1st semester of College... Done (almost)
It has definitely been an interesting semester: from the FYE event series to the history of Che Guevara. If you don't know who Che is, then you haven't been reading, have you? Lol.
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It all started long long ago, August 19,2019, the students entered the Edison House where they would have their first FYE class. Looking back now, I can definitely say we have grow as a class in many individualistic ways. During our first week we had talked about a lot of great things, of the great things we've talked about, the campus and opportunities the university offers was one. The campus had many success series, and the ones that I went to helped me to overcome some personal challenges and to reach some of my goals. One of the FYE events I went to talked about drinking and driving along with other information. I never been one to go out to events because large crowds weren't my thing at the beginning. Now I enjoy going out and making new memories. As the semester went on, there were even more topics discussed and many more conversations came up.
In the earlier part of the semester there was something that was brought up in out assignment for one of our blogs that I was unaware of: micro-aggression. This reading has really impacted me because it happens everyday, and even I partake in such a thing although I am trying to get better with acknowledging when it happens. The blog I posted on September 7th, I said, " This issue of microaggression will not completely come to an end because there are individuals who lack empathy or acknowledgement which in turns keeps this issue alive. " I want to become a more well rounded person so that way I can make more friends in the future without offending them or their culture. One of the comments that caught my attention when I posted this blog is what Michelle Gibson had to say:
" I liked how you pointed out that social media is the biggest platform for microaggression. However, is there any way to actually control social media? Because isn't that also protected in the first amendment? What can schools say is too far and what is not? I guess these are all the questions that schools are trying to figure out just as you mentioned." It was nice to know that your classmates actually read the blog you wrote.
As time went on, the conversations in the class became more and more intellectual as we addressed many insights like immigration, documentation, white privilege, and much more. I must say that I appreciate my classmates for having such open minds to the many discussions we have had. There
was a time where we talked about white privilege and our professor told us two stories about her friends of color. I had ended up tearing up because my brothers had went through many things because of the color of their skin. A conversation that really touched my heart was by one of my classmates who checked on me after class. I would like to keep the person anonymous because it feels special to me that way. The person had asked me if I was okay and proceeded to ask me if it was okay if I shared with them what had happened. I did share, and the person asked if they could pray for me and my family. It really touched my heart because they had admitted that they don't know what if feels like but, they decided to pray for my situation anyway. Of the many topics we talked about in the class, we discussed 5 values that we important to us. One of the top 5 was love, and this interaction/conversation showed me that this person has love as one of their top 5 values. I expanded on this topic on my own time as I tried to evaluate how my values changed over time and where I would like to go with the values I have now. Every time I look into my career, I try to see where the values I currently practice lie. I also look at other values and see how my career choice will help build them.
I am also glad to mention my blog titled: "
The Gray Area". I was nervous to post this blog because I was hoping that I wouldn't come off to anyone in a negative way, but
Emma (she's so knowledgeable and outspoken) posted in my comments about how she enjoyed my blog and that she hadn't been explained the topic in that manner. This blog really discusses white privilege and how I interpret it in a way to explain to others. For example, I stated,
"If there were more black paint than white paint then there would be a higher chance that the colored man could have a better chance of being on the same platform than that of the white man." This was one out of the 3 diversity and inclusion blogs we have talked about over the course of the semester. While we had many cultural and social conversations, we also discussed things that can help us with future classes such as the CRAAP test which is discussed in my November 10th
blog. The CRAAP test is another way of evaluating
currency, relevancy, authority, accuracy, and purpose of a referenced source.
"Throughout the discussions in class, I was able to hear about many controversies and misunderstandings about various topics. It is quite amazing to hear what others have to say and they way of thinking. I quite enjoy hearing personal stories or other examples about how it relates to what we are discussing in class. " I said in my October 3 blog. This statement holds true until this day. It has really been a wonderful time in this class, and I can actually say that I will miss the discussions in this class. At the same time, I wish everyone good luck on their journey in life. I hope that you all prosper. I love you all, and see you around!
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