Paige Logan
Dr. Preston
Expository Composition 1st
1 June 2014
My
Senior Year Experience
The
person I am now is not the same person I was in the beginning of the school
year. Amongst my fellow classmates, change usually isn’t seen as a positive
transition nowadays. For me, my case is different. I have noticed an advance in
my maturity and responsibility. I have taken on the roll of becoming an
employee for two companies in order to earn my living expenses. I have becoming
more organized within schedules, belongings and goals. All necessary tasks in
life that I have been practically forced to acquire just in this short year. I
know that everyone has to eventually learn, or at least should learn, these
habits. Some people go their entire lives not accomplishing a single one of
those.
This
course has helped me become the person I am today. It has helped me build
relationships with my parents, employers, colleges, classmates, professors,
administrators, friends, and strangers. I successfully wrote a resume that
landed me an interview with both of my jobs. My best friend Summer and I
collaborated together and wrote a chosen graduation speech that we had to
audition for. I’m reading more for my personal enjoyment. I’m not afraid to
take risks, knowing I could possibly fail. I’m constantly daydreaming,
brainstorming and planning. This course has been the most diverse class I have
taken.
The
independence of this course is ideal for the perfect learning experience. Each
of us was in charge of our own learning paths, which made learning more
interesting in general. We were given the opportunity to learn about and do
anything we wanted to, while still practicing curriculum and meeting the
“common core” for the high school district. It wasn’t boring, busy work or pointless.
All of it had its own meaning and place in everything we are doing. No, it
wasn’t easy, and I think that is what lost a lot of my fellow classmates and
even myself. Being taught practically the same way, with the same structure for
11+ years, we’ve grown used to those ways and those ways only. Change is hard,
especially after the years and years of repetition. None of us were willing to
take the risk, to take the first step. We didn’t have to earn this
independence. It was just given to us, and no one really took full advantage of
it. That is probably my biggest regret, and I probably speak for majority of
the class as well.
After
I had felt completely lost for a couple of weeks, I finally reconnected with my
hobby of crafting. I started to do what I enjoyed; making picture frames, jewelry,
crocheting, painting, etc. With everything going on in my personal life and in
my school life, I didn’t have much time to make anything a little while back.
Just recently I got the inspiration to make something. So I started to make a
cute picture frame to display my friends’ senior pictures. After successfully
making what I had envisioned, I continued on researching ideas and making
crafts and projects that I could give away as gifts and presents to my friends.
I want to start taking risks and making different projects from what I am used
to. I want to eventually sell my creations once I gain enough confidence in
myself and in my crafts. I have posted pictures of things that I have made on
social media sites and a lot of people have shown interest in what I have made.
Be crafty will definitely be something I will always do for the rest of my
life.
Something
from this course that made me laugh would have to be, hands down, the final
project that Summer, Tiana, Alyssa, Lauren and I did last semester. We made a
video and the whole time interviewing people, writing my rap, recording and
putting the video together, I could not stop laughing! I miss being in the same
class as all of my best friends. I feel like I worked better when I was working
with them on assignments. They kept me in check and helped me when I was
stumped. Something else that made me laugh this year was when Lauren was still
in the same class as me and she was doing the egg baby project for another class,
so her egg was in a basket on top of her desk. I accidentally knocked over her
basket with my binder and her egg hit the floor and cracked open. As yolk oozed
onto the carpet, I picked up the cracked egg and started trying to put the yolk
back in the egg with my hands and tape the cracks closed, so Lauren wouldn’t
fail that project. Obviously my plan didn’t work out the way Lauren and I
thought it would. Even though Lauren was utterly furious with me, I couldn’t
stop laughing the entire time.
There
is a universal theme that I see right off between a majority of the masterpiece
presentations. Most of the projects are intended to help others, create
something for someone else to enjoy, and create something valuable for someone
other than the person that made whatever it is. Each one of us has to be
passionate enough about the subject to do what we are doing and that is also
something we all have in common.To me, it shows how none of us are really
self-centered in life. We have such a wide variety of topics that all have
similar qualities of Compassion for other people.
Judith and Amparo
both did their masterpiece together and they worked on volunteering and giving
back to other people. They both volunteer their time helping the kids in the
resource program on campus. They are not only helping out the teachers and
people that are in charge, they are also spending time with the kids in the
program and helping them out around the classroom. That takes a lot of time and
dedication, but to them it is all worth it.
Mackenzie is
spreading awareness about human sex trafficking. I had no idea that was still a
thing until she gave her presentation and informed me more about it. She wants
to eventually create save houses for people who are victims of sex trafficking.
That is the most amazing thing someone could do, and she thought of that all on
her own. I hope she gets the funds and support she needs in the future because
she could become a huge inspiration for many people in this country and
possibly in other countries as well. She has a great idea for a great cause to
completely help others, something that no one this age really has knowledge
about. Billy is coaching
players for water polo. Water polo is a really hard sport; I played it, and if
he is willing to teach someone else how to play the sport, he must be
passionate about the sport to know enough about it to be able to teach and be a
coach. Billy wants to help the players he is coaching become great players. He
is sharing his passion and love for the sport with others.
Elizabeth is doing
the same exact thing with wanting to become a swimming coach. I already know
she really loves swimming, so it just makes sense that she would want to become
a swimming coach. She’s a very talented swimmer. If she can convey the
knowledge that she knows to other swimmers, I think she could really help coach
some amazing athletes. She is willing to dedicate her time to teach other
people how to be successful at the sport she is passionate about.
Jacob is pursuing
his dreams and goals to become a chef. Dr. Preston knew someone who is related
to someone else. Through the relationships and networking, Jacob landed a job
interview that successfully earned him the job. He wants to create delicious
food for other people to eat and enjoy. He said he just wants to put a smile
across people’s faces. Jacob is learning everything there is to becoming a
great chef and I feel that he definitely has the passion, determination and
drive to become a successful chef one day.
Austin is interested
in comedy. He wants to entertain people with jokes and stories. He wants to be
able to really make people laugh. Everyone loves a good laugh every
now-and-then and he wants to be able to be the one that gives that to people. I
enjoyed listening to his stand-up acts in the classroom and I think he could
make something out of this, even if it were just for a hobby. He is pretty
entertaining!
I make crafts and
projects that I give to people as gifts. I really enjoy giving some something I
have made rather than going to the store and buying them something that really
has no meaning or sentimental value. I always make people cards for birthdays,
holidays, and whenever I’m giving them a gift. I feel like they enjoy that more
than just a simple store-bought card. I want to eventually sell crafts and
things that I have made. That could be a little hobby side job for me, and I
really like doing it!
I failed to
complete the hero’s journey. Being that I couldn’t accomplish the hero’s
journey, I am not a hero. I tried the best I could to let lose and take on the
responsibility and independence of my own learning. I had several mentors
throughout my senior year. One of those mentors would most definitely have to
be Mrs. Dirkes. She helped me through all of my stress during college
application time and meeting scholarship deadlines. She was always there when I
had a question about Cal Poly or about my future and careers. Another mentor
would be my Mom. She helps me with all of my challenges and gives me all the
advice I will ever need and then some.
This year has been
the most challenging of them all. I have almost
made it. I have learned a lot about the person I am and the person I want to
be. Every little thing I have done this year has shaped me into who I am one
way or another. This year has been so different. I’ve had to grow up, while
simultaneously still being treated like a kid. I enjoyed this whole year and
everything that I experienced. I really enjoyed being in the Expository
Composition class. I learned way more than I would have in a traditional
English class, and what I benefitted from this class is what I will forever
remember. Whether it being networking, communication skills, developing
relationships, creating connections, using my resources, not procrastinating; I
learned a lot this semester that will be very useful and help me out next year
in college.
