Reflection

Jack-of-all-trades.

For the last ten years, that's how I've described myself. Since graduating from high school in 1995, I've sold car parts at an automotive store, spent a little over two years in the banking industry, toiled away behind a desk as a paralegal at a law firm, and assisted two doctors at a small animal veterinary hospital - where, I might add, I barely escaped with all of my fingers intact. I'm obsessed with taking pictures and tote a camera with me everywhere I go. I grew up in Iowa, but have also called several other states home: Hawaii, Minnesota, Washington. I admit that I'm a bit flighty, and I feel strongly that life is meant to be lived passionately - no holds barred - and with absolutely no regrets. This is my first quarter back in college, and I'm here because getting my degree is number three on my list of things to do before I die. (It's sandwiched between living in a foreign country for a year and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.)

English has never been my strong subject. In fact, over the years, I've learned to fear it with a passion. Writing has always been my curse, and trying to assemble my thoughts into essay form is more painful than I can express. While creative writing does hold some interest for me, analytical writing has always made me cringe. So, with that being said, it was with great trepidation that I signed up for this course. I was in no way under the assumption that it was going to be a piece of cake and knew without a doubt that I had my work cut out for me. To put it bluntly, I had completely come to terms with the fact that I was going to lose both hair and sleep over the course of this quarter. However, with the overwhelming support of the instructors and my classmates, I have to admit that the class has gone far better than I ever imagined it would. The discussion and paper talk boards have not only been extremely helpful, but they've also been a lot of fun and have (for me, anyway) taken a lot of the tension out of writing.

Because this was a diversity class, the topics covered during the quarter were diversity related: identity, community, and tradition. I have to admit that I loved reading the essays in Remix (the class text) and enjoyed a brief glimpse into the lives and viewpoints of the selected authors. One of my favorite essays, "Befriending Barbie" by Shari Caudron, focused on communities (which also happened to be my favorite unit) and I'll never forget the transformation in attitude that Caudron went through just by briefly taking part in a community that she normally would have shunned. It goes a long way in showing how people can not only learn from one another, but accept one another - differences, weird customs, strange appearances and all. Before entering this class, I myself have had quite a lot of experience with diversity: I worked alongside a steady stream of immigrants from Mexico at an auto store back in high school, encountered minority sneers when living in Honolulu, Hawaii, and have a sister-in-law and nephew that are Japanese. I've always considered myself to be open to other cultures and traditions, and this class proved to be a great way to connect with other like-minded individuals.

In putting together my e-portfolio, I looked to the pieces that were both the most challenging and the most fun to write. For my Writer's Choice, I selected my blog post, "My Purse." I picked this particular piece because I felt that it best described who I am and why I'm the way that I am. When it comes down to it, for any of my other selections to make sense, this piece needs to be viewed first. The next piece, "A Tradition: Hot Dogs and Holidays", represents my Audience and Voice selection and holds a special place in my heart. For my Critical Thinking piece, I chose my community essay, "The Functions of Communities." As I said before, this unit was my absolute favorite of the quarter, and this paper was the most enjoyable to write. And finally, I selected my essay from the unit on tradition, "Fifteen Minutes of Fame", as my Revision piece.

All in all, English 101 did go much better than I ever expected it would. Am I a perfect writer? By all means... no. Not even close. But I will walk away from this class having gained an enormous amount of knowledge and skill that I can ultimately use for the rest of my life. And for that, I am forever grateful.