Whew! What a joy to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. This beast is quite lengthy but I figured what the hey, might as well continue the trend of sharing...
The criteria I have chosen to use in my reflection include how my learning experiences have allowed me to become a leader, writer, advocate and educated person of five of the six competence areas of First College. I have left out “the natural world and mathematics” only because I have spent considerably more time learning about the humanities and the psychology & sexuality of humans. I have also spent considerable time defining what it means to me to be an educated person and reflecting on the extent to which my education has or has not met those criteria. Following my reflection on my education and given the gaps that I found in that reflection, I have, to the best of my ability, addressed the issue of planning my future education. Finally, I have included a description of the goals I need & want to accomplish in the future. I begin my reflection discussing how I have accomplished five of the six competence areas of First College.
Communication: Having excellent communication skills have been instrumental in my education. It has helped me become an efficient problem solver and leader. By paying close attention to the world around me, I have learned the importance of keeping myself informed of global, local and entertainment events. I have spent considerable time learning about the various ways in which humans communicate with one another through coursework including writing 1 and 2, children’s literature, survey of mass media, theater of television, listening & literature of music, small group communications, visual communications, screenwriting, and voice (speaking from experience). In today’s world, it’s important to understand how prevalent visual & digital communication has become to us and learn how to participate maturely with these mediums.
In my personal and professional life, learning to communicate has benefited me in so many ways. For one, I have learned how to articulate my views and opinions in a mature manner. I am no longer intimidated to voice my thoughts and ideas whether spoken or written. I have come to understand that my voice is important and further, that I actually have something to say, particularly about how a persons’ psychology affects the way they see themselves as sexual, emotional, spiritual, physical and autonomous beings surviving in the world around them. I have also gained great insight into my own psychology and have learned to be able to communicate what I know about myself in an effort to engage and relate with others.
Community: I think, for me anyway, the biggest role I have as an educated person in terms of changing my community lies in my advocacy for and involvement with diversity and the humanities. Over the last several years I have become much more active supporting and advocating for LGBTQ persons, children with special needs and continuing education in the arts. There are so many things I do to give back to my community and frequently find myself involved in activities such as volunteering at my son’s school, donating food, toys or time to churches/charitable foundations such as VEAP (local food-shelf), National Marrow Donor Program, Camp Odayin (camp for kids with heart disease) and Rock The Cause.
I have learned to love working very hard at practicing random acts of kindness, and participating in political discussion through letter writing &/or protest. My expectations of my communities are for them enrich my life, to allow me to actively participate and to support me as a citizen. Communities exist because people cannot tackle all of life’s challenges or marvel at all of life’s wonders alone, we are communal beings and we should expect acceptance, tolerance, equality and respect from our communities. I am truly blessed to be a part of all my networks and communities.
Humanities: In terms of gaining greater cultural knowledge, I believe the humanities and psychology classes I have taken such as general psych, psych of women, psych of death/dying, abnormal psych, psych of adjustment, ethics, intro to diversity & ethics, intro to world religions, and women across cultures, have been critical in helping me understand ideas about ethical, religious and philosophical ideologies outside of my own sphere of knowledge. Humanities are extremely important to me because even though I live and interact within my own community, there is a whole global world out there that I need to be educated about so when I find myself in situations with people who have different ethical, religious & philosophical ideologies that don't match my own, I can move toward understanding and empathy from an educated standpoint, this also allows me to make informed decisions about my own actions and behaviors toward my fellow man. The humanities & psychology classes I have taken have helped me understand the deeper meaning of what it means to live & co-exist in a diverse and ever changing global world.
Vocation: I have created an individualized degree because I believe it’s critical to the success of my purpose in life, which is to help individuals overcome negative belief systems about themselves and the world around them. My studies have led me to work alongside diverse and often overlooked minority groups, particularly those previously mentioned. Creating an individual degree has further allowed me to learn and explore specific criteria I believe is necessary to my success. My academic areas of focus have relied heavily on gender studies: current and historical perspectives, writing, communication and psychology. By focusing on trends and perspectives within psychology, diversity and sexuality; I have set myself up to be able to work within these professions in an effort to help people claim their voices and autonomy.
Moving forward, I can visualize myself teaching, writing and practicing therapy. The experience of being a student has enabled me to have the writing, research and community action skills necessary to be successful in my field. It has been extraordinarily important for me to take psychology classes to understand how the psyche of humans works. It has also been important to take classes in culture and diversity, to help me see the world from a cultural perspective: how cultures relate to and shy away from each other. Gaining insight on World Religions is important as well because it has allowed me to understand what people of different faiths believe in.
It has also been critical for me to understand the differences of gender, and how being born one sex or the other can & does have an effect on how we all perceive the world around us. I have focused my studies primarily on the female aspect, simply because I myself am female, and because historically, females have been seen as “less-than” their male counterparts, despite recent advances in Women’s Liberation.
All of these classes have helped me as a writer and student better understand human emotion and faith, which are key aspects to character creation and authenticity as an autonomous person. Because writing is something that comes very natural to me, I have taken classes that foster the spirit of creatively “putting the pen to page.” In other words, I have focused my academic work on classes that rely on written work through research & my own voice as major components of understanding and passing a class.
Lifelong learning and avocation: My lifelong learning and avocation has afforded me inclusion within communities that encompass several different aspects of my life and are as diverse in nature as they are similar. I would define my community as a vast network of extended obligations and responsibilities to myself, my family and my friends. To me, these communities present opportunities for me to continue to learn and to practice activities/hobbies that make me happy and fulfilled as a person.
The first activity that I am involved in is that I am a parent involved in the scholastic community where my child attends fifth grade. I engage in that community by volunteering to help with class field trips, and being an active participant in fund raisers, food drives and after school activities. I participate within this community because I believe it helps foster good relations between me, my child and the school he attends.
The second community I am a member of is in the Minneapolis music scene as a member of a five-person band. As a group of five, we seek to bring music and entertainment to the intensely rich and diverse community of musicians and fans. It is our duty and obligation to ourselves that we strive for excellence, but remember to have fun with what we are doing. We engage with our extended Minneapolis community through gigs in local bars, venues and festivals, as well as collaboration with other musicians and close ties with members of community and college run radio stations. Music and singing is something I will continue to do throughout my lifetime, it is a passion I have had since I was a very young child. As my own child grows, I continue to encourage him to explore music as a means of creative expression as well. I think the arts are so valuable to all people and I will continue to do whatever I can to participate in and encourage others to participate in creative, artistic endeavors.
A third community I am a member of is among various Pagan and New Age spiritual groups I affiliate with. I believe it’s important to walk through life intentionally and spiritually and by having a support network of people, who share similar beliefs as me, is vastly important in my own spiritual development. In addition, I am able to give back to this particular community through writing, work-shopping and networking with other Pagans. In fact, I have decided to start a spiritual gathering once a month at my home. The idea is to get together with other like minded individuals to discuss spirituality and what it means for us. As I continue my education in the future, I am certain I will be afforded inclusion into professional organizations such as American Psychological Association as well.
An Educated Person
Criteria for being an educated person entail having an understanding of and compassion for the culturally rich and diverse world around us. It is being able to communicate your own personal thoughts and ideas to friends, peers, colleagues, instructors, bosses and any other person you come in contact with. Being educated is about putting to work the instruction received in college. An educated person has an attitude of anything is possible and understand that learning is a lengthy, tedious, but expansively necessary part of life. Educated people are problem solvers and good communicators, ever-curious about the world around them. They pay attention to what is going on in the world around them and look for ways to improve not only their own lives, but the communities in which they reside. They are proactive motivated individuals who thrive on learning. They are skilled in basic technological skills (using a computer, internet & common software products), are conscious consumers, and tote the pride of being educated: often stepping into roles as educators themselves.
Educated people understand the importance of sharing goals and dreams with other individuals who also want to learn, who have similar aspirations for themselves, they know that in order for the “program” to work on its deepest, most fulfilling level, there is a need and commitment to give back, to become a member, to tap into the creative forces of something outside of you, to take things one day at a time and above all, to trust the process. An educated person must have good communication skills, knowledge about the field they are studying, community interest & activity, and a curious mind: someone who never stops learning. They must be selective in the material they wish to learn about and take a critical eye to their own growth in the process. It’s important to follow your own interests because, in so doing, a student will be able to answer for themselves what their own individual purpose is, which will lead to greater success and satisfaction in life. An educated person will continue to be a life-long learner, ever curious about the world around them & always questioning their purpose within it.
My understanding of the varying criteria for judging how I have met the criteria in my education is strong. Over the last 10 years (off and on) in college, I have taken classes that have piqued my interest in the nature of humanity. In the process I have had to look at myself from a psychological standpoint in order to come to terms with my own history. This has been crucial to my ability to both separate and include myself in a classroom setting. By sharing some of my history, I have been able to support others who may have a similar past. It isn’t easy to share intimate and private information in front of a class full of people, but I believe my experiences are valuable in both teaching and supporting my fellow classmates. I think it takes a lot of effort to show and embrace vulnerability in a classroom setting because as people, we all have something to share and sometimes sharing the fearful or anxious or embarrassing moments in our lives, we are able to open dialogue that is full of substance and learning. As a student, I have also learned the importance of asking for help and questioning information or processes that didn’t make sense to me.
One way I have been able to retain the information I have learned in school has been my ability to begin conversations about the topics I have studied. I think being able to talk about what you’re learning with one or several other people including classmates, family and friends help solidify a person’s own thoughts about the subject material, which is crucial to being an educated person. Time management is also absolutely important when learning something. It is so valuable to understand how long something is going to take to learn about it and in fact, for me, has allowed me to set aside the time I need to learn which is why I continue to hold an excellent GPA. I’m not satisfied simply “getting by” academically. Cutting corners and failing to do the necessary work doesn’t afford anyone, including me, any kind of benefit; those behaviors in academia and in life are simply a matter of selling oneself short which is really unfortunate.
For me, the life experience which was the most transforming was giving birth to my son. Having a child with special needs forever changed the way I think about life, what to make of it and how to go about living it. Having a child period, does the same. Once parenthood entered my life, it completely changed the way I saw and related to the world. Being a mom has exponentially increased my appreciation for little things, as I have watched with trepidation and joy while Zane has grown. I have learned to set aside my own selfish ways to provide for him. In 11 years, Zane has succeeded in bringing out the best and sometimes the worst in me, and despite the bumps along the way have come to own my duty, my job, to teach and encourage him to learn as much as he can while still maintaining & supporting his childlike enthusiasm and wonder. Zane has been, and will continue to be, the motivating factor for educating myself and improving my life. The way I see it, having Zane was the best thing that ever happened to me and despite of, maybe even perhaps because of, his medical condition, I have truly stepped into the role of strong, capable, intelligent woman and mother.
The most important lesson I have received from life is learning how to recognize and balance my emotional reactions to things I either can or cannot control. As a parent of a child who lives every day with a life-threatening illness, I have had to reconcile my fears against my hopes. It is also within me to control how I feel about this, where I allow my emotions to go even though it's not easy. What is easy is loving. Through my child, I have been able to experience the meaning of life: which to me is an opportunity to give, to support, and to believe in something outside of myself. It has offered challenge, laughter and love. We cannot grow as humans, as entities if we never seek to look outside of ourselves and step into the shoes (or hearts) of another. Each day provides me with a platform to work with, a template of time to play with. Every day, I do my best to use my time to be positive, productive and faithful. Faithful in the belief that all things happen for a reason, positive in the belief that I can (with the help of others) heal broken hearts and productive in my thoughts, words and actions.
I have also created a list of important life lessons that I keep posted near my workspace at home. These items have been so important to my own deep and personal fulfillment. 1. Have faith in yourself and others. 2. Ask for help when you need it, accept it when you think you don't. 3. Hug someone everyday 4. Learn to forgive yourself and others. 5. Accept the things you can control, and those you can't. 6. Take care of your body. 7. Share the things you have learned with others. 8. Be involved. 9. Do what you love! 10. Respect others & yourself. 11. Make time to relax. 12. Count your blessings. 13. Smile when you feel like frowning. 14. Laugh when you want to cry. 15. Use your imagination. 16. Do something creative every day. 17. Call a friend just to chat. 18. Do something charitable. 19. Take vacations. 20. Never give up.
I have changed as a person because of my educational experiences because I have been able to gain an increased awareness in reference to understanding that we all have differences, and that, as a practicing therapist, I need to try to understand those differences and learn what my personal biases may be. This revelation was extremely important to me because in a therapeutic setting I may find myself in a situation where I am working with someone from a different racial, ethnic, religious or sexual background. I feel strongly that I can approach someone form a different racial or ethnic background and not make attribution errors. I am now educated on how to be able to get to know people for who they are, rather than making false assumptions about who I perceive them to be at a glance. In addition, I am better prepared to challenge people on ethical and diversity issues as they come up in my life because I have been able to look at myself and see that I was myself, culturally incompetent at the start of this class. I am now able to see that every single person holds biases and prejudices, whether racial, sexual, numerical (age related), religious, or economical, to name a few. I feel confident that when confronted with racist or sexist situations I can stand up for the groups being discriminated against. It's important to me to be an ally and help people understand that differences are okay, in fact, they are part of what makes our world such a beautiful and diverse place.
In terms of gaps I have found in my reflection it is evident to me that while I have a good understanding of the subject material I have studied over the last 10 years, the ground I have covered is simply a beginning. I feel confident that the coursework I have taken has been instrumental to my path in life but there is still so much more to learn. In fact, as I have begun to explore graduate school I have learned that in order to pursue psychology as a career I am missing two core classes: Statistics and Research Methods. In an effort to gain acceptance into various programs, I have registered to take these two classes over the summer. In the meantime, I am working on my application materials for grad school. At this point I haven’t applied anywhere yet because I want to complete the two missing classes and continue to explore different schools and programs, which will allow me to apply in the fall. For the time being, I am looking for work and internship opportunities.
In terms of what I need and want to accomplish in the future it’s important for me to be ever-curious and pay close attention to what is going on in the world around me. I always want to look for and work towards objectives, whether educational or professional, that will improve not only my life, but the lives of those I interact with. I always want to listen to what my passions and intuitions tell me and never be afraid to pursue a lifetime helping, advocating for and inspiring others. Continuing my education can and will open doors to personal exploration, deeper learning and expertise in a field that I love because to me, every step taken to educating myself has been an incredibly fulfilling path. Becoming educated has allowed me to become a leader and with continuing education in life and academia, will set me up to be an expert in my field of study which will lead to greater opportunities, higher earning potential and lifelong satisfaction.
The criteria I have chosen to use in my reflection include how my learning experiences have allowed me to become a leader, writer, advocate and educated person of five of the six competence areas of First College. I have left out “the natural world and mathematics” only because I have spent considerably more time learning about the humanities and the psychology & sexuality of humans. I have also spent considerable time defining what it means to me to be an educated person and reflecting on the extent to which my education has or has not met those criteria. Following my reflection on my education and given the gaps that I found in that reflection, I have, to the best of my ability, addressed the issue of planning my future education. Finally, I have included a description of the goals I need & want to accomplish in the future. I begin my reflection discussing how I have accomplished five of the six competence areas of First College.
Communication: Having excellent communication skills have been instrumental in my education. It has helped me become an efficient problem solver and leader. By paying close attention to the world around me, I have learned the importance of keeping myself informed of global, local and entertainment events. I have spent considerable time learning about the various ways in which humans communicate with one another through coursework including writing 1 and 2, children’s literature, survey of mass media, theater of television, listening & literature of music, small group communications, visual communications, screenwriting, and voice (speaking from experience). In today’s world, it’s important to understand how prevalent visual & digital communication has become to us and learn how to participate maturely with these mediums.
In my personal and professional life, learning to communicate has benefited me in so many ways. For one, I have learned how to articulate my views and opinions in a mature manner. I am no longer intimidated to voice my thoughts and ideas whether spoken or written. I have come to understand that my voice is important and further, that I actually have something to say, particularly about how a persons’ psychology affects the way they see themselves as sexual, emotional, spiritual, physical and autonomous beings surviving in the world around them. I have also gained great insight into my own psychology and have learned to be able to communicate what I know about myself in an effort to engage and relate with others.
Community: I think, for me anyway, the biggest role I have as an educated person in terms of changing my community lies in my advocacy for and involvement with diversity and the humanities. Over the last several years I have become much more active supporting and advocating for LGBTQ persons, children with special needs and continuing education in the arts. There are so many things I do to give back to my community and frequently find myself involved in activities such as volunteering at my son’s school, donating food, toys or time to churches/charitable foundations such as VEAP (local food-shelf), National Marrow Donor Program, Camp Odayin (camp for kids with heart disease) and Rock The Cause.
I have learned to love working very hard at practicing random acts of kindness, and participating in political discussion through letter writing &/or protest. My expectations of my communities are for them enrich my life, to allow me to actively participate and to support me as a citizen. Communities exist because people cannot tackle all of life’s challenges or marvel at all of life’s wonders alone, we are communal beings and we should expect acceptance, tolerance, equality and respect from our communities. I am truly blessed to be a part of all my networks and communities.
Humanities: In terms of gaining greater cultural knowledge, I believe the humanities and psychology classes I have taken such as general psych, psych of women, psych of death/dying, abnormal psych, psych of adjustment, ethics, intro to diversity & ethics, intro to world religions, and women across cultures, have been critical in helping me understand ideas about ethical, religious and philosophical ideologies outside of my own sphere of knowledge. Humanities are extremely important to me because even though I live and interact within my own community, there is a whole global world out there that I need to be educated about so when I find myself in situations with people who have different ethical, religious & philosophical ideologies that don't match my own, I can move toward understanding and empathy from an educated standpoint, this also allows me to make informed decisions about my own actions and behaviors toward my fellow man. The humanities & psychology classes I have taken have helped me understand the deeper meaning of what it means to live & co-exist in a diverse and ever changing global world.
Vocation: I have created an individualized degree because I believe it’s critical to the success of my purpose in life, which is to help individuals overcome negative belief systems about themselves and the world around them. My studies have led me to work alongside diverse and often overlooked minority groups, particularly those previously mentioned. Creating an individual degree has further allowed me to learn and explore specific criteria I believe is necessary to my success. My academic areas of focus have relied heavily on gender studies: current and historical perspectives, writing, communication and psychology. By focusing on trends and perspectives within psychology, diversity and sexuality; I have set myself up to be able to work within these professions in an effort to help people claim their voices and autonomy.
Moving forward, I can visualize myself teaching, writing and practicing therapy. The experience of being a student has enabled me to have the writing, research and community action skills necessary to be successful in my field. It has been extraordinarily important for me to take psychology classes to understand how the psyche of humans works. It has also been important to take classes in culture and diversity, to help me see the world from a cultural perspective: how cultures relate to and shy away from each other. Gaining insight on World Religions is important as well because it has allowed me to understand what people of different faiths believe in.
It has also been critical for me to understand the differences of gender, and how being born one sex or the other can & does have an effect on how we all perceive the world around us. I have focused my studies primarily on the female aspect, simply because I myself am female, and because historically, females have been seen as “less-than” their male counterparts, despite recent advances in Women’s Liberation.
All of these classes have helped me as a writer and student better understand human emotion and faith, which are key aspects to character creation and authenticity as an autonomous person. Because writing is something that comes very natural to me, I have taken classes that foster the spirit of creatively “putting the pen to page.” In other words, I have focused my academic work on classes that rely on written work through research & my own voice as major components of understanding and passing a class.
Lifelong learning and avocation: My lifelong learning and avocation has afforded me inclusion within communities that encompass several different aspects of my life and are as diverse in nature as they are similar. I would define my community as a vast network of extended obligations and responsibilities to myself, my family and my friends. To me, these communities present opportunities for me to continue to learn and to practice activities/hobbies that make me happy and fulfilled as a person.
The first activity that I am involved in is that I am a parent involved in the scholastic community where my child attends fifth grade. I engage in that community by volunteering to help with class field trips, and being an active participant in fund raisers, food drives and after school activities. I participate within this community because I believe it helps foster good relations between me, my child and the school he attends.
The second community I am a member of is in the Minneapolis music scene as a member of a five-person band. As a group of five, we seek to bring music and entertainment to the intensely rich and diverse community of musicians and fans. It is our duty and obligation to ourselves that we strive for excellence, but remember to have fun with what we are doing. We engage with our extended Minneapolis community through gigs in local bars, venues and festivals, as well as collaboration with other musicians and close ties with members of community and college run radio stations. Music and singing is something I will continue to do throughout my lifetime, it is a passion I have had since I was a very young child. As my own child grows, I continue to encourage him to explore music as a means of creative expression as well. I think the arts are so valuable to all people and I will continue to do whatever I can to participate in and encourage others to participate in creative, artistic endeavors.
A third community I am a member of is among various Pagan and New Age spiritual groups I affiliate with. I believe it’s important to walk through life intentionally and spiritually and by having a support network of people, who share similar beliefs as me, is vastly important in my own spiritual development. In addition, I am able to give back to this particular community through writing, work-shopping and networking with other Pagans. In fact, I have decided to start a spiritual gathering once a month at my home. The idea is to get together with other like minded individuals to discuss spirituality and what it means for us. As I continue my education in the future, I am certain I will be afforded inclusion into professional organizations such as American Psychological Association as well.
An Educated Person
Criteria for being an educated person entail having an understanding of and compassion for the culturally rich and diverse world around us. It is being able to communicate your own personal thoughts and ideas to friends, peers, colleagues, instructors, bosses and any other person you come in contact with. Being educated is about putting to work the instruction received in college. An educated person has an attitude of anything is possible and understand that learning is a lengthy, tedious, but expansively necessary part of life. Educated people are problem solvers and good communicators, ever-curious about the world around them. They pay attention to what is going on in the world around them and look for ways to improve not only their own lives, but the communities in which they reside. They are proactive motivated individuals who thrive on learning. They are skilled in basic technological skills (using a computer, internet & common software products), are conscious consumers, and tote the pride of being educated: often stepping into roles as educators themselves.
Educated people understand the importance of sharing goals and dreams with other individuals who also want to learn, who have similar aspirations for themselves, they know that in order for the “program” to work on its deepest, most fulfilling level, there is a need and commitment to give back, to become a member, to tap into the creative forces of something outside of you, to take things one day at a time and above all, to trust the process. An educated person must have good communication skills, knowledge about the field they are studying, community interest & activity, and a curious mind: someone who never stops learning. They must be selective in the material they wish to learn about and take a critical eye to their own growth in the process. It’s important to follow your own interests because, in so doing, a student will be able to answer for themselves what their own individual purpose is, which will lead to greater success and satisfaction in life. An educated person will continue to be a life-long learner, ever curious about the world around them & always questioning their purpose within it.
My understanding of the varying criteria for judging how I have met the criteria in my education is strong. Over the last 10 years (off and on) in college, I have taken classes that have piqued my interest in the nature of humanity. In the process I have had to look at myself from a psychological standpoint in order to come to terms with my own history. This has been crucial to my ability to both separate and include myself in a classroom setting. By sharing some of my history, I have been able to support others who may have a similar past. It isn’t easy to share intimate and private information in front of a class full of people, but I believe my experiences are valuable in both teaching and supporting my fellow classmates. I think it takes a lot of effort to show and embrace vulnerability in a classroom setting because as people, we all have something to share and sometimes sharing the fearful or anxious or embarrassing moments in our lives, we are able to open dialogue that is full of substance and learning. As a student, I have also learned the importance of asking for help and questioning information or processes that didn’t make sense to me.
One way I have been able to retain the information I have learned in school has been my ability to begin conversations about the topics I have studied. I think being able to talk about what you’re learning with one or several other people including classmates, family and friends help solidify a person’s own thoughts about the subject material, which is crucial to being an educated person. Time management is also absolutely important when learning something. It is so valuable to understand how long something is going to take to learn about it and in fact, for me, has allowed me to set aside the time I need to learn which is why I continue to hold an excellent GPA. I’m not satisfied simply “getting by” academically. Cutting corners and failing to do the necessary work doesn’t afford anyone, including me, any kind of benefit; those behaviors in academia and in life are simply a matter of selling oneself short which is really unfortunate.
For me, the life experience which was the most transforming was giving birth to my son. Having a child with special needs forever changed the way I think about life, what to make of it and how to go about living it. Having a child period, does the same. Once parenthood entered my life, it completely changed the way I saw and related to the world. Being a mom has exponentially increased my appreciation for little things, as I have watched with trepidation and joy while Zane has grown. I have learned to set aside my own selfish ways to provide for him. In 11 years, Zane has succeeded in bringing out the best and sometimes the worst in me, and despite the bumps along the way have come to own my duty, my job, to teach and encourage him to learn as much as he can while still maintaining & supporting his childlike enthusiasm and wonder. Zane has been, and will continue to be, the motivating factor for educating myself and improving my life. The way I see it, having Zane was the best thing that ever happened to me and despite of, maybe even perhaps because of, his medical condition, I have truly stepped into the role of strong, capable, intelligent woman and mother.
The most important lesson I have received from life is learning how to recognize and balance my emotional reactions to things I either can or cannot control. As a parent of a child who lives every day with a life-threatening illness, I have had to reconcile my fears against my hopes. It is also within me to control how I feel about this, where I allow my emotions to go even though it's not easy. What is easy is loving. Through my child, I have been able to experience the meaning of life: which to me is an opportunity to give, to support, and to believe in something outside of myself. It has offered challenge, laughter and love. We cannot grow as humans, as entities if we never seek to look outside of ourselves and step into the shoes (or hearts) of another. Each day provides me with a platform to work with, a template of time to play with. Every day, I do my best to use my time to be positive, productive and faithful. Faithful in the belief that all things happen for a reason, positive in the belief that I can (with the help of others) heal broken hearts and productive in my thoughts, words and actions.
I have also created a list of important life lessons that I keep posted near my workspace at home. These items have been so important to my own deep and personal fulfillment. 1. Have faith in yourself and others. 2. Ask for help when you need it, accept it when you think you don't. 3. Hug someone everyday 4. Learn to forgive yourself and others. 5. Accept the things you can control, and those you can't. 6. Take care of your body. 7. Share the things you have learned with others. 8. Be involved. 9. Do what you love! 10. Respect others & yourself. 11. Make time to relax. 12. Count your blessings. 13. Smile when you feel like frowning. 14. Laugh when you want to cry. 15. Use your imagination. 16. Do something creative every day. 17. Call a friend just to chat. 18. Do something charitable. 19. Take vacations. 20. Never give up.
I have changed as a person because of my educational experiences because I have been able to gain an increased awareness in reference to understanding that we all have differences, and that, as a practicing therapist, I need to try to understand those differences and learn what my personal biases may be. This revelation was extremely important to me because in a therapeutic setting I may find myself in a situation where I am working with someone from a different racial, ethnic, religious or sexual background. I feel strongly that I can approach someone form a different racial or ethnic background and not make attribution errors. I am now educated on how to be able to get to know people for who they are, rather than making false assumptions about who I perceive them to be at a glance. In addition, I am better prepared to challenge people on ethical and diversity issues as they come up in my life because I have been able to look at myself and see that I was myself, culturally incompetent at the start of this class. I am now able to see that every single person holds biases and prejudices, whether racial, sexual, numerical (age related), religious, or economical, to name a few. I feel confident that when confronted with racist or sexist situations I can stand up for the groups being discriminated against. It's important to me to be an ally and help people understand that differences are okay, in fact, they are part of what makes our world such a beautiful and diverse place.
In terms of gaps I have found in my reflection it is evident to me that while I have a good understanding of the subject material I have studied over the last 10 years, the ground I have covered is simply a beginning. I feel confident that the coursework I have taken has been instrumental to my path in life but there is still so much more to learn. In fact, as I have begun to explore graduate school I have learned that in order to pursue psychology as a career I am missing two core classes: Statistics and Research Methods. In an effort to gain acceptance into various programs, I have registered to take these two classes over the summer. In the meantime, I am working on my application materials for grad school. At this point I haven’t applied anywhere yet because I want to complete the two missing classes and continue to explore different schools and programs, which will allow me to apply in the fall. For the time being, I am looking for work and internship opportunities.
In terms of what I need and want to accomplish in the future it’s important for me to be ever-curious and pay close attention to what is going on in the world around me. I always want to look for and work towards objectives, whether educational or professional, that will improve not only my life, but the lives of those I interact with. I always want to listen to what my passions and intuitions tell me and never be afraid to pursue a lifetime helping, advocating for and inspiring others. Continuing my education can and will open doors to personal exploration, deeper learning and expertise in a field that I love because to me, every step taken to educating myself has been an incredibly fulfilling path. Becoming educated has allowed me to become a leader and with continuing education in life and academia, will set me up to be an expert in my field of study which will lead to greater opportunities, higher earning potential and lifelong satisfaction.
kinda speechless...in awe...but know for sure I am glad you are in my life!! love=wendy
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