- A learning income I feel like I have improved most upon throughout this semester is the ability to connect ideas across disciplines, experiences, and contexts. I think this was best shown through my 1st essay as I discussed my goals for myself this semester and related it to my other first semester classes. A quote from my first essay really demonstrates this connection. I said, ” As a first year student of UNE, I have already become aware of the interdisciplinary education I am receiving. Specifically, a point that Scheuer makes in his article states, “free minds are flexible minds, trained to recognize that many areas of inquiry are interconnected and many disciplinary boundaries are porous.” (2). To this I can testify. Recently, similar topics have been discussed across many of my courses.” This quality has only been exemplified as the semester continued on. I think another good example of this comes from homework #11, questions for bain, in which I made the connection between my mental health and the experience of UNE. I stated, “. Before I came to UNE I had a very tough year. I was depressed and in toxic relationships. I began to heal before I got here but still had a long way to come. I feel like I have made progress in my journey. The symptoms of my PTSD have improved dramatically, and I’ve discovered comfort on this campus. As I look back over the past 8 weeks of being a student here at UNE, I’ve come to understand some of my personal passions, specifically my love for the Earth and nature.” I think this quote reassures me of the connections I’ve made between my classes and campus experience, and has demonstrated a clear growth.
- Something I have struggled with as a learning outcome is the ability to engage in well-being practices reflective of a healthy collegiate lifestyle. This has been difficult for me for a multitude of reasons. By nature, I become an easily frustrated person. I think this quality of myself and how it applies to my academics was explained well in the 2nd homework of the year, how praise became a consultation prize. I wrote, “I can tell I’m falling into a fixed mindset when I become frustrated. Sometimes when I am being overly challenged beyond what I can “handle” I tend to shut down.” This tendency of myself still applies. Especially because of my mental illness, I tend to get frustrated and stressed quick and over very small things which can cause me to isolate, oversleep, and fall behind on work. Understanding this habit of myself I made it a point to talk to Bethany Woodworth, my interviewee for project 2, what the work load was like for the major I was exploring. I asked her many specific questions about type of work, the internships, and the flexibility of the major. I believe this shows growth because I have learned to understand my limits and I want to do what I can to not overwork myself so I can be the healthiest version of myself.
