I was not in any sports but was the manager for the boys’ hockey team. This provided me with no exercise and caused me to be very busy. In the spring I was in lacrosse so I was exercising more often. However, I injured my hip in lacrosse and it hurt to run, do the wall sit and sometimes even walk. I tried to stay eating healthy to still stay in shape as well as I could. Also during 10th grade physical education class, I had a bad attitude towards my grades and how hard I tried in class, most of the time I didn’t try very hard in

I have a lot of reasons why I have all of this anger built up inside of me and because I’m not a person who likes to talk about my problems I keep them to myself. With every day week month and year passing these problems grow bigger and bigger it doesn’t stop building until one day it explodes and there I am again in the principal's office being ask why.

The known is safe, the unknown is scary. Diving head first into something you don’t know is terrifying, why on earth would you do that. Sometimes doing something that scares you is needed, you never know the possibilities unless you try. In life you are presented with choices all the time, sometimes you have the choice of taking a risk or playing safe. I have personally been presented with that choice before. It was scary, I didn’t know if I was making the right or wrong choice since in a situation like that as there is no clear right or wrong. I chose to take a risk, I still don’t know if I made the right decision two years later. Before my freshman year of high school, I was presented with the choice of sticking to gymnastics which I had done forever or taking a leap of faith and trying out for cheer. I choose to tryout for cheer.

I am an element of change. As situations come and go, I have learned how to adapt myself to be in the best position to succeed. Change is not just what drives me forward, it is what keeps me balanced. I have developed into a person that is able to successfully go from various changes – to mistakes – to learning and being able to move forward. Without making these critical mistakes and experiencing the almost-facetious amount of changes, I would not have been able to become the person I am today. Many facets of adulthood have been introduced as changes to me, some very recently. Some of these include creativity, a competitive nature, and individuality.

Going into this class, I was quite unsure what it looked like from the mentor prospective. As a freshman, I took this class in the fall and enjoyed it. I knew I wanted our freshmen to enjoy the class and gain a sense of belonging on this campus through our many resources. Another goal was for me to strive to become a better leader and learn how to work with another leader. At this point at the middle of the semester, it is nice to be able to reflect on the goals for our freshmen along with how Avery and I have been working together and learning from each other.

Our civilizations relies upon people to develop morals and resilience through family, however, what happens when you grow up in an abusive family? Sure, you develop resilience quickly, unfortunately, you may build your moral foundation over a sinkhole. In addition to family dynamics, by age eleven, I survived being hung by a Mexican gang, three dog attacks and a house fire which left both legs covered in second degree burns. Fortunately, at age twelve, I ran away and a couple discovered me sleeping in their garage. Compassionately, they took me in and allowed me to live in a travel trailer on their property.

For me, moving to a college campus was a lot like moving to a different country. No one looked like me. Coming from a community with a large Hispanic population, I was accustomed to seeing people who were darker like me, who were shorter like me, who were darker haired like me, but in college I found myself surrounded by the complete opposite. Everyone was lighter, taller, and had lighter hair. Everyone fit in with everyone else, but I seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. The foreignness did not end there. Once I started interacting with my new community, I realized that we did not even speak the same language. Conversations revealed that everyone spoke in this other language that consisted of acronyms and Greek letters. A language I clearly did not understand. The longer I remained in these conversations struggling to keep up, the more apparent it became that this information did not come from the orientation session the university made all freshman attend. Rather, this information came from a different source: my classmates’ parents. Unlike me, my classmates came from households where getting a college education was the norm, not the exception. Their parents sent them off to college with a cheat sheet while all my parents had to offer me was a good luck card. Eventually, I was able to create my own cheat sheet and today, I can proudly say that I am fluent in college-speak.

Can you recall a time where you faced a challenge, setback, or failure that taught you a lesson in the long run? The consequences we take from the obstacles we encounter, whether good or bad can be fundamental to later success.

“I understand we all have our differences. But while learning about history I've read about white people coming together, Jews coming together, Spanish coming together, different cultures and religions understanding and coming together despite their differences. Slavery was never something that shocked me. What shocks me is how black people have not yet overcome the odds and we're such strong smart people. Why we can't just stand together?” ― Jonathan Anthony Burkett Social Class, Race, and education are all major things that an average young Black male like myself think about on a daily basis.

How did you demonstrate mutual respect for, rapport with, and responsiveness to students with varied needs and backgrounds, and challenge students to engage in learning?

College, from what I heard from people say, is a time that you would not forget. From coming from such a faraway place I did not really know what to expect. I was expecting some changes, but not the changes that I experienced over the past semester. I have changed as a person with greater openness of others’ ideas and topics, I am more independent from my parents and further development of knowing who I am, and I am more understanding that a person has to ask questions or people when in doubt will not communicate with you. This past semester has been a time of self growth that I am glad that I experienced it.

“You will need surgery as soon as possible,” the physician told me. The disbelief settled in as the reality of my condition became concrete. Many patients go through grieving stages upon receiving bad news, and it is up to the physician to deliver it. Telling me that I have a burst appendix that has festered for a week is not what I would have liked to hear, but I knew that I was in good hands. Convincing the patient that they are in the best care should be the goal of all physicians. In order to do this, I will to show genuine sympathy, have the critical thinking skills needed to deliver appropriate judgments, and have a clear passion and dedication for the profession.

I hope all is well. Yesterday, October6,2017, when I stepped outside of Hennepin Health’s office suite into the hallway my eyes immediately began tearing. When I returned back to my work space my eyes continuously teared. Since, my former manager resignation, I have been reporting to Marilee Moritz, Customer Service Manager. She witnessed the tearing of my eyes and redness. I asked if I could leave and work from home. She replied, "No" one can work from home, and then I asked her if I work in office suite, 222, since that office suite has been empty, around July 8, 2017. If I could work in an enclosed office space with my air purifier I could remain in the building for 8 hours. Marilee, said no, since leadership team is interviewing for the person I can’t occupy that office space.

On November 26, I went to my first service at a non-denominational Christian church. My friend and I took the 20-minute drive to Lake Mills to the Word of Faith Dominion Church. Being that I consider myself a Christian, I figured that I would enjoy this service regardless of the differences between being non-denominational instead of Immanuel like my usual, but nothing would have prepared me for how amazing it actually was.

For the first nine years of my life, I grew up in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood or what others called the “ghetto”. Growing up I knew the skin color spectrum and seeing someone with a different skin color never fazed me, however, I failed to notice who was in the minority. Within my bubble of a community, everyone lived in similar small houses. Our style of clothing wasn’t much of a concern, and what really mattered was just owning something to wear, unless it was a birthday party or any party to be exact. During the week parents worked hard to the point of exhaustion. For children, it meant that we didn't see much our parents and when we did they were too tired for interaction.