Final Self-reflection
This semester has been full of emotion and struggled for me. After I have lost two sisters within two months, I thought that I couldn’t make it through the end of the semester. Now that I am wrapping up and finalize all the work I have accomplished throughout the semester, I realize how grateful I am for not dropping out. I give all the credit to professor Brener, for all the thoughtfulness and flexibility toward me throughout the semester.
Throughout the semester, we accomplished several types of writing including resume and cover letter, a memo, an op-ed, a conference paper, and a grant proposal. I completed my papers to meet the assignment standards adequately. However, I encountered difficulties in systematically framing my documents. I’m a political science majored; my professors often told me that my essays lacked a clear stance, or sometimes not convincing at all. This weakness is now improved after I had written the op-ed. In addition to incorporating a stance to my essays, my argumentation has increased. From negative feedback to appreciation, one of my teachers wrote in my midterm paper “Good work! Your argument and writing are obvious; you use useful examples and paraphrase well.”
Another added value that I’ve acquired from this class, and the one that I’m most excited of, is the development of social writing. Which has a significant value, as professor Brener always encouraged people to collect information, stories, or any topic that they are passionate about; and share them with class. The fact that students volunteered to share their stories and other students listened and gave feedbacks, made it easier to move forward with writing the essays. At least from my experience. The constructive feedback that I’ve received from my peers boosted my writing significantly. Additionally, I was able to analyze and summarize a text, a practice that used to be challenging for me.
The variety of free writings accomplished in this class have been a game changer for me. In the past, formulating a draft took me a significant amount of time. Now I can easily brainstorm and put words on paper. However, it is still a dilemma to edit and revise those papers once I have the draft. Nevertheless, I will not blame the course or the professor, whom I give a shout out for going above and beyond expectation so students understand the course. Instead, procrastination combined with multiple struggles are to blame.
The overall effect of all the assignments and the teaching methods used in this class is very impactful. I’m walking away with impressive tools to continue my professional career. With a resume and cover letter ready, applying for jobs will be easy. The bigger problem that I have faced in this class (and CCNY in general) is the use of technology. Although Professor Brener effort to assist and provide us with the resources necessary to create our portfolios, many of us had difficulties navigating the blog. Though I am able to use the CUNY and CCNY library and database to search and locate useful documents for my projects.
Ultimately, my favorite work in this course was writing the grant proposal. This was a group project, and it was amazing to work with other students. It has been an opportunity to learn different linguistic range. My mates all being younger than me, we have different use of words and language. I’m enthusiastic about the experience and work we accomplished. In addition to my passion for our project, CCNY’s DABS, the experience of writing a grant proposal will be helpful in my journey of founding a nonprofit in the future. I’m ready to convince my readers in my future grants.
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