Reyes 1

Estefany Reyes

Professor Holly Batty

English 101

11 December 2019

Reflective Essay

This past semester for me has been a long journey to go for it, but in spite of the obstacles I have

been growing and learning about my mistakes. Thanks to the writing center,my professor Holly

Batty, some classmates and friends I had learned and clarify many questions about any topic

through the semester. I am proud that I have learned many strategies to write a good essay for

example the quote sandwich that help to introduce a quote it helped me a lot to understand how

everything is connected or how to do correctly the MLA format and build a good essay.

Many programs as Puente had helped me a lot to growth and learn by the whole fall semester.

Many phrases as “Think Outside The Box” helped me to get more excited to stay in the class and

learn of what it was next. I am glad that now I can think more critically and explore many ideas

and suggestions about any topic. I have liked the group assignments in my class of English 101

for example The graphic novel that we had to present to the class and put some art, writing and

reading on it based on the Book that we read in the class “The Best We Could Do” by Thi Bui

helped me a lot to express and understand myself in many ways like how I became the way I am

now and all that I had passed through my life to have the knowledge that I have now.
 Reyes 2

What I struggled most was the time management since I started the semester. I struggled a lot

turning some works on time being that I work full time some days of the week and I am still

adopting this new routine that changed since I graduated from High school and for me

sometimes is a lot of stress going on that I forget what is really important for my future. But in

spite of everything and all the stress for leaving things until the last minute, had given me a

leccion of life and try not to repeat the same all over again and now everyday I wake up I try not

to make the same mistake many times and just do what I have to do and put all the important

things on my phone or make an alarm to some events or projects.

Many Challenges became into my journey that drives me to think that I wouldn’t make it or

finished. As I have been learning from many experiences I am growing as a human being and

becoming a better educated person to show up to the world and not to be scared of what is

outside the box and that I have to see more deeply and far to be successful in life. One of the

challenges I passed through was to try to make long paragraphs and grammar mistakes in an

essay, I chose a topic and sometimes I think any great idea and then I get lock and freeze to still

thinking about the topic to make it long ,well organized and understanding to the reader and what

I had learned in my English 101 class is that I can do outlines to start making an essay and

brainstorming before start writing above any idea, it helps to connect better our ideas and make it

more organized and understanding to the reader, having a clue before writing it gives us a little

bit of an idea of what we’re gonna keep writing until we have complete the essay. I also enjoyed

the group assignments that helped me to develop my way of thinking and share many ideas and

suggestions above any topic in specific, and to agree or disagree with some of the ideas of my

classmates. To work with classmates in a group is helpful for me so when I work outside not
 Reyes 3

being in school or home it helps me to interact with people different than me and learn to accept

their way of thinking being agree or disagree with.

Six months ago I didn’t know a lot of things that I know now and I am glad that I know them.

Being that everything I learned is gonna help me in my future and in real life to put my brain to

think critically and in general about any issue. I learned a lot about myself thinking about

immigration topics such as Identity and Trauma becoming to United State and how that is a huge

lack of communication and being successful and how many people have to pass through many

challenges to become someone in life and not to give up despite everything we have to face

sometimes and write about that it make my brain to develop more the issue and try to think about

any solution while I am writing it like for example more psychological help to the students that

face a lot of responsibilities or simple fact that struggles with many typical problems as anxiety,

depression, and lack of self being that many times we try to do some assignments and we try our

best and even though still not good enough and that sometimes drives us to a low self steement

and think that we’re not able to do it.

Above everything I learned I could say it has been so helpful every strategery to complete a well

organized essay. Starting from the outlines and analyzing every paragraph had help me to

become a fluent writer and just let my ideas come out and give sense to them by applying the

strategies I had learn with peers and professor and helpers at Los Angeles Valley college such as

The Writing Center and some counselors at the campus. I am Glad that I have completed this

semester is not bad at all and for all the inspiration that leaves me to keep going until I finish all

and keep using all the strategies through my next english classes that I have to take and make

better everyday in my writing by using the quote sandwich, the outlines, and add evidence to
 Reyes 4

every essay make them with credibility and understanding by using the MLA format to make it

more organized. I am excited that I have a better understanding above how to write a proper

essay and develop my ideas above the topics and think freely about the issues that we face in

real life. This past semester has also taught me how to be a better person in life, how to act in

front of some obstacles in life and keep calm in front of them and that at the end everything has a

solution.