Katharine Coomer Honors Freshman Seminar Reflective Essay November 25, 2013

Reflective Essay Throughout the semester we were given assignments and readings that required critical thinking and introspection. My favorite assignments were the Altered Book project, This I Believe essay, Fairy Tale reflection, and Mid-Term reflection. I chose to include these assignments in my e-portfolio because I feel that they capture the essence of who I am and that they most accurately portray me. The Altered Book project was by far my favorite assignment of the entire semester even though it was the most time consuming one. Initially, going in to the project I was less than enthusiastic but I came to enjoy the assignment because it allowed for me to express my creativity. However, I had to be careful with what I decided to include and not include in the book because the book was meant to represent me. While creating the book I had to be determined how I wanted to portray myself to anyone that would potentially see the book. Through the process of creating my altered book, the presentation of it and the reflection about the assignment I learned a lot about myself and about others. I learned that I am much more forward than most people are. In my altered book I put it all out there for everybody to see- I was as honest and raw as I could be with the material that I included in my book. For my book I could have focused on only the positive things in my life, I could have covered up and hidden the painful things that I have experienced. But I did not do this, I could not do this. Every chance that I had I focused on those painful events in my book and I did this because those events have contributed greatly to who I am today. It took a lot of courage to focus on those events and that is one thing that the book revealed to me about myself- I am brave.

Katharine Coomer Honors Freshman Seminar Reflective Essay November 25, 2013

Not only did the Altered Book project reveal a lot about myself but after my classmates each presented his or her own altered book, I learned a lot about them too. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed by what I learned. To me, a majority of the books seemed superficial and fake. The point of the assignment was to show who you are as a person and we are each composed of little events that have happened during our lives and many of those events are unpleasant. The events that help us to grow the most are usually the most unpleasant. I was hoping to hear about some of these events from my classmates. I was hoping that each person would say something about themselves that would make them stand out. However, I learned that people generally avoid addressing difficult or painful topics. I learned that it is hard for most people to discuss unpleasant things in front of a group of people. I learned that people dont allow for others to see their pain. Reflecting upon this experience, I now realize that you can learn more about a person by what they hold back rather than what they reveal. I now see that I think a little bit differently than most people. But what is most important is that because of this project, I learned to be more introspective. This project required me to address things that I can usually ignore or avoid in life such as facing loss and identifying my fears. Through this project I learned to be more aware. Because of the Altered Book project I was inspired to write about something very personal in my This I Believe essay. In the spirit of being more aware of my thoughts and feelings I determined that there was something that I needed to confront. In my essay I talked about how my brother assaulted me and I talked about how that experience affected me as a person and how it altered my views.

Katharine Coomer Honors Freshman Seminar Reflective Essay November 25, 2013

Through writing this essay and attempting to present the essay I realized just how traumatic this event was for me. I realized just how hurt I was by the whole situation. After he assaulted me I managed to go to school each day and hold my head high. No matter how weak I felt I made sure to appear strong- I thought being strong meant putting up a front and seeming okay even when everything was wrong. However, in class, when I tried to read my essay and all I could do was cry I realized that my definition of strength was wrong. Strength isnt about putting up a wall it is about being able to break down walls. I realized that revealing vulnerability is a strength. That is what I most appreciated about this assignment- it was therapeutic for me and it allowed for me to face my demons. What I didnt like about this assignment was primarily the work that my classmates did. The example This I Believe essays that we read in class all focused on personal events and stories that all ultimately lead to the development of the author in some way. However, just like with the altered books, most of my classmates chose to take themselves out of the assignment- they chose not to discuss something personal and intimate. I was disappointed because I had been so open with the content of my essay (even though I was unable to be open during class). The only essay that I remember that was read during class was Rachels. Her essay was about how her brother was bullied. She managed to take the story about her brother being bullied and transform it into a story of inspiration. She ended her essay by discussing how the way her brother was treated made her realize that she wanted to work with non-profit organizations so that she could help people. I remember Rachels essay because it was emotional and it was raw.

Katharine Coomer Honors Freshman Seminar Reflective Essay November 25, 2013

I was disappointed in my classmates because the assignment had almost required them to discuss something personal and almost everyone managed to avoid doing so. But after the Altered Book project I realized that I think differently than others. I realized that I needed to realize that people perceive things differently. For some of my classmates they may have interpreted their event as personal. For some of my classmates it may have been difficult to write about a personal event knowing that they would then have to share it to a group of people. The This I Believe assignment and the Fairy Tale reflection both helped me to be more mindful of the fact that people perceive things differently. The Fairy Tale reflection also helped me to realize a lot about myself, others and the world. I learned that when it comes to fairy tales I have conflicting views. I dont appreciate a lot of the messages that they convey but at the same time many of the messages have been embedded into my beliefs. When it comes to fairy tales I dont respect that a majority of them portray women as weak, defenseless, and domesticated. But it turns out that fairy tales have taught me a lot about friendship and love. Many of the messages conveyed through fairy tales about friendship and love are now a part of my core values- they have been embedded into my beliefs. Before this assignment I didnt realize the extent to which the values presented in fairy tales continue to impact me today. This assignment also taught me that worldwide fairy tales have been used to convey messages about life. But after reading fairy tales from various countries I realized that different countries uphold different values. The traditional fairy tales are altered and manipulated so that they emphasize the different values and messages. For example, the traditional story of Red Riding Hood teaches one to be

Katharine Coomer Honors Freshman Seminar Reflective Essay November 25, 2013

wary of strangers. However, in some places the story is altered so that the message conveyed is that as long as you obey your parents, everything will be okay. When we were analyzing the different versions of Red Riding Hood in our groups I learned that it was difficult for some to properly analyze the stories. Many people simply focused on the superficial differences within the fairy tales. But growing up, we arent taught to look beyond the surface and to analyze fairy tales for some deeper meaning or for some lesson about life. We are simply meant to enjoy the story while the message is subtly conveyed to us. Much like in the Fairy Tale reflection, my Mid-Term reflection helped me to reflect upon my values. In my Mid-Term reflection I wrote about how this girl that I was friends with got a taste of the college life and lost control. She now drinks regularly, sleeps around, smokes cigarettes and she smokes weed as well. Watching her spiral out of control helped me to take inventory on my life and made me more grateful for the relationships that I had. Watching her spiral out of control forced me to determine what I deemed acceptable behavior and what I considered inappropriate behavior. Watching her spiral out of control ultimately made me aware of my level of maturity, self-control, and self-respect. Unfortunately, this experience made me a little pessimistic. It has forced me to become more wary of others because my friend had disappointed me so much. It was very disappointing to see her become this person because I had initially thought that we were similar people. But she made me realize that some people are just too easily influenced. She also made me realize that ultimately, people will let you down. But after dealing with that situation, I am now far more prepared for the disappointment.

Katharine Coomer Honors Freshman Seminar Reflective Essay November 25, 2013

Overall the assignments that I have had to complete for the seminar have helped me to realize a lot about myself. The seminar as a whole helped me to realize a lot about myself. The seminar required me to think critically and to be more aware of varying perceptions. I expected this from the class and I also expected to be surrounded by like-minded, intellectual individuals. However, I dont feel that that expectation was met. I hate to admit it but my peers disappointed me. Maybe my expectations were too high but from a group of honors students I expected students that take their academic careers seriously and students that would initiate intellectual discussions. Many of the students met these expectations but there were a select few that did not. My transition to college was very smooth overall but the seminar definitely helped in the transition. It was scary to come to a university in which I knew nobody but the seminar offered me a place to be surrounded by individuals that I had something in common with- we were all a part of the same community and that is all I really needed was a sense of community. This seminar has changed my way of thinking and it has helped me to feel more prepared and capable of excelling in my collegiate career. However, I am a bit nervous about double majoring in psychology and biology. The biology major will be demanding and that scares me because I have never really considered myself a science oriented person. However, I am confident in my abilities and I am prepared for the challenge.