Reflection

This semester and last semester with Professor Mignano-Brady has truly been a memorable year and a great learning experience.At times, writing papers have been extremely challenging due to deep thinking and feeling what you write. It was hard to express what I had to say when there was so much information, facts, feelings and examples jumbled up in my head. However, through amazing lectures and fishbowls, writing became fairly simple each time because of reading scholarly pieces and writing a great amount of published pieces.What changed in my writing was learning how to always edit. For example, I’ll write and be ready to submit, then I go back and edit again even though I already edited the first time. Editing is so important to make sure all points were hit in writing a published piece or formal paper. Without going back and editing, my ideas wouldn’t have been as crystal clear in my writing as they are now. What also changed in my writing was adding more of my ideas and insight that truly came from the heart. Before taking Professor Mignano-Brady, I would give “choppy” sentences in my writing. By incorporating mindful and scholarly ideas the writing flowed naturally, it came solely from the heart and I believe that it it made my formal papers more intriguing and heart felt to the reader.

            I have most definitely grown as a thinker in a positive manner. Many short stories such as “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, have had an impact on the way I see life as a whole. “The Yellow Wallpaper” related to my life because I have seen and experienced male dominance in my life up until recently. Experiencing silencing has a drastic affect on one’s mental state, and this short story taught me to not put up with unrealistic happiness and be true to yourself. Unrealistic happiness is the worst feeling one can obtain, for it creates a self destructive human. I think about smart decision making more often in my day to day actions, and reading these short stories of women experiencing silencing has made me think of bettering my choices of who to associate with, who to open up to, and to stay true to yourself. I think more about life situations and how the world is not perfect, however you can make it perfect to yourself by simply living a happy life style. I also think more deeply about what the author is trying to say in their message and how it affects their life. As a speaker, I’ve grown to incorporate language that I have never used before. I learned new words and definitions in this class which improved my speaking to be scholarly from what it was before, just plain.

            What I loved most about this class was that my peers and I were free to say what we believed. Professor always said “There is no wrong answer. Speak from the heart”. It was such an amazing experience to be able to come into a relaxed environment, feeling completely comfortable in speaking your thoughts. Freedom is the greatest gift, which was what was given in this course. In a few years I see myself improving even more as a thinker and writer. I see myself, hopefully, becoming a guidance counselor and guiding young adults to think more scholarly such as the way I learned to think, which will enhance their future. The way I write and think now is already helping me enhance my future for the better, and it would be an honor to guide young adults the way Professor Mignano-Brady has guided me. Live freely, live happy, and live truly.