Final Essay

Paige Logan

Dr. Preston

Expository Composition 1^st

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.