Every day at 5 a.m., I woke up to attend my course, Writing for The Social Sciences, which took place every Monday and Wednesday. Getting up early for these classes wasn’t always easy. The classroom was almost empty, with only 6 to 4 students present, and it was in this quiet environment that we discussed our assignments and readings due for the course. My name is genesis Perez, and I am a high school student participating in the ECI program—a program that allows students to take college courses starting in their sophomore year and continuing throughout high school year, and after my college class I would go to my highschool class . I tend to be very introverted around unfamiliar people, whether in the classroom or in other settings with many individuals. However, once I get to know someone, I tend to become more relaxed. I find that I am more open in my writing because it’s easier for me to express my thoughts on paper than to speak in front of a large group.
Throughout this semester, I applied skills I learned in previous writing classes to my assignments for this course. I feel more comfortable writing about my personal experiences, which I find easier than writing about others. I believe I am fairly good at research, but I excel more at reporting on a topic rather than conducting extensive research. I incorporated my reporting skills into all three essays I completed for this class.
This semester, I engaged with most, if not all, of the course’s learning outcomes. I believe I improved my drafting process by creating outlines and taking notes before starting each essay, which made writing much more manageable. Additionally, I developed better revising skills; in the past, I struggled to accept feedback because I didn’t always know what to do with it. However, I’ve grown more comfortable with receiving and applying constructive criticism, which helped me improve my essays. This growth also enhanced my ability to collaborate and participate in the social aspects of the writing process, as I became more comfortable giving and receiving feedback. I now carefully consider my writing goals and audience expectations, keeping in mind what I want to achieve and who I am writing for. This focus helps me stay on track and maintain my intended message.
I recognize that both my own and others’ linguistic differences are valuable resources, as everyone has unique perspectives and goals in their writing. During the semester, I explored different genres and modes of writing, including multimodal composing. For example, I experimented with incorporating recordings and interviews into my first essay, which was a new experience for me. I learned to formulate and clearly express a stance in each essay by identifying key information and developing a position based on that evidence. I also made extensive use of library resources, including scholarly articles and online databases, often collaborating with online communities to gather information. I improved my source utilization by paraphrasing, questioning, summarizing, synthesizing, analyzing, and citing sources in nearly all my essays.
To demonstrate my progress, I compiled a portfolio that includes drafts, semi-weekly self-reflections, notes on what helped with each final essay, descriptions, interview transcripts, an annotated bibliography, reverse outlines, multimodal translations, rationales, MMT plans, final essays, and commentary. I organized everything carefully to make it easy to navigate. This collection showcases all the work I’ve done and the skills I’ve developed throughout the semester. I believe I have engaged with all of the course’s learning outcomes, and I plan to carry what I’ve learned into future classes. I am proud of the progress I’ve made and the knowledge I’ve gained during this experience.
