Summer Reflection Essay

When I first got accepted into Stuyvesant High School, I heard countless of rumors stating: “Oh the workload is terrible”, “The competition is so fierce” or “Out of schoolwork, extracurriculars, or sleep: you can only pick two.” I found it hard to let it faze me, since I graduated from one of the most prestigious middle schools. However, the rumors transformed into reality when I stepped into Mr. Nieves’ Freshman Composition Class. The workload at the beginning of the year was brutal, coupled with assignments from other core classes that seem unaware of the workload of other teachers. Reading assignments were a regular, and there were journal entries and occasional quizzes to keep us in line. What made it bearable was the friends I made in that class; everyone had their own opinion about the topic we were talking about, and listening to other perspectives really broadened my horizon and enriched my learning experience in Stuy. Another thing that this class has taught me is the importance of time management, a skill that I will carry on for the rest of my high school career and life. When I choose to sign up for Mr. Nieves’ AP American Literature class in my Junior Year, I was hoping to relive the discussion-based lesson plans and meet more outstanding peers. I was not disappointed, to say the least, reflecting through all the experiences at the end of the course. The lesson plans he laid out for us were an interesting mix between small lectures and class output, and what I

Many people experience exclusion in their lives; yet, when they feel included, they experience the process of healing. In the memoir Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Power of Adversity, Dw Brees’ journey to healing is explored. This experience of exclusion to inclusion is also discussed in Becoming Human by Jean Vanier. The New Orleans Saints accepted Drew, a severely injured quarterback at the time, just as Jean Vanier accepted people with intellectual disabilities into L’Arche. Withal, Drew is given the opportunity to motivate and inspire his team, and those people included in the L’Arche community are given the opportunity to develop new, meaningful relationships. For Drew, having this opportunity results in a milestone for the whole team that represents hope for New Orleans, while the people with intellectual disabilities being able to be in an inclusive community result in the maturity of the heart. Both works suggest that being inclusive towards other people, especially those excluded in society, by welcoming them into a particular community result in a person’s internal and external healing.

8th grade was great I wasn’t the youngest, I was in the oldest grade. At this point I had middle school perfectly handled. Going to high school and being a freshman is terrifying you're the smallest you don’t know what a seminar B is and when you go to it. I loved middle school. I love high school; the only reason that I love it is because I have middle school to reflect off of. I have those experiences to help me have more. I use middle school to reflect and learn from everything that I did. I’m doing well in high school so far only because I have I have past experiences so that I can make choices that best benefit me now. Arnold Spirit from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and the Narrator from “The Bass, The River and Sheila Mant” are reflective because they both took action while being unique making it much harder than necessary. At the end of it they learned a valuable lesson and made the best decision for themselves.

Over the summer I had a lot of fun, maybe the most I`ve ever had. I spend a large amount of my summer at my grandparent’s lake house. My grandparents lake house is huge, a mansion compared to my house. At their lake house they have a lot of fun stuff, my personal favorite are the jet skis. I didn’t get to ride them that much, but when I did it was a blast! My days at the lake house were the highlight of my summer, but I did a lot of other fun stuff too!

My decision on a major field of study at Western Michigan University was a process that took much thought and reflection. With my high school teachers’ strong leadership, they inspired me to possibly pursue anything as a career. The long process of finding out what I want to do with my life started in the summer when I was trying to figure out what career would best suit me for the future. Im that kind of person where I need entertainment in my life, so I narrowed it down to some jobs I can't do, such as being a business major and sitting in a office my whole life, and accounting, because I despise math. During my thinking process, I utilized what subjects I enjoyed in high school that I’d like to learn more about in college. I came to a

It was the last day of school and I was so excited for summer. I was going to do all kinds of stuff and go out of the state. In reality I was going for one of my worst summer ever. All I was going to do is travel most of the time. It was going to be the most boring summer ever.

After reading my first reflection, I realize I was very hopeful about high school in the beginning of the year. However, now I have mixed feelings about high school, since my first year did not go as I had anticipated. My first reflection mentioned how I thought the first month of high school was quite unexpected. Little did I know how unexpected ninth grade would turn out. I could never have imagined what would happen to me this year. Certain aspects were thrilling, exciting, hilarious; however, other aspects were depressing, anxiety-inducing, and highly stressful. I was incredibly naive and starry-eyed in the beginning of the year. However, I feel as if I am now an experienced adult looking down upon a young, innocent child, while secretly knowing that my younger self has yet to face the brutal, harsh, and unforgiving world. Nonetheless, there is always a wiser, more experienced elder looking down upon me.

Every year after every summer, my friends and I usually discuss what we did over that 3 month period of time. My response is usually always the same, “I stayed at home most of the summer,” or “I went to visit my aunt that lives in Dallas once again,” but that was not the case this year. For my cousin’s 15th birthday, my aunt, uncle, brother, two cousins, and I decided to take a road trip to Florida. Two months ago, I not only had the opportunity to go on another family vacation, but I was also able to scratch off Universal of my bucket list.

My family decided it would be a good idea to take us to the beach in Alabama. Once again excitement took over my body because we were going to the beach, and reuniting with our family. My parents and I hit the road, and we were headed east. When we arrived, I was greeted by a massive hotel. My whole family shared a condo, which was craziness with having all thirteen of us in one room. After we settled into the room, we headed for the beach. We boogie boarded against the crystal clear waves of the Alabama Coast, and I could not have been happier. The last day of the trip was the best day out of all because we went to a place called the Hangout. My cousin and I got matching washable tattoos and corn rows braided into our hair. Later that evening we were walking along the beach and we came across a foam party. The people asked us to join them and we danced and sang in the bubbles as we watched the sun go down. We ended our night on the balcony singing Jimmy Buffet songs. The following day was the day we all had to part ways, and we were sad that this incredible trip had to

My memory-filled summer consisted of many things that kept me busy, but having fun. I attended 4-H Camp Ohio for my third year as a counselor and my ninth year overall this summer. Band camp filled the last four weeks of my summer with hot days and sore arms; however, going out to grab a bite to eat with my friends after every six-to-nine rehearsal made the night more bearable. Trips to Michigan to see family and camping trips to Butler to go kayaking also made my summer remarkable.

During the course first semester of freshman year in English 101, I have learned multiple foundations when it comes to writing. When I first entered college, the only knowledge when it comes to writing was the basic of gathering a bunch of information on a piece of paper. Knowing that writing wasn’t my strongest suit throughout my academic career, it was challenging for me. Going through my first college class, which was English 101, I realized that writing is more than just putting words on paper. I have learned the purpose of writing and the structure to make a solid concrete essay such as to create the thesis statement to acknowledge what the reader is going to read and a technique to help edit and limit word, together with discovering a connection with myself in writing.

When I write, I believe one of my strengths is that I am able to generate logical perspectives and strong conclusions. I am able to analyze the literature and relate to it in many different ways. In the compare and contrast essay I wrote, "Oliver conveys a tone of remembrance by juxtaposing 'the old burn-dump this waste place' and 'this secret garden'". I am able to apply literary terms and analyze how the author uses them to enhance their writing. In the same essay, I stated, "By using short, concise sentences, Oliver is more direct in her delivery and showing her lamentations for what has happened to the earth around her". I am able to analyze what the author is doing and the effect that it has on the reader.

Just like any other summer, I was with my friends and family a lot. My friends and I would go to the outdoor movie theater almost every Sunday night since it was cheap night and we always sat in the back row and never watched the movie,

Mmm, you were right the rates are not very generous. I am going to be completely honest; it does put me off a little, from experience how much work will be needed to make this first course a success, which is crucial to ensuring that people feel it's worth signing up for the whole series. I would only want to do this if I can offer something meaningful and valuable. Having spent three days last week rewriting an advanced specialist course for Pilates teachers, I know just how much time these things take as I am sure you do.

I believe that existence is dependent on connections. Life only exists in ecosystems where energies are undoubtedly interrelated but I think as humans we often overlook the significant beauty of our ecosystem. I’ve learned that the three most important types of connections we make are relationships with other beings, the understanding of ourselves, and deep ties to our natural surroundings. Without these connections, life cannot be. In my experience, I’ve seen how art and creativity develop a language through which connections can be made.