Reflection Paper

The environment I grew up availed me in building my confidence and paved the way for me as an individual. I’m the first U.S. Citizen in my family considering both my parents immigrated to the United States in the late 90’s from Ethiopia, a country in Eastern Africa, where education remains unfunded. The downsides as a first generation student comes with the struggles of learning from the outside of your family circle.

There are three words that keep me going every day, which are “Keep Moving Forward” these words are part of a classic quote by Walt Disney, which spawned the film Walt Disney’s Meet the Robinsons. These words were used as acts of comfort as throughout my schooling journey I often had myself wondering about the days before. I have conjured up to the conclusion that the past is series of ‘whys’ as in ‘why did this happen?’ and that people often dwell on their past and sometime attempt to re-create it. Throughout my schooling years I have often looked back and asked ‘why?’ as I tried to open the door into my bygone days and try to solve my question. It only so happened a week before graduating that I got a wakeup call onto the fact that I was opening all the wrong doors. Now I am opening a new door into the future creating new experiences and friendships. Throughout my last week of school, I sat in my English class 5 times, for 45 mins each, to reflect on how literature has shaped my values, attitudes and beliefs in my years of education and has shaped the person that I am today.

Since the beginning of the semester, my writing has changed and evolved to accommodate and sustain longer essays. With longer essays, there is more room for in-depth analysis. Further analyzing a topic has led me to findings that I did not know existed. As I continue to write, I uncover addition and superior methods to approach my writing to the benefit of me and therefore, my audience. Throughout the semester, I have incorporated techniques to further my narrative throughout my writing.

"All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust." The first play I saw was about a boy who never wanted to grow up, he lived in Neverland with lost boys, Pirates, and Mermaids. It was in the fourth grade my teacher started to pass out permission slips to the class for a field trip we were supposed to go on the following week. It was to a play called "Peter Pan" I looked at the paper and I thought to myself, "I don’t care where it's to as long as I get a day out of this place." The day of the field trip comes and everyone is excited because we don’t have to be at school for the day.

I have struggled spiritually in the sense that I questioned myself. If I am doing right or wrong and if making the right or wrong decision. Life is about choices as God created us and gave us free will. In Galatians 5:13-14 tells us “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command; “Love your neighbor as yourself” Therefore, as I see it, it’s harder to carry with a heavy conscious knowing that I did not act in righteous. Though sometimes I feel that I am acting in righteous. For some it may not be the same. What is right for me might not be right for others. However, as I look back what is right in the God’s eyes, I redirect to his laws. In Romans 13:8-9 “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandments there may be, are summed up in this rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Though Jesus Christ coming to clean our sins, he also came to teach us how to live with righteousness by his simple golden rule. Even though, there are several versions in Bible Galatians 5:14 could not be simpler “Love your neighbor as yourself”

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.

Our excursion to Japan was full of inspiring and fulfilling experiences for me. The foremost part of our journey, to Tokushima and the Awagami Factory, was what I was initially so excited for. Between my studies of printmaking, papermaking, and Japanese art history- Awagami was the initial anticipated zenith of my trip to Japan.

When I was born to about the age of 8, I kept to myself and enjoyed playing alone. I didn’t want anyone else’s input on what I had to say, because I was happy with the choices I was making when I was playing with my toys. My mom told me I would sit in my room and play with my stuffed animals and My Little Pet Shop toys for hours on end just talking away, but when it came down to group settings I would just be quiet. I have been trying to figure out why that is. I do not remember being to told be quiet or to listen. I just did it. I enjoyed listening to others, because I was learning from their words. I already knew what I thought and didn’t see the importance of sharing that.

I am a Michigan State University transferred sophomore student at WCCCD majoring in Pre-Nursing. I still have my whole life to go. I am 19 years old so, I have a lot to live and go through in life. I am through the adolescent age of becoming a young adult into an official adult.

Relationships have been a strength in my personal and professional life and my most recent re-assignment as a technology integrator and instructional coach has tested my relationship development and maintenance of trust particularly with more challenging individuals. Extra grace is required at times. This was profound rehearsal for dealing with potentially difficult parents and I continue to seek first to understand. One of the best examples I witnessed over this internship came from the new principal at Valley View. During the fall conference day he pulled his desk into the center hallway where parents would enter the building and manned the welcome table the entire day. Many of my primary teacher colleagues mentioned how many parents noted and appreciated the welcome. I have that in my back pocket as a definitive implementation when I become principal.

As a type-A individual, I really do not like it when things do not go as they have been planned. Unfortunately, this has caused some additional stresses and anxieties in my life which I do not have much control over. As a double-major, it is so crucial to stay organized and have a schedule to stay organized and complete everything that is required of me. But, college can be stressful, but I think that I am handling it much better than I could have imagined. Throughout my educational experiences here during my second year at UConn, I have been able to handle stresses much better than I have previously in high school and especially throughout my freshman year. As I am writing this, I realized that by surrounding myself with individuals who I know are positive influences on me and planning time for myself, I am able to reduce stresses in my life.

After years of suffering abuse at the hands of my mother, I decided to take back my life and freedom. On July 4th 2014, I boarded a train from Chicago to California to leave the comfort of all I’ve ever known and ventured into uncharted territory. For three days, I sat on that train, just my books and my thoughts for company. By leaving, there was a stronger chance of a promising future for myself. What I didn’t know at that time was that I was headed towards heart-shattering changes that made me who I am today: a resilient, independent woman.

This summer has been quiet a busy time to say the least. Since I recently started a new job, I was unable to partner with an organization for my community engagement project. Instead, I worked with my neighbor, Betty, who is 78 years old woman who has recently transitioned home from a six week stay in a rehabilitation center due to a severe fall that prompted her stay. Betty was discharged after Medicare would no longer cover her stay at the rehabilitation center. When she returned home, she returned to home where her grandson stayed but could not relyed on. Betty was basically on her own at home, unable to walk, care for herself the way she was used to, and felt that her needs were not being met upon her return. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on how my personal involvement has been service oriented, helped her achieve her goal, and ¬¬¬to critically reflect on the integration this course has provided in carrying out this assignment.

In our world today, there are a variety of different techniques used to help students fully understand and be more engaged in a topic. We all have our own interest and opinions that can be based off of how we were raised and even how society can persuade us to believe in things. With such a diverse world, it is not uncommon to have multiple ways in which we prefer to read, write, and comprehend what we are learning. Some of us may take an interest in reading and writing, while others may completely disagree because they feel it’s not meaningful to them or they don’t care enough to take the time to pursue an interest in it.

When I picked up the book Make the Impossible Possible by Bill Strickland, I could not help but form a negative opinion about it. I thought, “Great. Here is another book trying to tell me how to generically make my life better.” I looked up at Ms. Purser with a sneer and pessimistic thoughts running through my head. As soon as I began reading the first chapter, though, my opinion turned on its head. This was proving to be a book written from a real person’s perspective. Instead of cliché instructions on how to improve my life, I was reading the story of a man who came up in the ghetto, but changed his mentality and began leading a