Kanmantha Reddy 1

Gayathri Reddy Kanmantha Reddy

Dean Herron
Honors 1000/Section 500
October 21,2016
Reflective Essay
I have truly always been caught up in dance, music, school, and friends to look outside at
anything other that those few things. They have always been my main focus and they still are my
main focus. But I realized in the 7 years I have lived in America, I have never examined my
surroundings and the place I live in. I have always heard negative things about Detroit; However
Honors 1000 opened up my eyes to what Detroit really was, is and will be. It really made me
analyze how I treat my home and how much I actually now about my home. I would always say I
am from Detroit without actually knowing or caring about the city. However after learning so
much about the history of Detroit and researching its importance and place in history, I have
come to care and respect and understand it way more than I used to. I found a new appreciation
for my home. The course also taught me more about the social and political issues associated
with Detroit and how to discuss them. It made me more confident in my social and political
issues knowledge which I did not have prior to the course. Honors 1000 is completely different
from any other course in college. It has a fair draw from History to Speech to Literature all
entangled in one course which really surprised me since I was never really exposed to an
unacademic course like this before. Honors 1000 also makes us explore ourselves in a way that
no other course every will. We evaluate things like who we are, and where we are. These used to
be trivial one worded answers however now they have whole new meaning and very in-depth
answers to them that include more than just nouns and places. Honors 1000 has made me more
confident in myself and in my knowledge through each of it objectives. Everytime we research

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something or visit a new place in Detroit, I learn not only more about the city but also about how
I and other people like me fit into this whole equation that makes Detroit a city.