Autumn 2021
PHYS 114, PHYS 117, HONORS 210,
HONORS 100, HONORS 397, P BIO 499
PHYS 114/117
Since I didn't take physics in high school, I came into PHYS 114 not knowing what it would cover nor how to study for it. Luckily, I realized early on how important it is to organize and review my notes right after the lectures. I then compiled concepts, equations, and example problems into a notebook and used that to make study guides for each exam. I also analyzed my exam mistakes by reflecting on why I got the problem wrong and writing out an explanation for the correct answer. These habits helped me as I prepared for the final, along with using a study planner that tracked how many topics I needed to review every day. Overall, physics wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I'm proud that I developed strong study habits for a completely new subject.
HONORS 210
The syllabus for HONORS 210 was daunting, as we had to write 750 words in the context of Black Lives Matter every other week. Although I often dreaded the number of hours I had to spend to complete each assignment, I enjoyed pushing myself out of my comfort zone and learning how to break down Black studies for a public audience. I also learned how to write and edit at a fast pace—I would write over the weekend, my partner for the week would edit my initial draft and I would turn in a revised draft by Tuesday, get feedback from my peers and professor at the Writer's Table on Wednesday, and submit a final draft the following week. After writing a 5 Things You Should Know article, news article, book review, and documentary review, I can say I am more confident in my voice as a writer. For my final portfolio, I compiled a reflection and the first and final drafts of all my assignments into one PDF. As seen on the left, the grand total was 27 pages! As much as my writing has improved, I also feel more educated about the Black Lives Matter movement and I hope to continue learning more on my own time.
HONORS 100/397
Exploring how I define leadership has been a significant part of my UW Honors experience. From working as an Honors Community Ambassador to being the Director of the Honors Peer Mentoring Program, I have learned what it means to create a vision and guide a team through various projects. However, being a Peer Educator for HONORS 100 has helped me understand leadership in the context of education and mentorship—student leaders are able to provide a safe, inclusive space for all of their peers to succeed. Although that sounds very straightforward, I found it challenging to execute and often felt pressured to get everything right on the first try. But as the quarter progressed, I gained confidence in my lesson plans and relationship with my students.
The part I loved the most about being a Peer Educator was my wonderful section! Whether I was giving a brief lecture or leading them through a group activity, all of my students remained engaged and enjoyed working with each other. I also often saw my freshman-year self in them as I learned about the ups and downs of their quarter. This motivated me to provide as much support as I could by doing things like creating a resource doc or staying after class to answer questions. Overall, everyone had unique ways of navigating their first quarter at UW and it was rewarding to see that in their portfolio presentations. We also got boba together on our last day, which attests to the sense of community that our section has fostered.
Of course, I could not have done all of this without Claire, Nadra, and my fellow Peer Educators. Our HONORS 397 seminar helped me stay grounded when I was nervous for my first section and allowed me to continuously reflect on my growth. My check-in with Nadra midway through the quarter was especially valuable because she led me to the realization that the things that were going well in my section exceeded any small mistakes that I made. My desire to let go of perfectionism was something I mentioned in my pre-quarter reflection—and something a lot of the other Peer Educators struggled with—so I’m proud that we were all able to work on this throughout the quarter.
As I continue to take on student leadership roles, I would definitely like to be perceived as approachable. I was thrilled to see in the end-of-quarter survey that most of my students used this word to describe me, as this was one of the main traits I wanted to have as a Peer Educator. Moving forward, I hope to demonstrate approachability by sharing both my successes and failures, being aware of my non-verbal communications, and always seeking feedback. This is closely tied to my work in the Honors Peer Mentoring Program, where I am mentoring two students, leading a committee of four students, and overseeing a cohort of nearly 90 students. As of now, my goals are to better balance being both a mentor and a friend, and help my peers build authentic mentoring relationships. The skills and knowledge I have gained from being a Peer Educator will serve me well as I pursue these goals and I look forward to applying them to other positions in the future.