AUTUMN QUARTER REFLECTIONUpon arrival at the UW, and my first honors 100 class, I was excited to learn so many new things and explore different paths that I could take during my time here, in order to become a well-rounded global citizen. Although I am still eager to take my journey, I have lowered my expectations of myself in a way that is healthier for me. I am now looking forward to restricting the number of new things that I try, with a view to delve deeper into those areas. I no longer think it necessary of myself to overload or try to fit in too many academic or extracurricular activities.
I was pleasantly surprised by myself, however, with my ability to find specific extra curriculars to try. For example, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting involved with HCA. I didn’t think that I would be able to find a way to give back to my community so soon after arriving at university, but this has been such a great way to, not just help out within the honors community, but also get to know other likeminded and passionate people that I otherwise may not have been able to connect with as easily. With regards to community, one thing about the UW that is not how I expected is the lifestyle. Even though the individuals that make up my community are diverse, amazing and kind, I have found it a lot harder to integrate myself than I expected. Aside from basic differences in currency, school structure and politics, for example, I wasn’t anticipating any great changes from what I have previously experienced. But, getting to grips with vocabulary and etiquette has been an ongoing struggle for me; I am overwhelmingly grateful for the support those around me are giving me. On another note, one thing that I have learned about in honors 100 that I would like to investigate further, is the experiential learning opportunities that my partner found for me. Two of the things she found are based in my hometown, one is working to aid the homeless population in my city and the other allows me to put my BSL knowledge to good use and work alongside individuals who have a hearing impediment. These opportunities not only make me feel excited as they concern two issues I am extremely driven by, but also, seeing my partner’s attention to detail when finding these activities made me feel valued and positive about how my time in honors is going. Another thing I would also like to explore further is the various paths I can take through law. After the global challenges event I was inspired most by Professor Angélica Cházaro. It was amazing to see someone so active in their passion for equality, her work for immigrant rights has shown me that I can find a way of combining the profession I want to have with the values that I hold. Furthermore, I am interested to learn more about the current climate for immigrants to the US, both from a political interest point of view, and as someone who is also not from this country. In summary, by the end of my first year in Honors, I would like to have explored some of my new-found interests deeper and to find a way to apply them to my degree, my life, and the lives of others. This of course will be an ongoing process, but I hope to have made some steady headway by the time I leave the UW. I hope to learn skills and values that will stand me in good stead for whatever journey I take once I graduate. |
A CLOSER LOOK INTO MY FIRST QUARTER:Above is a reproduction of a painting by English artist Jenny Saville. This was a homework assignment for my ART190 class. I am particularly proud of this piece because I am an illustrator, 8 weeks ago I would not have been able to produce this artwork so I am glad to have successfully learned new techniques from my professor.
Towards the start of this quarter I got a relatively lower grade in my PHIL120 class. Even though I have been studying philosophy for two years I had never studied logic and have always struggled with maths. It was disheartening for me to get such a low grade in a subject that I love but after attending office hours and CLUE review sessions I have raised my grade considerably.
This is a tattoo design I drew up for my ART101 class. I very much enjoyed this assignment as tattoo illustration is a passion/hobby of mine. It was a nice change of pace, from all of the other new things I was learning, to apply myself at something I was already doing in my spare time. This piece was one of 7 voted by the class to be made into a temporary tattoo for the end of this quarter which I am really looking forward to.
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